Here are the details:

An estimated 100,000 older adults will participate in local fitness activities throughout the country as part of the 19th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day®, the nation’s largest health promotion event for older adults.

Organized as a public/private good health partnership by the Mature Market Resource Center, Senior Health & Fitness Day will offer fitness activities for older adults at more than 1,000 locations including hospitals, park and recreation departments, senior centers, health clubs, retirement communities, houses of worship, health departments and other community locations. The event is always held on the last Wednesday in May as part of Older Americans Month activities.

Programs will range from small group exercise demonstrations in community senior centers to walking tours and health fairs. Most programs include an exercise or physical activity component, as well as information about senior subjects.

“Older adults at all levels of physical fitness are encouraged to participate in National Senior Health & Fitness Day,” says Patricia Henze, NSHFD program manager. “Our goals for Senior Day are to make exercise fun, to increase awareness of the benefits of a regular exercise program for older adults, and to encourage all older adults to take advantage of the many health and fitness programs offered in their communities.”

For more information, visit http://www.fitnessday.com/senior/index.htm.

Grandmother’s can be all too easy to please, simply looking to spend time with their precious loved ones, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still make an effort to let them know how much they mean to us. Here are some simple gift ideas that will help make Mother’s Day a bit more special for the grandmothers, or great-grandmothers, in your life.

Customized Coupon – Give the gift of time with a fun, customized coupon. Consider a gesture that your senior mother or grandmother would appreciate, such as breakfast in bed, house cleaning, or a weekend picnic, and then apply it to a custom made coupon of your own design. There are even websites that will help design a customized coupon for you.

A Designed Family Photo Album – Grandmother’s love reliving family memories. So, how about creating a special photo album that shows how important she is to your family? Grouping family pictures chronologically in a handmade, customized photo album can really pull several generations together. There are a number of different online sources that will help you design photo albums or picture frames.

Letter Of Appreciation – Not many grandmothers have taken to email. For them, a handwritten letter is still the preferred method of communication. Consider writing a heartfelt, handwritten letter expressing your sincere appreciation for their love and support. Just the simple act of showing respect for a time-honored tradition can mean more than the content of the letter. Still, allow yourself to get sentimental and use plenty of personal details and fond memories.

Family Dinner – One of the best ways for a large, multi-generational family to celebrate Mother’s Day is by having a nice dinner together. While certain restaurants can be a special treat, dinner at home has the potential to be much more rewarding. Consider a menu filled with family recipes that have been passed down the generations, making note of other special occasions marked by such meals.

As a home care provider, AmeriCare is honored to care for the older generation of mothers, helping them to live independently from the comfort of their own home. We offer our most sincere gratitude to all mothers, both young and old, and wish everyone an enjoyable Mother’s Day.

So, how do you know if you’re at risk of burning out? Here are some common warning signs to watch out for:

• You have less energy
• You’re immune system feels weakened
• You’re always exhausted, and can’t seem to get adequate sleep
• You neglect your own needs, withdrawing from activities that you once enjoyed
• Your life revolves around caregiving, but it no longer provides satisfaction
• You have trouble relaxing, even when you’re not currently providing care
• You’re increasingly impatient and irritable with the person you’re caring for
• You feel overwhelmed, helpless, and hopeless

Once burnout occurs, continuing to act as the primary caregiver for a loved one is no longer a healthy option for either of you. Even though it may seem difficult, if not impossible, it’s essential that you find time to nurture yourself in order to live happily and provide the kind and patient care that your loved one deserves.

Here are some tips to help avoid burning out:

• Don’t give up the things that give you pleasure, even though you may feel you no longer have the time for them. Listen to music, read books, work in the garden, engage in a hobby. Do whatever it is that brings you joy. Your life must come first.
• Pamper yourself. Take a relaxing bath with aromatic candles. Schedule a manicure or massage.
• Take care of your health. Eat a balanced diet filled with fruits and vegetables. Find time to exercise, even if it’s a short walk every day. Try to sleep at least 7 hours a night, and take naps if you need to.
• Maintain your sense of humor, and remember: laughter really is the best medicine. Buy an amusing book or watch a funny movie. Try not to take the world so seriously, and look for humor in everyday situations.
• Keep a journal. Committing your thoughts and feelings to paper helps provide perspective on your situation and serves as an important release for your emotions.
• Establish ongoing communication with a family member, friend, or volunteer from a church or senior center so that someone calls each day to be sure everything is all right. This person can help by contacting other family members with status updates or to let them know if you need anything.
• Stay social. Try to set a time for afternoons or evenings out. Seek out friends and family to help you so that you can have some time away from the home. If it is difficult to leave, invite friends and family over to visit with you. Loneliness is a major contributor to depression.

Most of all, don’t feel the need to shoulder the home care responsibilities all by yourself. Seek support from family and friends, neighbors and community members. Most people will be happy to help run errands, bring meals, or relieve you for a while if asked.

At AmeriCare, we are committed to providing compassionate home care services for the elderly and infirmed so that family members can retain their independence and their more familiar familial roles. Feel free to contact us to learn how we can help care for your loved one, from the comfort of his or her own home.

Sun exposure helps the skin make vitamin D – a vitamin older people lack due to their lifestyles and ageing processes.

A team at Warwick University has shown a deficiency in vitamin D increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, which is linked to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

In a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, the researchers found that a full 94 percent of test subjects, between the ages of 50 and 70, had insufficient blood levels of the vitamin.

According to lead researcher Dr Oscar Franco, “Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a condition that is causing a large burden of disease across the globe with particular deleterious impact among the elderly.”

Forty-two percent of participants tested also had metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“We found that low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of having metabolic syndrome, and was also significantly associated with increased insulin resistance.”

Dr Franco said there were several factors which could explain why older people had less vitamin D in their blood, including changes in lifestyle factors such as clothing and outdoor activity.

“As we get older our skin is less efficient at forming vitamin D and our diet may also become less varied, with a lower natural vitamin D content.

“When we are older we may need to spend more time outdoors to stimulate the same levels of vitamin D we had when we were younger.”

Lorna Layward from Age Concern and Help The Aged said: “We have always advocated that older people get out into the sunshine for a bit each day if they can. A bit of sun is good for you.

“We hear a lot about sun exposure and the risk of cancer, but older people tend to be at the other end of the spectrum. They do not get enough sun and tend to cover up and wear more clothing.”

Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK said: “The amount of sunlight it takes to make enough vitamin D is always less than the amounts that cause reddening or burning, so it should be possible to get the benefits of this vitamin without increasing the risk of skin cancer.

“Elderly people can also boost their vitamin D levels by eating foods like oily fish, or by using vitamin D supplements on the advice of their GP.”

At AmeriCare, we are committed to the health of our home care clients, and work to help ensure our seniors get the right amount of natural, and supplemental vitamins, as part of our senior care. So, remember, nothing can brighten your day more than a little sunshine.

But how helpful is it to learn that your future will be afflicted with this debilitating disease if there isn’t currently a cure? Given the heightened attention around Alzheimer’s detection, we thought it would be an appropriate time to focus on methods of prevention.

Following are 10 proven tips, as offered by renowned Alzheimer’s author, Jean Carper, that can help maintain cognitive integrity and keep Alzheimer’s at bay.

1. Take a hike: Nothing beats walking for boosting memory and flooding your brain with chemicals that create bigger neurons. Take a brisk 30-minute walk, or three 10-minute sessions on a treadmill. A “nature” walk through a park also improves memory.

2. Eat an apple or two: Apples stimulate production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is what the Alzheimer’s drug Aricept also does, say University of Massachusetts researchers. You get the same benefits from two eight-ounce glasses of apple juice.

3. Drink a few cups of coffee: “I try to drink five cups of coffee a day,” says Gary Arendash at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He says the caffeine blocks build up of Alzheimer’s brain toxins. In one study, drinking three to five cups of coffee a day cut Alzheimer’s risk by 65 percent.

4. Treat yourself to a little dark chocolate: It can boost blood circulation in your brain, lower blood pressure and inhibit stroke damage, all important in preventing Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Be sure cocoa content is at least 70 percent. Even a half-ounce of rich dark chocolate a day may be enough.

5. Surf the internet for an hour: Yes, a good Google search can stimulate an older brain and possibly improve thinking and memory. So can playing video games, and doing certain online brain games.

6. Do something new: Your brain cells are stimulated when you think of or do anything new. People who do novel mental activities reduce their risk of cognitive decline. Important: you must make a mental effort; breezing through crossword puzzles doesn’t count.

7. Eat a cup of berries: If you want to make forgetful old lab animals “younger and smarter,” just feed them blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or cranberries, say Tufts University researchers. How much? At least a cup a day.

8. Take a multivitamin: It can slow brain aging, especially if it includes high antioxidants, such as C, E and alpha lipoic acid. Be sure to get 500 mcg B12, 800 mcg folic acid, 20 mg B6 a day–doses found to reduce brain shrinkage up to 50 percent in people with mild memory problems.

9. Have a Curry Meal: A constituent of curry spices known as curcumin blocks Alzheimer’s-like brain damage and boosts memory in animal and lab tests. India, where curry is a staple, has a very low rate of Alzheimer’s.

10. Get together with friends and family: Make it a point to yak it up today, the larger your circle of friends and family, the better. Extroverts with high “social engagement” have less cognitive failure as they age. Being married or having a significant other dramatically cuts your odds of developing Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease we know all too well. If someone in your family is suffering with Alzheimer’s, or other forms of dementia, feel free to contact us to discuss our premier home care services. Our goal is to help your loved one live as independently as possible, from the comfort of their own home.

Being a senior citizen, you may have limitations, but that should not preclude you from pursuing an exercise program. Just be sure to scale the effort based on your abilities. Here are a few tips to get your started.

Consult your doctor

Always check with your doctor to make sure it is safe to start an exercise program. Any kind of pre-existing conditions may require alterations to your routine. A doctor’s visit can also provide a good benchmark for progress. Over time you may see significant improvements in key health measures, such as cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Take It Slow

You don’t have to start working towards a marathon right away.  Begin by walking around 15 minutes a day to get the body accustomed to physical activity. Working in your backyard, washing clothes, or performing other housework can qualify as exercise as well. It’s all about staying active.

Get Pumped

Weight training improves muscle mass as well as strengthens your bones. People of all ages can lift weights if carried out with proper technique. Be sure to consult a physical therapist or someone experienced in weight training before loading up the barbell.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardio exercise helps improve performance of the heart and lungs. There are plenty of ways to get the heart pumping and the lungs working. Dancing, walking, swimming, and sports activities, like tennis, are just a few. There are even some great online workouts, such as through the Stronger Seniors YouTube video page.

Don’t Be Discouraged By Disabilities

Just because your disabled doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. There are plenty of chair aerobic exercises for chair-bound seniors. Swimming and water aerobics also allow people with disabilities to get excellent workouts. As always, be sure to exercise with a partner, especially when in a pool.

As a home care provider we know how important maintaining one’s independence can be for many seniors. Engaging in regular exercise is the best way to stay healthy and independent for as long as possible.

Regardless the cause, here are some simple activities that can help boost brainpower and keep our memory sharp.

Stay Active

Exercise benefits your brain as well as the rest of your body. Increasing blood flow to the brain reduces brain shrinkage and lowers the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Take the stairs, park at the far end of the lot, and go for an evening stroll around your block. Every step adds up.

Take Naps

Memory storage happens while you sleep, which is why it’s so important to get the proper amount of sleep. Even a six-minute nap can aid short-term recall, while longer naps can accelerate the process that helps the brain retain long-term memories.

Play Brain Training Games

Brain games such as word puzzles or Sudoku help strengthen cognitive function, which aids memory development and retention.

Drink Coffee Or Tea

Tea has a positive effect on memory by activating enzymes in the brain while the caffeine triggers concentration. People who drink moderate amounts of coffee have lower odds of developing dementia later in life.

Eat Vegetables

Deficiencies in folate and vitamin B12 increase one’s risk of developing dementia. Great vegetable sources for folate include romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, collards, broccoli, cauliflower and beets.

Stay Organized

Your memory requires some familiarity to keep your life functioning smoothly. Place certain essentials, such as your keys and glasses, in the same place every time. Write yourself reminders, if needed. The act of writing yourself reminders will keep your mind active.

Volunteer

Retirement reduces many of our daily decision-making opportunities, exercises, and problem-solving requirements. Volunteering can supplant many of these mind-stimulating activities.

Keeping the mind engaged is an essential way to maintain cognitive acuity. So, remember to stimulate both the mind and body in order to stave off dementia and keep your precious memories intact.

• Allow the parent to continue living alone and risk injury, or worse;
• Move the parent into a assisted living facility;
• Arrange for temporary, or full-time home care services.

Oh, but this can be such a dreadful conversation. We’ve seen it so many times before. And we understand why: it is a perceived affront to one’s sense of independence, something many seem willing to die before they willingly resign.

Most families will face the dilemma of trying to convince an unreceptive parent of the need for care assistance at some point. In fact, we will likely find ourselves on the receiving end of this unpleasant conversation later on in life. So, we’d like to provide some tips that can ease the conversation and help the parent accept the type of care that will allow him or her to live as independently as possible, preferably in the comfort of their own home.

Start The Dialogue Early

There are certain essential conversations that we all look to postpone. Planning a will is one of them. But the earlier we begin having these conversations, when the need still seems ages away, the better. It removes the gravity from the situation. So, find time to casually ask your parents how they’d like to be treated in their elder years, should they require assistance to augment their independence. This way, you will already have a general plan in place when the time arrives.

Respect Their Dignity

It is not uncommon for a child-parent role reversal to occur at some point in a relationship. When this happens, the child often feels a heightened sense of responsibility for the parent. One may even begin treating one’s parent as they would a child of their own. Try and take a moment and put yourself in your parent’s position. Remember that resistance comes from a perceived assault to a senior’s sense of dignity and role as an independent parent. Be sensitive towards this response and treat your parent with the respect of a dignified adult, not as you would an obstinate adolescent.

Focus On Help With Remedial Tasks

Many seniors see care assistance as an invasion of privacy and the surrender of independence. They don’t stop and think about how liberating it can be to have help with basic, remedial household chores. Many people use a housekeeper, which doesn’t entail the same perceived stigma that may come with a personal caregiver. Present the scenario as assistance with basic chores, laundry, and meals rather than personal care. Then, the unfolding relationship between the parent and their caregiver will naturally allow for a greater degree of home care services, should the need arise.

Enlist The Help Of A Professional

Often times an elderly parent will be more receptive to the counsel of a professional, such as a trusted physician or clergyman, than that of a family member. Just be mindful not to make this meeting seem like an intervention, which may elicit a strong defensive response. If possible, work to have the meeting occur as a part of a planned appointment or during the parent’s natural routine.

Look For Signs Of Dementia

Trying to convince a parent suffering from dementia to accept home care is a more complicated scenario because their judgment may be impaired. If your parent displays behavior symptomatic of dementia, such as retelling the same story, forgetting appointments, becoming lost in previously familiar surroundings, or losing the ability to perform routine tasks, arrange a medical evaluation to determine if the condition exists.  Find out from the physician the extent of cognitive impairment and the level of assistance your parent may need. Educate yourself on the issue by contacting the Alzheimer’s Association or the NIH’s Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center.

Above all else, remember, you are ultimately doing what you know is best for your parents because you love them. Conduct these conversations through a place of love and work to find the perfect home care solution for your family’s unique needs. We’re happy to help if you need us.

In fact, a recent study conducted at BYU in Utah revealed that social isolation can be as harmful to one’s health as smoking and alcoholism. It is unhealthier than abstaining from exercise and exceeds the health risks brought on by obesity. According to their study, having the support of family, friends and neighbors can increase one’s chances of living to a healthy old age by as much as 50 percent.

Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who led the study, said friends and family influenced health for the better by offering a “calming touch,” or by helping people find meaning in their lives.

“When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility for other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks,” she said.

At AmeriCare, we are well aware of the inherent healing power of companionship. It is the cornerstone of our home care services. This is why it is so essential that we match each client with the most compatible caregiver for his or her unique care situation and personality type. We know that by making each client feel comfortable in their own home, we are alleviating stress that can exacerbate the symptoms of other health issues.

We are social beings. Often times kindness, compassion, and companionship are truly the best medicines regardless the ailment. So, always remember to make time to call, or visit, a loved one who may be feeling isolated. You never know, it just may save his or her life.

Following are a few tips offered by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology on how to minimize symptoms this season:

1. Avoid allergens and molds as much as possible. Instead of walking outside in the park or on hiking trails, try walking in the local shopping mall. Most malls have walking clubs with mall businesses offering discounts. Plus you can enjoy the comfort of the air conditioning.
2. When you have to go outside try to avoid grassy areas (especially those areas with fresh mown grass) or areas with lots of foliage.
3. Keep windows closed at night to prevent pollens or molds from drifting into your home.
4. Use an air conditioner and dehumidifier to keep air clean, cool and dry.
5. Keep car windows closed while traveling.
6. Be aware of local pollen counts and avoid outdoor activity on days when it is high.
7. If you live in an area that has high smog levels, be aware of those levels and take appropriate measures such as staying indoors or limiting activity.
8. Plan your vacation at the beach rather than the mountains, pollen counts are much lower at the beach near the ocean.
9. If you must mow or rake – activities that stir up a lot of pollen and mold – wear a paper respiratory mask to lower your exposure.
10. Even though “line-dried” clothing and linens have a wonderful “fresh” scent, use the dryer, as pollens and mold can collect on items drying on the clothesline.
11. Take medications as prescribed in the recommended dosage. Even if your symptoms are severe, stick with the recommended amounts of medication.
12. Shower after being outdoors to remove any pollen and mold that may be left clinging to your skin and hair.

We hope these tips will help keep you symptom-free this allergy season and able enjoy the beautiful bloom of spring.