Senior health tips: How to reduce stress

It’s a well-known fact that stress has a detrimental effect on wellbeing. It significantly increases the risk of anxiety, depression, digestive issues, sleep problems, heart disease, and memory impairment, as well as exacerbating the symptoms of any other pre-existing conditions. In comparison to younger people, seniors are equally at risk of stress-related health problems that can become especially overwhelming, say assisted living specialists in South Jersey.

Signs of stress in seniors
Indications that your senior loved one could be suffering from stress include:
• Changes in eating habits, including overeating or loss of appetite.
• An onset of memory problems, including forgetfulness, lack of concentration or poor judgement.
• Body aches, increased pain or increased frequency of illness.
• Mood swings, depression or increased irritability.
• Sudden isolation and refusal to socialize.

Tips for reducing stress in seniors
• Practice meditation: Meditation is a powerful calming technique that helps focus on breathing and relaxation. However, if it isn’t right for you, choose another calming activity like painting, going for a walk, swimming or reading in a quiet room.

• Make healthy diet choices: Stress and tiredness can lead to making poor dietary decisions, which lead to yet more stress and fatigue. Resisting the urge to reach for a sugary snack and choosing wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meats instead, can help break this cycle.

• Listen to music: Listening to music is a well-known relaxation technique, reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) as well as blood pressure. Gentle, calming classical music or even the sound of the ocean will help, while fast-paced, upbeat music can increase levels of dopamine (the feel good hormone).

• Join a club: Studies have shown that participants in social clubs and activities are far less likely to suffer from loneliness, stress and depression, and they also boost mental health. Find an activity or hobby you enjoy, like a gardening or book club, or try something new like a theatre group, dance class or a country walking club to get the benefits.

• Get active: Physical activity directly reduces stress and boosts mental and physical health. What’s more, you don’t have to do a lot of it — just 20 minutes a day is needed to get most of the benefits of exercise. Activities like walking, dancing, water aerobics, yoga,, and Pilates are all great options for seniors — however, consult your physician first in order to ensure that you develop a fun exercise plan without putting you at risk of injury or overexertion.

Assisted living services for independent seniors in South Jersey
At Collingswood, we prioritize quality of life — allowing residents to enjoy their senior living community, friends and social activities while we manage the tasks of day-to-day living. With comfortable, open-plan apartments, a lively community spirit and an events calendar filled with activities, we offer a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to all seniors.

In addition to assisted living, the senior living community of Collingswood also offers comprehensive long term care, respite care, and hospice services.
For more information on Collingswood and our facilities, please contact us today and visit us for a personal tour.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/senior-health-tips-reduce-stress/

What are memory care and support services all about?

While memory care services are often associated with assisted living and may overlap, the two are not the same. Assisted living primarily focuses on providing essential support for day-to-day living like bathing, dressing, meal preparation and medication, while memory care services specifically assist residents with dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s. Here’s some insight into these services from memory care service providers in South Jersey.

Comfortable residential settings for dementia patients
United Methodist Communities at The Shores, offers residents with memory conditions a comfortable, homey residential setting specifically designed to foster the best quality of life. Our staff and therapists are fully trained to care for all residents as well as offer compassionate companionship.

Our programs are based on each person’s individual needs and capabilities, as well as their preferences and strengths. We incorporate everyday routines into a neighborhood lifestyle, including tasks like setting the table, cooking, folding clothes, gardening and group discussions.

In addition to this, we offer therapeutic programs that promote involvement and participation including fitness programs, hands-on creative art, music sessions and other forms of sensory stimulation and entertainment.

By offering comfortable studio apartments, a range of communal activity areas and state-of-the-art nurse call and wander management systems, we strive to balance our scalable care services with patient dignity and independence.

Customized memory care and support services in South Jersey
At The Shores, as part of United Methodist Communities, we aim to serve our memory care residents as well as their loved ones with compassion, respect and expert support. As an EAGLE accredited organization, we are mindful of our not-for-profit status, remaining accountable and continually improving our performance and services in order to provide residents with the best quality care available.

For more information about our assisted living and memory care services for Alzheimer’s and dementia, please contact us today to arrange for a personal visit.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/memory-care-support-services/

Memory games that promote healthy brains

Memories play an important role in forming who we are but, as we age, certain dementia conditions can start to erode these vital building blocks of our relationships, knowledge and personality. Conditions like Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia currently have no cure, but there are ways to fight against memory loss, help exercise your brain and keep neurological pathways firing and responding properly, say memory care services specialists in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

• Sudoku: This Japanese numbers game has gained a popular following in recent decades, with people of all ages enjoying the challenge. Using a grid of nine by nine spaces or cells, you fill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9, never using them more than once vertically, horizontally or within the 3×3 subgrids. This is a great way to exercise patience, pattern recognition and the process of elimination. They range from easy beginner’s games up to more difficult challenges, so it’s easy to try and see if you enjoy it. Most newspapers publish a few puzzles and there are books of Sudoku challenges as well as free puzzles online.

• Crossword puzzles: A traditional favorite, these challenges are good for exercising memory recall and problem solving. They are available in different formats and sizes that offer unique challenges, including simple or easy clue formats or the more difficult indirect or cryptic clues. Sometimes, they follow different themes, including pop culture, literature, sports, history, or a combination of themes. Try out the crosswords in your local paper for a quick memory training session.

• Apps and games: For a slightly more advanced take on brain training, you can use a wide range of programs on computers, tablets or smartphones. Many of them, like Lumosity, have been developed by neuroscientists, making them engaging as well as offering practice training for your brain.

• Puzzles: These come in a wide range of sizes and complexity and many people enjoy doing them with a friend as well as on their own. Puzzles form useful therapy tools for memory care residents, helping to rebuild problem solving skills as well as encouraging memory stimulation and participation. If you are looking for a puzzle for a loved one with a memory condition, a therapist will be able to help you choose one that provides optimal stimulation without causing frustration.

• Education: While this isn’t a memory game, learning new things is pivotal to keeping your brain fit and active. Attending guest lectures, enrolling in classes and clubs, and reading new books will all help your brain to form new, healthy neural pathways.

Expert memory care and support services in our assisted living community
Pitman is a senior living and assisted living community in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As part of United Methodist Communities, we’re dedicated to providing our residents with the highest quality of life possible through our compassionate care and professional services. As part of our services, we offer memory support to those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, promoting dignity and independence while meeting each person’s individual needs.

For more information about our assisted living community or memory care services, please contact us today or arrange a visit to our premises.

Original content posted at https://umcommunities.org/blog/memory-games-promote-healthy-brains/

What ‘faith-based service’ means in our continuing care retirement community

Bristol Glen, a high quality continuing care retirement community in Sussex County, is part of the United Methodist Communities’ (UMC) network. Providing faith-based senior and assisted living services that value compassion, respect, stewardship and promote independence, we have been in operation for over 109 years. But what does this mean?

We were founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania
After 630,000 men, many of them Methodist, were killed in the Civil War in the 19th century, a home for widows was established in Philadelphia, now called Simpson House, which still exists to this day. This would become the first stepping stone to United Methodist Communities. Following the success of this charitable movement, a home for the aged was also founded – establishing what would become UMC.

To this day, these roots are present in our communities and network-at-large, founded on compassionately serving in the community so that all are free to choose abundant life. With 1,400 residents, over 1,000 employees and 109 years of senior care, we’re proud to adhere to our tagline of achieving “Abundant Life for Seniors.”

Do I have to be United Methodist to qualify?
Although we are a United Methodist network, we do not require our residents to be United Methodist themselves. While we offer spiritual support and programs, they are purely for residents who are interested in participating. We encourage our residents to be involved in all aspects of life in our communities, but only to the degree to which they are able and comfortable to do so.

Services offered at UMC at Bristol Glen in Sussex County, NJ
Bristol Glen is known as a “full service community,” as it offers the widest range of services through the UMC network. This includes the following services:

• Continuing care retirement communities
• Independent living communities
• Assisted living
• Long-term care
• Memory care and support
• Rehabilitation
• Respite care
• Hospice and palliative care

Continuing care retirement community and assisted living in Sussex County, NJ 
United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen is a continuing care retirement community that caters to seniors of all ages and support requirements. Our services are completely customized to your individual needs and range from basic daily assistance all the way to end-of-life care. Our educated and dedicated staff pride themselves on the quality and compassionate nature of their care, ensuring that residents enjoy a high quality of independent life for as long as possible.

This content was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/blog/faith-based-service-means-continuing-care-retirement-community.