As our bodies get older, it might be difficult for us to manage the way we handle stress. This is one of the problems that seniors face when they go through stressful situations.

When older adults are stressed, they are likely to experience health problems like Depression, Anxiety, Diabetes, Headaches, Asthma, etc.

Even though it might look impossible to eliminate all the stressors in the body, here are some tips to bring down stress levels in seniors

Keep social relationships

One of the ways that seniors can keep their stress levels down is to maintain social relationships. Keeping close relationships come in handy when you’re going through difficult situations and you need someone to lean on.

Having a good relationship with family and friends is one of the profound ways to ease stress feelings.

Engage in physical exercise

Another tip to reduce stress in seniors is to stay active. Older adults can benefit from exercise because it comes with mental and physical exercise.

A good rule of thumb is to engage in 30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week. Some of the physical activities that seniors enjoy doing are cycling, walking, gardening, yoga, etc.

Reduce work commitments

For seniors who are still working to earn a living, they need to reduce the volume of work-related activities that they handle to reduce their stress levels. They can consider delegating some of their duties so that they can have more personal time for self-care.

Take nutritious meals

Seniors should also be more intentional about what they eat. It would be best to reduce or stop the amount of fast food that they take. Rather it would be best to follow a good dietary plan from a nutritionist to know the right foods to take, and the ones to avoid.

Another habit that seniors need to incorporate is going for regular checkups from their healthcare provider. This is important to spot any underlying health issues that might become complicated if left untreated.

Introduction

As people approach old age, they sometimes find it difficult to transition from being the helper to the helped. As some begin to approach retirement, anxiety, and depression begin to set in. 

When a person has issues with entering a new phase of life, they may put themselves under unhealthy pressure. Some seniors become intensely afraid of cognitive decline that may happen as they age.

Some are afraid of being public perception to their age. The counselor may be required to help them transition into old age. 

Counseling therapy for seniors is quite important. There are a couple of mental health problems seniors face. Anxiety, stress, depression, and medical problems like dementia can be fixed through counseling therapy.

Tips for Counseling Seniors and Retirees

• Avoid Ageism

Ageism is discrimination based on a person’s age. Ageism is exhibited when the desires or opinions of an elderly person are neglected.            

As a counselor, never ignore the personal desires or opinions of a senior. People wrongly ignore older people’s views and it is viewed as a form of disrespect by the seniors. The counselor who should provide succor to them should not be involved in the disrespect. 

• Recognize their Weaknesses

Older adults may have not the same level of mental acuity as younger people. As a counselor, you must recognize this weakness. 

Seniors may be slow-talkers, they may require time to gather their thoughts together. You should be patient with them and don’t rush them into giving answers. 

• Make your Environment Comfortable 

As a counselor, your office needs to be comfortable for your clients. For older people, there is a little twist. Old people are more likely to sleep off in a reclining position hence, avoid the use of reclining chairs.

Use comfortable chairs that won’t cause damage to their backs or necks. If possible, have a bowl of fruits in the office to ensure your clients feel comfortable.

Introduction

With old age comes an increased risk for falling ill. Your body cannot make the same lifestyle you adopted as a young person. Hence, you have to set more boundaries and pay closer attention to your health.

Some seniors live in assisted-living facilities where their health care is prioritized by their caregivers. Some others have to personally monitor their health and take basic steps to protect themselves.

In this article, we will review some of the simple health tips for seniors and retirees.

Simple Health Tips for Seniors and Retirees

• Eat Well

One popular saying is “you are what you eat”. As a senior, you can’t afford to joke with your diet. You have the freedom to eat anything you want but your body may not be able to deal with everything you eat.

You have to pay close attention to what you eat. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, avoid red meat and sugary foods. At old age, your body is in less demand for energy-giving food and is in more demand for immune boosters.

• Exercise Frequently 

You may not be able to do intense workout sessions. However, you can go on short runs and walks. The most important thing is keeping your body active.

As a retiree, you are without work to keep your body active. You should try to engage in exercises. You could spice things up by joining group exercises or by engaging in weekly recreational activities.

• Rest Well

Seniors have an increased risk of stroke and memory loss. To prevent these illnesses, you should learn to rest often.

Sleep becomes more important as you grow older. Rest and sleep are good ways to improve the immune system. The brain does not operate at the same capacity anymore hence, sleep is needed to keep the brain at optimum capacity as a senior.

Conclusion 

Other tips include washing your hands frequently, reduce your alcohol intake, quit smoking, etc.   

Being a retiree involves the fact that, you do not have to answer to anyone if you were formerly employed. If you are the owner of your business, it implies that you have handed over to someone who is capable or trustworthy.

This does not undermine the fact that, you will still need to check up on the business on a periodic basis, but it would not be like before.

One of the best ways to have a nice retirement time is to take care of yourself. To start with, you need to ensure you exercise on a daily basis. As a retiree, your sedentary lifestyle is bound to increase, and it is not good for your health.

Hence, it is necessary that you exercise. You can start by walking for some minutes each day. This could be all you need to remain fit.

Also, it is also important that you prioritize relationships. During the process of working, it could be hard to prioritize relationships.

There is a high possibility that, when you were working, you did not have time for family and friends. However, this is the best time to meet up with family and friends, and make up for lost time.

You should bear in mind that, it is not too late to build close bonds with people who matter to you. Good relationships are beneficial for a good mental health.

In addition to this, it is important to factor in medical appointment into your retirement plan. It is good to have regular check-ups and test, and this would help you have a healthier and longer life as you age.

You might not enjoy going to the hospital for checkups on a regular basis, but you will get to discover that it is worth it in the long run.

Furthermore, you should also ensure that you read more books. This could be a time to catch up on books that you have not been able to read when you were actively working.

Senior citizens, just like anyone else, can struggle with mental health issues. These mental health issues may be a natural response to difficult circumstances, or they may be due to unhealthy thought and behavior patterns. The concept of mentally unhealthy seniors tends to elude people because we often think of seniors as the wisest among us with epic life experiences informing their stability and steadfastness. While seniors do have a great deal of life experience, they can be just as prone to dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns as anyone else, and it is important that seniors have access to quality mental health resources to care for their mental well being.

When seniors have mental health issues, they are of a different nature than people of different age groups. Younger age groups tend to have more areas of the brain engaged in thought than seniors do and are more likely to reason their way out of mental trouble. Seniors tend to have mental health problems as a result of deteriorating mental faculties and must cope in different ways than younger people do. Typically, seniors have mental health problems as a result of lifelong disorders flaring up when mental faculties deteriorate, or they have acquired new mental health problems because of difficult life circumstances, which can be a natural part of aging.

Seniors who are struggling with mental health problems must be aware that mental health resources are available to them. Counseling, support groups and even mental health treatment centers are options to seniors who need help processing mental difficulties. Besides formal treatment options, there are lifestyle choices that seniors can make that will naturally help remedy negative thought and behavior patterns. Seniors should always keep community and close relationships, follow their doctor’s orders and maintain their personal health to the best of their ability, pursue whichever form of spirituality they connect most with and lead a purposeful life, even if the purpose they serve is light duty.

People of all ages should exercise, but exercise benefits seniors in ways that are critical to their health. Senior citizens are a demographic of people for whom exercise is particularly important. No other age group benefits more from continuously working on their flexibility, muscle mass, strength training and cardiovascular systems. These bodily features are in their decline at this stage of life, so preserving them is vital to mobility.

An important aspect to senior exercise is ensuring that it is done safely. Seniors are in a phase of life when bones are more brittle, joints are more rigid and muscles are not as strong as they once were. This means that additional precautions must be taken prior to and in the process of working out. First of all, it is important for seniors to be intuitive with their bodies. If part of their body feels weak or painful, they should consult a doctor before exercising. Secondly, prior to any workout, it is very important for seniors to stretch and warm their bodies up so they do not have any accidents. And lastly, exercise should only be as impacting as the individual’s body can handle. Seniors should always ask themselves if their workout plan is safe for them before they go through with it.

There are many exercise options available to seniors that are both safe and healthy. Water aerobics is a favorite for seniors because there is no danger of falling. Exercise classes for seniors may include dancing, swimming, walking, hiking and using light exercise equipment.

One important attribute of exercising when you are a senior is that you make sure to do it every day. The regularity of the exercise regimen is critical to its long term effects. One highly effective way of ensuring that seniors exercise regularly is when they participate in group exercise sessions. These are always offered in senior living communities. The group mentality and encouragement is a strong motivating factor for seniors to take care of their health.

It is all too common for senior citizens to ignore the advice of their doctor and do what they think is best instead. In fact, people of all age ranges do this. No one should take these liberties, but seniors are particularly not in the position to rewrite their doctor’s orders. Seniors are more susceptible to illness than the rest of the population, so following the instructions that their physician creates for them can mean the difference between life and death.

Creating medication directions are one of a physician’s primary duties. Most seniors are on some kind of prescription medication, and the instructions for taking these medications come directly from their physician’s medical opinion. It is unwise to presume you know better than your doctor. Do not veer away from your doctor’s instructions unless they encourage some range of experimentation. Doctors carefully create medication instructions for seniors in the best interest of their health, and seniors will be at their optimal health if they follow these instructions.

Doctors will give seniors a range of health advice about things other than medications, such as exercise, health safety and daily routines. It is equally important that seniors heed this advice as it is for them to follow medication instructions. A doctor’s advice on exercise, routines and lifestyle choice is their way of treating an entire person rather than just treating bodily symptoms. Following a doctor’s advice on these matters can profoundly affect a senior’s health for the better.

And lastly, simply being diligent about keeping doctor’s appointments is very important to a senior’s health. The doctor’s opinion should be a highly prioritized one to seniors. Skipping appointments or constantly rescheduling means that you will be delayed in receiving necessary health guidance. Keep your doctor’s appointments regular and in line with the recommended frequency of visits for best health results.

A major facet to the health profile of senior citizens is their diet. Seeing that seniors receive proper nutrition is vital to their health. Seniors are in a phase of life where many bodily systems are slowing down and not operating like they used to, and a nutritious diet can mean the difference between a vibrant, active retirement and a declining, unhealthy retirement. People of all ages should make healthy eating a priority, but for seniors, it is particularly important to their daily bodily functions that they maintain a healthy diet.

Seniors should have a focus on eating foods that are full of vitamins and nutrients. Eating foods that contain anti-inflammatory ingredients is important to all bodily systems, in particular the cardiovascular system and the joints. Eating spicy natural foods such as cayenne pepper and jalapenos is excellent for the immune system and for circulation. Making sure to take in probiotics is vital to the digestive system and eating antioxidants helps cleanse the body of toxins. Many seniors refer to the advice of nutritionists who specialize in senior diets.

Practicing portion control is very important to seniors. Overeating can cause conditions such as obesity, diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Over-eating and under-eating are dangerous at any age, but in senior years, a balanced diet is very important to general health and well-being. Weight is any way to assess whether or not a senior is making use of proper portion control.

Avoiding foods that are known to cause health issues is also critical to a senior’s health. The golden years are not the time in life to be eating excessive fats, sugars, carbohydrates or processed foods. These foods are known to cause and speed up health conditions that a person has or is predisposed to. More than any other phase of life, it is important for seniors to take in plenty of vitamins and nutrients in their diet.

In our senior years, our living accommodations play a big role in our level of happiness and comfort. Familiar surroundings and a pleasant environment affect the day to day lives of seniors a great deal. Seniors are a very diverse group of people. Some are vibrant, sharp, healthy and active, while others struggle more to process where they are at in life and are deteriorating in health a little more quickly. Choosing an appropriate home to live in for which phase of seniority a person is in requires some very careful decision making.

Housing and communities that are designed specifically for seniors have enormous benefits to the senior lifestyle. Senior homes are created around the age, mobility, safety and comfort considerations of senior citizens. They are staffed by caring workers who are experienced with senior citizens. They have access to paths and trails in the immediate vicinity of the community. Individual units come equipped with walk-in shower features and emergency devices that contact staff in the event of an accident. There are a variety of social events and activities that are hosted by the senior living facilities to help seniors stay active, social and engaged. There are numerous rewards and benefits to senior living.

An important factor to take into consideration when selecting a senior community is the location it is in. The climate and temperature of any specific region is very important to senior living, especially here in Canada where the cold temperatures can detract from health. A warm climate is more beneficial to seniors as it helps ease symptoms of bad joints and arthritis, and it is easier on the immune system. One of the most popular places to retire in Canada currently is the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. This region is classified as the only desert region of Canada, and boasts some of the warmest temperatures in the country, as well as plentiful natural beauty and healthcare amenities. Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon senior homes are available to senior citizens and come highly recommended. Consider the Okanagan Valley for your senior living needs.

For more information, click here.

Retirement is meant to be some of the best years of our lives, but nothing will ruin retirement faster than health issues. Being health conscious is important in any stage of life, but in our retirement years, good healthcare is critical to our quality of life. It is statistically the phase of life where people lean on their healthcare system the heaviest, so preparing our health for retirement is also very important. Everyone’s body chemistry and health needs are different, but generally speaking, the basic things a person can do to care for their personal health in retirement are eating a nutritious diet, staying physically active and following their doctor’s advice.

Nutrition is an obvious facet of good health, and in a person’s golden years, nutrition can mean the difference between a happy retirement and an unhappy one. When we are in our fifties and sixties, our bodies are more prone to certain kinds of diseases than in our youth, and managing our diets its one of the best ways of preventing these diseases. For example, grapes have been found to contain cancer fighting nutrients, the calcium in dairy has been found to prevent osteoporosis, switching from butter to olive oil can prevent heart disease and working jalapenos into your diet gives you an incredible amount of immune system support.

Physical activity is another healthy lifestyle choice, and a critical one in a person’s retirement years. As the body ages, muscle mass deteriorates, bones become more brittle and joints become more stiff. Neglecting physical activity will worsen these symptoms of aging and can render a person immobile over time. Flexibility should be one of the primary focuses of a senior person, as it is one of the first things to deteriorate over time. Stretching and doing yoga are several excellent ways of retaining flexibility into your retirement years. Muscle strengthening and burning calories are much needed in retirement years as well, when joints and bones are less agile and metabolism is slower.

And lastly, having regular doctor’s visits is very important for seniors. The initiative to stay healthy should always come from you, and being proactive with your health is essential, but when there is no home remedy for what ails you, a trusted physician is necessary. Your doctor can guide you through using medications appropriately so that you do not require treatment for substance abuse. They can also diagnose your personal health issues, give you nutrition advice and keep you on track to meet your health goals.