Posts Tagged ‘elderly activities’
Saturday, September 25th, 2010
 There are many ways to help the elderly. Many are so simple, yet many people do not think of them. Take a look at the list and see what you can do to help an elderly neighbor, relative, friend, or even a complete stranger. Do something—it will make you feel great!
- Stop and Visit~Senior Citizens get lonely no matter where they are…home, nursing homes, assisted living. It only takes a few moments to stop in and say hello. It’s surprising how much of a difference this makes to senior citizens.
- Do a Household Chore~Dust a high place that an elderly person might not be able to get to safely, scrub a floor, take out the trash…the list is virtually endless.
- Read~Oftentimes, the elderly cannot see well any longer or at all and they want to know what is happening in the world. A book on tape is also a great little gift.
- Cook a meal~The elderly have special nutritional needs and often they do not think about them. When you cook the next time, take a meal to an elderly person.
- Check on them in bad weather~The elderly may not be able to get out.
- Transportation~Give an elderly person a ride to the grocery store, bank, or medical appointment.
- Play a game~The elderly enjoy playing cards and board games as it can give them a feeling of being young again. And that is an awesome feeling to have!
- Make a phone call~Spare just a few minutes for a senior citizen and see how they are doing or just say hello. It helps the elderly not feel so alone and forgotten.
- Check detectors~Make sure the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order; replace batteries.
- Home Repairs~Check for small repairs that you could do such as patch a hole in a wall, wire an outlet, or fix a leaky sink.
This list is not all inclusive. There are many ways you can help out an elderly person. Check out your neighborhood or your local senior center to see what you can do to help!
Tags: elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, elderly appreciation, elderly care, elderly employment, elderly enjoyment, elderly entertainment, elderly exercise, elderly independence, elderly living, elderly volunteering, quality of life, quality time, senior citizens, Senior Health, Spending quality time, staying social
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
 There is a continually rising number of elderly becoming at risk for malnourished or undernourished. Not receiving the proper nutrition can lead to health issues and thus can further lead to a loss of elderly independence. It is estimated that a third of the elderly population is at risk for malnutrition because they are not eating healthy, well-balanced diets.
These people could be your neighbors, your aunts or uncles, your grandparents or your parents. It is common for family and friends to not know how well an elderly person is eating. It is not something talked about often enough and it’s something that the elderly are not really aware of either.
There is a variety of reasons that lead to unhealthy eating for the elderly population. For some elderly, it’s a financial issue. They choose to buy medications needed over nutritious food. For others, it might be dentures that don’t fit, causing a chewing problem or that medication causes a bizarre taste, making food taste strange. Or it could possibly be that depression, loneliness, or illness has simply caused a loss of appetite.
Many times, these elderly citizens may not want to impose upon family members or care givers, so they simply ignore the problem or they might not even recognize that it’s a problem at all.
There are different agencies such as Senior Centers or Meals-on-Wheels that offer a hot meal during the week at a location or their home. These meals include protein, fruits, and vegetables. These meals can help senior citizens meet their daily nutritional requirements. Another organization, Angel Food Ministries, offers a meal plan for senior citizens. These meals are pre-packpaged and pre-measured. They are ordered monthly from a location such as church and are picked up within a few weeks from the same location. These meals are diabetic safe and are microwaveable. The meal package can be paid for a variety of ways including EBT (electronic benefits transfer).
Many organizations offer not only meals to senior citizens but also seminars on diet, nutrition, and healthy eating. These organizations also can offer many different services such as help grocery shopping, finding local resources (such as the SNAP program which is formerly known as food stamps), and other nutrition programs (such as local distribution of USDA foods.
It is important to remember that nutrition is an important part of a senior citizen’s daily life; good nutrition helps maintain health and well-being.
For information on the Angel Food Ministries food program, please visit http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
Tags: delivery services, diet, elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, elderly care, elderly enjoyment, elderly entertainment, elderly exercise, elderly independence, elderly living, food services, Health, Health care, Independence, maintaining independence, Nutrition, senior citizens, Senior Health
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
 It is often said that the majority of most accidents happen in, around, or near your home. Your home is supposed to be your haven; the place you can go to in order to feel safe. A Georgia couple not only was unsafe in their home but trapped as well.
In July 2010, an elderly couple from Glynn County, Georgia had been dead for several days before being discovered. It seems that 90-year-old Sherwood Wadsworth and his 89-year-old wife, Caroline, were trapped in the elevator installed in their home when it got stuck between floors. They had no way to call for help from the elevator. The county coroner said that it appeared that they died from natural causes; however, an autopsy was to be performed to make absolutely sure that foul play was not involved.
The autopsy later revealed that the couple, who shared their lives more than 60 years, died from heat exhaustion from being trapped in the closet-sized lift. The lift was designed with what looked like closet doors with the up and down arrow buttons in the walls. It was determined that the temperatures reached 95 degrees. Unfortunately, the police found that the elevator had no phone to call out from in case of an emergency.
The local polices determined that the elevator was stuck between the second and third floors. Local police found the couple after the newspaper carrier noticed several newspapers piled up outside of their home and decided to call 911. The police had to break in the house because all the doors were locked and bolted. Once inside, they found no one except for the Wadsworth’s cat.
Information retrieved from the following sources:
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-couple-die-elevator,0,4453333.story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/15/national/main6680895.shtml
Tags: elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, elderly appreciation, elderly care, elderly independence, elderly living, Health, Health care, Independence, maintaining independence, non medical care, senior citizens, Senior Health
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Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
There are many types of frauds and scams; however, it seems that only a choice few are used against the elderly and most times, these frauds or scams occur within just a few interactions.
One such type of scam/fraud is the offender uses a confidence game. This kind of fraud does not use a product or service; instead a broad range of fraudulent scenarios are committed in order to obtain cash from the elderly. The offender could mask himself or herself as being in a position of authority (such as a bank examiner) or other type of trustworthy person. The offender then concocts a story to get the victim to hand over cash, and then the offender vanishes.
Telemarketing is another way to scam the elderly. Usually victims are called at home; high pressure tactics are used to solicit money for fraudulent charities, insurance policies, travel packages, or sweepstakes. These types of operations are designed to limit the benefit to the customer while maximizing the profit for the telemarketer. It is also designed to reach a large amount of potential customers quickly and efficiently.
Using mail operations is another way of committing fraud against the elderly. This program is designed to reach a wide audience while relying on potential victims to return a postcard or call an indicated number. The mailings look official and usually are very personalized with the victims name repeated numerous times, include authentic-looking claim numbers, and have contradictory content and make what seems like a small monetary request.
Face-to-Face contact is another example of fraud against the elderly. It involves a product or service (home repair for example) and it requires the victim and offender to actually meet either at the victim’s home or a business. For example, a contractor is hired to do a job and requires and up-front payment for services to be performed and materials for the job (such as drywall, nails, etc). The victim gives the offender a check for the amount asked for (and usually it is a much higher amount that would be normal and customary) and the offender is never heard from again. Another example of this would be the scammer gaining entry to the victim’s house by posing as a utility worker and then distract the victim while an accomplice burglarizes the home.
When doing business, it is important to do research and background checks on who you let into your home. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. As an elderly citizen, it a good rule of thumb to have a trust friend or family member look over offers or be at your home with you while a contractor or utility worker is there.
Tags: elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, elderly employment, elderly enjoyment, elderly entertainment, elderly independence, elderly living, financial stability, Independence, senior citizens
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Monday, September 13th, 2010
With the aging community embracing tech more than ever before, many are looking for a solution for the aging in they care for. Apple’s latest hit, the iPad may be a solution that many may be able to use and love. It has been designed with those who aren’t as familiar with technology in mind, and the iPad has become a hit with those who haven’t used any computers at all in the past.
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Tags: elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, elderly living, Netbook, Technology
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010
Join stiffness can lead to more issues in the elderly than most others. While for many, just moving about enough may ease any early
 Elderly exercising morning problems, at times this may not be enough. For those who cannot move about comfortably joint stiffness may make them move even less, and in turn may turn into a more severe issue. There are ways to help ease the pain from both general joint stiffness, (such as the discomfort from waking up) and arthritis.
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Tags: Aerobic exercise, Arthritis, elderly, elderly activities, elderly exercise, elderly living, Health, Health care, non medical care, Pain, Physical exercise
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
In the push to find solutions for those who are facing tougher times in the economy is a growing bid to help senior citizens find employment. There are a growing number of agencies and groups set up to help seniors do just that. (more…)
Tags: Economy, Education, elderly, elderly activities, elderly care, elderly employment, elderly independence, elderly living, Employment, financial stability, Home Care, People, quality of life, Senior citizen, Senior Health, Seniors, Unemployment
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
 - Image by Borya via Flickr
Watching out for a senior friend or family member is something we can all do, and while a lot is said about what to do in the case of elder neglect not as much is said about the symptoms. While one may be worried about reporting a problem and being wrong, at times it is better to be safe and wrong, than right and have done nothing.
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Tags: Abuse, Elder, elderly, elderly activities, elderly appreciation, elderly care, elderly independence, elderly living, Health, Old age, quality of life, senior citizens
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Friday, July 16th, 2010
While it is hard to treat dementia after it gets more severe, it may be possible to ward off a portion of the effects according to scientists. While the studies are still ongoing and nothing is absolutely proven, especially with so many studies still ongoing. The ongoing research seems to suggest that leading a healthier lifestyle and getting enough vitamin E may lower chances of getting dementia later in life. Other studies are presently looking into other warning signs that someone is at a higher risk of developing dementia in later years.
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Tags: Dementia, elderly, elderly activities, elderly activity, Health, Health care, Independence, quality of life, Research, senior citizens, Senior Health
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Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Planning earlier in life for your own long-term care or a loved one’s long term care can go a very long way in warding off a future financial problem. Before you or a loved one starts showing the signs of needing any care, it can be very wise to start putting money away. Too many times families are hit with the large financial burden at once when there was no planning. The financial obligations of any long-term care planning are large and often seemingly insurmountable without any prior savings, far too often care simply isn’t thought about. It is easy to think about those longer term goals as only abstracts, and when something is thought of in that way developing plan can easily fall aside in favor of more immediate needs.
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Tags: elderly activities, elderly care, elderly independence, elderly living, Family, Finance, Financial services, financial stability, Health, Insurance, Long-term care, Medicare, Medicine, quality of life, senior citizens, Senior Health
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