Music and Memory
Music is a powerful thing. It is part of our lives from the time we are young to the time we die, and triggers memories and emotions in us. Listening to certain songs tend to bring back feelings and emotions from a particular time in our lives. Music and emotions activate in the same part of the brain, which is why music has the power to sooth or to energize. Music can bring calm to a difficult day, energize and add a spark to an exercise program, help you focus to complete a task, or raise your spirits. Dementia care researchers are studying whether music can help caregivers be less stressed and more successful as they…
Have you laughed today?
Do you know some of laughter’s amazing benefits? Studies show that laughing is very beneficial to one’s overall health. It helps reduce pain, brings greater happiness, reduces stress and even boosts the immune system. Humor is infectious. The sound of someone laughing is very contagious. Laughing is a natural event that we do from a very early age. Infants start to smile after just a few weeks. After several months babies laugh easily, often with gusto. As we age and go through life’s bumps and bruises, our laughter tends to decrease. When people laugh together they feel a bond of happiness and intimacy. It creates a common bond that brings…
What is Assisted Living?
Question: I see advertisements in the newspaper for assisted living facilities, and it is difficult to understand what is offered there in comparison to other care services, such as skilled nursing. Can you explain the differences? – K.A. Reedley CA. Answer: Great question! The term “assisted living” became popular in the 1980’s. At that time, it was a new level of care that allowed retirement communities to provide personal care programs. Before retirement communities provided assisted living, personal care was mostly handled by small board and care facilities or nursing homes. Assisted living facilities provide help for seniors who struggle with daily chores but do not need 24-hour medical care. One room apartments…
Are All Assisted Living Communities Alike? How to Choose.
I am thinking it is time to move my mother into an Assisted Living Residence. How do I go about choosing one? Are all assisted living facilities alike? How do I deal with helping her adjust to the changes in her life? This is a very good question because not all assisted living residences are alike. There is no standard blueprint for what an assisted living facility should look like. Assisted living facilities go by many different names, like “personal care home,” “board and care home,” and “congregate living facility.” Some are multi-story buildings, some are private homes that have been converted into a group living environment, and others are more like…
Ready to Retire?
The Baby Boomers are starting to enter into retirement. Many people look forward to the freedom that retirement brings, but with it comes financial and social changes. How do you know if you are ready? The idea of retirement is a fairly recent one that started in the 19th century because people began living longer. When life expectancy was low and there was no pension or social security, people often worked until death. Germany was the first country to introduce retirement in the 1880’s. Most developed countries today have some sort of system to provide pensions for retirement in old age. In third world countries, support for older people is still primarily…
Consider a Retirement Community
There are a number of senior retirement facilities in my area. Why would I want to live in a retirement community? K.A. of Reedley Lifting the home maintenance burden. Retirement communities are set up to provide an option for seniors when the maintenance and care of owning a home becomes overwhelming. As people age, the ability to physically keep up with a yard and house maintenance becomes more and more daunting. Projects that were, at one time, fairly easy can become difficult and sometimes next to impossible to complete. If one spouse has passed away or has the need to be in a long-term care facility, the task of keeping…
Walk Safely: Canes and Walkers
Our ability to live independently becomes jeopardized when we have trouble walking. Sometimes using a cane or a walker can make a huge difference. Walking aids allow many older adults to keep active and independent. They can reduce pain while walking or compensate for balance problems. The problem with using a cane or a walker is if they are used improperly they can cause a fall, and that’s the very thing we were trying to avoid in the first place! A six-year government study shows that falls with walkers/canes are an under recognized health problem. It was remarkable how many older adult falls were attributed to walking aids. In 2006…
Better Care in Nursing Homes
One of the reasons I chose to live in a retirement community was because I checked out the nursing home on campus, just in case. You hear a lot about boredom and even overmedication. How do you safeguard from that? E.E. of Reedley. When nursing homes first came on line in the 1960’s it was all too common to find over-medicated residents. The funding was minimal and therefore staffing inadequate. Often you would go into a nursing home and see the residents lined up in their wheel chairs, sleeping or just staring off into space. They would not respond well to the activity program. They did not have a desire…
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
First of all, the distinction between dementia and Alzheimer’s is a very important one. “Dementia” is a term used to describe several different diseases and disorders of the brain. It is characterized by the progressive deterioration of mental abilities such as thinking and memory, changes in behavior, and a decline in skill levels and functioning. There are a number of different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common. Dementia is a set of symptoms, while Alzheimer’s is a specific disease of the brain. Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is caused by a neurological degeneration. Chemical and structural changes in the brain slowly destroy the ability to learn,…
Living Well As We Age
As we age I often hear talk about our aches and pains, how much medication we are taking and how tired we feel. We all understand the need for exercise and eating well to maintain a healthy life style. But are there things we should be considering to help us live our senior years as well as we can? Medications and treatment have come a long way in your life time. It is easy to get into the mentality of “I don’t feel well so I will go to the doctor and hopefully he/she will have a pill for what is wrong.” Life styles have become more sedentary. Modern conveniences…
