Low Impact Exercises for Seniors

Low Impact Exercises | There is no lack of research touting the myriad benefits of exercise. This makes it all the more frustrating for millions of seniors who want to harness these benefits but are physically limited by chronic pain and disease. The good news is that most of the benefits associated with regular exercise do not require gym memberships, fancy equipment, or even strenuous activity. In fact, low-impact exercises are often preferable as they produce benefits while limiting potential pain and injury.

Low-impact and high-impact refers the to amount of stress placed upon the joints during exercise and not the intensity or effectiveness of the movements or routines. Many low-impact exercises go so far as to remove any stressful or repetitive contact of body parts with hard surfaces. Examples of such activities include swimming, biking, yoga, and Tai Chi. Others, such as water aerobics or low-impact aerobics allow the contact of limbs with the ground, but in a highly-controlled manner. Water aerobics offsets the impact of the limbs and stress on joints through the buoyancy of the water.

Many of the benefits of regular exercise are related to a controlled increase in the heart rate. Low-impact exercises are able to increase the heart rate just as effectively as high-impact exercises. Many of them also come with the added benefits of working on balance and flexibility as well. Further, low-impact exercises tend to raise the heart rate at a slower pace so those who need to carefully monitor their heart rate or blood pressure can do so more easily.

Of course, the greatest benefit of low-impact exercise is the lack of stress on the joints. This makes low-impact activities a great option for seniors dealing with joint pain from arthritis and autoimmune disorders or who are worried about the consequences of osteoporosis. In addition to protecting joints from impact, the loss of weight through exercise makes a significant difference when it comes to the workload the joints are subjected to. Losing just five or ten pounds can make an enormous difference that can be felt in the joints.

In Home Caregiver for Calgary’s Seniors

Seniors who live alone may have additional concerns about exercise, especially if they are dealing with physical pain or issues that limit mobility. Should they fall or get injured, they may not be able to get help. Other times, the stress related to the exercise counteracts the benefits. This is where an in home caregiver can make all of the difference. An in home caregiver can provide the physical, emotional and social support needed for seniors to exercise safely and confidently. Plus, it is a whole lot more fun to work out when there is somebody to encourage you, prod you on, and talk to. An in home caregiver can also provide transportation to a senior center, fitness center, or pool should transportation be needed.

In short, low-impact exercises are far from inferior forms of exercise. In addition to being joint-safe, they are effective ways to reduce stress, reduce weight, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In situations where seniors require assistance to take advantage of exercise opportunities, a senior caregiver can provide essential physical, emotional, and social supports.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Low Impact Exercises

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Homecare Service for Seniors in Calgary, AB

Homecare Services for Seniors | Tens of millions of seniors are not able to fully care for themselves and require assistance in one or more daily living tasks. Many of these seniors have family members who can support them as family caregivers.

The reasons for support are varied and range from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease to cancer and Parkinson’s. Other seniors face autoimmune disorders, ALS, fibromyalgia, and problems with pain and mobility. In addition to these chronic issues, seniors may face short-term, acute issues that limit their ability as well. For example, surgery or an accident may only have a recovery time of weeks or months, but that is a long time to go without food, water, or even conveniences.

Does your aging loved one need more support?

If your senior loved one requires support with one or more daily living tasks, homecare services from Comfort Keepers may be the answer. Even if family caregivers are available, homecare services can provide respite care relief should caregivers need a break. Other times, family caregivers need support, especially as progressive diseases move into their later stages.

Comfort Keepers homecare services include light housekeeping, laundry, cooking, transportation, and personal care such as toileting assistance, bathing, grooming, and dressing. In Calgary, Comfort Keepers homecare services also include specialized dementia and Alzheimer’s care, hospital to home transition assistance, end of life care, and even private duty nursing support.

In short, if your senior loved one requires support to remain free, safe, and independent, Comfort Keepers has all of the services and supports they need under the umbrella of one agency. Even better, with Comfort Keepers trademarked Interactive Caregiving approach, homecare services address the holistic needs of your loved one, including their cognitive, emotional, and social well-being in addition to any physical tasks and chores that may be performed.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Homecare Services for Seniors

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Homecare Assistance for Older Drivers

Homecare Assistance and Senior Drivers | Gerald is 70 years old. He has been driving since she was a young teenager. His insurance company has rewarded him with lower rates for many years because of his safe driving record. Now, because of a few medical complications, the doctor is recommending that he no longer has a driver’s license. Gerald is furious about the loss of his license. He wonders if the doctor has the right to restrict his license, and if he does, how will he live his life without the use of his vehicle?

Gerald is not alone.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), there are currently around 25 million drivers over the age of 70 on American highways. This number is set to skyrocket over the next two decades as the Baby Boomers age. The IIHS also notes that while many seniors remain safe drivers, “Once people turn 70, their crash rates start to tick up. After 80, the acceleration is marked. Octogenarians on up have a higher collision rate per mile traveled of any age group except for teens, and their rate of fatal collisions per mile traveled is the highest of all drivers.”

In absence of a national law on senior drivers, each state imposes its own rules. Most require drivers over the age of 65 to renew their license in person and pass an eye exam. All states allow physicians and family members to report suspicions of unsafe driving, and a handful of states actually require physicians to report their belief that a senior may no longer be fit to drive. These states are in the vast minority, however, and even then the senior can often draw out the suspension for some time.

Even if a senior knows they may be moving a little slower, seeing and hearing a little less, and having aches and pains that impact their ability to handle a vehicle as aptly as they used to, most are reluctant to turn over their keys. A big part of the issue is freedom, independence, and the ability to safely function in life without adequate transportation support. As Gerald wondered, how will life be lived without the use of a vehicle?

Homecare Assistance in Calgary, AB

Homecare assistance is available in all 50 states. Most homecare providers provide transportation assistance as part of their standard services. Comfort Keepers does.

Some areas of the country have more needs than other parts. For example, seniors who live in New York City likely have much greater access to efficient public transportation than seniors who live in most any suburban or rural community. Even seniors in sprawling metropolises like Los Angeles which lack the breadth of public transit found in cities like San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, New York, or even Pittsburgh, may find getting around difficult if not impossible.

In these situations, many seniors turn to friends or loved ones. Even those who have these options, however, find that homecare assistance affords them increased freedom and they don’t feel like they are becoming a burden, which lessens their anxiety from an already stressful situation.

Another benefit of homecare assistance is care for the underlying reason the license was taken away. Most seniors, like Gerald, who needed to give up a license, have underlying, progressive medical issues which require on-going, long-term care. It may start with transportation, but in these circumstances the homecare assistance will likely grow into many other daily living tasks and perhaps even personal care.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Homecare Assistance and Senior Drivers

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Fall Prevention for Seniors

Senior Fall Prevention | More seniors fall and get hurt than individuals in other age groups. As a result, many people assume falling is a result of aging. The good news is that this is false logic. Falls are not a result of aging, and they can be prevented. For seniors, fall prevention is more than avoiding the odds, it is about maximizing health, independence, and quality of life, because when seniors do fall it is usually serious.

Tips for Senior In Home Safety

The first step in fall prevention is analyzing and preparing the home environment. After all, over 70 percent of senior falls take place in the home. Calgary seniors can count on Comfort Keepers to provide support in this area. A home risk analysis will identify the areas most likely to lead to a fall so they can be fixed. The most common findings are cords, cables, and loose rugs in walkways. Safety suggestions often include grab bars near toilets and showers, addressing level shifts in the flooring, motion sensor lighting, and railings in the hallways.

Statistically, the primary reason for age-related senior falls is a lack of strength and flexibility in the lower half of the body. Frail seniors may be too afraid to start an exercise program, and those with chronic, progressive, or severe medical issues may struggle many forms of exercise. In these cases, the most popular forms of exercise include walking, water aerobics, swimming, yoga, and Tai Chi. Others find that stationary bikes are more to their liking. The secret is simply finding something that is of interest that can be done safely. Calgary seniors Comfort Keepers staff can make all of the difference, as they offer the physical, emotional, and social supports needed for seniors to find and stick with an exercise program.

A significant number of senior falls are also attributed to decreased vision, dizziness due to medication and ear problems, and improper diet. Fall prevention includes regular medical check-ups and proper treatment such as up-to-date prescriptions for glasses, dietary guides, and medication management and oversight. Calgary seniors can get much of this support, including transportation to and from appointments, shopping, and cooking from Comfort Keepers senior care services.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Senior Fall Prevention

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Seniors and Isolation

Seniors and isolation is a growing problem in America. The US Census Bureau reports tens of millions of American seniors living alone, and many of these seniors do not have anybody checking in on them or engaging with them socially. While some seniors choose this lifestyle, others have it dropped upon them through the death of a loved one or another situation beyond their control.

It is normal for social contacts to decrease with age. Many of those we knew moved away or passed on, but for seniors living alone, this can create a potentially dangerous situation. Dr. John Cacioppo, a neuroscientist and psychologist at the University of Chicago, notes that senior isolation is directly linked to loneliness “poor cognitive performance and quicker cognitive decline.” These seniors also have a much greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Despite the increased risks associated with isolation, many seniors pull back from social situations because they don’t feel good about themselves. Issues with weight, eyesight, hearing, grooming, etc. create negative feelings, low-self esteem, poor body image, and a lack of self-worth. These seniors are often overly self-conscious, easily embarrassed, and walk the line of depression. Many times, the issues that cause their social anxiety could be prevented, moderated, or even stopped if they had the proper support. Home care aides are able to provide this support.

Why Hire Home Care Aides?

Seniors who need assistance with personal care are often too embarrassed to ask for help. Yet, issues with mobility, pain, memory, vision, or even awareness can make personal care difficult if not impossible. Home care aides provide personal care support that includes bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, and incontinence care. These services allow seniors to look and feel their best, which gives them confidence to enter into social situations.

Seniors with hearing issues often feel embarrassed that they cannot follow conversations, have to ask for things to be repeated, or are troubled by background noises. Instead of getting help, they withdraw from social life. Home care aides can help your senior loved one identify their hearing loss, arrange for testing, and provide the emotional and social support they will need as they adjust to assistive devices such as hearing aids. With an increased ability to hear clearly, social situations no longer seem quite so imposing and instances of isolation can be avoided.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Seniors and Isolation

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Caregivers Help Seniors and Aging with Dignity

Aging With Dignity | Seventy percent of seniors over 65 require long-term care. Many of these seniors need assistance with at least two daily living activities. Aging with dignity means that these seniors will be able to maximize their quality of life despite their limitations or need for support. Aging with dignity means having choices, maintaining independence, and being free to receive services in the comfort of their own home.

Senior Caregivers Calgary, AB

Many seniors are fearful about the future. They do not believe that if they get to the point where they require senior caregivers that they will be treated with respect and dignity. As sad as it sounds, researchers found that most Americans expect to face isolation, abandonment, and a loss of dignity when they get older. Senior caregivers are not viewed as the answer.

Thankfully, Comfort Keepers senior caregivers understand these feelings, concerns and fears. Because each of Comfort Keepers services are individually tailored to a senior’s individual needs and not to a set system of services, each senior is treated with respect from the outset. Senior caregivers are trained, supervised, and selected because of their love for seniors and the profession.

With Comfort Keepers interactive caregiving model, seniors play a critical role in their own care, maximizing freedom, independence, choice, and self-esteem. By creating an atmosphere of social interaction and positive stimulation, seniors are encouraged instead of discouraged by their care.

One of the greatest fears seniors have is needing help with personal care such as bathing,  grooming, getting dressed, toileting and incontinence. Comfort Keepers staff are highly trained in providing personal care to maximize privacy, discretion, and self-worth.

Aging with dignity means that regardless of the supports that are needed to get by, seniors need to be treated with respect and valued as people with feelings and emotions.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Senior Age with Dignity

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.

Home Care for Seniors with Vision Loss

Vision Loss and Home Care | As we age, many things change, and not all of them change for the better. Age-related eye diseases are some of these less than positive changes. Among the most common of these ailments are macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, presbyopia, and dry eye.

While dry eye and presbyopia are not diseases, per se, they do cause numerous problems in seniors, and dry eye syndrome is linked to many age-related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cataracts, glaucoma, and lupus. Dry eye can also impact a person’s ability to see clearly. Presbyopia is the age-related loss of clarity and focus due to the hardening of the eye’s lens.

Cataracts are considered an age-related disease, but according to All About Vision, they are so common in seniors they might as well be considered normal age-related vision changes. Mayo Clinic estimates that between 50 and 75 percent of seniors over the age of 65 have at least some degree of cataracts.

Glaucoma is caused by pressure in the inside of the eye that damages the optic nerve. Glaucoma causes permanent vision loss, and, if not treated, it will quickly lead to total blindness. The risk of glaucoma goes up one percent each year after 40. It is estimated that nearly 4 million seniors will have glaucoma by 2020.

Diabetic retinopathy impacts seniors with diabetes. A large percent of seniors with diabetes have some level of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the small blood vessels in the retina causing blindness.

Calgary Home Care

Regardless of the reason behind the vision loss, seniors with impaired vision may need help with daily living tasks if they are aging in place. Calgary home care providers can help meet your loved one’s needs as they adjust to life with impaired vision. Even with glasses, magnifiers, and assistive devices, there are tasks that become quite difficult with a loss of vision. For one, reading those tiny labels on prescription bottles can be worrisome. Most seniors over the age of 65 take eight to 15 medications each day, which is why Calgary home care medication management support is so important.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Vision Loss and Home Care

If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home

Parkinson’s Disease and Senior Home Care

Parkinson’s Disease and Home Care | Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that slowly erodes an individual’s ability to care for themselves. Parkinson’s does not have a standard set of symptoms and each person’s experience with Parkinson’s is unique. What is common is that the disease affects the body’s ability to control muscle movements. This may result in tremors, muscle rigidity, difficulty walking, and an inability to perform any task requiring fine motor skills. There is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease, and its progressive nature ensures that it is highly debilitating.

The good news is that progress has been made in the treatment of many of Parkinson’s symptoms, which can greatly increase a senior’s quality of life. For seniors who choose to remain at home and age in place, home care in Calgary can provide the extra support needed, especially in the later stages of the disease.

A primary goal for home care in Calgary is effective medication management, as many of the treatments involve numerous medications. Since they target specific parts of the body’s neurology, the medications need to be taken at exact times in exact amounts. Parkinson’s tremors and muscle rigidity makes it very hard to open bottles, draw up medication, etc, thus most seniors will require help with their Parkinson’s treatments. Because of the potency of the medication and the number of possible drug interactions, it is also very important to keep careful records. Home care in Calgary provides this support.

In addition to medication, alternative therapies are also available. Many seniors find relief through acupuncture, and many others find meditation to be of great benefit. Since mobility and muscle movement is such a serious concern with Parkinson’s, exercise is an invaluable part in the treatment process. A growing body of research suggests that exercise may be more powerful than medication in slowing Parkinson’s progression. Some of the most effective exercises include Tai Chi, yoga, and Pilates since they focus on strength, flexibility and balance. Water sports such as swimming and water aerobics are also helpful since the water’s buoyancy aids in balance.

Comfort Keepers^® Calgary Can Help with Parkinson’s Disease and Home Care

Parkinson’s is a degenerative, neurological disorder without a cure. To maximize your loved one’s quality of life, home care in Calgary can provide support with daily living tasks, medication management, and companion care. If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.

Contact the Comfort Keepers Calgary office to learn more about how we can help maintain safety, comfort, and happiness in the home.