- Stay Healthy. Stay Home.
- Posts
- Stay Healthy. Stay Home. Issue 83
Stay Healthy. Stay Home. Issue 83
Care Receivers Caregivers Nutrition Movement Wellness Aging In Place And One More Thing
Table of Contents
Care Receivers
Movement
From Meredith, of Senior Fitness with Meredith, a 20 minute video dedicated to stretching and range of motion. I do some of this, but not enough. It is very important as we age to be as flexible as possible. Do what you can, as this is a longer video, but I highly recomment putting it to use.
Movement
Dr. Jo has put together all the back pain videos she has created so we can access them easily rather than searching throught the hundreds of videos she has created. We have featured back pain recently, as it seems to be an issue for many of us as we age.
Movement
Jefferson Health has ideas for us for exercise in the winter months. We are in mid-February, but winter is hanging on in many parts of the country so I thought some new ideas for getting out if we are able might be helpful. Of course, if there is snow or ice we don’t really want to venture out, but there are days when we are able to safely.
Nutrition
From our friends at Silver Sneakers, a list of dietician approved healthy snacks for us. Some good advice here about what we should be avoiding in snacks and stick with our healthy choices. Here is a list from the article of choices we should avoid:
Choose products with little or no added sugar
Look for items made with whole grains instead of refined grains
Eat snacks with higher amounts of protein
Limit calories to 250 or less
Select lower-sodium snacks
Go with healthier fats, like those in nuts and seeds
Seek out snacks that contain fiber
Avoid snacks with a list of unrecognizable names on their ingredient list, even if the snack food is marketed as “healthy.”
Aging In Place
Senior Living has informaiton here about home safety options for senior citizens. Several of the options include alarm systems along with fall detection products. I am in the process of negotiations with a company that supplies these products, so our subscribers can receive a rebate or discount.
Aging In Place
Free College Courses. Here is a listing of basically, online, free courses that we can access as senior citizens. Whether it is a subject you happen to be interested in or if you want to take a course to keep your mind sharp, this is a good start to finding courses you can access. Local community colleges are another source and there may be free or discounted courses for seniors here as well.
Caregivers
Aging In Place
From Health Partners, For Health’s Sake podcast, signs that we should be looking out for that our parents may need assistance. I know from personal experience, it is human nature to not want to recognize these signs. It will be helpful in the long run to be proactive here.
Movement
Go4Life, from the National Institute on Health, has some excellent information to help caregivers care for themselves. As was highlighted in the book review in the last issue, it is imperative that the caregiver take care of themselves. In many cases, there is no or little backup, so the caregiver is the main cog in this process.
Movement
Heart.org has more information for us for caregivers to get moving and get and stay healthy. Some good advice here about what to do and how to work fitness into your daily routine. Also, there are links in the right hand column with more information valuable to seniors.
Wellness
The American Cancer Society supplies us with a Caregiver Resource Guide that is filled with information. It is primarily for those caring for cancer patients, but a lot of the information translates to other areas of care. Again, I don’t believe we can accumulate too much information that can assist us as caregivers. I have a friend who recently had two family members begin to require some level of care and I urge them to be proactive about building a support system. I am not an expert on any of this but I read a lot about all aspects of senior living and health and it can sneak up on caregivers in a hurry.
Aging In Place
From the USC Leonard Davis Caregiver Support Center, a document that lists the pros and cons of placing a loved one in a nursing home or assissted living facility vs. aging in place. Something to discuss with our loved ones and contemplate for ourselves and our future.
Aging In Place
Going back to the comment above, here is some information about sharing caregiver responsibilities with other family members and friends. Again, the word is proactive. Don’t wait until you are heavily involved to beging to get organized and search for help.
Aging In Place
Corporate Compliance Insights states here that 20% of the U.S. workforce has some level of caregiver responsibility. Here is some excellent informatioin for us that tells us of programs available, primarily in the workplace, and how to access them and, also, what our rights are. Again, it would be helpful to be proactive and find out what benefits and help is available to you at your workplace. More info to archive in case it is needed.
Both Receivers and Givers
Nutrition
Again, I realize we are well into winter, but spring seems a long way off so I thought I would post this article from Health Stand Nutrition and Registered Dietician, Andrea Holwegner. She talks about how our habits change in the winter and how we can manage cravings and our relationship to food.
Nutrition
Abbott provides us with five daily habits/fundamentals that can improve our metabolic health. This information applies to all age groups. As we have discussed before, our metabolic health impacts insulin, glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure. By maintaining our metabolic health, we enable our bodies to process and use energy efficiently.
Movement
Homecare-Aid lists recereational sports that care receivers and caregivers can participate in together. When we are able to participate, this is an excellent way to get exercise and socialize with each other. As always, consult your health care professional before participating.
Wellness
Our regular contributor, Dr. Leslie Kernisan, tells us what blood pressure guidelines and research mean for older adults. 63% of those 60 and over in the U.S. have high blood pressure, 32.4% of those 40-59. For this reason, we posted this information for both care receivers and caregivers as this has become a chronic illness as we age. Diet and exercise go a long way to keeping our blood pressure in a healthy range.
From Solera, there is a lot here and it is kind of technical, but it provides information about virtual health care, a subject that I am seeing more of all the time. Virtual care and home visits are growing in many areas of the country, so I wanted to post this to give an idea of what is going on in health care.
Aging In Place
Comforcare has useful information for care receivers and for caregivers who are anticipating assuming this role in the future. Along with aging in place information, there is a lot more information available in the right hand column. Uh oh, this guy again.
And One More Thing
The American Hospital Association has projections for several categories of employees in the hospital industry by 2028. These numbers don’t take into consideration the number of similar employee groups needed in the nursing home, assisted living and rehab facilities and also home care, which is growing rapidly as the article above highlights.
Disclaimer
This website’s content is for informational purposes only. It is general in nature and is not intended to be medical advice. Before starting, consult your own healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis and to ensure this content and any featured products are safe and appropriate for your own medical and physical condition. Stop immediately if you experience pain. Stay Healthy Stay Home makes no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this content for you.
Reply