5 Ways to Combat Stress and Anxiety

 

Stress and anxiety can lead to serious mental and physical health problems in people of all ages, but it can be especially detrimental to seniors. Our home health care team, United Methodist Communities HomeWorks, has gathered insight into how stress and anxiety affects seniors. We’ve also compiled vital tips on how to help manage this issue to better support your overall health or the health of a senior family member. 

How stress affects seniors

Stress and anxiety are natural and useful responses – when our minds recognize a threat, the stress response releases a hormone called cortisol to ready our bodies for fight or flight. Our blood pressure rises, our muscles tense, our breathing becomes more rapid and our senses sharpen.

Unfortunately, our modern lives trigger this response easily and too often. No matter our age, this creates dangerous strain on our brains and physical bodies, especially our hearts. In seniors, this is even more serious. Seniors often have additional medical conditions, including chronic diseases, low appetite (which impacts nutrition), physical disabilities, poor sleep patterns, isolation and more. The additional weight of stress and anxiety makes it more difficult for the body to cope and bounce back compared to a younger person. 

So, what can seniors do to better manage stress and anxiety?

The good news is stress and anxiety can be managed. Simple lifestyle changes can make all the difference in maintaining a healthier senior lifestyle.

• Meditation – Meditation involves deep, steady breathing, mental focus to clear your mind, and relaxing your physical body. Regular meditation helps the body clear away stress hormones, improve sleep, and combats depression and even chronic pain. There are some great apps available that can teach you how to meditate, while also highlighting more benefits of this practice. 
• Exercise – Physical exercise releases those “feel-good” hormones that help the body and mind to flush away stress. It doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise either! For seniors, it’s best to talk to a doctor or care team for some ideas on finding the right exercise for you. Some low-impact exercises include yoga, nature walks, dancing, water aerobics or gardening. Regular physical activity also helps improve sleep, which helps your body get rid of excess cortisol that has built up throughout the day. 
• Listen to music – Music has an incredible way of lifting your mood and reconnecting with great memories, so sit back, relax, and listen away! You can stream music for free from YouTube, play an instrument or put on the radio. Even listening to soothing sounds like ocean waves or bird sounds with your eyes closed can create a sense of relaxation, which lowers cortisol levels and balances blood pressure. 
• Eat a balanced diet – High stress levels can make you want to reach for those fatty snacks your doctor has been telling you to avoid! However, the best choice for combatting stress and anxiety is a healthy diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, eggs, and lean proteins are all fantastic for supporting brain and physical health. They are also effective for reducing chronic pain, improving sleep quality, managing chronic symptoms, and improving physical and mental function. 
• Getting active in the community – Making friends, participating in activities and finding a purpose in your community is an important way to combat stress, anxiety and even depression. This will also help you to stay mentally and physically healthy. Learn a new skill, pass on a skill of your own, start a hobby you’ve always wanted to try, and get involved!

Home health aides can ease and eliminate daily stresses 

HomeWorks is dedicated to safe, in-home care for older adults in New Jersey that promotes an independent and abundant life. In addition to assisting with daily tasks, errands and light housekeeping, our home health aides are fully trained in providing assistance and care in line with the latest COVID-19 guidelines.

To find out more about how we can ease the stress of seniors and their caregivers, please contact us today or visit our website at: https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/home-respite-care-services-nj/

Originally posted: https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/5-ways-to-combat-stress-and-anxiety/

 

7 Home Safety Tips for Seniors

 With age comes decreasing mobility and slower reflexes, which can lead to falls and accidents around the house. Here are some tips on how to keep your home as safe as possible, from in-home care specialists in Sparta, NJ.

1. Rearrange your everyday pantry staples

Pantries are wonderful spaces for storing household necessities from canned goods to baking equipment, cleaning products, emergency kits, and anything else you could think of. However, this means pantries can get cluttered very quickly, and often.

Take a look at your pantry space with a critical eye and plan to make it as accessible as possible, while minimizing fall risks. Put everyday staples on the middle shelves where you don’t have to reach up, stand on a stool, or bend low down to reach them. If you have a big pantry, try to keep the floor space clear and the area well lit.

2. Install and maintain alarms

Make sure the home has enough smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and place them in relevant areas. For example, there should always be a smoke detector in the kitchen close to the stove, and a carbon monoxide detector near heaters. Test the alarms once a year and replace the batteries as needed. 

3. Live clutter-free

If you’ve lived in your home for many years, chances are that it’s not just full of memories – it’s full of stuff! Clutter is the easiest thing to trip over, but fortunately it’s also one of the easiest obstacles to eliminate. Get family and neighbors to help out with organizing your space. Send useful items you no longer want to charity, set up a backyard sale, and then take whatever is left over to the dump. Once you live in a clutter-free home with everything in its rightful place, you will never want to fall back into your old ways. You will find that staying organized is good for your mind and your soul, as well as your physical health!

4. Increase home lighting

It’s easy for lightbulbs around the house to get dimmer over time without you noticing. But fading lights plus poor vision make for serious fall risks! Take this opportunity to upgrade your lights to LEDs. They come in a wide range of brightness and tones, can fit in any fixture, and they last much longer than regular light bulbs, while using less than a tenth of the energy. If you don’t want to upgrade every single bulb, focus on creating more light in fall risk areas like stairs, bedrooms, bathrooms, and outdoor spaces. One great tip is to put lighting strips along stairs and a press-on light by the bed.

5. Tailor clothes

Clothes don’t come in the right size for every body type, and it’s a big problem for seniors. Loose, long sleeves and too-long pants make it easy to trip and fall. They catch onto everything from your feet to railings, cabinets, and rugs. It’s important to tailor all your clothes so that they fit just right. It’s not only a great way to help prevent falls, you’ll also get to support a local business – and let’s face it, clothes that fit well just feel so much better!

6. Grab bars and assistive gear

They may not be particularly attractive, but boy oh boy, do they keep you safe! Not to mention, a lot of the more modern grab bars and assistance gear actually look much better than you think. It’s a quick and easy job for a local handyman to install within your home, plus you will feel less worried about falling while bathing or going up and down the stairs.

7. Live on one level

If possible, live mainly on the ground floor of your home. It’s a simple solution that only requires a little rearranging of the furniture. You can use your upstairs for storage, while keeping the ground floor clutter-free and clear of hazards.

As a provider of in-home care in Sparta, NJ, we know the importance of avoiding slip and fall accidents in the home. If you would like to find out more about our services or start the process of getting your own in-home assistance, contact us today or visit our website at https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/home-health-aide-services/

Originally posted: https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/7-home-safety-tips-for-seniors/

When is the Right Time to Look for At-Home Care for the Elderly?

Senior home health care services are a great option for elderly loved ones who still live independently, but are starting to need help for basic, day-to-day tasks. Here are some indicators that your loved one can benefit from in-home assistance from New Jersey’s specialists in home care for the elderly.

1. Trouble driving: The ability to drive safely is an important part of being independent, but may deteriorate as we age. If your loved one is no longer feeling confident behind the wheel, anxious about driving or has had a minor accident, they may benefit from an in-home care service that takes care of their transportation needs.
2. Home maintenance: If your previously house-proud parents are now letting home cleaning and maintenance issues get out of control, in-home care might be a good idea. This lack of daily cleaning and maintenance may mean that your parents just aren’t able to keep up with the constant demands of their home. With some assistance, they can continue to enjoy their home, while also removing potential safety and health hazards.
3. Loss of weight and poor hygiene: Caring for ourselves becomes more difficult as we age and this often includes bathing, traveling to the supermarket, cooking and cleaning. If you’re noticing that your elderly loved one is experiencing unusual weight loss or poor hygiene, in-home care offers a great option. These services prioritize your loved one’s health and comfort and avoid the stress of moving.
4. Confusion and forgetfulness: Everyone forgets things sometimes, but if you’re noticing this more frequently, it could be a good time to talk about getting in-home care. As possible symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s, it’s important to consult a physician for a proper medical diagnosis and treatment plan. Your in-home care assistant can then help with daily tasks, medication management, transport and more.
5. Depression, anxiety and mood swings: Unusual changes in mood or high levels of stress can signal that your loved one isn’t coping at home. This can be a very difficult reality for anyone to deal with, but it’s important to recognize, seek and implement a solution that suits your loved one. Often, seniors feel anxious about their inability to cope and possibly giving up their homes and their independence. In-home care can be the right choice.

Compassionate, expert senior health care services in the comfort of home

United Methodist Communities in New Jersey understands the challenges of providing care and companionship to seniors while encouraging a full and independent life, which is why we’ve developed our HomeWorks program.

Through this program, trained and experienced staff assist seniors and their families through comprehensive in-home care. Each care plan is designed around the client’s needs, filling in with necessary assistance while allowing your loved one to remain in the comfort of their home.

In addition to assistance with daily tasks, transportation and personal hygiene, our team can give support with nursing, medication management and much more. For dementia and Alzheimer’s clients, we can develop specific care routines to ensure a sense of structure and help reduce stress and anxiety.

For more information on our in-home care for the elderly, please contact us today.

Original content posted on https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/blog/right-time-look-home-care-elderly/ 

5 Tips to Protect Your Information When You Shop Online

As the online shopping industry continues to evolve, so do the scams. It is important to take steps to protect yourself.  Here are five tips to protect your information when you shop online.

1. Use complex passwords: Try for passwords with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols or very long passwords. Both are harder to crack. And don’t use the same password for all your accounts!
2. Review your financial statements: If you see an unfamiliar charge on your account, contact the institution right away.
3. Look for security signs: You should see an https in front of the web address or a lock icon at the end verifying its safety.
4. Use your credit card if possible: If you need to dispute a charge it is much harder to resolve if the money has already been taken out of your bank account.
5. Check the seller’s reputation: Online reviews are priceless. And if you are shopping on eBay or another site with independent sellers choose one with a track record of high satisfaction scores.

Compassionate Home Care for Seniors in New Jersey
United Methodist Communities HomeWorks is committed to providing comprehensive and coordinated in home care for seniors, fostering independence at home in Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean counties. Our dedicated and compassionate caregivers help our clients through their daily activities and provide professional medical care support.

To find out more about our services, please contact us today.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/five-tips-protect-info/