Seniors Site

Imagine driving almost your entire lifetime, dodging every traffic ticket there is, knowing the road even if you drive blindfolded and virtually conducting your everyday tasks and jobs inside your car. As an evidence, one look inside your old, trusty car and one would know what kind of business you’re running nowadays. Above all these, the connection between you and your car have grown through the years and come to think of it, your relationship with your car even surpassed that of your first spouse! If you feel this way, then you’re certainly not alone for there are thousands of senior drivers unable to will themselves away from their cars and would rather drive even if the situation has become more dangerous for them to do so.

There have been several posts in this blog about safe driving for seniors but nothing beats a refresher course conducted by the experts. Due to many road incidents concerning senior drivers, and also the great concern expressed by their family and friends, organizations who look after the welfare of older adults are now moving to make the road a safer place for seniors nowadays. We all know how age-related physical changes can affect one’s driving skill, no matter the amount of years-experience they acquired. Not only are these seniors putting themselves in a very dangerous situation but also they pose a great threat to pedestrians, other drivers and the road in general. This is how important a refresher course is to driving seniors.

Various organizations such as AAA, and AARP offer materials, seminars and short courses to assist driving seniors and hopefully make them “fit for the road” once again. There are also online courses for those who are unable to physically make it to classes and workshops and it was said to be as helpful and accurate as the ones taught in classes. However, class instructors encourage seniors to participate in real classes since it provides interaction between the instructor and the student. Included in these classes are age-appropriate and defensive driving tips that are perfectly suitable for seniors. Also, instructors encourage seniors to accept their limitations early on to avoid difficult situations from happening.

Driving schools are now offering refresher courses that actually put seniors behind the wheel to show them how to properly drive and work with their limitations such as changing lanes or staying in appropriate speed lanes. Some programs go as far as evaluating the driver medically for easy-spotting of problems. Most organizations offer them for free while others can go as high as $20.

Looking for the perfect gift to give to your loved-ones? Are you tired of hunting for the perfect gift and has been contemplating with the one you have right now? Why not try gift baskets?

Gift baskets have everything you need in a gift. It is practical, useful and one hundred percent personalized for the person in mind. Gift baskets are sure to delight a recipient of any age but most especially elderly loved ones.

Basically, a gift basket is composed of variety of items most suitable for the recipient. To make it more personalized, you must know a little something about the person you are about to give gift to. On the other hand, if in doubt then opt to go for pre-made ones available in most specialty stores such as gourmet food shops and gift shops. You can also choose to work around a theme or a holiday, whichever is most applicable at the moment. Here are some gift basket ideas made specifically for seniors:

·    Food baskets. This is, by far, the most recommended for seniors instead of giving them something that they won’t ever need. Food baskets encourage seniors to eat healthy–granted that the items you include in your gift baskets are indeed healthy. Your food baskets could be fresh fruits, teas, pastas, and even chocolates. Just make sure that it won’t harm their health.
·    Organic bath gift baskets. Not that seniors don’t take a bath but most of the time, they tend to use those that are most convenient or readily available for them at the moment. By sending them a basket full of organic bath products, it will save them time and effort in buying these products for themselves. Organic bath products are great for seniors’ skin because theirs are prone to dryness and irritation.
·    Spa gift baskets. Seniors need to relax too. With a spa basket, it’s like giving them the ticket to do so. Think Zen when gathering up products for your Spa basket. Include products such as bath salts, body oils and body scrubs.
·    Gardener’s gift basket. Most seniors make gardening their hobby because it is fun and very rewarding. If you are planning to give your favorite senior a gardener’s basket, you must first know their “gardening level” and what kind of garden he maintains (herb, flower or fruit) so your items will fit them perfectly.
·    Treasured memories gift baskets. This can be a scrapbooking basket which includes basic and elaborate scrapbooking materials or a stack of photos and a beautiful album to hold all of it. If this is a grandma, don’t forget to send the kids too so they can work on it together.

To get your gift baskets together, here’s a step-by-step how-to:

·    Determine what kind of gift basket you are going to give then decide on its theme.
·    Find a suitable “basket” to hold your items. It can be a large bowl for food and pasta baskets or a pretty bag if it’s a spa gift basket.
·    Find a suitable filler to make it more attractive. It can be a crinkled color paper or paper shreds.
·    Get two major “highlights” and a couple of smaller ones for your gift basket. Smaller ones are placed in front while bigger items should be at the back so everything is seen at once.
·    Wrap it up with a translucent wrap and tie it with a ribbon. Gift baskets can also go without a wrap so it’s your call whether you want it or not. Either way, gift baskets are a delight to receive.

Baldness in medical term is what your doctor would refer to as Alopecia. Baldness can be very frustrating and unfortunately, it is prevalent among older adults and progresses overtime. But, alopecia is not limited to seniors only as it also strikes younger adults especially if they are predisposed to the said hair condition. As experts would say, alopecia can be a result of many different factors, genetic being the most persistent of them all. Some seniors who are suffering from alopecia stated that the condition started more or less, in their mid-30s while others start later in life. It can manifest as partial or total baldness depending on what fate decides to give you since its extent cannot be fully determined until your hair stopped growing.

While it can lower one’s self-esteem, older women being the most affected than their male counterparts, alopecia’s damage is not at all life-threatening. Healthcare providers believe that alopecia—particularly diffuse alopecia or androgenic alopecia—is an age-related condition along with couple of others like diminishing eyesight and/or deafness. What concerns healthcare providers the most is that alopecia can also be a symptom of an underlying disease, illness or condition that the senior may have. For one, severe depression can cause hairfall, even if the senior hasn’t recognized it yet. It is always advisable for seniors to consult your doctor when your hair starts falling to rule out any possible health risk.

Age-related baldness cannot be prevented altogether, although it can be delayed and in some cases, remedied as with any other conditions that come with aging. Androgenic alopecia is referred to as such since the condition was found out to be a result of declining androgen hormones but it doesn’t necessarily mean that this type of alopecia is exclusive to men. Androgenic alopecia can also hit older women although the hairfall pattern tends to be diffused whereas male pattern baldness creates a horseshoe-like shape in one’s head.

There are treatments available for seniors who suffer alopecia and are growing quite conscious of it. For mild cases, there are medical preparations you can buy that may improve your hair’s current state. However, these preparations can only improve or delay but never cure since as of the moment, there is no known cure for baldness. Some seniors who lost a lot opt to have cosmetic surgery or hair transplant and fortunately, most of them come happy and satisfied with their decisions.

Traveling is a fun and very enjoyable experience for seniors, both men and women. We travel for many different reasons, doubled if we still belong to the working force. Everytime seniors travel, they are given an opportunity to broaden their horizons by learning different cultures and visiting interesting places. It seems that everyone has dreams of traveling many different countries and cities as much as possible and fortunately, it has become more of a trend for many.

Due to these flights to and fro, not to mention the onslaught of passengers every single day, travel services have greatly improved. It has become common nowadays to hear seniors fly from one city to another just to meet someone up then be back for dinner the same day. City-hopping is no longer considered as a luxury; in fact, it has become a necessity for working seniors especially those who hold high positions such as consultants and company presidents. These positions, as we all know, are no longer limited to the male sector but have been invaded by the women force as well.

Since there are many senior women who choose to travel solo, it is important to apply some safety measures to ensure a safe and hassle-free trip as much as possible. Aside from being a senior which would already put you at risk, being a women all the more increases that risk by up to a hundred percent. Although most of these traveling ladies stay confident on their capabilities in protecting themselves in times of need, sadly, unscrupulous people still look at senior ladies as the easiest target of them all.

These simple traveling tips will help you to somehow lessen the risks when traveling alone:

·    All your valuable documents should stay with your body all the time. This includes passports, visas and any other documents you might need in case of emergency. Invest in a good body bag or any other bag that sticks closely to your body without cramping up your style.
·    When traveling, don’t forget to inform someone of your whereabouts—preferably someone who will be left behind–even if it’s a romantic rendezvous. Let them know your supposed schedule of activities or if this is something you cannot afford then at least, your expected time and date of arrival.
·    Don’t give thieves something they are looking for. When they see you sporting expensive little things, you are only attracting fly with a food. Try to maintain a low-profile whenever you’re out alone.
·    One of the most important things that will keep you alive while traveling alone is your medications. Some cities may or may not carry your prescription medicines so to be on the safer side of things, do bring your own when traveling.
·    As much as possible, try to look as if you belong to that city, country or land. Tourists are often considered by local scammers as gullible and ignorant so protect yourself from these unfortunate incidents by acting confident and blend in with your surroundings.

This summer proves to be the worst season for seniors since it’s becoming hotter everyday. Every year, local authorities prepare for this season and proceed with caution while keeping an eye to senior housing facilities and communities present in their area. These round-ups are done since seniors are the most vulnerable to heat-related incidents that can be fatal when overlooked.

Heat-induced stress can trigger health complications from other diseases that you may have. Volunteers from various organizations often take time to visit shelters wherein seniors are known to live alone and help them prepare for hot days ahead by informing them what to do in case they feel symptoms of heat-related incidents and assist these seniors in heat-proofing their houses as well. Other volunteer groups check-up on them every now and then just to know if the senior in question is still okay and not experiencing any life-threatening difficulties.

Although it seems that they got us all covered, we still need to do our own preventive measures just to make sure we get past this summer alive and well. Aside from the basics such as not going out during those times when the sun is at its hottest and staying cool indoors in well-ventilated places, there are some foods that actually cool down the body’s temperature thus alleviating the stress brought about by heat. Here are some cooling foods that can help you ease the heat away:

·    Your best bet would be watery foods or foods that are rich in water content. Great examples of which are watermelon, fruit juices and even cold soups.
·    Increase water intake. If you are not a water-person, any liquid that is not a diuretic will work as fine too but try to “like” water when possible since it’s better absorb by the body than any other liquids.
·    Coconut water is good for the body as it works similar to a sports drink. It has high sodium and potassium content to replenish your body all lost minerals when it perspire. Best of all, coconut water is naturally sweet so you don’t have to add sugar anymore. Best when served cold.
·    Take advantage of the summer season by experimenting with different kinds of seasonal fruits. Fruits are great for you since they pack fibers, beta carotene and vitamins needed by the body. Also, fruits are dieters’ bestfriend:  no fats but filling and delicious. Try mangoes.
·    There are types of vegetables that are best when served cold too especially the salad-types. Lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes are a great addition in your daily meals. When cold, they can be very satisfying to one’s stomach—and body temperature too!

Touch therapy for infants is well-promoted by experts worldwide since this therapy proves to sooth and calm your babies while sending them signals of assurance when spoken words bear no meaning yet. It was even said that touch therapy is the most effective alternative therapy for infants because it promotes health and well-being of the child. Furthermore, its health benefits last longer and even way beyond childhood such as stronger bones and good blood circulation. I bet your kids enjoyed this bonding time with you back then too.

The effects of touch therapy to infants are no different when the therapy is applied to senior citizens. Even a stressed out younger adult seeks a good massage every now and then to relieve stress and renew senses when it becomes too heavy for their worn-out bodies. Professional athletes for one, hire sport massage therapists for their therapy needs such as simple after-practice massage to assisting them with their injuries and helping them to recuperate. Medically, massage therapy is referred to as medical therapy. Also, let’s not forget physical and occupational therapy which are actual branches of medical science. From here, we’ll know that indeed massage therapy works wonders for our bodies, no matter what age we are in and if younger bodies do benefit from it then just imagine what it can do for our senior ones.

For seniors, the most beneficial part of getting a massage therapy is its ability to have pain under control especially those brought about by arthritis. Pain management is just one of the many great benefits a massage therapy can give you. Aside from overall improvement in the quality of life you lead, it greatly enhances your health and wellbeing. It is also proven to be very affective in managing the aging process and for whatever negative things it brings to our bodies. It was also found out to be beneficial for patients with Alzheimer’s disease since it can induce relaxation thus improving the ability to communicate and stay focus on their thoughts, although this notion is yet to be proven by experts.

Seniors with arthritis found solace with massage therapy. First and foremost, massage therapy is all natural and very effective in increasing one’s range of motion by encouraging natural joint lubrication of the body. Also, it improves balance by its ability to increase muscle strength and coordination. Aging can also bring great stress to your body and most age-related illnesses can cause limited physical activities. These factors can cause your body to break down on its own but if massage therapy is introduced, your body undergoes stimulation like it moved more even if you are in a very relaxed state. Effects of massage therapy are felt at once and a senior who underwent a massage will notice the difference especially with their energy levels and mental awareness. Truly, massage therapies are the most effective solution in alleviating age-related symptoms.

Our bodies are designed to move. When you study its composition, you’ll notice that every strand of muscle has its own duty to perform specifically when moving. Even as simple as typing words over your keyboard, you are using muscles to do the job. When you perform everyday tasks, it becomes harder to recognize the importance of these muscles since it comes naturally as reflex but in reality, it is the mind-and-body coordination at work. For younger adults, moving comes very naturally.

Unfortunately for seniors, moving becomes quite a task and some age-related illnesses usually force seniors not to move a muscle. This in return, contradicts what the body is made for. When this happens, something in there is bound to break down eventually causing areas of mobility to deteriorate rapidly. Before moving on, seniors should know that these unfortunate events can be prevented—or delayed—if you have introduced regular exercise earlier in your life. Here are some known points of deterioration in seniors when you decide to stop moving your body:

·    Staying power or endurance. Most seniors tend to lose endurance as they age which limits almost all physical activities. When a simple activity proves to be very exhaustive such as walking and climbing the stairs, you would know you lack exercise or you don’t move around that much. Endurance is something you train and it certainly can be pushed when the body is trained to do so however, lack of endurance training will result to decreased staying power on the senior’s part.
·    Muscle mass. Muscles are dead giveaway to your age since, naturally, it shrinks along as we age which results to frail, sagging look. In this day and age when looks are important, looking all crinkly and saggy is a crime indeed! Furthermore, when muscles stopped moving, it will start wasting or what medically referred to as muscle atrophy. Decrease muscle mass will result to weakness since force depends on the mass.
·    Impaired balance. This is the most hazardous implication of them all and sadly, it is prevalent among seniors since there are many reasons for balance impairment aside from lack of exercise. Impaired balance, almost always causes falls and slips among seniors and it could be very disabling to fragile bones. On the other hand, there are exercises that can improve your balance such as yoga and Pilates.
·    Lessened tractability or flexibility. As we age, it is but natural to experience joint stiffness every now and then but when a person lacks motion, it progresses fast enough to disable the suffering person. Compromised flexibility will result to reduced mobility and limited range of motion.

Overall, a person’s body needs to move so you can use it better. If a senior wants to enjoy his or her retirement years, it is important that you indulge your body more. Taking care of your body will compel it to pay you back handsomely and will guarantee you a happy life years ahead.

In some cases such as accidents and medical emergencies, it becomes easier to determine when and how to intervene with your beloved senior’s life but unfortunately, there are times when your efforts are met with resistance and things steer into a much harder road of second guessing and lifestyle changes. Sometimes, decreased capacity to lead life normally in seniors is not that obvious and worst, if the senior don’t acknowledge this fact in the first place.

It was always said that the key to a successful intervention is good communication-relationship between the senior and the supposed negotiator or the caregiver himself since more often than not, seniors tend to be weary and untrusting to intruders—sadly, that’s you in this situation. If the senior could somehow feel sincerity in there, he or she will allow you to help them albeit reluctantly. But the question still remains, how would you know when it’s time?

Sending the senior to a long term care facility is way off the mark especially if there is no apparent reason for doing so. In fact, these facilities should be your last resort preferably in phases when the senior can no longer move on his own and he needs medical attention too. As much as possible, allow seniors to have a little breathing room because they still need their privacy as an individual. If your senior can still function normally, like caring for himself but having some trouble keeping the house up and running, then the most you need is a cleaning lady to keep an eye on the house and the senior too. This way you are meeting with the senior halfway.

Actually, the first thing to give way is the appearance of the senior if there is an existing problem with his mental and physical capabilities. It helps if you are good in observing their behavior but be careful not to point out everything you are noticing. Instead, try a different approach such as offering help with their daily tasks. When offering help, give reasons other than what it’s intentionally for such as doing their laundry just because you have nothing better to do this weekend or doing their grocery because you’re also getting yours. With this approach, seniors will give in easily thinking that they are not a burden on your side and you are willing to help with their odds and ends.

There will be times that the senior may mention some minor health problems, these are the times that you should be paying attention and reading between the lines. If your mom or dad is living with someone younger than them then ask this person what he or she thinks. As soon as you notice signs of deteriorating health, it is best to increase number of visits just to see if the situation progresses and how fast it goes. Be on the look out for safety risks that your parent may have left behind unconsciously such as burnt pots, open doors, and slippery floors. Moreover, a senior who is suffering depression needs assistance too and almost always, it is the hardest illness to detect so it pays to take note of that as well.

Good news for working seniors, effective last Friday, July 24, 2009, the third installment of minimum wage increase came through. Although the increase is not a life-changing one, this proves to be very helpful for most seniors struggling with daily expenses, and not to mention their medical needs and bills. This is the third and final federal wage increase which preceded the first two ones in 2007 and 2008. However, if as an employee you are qualified for both state and federal wages, the higher of two shall apply.

The wage increase states that there should be a 70-centavos raise to the $6.55 making it at about $7.25 per hour. This means that there will be a $28 more every week for employed seniors if you are working under the federal minimum wage. On the other hand, seniors who are working under the disability program, please be reminded that you are entitled to receive special minimum wage for workers with disability. Furthermore, seniors who are working through the Senior Citizen Employment Program are also eligible for the increase. State wage is expected to follow lead after the federal wage increase has taken effect.

Working seniors are now looking forward to their next paycheck knowing that there will be a big difference as compared to their last one. Most of them are thankful for the increase since it will help them tremendously with their daily living expenses—something that keeps these seniors working even if it’s way beyond their retirement years. It seems that everyone in the workforce had been looking forward for this raise for some time now considering the fact that the economic crisis has been affecting us still.

Prior to this very good news, there had been debates on whether to push through with the wage increase or postpone it for next year. Economic analysts argued against it since they fear that it will only aggravate the situation further. What they fear the most is that small businesses might see the need to cut back on hiring employees or shorten their working hours to ease the stress of wage increase to their businesses. Also, big companies who are hiring employees on a regular basis would be compelled to seek people who are better experienced for the job at hand, eliminating the possibility for entry level jobs which help those first time workers with no experience under their belts. Nonetheless, this situation doesn’t pose any risk for seniors but is proving to be an advantage since most seniors are well-experienced and don’t need further training.

We all need sleep. Sleep helps in relieving our mind and body of all the stress we encounter when performing our daily activities. When we are sleeping, the body’s system goes on auto-function and heals itself to get it ready for the next day’s tasks. Whereas the body undergoes recuperation while fully relaxed, the mind on the other hand stays active and performs systemized organization of gathering data and information stored at different nooks and crannies of the brain hence the possible manifestations of dreams.

Unfortunately, as we age, our sleeping patterns suffer tremendously. As a newborn child would, it seems that the body doesn’t recognize time anymore and won’t respond to the circadian rhythm like it used to. Due to this very unfortunate occurrence, a senior’s body will have to put up with the very destructive effects of sleep deprivation.

While sleep problem with seniors has relatively unknown cause except for a couple of potentially plausible explanation such as medication side effects or diminishing sleep hormones, there are ways to induce “the mood” and help you achieve better sleep. Here are some of the ways you might want to try tonight:

·    If you find that alarm clocks work for you, then it too may work to remind you of your bedtime. The body needs to prepare itself for hours of sleeping even if you already had a long and tiring day. In other words, it needs conditioning, best if you can do it for about an hour. Within this hour, before-bedtime rituals should be done but they need to be relaxing such as reading a book or listening to soothing music. Set your alarm clock one hour before sleeping to remind you when it’s time to wind down.
·    Emotional status of the person prior to sleeping plays a big role in his or her capacity to sleep. We all know that it gets quite hard to attain sleep when you are bothered or troubled but try as we might, clearing up the head is easier said than done so the next best thing you can do is try to slow things down even for a bit.
·    Avoid worrying too much if sleep doesn’t visit you right away for there are days that it won’t really come easily. Just don’t do anything that will stimulate your senses in getting active again such as action-packed movies or exercising. Never force yourself to sleep when you are not feeling it since it will only create panic if it doesn’t come at once.
·    Seniors tend to suffer nocturia or night-time urination. This disorder is extremely common among men but it also manifests in women. Try to lessen your trips to the toilet during the night by avoiding drinking water and diuretics prior to sleeping.

Sleep deprivation has many effects on one’s health. It is most advisable for seniors to try to get sleep as much as they possibly can and not to be overly conscious of the time it arrives. One golden rule for seniors’ sleeping problem, when sleep strikes, grab the opportunity and sleep!