Seniors in Dallas find themselves hoping to retire in their mid-60’s, but for many, this just isn’t reality, and the aging and career structure are changing as a result. Some seniors like 92 year old Erma Paliani are working right up until they just can’t do it anymore, and here are the factors influencing that decision:

• While the average age to claim Social Security Benefits is 63.9, many need additional income on top of it to be able to afford basic aspects of daily living, like housing and food

• Many seniors would love to retire and just focus on their family and relaxing, but based on the numbers of seniors aged 65 and older which are rising higher than ever before, this isn’t a reality for everyone. The number of older works, aged 80+ has had the most substantial increase at 67% to 500,000 Americans

• With people living longer, money doesn’t go as far as it used to, and as time goes on this might increase even more, keeping more and more seniors in the workforce longer than planned

• Government benefits, which were initially defined in 1940 certainly weren’t designed to support 30 or more years of retirement, which means seniors need a fairly substantial nest egg to make it through

Via: AARP

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It’s not hard for families to find themselves at odds with each other, because generations just aren’t sure how to find common ground to interact. Don’t let the older generations in your family pass away, leaving you with regrets of missed experience.

Try the following activity suggestions to bring together multiple generations:

1. Take a field trip – take your senior care recipient out on a day trip, and even invite other caregivers and their seniors to come along. Travel to a museum, go see a movie, or visit a nice park. Keep the whole day to 6 hours or less, so it’s not sure long that the seniors still enjoy themselves. A nice day like this can help seniors and their caregivers bond.

2. Throw an intergenerational party – get all generations of family together for a nice meal and a casual day of games that everyone can enjoy. Serve foods that are good for even the pickiest eaters

3. Document family history – when all generations are together, use a tape recorder or create a scrapbook of family history. Let the older generations lead and have the rest of the family add on

4. Get creative – art is a great way to bridge the generational gap. Purchase some simple supplies and create a mural, or do a group craft together suitable for all ages

5. Garden – setting up a garden and getting all the family involved, creates a bonding experience which can be enjoyed over family meals when the fresh garden produce is cooked and consumed!

Via: Suite101

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

As you enter your senior years, this might be the first time in your life when you have a chance to really stop and smell the roses. But with so many worries and thoughts regularly plaguing your mind, it can be hard to just live in the moment and focus on just one thought or experience at a time. Being mindful can be a learned skill, so take the time to do it for the sake of your health, and appreciation of the rest of your life.

4 Ways to Practice Mindfulness:

1. Breathe – to push away worrying thoughts or to stop your mind from wandering, simply stop and take a few deep breaths and focus only on your breathing and the environment around you. Take a few minutes to do this in situations where your mind tends to start running away on you, like in the car when stopped at a traffic light, or when you’re taking a shower

2. Focus in the morning and at night – before you fall asleep, your mind is likely to wander about your expectations for the next day, and the same thoughts might plague your mind when you wake up in the morning. Take a few minutes just to breathe

3. Turn off the autopilot – with tasks that you tend to do impatiently, like brushing your teeth or cleaning, take yourself out of autopilot mode and focus on the motions of what you’re doing, no matter how mundane the task is

4. Remind yourself to focus – a normal daily occurrence can act as a reminder that it’s time to tune back into the present. When the phone rings, or you go to put on your seatbelt, stop and focus

Via: About.com

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

If you’re approaching or dealing with your senior years, you know that sometimes it can feel like your body and mind are betraying you. But according to Dr. Gene Cohen, author of “Mature Minds”, the mind can further develop in older adulthood, which means seniors can’t just give up, they should take advantage of each stage of growth and pursue new hobbies and interests!

The 4 Stages of Senior Mental Development:

1. The Midlife Re-evaluation Stage: this stage is about exploration and transition. At this period in your life, start thinking about what you’ll want from your retirement. This is a good time to start dreaming about the future!

2. The Liberation stage: at the beginning of your retirement, once you enter this stage, let go of your inhibitions and start exploring and creating. This is a great time to take on new hobbies, envision what you want for yourself and your life during you retirement, and to make it happen!

3. The Summing up Stage: this stage occurs in the 60s, 70s and 80s and are about reflection and resolution, which is so important at a time when seniors need to accept the changes the aging process brings, and overcome it to ensure that they are successful and happy through the remainder of their lives. It’s also a great time to find new activities that help you to cope, so you have an outlet for the emotional trials you’re dealing with

4. The Encore Stage: it’s not the end, but a new beginning; the perfect time to cope and prepare for what might be ahead and be grateful for what you have

Via: Examiner

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Vegetables are different colors for a reason; they each contain different nutrients that play a role in different areas of senior health. So you can make informed decisions about how you can improve your health in older adulthood, here are details about the fresh produce that will be available this season and what it can do for you:

• Go green – choosing green vegetables can help fend of mascular degeneration which can cause blindness (Lutein, found in hearty greens such as kale, chard, and romaine lettuce can have this result), and prevent cancer through antioxidants found in Vitamin C in greens (i.e. Bell peppers, broccoli, and brussel sprouts). Other green vegetables and fruits that are a great source of nutrition include avocados, green peppers, celery, kiwi fruits, cucumbers, asparagus, and even green apples

• Try orange or yellow produce – Beta-carotene and Vitamin C appear in yellow and orange produce. Choose carrot, sweet potatoes, mangos, apricots, and cantaloupe for beta-carotene which can help prevent Vitamin A deficiency and increase antioxidant intake. Vitamin C is especially present in ripe fruits like papaya, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple, and cantaloupes. Even lemon and lime contain great sources of Vitamin C!

• Choose red for cancer prevention – red and pinkish vegetables can help to prevent cancer with the nutrient lycopene that is present. In addition to preventing cancer lycopene also can slow the hardening of arteries and slow tumor growth. Tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit are great sources of lycopene

• Go dark – darker fruits and vegetables, like shades of blue and purple are a great source of anthocyanin which helps support and improve the vascular system and can help to fight cancer. Many of these fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber. Look for blackberries, blueberries, figs, plums, prunes, eggplants, and raisins.

• Don’t underestimate light produce – shades of tan, brown and yellow may not be as eye-catching, but they play a role in a well-balanced diet. Bananas increase potassium and help prevent calcium loss, ginger boosts the immune system and garlic inhibits cancer

Via: Body and Health

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Today’s seniors are living longer into older adulthood than ever before , spending more time in retirement than in the years preceding. While this is no scientifically accurate to predict exactly how long you’ll live, your genetics, lifestyle and overall health today can help determine whether you’ll live to 100.

We took the test, and a couple of us found that we might live past that milestone 100 birthday. Despite what that means for our current lifestyle and predictions of future health into older adulthood, both of us were disappointed in our results. With personal experience witnessing loved ones live and struggle through their 80’s and 90’s, we’re not sure we want to live that long and suffer through what seems to be a lonely and trying time. We agreed that we’re all for how our current choices and our genetic influences might keep us in good health into or later years, but we’d rather enjoy our health without reaching that perpetual decline that is likely to come with living to 100, even with the progression of scientific developments to keep us alive in the future.

If you took the test, share your results with us and tell us how you feel about the outcome. Would you want to live past 100, or will you join in our mentality in a cheers to leading a long and healthy life that hopefully isn’t too long?!

Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Although Social Security premiums cannot legally be lowered, seniors will find themselves with shrinking social security checks over the next couple of years. For the first time in decades, there won’t be a cost of living adjustment on Social Security for the next 2 years, and since these payments won’t increase, seniors will find themselves with less money to survive on since premiums for Medicare Prescription Drug programs will increase marginally. With smaller social security checks, seniors will need to be more budget conscious than ever, and here are some money saving tips:

1. Set a budget: know how much money you have available to spend on a weekly basis, and keep a record of your spending so you ensure that you’re never overspending. Pay in cash, and then deposit any remaining money at the end of the week into a savings account

2. Smart shopping – create a shopping list and buy only what you need. Plan meals around items that are in season, and try out generic brand products over name brands for the savings

3. Think all unnecessary purchases over – instead of buying things you don’t need impulsively, wait 24 hours and think it over. More often than not, you will find that the temptation passes

4. Discounts – clip coupons or shop at stores that offer more discounts. Also be aware of places that offer discounts to senior citizens, like movie theaters, museums, and even grocery and retail stores

Sources:

1. MSNBC

2. Associated Content

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Q – My mom is in her 80s, she suffers from dementia and she drinks coffee like each cup is the last cup on earth. I worry that she’s harming her health by drinking so much coffee; am I right to be worried?

A – Despite the fact that there was a belief that coffee is detrimental to senior health, there are actually a number of proven benefits that, when enjoyed black (without cream of sugar), will actually have the body and minds of [location] seniors saying thank you!

1. Dementia prevention – drinking 3 to 5 cups a day can prevent dementia

2. Lower risk of stroke – according to research, the more coffee you drink, the more your likelihood of having a stroke is reduced!

3. Prevention of skin cancer – coffee can disrupt the protein that causes damaged skin cells to turn into skin cancer

4. Relieves pain – coffee is a proven treatment for headaches and it can help alleviate pain from exercise

5. Reacts with brain’s receptors – by reacting with the brain’s receptors, caffeine prevents Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, improve moods, lowers suicide rates and reduces pain.

6. Healthy heart – since coffee is a great source of magnesium, it can make for a healthy heart!

7. Prevention of other diseases and illnesses - Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer (liver, endometrial, colorectal), suicide and some mood disorders, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and cavities are all prevented and reduced in regular coffee drinkers

Via: Cognifit

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

Remaining in good spirits in older adulthood can be easier said than done; with so much uncertainty, loss and changing of health, seniors don’t have much that’s stable to rely on. However, a recent study has shown that seniors can increase their level of happiness despite all this just by practicing positive thinking; having a positive mindset can be responsible for up to 40% of happiness. So, with this in mind, despite all the challenges, seniors should try and practice these 5 ways to be more positive:

1. Make the time – even spending only a half an hour a day thinking about kindness and compassion can improve your overall level of happiness

2. Use verbal affirmations everyday – a verbal affirmation is simply voicing a positive thought or statement out loud. Seniors who are feeling lonely can say “I have a family who loves me and that I love more than everyone”, or that “better health will come my way”. Thinking about these things positively rather than negatively can help make them come true or change your feelings about them in any case!

3. Use positive language – just using positive words can make us happier, whether or not we actually believe them

4. Create positive images – surround yourself with positive images, of pictures of your Dallas family and friends, post inspirational messages around your home or other images that keep you thinking positively

5. Be thankful – focus on being thankful for the things that you have; saying it out loud 50 times a day can make you feel grateful and it will help you start everyday out on the right foot

Sources:

1. Cognifit

2. We the Change

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.

After a long and happy marriage, do you find yourself alone for the first time because age or health has taken the person your love away from you? Whether it’s the first year you’re surviving significant anniversaries since the death of your loved one, or just another hard one to get through, you can survive; it will be a struggle, but try to get through the anniversaries with these 5 tips:

1. Don’t do it alone – talk to someone about your fears as the day approaches, seek support from a group with other surviving spouses or bond with others who knew your loved one by sharing memories

2. Do something to acknowledge the grief – if it helps, visit the graveside, plant a flower in honor of the life of your spouse or loved one, release a balloon in the air or do something that has significant meaning to you

3. Eat right – anxiety or feelings of depression might shift your focus away from your own health, but remember to eat properly with nutritious meals. If your emotional state makes it too much for your to prepare them while the anniversary is approaching, ask for help from a family member or friend, hire a caregiver, or use a service like Meals on Wheels

4. Exercise – exercising regularly can help you to release stress and anxiety and will improve your disposition overall

5. Do something to remember your loved one – overtime as you learn to cope with the grief that comes with loss, you might be ready to celebrate their life on anniversaries. Go to a local restaurant in Dallas you used to frequent together, or make a new tradition by dining out with family at a new favorite spot. Take a trip you and your spouse always dreamed of taking; do something that helps you to honor the life you had with them

Via: Silent Grief

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Home Health Senior Care Dallas - Your elderly loved one prefers to live at home and our CAREGivers are trained to help them remain safe and healthy at home. Call us at 972-239-3934.