Columbia Aged Care

Healthy ageing means the process of ageing well and maintaining your physical and functional health.

The factors that help you age well include being independent, having social relationships, being able to enjoy life, staying productive or volunteering, having a purpose or passion, emotional support and how well you cope with difficulties.

It is important to understand the factors that help you to age well because you can actively add years to your life or increase your quality of life.

National Seniors Australia has provided some great tips to help you age well:

Maintain physical activity: Try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity each day. Work different muscles in your body by doing different types of exercises.

Maintain your balance: You need to maintain you balance to reduce your risk of falls. If you have concerns about your balance speak to your doctor to address any issues.

Smoking and alcohol use: Smoking dramatically speeds up the ageing process and will cause a number of related health problems. Drink alcohol in moderation by keeping to the rule of two standards drinks or less.

Maintain a balanced diet: Eat at least three meals each day, drink lots of water and eat a variety of healthy foods. You can speak with your doctor about how to create a healthy eating plan.

Keep your brain active: Make sure you exercise your mind by taking on challenges and doing mental activities. Do a puzzle or a crossword, learn to play a musical instrument or learn a new language.

Social connections: Spend time with your family and friends and maintain your social relationships with them. Get involved in a group or organisation to make new relationships with other people. By spending time socialising with other people, you can greatly boost your wellbeing and happiness.

Maintain a positive attitude: Keep an open mind and a positive attitude towards life and try to look on the bright side of a negative issue. This will help you to cope effectively with difficult situations.

Here is a simple Healthy Ageing Quiz you can take to determine if you are ageing well. It also provides you with tips to improve your score and increase your ability to age well. You can also download a copy of the Healthy Ageing Quiz here.

Read the full article here.

 

Easter is this Sunday. Are you struggling for gift ideas or activities to do with your loved one?

The best gift you can give your loved one is to spend time with them.

Holidays can be a lonely time for elderly people if they are unable to spend it with family. By visiting your loved one over Easter it will show them how much you care about them.

There are many activities you can do together to celebrate Easter. Many families attend church together or share a meal for lunch or dinner.

Here is a list of things you can do at home or at your loved one’s nursing home:

• Baking Easter treats: making biscuits or your own chocolate Easter eggs.
• Easter parade: Family or nursing home members can create their own Easter hats and parade them for everyone else to see.
• Sing Easter songs: Hold a sing-a-long with your loved one or attend a local Easter concert.
• Games: Play board games or cards with your loved one.
• Craft activities: Create cards, Easter baskets, paint Easter eggs or sew Easter bunnies with your loved one. Here is a link to make your own simple Easter bunny.

Buying Easter gifts for your loved one can be difficult because not all elderly people can eat chocolate. It’s a good idea to find out what foods they enjoy and buy them instead.

Here is a list of Easter gift ideas for your loved one:

• Books with large font
• Cross stitch kit
• Knitting set
• Painting set
• Clothing
• Crossword books
• Puzzles
• Plants for their garden

Great gifts are ones from the heart, so think about making your loved one something special for Easter.

Have a happy Easter!

Your loved one may find it difficult to buy comfortable clothing that fits them properly. If your loved one suffers from arthritis or an injury they may also have difficulty dressing themselves.

You can make your loved one’s life easier by purchasing them clothing that is easy to put on and is comfortable to wear. You can buy adaptive clothing specially designed for people with restrictive movement, which will make it easier and less painful for your loved one to dress themselves.

If they suffer from dementia they may resist wearing certain types of clothing or have a favourite outfit. You can help them by purchasing multiple sets of their favourite outfit so they always have clean clothes to put on.

Aged Carer has provided some great tips for buying appropriate clothing for your loved one.

• Choose natural fibre and cotton fabrics that breathe
• Choose clothes with elastic waists
• Buy slip on shoes with a non-slip sole
• Stretchy fabrics
• Bras that clip at the front for women with arthritis
• Choose large buttons
• Ensure there is lots of room in sleeves
• Choose fabric that can be washed frequently and in water with temperatures up to 90 degrees if your loved one is in a nursing home
• Choose clothes that don’t have to be ironed

You can help your loved one achieve a greater independence by buying them comfortable clothes that they can easily dress themselves in.

Read the full article here.

Choosing the right nursing home can be difficult and overwhelming for many carers. You want to ensure that the nursing home you choose will provide the best care for your loved one. However, with so many nursing homes available, how do you compare them to ensure you make the right choice?

The first step to finding the right nursing home is to start searching for homes in your area. Once you have a list of potential nursing homes you should then visit each home to assess them.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing has put together a Nursing Home checklist that will help you to compare each nursing home by asking the right questions.

Some of the questions on the Nursing home checklist are:

Staff

• What was the attitude of the staff assisting you?
• What training do the care staff have?
• How many staff members provide overnight care?
• What type of care or services cannot be provided?

Rooms

• Are single rooms available or will your loved one have to share?
• What arrangements are there to ensure privacy for residents?
• What furnishings and personal items can your loved one bring and what is supplied?

Food

• What are the meal arrangements?
• Is there easy access to well-maintained outdoor areas?

Other

• How can family and friends be involved in your loved one’s care?
• What transport is accessible for visiting shops and family?
• Can the nursing home meet your loved one’s medical and special needs?
• Do you or your loved one understand the costs associated with care?

You can also prepare your own specific questions to add to the checklist and remember to take a new checklist to every nursing home you visit.

Feel free to conduct second or third visits to each nursing home to ensure you make the right choice.

Hopefully with a little bit of preparation and by asking the right questions you can find the best nursing home for your loved one.

Read the full checklist here.

Aged Care INsite's article, 'The right note,' discusses a new project researchers are about to engage in. We've all had a memory triggered by a song at some stage, this project will study this concept further and explore the power of music in dementia care.

Couples where one member has dementia and the other is the primary care-giver are being sought for a new research study.

Entitled "As Time Goes By", the project, involving Dr Felicity Baker and Dr Nancy Pachana from the University of Queensland, and Professor Denise Grocke from the University of Melbourne, requires 120 couples living in or near Melbourne, Brisbane or Townsville as the project will involve participation in a home-based, carer-conducted music program.

The researchers say the project is designed to trial an active music intervention where the care-giving spouse is shown how he or she could use music effectively with his or her partner to facilitate the sharing of meaningful experiences.

Baker said the researchers were particularly interested in examining the effects of the program on the care-giving spouse.

"We already know the power of music to enrich people's lives and enhance relationships between family members."

To read full article Click Here