If you are a senior, having good balance can help to prevent falls and maintain your independence. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 years and older, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. By age 80, over half of seniors fall annually.
Some of the reason for this is a decline in seniors’ overall physical fitness as well as chronic diseases, certain medications, and surgeries. One example is diabetes, a common disease in the elderly that can lead to peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage and cause numbness in the hands, feet, and other parts of the body. Medications that lower blood pressure may cause faintness or dizziness, and hip replacements and knee surgeries can result in the elderly being unsteady on their feet. While many exercises help with balance including something as simple as walking, experts recommend that older adults incorporate exercises into their daily routine that are specifically designed to improve balance. Most balance exercises can be done at home without any special equipment and only take a few minutes to do. The National Institute on Aging offers several balance exercises on their website. One example is to put the heel of one foot in front of the toes of the other foot. Your heel and toes should touch or almost touch. Focus on a spot ahead of you as this will help to keep you steady as you walk. Now take a step and put your heel just in front of the toes of your other foot. They suggest trying to do 20 steps. One of the best assisted living facilities Colorado Springs has to offer, MorningStar at Mountain Shadows knows it is important for our residents to stay as active as possible. Our monthly calendar includes a variety of exercises designed to help residents improve their flexibility, balance and muscle strength. We also have other classes and activities designed to enhance residents’ mental, social and spiritual connections. Please visit our website to learn more. Please check with your health provider before starting any new form of exercise. The unique mission statement of MorningStar at Mountain Shadows, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other assisted living facilities Colorado Springs offers. Our foundation is built upon honoring God, valuing all seniors, and investing in staff with a felt calling to serve. Dedicated to creating a real home for residents within a beautiful setting, we encourage you to see for yourself our exceptional community. Source: go4life.nia.nih.gov/exercise-type/balance
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Across the globe, thousands of people will participate in The Longest Day 2019 event sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association in an effort to raise awareness and funds to end Alzheimer’s disease. On June 21st, the summer solstice, teams will participate from sunrise to sunset in activities they love such as walking, baking, dancing, golfing, exercising, and more to raise money as well as honor someone with Alzheimer’s. While officially on June 21st, people also use their creativity and passion to raise funds and awareness for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association throughout the year.
If you wish to participate in this worthy cause, there are several ways you can do it. You can simply make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, or if your friends, neighbors, or a business is sponsoring an event, you can donate directly to them. The Alzheimer’s Longest Day webpage makes it easy to search for a particular organization or a friend’s event. If you wish to find an activity to join and help raise funds, you can search on the website for a group near your home. The other thing you can do is to start your own The Longest Day event and fundraiser. The Alzheimer’s Association just asks that all participants register. Once you do, they will provide you with a fundraising webpage, and their staff and volunteers will be there to encourage and support you each step of the way. Your participant kit will include useful tips and tools to help you turn your activity into a fundraiser and show you effective ways to reach your goal. One of their tips includes creating a Facebook Fundraiser as a quick and efficient way to reach everyone in your network. You will also be given ideas on how to use posters and fliers to support your fundraising efforts and an email template that you can copy and send to everyone on your contacts list. The kit will also provide ways to connect with other participants in order to share ideas and to get inspiration from one another. If you are wondering how the Alzheimer’s Association uses the money raised by The Longest Day events, 77% of the funds go toward Alzheimer’s care, support, research, awareness and advocacy. Another 17% is used toward fundraising, and the remaining 6% to administrative costs. This exceeds the rigorous standards set by America’s most experienced charity evaluator, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. The Association also holds a National Charity Seal from the Alliance. It is nice to know that the money you raise really does make a difference in the lives of those facing Alzheimer’s. MorningStar at Jordan Creek proudly provides the very best in senior living with our unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents amid a beautiful setting. Please schedule a tour to discover the finest assisted living and memory care in the West Des Moines area. A Place for Mom recently posted the results of a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, which was published in the journal, The Gerontologist. The study focused on “vulnerable” seniors, who were defined as older adults with moderate or low incomes who lived alone. The purpose of the study was to “understand how the senior living environment can mitigate the effects of multiple chronic conditions on hospitalizations.”
Hospitalization information from participants in the 2002-2012 Health Retirement Study was compared with the results of the question, ““Is your home part of a retirement community, senior citizens’ housing or another type of housing that offers services for older adults or someone with a disability?” Results showed that older adults with multiple chronic conditions in senior living communities were less likely to experience high levels of hospitalization than those who lived alone. Researchers believe there are positive effects accrued from the various support services available in senior housing environments, which help vulnerable elders to better manage their health conditions. At MorningStar at Mountain Shadows, a Colorado Springs senior living community, our primary job is to provide all the services needed to support and enhance our residents’ physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing. As one of the area’s top assisted living communities, residents are provided with 24/7 Care Managers, access to licensed nurses, medication managers, care plan reviews, scheduled health and wellness evaluations, scheduled physician visits, pharmacy services, transportation to doctor appointments and much more. In addition we offer a wide range of wellness programs and activities that are sure to keep you as busy as you like. Please visit our website to learn more about our “passion to serve seniors.” While you are there, use our convenient online links to inquire about availability and pricing or to set up a tour. MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care at Mountain Shadows represents the best in Colorado Springs senior living with a distinct mission statement - “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to providing a true home for residents amidst a beautiful, serene setting and invite you to visit our exceptional community. Source: aplaceformom.com/blog/better-health-lower-levels-of-hospitalization-in-senior-living/ |
Offering a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community, MorningStar is committed to giving residents a quality of life surpassing that of other senior living communities. To experience firsthand the finest in senior living, contact us to schedule a tour. Archives
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