4 Ways to Help Seniors Handle Summer Heat

The heat of summer is here and while these long days offer plenty of fun and enjoyment for all of us, they can be hard on the seniors in your community. As we age, heat affects us differently, increasing the risks of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Certain medications many seniors take, as well as their health conditions themselves, make the heat of a summer day a real health risk.Our senior home care services team offers four ways to help older adults better cope with summer heat:

1. Air conditioning and fans. Home maintenance is an area that many seniors struggle with, so it’s worthwhile to visit and make sure that their air conditioning system is in good working order. This is especially important for housebound seniors.
2. For many seniors, it’s more difficult to get out of the house to run errands and, as we age, our body’s ability to signal that we are getting dehydrated tends to decrease. Visiting the seniors in your area with a few bottles of water and fruit juices is a good opportunity to check up on them, ensure that they are hydrating and at the same time, get in a social call.
3. Help out so they don’t break a sweat. Home maintenance in summer is a sweaty, hot job, and helping out a senior by taking on those tasks is a great opportunity to prevent falls, dehydration and heat-related health issues. Volunteering to mow a lawn, repair an awning, carry heavy goods, or walk their dog will keep older adults off their toes and in cooler environments.
4. Offer transportation. Many seniors walk or rely on public transport, but this can be unbearable on hot days, even for younger people. If you see an elderly person waiting for public transport or know someone close by who needs to run errands, a trip in your cool, air-conditioned car presents a great alternative.

Homecare for the Elderly – Independence and Assistance with All the Comforts of Home

Whether you need residential in-home respite care or need someone qualified and experienced to assist your loved one on a more permanent basis, our home health aide services in New Jersey are here to help through our HomeWorks program. Our staff are fully certified in New Jersey and have senior care training and experience. Please feel free to ask for formal certification and references.
For more information on our senior homecare services in NJ, please contact us today or visit our website at https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/Home-Care-Services-For-Seniors

Original content posted on https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/4-ways-to-help-seniors-handle-summer-heat/

5 Ways to Use Digital Marketing to Attract New Hires in the Senior Living Industry

The internet is a powerful hub for building a brand, promoting products and services, and even recruiting new staff. This makes it an invaluable space for the senior living field, which has undergone a transformation in terms of the lifestyle and services offered.

No longer are senior and assisted living facilities the clinical places they so often were in the past — instead, the field is booming, filled with warm, supportive communities that promote healthy, independent and fulfilling lifestyles designed to help people fully enjoy their retirement years.

With this ground-upward transformation, senior living communities see the value of digital marketing and make use of these affordable and effective tools to communicate their messages of care, compassion and vitality. Not only is this brand-building changing public perception of what the senior living field is all about — it’s also attracting associates who are as passionate and enthusiastic about senior services as we are!

How to Use the Power of Digital Marketing to Attract New Hires 

Your potential new hires are online sharing their ideas and interests. Here are five ways the senior living industry is helping them connect their careers with their passion:

1. Search engine optimization uses keywords that people type into Google when they are seeking information on a topic or service. Having an SEO plan helps senior living communities get spotted by potential new hires.
2. Organic advertising. These campaigns actively target prospects through an analysis of their geographic location and online behavior to ensure that it only reaches people who are directly interested in the services offered.
3. Pay Per Click advertising does incur an expense, but it does ensure that your online advertisements reach a wide range of people.
4. This is a great way to share your brand and attract potential hires who share your values and mission. Use it to showcase your events, staff, activities and residents and show day-to-day life in your community.
5. Blogging builds your brand and shares more detailed insights into your services and community. It keeps your website fresh, gives you lots of content to post onto social media, attracts new hires by boosting your visibility and shows people what you’re looking for in staff.

Assisted Living in Gloucester County – A Life of Community, Support, Compassion, and Independence! 

Assisted living in Pitman NJ offers high quality assisted living services in a comfortable, well-supported and beautiful environment. As part of the United Methodist Communities network, we also offer rehabilitation, access to therapists, hospice care, respite care and memory care and support services. We welcome seniors from all faith backgrounds.

The team at Pitman is united by their tremendous sense of satisfaction in caring for, and having relationships with active, vibrant seniors. Our assisted living community offers associates a setting which upholds spirituality and our non-profit mission as the framework for everything we do, creating a supportive and focused environment. Our team also lives “the abundant life” we offer our residents by having a true sense of purpose when they come to work every day.

To find out more about career opportunities at any of the four full-service United Methodist Communities or our assisted living community, please visit our website at https://pitman.umcommunities.org/, contact us today or book a personal tour.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/5-ways-to-use-digital-marketing-to-attract-new-hires-in-the-senior-living-industry/

7 Essentials to Pack for Hospice Care

Moving into hospice care in jersey shore can be a challenging time for patients and their families, but knowing what to bring can help make this transition easier. Here’s a basic guide from the team at our hospice in South Jersey.

1. All current medication. This includes medicines, treatment creams, medical inhalers, eye drops, and any medical equipment, including a walker, unless supplied by the hospice.
2. Comfortable clothing. Three to four pairs of pajamas, a night gown, socks, slippers and a bed jacket or sweater. Slippers should fit well and have good grip.
3. All day-to-day toiletries, including toothbrush, toothpaste, denture cleaning/storage (if needed), deodorant, body wash and skin moisturizer/lotion, hairbrush, cosmetics, razor and shaving cream, and so forth.
4. Favorite foods. This depends on what food the hospice can store on your behalf, but favorite cookies, snacks, chocolate and other goodies are always welcome.
5. Personal bedding. Although high-quality linens are supplied, many patients get extra comfort from using a pillow or blanket from home.
6. Pictures and sentimental items. A few personal photographs, a vase for flowers, a favorite plant or sentimental items are welcome and help bring in the comforts of home.
7. Music and books. A radio, music player or other device loaded with your loved one’s favorite music and audio books makes a great addition. Books are also welcome, as are other reading materials.

If there is anything else a patient or visitor would like to bring into hospice, be sure to contact the staff and ask whether it can be accommodated. Our team is happy to work with you to create a comfortable, supportive and caring environment.

Visit A Hospice in South Jersey and Discover A Program Based on Compassion and Care 

At The Shores, a part of the well-known United Methodist Communities non-profit organization in New Jersey, we offer care in a compassionate, professional hospice neighborhood called Bridges, in the Jersey Shore area.

It focuses on creating a nurturing and comforting environment for assisted living individuals and their loved ones through customized care programs and compassionate support. To find out more about our hospice in Cape May County, please visit our website at https://theshores.umcommunities.org/hospice-care-nj/ or contact us today and schedule your visit.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/7-essentials-to-pack-for-hospice-care/

Cataracts – Signs, Symptoms and Treatment Options

June is Cataracts Awareness Month, so our in home senior care team is helping to raise awareness by sharing important information about this health condition.

What are Cataracts and What Causes Them? 

Cataracts is clouding of the eye’s lens (which is normally clear) that causes vision problems. It is predominantly a result of aging, and by 80-years of age, more than half of all Americans will have experienced a cataract. It can occur in one or both eyes and is not a contagious condition.
The lens of the eye is largely made up of protein and water. The proteins can start clumping up over time, which clouds the lens and prevents the right amount of light from reaching the retina. When this clumping first starts, it only affects a small portion of the eye and may not be easily noticed. As it progresses and grows, the symptoms will worsen, and vision will be increasingly affected.

8 Symptoms of Cataracts 

Symptoms of this condition include:

1. Clouded or dimmed vision
2. Sensitivity to bright light/glare
3. Halos around lights
4. Difficulty seeing at night
5. Increasing need for brighter and brighter light for reading and close work
6. Difficulty distinguishing different tones and colors
7. Fading or browning/yellowing of the eye
8. Double vision in the eye

Risk Factors 

Cataracts primarily result from the aging process, but other risk factors can make cataracts more likely, including certain health conditions like diabetes, certain medications like corticosteroids, as well as smoking, high alcohol intake, obesity, high blood pressure, eye injuries and excessive exposure of the eyes to sunlight.

Treatment for Cataracts 

Cataracts can be diagnosed by your physician using a range of eye tests, so annual checkups are important. Fortunately, there are very effective treatment options available to restore your vision once your prescription glasses are no longer effective.

During cataract surgery the clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens. This is usually done on an outpatient basis and, after a few days of recovery, your vision should be fully restored.

Senior Independent Home Care in NJ – Compassion, Care and Independence! 

At United Methodist Communities, a leading senior homecare services provider in New Jersey, we offer tailored, compassionate care through our advanced HomeWorks program. This program offers in home senior care for the elderly tailored to their specific requirements and provides them, their families and caregivers with personalized, compassionate care that prioritizes health, happiness and independence.For more information on our senior independent homecare services, please contact us today or visit our website at https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/

Original content posted on https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/cataracts-signs-symptoms-and-treatment-options/

Donating Blood – How Your Generosity Saves Lives

Ever wanted to be a hero and save a life? Well, you can! June 14th is World Blood Donor Day and almost anyone can participate in this essential and life-giving service. Here’s some motivational information on how you can participate, from our assisted living community in Camden County, NJ.

Why Donate Blood? 

Blood is needed in many medical situations in order to save lives. This includes premature babies, children with anemia, cancer and surgical patients, as well as trauma patients.
Blood banks allow people to donate blood and store it until needed by a patient — and there is no alternative, no medicine or substitute that can be used instead of these donations. This makes donating vital to saving lives.

Blood Donation Options: 

• Whole blood donation. This method of donating usually happens in blood drives. It’s called a whole blood donation because you are supplying red blood cells along with other elements found in the blood stream.
  There are different types of red blood cells and some people can only receive donations from compatible types, which is why it’s essential for blood centers to have a wide range of donated blood types on hand. Type O- (O negative) is “universal” and especially important as it is a blood type anyone can receive.
• Plasma donation. Plasma is a component of blood that is vital to carrying salt, nutrients, protein and enzymes to the tissues of the body. It is often used for people receiving treatments for rare health conditions that depend on protein delivered by the plasma in order to be effective.
• Platelet donation. Platelets, another component of blood you can donate, plays a vital role in helping wounds to clot. Patients who are bleeding heavily require additional platelets to stop this bleeding, so it’s often used in trauma cases.

Your local doctor or the American Red Cross can help you find out if you are eligible to make these donations, but the general guidelines require you must be:

• In good general health
• Weigh at least 110 pounds
• Be at least 16-years-old

As a whole blood donor, you will need to wait 56 days between donations and 7 days before donating platelets. Platelet donors cannot donate more than 6 times in any 8-week period.

Independent Style Living for Seniors at Our Assisted Living Community in Camden County, New Jersey 

United Methodist Communities at Collingswood New Jersey is part of the United Methodist Communities network of high-quality, non-profit, assisted living communities specializing in senior living. With an experienced care and assistance team, scalable services customized to each resident’s needs, and a lively social calendar, we focus on essential resources that promote independence and quality of life.

To find out more about our assisted living community in Camden County NJ, please visit our website at http://collingswood.umcommunities.org/ or contact us today.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/donating-blood-how-your-generosity-saves-lives/

5 Options for Summertime Fun with Seniors

Here are some ideas from the team at our CCRC in Sussex County New Jersey for spending quality time with your loved ones this summer:

1. Pack a picnic lunch and dine at the local park. When the weather is great, there’s nothing like gathering the family together for a picnic in one of the beautiful local and state parks! Memory Park in Newton is great if you have active young kids who want to run around while you sit and relax.
   Swartswood State Park, a 3,460-acre protected area spreading across both Stillwater and Hampton townships in Sussex County, is fantastic for whole-day family events as there are lots of activities as well as beautiful scenery.
   Waterloo Village, a restored 19th-century canal town in Byram Township, offers a trip down memory lane with historic buildings and pretty canal walks.
2. Attend free summer concerts. Thursdays on the Green is a free summer concert series hosted by the Sussex County Community College that’s become a much-loved tradition for local residents. This year, the line-up features everything from country music and Broadway hits to folk, jazz and classic rock.
   There will be food vendors, artisanal stalls and giveaways — all you need are your picnic blankets and chairs. Performances start at 6:30pm on the Connor Green.
3. Spend time on the beach or lake. Sussex County has many beautiful miles of beach and lake shores and summer is the perfect time to plan a family day trip. Sand Beach is a safe haven for swimming, picnicking and relaxing. There are lovely grassy areas, too!
   Cranberry Lake is another popular option with two swimming beaches (including a toddler-friendly beach), sailing and boating facilities and a snack shack.
4. Create a family memory book. Crafts are another fun way to pass the time and enjoy some quality time with your loved one. A memory book filled with the adventures you’ve had together is a great project! Get all your crafting gear together, print photos and settle down to share some memories and laughs, while creating a lasting souvenir.
5. Make a pie with seasonal fruit. If you and your loved one share a passion for baking, then summer is the perfect time to make everyone’s favorite dessert — pie! Visit a farmer’s market like the Sussex County Farmer’s Market or Andersen Farms to pick up the freshest and tastiest fruit of the season and enjoy a delicious day together.

Please take care during all outdoor activities this summer and remember sun hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and cover-ups for your seniors — and stay hydrated!

Live Life to the Fullest with Our Scalable CCRC in Sussex County, NJ 

Bristol Glen, an independent senior living community in Sussex County, provides seniors with comfortable living choices that free up time to enjoy life.

Contact us to find out more about our CCRC and in Sussex County, New Jersey, amenities and services. Please visit our website at https://bristolglen.umcommunities.org/ and book your visit today.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/5-options-for-summertime-fun-with-seniors/