How Much Exercise Do Seniors Need?

By Health & Wellness

It’s important to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program. They will advise on programs based on current health and fitness levels. There’s no way around it. Regular exercise for seniors can greatly improve not only physical health but mental health too. We know how good exercise is at any age, but for seniors, it’s especially important to get out and move. We’ll explore how much exercise is too much for seniors, along with the benefits of exercise, what types are great for seniors and more.

Importance of Health and Fitness for Seniors

Engaging in regular exercise might be the closest thing to the fountain of youth. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes in older adults.

To learn more about the benefits of exercise and which type may be best for you, CLICK HERE.

Why Retirees Are Selling Their Forever Homes

By Senior Living

The question on many seniors’ minds is when should they sell their forever home? A forever home, or sunset home, is the home you’ve raised a family in, hosted countless thanksgiving dinners, and built a lifetime’s worth of memories. Seniors that put their homes up for sale could take a big step toward greater independence and peace of mind. Let’s look at some of the biggest reasons many seniors sell their forever home.

Retirement and Changing Lifestyle

Retirement is a major life change and often is the event where seniors question if they should sell their homes. Kids leaving for college or moving to start families of their own is another change that affects home life. There may be empty bedrooms or game and family rooms that are no longer used. Unused spaces can bring on feelings of sadness or longing for what was. Finding a new home that’s a better match could improve your new lifestyle and outlook.

To learn about additional reasons seniors are selling their forever home, CLICK HERE.

Loving Senior Living: How to Get the Most of Your Retirement Community

By Health & Wellness

With a lot of thought and consideration you’ve made the move into a retirement community – congratulations are in order! Know that few of us glide into retirement living without a few adjustments. We have a few tried and true tips and tricks that can help you ease into your new retirement community and make the most of this exciting change.

With a lot of thought and consideration you’ve made the move into a retirement community – congratulations are in order! Know that few of us glide into retirement living without a few adjustments.

We have a few tried and true tips and tricks that can help you ease into your new retirement community and make the most of this exciting change. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Is it Alzheimer’s or Dementia? How to Tell the Difference

By Health & Wellness

Many people think that Alzheimer’s and dementia are the same and use the terms interchangeably. However, there are distinctions between the two. It is important for effective treatment and management to know these differences. We’ll learn more about dementia, the types, causes, and how it differs from Alzheimer’s.

What is Dementia?

Many people assume Alzheimer’s is a broad term for all dementia. Alzheimer’s is actually a common form of dementia and falls under the dementia umbrella, not the other way around. More specifically, dementia is considered a syndrome, not a disease. Dementia is a decline in mental function with a loss of memory, cognitive functioning, problem-solving, remembering, reasoning, thinking, attention, and other issues.

To learn more about Alzheimer’s and dementia, and the varying types of each disease, CLICK HERE.

Depression and Older Adults

By 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.

8 Superfoods to Eat After 50

By Health & Wellness

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.

Gym Anxiety: 10 Ways to Face Your Fears

By Health & Wellness

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?

But it’s a mistake to let your jitters deter you from seizing the opportunity to become healthier or fitter. Remember, at some point, there was a first class or workout at the gym for every member, so you’re in good company, even among the more experienced. To ease your trepidation, it can help to remind yourself of this fact.
To learn about 10 ways to help alleviate your gym anxiety, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

15 Heart-Healthy Foods for Seniors to Enjoy

By Health & Wellness

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!

It’s Time to Throw Out Stereotypes on Aging

By Lifestyle, Senior Living

In late 2021, journalists at National Geographic magazine and AARP discussed working together to explore how Americans perceive aging as we emerge from the COVID pandemic. That began a research collaboration focused on asking people like you questions that would probe the full breadth of aging issues — from health and finances to attitudes about happiness, home, optimism and even dying.

To make the study as useful as possible, we posed the same questions to Americans from age 18 into their 90s, to see how opinions vary over the arc of adulthood. More than 2,500 people participated, representing the full range of America’s backgrounds, demographics and ethnicities. Another 25 adults 40 and older participated in in-depth interviews.

Many of the often surprising results of the AARP–National Geographic “Second Half of Life Study” are in your hands. No single sentence can capture the gist of all that people told us, but we can say with confidence that most prevalent opinions and stereotypes of aging were proven wrong.

Overall, the message was refreshingly positive and reassuring. On the whole, life is good, especially for older Americans — especially those over 60. And the person you see in the mirror is far different from the type of person younger generations might think you are.

To view the results of this interesting AARP and National Geographic survey, CLICK HERE.