Reasons for Loneliness in Seniors

Loneliness is a negative feeling or sadness that arises due to lack of communication or a relationship with other people. Although it can affect anyone of any age group, the older you are, the more vulnerable to feeling lonely. Some main reasons of loneliness in older adults are described below:

• Bereavement 

Death of a spouse becomes the major cause for chronic loneliness in seniors. Similar feeling of loneliness can arise if an older person gets separated from their partner for any reason.      

• Retirement from work 

When seniors retire from working, they often miss their colleagues and daily routine. There is no office friend whom they can talk to or gossip with. There is no set schedule they have or meetings they need to attend.

• Health problems 

Health problems like arthritis and dementia make it difficult for older adults to socialize with others. They are often confined to their house and only go out when it is important or necessary.

• No friends and companions 

In old age, people start losing their friends. Sometimes, their friends are living far away or a residential care homes in another city, sometimes they simply lose touch. Due to lack of convenience transportation and health issues, they are unable to meet them. Their friends may even pass away from old age themselves.    

• Lack of transportation  

Older adults may not be able to drive due to health problems. Therefore, they often rely on others to pick them up and drop them off at their friends’ or relative’s house. Sometimes, they hesitate to ask their family as they do not want to be a bother and just stay at home. As a result, they are not able to socialize as much as they should and feel lonely.

If you have a senior family member, always make sure to share some quality time with them. However, if you feel that they need more care than they are receiving, contact Always Best Care for help. They are a noted senior care agency known for providing quality Home Care Services In West Vancouver and the surrounding areas. For more information, feel free to call them at (778) 945-3010.

Alzheimer’s in Older Adults – Early Signs, Causes, and Prevention

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with cognitive thinking, language, behavior, and memory.

Early signs of Alzheimer’s include: memory loss, difficulty with perception, difficulty in carrying out complex tasks, changes in walking patterns, sleep disturbances, personality changes, excessive grief, depression, and many more.

Here are some of what is believed to lead to a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s:

• Consumption of too much alcohol
• Smoking
• Higher levels of bad cholesterol, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases
• Increased levels of blood sugar
• Stress, loneliness, isolation, and over thinking
• Head injuries
• Side effects of certain medications
• Obesity
   Family history
• …and many more.

How to prevent or slow down the development of Alzheimer’s?

There’s no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s, but is much that you can do to reduce the risk of developing it. Here are few tips to follow:

1.  Manage conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. Many people are unaware of such conditions, even when they are suffering from them because they may not show many symptoms, especially at first. Regular health screenings can help let you find out if you have or are at risk of such conditions.
2. Eating a heart-healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy can also help. Avoid foods such as smoked meat, white foods such as cake, pasta, white rice, white sugar, and other foods with little nutritional value.
3. Stay active, physically as well as mentally. To keep your mind active, perform stimulating activities such as playing chess, learning a new language, or solving crossword puzzles and word pictures. Anything that causes you to think and consider multiple possibilities will help.
4. Keep yourself socially engaged as it will help avoiding loneliness, plus it further reduces stress.

If you need any help regarding Alzheimer’s or other related issues, contact Always Best Care. They are a senior care firm providing the best Home Care Services In North Vancouver. For more information, call them today at (778) 945-3010.

Exercises for Seniors Suffering from Arthritis

Staying active is important for everyone, but it becomes a necessity as you grow older. For seniors suffering from Arthritis, getting the right amount of exercise can be extremely beneficial.

Arthritis can limit a person’s mobility and cause joint pain, which makes exercising difficult for many seniors. Fortunately, there are many low-impact exercises that are helpful in which seniors with Arthritis can practice with relative ease. These include:

1. Walking- This is the easiest exercise and offers several benefits. It improves blood circulation, lowers high blood pressure, helps you maintains a healthy weight, improves sleep, slows mental decline and offers many other benefits. It’s okay to start with a 5 or 10-minute daily walk and increase the time and distance slowly according to your comfort.
2. Pilates- Pilates help increase strength and flexibility of your joints, which helps maintain balance. It also helps improves your breathing, resulting into a better, stronger and improved respiratory system.
3. Aerobics- Seniors should engage into regular aerobic exercises, such as swimming, cycling, dancing, even doing the household chores, that get their heart beating. Such exercises help build stamina, reduces the risk for osteoporosis, improves heart health and provides numerous other benefits.
4. Light weightlifting - Strengthening the body is the best way for reducing inflammation and uneasiness.Make sure you start light and then gradually increase the weight.
5. Hand stretches- Seniors with pain in their fingers and hands should practice this exercise regularly.Spread your fingers as wide as you can, then draw them together in a fist, and repeat this motion several times.
6. Yoga – Yoga can be very beneficial for seniors suffering from arthritis as it helps improve flexibility, stability and even helps improve mobility, which is what is often the most affected in arthritis.

If you need help regarding senior care, contact Always Best Care. They’re a senior care firm that has been providing the best assisted living as well as Home Care Services In West Vancouver since 1996.For more information about their care services, call them today at (778) 945-3010.

Why are Physical Activities Important for Seniors?

Physical activities can help people stay active in their senior years,too. Conditions that naturally develop in the senior years can be delayed if a person stays fit and energetic. But, it’s important to consult your doctor before starting any exercise program and perform only those exercises which they advise. Often there are just a few that they advise the elderly to stay away from.

Physical activities can help seniors in the following ways:

Help make the heart strong: One vital element of aging is heart health. Regular physical activities help to keep the heart muscle in good shape and can defend against common cardiac problems. Physical activities,even at a light intensity,can help a lot. Also, exercising can improve blood pressure in some people with hypertension.

  

Improve mobility: Usually many seniors tend lose their balance and coordination as they grow older. Staying physically active helps keep the body limber and maintain coordination. There are several exercises, such as yoga, chair stands, and Tai Chi, that can help decrease the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis by increasing the bone density and helping you control body weight. 

Help controlling Diabetes: This disease has no visual symptoms in its early stage, which makes it hard to spot, yet it causes a countless health related issues. It can result in a loss of vision, a higher risk of infection,poor wound healing, and a higher risk for heart disease. Exercising regularly can help lower blood sugar levels. Even low intensity exercises, such as walking, if done regularly, can help a lot.

Improve mental health: As you grow older, your memory may not be as sharp as it once was. Exercise can help improve mental focus and also help reduce symptoms of depression. The additional benefit is that it also helps reducing the risk of dementia.

Improve overall quality of life: Following a healthy lifestyle with proper physical exercises can help improve the overall quality of life. 

If you need any help regarding senior care, contact Always Best Care. They are one of the top Home Health Care Providers In Vancouver. For more information about their care services, call them today at (778) 945-3010.

Helping A Senior Improve Their Physical Fitness

Everybody knows that as we get older, it can get more difficult to move, and energy levels aren’t what they used to be. However, staying physically active is a great way to slow down the aging process, and to keep the body running at optimal levels. And even though doctors let seniors know the importance of physical exercise, some seniors remain reluctant to dive in. Here are some ways to help a senior improve their physical fitness:

• Let them know that they can take baby steps. Too often, when people think about physical fitness they think about marathon runners and triathlon athletes. Of course this idea will be daunting for seniors, so make sure they know that they can take baby steps in their progress. Also, let them know that improving their diet doesn’t mean eating “rabbit” food all the time - a simple swap of one piece of junk food for an apple or vegetable is a great place to start.

• Regular exercise: Regular exercise should be encouraged and if you take part in it, too, it’ll be more fun and easier to accomplish. Suggest group activities that the family can enjoy like hikes, walks, bike rides, even yard work. By increasing the oxygen level to the muscles and the brain, the body is renewing itself and warding off disease.

• Encourage them to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. It can be easy for seniors to get dehydrated because the sense of being thirsty decreases as we age. Make sure they keep a water bottle nearby, and that they are continually refilling it. Hydration means protection from viral and bacterial infections, and raises immunity levels.

• Encourage them with praise. Changing lifestyles can be difficult for anyone. Incorporating exercise and eating right might seem like a fruitless path (at first) so encourage them when you can, even when the praise is small, it is meaningful.

Always Best Care has been North America’s premier senior caregiver for the past 20 years. Seniors living in the North Vancouver area, who are interested in home care in West Vancouver, can call the Always Best Care N Vancouver location at 778-945-3010 or email them at hhamidi@abc-seniors.com to set up a free care consultation. A professional care coordinator will be happy to discuss in-home care in Burnaby, as well as free referrals to assisted living communities. They look forward to talking with you!