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Showing posts from October, 2021

Value Awards Shine Spotlight on Exceptional Amada Caregivers

Helping seniors maintain their independence and thrive with health and happiness is what an Amada caregiver is trained to do. Employed at independently owned Amada franchise offices around the country, our teams of caregivers serve a vulnerable population, and by doing so they also improve our communities. This practice of keeping seniors safe and happy and thus protecting the well-being of families with senior loved ones is what we call enriching the lives of others . Amada Senior Care’s annual Amada Caregiver Value Awards recognizes six outstanding caregivers who enrich lives and then some . They not only answer the call to serve as a caregiver but are willing to be an essential factor in the life of a senior. The evening of October 28th, Amada Senior Care held an awards ceremony as part of our national conference to express our sincere appreciation of the life-enriching efforts of all Amada caregivers as well as honor the six who embody our Caregiver Values. Amada CEO Tafa Jeff

Mental health in seniors: How to improve cognition and emotions as we get older?

In today’s time with the mounting stress of our daily lives , many of you might be concerned regarding your mental health. As far as physical well-being goes, one can take measures through medications and physical exercises but what about mental health? As we get older our sense of judgment weakens , our mind weakens and there’s a sudden overflow of emotions . We all may have once seen this in the elder members of our families . According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study of mental health in older adults aged 55+, it is estimated that 20% of senior citizens experience some type of mental health concern . The most common conditions include anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar depression. Once aging sets in, many of our cognitive abilities slowly start declining. These include impairments to short-term working memory, processing speed, retrieval of memories/information, fluctuating attention span, and problem-solving abi

How to Spot the Signs of Elder Self-Neglect

When we see or hear the term “elder abuse,” many of us instantly think about a professional scammer getting access to an elderly person’s finances or a shameless and amoral family member exploiting a senior loved one for personal and financial gain. But when you pull on a hidden thread in the fabric of elder abuse, you’ll find there is a subcategory known as “elder self-neglect.” Senior care experts are seeing this type of self-abuse become a rising trend among older adults, particularly those seniors aging at home. What is Elder Self-Neglect? “Elder self-neglect” is defined as “refusal or failure to provide oneself with care and protection in areas of food, water, clothing, hygiene, medication, living environments, and safety precautions,” according to an article published by the National Institutes of Health. It is a type of self-inflicted abuse when an older person is unwilling or unable to perform essential self-care, such as conducting personal hygiene, taking prescribed medica

Exercises for healthy aging and better mental health

Aging is a natural phenomenon but let’s face it— nobody likes feeling old! Nowadays due to the sedentary lifestyle, a person has an average life expectancy of 60 to 70 years. In the previous era due to their lifestyle , people were often fit as horses even at the age of 70! When one is in their mid 20’s or 30’s, then they have ample time to work on their body to make it healthy enough to survive on low energy. However, elder person, they need to keep on working on their body to maintain it. Here are some exercises and health advice that might help an elder person for healthy aging: Water Aerobics Water aerobics exercises improve your strength, flexibility, and balance with minimal stress on your body. Here are some forms of exercises that might be helpful: Aqua Jogging Flutter Kicking Leg Lifts Standing Water Push-ups Arm Curls Chair Yoga Regular chair yoga practitioners have better quality sleep, lower instances of depression , and report a general sense of well-being.

Breast Cancer Most Common Among Older Women

Today, the third Friday of October, is National Mammography Day — part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mammography screenings are a critical strategic aspect in early detection and treatment of breast cancer. One of the most important reasons for raising awareness about breast cancer is that the disease affects too many women. Notes the Susan G. Komen Foundation : “Women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 (or about 13 percent) lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. This means for every 8 women in the U.S., one will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.” Even though breast cancer affects women of all ages, the disease is most common among older women because it is a disease of aging . According to the American Cancer Society, half of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases come from women over 60 years old . Men can also get breast cancer, however they account for only a few of the reported cases. Risk factors for male breast cancer include a family history of breast cancer or o

How does dementia impact the mental health of seniors?

Dementia is a syndrome of chronic or progressive nature that hinders the way of life for senior citizens. This syndrome causes deterioration of memory, poor thinking-decision making and even affects the person’s ability to perform daily activities. While it affects older people, it is not a part of the normal aging process and can take anyone by surprise when the first symptoms start appearing. Dementia and its symptoms while changing everyday life can also have a deep impact on the mental health of its patients. Their confidence and self-esteem takes a blow Elders with dementia slowly begin losing confidence in themselves and their abilities to even live independently. Given the nature of the syndrome , their family members may not prefer leaving them alone or may behave differently than before to make things easier for them. These little yet noticeable changes may make dementia patients feel as if they are not in control of their life or make them rethink their decisions whi

Flu Prevention Tips for Protecting Senior Loved Ones

It’s the time of year when we’re thinking about football, pumpkin pie and … the flu. With Covid-19 still impacting hospitals as the 2021 flu season gets under way, the Centers for Disease Control advocates getting the flu shot before the end of October—in particular, if you’re an older adult over the age of 65. Flu season is an especially worrisome time for seniors. They are vulnerable to falling ill because the aging process drastically slows down the production of antibodies to combat viruses. Research has shown that seniors who get the flu shot are better protected against serious illness and complications that can occur if they are challenged with other health conditions, such as chronic heart disease, COPD and diabetes . In addition, studies show that the regular flu shot often isn’t as effective for seniors as it is for other adults. For this reason, the CDC advises that seniors at minimum get two different types of vaccinations: the high-dose Fluzone and the immunity booster F

Benefits of Indoor Activities for Older Adults

Covid-19  has forced everyone to stay indoors. This has impacted the process of socialization, stress management that senior citizens utilized in their day to day life. During this time, it has become imperative that indoor games be incorporated into the  lifestyle of the  elderly for healthy ageing . Indoors games have several benefits for the elderly and their caregivers. 1. Bridging Intergenerational Gap Covid has forced us to  spend more time indoors , the intergenerational gap has been more prominent than ever. Games like Reading; online games (Ludo, chess, Bingo) can encourage not only to develop communication skills but also create common goals. Indoor games can also help increase the level of meaningful activities among all family members. Card Games such as Rummy, Bluff, pinochle are interesting ways to not only stimulate the brain but also engage family members to connect with each other and spend quality time together. 2. Cognitive Decline Researches have suggested that

Care Packages for seniors during covid-19

Covid- 19 has hit us hard leaving everyone isolated. We aren’t able to meet our loved ones even though they live in the same city. In this hard time, so many people and organizations have come up to help those in need. As we all know how hard it is for elders to cope up with isolation. At this time, taking care of your mental health is equally important. Especially the senior citizen,  as their mental and physical well-being is very fragile. Now, one way to maintain your mental health is to stay in touch with your family members, maintain a proper diet and sustain energy, focus on positivity and not fuss over the negative aspects! But what if the elderly stay alone? A wise way to deal with such situations is to opt for any good senior care services. If you are thinking about choosing a senior care package, you are at the right place. Samvedna senior care has been providing interactive caregiving services for the elderly since 2013. They cater to the physical, intellectual, and

Aging at Home Continues as Top Senior Goal

Here’s some breaking news on this International Day for Older Persons: An overwhelmingly number of seniors have not budged from their preference to age at home and in fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened their desire to do so. In the just released AAG Importance of Home Survey , more than 80 percent of American seniors said they want to live in their home for the rest of their lives. Here are some reasons why staying put matters to aging seniors: Roughly four in five seniors (83%) say they feel safer at home than anywhere else. Living in one’s home is tied closely to a feeling of safety. Half of the seniors in AAG’s survey said that the pandemic strengthened their desire to live at home longer. “Independence” was stated as the most important benefit of living at home, according to more than one-third (40%) of older Americans surveyed. More than half (56%) pointed to family life as a significant reason, saying their home reminds them of their family. More than two in three