Patient Daily Living

Nutrition for the elderly is essential and, done properly, can lead to healthy aging. Senior nutrition is not complicated, but as we age we do have some different health and nutritional concerns of which we need to be aware.

Have you ever noticed how an aroma can produce a wonderful memory? Our olfactory senses are very powerful in that way. One whiff of fresh baked bread, cookies, or a holiday meal can immediately take you back to being a child. Our sense of smell is so tied into our sense of taste that most people don't even realize how efficiently the two work together. When the elderly lose their sense of taste and smell, they often also experience a lack of appetite. Understanding the human sense of smell is an important step in appetite stimulation in the elderly.

Comedian Phyllis Diller once said, "Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home." People aged 65+ represent about one-eighth (12.6 percent) of the total US population of 308 million, and while many older Americans live active and independent lives, some turn to nursing homes for nurturing support. Nursing home residents hope and expect to be in a place where they will feel safe, comfortable and cared for by committed and caring individuals. Nursing home residents will likely live in accommodations that have more in common with a hotel than a hospital with a room of their own, access to gardens and lounges and three meals a day served in the dining room.

Whether you’re planning a two-week cruise or visiting out-of-town relatives for a few days over the holidays, senior travel can be great for the whole family. Traveling with an elderly loved one can be more than just manageable—you can all enjoy the time away from your usual routine. The secret to successfully traveling with a senior is taking along the equipment and daily living aids, usually in portable formats, that you depend on at home. Some versions are designed to fit flat in a suitcase to make bringing them even easier. Of course, these aids for seniors can also be ordered and shipped to your destination ahead of time.

"The wide array of daily living aids now available to seniors enables even those with limited mobility to travel more safely and comfortably than ever before,” explains Nathalie Kim of Carex, a global leader in the development, manufacturing and retailing of in-home, self-care medical products. “Our focus is every bit as much on quality of life as it is on quality of products, and so we've gone to great lengths to make certain seniors can rely on our products to help them enjoy the activities they've always enjoyed, including traveling. By planning ahead and bringing along such easy-to-transport items as support pillows, medication organizers, portable bath benches and lightweight walkers and totes, seniors can travel secure in their knowledge that they can stay independent and comfortable, even away from home.” 

Who doesn’t enjoy playing a great game with their family or friends, or even by themselves? My favorite thing about board games is that they are ageless. Everyone from a 5 year old to a 95 year old can enjoy them.

Every time seniors play a card, board game or even computer game, they’re staying sharp—stimulating their brains and staving off the onset of dementia or even Alzheimer’s disease. This conclusion comes from long-time and recent studies that found that seniors who engage in mentally demanding leisure activities lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia by as much as 75 percent.

Quality of life issues are vital in elderly care circles. Whether you're a caregiver for an elderly parent in the home or overseeing care for someone in an assisted living facility or nursing home, it's up to caregivers, family members, and friends to ensure that our elders maintain dignity, self-respect and confidence in themselves. The best way to do that is to make sure that the elderly person or senior feels good about him or herself.

Recent studies have proven that boredom and depression can have a very real effect on physical, emotional and mental health. This doesn't just apply to teens or thirty-somethings. Actually, for seniors, boredom and depression can be lethal. Caregivers are often advised on methods to alleviate their own depression after long periods of caregiving, but what about the elderly being taken care of? Are their needs being met?

Boredom is an important quality of life issue for many senior citizens. When it comes to elderly home care or assisted living facilities, family caregivers must ensure that the physical, mental and emotional needs of seniors are being met. Those taking care of parents at home must also strive to provide stimulating activities in order to prevent loved ones from sinking into a pit of depression that's hard to climb out of.

Call it what you will – pet therapy, pet-assisted therapy, or pets caring for elderly owners – the benefits of animal ownership for seniors have been documented and understood for decades. Pets help relieve stress, alleviate boredom and provide devotion and companionship for elders across the country.

Quality of life means living a well-rounded lifestyle. It means social interaction and physical activity that help maintain independence. Whether the parent lives in an assisted living facility or at home with the help of home health care workers, he or she needs enough mental, physical, and emotional stimulation to remain engaged in the process of living.