As featured in McKnight's Senior Living, The Center of Excellence in Caregiving in Mesa, AZ opened to the public on October 1, and serves as a comprehensive training facility where Senior Helpers-certified caregivers, family caregivers, and members of the community who assist the elderly can expand their skills and knowledge of administering specialized care that is designed to meet the needs and requirements of senior citizens at various stages.
Seniors alive today have been witness to one of the most exciting eras of rapid technological advancement and invention in all of human history. And with seniors today living longer than previous generations, along with having far more leisure time to spend with friends, family, on hobbies or traveling to new destinations, it’s a good time to be older. But aging comes with many challenges and difficulties as well. While some amount of physical and mental decline is inevitable, leading to a loss of spring in our step, our twilight years can be just as, if not even more, enjoyable than our younger days.
Many seniors find that as they age, they don’t experience hunger the way they used to, leading to loss of weight and poor nutrition. Since our bodies run on what we feed them, it’s important to ensure we get all of the calories, vitamins, and nutrients we need to stay healthy.
For seniors aging in place, the bathroom can be one of the most dangerous rooms in the house. Wet conditions, slick tile, and a wide assortment of hard surfaces to land on such as the edge of the sink, toilet, or tub, can make the simple act of practicing good hygiene into a frightening and harrowing experience. It’s no wonder that, when presented with this difficult situation, many seniors opt to forgo bathing, neglecting their hygiene. Apart from the obvious issues that can arise from this, improper hygiene can, on its own, cause many different negative health effects.
Among the other effects of aging, the immune system weakens. Since the immune system is responsible for fighting off diseases and infections, it's not difficult to understand why this can be a problem for older adults. In addition to the risks that a sickness or an infection can pose, many seniors have chronic health conditions or are taking medications that can make the outcome of one even worse. Whether a senior is living at home, in a community, or with extended family, there are many steps older adults can take to shield themselves from the effects of an infection or a disease.
Before we can begin to manage stress, we must first understand what stress actually is. Simply defined, stress is the body’s response to a situation that requires action. Put even more simply, stress is how the body reacts to difficult, threatening, or challenging situations.
For seniors, life can be filled with uncertainty. As we grow into our twilight years, the changes that aging brings about can make us feel less in control, with less command over our lives and even our own bodies. By establishing a daily routine, personalized and specific to a senior’s particular wants, needs, and challenges, concentrating on what can be controlled can bring about a sense of empowerment.
As many adults age into their twilight years, a lot of them are finding that everything they’ve collected over the course of their lives can sometimes be difficult to manage, or the spaces in which they’ve lived have become too much to manage on their own, now that their kids have moved out and they may no longer have a spouse.
Many Americans struggle with drinking, and with older adults, oftentimes the concerns and trouble signs go overlooked by relatives, caretakers, and others. Problems caused by alcohol in seniors might be mistaken for something else that may otherwise be a normal result of aging, but the fact is that alcoholism is a potentially serious issue at all stages of life, and should be taken seriously and treated with care and concern.
While most health concerns with aging revolve around our physical bodies, worrying about things like blood pressure, blood sugar, aches and pains, or other metrics, equal attention should be paid to mental health. After all, our bodies operate as one holistic unit, both mind and body. To that end, practicing mindful meditation can promote many benefits, both mental and physical.
When a loved one has hearing loss, it can lead to social isolation and loneliness as it creates a barrier to communication with others. This can lead to depression, and cause pain in the extended family as your loved one retreats from interaction, due to being embarrassed or ashamed. While encouraging your loved one to meet with a doctor or audiologist to be evaluated and possibly fitted with a hearing aid is a good first step, there are other things to keep in mind to ensure effective and meaningful communication.
A common refrain heard from older adults with a smoking habit is statements along the lines of “I’ve smoked a pack a day for forty years, what’s the point in quitting now?” But the fact of the matter is that it’s always the best time to quit smoking. No matter how many packs or how many years you’ve smoked in the past, quitting smoking now will greatly improve your health. Quitting is likely to add years to your life, improve your breathing and energy levels, not to mention save you money.
Any older person can unfortunately be the target of elder abuse. It can happen at the hands of a loved one, a caregiver, or a stranger, in their own home or in a care facility. Recognizing the signs is important, as frequently the victims of elder abuse are unable to advocate for themselves, whether due to a diminished capacity or social isolation.