Health & Wellness

Feeling down every once in a while is a normal part of life, but if these feelings last a few weeks or months, you may have depression. Read this article to find common signs and symptoms of depression, treatment options, and if you or your loved one may be at risk for depression.

What is depression?

Depression is a serious mood disorder. It can affect the way you feel, act, and think. Depression is a common problem among older adults, but clinical depression is not a normal part of aging. In fact, studies show that most older adults feel satisfied with their lives, despite having more illnesses or physical problems than younger people. However, if you’ve experienced depression as a younger person, you may be more likely to have depression as an older adult.’

To learn about the types of depression and risk factors, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

These standouts — plus a few ‘boosters’ — can keep you healthy as nutritional needs change with age

Whether you’ve been a healthy eater your whole life — or lately fallen off the nutritional wagon — it’s important to take a hard look at your diet after age 50. Around that point, experts say, it pays to be choosier about your foods, and make sure you’re getting enough nutritional bang for your buck. “Our need for energy declines starting in middle age,” says Christine Rosenbloom, registered dietitian and nutritionist, professor emerita at Georgia State University and coauthor of Food & Fitness Over 50. “There’s less room for drinking a pitcher of margaritas and having a basket of chips — unless we want to start seeing that weight creep. And nobody wants that.”

Beyond adapting to a potentially slower metabolism, you also want to compensate for things like a tendency for bones to weaken, bowel function to slow and muscle mass to decline (around 1 percent a year until age 65, after which the loss can double.) In general, older adults “need to make sure they’re getting lots of fruits and vegetables, eating lean meats if they are eating meat, chicken or fish, and avoiding saturated fats and sugars,” says Marie Bernard, M.D., chief officer for scientific workforce diversity at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “A good diet can help get blood pressure under better control, decrease the risk of heart problems and contribute to the prevention of things like diabetes and cancer.”

To build your own healthy diet, remember that “foods work together in concert,” says Joseph Gonzales, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic. “You need a whole symphony for a spectacular musical piece.”

To find out from AARP the eight foods to add to your own orchestra, so that you’re well on your way to a healthier tune, CLICK HERE.

Being physically active is one of the most important things you can do each day to maintain and improve your health and keep doing things you enjoy as you age. Help make exercise a priority with these tips from the National Institute on Aging: https://go.usa.gov/xSkyh

There’s no question that going to the gym for the first time or after a long hiatus can be intimidating. After all, different exercise classes often have their cliques, yogaand Pilates sessions may be filled with sculpted bodies, and the weight-lifting area may have hardcore exercise enthusiasts trying to best one another. Who wouldn’t be nervous in that environment?

Healthy eating for seniors is not always top of mind, but it is especially important as we age. That’s because poor diet is a major risk factor for chronic diseases, disability, and death, with nearly two-thirds of seniors over the age of 65 in the U.S. consuming a poor diet. Improving nutrition for older adults is a conversation worth having, and it’s also important to remove the stigma that healthy food for older adults isn’t enjoyable. There are so many wonderful fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, proteins, dairy, and more to love!

Life Care Services® communities prepare a wide variety of delicious and healthy meals for seniors. It’s all about balance. When dietary restrictions allow, it’s okay to enjoy an ice cream cone or a piece of pizza! However, there are numerous heart-healthy foods for seniors that offer exciting flavors and excellent nutrition to not only provide flavor-filled taste but also health benefits.

To learn about 15 foods for seniors that are great for the heart, body, and soul, CLICK HERE!

The idea of aging is an open-ended concept. There is so much to explore, achieve, and discover as an older adult! That’s why so many people who are aging or who support those who are aging are removing the negative stigma surrounding the topic. Instead, it’s important to take the proper steps to come to terms with aging and enjoy all that it has to offer.

There are two key components to growing older:

Accepting Aging
Celebrating Aging

Life Care Services® can help you or your loved one navigate both of these areas, and our senior living communities offer programming, care, and support solutions that make aging easier. Let’s take a closer look at accepting the aging process and how you or your friend or family member can celebrate that growth, year after year. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

“How can seniors strengthen their immune systems?” This is a common question for many who want to improve their health as they age. A strong immune system in older age starts with implementing or continuing to make healthy lifestyle choices, protecting yourself from illness, connecting with others, and developing awareness about your daily habits.

Life Care Services® believes in supporting seniors and their immune systems so they can live life to the fullest. We’ve compiled a complete guide that older adults can use to protect their health with nine best practices. To view the best practices, CLICK HERE!

Memory issues creep up slowly. Seniors can go years without noticing any significant difference in their memory by relying solely on the help of family or friends. Eventually, there may come a point when the level of care you or your loved one needs exceeds what can be provided at home. At that point, it’s time to start looking into memory care options.

Life Care Services understands it is difficult to know what services are out there and even more so to know when you need to utilize them. By informing yourself now, we hope to prepare you or your loved one for the day it becomes necessary. To learn more about memory care and signs that you or your loved one may benefit from memory care, CLICK HERE.

If you’re an older adult experiencing memory lapses, lack of focus or confusion — or you have a loved one with those symptoms — it’s natural to worry about dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

But other treatable conditions can cause similar symptoms, and they can be easy for doctors to miss, says Ardeshir Hashmi, M.D., a geriatrician and section chief of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Geriatric Medicine.

“Sometimes there’s just a very superficial workup and then [the doctor says], ‘Here’s a pill for Alzheimer’s,’ ” Hashmi says. (While no drug has been proved to stop or slow the progression of dementia, there are several federally approved medications that can help manage the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.) “Before you make that conclusion, you should rule out all the other things that can be confused with dementia — things that are easily reversible.”

To find out more from AARP about some common medical problems that can be mistaken for dementia, CLICK HERE. ​​

Having a positive attitude toward aging is powerful, and is the first step for seniors to enjoy a happy life. There are so many reasons to be positive at an older age.

5 Ways to Have a Positive Aging Experience

Having a positive attitude toward aging is powerful, and is the first step for seniors to enjoy a happy life. There are so many reasons to be positive at an older age. As an older adult, you have:

Less of an obligation to work.
More time for fun activities.
Reduced stress without household responsibilities.

The idea of aging can be a source of anxiety for many people, especially those who aren’t sure what to expect or how to navigate the experience. Growing older is a fact of life, and it is not a journey that should be feared, but rather, one that should be embraced.

With support and resources, you have everything you need to look forward to a positive aging experience. Life Care Services has put together a list of five ways you can find that positive attitude and use it to plan. To view the list, CLICK HERE.