Too many seniors feel it is a waste of time to start exercising as it won’t do them any good and may actually harm them or that they cannot do it due to physical limitations. In fact, the U.S. National Library of Medicine published a report that found about 67 percent of older adults are sedentary for at least 8.5 hours each day, which strongly suggests a need to improve activity levels for senior health. Experts explain there are many unexpected benefits that can be gained from regular physical exercise regardless of your age or fitness level. One benefit as reported by the National Council for Medicine is exercise is one of the “most crucial options for arthritis management.” In addition to lubricating the joints, it helps to reduce the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. Regular exercise can also help seniors lose weight. This is important as obesity is a risk factor for arthritis as well as type II diabetes and other medical conditions. Other studies seem to suggest exercise may lessen your chance of getting cancer including data that found women who perform moderate to regular exercise may “have shown a 30 to 40 percent reduction in breast cancer risk.” Another study indicates exercise may also slow the effects of dementia. It reported a “37 percent reduced risk and a 66 percent reduction in risk of dementia when older adults performed moderate-intensity exercise suggesting every adult ought to exercise to help lower the risk of mental decline and to help prevent mental disability later in life.” MorningStar of Happy Valley also recognizes the importance of older adults living a healthy lifestyle. When our assisted living and memory care community opens at the end of the year, we will offer an array of services and wellness programs along with healthy daily meals that are designed to ensure our residents’ comfort and wellbeing. Please visit our website to learn more, or stop by our onsite Information Center. Please consult your health care provider before starting any new physical activity. MorningStar of Happy Valley represents the finest in senior living with our distinct mission statement: “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are honored to create a true “home” for residents. Contact us to learn more about exceptional assisted living in the Happy Valley – Clackamas area.
0 Comments
Decreases in brain metabolism have been shown to be a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease and predictive of cognitive decline and the conversion to Alzheimer’s in older adults. Scientists believe that physical activity can modulate brain glucose metabolism but until now it was unclear what level of intensity and duration of exercise was most beneficial.
Recently the National Institute on Aging published an article that found “even moderate physical activity may increase metabolism in brain regions important for learning and memory.” The NIA-supported study was led by Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo of the University of Wisconsin. Researchers had cognitively normal, late-middle age (average age 64 years old) participants wear an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days to measure their daily physical activity. Afterward, they looked at the amount of time each participant engaged in “light (e.g., a slow walk), moderate (e.g., a fast walk), and vigorous activities (e.g., run).” The data was analyzed to determine how they “corresponded with glucose metabolism within brain areas that have been demonstrated to be impacted in people with Alzheimer’s.” Increasing the levels of moderate physical activity showed an increase in cerebral glucose metabolism across all brain regions examined. Participants that engaged in light physical activity had no changes to the metabolism in any of the brain regions examined. Another thing that impacted the amount of brain glucose metabolism was the duration of time spent in moderate physical activity. Researchers found that the more time a person spent doing moderate levels of physical activity (average 43.3 min/day to average 68.1 min/day), the greater the increase in brain glucose metabolism. The NIA says it is encouraging evidence that physical activity may be beneficial for neurometabolic function. Moreover, they say it is a “critical contribution to the efforts to identify the intensity and duration of physical activity that confer the most advantage for combating Alzheimer’s-related changes in mid-life.” MorningStar at Englefield Green embodies the very best in senior living with a distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest” that sets us apart from other senior living communities. Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing seniors and investing in a staff with a felt calling to serve, and offers loving, compassionate Alzheimer’s care in a beautiful residential setting. We encourage you to schedule a tour to see our exceptional community. Source:nia.nih.gov/news/moderate-physical-activity-linked-increases-metabolism-across-brain-regions If you would like the freedom to enjoy your retirement years without many worries, we invite you to consider MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Fountain Hills. Located in Fountain Hills, AZ, our community has views of the celebrated lake fountain, whose geyser shoots water to a height of over 500 feet every hour. We are also conveniently located to hospitals, banks, shopping malls, restaurants, and grocery stores.
For assisted living, we offer 63 stylish, private suites in a variety of configurations. From spacious studios to one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans on two levels, our suites are meticulously designed so all you need is to bring your furnishings and personal items. Each unit offers high-end finishes and includes lighting, high ceilings, large windows, wall-to-wall carpeting and mini blinds. For memory care residents, our Reflections Neighborhood has 28 secure suites that are devoted to the individualized care of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases. Our holistic approach to memory care is designed to affirm the value of the person and to find ways to celebrate the smallest successes. Furthermore, MorningStar of Fountain Hills provides a whole host of wellness programs and activities to engage residents intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially. If you take a look at our monthly calendar posted on our website, you will see a variety of daily activities that are inspirational and motivating as well as just plain fun. If all this sounds like something you or a loved one would be interested in, we invite you schedule a visit to see our beautiful community in person. At MorningStar of Fountain Hills, we exemplify the very best in senior living with our unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve…all of which contributes to creating a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. Please call to schedule a visit to see firsthand the finest assisted living and memory care in the area. MorningStar of Fountain Hills is pleased to provide families with ideas for additional financial solutions beyond traditional retirement savings and investment income to help pay for assisted living or memory care. On our website, you will find extensive information on several under-utilized financial benefits and resources including a full explanation of the generous “Aid & Attendance” pension from the US Department of Veteran Affairs.
Aid & Attendance is a monthly benefit payment available to certain wartime veterans and their survivors who qualify for financial need and have a doctor’s order for regular assistance with daily living activities. To be eligible, the vet must have served for at least 90 days of active duty with at least one of those days spent serving during a period of a foreign war. Furthermore, the vet cannot have been dishonorably discharged. The benefit does not require the vet to have served overseas, seen combat or retired from the military. Surviving spouses of the vet are also eligible for the Aid & Attendance pension if they were married to the vet at the time of their death and have not remarried. When we find out that a vet or the family of a vet is interested in our community, we are pleased to direct them to local resources that can help to ease and quicken the application process for “Aid & Attendance. In every state including Arizona, there is a Department of Military/Veteran Affairs staffed with Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) who will help you complete the 41-page Aid & Attendance application free of charge. The approval process typically takes 3 to 4 months. Throughout our many MorningStar’s communities, we are privileged to have veterans from all five branches of military service call us home. Please visit our website and take a look at our Family Resources information regarding ways to finance assisted living including “Aid & Attendance” pension benefits for Veterans. MorningStar of Fountain Hills’ unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest” sets us apart from other senior communities. Committed to creating a true home for residents within a gorgeous setting, our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve. We invite you to schedule a visit to learn more about our exceptional assisted living and memory care. While beautiful, summers in Rio Rancho are hot and sunny with temperatures typically in the upper-80s or higher so it is important to remember that seniors in particular can easily become overheated. As statistics unfortunately show, during 1999-2009 “approximately 40 percent of all heat-related deaths in the U.S. – nearly 3,000 – were adults over 65 years old.”
Experts explain this is mainly due to the fact that as we age, we are less efficient at regulating our body temperature. When people over the age of 65 heat up, they do not sweat as much as they did when they were younger and sweating is one of the body’s most important heat-regulation features. Seniors also store fat differently, which makes them more prone to heat illnesses and as temperatures heat up, so does their internal body temperature especially in hot environments or in the direct sun. Another reason why seniors become overheated is their thirst sensation has lessened, which can lead to dehydration and heat-related illness. Instead of feeling thirsty, many seniors just feel tired and dragged out. Even the kidneys do not conserve body water as well, which can cause problems. Furthermore, it is important to know certain drugs can cause dehydration including diuretics and medications for blood pressure and heart disease. Diet can also play a role in becoming dehydrated, which is why food high in sodium should be avoided. If you are a senior or help to care for one, please remember to drink water throughout the day, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and to stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks. MorningStar of Rio Rancho’s mission is to provide the best senior living in Rio Rancho NM, and our residents enjoy a home that is not only beautiful but designed to accommodate their every need. Our deliciously prepared meals take into account seniors’ dietary restrictions with choices that include low sodium, sugar free, no sugar added, vegetarian and low fat for our residents to self-manage. Please visit our website for more details and contact information. The unique mission statement of MorningStar of Rio Rancho, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents within a beautiful setting. Please contact us to learn more about the finest senior living in Rio Rancho NM. It is no wonder that some elderly adults get confused with their medications and often miss doses or take too much of a medication. According to 2010 statistics, “medication usage among elderly patients in the US is eye-opening: more than one-third of prescription drugs used in the US are taken by elderly patients; the ambulatory elderly fill between 9-13 prescriptions a year (including new prescriptions and refills).” In addition the average elderly patient takes more than five prescription medications; and the average nursing home patient takes seven medications.
If your elderly parent is on several medications, do you know if they are managing dosages appropriately? A quick look in their medicine cabinet or wherever they keep their medications should give you a good idea. If they have outdated bottles of pills mixed in with current prescriptions or un-opened bags from the pharmacy, chances are they are not doing a good job. Experts warn it can be a sensitive topic to broach with your loved one, but if you start slowly, you should be able to help them get things sorted out and organized. Begin by listing all of the current medications they take including over-the-counter drugs, herbal supplements and vitamins. Your list should include medicine they take every day and things they use occasionally. Now take the list to their pharmacist to see if the combination of what they are taking is safe to do so. Many drugs can poorly interact with one another or be redundant. Check with their doctor to see if they still need to take a particular drug or is it just getting refilled over and over again. If it helps, get a new pillbox that better fits their need. There are many choices including color coded and multiple holders. If medication management continues to be a problem, you may need to get more help for your parent. At MorningStar of Rio Rancho, our assisted living community is designed to provide the utmost care for our residents. From healthy daily meals to wellness programs and activities, we have a whole range of services and resort-style amenities to ensure their comfort and wellbeing. Our care services include care managers, access to licensed nurses, and medication care managers. If you are you looking for senior living in Rio Rancho NM, please visit our website for more information. The unique mission statement of MorningStar of Rio Rancho, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents within a beautiful setting. Please contact us to learn more about the finest senior living in Rio Rancho NM. At MorningStar of Happy Valley assisted living and memory care community, we will provide our residents a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community. Our gorgeous new residential home offers resort-style amenities, a wide range care services and enrichment programs to enhance residents’ health and wellness, stimulate the brain and encourage connection.
Headed up by an enthusiastic Life Enrichment Team, each day MorningStar will present creative ways for our residents to stay active and productive for man’s good and God’s glory. Our activities will engage residents physically, mentally, spiritually and socially and help them to tap into their unique talents and experiences. We also will take to the road with outings and field trips to local parks, museums, shopping malls, and other areas of interest. To get an idea of some of the activities our other MorningStar Senior Living communities offer, please visit our website and go to another community’s home page. At the bottom of the page, you will find photos of “Life Around our House” or “Upcoming Events.” Pictures often include holiday celebrations or special events such as dances, family picnics and fundraising activities. MorningStar communities never miss an opportunity to have fun! Furthermore take a look at one of our established communities’ monthly assisted living calendars to get an idea of everything that is offered to our residents. At MorningStar of Happy Valley, our extensive grounds will include outdoor courtyards with a barbecue and fire pit and strolling paths as well as an in-house salon for hair-styling, manicures and pedicures, a fitness room, and much more. We will also have a Bistro open 24-hours a day, and along with our beautiful restaurant-style dining in our main dining room, we offer residents a private dining area for intimate dinners with family and friends. Our website has a lot more information on our Happy Valley community including a direct link to find out more about pricing and availability. You will also find directions to our onsite Information Center. MorningStar of Happy Valley represents the finest in senior living with our distinct mission statement: “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are honored to create a true “home” for residents. As one of the top senior living communities in the area, we invite you to contact us or visit our onsite Information Center, which is open seven days a week! While it is never good to receive a diagnosis of cancer, today there are several types of cancer that are very treatable. Research shows that, “The cancers with the highest 5-year relative survival rates include melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and breast, prostate, testicular, cervical, and thyroid cancer.” However keep in mind that although these cancers are now relatively “curable,” success rates still depends on detection and treatment in the early stages.
Although hesitant to call a patient cured, doctors say with the proper treatment in many of these cases all signs of the disease can be removed and the patient is considered to be in remission. Survival rates for cancer are based on a 5-year period where the patient remains free of the cancer. One of the common cancers for men is prostate cancer. Doctors now say if the disease is caught in stage 1 or stage 2, the man has a 99% relative 5-year survival rate. Prostate cancer can grow very slowly or not at all, so in some cases doctors just monitor the disease. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second most common serious disease in women right after heart disease. Today survival rates for stage 0 and 1 breast cancer are 99-100%. At stage 1, the cancerous tumors are typically less than 2 cm. in size and have not spread to other parts of the body. Another of the cancers on the list is Melanoma, a cancer of the skin. When caught at stages 1A and 1B respectively, the 5-year survival rate is between 92 to 97%. To detect problems early, doctors recommend regular checkups and screenings to find skin cancers and other diseases. If you have any questions or concerns, please schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider as soon as possible. MorningStar of Happy Valley is the area’s newest assisted living and memory care community. We will provide the support services and physical environment to help older adults live as comfortably and as safely as possible. In addition to 24/7 Care Managers, licensed nurses and medication management by Certified Med Care Managers, we do scheduled Health & Wellness Evaluations and Care Plan reviews. Please visit our website or our onsite Information Center. MorningStar of Happy Valley is scheduled to open late 2019. MorningStar of Happy Valley represents the finest in senior living with our distinct mission statement: “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are honored to create a true “home” for residents. Contact us for more information about one of the area’s best senior living communities. Source: medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322700.php While coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for women, research suggests it is often overlooked and misdiagnosed in women. Medical News Today explains that CHD occurs when the arteries delivering oxygenated blood into the heart, which pumps it out to other organs, are unable to ‘service’ the heart effectively.” Doctors also report women are more at risk for developing non-obstructive CHD, which is a condition that causes the arteries going into the heart to be abnormally squeezed by surrounding tissue.
One reason women are often under diagnosed with CHD is the symptoms are so varied in individuals as well as between men and women. Non-obstructive CHD can also be symptom-less and go undetected for years. Moreover the symptoms women do experience are more atypical and can include things like “back pain, burning in the chest, abdominal discomfort, nausea, or fatigue — which makes the diagnosis more difficult,” says one researcher. Another problem is many women wait to get medical attention, and in some cases, not until the disease has progressed, thus delaying the start of treatment. Researchers also recognize that most of the CHD studies done in the past have concentrated on men and have under represented women. Hopefully with this understanding, more women will be included in future research. At MorningStar of Happy Valley, we will provide a lifestyle that focuses on wellness, comfort and community. Our care services include 24/7 Care Managers, Certified Med Care Managers, scheduled Health & Wellness Evaluations, CPR-trained team members on every shift, Licensed Nurse onsite 5-7 days/week and on call 24/7, and much more. We also provide a full range of auxiliary care services to deal with other health concerns on an as needed basis. Please visit our visit to learn more about the Greater Portland area’s newest assisted living and memory care community. MorningStar of Happy Valley represents the finest in senior living with our distinct mission statement: “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are honored to create a true “home” for residents. Contact us to learn more about one of the top senior living communities in Happy Valley. Source: medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324659.php Mental Health Awareness Month (also referred to as "Mental Health Month") was first observed in the United States in May 1949 and raises awareness of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. In mid-March the organization releases a toolkit of materials that serves as a guide to prepare for the year’s various outreach activities. This May will mark the organization’s 70th year celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month.
Last year’s theme was Fitness #4Mind4Body and focused on helping individuals determine what they could do to increase their fitness for the future regardless of where they were on their own personal journey to health and wellness. The 2019 theme continues along those lines and takes it to the next level. It explores the “topics of animal companionship (including pets and support animals), spirituality, humor, work-life balance, and recreation and social connections as ways to boost mental health and general wellness.” The National Mental Health Association says that each year more than one in five Americans experience a mental illness or substance abuse disorder. Thus their goal is to make people aware of the signs and symptoms of these problems so they can help affected family members or friends get the care and treatment they need. The University of Michigan suggests several things we can do to protect our mental health. The first is to value ourselves. They say be kind to yourself and avoid self-criticism. Each day make time for hobbies or enjoyable projects and try to broaden your horizons. Then care for your body, which includes avoiding cigarettes, drinking plenty of water, eating nutritional food, and exercising. Also get plenty of sleep. Maintain strong family and/or social connections and try to do something to help someone else. They also it is important to learn how to deal with stress, and remember to smile. As one of the most exceptional assisted living facilities in the area, MorningStar of Rio Rancho assisted living and memory care community will offer wellness programs and activities, resort-style amenities and fine dining. Visit our website for pricing and availability. At MorningStar of Rio Rancho, we are proud to offer the best senior living with our distinct mission statement - “to honor, to value, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents in a beautiful setting. Please visit our Information Center to learn more about the most luxurious and loving senior housing in Rio Rancho, NM. Source: mentalhealthamerica.net/may?gclid=CjwKCAjwv6blBRBzEiwAihbM-aJ26fekuOY7UWmuIvN30xSrigALt1YrKIgxKpmsGRrvo293M7QPsRoCF5QQAvD_BwE uhs.umich.edu/tenthings *Adapted from the National Mental Health Association/National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare |
Our goal is to allow seniors to enjoy their retirement years by offering a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community, filled with resort-style amenities and activities. Archives
August 2021
Categories:
All
|