Brain Health in Senior Years - Comfort Keepers Silicon Valley

We often observe various misconceptions and wrong ideas related with what aging does to your brain and about the things that you can do to improve your brain muscles in senior years. So, we from Comfort Keepers thought of clearing up some of the major misconceptions and at the same time guide you towards the right way to improve your brain health, memory and overall cognitive faculty.

Simple Exercise

One of the major misconceptions is that most of us think aging of the brain and the consequent decay is inevitable. However, this is not altogether a true statement. Although it is natural that with age the brain is likely to shrink but with just a bit of added measure you can also reverse the brain shrinking quite significantly. A study conducted by the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh combined have found out that just simple exercises like walking or stretching can increase the size of the hippocampus, the main area of the brain responsible for memory, up to 2% in just one year. Besides, the study also suggested that seniors who exercise regularly are likely to have less amount of amyloid, the sticky plaque found in the brain in case of Alzheimer’s disease.

Eat Fish

Another common misconception is that supplements can boost memory and brain power. This cannot be asserted for sure. The evidence and reports on this matter often portray conflicting information on the results of supplements. Although vitamin E has been shown to slow down cognitive decline with age, high doses come with some obvious side effects. However, there’s a natural brain health booster that is unknown to most of us is fish. A UCLA study has found out that among the seniors over the age of 65 who ate at least one meal a week centered on fish items had higher amount of gray matter in their hippocampus than those who had less fish or didn’t have at all. The research concluded that the more you eat fish, up to three servings per week, the lesser the chances of cognitive decline.

Learn New Things

Although many of us tend to believe that playing games like crossword puzzles help to boost our brain power but in reality, it is not exactly the case. Actually what helps is learning anything new. Be it a game like crossword puzzle or a new skill like playing a musical instrument. But, keep playing the same game won’t help. Doing repetitive tasks won't help in creating new neural connection or improving your brain but learning new things will. A recent Swedish study reports that learning a new language increased the size of some brain parts. So, keep learning new things be it small games or huge task like learning a language.

Your Mind Actually Gets Better with Age

Contrary to popular beliefs our brain actually get better with age. This happens because the left and the right hemisphere of the brain sync better due to the richness of neural connection that is achieved with age. That’s why we often see wisdom and emotional balance increasing with age. Due to the same increased left and right connectivity creativity also soars in senior years. Besides, with a huge reservoir of skills, knowledge and experience accumulated throughout the whole lifespan our senior loved ones develop a crystallized form of superior intelligence.

Now, with these ideas in your head we can rightly hope that you will never allow the negative misconceptions about aging take the upper hand on you. For any help and support regarding senior health and well being do not hesitate to contact Comfort Keepers Silicon Valley!

Caregiving Guidelines for Parkinson’s from Comfort Keepers San Jose

Mayo Clinic defines Parkinson’s disease as a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease that affects our senior loved ones. It is only second to the Alzheimer’s disease in this context.

As the number of seniors increasing so is the sufferers of Parkinson’s disease. Treatment can reduce the symptoms but there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. So, proper lifestyle management is the only solution to staying safe and continue with daily life. And home health caregivers from Comfort Keepers can render immense help and support to our senior loved ones who are suffering from Parkinson’s.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease develop slowly. They are often unnoticed until it reaches severe stages. So, proper attention is necessary to detect the symptoms.

The symptoms also vary from person to person, however, starts to appear between the ages of 50 and 60. The major symptoms are:

●     Tremor or shaking of hands, legs and arms.

●     Stiff or aching muscles.

●     Slow and limited movement.

●     Muscle weakness, especially throat and face muscles

●     Difficulty while walking and maintaining balance.

●     Difficulty in speaking and writing

So, if you have senior adored one living among you keep be alert and keep an eye on them to discern any such symptoms. If so then take a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible and have a diagnosis.

And if you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease then you already know how important it is to look after them with great caution. As Parkinson's is directly connected with movement so it makes everyday life much difficult and even impossible at times. So, having professional help can make a huge lot of difference.

●     A professional in-home caregiver will not only be able to take care of your senior loved one’s daily essential tasks but they will be able to assist them with all the lifestyle changes and specific practices that are proven to help seniors with Parkinson’s stay more happy and comfortable.

●     With Parkinson’s having a healthy diet and doing daily physical exercise helps a lot in reducing the impact of the symptoms. A caregiver will be able to plan and prepare the dietary plan and the daily food menu for the best interest of the senior loved one. Besides, they will be able to direct, assist and motivate the seniors for having their daily physical exercise.

●     The possibility of sudden falls increases a lot with Parkinson’s. So, it becomes even more important to make you home fall-proof and to keep a cautious eye on your senior loved ones constantly. Both of these tasks can be achieved with a proficient home health senior caregiver.

●     In some severe cases daily essential tasks can become impossible for our senior loved ones to do without assistance. Tasks like bathing, grooming, eating and walking can become very troublesome at times. A caregiver will be able to help and support our senior loved ones with these daily life activities and can lead them to better health conditions.

●     Another thing that is important in this regard that anxiety and stress is one of the forces that increase the effect of symptoms in case of Parkinson’s disease. So, taking necessary steps to keep your senior loved ones relaxed and stress-free is task that you have to do. Even in this case having an expert caregiver who knows how to deal with such situations and knows how to direct the mental energies and movements within the senior minds with targeted activities can make all the difference.  

So, if you have a senior loved one who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease then do not delay in contacting Comfort Keepers San Jose and Silicon Valley office.

Planning for Your Retirement - Comfort Keepers Silicon Valley

Life in declining years poses unique situations and conditions to our lives. There arise unforeseen dangers and unwarranted mishaps without any prior notice. Moreover, in senior years one very naturally needs help and support from others. For these reasons planning for your declining years after your retirement is of superlative importance.

Most of the time our senior loved ones expect necessary help and support from their friends and family but there are almost a quarter of seniors living in the US who are single, widowed and childless, hence practically living alone without anybody to help. Another significant portion of our senior loved ones are living far away from their families due to various reasons hence they are also having to live alone.

For those seniors who have no one to seek help in their senior years, planning for retirement is even more crucial and has to be done with caution and urgency as long as they are able to make the plans and the necessary actions done or delegated.

So, we from Comfort Keepers San Jose ans Silicon Valley have these thoughts, ideas and guidelines to share with our senior loved ones who are still in a position to make plans for themselves and are able to take care of themselves; as soon the days may not remain the same as it is now!

Be Economic

Save money as much as you can for your senior years and for your days after retirement. Although you do not have friends and family to take care of you, you may be able to source help from professional services. According to a 2013 report, an estimated $470 billion dollars worth of senior care are currently rendered by family caregivers. So, for the seniors who are alone, professional help is the only choice.

Organize Your Assets

Make a list of all of your assets, bank accounts and other financial accounts like insurances, mortgages etc. and save it for future. Document your financial details like account names, IDs, passwords etc. Automate your financial distributions like paying bills and other disbursements and save the necessary automation information for future reference.

Prepare Your Financial Documents

Get in contact with a trusted attorney and prepare your will and other financial documents like living trust, health care proxy, or any other document that you may need as per the advice of your financial consultant and accountants.

Choose a Health Care Surrogate

This is especially important for seniors who are looking forward to living alone. You might be able to take actions and plan for your life right now but in future, there may arise some situations when your judgment and cognitive faculty may not work properly and you will need a trusted individual to make crucial health care decisions for you. So, find someone from your acquaintances and make him your health care surrogate.

Be Socially and Communally Active

Staying socially and communally active not only boosts your physical and mental health but also will help to gather support in your senior years. Get involved in various social or religious groups. Join volunteer groups and retirement communities. This way you will have lots of people to get connected with who will be able to help you in various ways after your retirement.

Select Retirement Community and Your Senior Care Provider

It is always a good idea to browse all the options beforehand. Select one that best suits you among the best retirement communities in your region and get connected with them. Or if you want to age in your own home then you should do the same with senior home health care service providers of your choice.

Create a List of Advisors and Keep their Contacts with You

Find all the expert advisors like accountants, financial advisors, legal attorneys and medical emergency professionals and make a list of them along with their contact details. This way you will be able to get help right when you need and in times of emergency.