Making healthy lifestyle changes now can help your senior loved one boost his or her wellbeing. In fact, it’s better for seniors to make healthy changes on their own terms than to be forced to do it because of an illness or preventable condition. These eight changes can all add up to a longer life span that’s filled with more happiness in the senior years.
1. Give Up Harmful Habits
Some seniors have had a smoking habit for decades. Help your loved one explore smoking cessation techniques that can help him or her quit. Support groups for smokers are a great place to start. If your loved one doesn’t smoke, he or she may have another unhealthy addiction to address, such as drinking too much alcohol.
Professional caregivers can be wonderful sources of support for seniors who are trying to give up unhealthy habits. In Irving, home care providers can benefit aging adults in a variety of ways. From cooking nutritious meals to offering timely medication reminders, the dedicated caregivers at Home Care Assistance are available to help your elderly loved one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. Go for Daily Walks
Instead of stressing over hectic exercise routines, seniors can focus on just getting out of the house once a day. A daily walk is a great form of exercise, and it’s easier on the joints than trying to do a major workout. Over time, walking can help your loved one lower his or her blood pressure and enjoy other health benefits.
3. Focus on Better Sleep Hygiene
Proper rest is essential for the body to function well, and a sleep-deprived senior is more likely to experience accidents at home. Encourage your loved one to establish a bedtime and stick to it. To foster better sleep, you may also need to make alterations to your loved one’s bedroom, such as putting up room-darkening curtains.
If your loved one needs help adopting healthier lifestyle habits, a professional caregiver can be a fantastic source of information and encouragement. Homecare agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
4. Find Ways to Laugh Each Day
Laughter still remains one of the best kinds of medicine around. Laughing promotes a positive outlook that can boost physical and mental health. Get your loved one a joke-a-day calendar or encourage him or her to listen to a comedy show. Finding things to laugh at can even become a game that elevates your loved one’s mood.
5. Take Up a Challenging Hobby
Hobbies are important, but your loved one may get more out of them when they involve progressive levels of challenges. For example, your loved one may want to take up crocheting and work up to advanced patterns. Challenges reinforce neural connections in the brain.
6. Make the Home Safer
One of the easiest lifestyle changes to make involves a little home maintenance to increase the safety of your loved one’s living environment. A nonskid mat in the tub or handles in the shower can boost your loved one’s independence and help him or her avoid sustaining a major injury.
7. Learn to Relax
Mental health is also important. Your loved one should learn how to practice relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing. Identify a few ways your loved one can relieve stress, and suggest doing one or more of them at least once a day.
8. Check in with Someone Every Day
This is another simple lifestyle change your loved one can make to ensure he or she doesn’t go without help for a long period during a time of need. Regular check-ins with you or a professional caregiver provide reassurance that someone will be there for your loved one if a health incident occurs while he or she is alone.
For families living in Irving, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Home Care Assistance, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home. Contact one of our experienced Care Managers today at (817) 591-1580 to learn more about our reliable in-home care services.