Seniors Site

Healthy relationships, whether shared between family, friends or coworkers, are important. They play a very significant role in your emotional being, acting as one of the building blocks to make you stronger and be able to withstand whatever it is that fate has for you. Healthy relationships are your strongest support system, without them, you only have yourself to rely on.
At any age, healthy relationships are important especially with people you get to spend your time the most. Maintaining one involves a lot of emotional effort but at the end of the day, you know that it’s all worth it. Human nature has it that in order to live a happier life, you need to coexist with other people, and to coexist, you need to build relationships—healthy relationships, that is. For seniors, having healthy relationships, not just with their family, somehow eases the emotional pain that usually comes with aging. Seniors who are able to maintain healthy relationships won’t have to deal with isolation and loneliness later in life thus enabling them to have longer, stress-free lives.
Life coaches can’t stress enough how important healthy relationships are especially for seniors. However, not all people are willing to be your best friend. Obviously, some people were born to possess “toxic” personalities. Toxic personalities, as the words imply, are people who exude negativity and would gladly go out of their way just to extend toxic feelings to other people—you included. These people are way beyond repair so it won’t do you any good to reach out to them, better if you just avoid them altogether. Meanwhile, looking for your “match” would be very beneficial in building healthy relationships. As rule of thumb, make sure that when you receive, you should also give. Learn how to reciprocate as it is the only way to keep a healthy relationship going.
Seniors who have healthy relationships supporting them during the so-called golden years are benefitted tremendously. Some of the known benefits of healthy relationships are having someone who, you know, will be there no matter what, acting as a sounding board whenever you need one and best of all, someone you can actually trust—apparently, two of the most important things in a senior’s life. You can also count on their loyalty and respect if worse comes to worst.
Sometimes, just knowing there is someone out there who cares, means a lot to a senior. Sadly, some seniors still suffer isolation even if they are living with their families.

There’s no doubt everybody in this room has had their so-called “senior moments” or in cyber lingo, mental glitches, like it’s something you can defrag, reboot or upgrade when necessary. Although subjective memory loss is almost always a portent of dementia, or so these medical researchers say, let’s for once consider this as a matter of being unorganized and always in a hurry. I say, there’s totally no harm in considering ourselves normal, healthy persons, right?..
Milder terms for memory loss are forgetfulness and absent-mindedness. These two, for me, connote that I am indeed a busy person that I have no time for such unimportant things like my keys and my wallet. Yes, I like fooling myself sometimes just for the humor of it. But let’s face it, sometimes it gets so irritating to forget things just when I needed them most, especially in cases when I need to take medications on a strict schedule then I find myself in the middle of the day wondering if I took my morning meds and have absolutely no idea if I did. Talk about frustration!
Let me tell you, forgetfulness knows no age, gender or whatsoever. This morning, my grandkid asked her mother if she saw his toy truck when I just witnessed him the night before bragging about it like there’s no other one like his toy. You see? Only when it occurs to seniors, we’re “marked” FOREVER! Here are my tips and tricks to avoid the inconveniences of forgetfulness and at the same time improve senior’s memory skills:
·    Maintain an organized life. It may be harder to do but take it from me, it really does wonders! I always make it a point that I visit stores with office supplies in them or even bookstores and browse through racks to see if there’s something new for me to use such as an organizer with better organizing capabilitites, sticky notes, etc. Anything that will help me remember things round the clock!
·    A place for everything and everything in its place. A bowl just beside the door proves to be very helpful to my key-hunting activities because I just throw them in the minute I step inside the house and pick them up on my way out. All my medications go to my bedside drawer as it is easier for me to reach for them when I need them.
·    Take memory enhancing vitamins. There’s no use hiding forgetfulness from your own doctor. Let him do his job and make your life a little easier and more convenient.
·    Brain exercises are the best! Try online games that will challenge your memory skills. Some can be downloaded to your computer so you can access them even offline.
·    Make it a habit to calm the mind. A calmer mind is a focused one. You will easily remember things if your mind is not too cloudy with unnecessary things.

If there’s one group that is adamant in chasing these statistics, it is the MOWAA or the Meal On Wheels Association of America. This group provides food for those in need, even delivers it to your home which proves to be very beneficial for seniors who are no longer capable of moving around, much less cook their own food. MOWAA is very particular when it comes to understanding and finding a solution for senior hunger. They aim to improve seniors’ quality of life at the same time, keeping them healthy despite their current condition. To know more about Meals on Wheels, click here.
Unfortunately, a recent study done by the group stated that they fear the condition is not improving, in fact, it keeps getting worse! They foresee more seniors facing hunger in the coming years and the group is now calling for community involvement to strengthen their mission and be able to reach out more effectively to hungry seniors all throughout America. Taken into account is the non-recovery of the world’s economic status in which it was found out that seniors are taking the direct hit.
Even with funding and sponsors, Meals on Wheels admitted that they can only do so much in keeping these hungry seniors alive as the demand for such nutritional services keep on growing everyday. Clearly a case of overwhelming demand versus limited amount of resources. This is also the reason why the group pushed for resolving the problem instead of just providing temporary solution in hopes of somehow getting to the root cause of the problem and be able to get these seniors provide for their own in the future.
According to their study, aside from poverty, it was found out that hunger is more likely to occur in a house wherein a senior is living alone. If truth be told, they highly suggest for these seniors to seek help in assisted living facilities or even a companion in the house to be able to monitor their regular food intake. Sadly, this is not their call to make.
Hunger can actually affect one’s health. It can trigger underlying diseases or even worsen the existing ones. Seniors who are in constant hunger state are also in a great risk for serious health problems. This is something that MOWAA hopes to avoid. Interestingly, according to their studies, there is more to seniors’ hunger than poverty. Factors to affect seniors’ hunger problem are:
·    Education. It was found out that those who didn’t finish school are most likely to suffer hunger later in life.
·    Living alone. This includes widow, separated and dissolved marriages without any children to look after them.
·    Debts. It may be due to supporting a grandchild or even renting his or her home. Single parents are also a likely candidate.
·    Out of job. When a senior finds himself sacked out of the job, it’s quite hard to get up on feet again.

To welcome the year right, I’m happy to announce that according to CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention we are now experiencing an all time high in life expectancy! CDC’s press release was made last August 19, 2009. Indeed, it came as great news for seniors since it was reported that age-related deaths have now gone down. The press release also contains interesting facts about death and mortality rates as well as life expectancy and survival rate. You can view the press release here.

As usual, the two leading causes of death are cancer and heart disease. Simple explanation has it that the latter is somewhat controllable but can attack anytime without any warning while the former still has no known cause, as well as cure. Running fourth with a very large percentage difference from the two is respiratory disease and somewhere further down are Parkinson’s, liver and Alzheimer’s diseases.

So what are your chances of having a long and happy life? High of course!—especially if you make it happen. By taking the extra effort in making sure you are living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding the things that may harm you, longer lives are sure to be within reach. Of course, longevity should come with quality of life. Basic rules still apply:

·    Exercise. I’ve noticed that seniors are now getting into sports and just being active, enjoying what life brings. With the advent of technology, we’re able to free ourselves from the bond that ties us in close, office spaces and out to the world! Work-at-home jobs enabled us to have the flexibility to participate in other activities we truly enjoy doing.
·    Personal health maintenance. This includes taking preventive measures to ensure you are adequately covered. The government is now active in making it easier for us to take care of ourselves. It seems that the government’s health campaign, Healthy People 2010, is indeed a success! Regular checkups are still the best, no matter how much you dread it!
·    Healthy diet. Diet is not all about losing weight. You should only lose weight if you have excess pounds that are threatening to kill you. A healthy diet should mean a diet that is good for your body. Seniors should never eat in excess nor deprive the body of the nutrients it needs, only in healthy portions recommended by your doctor. Also, it’s best if you stay away from the nasties such as fatty and sugary foods.
·    Socialize. According to a study made in Australia, it was found out that friends are very important in a senior’s life. The study concluded that seniors with a large network of friends fared better than those who keep only a few.
·    Broaden your horizons. Travel a lot. If with budget constraints, then explore your city or its neighboring towns. Learn new things and share your life with others. The idea behind it is to bring back your zest for life.

This Christmas, it becomes really important to have peace of mind, or else, you don’t stand a chance of having a jolly one! Personally I see peace and Christmas go hand in hand so when you say the latter, the former becomes hundred times magnified that sometimes it almost becomes depressing to even think of.

In this day and age when everyone seems to be restless and running from one place to another is a way of life, it’s quite hard to find some peace of mind amidst all. Due to this fact, peace of mind becomes the most sought after state but indeed an elusive one. For one, peace of mind is practiced. It’s something you follow to avoid stressful thoughts thus achieving calmer mind. This must be the reason why meditation became popular to our age group as the practice sets definite steps to achieve your own peace of mind.

Decluttering your life is the easiest way to achieve peace of mind. Here are some ways on how to find peace of mind and be able to live at peace with yourself:

·    Do without all things negative. Negativity invites negative thoughts because even if you refuse to acknowledge it, negativity seeps into you and settles into your subconscious mind. An example of which is a nasty humor you heard in passing or even a person with negative outlook in life.
·    Never harbor grudges. It’s okay to feel hurt as we are humans with humanly feelings but grudges are altogether a different matter as it sometimes compels you to act upon it in forms of revenge.
·    Worry no more. As long as you’ve done your best, there’s nothing much you can do about something so it’s better to let it go and not to worry about it anymore. If it turns out badly, you know you did your best and that was all you can do.
·    Don’t take everything personally. Things happen for a reason and most of the time, that reason is not you. It’s just that you were there and you got affected by the situation but it doesn’t mean the situation was meant to attack you.
·    If someone is causing you stress, stay away from that person. This person is not healthy for you, that’s all. It also applies to jobs you hate doing.
·    Don’t try changing something that is beyond your control. It’s not everytime that you can change something to your own liking. Learn to accept things as they come.
·    Be more flexible. With maturity comes flexibility. Learning to be flexible will help you adapt faster to your environment thus eliminating the possibility of stress.
·    Know where your limitation lies. As a person, there are things you can do better than others unfortunately, there are some you do only averagely. Trying to push yourself unreasonably will only induce unnecessary stress.

One of the most painful conditions to ever affect seniors is arthritis. Most of the times, it hits mildly, easy enough to manage but discomfort is there, other times, it’s almost crippling! For your information, pain brought about by arthritis can be managed thus allowing seniors to do other enjoyable stuff—things that really matter.

In a nutshell, arthritis is when there’s an existing condition that damages the joint. Literally, arthritis in Greek is inflammation of the joint however, there are many types of arthritis. One of the most popular—at least to us seniors–is osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis. It is when the cartilages in our joints begin to wear off due to aging. when it becomes thin enough for the two bones to meet, there begins the most excruciating pain ever!

While arthritis in advance age seems inevitable, it’s good to know that it can be delayed and managed by altering our lifestyle. I don’t think arthritis is considered as a lifestyle disease but according to studies, those people who were able to maintain an active lifestyle somehow manage to delay the onset of arthritis. Included in these studies is how diet can trigger an arthritis attack i.e types of food.

But what if we realized all these things a little too late and now we’re stuck with an immobilizing pain brought about by arthritis? Here are some ways to ease the pain and somehow increase your quality of life:

·    Walk, walk, walk. Walking helps in toning muscles in the knee area thus giving your joints better support and lessens the impact on the cartilage. It need not be a mile long, just get yourself used to walking instead of always sitting while doing your chores. Consider this one as an investment as it will also tone the butt area making it look rounder than ever.
·    Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug—your bestfriend! Of course, NSAID has wonderful success rate in alleviating pain especially in cases of arthritis and it can be bought without prescription. Just go easy on it as it is also known to cause ulcers inside us so make sure you take it with food and never exceed recommended dosage.
·    Lose weight. Why? Because, not only will it make you feel and look good, it can also take off tremendous pressure on your knees! We all know that the key to not triggering the pain is to put as little pressure as possible to the joints but it’s quite impossible not to use your hips and knees right? The next best thing is to take off unnecessary weight and be light as possible.
·    Avoid foods that trigger an arthritis attack. Usual suspects:  red meat, tomatoes, eggplants, dairy products, nuts, and caffeine. Please do take note that not all these are to be avoided since a food-induced arthritis attack depends on your own body’s reaction.

Since these two affect our body’s system to some extent, it is but normal for them to sometimes not agree with each other. If you take a closer look to most prescribed medications and even OTC ones, they bear warnings of types of food not to take when the medication is supposedly still active within our bodies. Even the seemingly harmless ones can sometimes worsen your current state if you are not too careful. One of the most popular amongst which is alcohol.

Let’s take alcohol first since it really does affect the body even without the presence of any medication and because of the nature of the substance, it can sometimes be considered as drugs. Truth be told, it alters the body’s composition resulting to impaired judgment and diminished alertness.  When taken together with common drugs, it can heighten intoxication proving to be lethal at times. If you are a diabetic, you know better than to take anything with alcohol since it makes sugar levels go higher even without meds. Take it with antibiotics and you get stomach cramps. Alcohol is also known to induce rapid absorption to time-controlled release capsules just by dissolving its shell faster than it normally would. Due to its poor interaction with most—if not all kinds of—medications, seniors are forewarned not to take them unless approved by their health care providers.

While simply warning a senior not to have a drink due to rounds of medications they are currently taking is manageable, it’s one of those things that is easier said than done since it’s a known fact that alcoholism is also an existing problem for the senior population hence the need for close monitoring of the senior in question.  Geriatric doctors have also reported that pinpointing an illness when a chronic drinker is involved is much harder than diagnosing a nondrinker as alcohol tends to mask the uglies and mislead professionals.

If there’s one drug that probably has established authority over your medicine cabinet, it’s the ever popular aspirin. Aspirins are popular for saving us from potential heart attacks. Taken during the first hour of a suspected attack, it can instantly give relief to a person but please note that aspirins are never intended for such purposes much less serve as a maintenance drug which is a common practice to most seniors. This discovery—aspirin being a first-aid med for heart attack—is purely accidental. Furthermore, aspirin is also prescribed for treatment of arthritis since it is mostly safe to consume even on a daily basis. However, years of aspirin intake can cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract later in life. Also, it depletes iron in the body.

Mismatched food and drug can occur anytime and definitely at any age. Seniors however are more exposed to these things since their bodies can no longer process both properly.

It was always said that the key to healthier, longer lives is diet. Not the lose-your-fats kind of diet but the well-balanced one since seniors are not anymore encouraged to do—or even attempt—drastic diet alterations. What we must aim at is not only losing a couple of pounds (if we’re overweight) but maintaining a healthy body so that it can ward off potentially fatal diseases easily. A proper mindset can help you achieve this goal.

In a way, it’s like preparing your body for a battle. You must properly nourish it so it will be strong enough to withstand trial and tribulations. Just imagine if these so-called “lifestyle diseases” caught you at your most vulnerable time i.e tired, beaten and hungry. You could just imagine how much damage it can inflict upon you. Please do remember that most lifestyle diseases are irreversible, so as much as possible, do stay away from it and never let it anywhere near you!

So now you know why crash dieting is never an option for you, nor diet pills and what-not. It’s unhealthy, not to mention very risky. Risk is no longer a luxury we can afford so better stay at the safer side than traverse your way without knowing what’s there for you. Although, there seemed to be so many issues to consider when going through the diet route which makes it all the more tempting to go the other way, the good news is, it can be done even in your own simple ways. No signature diet, no counting calories, just your basic, everyday-kind-of-life diet that is realistic enough to be easily remembered! Here are your daily diet tips for a healthier you:

·    Drink plenty of water. Lots and lots of it! Colored, flavored and anything in between are not counted anymore, just pure, clean drinking water counts. The easiest way to do this is to carry a water jug with you all the time and drink even if you are not that thirsty. Consider this as your body’s mechanical oil; keeps everything else in you in moving condition!
·    Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. Breakfast is what keeps you energized all throughout the day. A hearty breakfast won’t hurt you but as the day progresses, try to gradually lessen it so you won’t have any trouble sleeping at night.
·    Adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D. They go hand-in-hand. I heard somewhere that you even have to drink your milk in the morning out there under the sun to experience full effect although it was not proven, of course. But indeed, vitamin D is what helps bones to absorb calcium so you really need these two to save your bones.
·    Do without fats and sugar. Fats is what makes your cholesterol go high and sugar makes you prone to diabetes.
·    Go for fiber-rich foods. It fills the stomach well but keeps everything else you’ve eaten moving downward and out.

These past couple of months, we saw how Mother Nature can make people pay for what they have done and what they are still doing to it. Worldwide, we saw drought in different parts of the country, there were awful storms which brought about floods and even the ground we walk on is threatening to shake anytime it deemed be. Mercifully, people are starting to take notice, even government of third world countries are beginning to take certain steps to alleviate, if not remedy, the problem at hand. It may be a little late for that but it is certainly welcomed.

Meanwhile, the authorities can only do so much. If we want to feel the change, it should start from our own houses, from our own lifestyle and definitely, from us as a person. This should not be hard and of course, it won’t kill us. In fact, some of these easy steps for living green can even improve our quality of life. It is good for your health and most of all, you are doing the environment a favor! Here are some easy steps in making your life as green as possible:

1.    Go organic- Going organic means you buy your fruits, veggies and even meat only if they are not contaminated with any chemicals. This way you support organic farmers which I must admit, are a little low in numbers as compared to commercial, traditional farmers we know. It can be a bit expensive than the commercial ones but like stated earlier, the demand doesn’t encourage the farmers that much to make the big switch.
2.    Buy local produce- In doing so, there will be lesser fuel burns to harm our environment. If you are a gardener, you can even sell your crops to neighbors and set aside some for your own use.
3.    Lessen fuel consumption, if possible- You don’t have to ride your car all the time and if you need to, try to carry it in full load, meaning, find people who might be needing a ride to your destination in order to fill up the car to its full capacity. If the distance is manageable, try walking back and forth. This is a great way to get a dose of your daily exercise plus you saved fuel.
4.    Let go of the pack-rat syndrome- Do you know that the other term used for a pack-rat’s practice is hoarding? Surely, you don’t want to be accused of something as sinister as that! You need to let go of the things that you don’t need and make someone else happy by donating them to charity. The rule of thumb is to let go if something remains untouched for at least 6 months.
5.    Refuse plastic especially if you cannot reuse it- yes, I am referring to grocery plastic bags that you throw away after one use because it’s either soiled or torn. Instead, bring a canvas bag or any wide enough bag and put your purchases in there. Just make sure you do that after you pay for your purchases!
6.    Conserve water everytime- Just imagine how hard it would be if our water supplies gone dry. There are ways you can conserve water without altering your lifestyle too much. All you need to do is use a little common sense. For example, turning off faucets when it is not needed.
7.    Use biodegradable soaps- The idea behind green living is lessening your harmful impact to the environment as much as possible. When you say it is biodegradable, it means it dissolves and completely breaks down to natural elements. If it doesn’t, it means it will stay intact for undeterminable amount of time. It may even outlast your grandkids!
8.    Unleash your inner creativeness- Cans can be made as garden pots, scraps for tables and chairs. In your own little ways, you can make something useful out of ordinary objects that usually end up in thrash.
9.    Apply natural gardening method- You don’t need to use chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. Remember, your plants can still survive even without them. Use compost as a fertilizer, it will lessen your waste and will benefit your soil at the same time. Handpick nasty pest and bugs when you see them instead of spraying harmful pesticide all around town.
10.    Keep plants at home- Plants are a natural air purifier, it will make your air a little easier to breathe in.

Is your job driving you nuts already? Are there days when you feel depressed and overly tired coming home from work only to be bombarded with more tasks to accomplish at home? Do you feel hopelessly lonely and isolated? Then, you must be feeling stressed-out and unfortunately, it’s bearing down on you.

Stress is never healthy, although some say it can lead to a more productive work-pace. It can be, if applied ONLY when needed but if taken 24/7, it can affect one’s competency which in return, can bring down a team’s effort. As for seniors, stress can take its toll health-wise and it is something that all seniors must avoid since their health is at its most vulnerable.

I would like to think of stress as one that possesses a domino effect. That is, when one area of your life gave in due to stress, it will bring everything down with it. Likewise, rebuilding it can be a tedious task to take and will certainly require some time and effort in your part. The most effective way to combat this domino effect is to lessen stress, if not preventing it altogether. If somehow you feel you are already knee-deep with all the stress you are feeling right now, take baby steps to break free from it. Do it one day at a time and soon you’ll be getting your desired result. Here are some suggestions you can do for a stress-free day at work:

EARLY AT HOME: Your “work day” doesn’t really start from the minute you stepped in the office. It starts at home. Early mornings are the most hardest in one’s life, especially if you are living with someone—or many, and you are in charge for most of them. Just ask the sandwich generation! This is the time when everybody must be feeling either pressed for time or too irritated to talk. As for you, try to “isolate” yourself from all these craziness that have been going around you. Just as long as you have prepared everything you need the night before, you don’t need to contribute to the morning noise anymore.

GOING TO WORK:  Walking is a great way to start your day. It works two ways: one, you get your fair share of exercise for the day and two, you eliminate the possibility of getting stressed with the morning traffic. If work is only a short distance away from your house then walk to it, given that it is safe for you to do so. Of course, wear a sensible pair of walking shoes too!

WORK RELATIONSHIPS: Working requires many different levels of relationships. It can be boss-employee relationship, between co-workers, and the unavoidable close, personal relationships (whatever that means!). Between a boss and an employee, it is best if there are clear, reasonable expectations to serve as a guideline for both. Clear instructions are meant to be given to employees and questions must be asked to the boss, if there’s any. This way, stress could be eliminated and the work will be done efficiently.

Try to do away with conflicts involving coworkers. Just imagine how hard it can be when working in a very small world with someone you just had a bitter spat with. A brewing spat can also heighten up the stress so as much as possible, try to maintain a healthy working environment.

Close, personal relationships are generally not encouraged within a workplace. Why? Because it impairs one’s good judgment. Be it a friend or an affair, it can jeopardize a project.

YOUR OWN CUBICLE: A cluttered space clutters the mind as well. Organize your own space so you can work effectively and won’t be bothered with last minute rummaging for a missing file. Make your own space as comfortable as can be. Make sure that you don’t feel any discomfort while working in this area because you’ll be spending a lot of time in it. Make it as your own “recharging” zone. Music can calm the mind so don’t forget to listen to some once in a while.

ATTITUDE:  Do you know that most people unknowingly put a great deal of stress to their own being? It’s okay to expect great things from yourself but if something becomes too impossible to do so, try to be a little more accepting of your own limitations. It’s okay to be a little bit slower today, it’s okay not to meet today’s deadline; just because you know you did your best.

GOING HOME:  I would like to say that we must end our “working day” right at this very moment. Evenings are meant to relax us and free us from the demands we had encountered during the day. Unfortunately, this isn’t so. Take this time to prepare for the next day (remember crazy mornings?) and if possible, try to do things that will calm your mind—and your nerves too. Practice meditation techniques to help you achieve a calmer attitude.