As families gather together this holiday season, adult children may begin to notice the effects aging has had on their senior parents. Once spry and energetic companions, physical and mental changes in aging parents can have many children wondering if it’s time to call for assistance. If you and your family are beginning to wonder if your loved one needs assisted care, you’re not alone. Many adult children are faced with these difficult decisions and are looking for signs that assisted living is the right decision for their loved one.

If you’re concerned about your loved one, here are a few things to look for:

Declining Health
Have you recently noticed a significant decline in the health of your loved one? Or, are their healthcare needs piling up? If your loved one’s healthcare needs are more than they, or you and your family members, can handle it may be time to consider assisted living care.

Difficulty Completing Everyday Tasks

When you talk with your loved one, do they mention the difficulty in keeping up with simple housework such as laundry or dishes? When you visit their home, do you notice a lack of housekeeping or misplaced mail and unpaid bills? When loved ones begin having trouble keeping track of bills and find it difficult to complete simple household chores, assistance is needed.

Cutting Back on Social Activities

Have you noticed a lack in conversation about friendships and social activities? If your loved one spends more time alone at home than usual, that may mean getting around has become more difficult. Social engagement is important for all people but can be imperative to aging seniors. Without social engagement, cognitive health can decline. This isolation from others can lead to anxiety and depression in loved ones as well.

Loss of Interest

If your parent used to be the life of the party but has had a sudden loss in interest in being social and staying engaged, they may be suffering. Aging can take its toll both physically and mentally, causing seniors to feel undervalued and stressed. This decline in health can lead to mood swings and depression. Once engaged individuals can become apathetic if depression sets in. If you notice these issues in your loved one, talk with them to see how you can help.

Forgetfulness

Does your loved one seem more forgetful than usual? Have you noticed them forgetting where they’ve put things or seen unexplained dents in their car? Forgetfulness can lead to confusion and uncertainty in those we love and can lead to harm if not addressed properly. If your loved one is becoming more and more forgetful, it may be time to seek care.

Poor Hygiene

Your loved one used to be concerned about looking their best for every outing, but lately, you’ve noticed a lack of personal care in their appearance. If you notice poor hygiene in your loved one, such as disheveled clothing, unkempt hair or extreme weight gain or loss, assistance may be needed.  

When happiness or health are compromised, it’s time to consider a care plan for your loved one. Surpass Senior Living communities offer multiple care options from respite care to assisted living to help you and your family care for a loved one in need. If you’re concerned about your loved one, contact us to learn more and find the help you need for your loved one.

Caregivers are often overlooked and underappreciated for the day-in and day-out work they do in caring for ailing and aging seniors. The toll this daily effort can take on the caregiver’s physical and emotional health can be taxing. When we spend our days taking care of those we love, we tend to ignore our own health and care needs. Respite care is short-term care intended to give caregivers a rest from their daily duties, allowing them time to relax and recharge.

While respite care offers many benefits to caregivers, it can be just as beneficial to those being taken care of. Respite care not only offers a break to caregivers, but it also gives seniors the opportunity for social engagement and a switch in routine – making respite care a win-win for both caregivers and their senior family members or friends.

How Caregivers Benefit

Time to Relax and Renew

Caring for a senior family member or friend may not feel like a burden to a caregiver, after all, they’re taking care of someone they love, but it can bring on unintended side effects such as stress and exhaustion. These side effects can take a physical and emotional toll on the caregiver, putting their health in jeopardy. Respite care allows caregivers time to relax and renew. Taking time for themselves to reset can help prevent burnout and allow them to come back with a renewed sense of peace and love for helping.

Time to Re-energize

The exhaustive practice of caring for someone round the clock can leave caregivers feeling drained. Taking time to do something they enjoy but often don’t have time for, such as spending time hiking or biking, or going to the spa, can help them re-energize. Taking time to re-energize can help caregivers come back to their duties with a fresh start.

Sense of Self

When the focus is on another person a majority of the time, caregivers can often forget who they are independent of this person. Taking time to remember and do the things they enjoy allows caregivers to get back to the root of who they are. This “me time” is important in helping caregivers maintain their individual identity and sense of self.

Gain Perspective

Tension can build when a caregiver feels overworked and undervalued. Taking time away from their daily routine can help caregivers gain perspective and remember why they signed up for taking care of their friend or family member in the first place.

How Seniors Benefit

Social Engagement

Often times those being cared for are isolated from independent, social engagement. This isolation can affect their mental and emotional health. Respite care offers seniors the opportunity to interact with new people and places, engaging them in conversation and activities that increase their mental stimulation. The joy and curiosity they encounter in meeting new people can help them connect and feel alive.

Shake Up Routine

Routine can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, causing us to slowly slip into a physical slump and mental stagnation. Respite care offers a break in this routine, re-engaging the mind and offering a time of newness and excitement. By changing a senior’s routine through respite care, caregivers give their seniors a change of pace and new people and places to explore.

Feel Less of a Burden

Watching the toll being taken care of can have on a caregiver is often hard for a senior to witness. The strain that can be put on a caregiver from the daily effort of taking care of their senior friend or family member can make that senior feel like a burden. Knowing their caregivers are taking time for themselves can help relieve seniors of this feeling.

Reenergize with Surpass Senior Living Communities

As we come upon the busy holiday season, schedules can overflow with shopping, parties and traveling. During this time, the respite care team at Surpass Senior Living communities can offer a safe, engaging and welcoming environment for your senior friend or family member. Surpass Living offers unique respite care options for you and your senior family member or friend. Take the time you need to refresh and re-engage with the world around you, all while knowing your family member or friend is being taken care of at Surpass Senior Living communities. If respite care sounds like something you’d like to explore, contact us to learn more.

Dispel the Myths of Growing Older

Ageism is real and needs to be dealt with. Just because someone is growing older doesn’t mean they are less important to society. Entering your later years, like each stage of life, comes with side effects, but not all of them are negative. We’re here to dispel the myths of aging and show just how bright of a future seniors can have.

Myth One: Dulling of the Mind

Although slower reaction times may be seen in people as they age, their ability to provide valuable information to conversations has not decreased. With a lifetime of gaining insight and knowledge under their belts, older adults can offer a lot of wisdom.

Tip: To keep your mind healthy as you age, stick to a regular exercise routine, eat a healthy diet, and continue to learn and stay curious about the world around you.

Myth Two: Unproductive

Retirement doesn’t automatically mean a person is no longer a productive citizen. After building up personal and professional skills over the years, many retirees use the skills they’ve acquired to help others. Instead of sitting around, seniors can engage in volunteer work and other helpful activities, such as caring for grandkids, after they retire.

Tip: Feeling unproductive? Find a local board or non-profit that could benefit from your skills. Helping others will help you, too.

Myth Three: Depression & Unhappiness

The myth that aging leads to depression and unhappiness has been scientifically proven to be untrue. Aging doesn’t mean automatically we are less satisfied with the lives we’ve led.

Studies have shown that most seniors are as happy or happier than they were when they were in their younger years.

Tip: Still concerned? Unhappiness and depression can be warded off by maintaining social relationships. Make sure you stay engaged with friends and family as you age to keep from becoming lonely and isolated.

Myth Four: Lower Sex Drive

Sexuality is a fundamental part of being human, no matter what age. A lower libido is often caused by preventable conditions such as high blood pressure and depression. Maintaining good health will help with sexual desire.

Tip: Keeping yourself in shape can help improve your sex drive and boost your sex life.

Myth Five: Achy Joints & Frail Bones

Lack of exercise is often the culprit of aching joints as we age. Frail bones can be due to osteoporosis, which is caused by a lack of calcium in the bones. Both of these conditions are preventable with proper exercise and diet.

Tip: Maintaining an exercise routine and a calcium filled diet, beginning early on, can help prevent achy joints and frail bones as we age.

Myth Six: Inability to Adapt

Seniors tend to find adapting to new situations easier since they have been adapting for years. Since they’ve spent their whole lives adapting to the changing world around them, what would make them stop now? Changing opinions may be harder, but adapting to new situations is ingrained in us from the time we are little.

Dispel the Myths at Surpass Living

Staying engaged and active can help reduce the myths of aging in your own life. How you age is up to you. Enjoy an active community, multiple activities and amenities, and a group of people as excited as you are about this next chapter of life at Surpass Senior Living communities. Find what you’ve been looking for at Surpass Senior Living communities. Contact us today!

More than 46 million Americans are over the age of 65, a number set to double within the next generation. As people age, a number of shifts begin taking place in their lives, switching the focus from wealth growth and raising a family to health, long-term care, and overall satisfaction. Aging encourages us to look back to our lives to understand what got us where we are today. Some of us are happy with our lives, while others may have regrets. What influences these outcomes? Is it within us when we are born, in our nature? Or does nurture play a bigger role?

Nature Vs. Nurture: Which affects aging most?

In a recent study on twins and aging, it was determined that of those who lived over the age of 85, nature, or genetics, only accounted for about 20-25% of their longevity. This means almost 80% of the way we age is determined by nurture, or our lifestyle and environments. These findings help us narrow down just what affects the way we age, and how I may be able to influence it with the decisions we make.

How does nurture affect aging?

Now that we know nurture is the main factor in aging, what should we be mindful of? How can we make sure we and our loved ones are aging well? Within the above-mentioned study, four factors stood out as having an impact on aging. Here’s what was found:

Environment

Our environment is key to the aging process. Those who live in stress-filled homes or homes with little, or negative social engagement, are more likely to age faster. Homes that lack structure and order, or are unkempt, can add to the stress we feel growing up and cause us to put unnecessary strain on our bodies and minds. In addition, being in environments where little social interaction takes place, or those interactions are consistently negative can introduce unneeded stress.

Stress affects a lot in our lives, it can cause us to feel overwhelmed and out of control. To keep the stress from building, try to simplify the environment you live in. If something is causing you stress, be it too much stuff, or an unorganized space, take steps to reduce those stress-inducing factors. If you are in a situation that negatively impacts your social development or the development of those you love, you may also want to find a way to reduce this stress and tension.

Exercise

Exercise not only helps us become stronger, but it can also positively impact other areas of our lives, such as our well-being and moods. Those who take time each day to work on their physical selves will see improvements in their body and mind, including increased flexibility, more youthful skin, and a more positive outlook on life. All of these factors contribute to the way in which we age. Exercising keeps our bodies and minds strong and sharp as we move on in years.

Eating Well

We know that what we eat has an impact on our overall health. Filling our bodies with the right foods not only helps keep the weight off and keeps us feeling great, it also helps us as we age. One of the factors that is affected by our eating habits is our metabolism. And our metabolisms have a lot to do with how we age. The better shape we keep them in, by exercising and eating the right foods, the slower the aging process may go.

Many studies have suggested that a Mediterranean-style diet is best for people as they age. When combined with exercise, this diet, which is high in healthy fats and low on things like sugar and red meat, helps us maintain a healthy metabolic rate.

Avoiding Toxins

It goes without saying that alcohol, tobacco, excess sugar, and other harmful drugs have a negative impact on our health and should be avoided. These toxins not only have a negative impact on our bodies, but they can also prematurely age us. Our skin and bones can be negatively affected by these toxins, causing us to lose the tenacity we once had. To avoid the premature aging caused by these toxins, they should be discontinued and avoided.

Do you or a loved one need help to master the art of aging gracefully? Surpass Senior Living focuses on a holistic approach to care and living. Our residents are constantly on the move, engaging in social activities with neighbors and friends, and staying healthy by eating nutritious, balanced meals each day. Contact us to schedule your personal tour and learn how Surpass can help you and your loved ones age well.