09.21.10
Posted in Assisted Living, Elderly Care, Nursing home at 8:11 pm by admin
Caring for elderly relatives is a difficult process for a caregiver, of course. But have you ever considered how difficult it might be to be the senior citizen that is being cared for? Think about it. Most of us dread getting old, and there are many reasons why. We do not want to ever face the fact that our bodies will wear down. Our strength will deteriorate. Our minds might get dull. We never want to feel like we are being a drain on society. And to be a drain on our families… now that would be the worst part of all!
Yet this is what seniors everywhere face on a daily basis. Those whose health is deteriorating, especially, and cannot care for themselves, feel this most acutely. They know they require help, and they often feel guilty for it. They do not want to inconvenience any body. Elderly men can sometimes take this harder then women. After all, many of these men were “self made.” They worked hard for decades and decades, and they did not ask for help along the way. They were strong. And now that their strength is gone, they find it humiliating that they require so much care. And as a result, their spirit and confidence starts to dwindle.[ad#ad-1]
It is for this reason that our elderly relatives need our emotional support so badly. Sure, we know they need our physical help. They need help getting from point A to point B. They need reminders to take medication. They need all kinds of things, especially if they are living with us. But the other side–the internal side–is even more essential.
Our elderly relatives need to know that they still matter: that even though their bodies may be broken down, even though they cannot do the things they used to do, even though they no longer make the money or hold the title they once did, that they are still valuable. That they are still lovable. That they are not a drain. Our parents and grandparents deserve patience, love and respect. They need someone to talk to. Someone who will love them. In short, hey need their family.
If you feel that you cannot offer these things; if you feel they are a burden to you or your family, then it might be time to let someone else care for them. There are excellent Nursing Care and Assisted Living Facilities out there today, and with a little investigation, you can find a good fit for them. Perhaps then, without the strain of meeting their physical needs, you would be able to help meet their emotional ones. After all, they met ours when we were young. The least we can do is to return the favor.
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Posted in Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, Senior Citizen at 11:30 am by admin
Is it a stereotype to say that all seniors love cross word puzzles? Maybe. At very least, it is a cliche, but for good reason. What kid can’t remember grandma sitting at her kitchen table with a pen and a newspaper?
Well, it turns out that crossword puzzles (along with their exotic foreign cousin, Sudoku) can actually be a wonderful help to senior citizens.
Here is how this works. Grade school teachers have been using crossword puzzles and other language aides for years to help develop their students’ vocabulary and reasoning skills. Specifically, the benefits here are broad: they start to spell better, speak better, use better grammar and understand more. And it’s not just the fact that they are dealing with complicated definitions: the challenge stretches them, intellectually. That’s the definition of a “mental exercise.”[ad#ad-1]
Now, if this works with children, it is easy to understand why it works with senior adults as well, and it might be even more important for them. Just as elderly muscles can break down and atrophy over time, their minds can do the same thing. Fortunately, just like with other muscles, the mind can stay “in shape†with regular exercise. Crossword puzzles fit that bill in several ways.
Crossword Puzzles Help a Senior’s Memory. Have you ever done a crossword puzzle without uttering the phrase “it’s on the tip of my tongue…â€? Probably not. But that feeling of reaching for something that you used to know and you almost remember is a wonderful mental stretch. And as your mind gets in the habit of probing through dusty shelves of memories long past, it will learn to access those libraries more quickly. Seniors who do crosswords can see a wonderful benefit here. Considering that three out of four senior citizens have memory problems of some kind, these intellectual treasure hunts for various seven letter words can prove to be of excellent value. And consider one more thing: Studies have suggested that elderly men and women who do crosswords four times a week will have a decreased chance of acquiring Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Now that’s a good reason for opening the paper!
Crossword puzzles help challenge a senior’s discipline. How long does the average puzzle in the newspaper take to solve? A half hour? An hour? It takes some stick-to-it-iveness to read clues, write answers, read more clues, erase those answers and put in new ones, only to find out those do not work either. Puzzles carry an inherent challenge that can only be met with a level of discipline in order to give satisfaction. Seniors need challenges, and they need satisfaction.
Crossword puzzles encourage seniors to continue to explore the unknown. The excitement of youthful vigor, for many of our elders, is a distant memory. Since their bodies no longer cooperate the way they used to, it is more beneficial than ever for a senior to seek out landscapes wherever he or she can. Exploration, even if in such a mild form, is healthy and encouraging. Because if grandpa can still figure out a six letter word for Shakespearian poem, he can still solve unknown problems. He is still sharp. He does not feel useless.
As you can see, the potential benefits of crossword puzzles are broad. With regular participation can help them remember names and schedules, help them complete difficult tasks, and can help them discover and conquer landscapes they have not seen before. And when they do conquer mental mountains, they regain some confidence. In other words, it helps them stay young in the one way that probably matters the most.
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