The holidays are a time of family togetherness. Regardless of political, cultural, or religious ideology, caring people put aside their differences to spend time with their family and loved ones.
One of the biggest concerns people have before holiday parties is making conversation with family members. If you have a relative who aggresively brings politics into every conversation, for example, you might feel uncomfortable talking with them. But since this isn't a politics blog, that's not what we're going to talk about today.
If you'll be spending some time with an elderly loved one in the next few weeks, you may be feeling some anxiety about it. Many elderly people become less communicative then they've been in the past, or maybe they've never been chatty. They may have the beginnings of dementia, or advanced hearing loss, making it hard to hold a conversation with them.
Assuming your loved one is intellectually aware and able to talk, here are some great conversation starters to enhance your holidays—or any day:
Asking these questions, listening to the responses, and thoughtfully responding is the greatest gift you can give to your elderly loved one. In addition, it will take care of those holiday worries about long awkward silences between you and your elderly loved one.
Around 100 million American adults suffer from chronic pain. They spend up to billions of dollars in medical treatment and pain relief measures, not to mention the cost of the emotional and mental burden of waking up every morning to another day of constant pain.
There is one method of pain management that is not only basically free, but also provides many other benefits to your physical, emotional, and mental health. And that method is exercising.
It may seem counterintuitive at first—doesn't exercising actually cause pain, especially when you overdo it? But the fact is, the right exercises can reduce or completely eliminate your pain over a period of time.
Let's start this section by reiterating that any new exercise routine—especially when you're in chronic pain—should first be discussed with and cleared by your doctor. Some exercises can cause more harm than good when done incorrectly or too frequently, so make sure your doctor has approved your new routine. You might also want to consider working with a physical therapist or personal trainer who specializes in seniors and pain relief. They can help you get the most out of your pain management routine.
There are three main types of exercises, and each of them can provide different forms of pain relief. These are:
These exercises are often called "cardio" or "aerobic" exercises. These are activities that get your heart pumping at speeds close to its upper limits. The two easiest and low cost cardio workouts are walking and swimming. Walking for half an hour a day, three to five days a week, can help with pain relief, as well as increase your endurance and heart health. Aerobic exercise like walking can also increase production of endorphins, the hormones that boosts your mental health and decreases sensitivity to pain.
Swimming also provides those physiological and psychological improvements, with the added benefit of being accessible for seniors with mobility problems. Swimming is very relaxing, and doesn't put as much stress on your muscles and joints.
Workouts that focus on strengthening can relieve tension and stiffness in the lower back or neck. Stretching can also help you retain balance and muscle flexibility, reducing falls. Here's a simple and quick stretching exercise anyone can do, that can provide great long-term benefits:
Building strength can help you maintain a good posture and reduce strain on your joints and muscles. In the long run, it can go a long way in reducing pain. By doing strengthening exercises, you get the added benefit of reducing your chance of falls and injuries.
Strength exercises are workouts that build strength. These include push-ups, squats, weight traning, and the like. Many of these exercises aren't appropriate for seniors dealing with severe chronic pain, so speak with your doctor about what you should and shouldn't do.
Working with a physical therapist can also ensure you maximize exercise for pain relief in a safe and reliable way. At Regency Nursing, our top-notch physical therapists are experts in senior chronic pain, and which exercise routines are best suited to combat it.
To read more about the benefits of exercising for seniors, check out this article from our other blog: Senior Fitness Guide by Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation
November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, as designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. President Reagan is actually the president most associated with the debilitating disease for another reason: he was diagnosed with it in 1994.
That November, at the age of 83, President Reagan announced he was one of the millions of Americans afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. His announcement brought Alzheimer's disease, the irrversible and progressive neurological disease, into the public spotlight.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia—the progressive detioration of the brain. The general symptoms include loss of memory and other cognitive abilities. The effects of Alzheimer's are particularly severe, and always fatal. There is no cure for the disease.
The Alzheimer's Association, the leading organization pushing for a cure, says their vision is nothing less than a world without Alzheimer's. They support research and medical advancements against the disease. Thankds in part to their efforts, we know a lot about the mechanisms that contribute to the disease's development. It begins when two types of proteins—tangles and plaques—build up in the brain. Eventually, the disease kills off brain cells, robbing the person of first their memory, then their personality, and finally, their very selves.
We still don't know the direct causes of Alzheimer's, but we do know some of the possible risk factors. Your genes and lifestyle seem to be the biggest factors in whether or not you will develop Alzheimer's disease. While you can't do anything about your genes, you can make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce your risk as much as possible.
Implementing healthy habits as early as possible can help keep Alzheimer's at bay. Consider making the following changes in your lifestyle:
As one of the top providers of long-term senior care in New Jersey, we are experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia care. We are committed to providing the best care possible for all our patients, even—or especially—for those who no longer recognize their loved ones or remember their own name.
We see the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease every day, not only on the patient, but also on his or her family. In fact, the disease affects approximately 1 in every 2 families in the United States. That's a lot of people, and at Regency we're committed to raising awareness for Alzheimers. We do this by making sure our patients and their families always stay informed every step of the journey. And this month, we will also dedicate every article on this blog to a different facet of Alzheimer's disease.
We encourage you to share our posts to raise awareness during National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
Aging in place is a long-term care trend increasing in popularity. And for good reason, too. It’s an enticing prospect to grow old in the comforts of your own home, surrounded by your loved ones and prized possession.
It’s just this picture that the various aging-in-place organizations paint for seniors. They say seniors can have it all: superior healthcare, familiar environment, and the freedom to make their own choices. And many seniors do start off their retirement that way.
At a certain point, though, it becomes clear that moving to a long-term care community is the best choice seniors can make for themselves. Nursing homes today are increasingly home-like and comfortable—but they offer several distinct advantages over aging-in-place arrangements.
Here are four things we at Regency Nursing Centers can guarantee:
Seniors living at home are vulnerable to many dangers. Falls, fires, accidental overdose, malnutrition, burglaries, and scams are just some of the hazards seniors face, especially when they live alone. There are many technological innovations to help you monitor your loved one’s home and health from far, and if your parent isn’t ready to leave their home just yet, you should certainly make use of them.
However, many family members of elderly individuals confess that they never really relax when they know their loved one is home alone. When your loved one moves to Regency Nursing, you know they’re in the safest environment they could possibly be in. When we renovate a unit or build a new one, our entire architectural focus is safety. All our public areas are clutter-free and wheelchair accessible and our walkways are equipped with handrails for extra support.
Nobody can ever eliminate all accidents, but when your loved one comes to Regency Nursing, you can finally rest easy at night.
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are the basics of daily function. They include personal hygiene, grooming, dressing, and eating. Our ability to perform these activities decreases with age, and many illnesses or disabilities can make it even harder to accomplish these basics.
Home health aides are trained assistants who come to your home to help you bathe, dress, eat, and do some light housekeeping. You can even have a visiting nurse or therapist come to provide daily skilled care. But when you need reliable, round-the-clock assistance, a nursing home provides the best options.
We’re proud of Regency Nursing’s compassionate and committed Certified Nursing Assistants who are always there to provide care with a smile.
Our staff doctors are all leaders in geriatric medical care, and they make regular rounds to examine our residents and follow up on previous visits. Each unit has nurses on staff to dispense medications safely and provide any necessary treatments and care.
We’re also proud innovators in the nursing home field, as our facilities partner with MD Live Care to provide virtual medical appointments in the evening, on weekends, and over the holidays. Having their team of leading doctors on-hand for our nurses to consult with when a resident takes ill over the weekend saves unnecessary hospital and admissions, and thousands of dollars for our residents.
When seniors live alone, especially when they have limited mobility, they are at risk for social isolation. Loneliness and lack of socializing are known risk factors for depression, dementia, and even physical illness. Lack of activity can also cause cognitive and mental decline.
To combat this, we provide a range of interesting and engaging activities to keep our residents’ minds and hearts sharp and young. Between entertainment and music events, celebrations, religious services, and outings, our residents always have something to do and people to do it with.
And if someone wants some quiet time, or privacy with their visitors, they can always retreat to one of the many quiet and peaceful corners scattered throughout our buildings and gardens.
Choosing to move to a nursing home or other senior living arrangement is a big decision. It should be made with the input of family members, friends, and doctors. But when you’re ready to explore your option in New Jersey, we’re here to answer your questions and hold your hand through the process.
