Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
- In: Fitness | Health | Senior Living
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5 Myths about Exercise and Older Adults
Myth 1: There’s no point to exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.
Fact: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Myth 2: Elderly people shouldn’t exercise. They should save their strength and rest.
Fact: Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy for the elderly. Period. Inactivity often causes seniors to lose the ability to do things on their own and can lead to more hospitalizations, doctor visits, and use of medicines for illnesses.
Myth 3: Exercise puts me at risk of falling down.
Fact: Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling.
Myth 4: It’s too late. I’m already too old, to start exercising
Fact: You’re never too old to exercise! If you’ve never exercised before, or it’s been a while, start with light walking and other gentle activities.
Myth 5: I’m disabled. I can’t exercise sitting down.
Fact: Chair-bound people face special challenges but can lift light weights, stretch, and do chair aerobics to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone, and promote cardiovascular health.
- In: Care Giving | Family | Fitness | Health
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In the last few years working with the senior population I have run across a huge contingent of people who are their parents caregivers. There is also a tremendous number who see it coming as our boomer population ages and we start taking care of our parents who, by the way, are living longer and expect it of us.
A few of the major issues of caregiving I hear about are burnout, anger, frustration, exhaustion, boredom, of course love and loneliness. Most have aches and pains from the constant on their feet running here and there, lifting, bending, carrying, cleaning and all the other movements associated with the daily grind of assisting an older person. The older and more fragile, the more work involved of course. My own mother in law for example was dead weight, and much heavier for her size then she should have been. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Minerva Navarro, M.D.
Published in the Los Altos Town Crier
Soon the holiday season will be over and many of us will start thinking about our New Year’s resolutions. Staying healthy often comes at the top of our lists.
We know what we need to do to take care of ourselves, but sometimes it’s easy to forget, or we let daily life get in the way of taking the necessary steps. This is especially true for seniors. If you are a senior, or have a loved one who is a senior, following are five simple steps to better health. Read the rest of this entry »
- In: emotional | Health | Spirituality
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A bit about living life to it’s fullest
2 Golf balls and a Mayonnaise Jar – To all the golf balls in my life.
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls..
He then asked the students if the jar was full. Read the rest of this entry »
Gift Ideas for Senior Citizens
Posted on: December 11, 2009
- In: emotional | Family
- 4 Comments
Shelly Webb
The Elder Care Support Group
It can be tough to come up with gift ideas for senior citizens in your life that aren’t the typical bathrobe and slippers. Here’s how to give a personal gift that will make an elderly person feel special while addressing the unique concerns of advanced age. Read the rest of this entry »
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