Q – My mother is from Dallas and at 82, still drives herself around town to run errands and to appointments. In recent years driving with her, I’ve noticed some minor changes that make me worry for her safety when she’s behind the wheel. Do senior’s driving skills really change as they get older, or is this my imagination?

A – According to a website created by the AAA that is dedicated specifically to seniors and their driving, there are senses used in driving that do change as we age. Although the driving itself may not decline exactly, some skills can be affected when senses are no longer what they used to be.

Here is how age affects senior’s driving:

• Sensing behind the wheel changes, with regards to vision and hearing. 85% to 90% of safe driving relies upon the eyes and the eyes change in a number of ways, including diminished light entering the eyes, declining focus, increases sensitivity to glare, difficulty perceiving color, diminished depth perception and narrowed peripheral vision. Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults, and it can affect a driver’s ability to take in their surroundings
• Deciding – once the senses take in information, the brain needs to process what to do with it. In older adults, it takes longer to process information, which can decrease the reaction time needed to respond to situations on the road
• Reacting – this can be affected by a few things. While seniors might know that they need to respond, their level of physical fitness or mobility or their medications might inhibit them from physically responding when behind the wheel of a car

However, even if you are noticing some minor changes with your mom’s driving, doesn’t mean she has to give up her keys, which can signify a huge loss of independence. Instead encourage her to utilize some simple techniques that will provide for her safety.

Sources:

1. AAASeniors

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

I don’t consider myself unusual, but I am one senior caregiver who really cares about the health of the people that she cares for. I don’t just stop at preparing meals, changing sheets, and helping with other tasks that can be limited by mobility; I really try to encourage positive lifestyle changes that can help my seniors live longer, healthier lives. There is one problem I have encountered though; well I am well aware of the benefits of resistance training to elderly women, I find that I am met with reluctance whenever I suggest it to a new care recipient. They seem to think that they’re too old, or that resistance training is for men who have dreams of becoming body builders. But in reality, there are a large number of benefits to senior women especially, which can improve their mobility and their health overall, so I try to encourage it regardless of the reluctance of my care recipients.

Here’s how I’ve discovered resistance training helps elderly Dallas women:

• Increases bone density
• Improves muscular strength and endurance
• Improves sensitivity to insulin, preventing diabetes
• Helps with cholesterol control by increasing HDL [good] cholesterol and decreasing LDL [bad] cholesterol
• Can improve emotional well-being
• Decreases intra-abdominal adipose tissue in healthy older women
• Helps to control potential fat gain and associated complications

Sources:

1. Suite101

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Exercise is meant to improve health and reduce stress, but sometimes your fitness routine can be a source of additional stress which is the last thing you need, especially as a Dallas senior who is already coping with a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety that often comes with aging. Answer the questions below to find out if your fitness routine is causing you problems rather than bringing you the physical and emotional benefits that it should.

• You typically dread your scheduled workout times, and do activities just to go through the motions and get the physical benefits; but you don’t actually enjoy the physical activities that you choose
• You typically stick with activities that are highly competitive and allow you to prove yourself again over other Dallas seniors or even people in younger demographics
• Your workout routine does not include a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises like resistance training
• Your periods of physical fitness are irregular
• You haven’t spoken to a doctor or fitness expert to ensure the activities that you’re choosing are safe for your health, and appropriate for your level of physical fitness. You also aren’t sure if you’re performing activities in proper form for safety

If any of the above sound like you, it’s time to switch up your physical fitness routine, because it shouldn’t be causing you stress, it should be improving your quality of life overall!

Sources:

1. Suite 101
2. Mayo Clinic

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

One of the biggest complaints of casual golfers is that they just aren’t good enough, and they’re constantly looking to invest in products and training that will help them to improve their skills. What many retired golfers in Dallas don’t realize is that sometimes the answer to improving your golf swing, has nothing to do with golf at all! It might sound strange, but other hobbies that improve overall strength and flexibility, especially for the upper body can have the greatest impact on improving the golf swing and in turn helping seniors score better on the golf course.

There are practice swing products available which are like weighted clubs to help seniors practice and gain muscle, but there are much more simple options that seniors can try to get themselves in better shape for a better golf swing. Crocheting and knitting can improve flexibility and range of motion in the hands, wrists, fingers and arms which can improve the quality of a swing. Yoga or swimming can also help improve muscle definition or strength, and by increasing physical fitness and endurance can help seniors to improve their game! Plus, using these alternative techniques to improve their golf skills can also provide seniors interesting ways to pass the time with fun hobbies!

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. About

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

When seniors begin to struggle with independent living in their Dallas homes, families may think that the easiest answer is to move in with their senior parent or relative, or have them leave their home to live with them. While that is a situation that can be beneficial to all of the family members involved; it’s not a decision that should be gone into lightly, there’s a lot to think about, and many potential repercussions and evaluate if the benefits outweigh the potential risks that can be posed to the family relationship.

• Adult caregivers may find that once an elderly parent or relative is living with them, they have little to no time for themselves, between caring for their own children, managing a career, and providing care for a senior who is there 24/7, it can be easy for a caregiver to become overwhelmed. When a caregiver lives with their care recipient, there’s no option to leave and go home to get some space

• 75% of seniors and caregivers who live with or too close to their loved ones rate their stress level at 5 on a scale of 1-5

• Seniors and the family they live with may be forced to give up some aspects of their lifestyle

• Living arrangements and family structure and roles can change

Via: Home Instead Senior Care

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

To a senior who has lost their ability to communicate, it can feel like their life is over. They can no longer communicate with friends and family about what they’re feeling, or even tell people how much they appreciate them for the things that they do as caregivers or family members. But while seniors may feel lost, family members and caregivers don’t need to feel like they’re lost to them, because the presence is still there as it always has been, even if it’s not verbal.

If you interact with a loved one who has lost the ability to speak, don’t let it make you forget about them, or forget that there’s still a person inside there who is dying for some human interaction. Break through the barriers using touch and speech, because while they may have lost other senses; these ones should still be present. Don’t avoid talking just because they can’t answer you. Talk to your senior as you help him or her through the activities of daily living, or tell them about your day or your family so they still feel like they’re a person who means something to you. Use touch to form a bond; brush a senior’s hair or use some oil for a massage of the arms, hands, legs and feet; but always be cognizant of a senior’s body language because otherwise  you won’t know if they’re receptive to the contact.

Remember, just because a senior can’t talk; doesn’t mean that they’re not still people, they’re in there somewhere.

Sources:

1. Aging Care

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Beginning an exercise program can be hard regardless of your age or your level of physical fitness. But for Dallas seniors who have not regularly exercised during older adulthood, knowing where to start can be an even greater challenge. So, what should a smart exercise program for seniors include?

• Cardiovascular activity – walking, swimming, or using fitness machines at a local fitness center are all forms of cardiovascular activity. These are the most common types of exercises that seniors do get, even when they are relatively inactive, because simply going out for a walk around a Dallas home can have its benefits.
• Resistance training – many seniors are reluctant to lift even light weights for fear of injury, but in reality strengthening the muscles through resistance training can help prevent injury rather than cause it. Resistance training a few times a week with light weights, resistance bands, or even household objects like cans can be beneficial
• Stretching – stretching is extremely important before and after other physical activities, but it can also be used as a separate exercise program entirely to further enhance strength and flexibility. Seniors can try activities like yoga in order to improve their overall health

Sources:

1. Suite101
2. Ezine Articles

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Are you a senior who’s been told that they need to increase the amount of physical fitness in their life who believes it’s too late for you to start because you’re just too old? Think again. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve never exercised before, or if health issues or mobility effect how you think you should be exercising; Silver Sneakers fitness has a fitness center near your Dallas home, and they can meet the unique needs of seniors who are willing and ready to get active.

The fitness centers for seniors which are across America, are free to seniors who have Medicare or Medicare supplement plans, making it easier for Dallas seniors to start exercising; so if finances have been standing in your way of getting fit, that can no longer be used as an excuse.

Each fitness center has the following fitness facilities available to all elderly members:

• Exercise equipment
• Pool
• Sauna
• Conditioning classes
• Classes designed specifically with the physical needs of older adults in mind to improve strength, flexibility, balance and endurance
• Educational seminars on healthy eating and physical fitness in older adulthood

Sources:

1. Silver Sneakers
2. Suite101

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

Many seniors go through the later stages of their lives trying to find a way to improve their health and lift their spirits. Seniors often turn to prescription and over the counter medications, or seek holistic treatments to try and help them live longer and in better health. Often they don’t consider exercise as an easy to way to accomplish their general health improvements because they believe they’re too old to get started. With exercise, provided seniors are cautious and engage in new activities in moderation, it’s one of the best answers that do not involve any more than a simple change in lifestyle.

If you’re ready to start introducing fitness into your life, start slow, or even attend a fitness class for seniors in Dallas or consult a personal trainer to put together a fitness program that will give you the optimal benefits of physical activity without pushing you too hard. Within time you will find changes in your body and overall well-being, your mood will improve, and your immune system will be strengthened to fight off potential diseases and illnesses; effects that no other medicine or holistic treatment can give you.

Sources:

1. Mature Fitness
2. MedicineNet

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Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

My grandfather just reached a major milestone in his life having celebrated his 90th birthday. For such a significant event, we wanted to do something to celebrate but felt that it was important to have a party that would make sure he was comfortable, that way it really would be all about him. My grandfather struggles desperately with his hearing, and when he’s in large groups, he finds it impossible to be part of the conversation. With this in mind, we decided to make it an intimate affair with only immediate family. The guest list included my mother (his daughter) and father, myself, my husband, my brother and his spouse, and of course, all of the great grandchildren. During the day, we got together and went to a local park for an afternoon picnic. My grandfather loved the opportunity just to watch the whole family, especially his great grandchildren interact together.

For the evening, we went back to my parent’s home for a meal, cake and gifts. To accommodate everyone present, we had a small buffet-style spread of cold cuts and salad, and of course a birthday cake with candles indicating his special milestone birthday. The gifts we gave him really were about him; we didn’t spend a lot of money, because that’s really not what was important. In honor of his life, we got a picture frame that had one of the best pictures of him taken in his later years from my wedding day; and another picture taken of him when he was released from the hospital after being injured during World War II. To accompany this, we got him a small plaque that wished him a happy 90th birthday and listed the names of the immediate family, so it would be something for him to look back at and remember his 90th birthday. I know I’m lucky at my age to still have my grandparents in my life, and while I may not have many more years to spend with them; I know that we all need to make the most of every moment to show our aging loved ones just how much they mean to us. Birthdays are a good place to start, but we need to carry this on year-round.

A personal account by Beth Hodgson, writer for Carebuzz

Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

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