4 Great Reasons to Start a Senior’s Book Club

Our assisted living team in Gloucester County is often asked to recommend safe, interesting and sociable activities for seniors. A book club is a great example that so many seniors can enjoy! Here are some of the benefits and four tips on how to start one:

• It’s great for cognitive health. Cognitive decline and the development of dementia conditions is one of the greatest concerns for seniors and their families, and studies show, it’s vital to keep the mind active. Reading is fantastic exercise for the brain, activating areas concerned with memory, language, reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
  
  

• It’s sociable. Sadly, loneliness and depression are common among seniors, especially those who find themselves isolated after the death of a spouse or due to mobility issues. A book club connects people with similar interests, promoting conversation and creating a much-anticipated event to look forward to each week. Social connections enhance overall well being and health, boosting the immune system and creating a sense of purpose and belonging.

• It promotes quality sleep. Good quality sleep is important for restoring energy levels, boosting cognitive and physical healing, encouraging a good appetite, and increasing mental alertness. Seniors often struggle with sleep, often due to a decrease in melatonin – and television and other electronic stimulation doesn’t help. Reading is a good alternative, as it helps the reader unwind, relax, and go to sleep peacefully.

• It encourages learning. Seniors benefit as much as anyone else from gaining new knowledge, getting out of their comfort zone and gaining new perspectives. Books are a wonderful source of learning about the world, different cultures, different generations, and events. It’s all about learning in an informal, low-pressure environment where ideas and concepts can be freely discussed, and seniors can learn about the world through the eyes of other people.

Making the Most of the Golden Years at Assisted living in Gloucester County 

Pitman is an assisted living community in Gloucester County, NJ, offering high quality, scalable 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.

To find out more about 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/4-great-reasons-to-start-a-seniors-book-club/

4 Benefits of In Home Senior Care

When you or a loved one start to need some extra help around the house or in daily life, there are two main solutions – moving into a CCRC or assisted living community, or hiring in home senior care. 

Here we take a look at how seniors benefit from home care services.

• The comfort of home: For many people who use these services, this is by far the most important benefit. Moving can be a big disruption in life, removing you from familiar surroundings, your community and your social circle. By staying at home, a good level of independence and routine is maintained, which is something most people love – and is especially beneficial to seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
• Control over your care: When you choose senior home care, you get to control what services are provided, when they are provided and who provides them. This means customized care that fits the patient’s needs as well as personal preferences. You can choose from live-in care to part-time or respite care as the costs are usually determined on an hourly basis, and services can include anything from light housework, transport and companionship to assistance with bathing and grooming.
• Affordability: By being able to customize care services and work within hourly rates, assistance for seniors is often more affordable than making the move into an assisted living facility. You can choose whatever care option best suits your budget rather than having to pay monthly fees.
• Greater flexibility: By choosing in home care, you get greater flexibility in your services because they’re provided for just one person rather than a whole community. This means that if you want to go grocery shopping, your home health aide can take you. If you want meals at a certain time, that can be arranged. It’s all about working within your requirements.

Tailored, Expert Senior Home Care in NJ 

As a leading senior home care provider in New Jersey, our team offers in-home care for older adults through trained, experienced nursing and health aide staff. We have a wide range of services from companionship and help around the home to 24-hour live-in care, depending on exactly what you and your loved one requires. Our services are scalable and by-the-hour, allowing you to develop a custom care plan.

For more information on our senior home care services, please contact us today or visit our website at https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/Home-Heath-Aid-services 

Original content posted on https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/4-benefits-of-in-home-senior-care/

What is The Relationship Between Cancer and Lifestyle Factors?

Cancer is one of the most prolific and devastating health conditions of our time and, while the exact causes of the many types of cancer are out of our control (including genetic factors), there are some ways we can help prevent these diseases. Taking a proactive approach often means making important changes to our lifestyles to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Here’s what our CCRC in Sussex County, New Jersey recommends:

6 Healthy Changes to Lower Your Risk of Cancer 

1. Commit to a healthy diet. A balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, limited in processed foods (especially processed meats), sugar, and animal fats is key to keeping your body in great health. The stronger your body and immune system, the lower your risk of cancer and the greater your ability to overcome this disease.
   
   
2. Eliminate tobacco products. Using any type of tobacco is one of the greatest factors in increasing your risk of cancer of mouth, lungs, pancreas, cervix, kidney, and throat, regardless of whether it is smoked or chewed. Giving up tobacco reduces these risks significantly, not only for yourself, but also for those who live with you.
   
   
3. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk for several types of cancer, including prostate, lung, colon, kidney, and breast cancer. A healthy diet and exercise will strengthen your body, reduce cancer risk and boost your overall well being.
   
   
4. Be sun safe. Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer— and it can be deadly. Avoid the sun between 10am and 3pm, cover exposed skin, use a quality sunscreen, and stay away from tanning beds and sunlamps, and you’ll substantially reduce your skin cancer risk.
   
   
5. Get vaccinated. In recent years, vaccines have been developed for two viruses that can lead to cancer development, Hepatitis B and HPV (human papillomavirus). These vaccines are widely available for boys and girls as well as adults and are effective at lowering risks of associated cancers like liver cancer, cervical and genital cancers.
   
   
6. Pay attention to your body. Speak to your doctor about your family’s cancer history and learn how to perform self-examinations for cancer. If you commit to regular screenings (including mammograms and colonoscopies) as recommended by your doctor and report any changes to your health, you are more likely to spot cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.

Independent Living for Seniors at a Beautiful CCRC in Sussex County, New Jersey 

Bristol Glen is a CCRC and assisted living community based in Sussex County that aims to provide seniors with comfortable, serviced living arrangements that free up your time to enjoy life. Founded on a philosophy of aging in place, our Continuing Care Retirement Community residents enjoy a less restrictive care model where they do not have to move from their residential apartment to access additional services as their needs change.

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

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/what-is-the-relationship-between-cancer-and-lifestyle-factors/