Medicinal marijuana has been legal in the state of California for many years now, and acquiring a prescription for it required finding a doctor who would recommend it for an issue you were having. But now, marijuana has been legalized recreationally. What that means is that dispensaries for marijuana and marijuana derived products are allowed to operate and sell product to anyone who desires to purchase it, assuming they are above the legal age.
Experts believe that normal aging does bring some changes to sleep. Essentially, older adults tend to get sleepy earlier in the evening and tend to sleep less deeply than when they were younger. So, it’s probably realistic to expect that as you get older, you won’t be sleeping for as long or as soundly as when you were younger.
Building a robust Personal Health Record (PHR) is a proactive step towards enhancing your healthcare journey, especially when initiating a relationship with a new healthcare provider. In this blog post, we'll delve into ten indispensable types of medical information that lay the groundwork for a thorough and accessible PHR, fostering effective communication and personalized care.
Malnutrition is exactly what it sounds like, which is to say a lack of nutrition. However, the reasons why it happens, especially in seniors, is much more complex. Most often, it’s a combination of problems.
As we approach the next chapter of our lives, it becomes increasingly vital to prioritize our health and well-being. Aging gracefully involves adopting proactive measures and cultivating healthy habits. In this blog post, we'll explore a comprehensive checklist comprising ten essential components for better health and aging in the upcoming year.
Understanding the symptoms of a heart attack is essential, especially for senior men who are more susceptible to this condition. Early recognition of symptoms, prompt medical attention, and diligent follow-up care are key to managing heart health and ensuring longevity.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD for short, is a psychiatric condition that can affect people of all ages, including older adults. It happens after one experience or is witness to a traumatic event or set of circumstances. It is a complex disorder that can be physical or emotional, or both, and create a negative impact on a person’s mental health and quality of life.
Malnutrition is a significant concern among older adults, impacting their overall health and well-being. To address this issue, it is essential to understand the causes and implement effective preventive measures. This article highlights key strategies to prevent malnutrition in seniors.
In the digital age, scams are on the rise, and one vulnerable group particularly targeted by such deceitful schemes is the elderly. As family members and caregivers for our senior loved ones, it's our responsibility to shield them from these potential threats.
While vitamin C is most famous and touted for pumping up the immune system, which is why people start reaching for it come cold and flu season, it is also believed to help prevent bone loss, maintain our vision, and promote better oral health. There is also growing evidence that vitamin C can be good for our skin as well.
As individuals age, the pursuit of a healthy and active lifestyle becomes increasingly vital. In exploring ways for seniors to spring back into shape, a holistic approach emerges from a synthesis of balanced exercise, safety considerations, personalized plans, and social engagement. This comprehensive guide advocates for a gradual yet impactful journey towards physical well-being, emphasizing the unique needs of each individual.
It is not uncommon to find yourself struggling with what to say and do when you’re visiting with an elderly loved one. The best advice might seem contradictory, but the best approach is to both get creative, while still keeping it simple.
Goal setting is a universal concept, and seniors should not be excluded from it. With the right approach, seniors can benefit immensely from being part of the goal-setting process.
Chances are pretty high that if you’re an older adult, you’ve had to cope with the loss of at least one person who was close to you. It may be the loss of a parent, the death of a spouse, or the loss of one or more dear friends. Our lives are full of significant events, from graduations, to honeymoons, to any given night full of joy and laughter, each one leaves an indelible mark on our lives and the absence of a loved one can lead to feeling profound sadness, grief, and loneliness. The loved ones around us provide us with a sense of purpose and belonging, and without them, those feelings can be much harder to find.
We all find ourselves feeling blue from time to time, but for seniors, that cheerful smile may be more difficult to bring out of ourselves than it used to be. Our senior years will be filled with many changes, and not all of them will be pleasant. Loss of family and loved ones, declining mobility and functionality, and loneliness are all common for older adults.
We have all, throughout our entire lives, had moments where we find ourselves walking out of the grocery store and being unsure of which section of the parking lot we left our car parked in. Or setting down our keys or wallet and then immediately after, being unable to remember where we had just set them down. These are examples of memory loss that every adult, aging or not, experiences from time to time. While these incidents of memory loss are annoying, they are perfectly normal to experience.
Although there are many different causes and types of dementia, one thing they all have in common is that they get worse over time. Advanced dementia refers to the final stage of the disease. For everyone, this final stage comes at a different time.
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, someone in the world develops dementia approximately every three seconds. By the year 2030, there will be an estimated 78 million people in the world living with dementia, with that number expected to double every twenty years thereafter. With statistics like that, you may find yourself wondering what steps you can take to increase your odds of living a long life of good cognitive health.
The wintertime is a wonderful time of the year to gather with friends and family and enjoy time together, sharing company, stories, and meals to avoid the dark and the cold outdoors. But it can also be a time for many where they feel an increased sense of sadness, possibly even leading to depression. Whether it’s missing a loved one or feeling sad and isolated from being cooped up inside, many older adults are susceptible to suffering from the “winter blues”.
Climate change has had many impacts on our planet, such as rising sea levels, an increase of extreme weather events, and disruption to ecosystems, all of which are well documented. These hazards are of course not good for anyone, but for older adults, they can be especially dangerous as with old age comes an increase in vulnerability to intense and frequent climate related events.
If you are the caregiver for an older adult with dementia, one issue you may have is difficulty in getting them to sleep. While it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the cause of insomnia in seniors with dementia, it can be exhausting to both the caregiver and the senior in question.
Discover nutritious senior-friendly holiday meal ideas designed to meet the specific dietary needs of seniors without compromising on flavor.
Hydration is crucial for seniors during winter. Learn four essential tips to stay properly hydrated and maintain optimal health during this time.
As we age and move into our retirement years, we’re bound to be more focused on our health, which often means prescription medications, vitamins, and supplements. Effectively managing our medications will help ensure that the intended effect is achieved for treating our symptoms or health conditions. It’s also an important way to protect our health and safety, given that over or under dosing on medications can have dangerous consequences. Following the tips and best practices for safe medication management will help you to avoid some of the most common medication mistakes for older adults.
Building interpersonal relationships and staying active socially are both very important things for our health at every stage of life. The people we choose to spend time with will naturally be a large part of our lives, and these relationships can have significantly positive impacts on our overall health. What this means is that staying socially active is incredibly important, especially during our senior years.