When the word travel comes up, most people have different images come up in their minds. For some, it means jet-setting off to a exotic, tropical locale. For others, a simple road trip out to see tourist stops along the highway, or maybe an all-inclusive cruise through the Gulf of Mexico.

Retirement is often viewed through the lens of a financial planner, that is to say, when do you want to retire and how much will you need to save to do it? Work and save until you reach that number, and then stop. And the popular narrative is that once you reach that age and retire successfully, it becomes a time for reinvention and rebirth. The common question is “what will you do to fill the work shaped hole in your life?”

You may or may not have once heard the term “elder orphans” during the past year or two. This term was coined to describe those seniors who do not have a spouse or children who can assist them as the needs of their care change as they age. It is currently estimated that about twenty two percent of older adults today fall into this category, with the number only expected to rise as time goes on.

If you've noticed that your elderly relative mixes up their medication often lately, it's important that you stay involved in ensuring they get their doses on time and correctly. Here are some suggestions on how you can help.

Daylight savings time may be a minor inconvenience for us but it can be entirely disorienting for seniors with dementia. Learn more about how daylight savings time affects seniors and ways to minimize its effects.

Elderly independent living abuse is a legal term that refers to the illegal or unauthorized use of a senior citizen’s assets, property, or money. When someone exploits the elderly to use their wealth without the permission or knowledge of their caretakers or the full understanding of the elderly person, it is a crime of a type of fraud.

Everyone alive is aware of the harmful effects of smoking, but the problem with nicotine addiction is that just being informed as to the negative health outcomes isn’t necessarily enough to stop. Any doctor under the sun will suggest for you to quit smoking, and your loved ones will certainly feel much better in their twilight years living a smoke-free lifestyle. But wanting to quit and actually quitting successfully are two different animals. Consider the following ways you can support and help facilitate your loved ones’ desire to give up their smoking habit.

It’s hard to know just how to plan for aging parents, but it’s especially hard for adult children with their own lives and responsibilities. There are several factors to consider when contemplating long term care for elderly parents.

Millions of people are affected by allergies. Seniors can experience severe allergies thanks to some factors. Take the time to understand allergies in the elderly to know the best care you can give to your affected senior loved one.

The months following your loved one experiencing a stroke are frequently difficult. The transformation will necessitate an entirely new perspective on care, routine, and priorities. Not to mention the distress you’ll be feeling watching your loved one suffering from physical and emotional changes. However, with the large body of data around effective stroke therapy, there is optimism to be had for the road ahead.

As we journey through the aging process, maintaining physical and cognitive health becomes increasingly important. With our bodies and minds changing, we must care for ourselves in order to live a happy and healthy love. Fortunately, there are many things that older adults can do to maintain their physical and cognitive health, and here are some tips for keeping the body and mind in shape as we age.

Nowadays, seniors are increasingly choosing to age in place, but some may still need assistance with instrumental activities of daily living. Here are some of the ways you can help.

With the world heading into the fourth year of dealing with the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, it can sometimes seem like the virus is old hat, something we’re merely living with now, and an unfortunate fact of life. But the fact is the virus remains as potent and debilitating as ever, and older people are known to be more at risk of serious illnesses due to coronavirus. Those with pre-existing medical conditions and those who are immune system compromised are at a particular risk. The vast majority of older adults do not live in residential facilities, despite popular perception, and are instead cared for by their family members. Therefore, the coronavirus is especially worrisome for those who are living with their elderly loved ones in a multigenerational home.

As we age, our memory tends to become less reliable. We may forget important details, where we put things, or dates and appointments. This is a normal part of the aging process, but there are ways to help prevent or slow memory less.

Many relatives, especially senior loved ones, can be a big blessing. They can be a source of joy as they strive to reach out to their family members through phone calls. However, these calls can be time-consuming, especially with a tight schedule to attend to other duties. In most cases, seniors have many things to discuss, and a single phone call may consume a lot of time. While it is important to avoid long phone calls, people should consider how others may feel if they end the calls unexpectedly. This is why setting aside extra time for long phone calls is important during the holidays.

The aging process changes every part of our bodies, which necessarily includes our finger and toenails. Over time as we age, our nails will get thicker and harder, take longer to grow, and become dull in appearance and brittle in texture. The appearance of our nails can also change as well, where in youth they may have had a clear or shiny appearance, they may become more yellow colored and opaque.

As a caregiver, you will find yourself responsible for many tasks and situations that you may not have encountered in your life before, requiring skills that you may not possess already. When you find yourself in these moments, you may be wondering what is the best way to accomplish certain tasks. If your loved one requires a wheelchair as a mobility aid, assisting them with the use of it and caring for the wheelchair may be one such task.

While we’re all familiar with the basic form of a wheelchair, that is to say, a chair with wheels mounted to the sides to aid in mobility for people who have difficulty or are unable to walk under their own power, most people do not know that there are actually numerous types and designs of wheelchairs, each with their own unique features to serve any number of unique mobility situations.

One of the saddest realities facing us in today’s world is that many senior citizens are unfortunately vulnerable to financial scams. According to a Bloomberg report, the elderly demographic in the United States collectively loses $37 billion annually as a result of scams.

For care providers as well as the family members and loved ones of the elderly, it is important to recognize the warning signs of dementia and how to distinguish them from normal changes brought on by the aging process. Dementia is a collection of symptoms that occur due to a variety of diseases. The symptoms include impairment in thought, communication, and memory. There is, unfortunately at the time of this writing, no cure for the disease. The best way we know to combat it is adopting a healthy lifestyle to hopefully prevent it or slow the progression of symptoms.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, most always shortened to COPD, affects millions of Americans, and is more common in older adults. Research has shown that approximately ten percent of Americans aged 75 or older are currently living with COPD, but the actual percentage may be much higher as many cases of COPD go undiagnosed. COPD is a progressive disease, meaning it worsens over time, and it is one for which there is currently no cure. Fortunately, there are treatments available to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

The month of October is Fire Safety Month according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Fires are particularly dangerous to senior citizens, as people older than 65 are twice as likely to die or be seriously injured by a home fire.

At Senior Helpers, we have cared for thousands of seniors over the past 20 years. Our caregivers are the key to delievering exceptional care. By choosing Senior Helpers for a loved one, you’re not just getting exceptional care for any of their needs, but you’re gaining a genuine, in-home connection designed to give them the absolute best quality of life.

One of the constant aspects of humanity across all time periods and cultures is the presence of grandparents in families, playing a key role in the lives of their grandchildren. Many families look to the eldest generation as a mainstay of support and influence for the youngest one. Life expectancy in the United States and Canada has increased greatly over the years, and with grandparents living longer and healthier lives, the number of seniors spending their twilight years providing hands-on support to their grandchildren has grown exponentially. From childcare to transportation to moral guidance and emotional support, grandparents are vital in bridging the care gap often experienced when both parents have to work to support the family unit.

Many senior citizens have lived in the same house for most of their lives, perhaps since marrying. While there are of course many joyous moments contained within the walls of a long time residence, such as raising children, celebrating holidays, and countless other treasured memories, there is also bound to be an impressively large and disparate collection of stuff that has gathered over the years.