It’s no secret that growing older comes with certain challenges. For many seniors, old age can make taken-for-granted tasks much more difficult than they used to be. This makes it hard or impossible for seniors to age in place without a helping hand (or two, or three).

In surveys, more than 80% of seniors state they wish to live at home as long as they are able to. Senior services, such as home care, senior transportation, meal services, and others, can make this possible. If you have an elderly loved one who is starting to struggle with aging in place, here are a few of the senior services you might want to consider to help make life at home more livable for your mom or dad.

Senior Home Care

Home care is perhaps the most popular senior service for aging in place. Designed for seniors who need physical assistance, specialized care, or companionship during the week, senior home care offers a wide range of advantages to seniors. Senior home care providers can help seniors with daily activities like dressing and grooming, assist with everyday errands, provide light housekeeping and homemaking assistance, and monitor seniors to keep them safe.

Senior Transportation

As we grow older, getting from point A to point B becomes increasingly difficult. Many seniors lose their licenses due to declining physical and/or cognitive performance. Others struggle with walking and general mobility, making it difficult to get out of the house. Senior transportation services — whether provided by local public transportation, taxi services, non-profits, or senior home care companies — can help seniors get around town despite mobility difficulties.

Meal Delivery: If a senior doesn’t have a home care worker or family member to prepare their meals, then a meal delivery service can be a great help. There are a number of non-profit meal delivery services that ensure seniors receive healthy and nutritious lunches and dinners throughout the week. These services make a big difference for seniors who find it difficult to shop for groceries or prepare meals on their own.

Maid Services: Physical impairments can make it difficult for seniors to maintain a clean and healthy home. While senior home care providers will often provide light housekeeping assistance, a maid service can provide a deeper clean. This not only makes seniors’ homes more attractive and comfortable, but also improves their health and hygiene, helping limit dangerous bacteria, airborne irritants, and mold growth.

Handyman Services: When things need to be fixed or installed around the home, it can be dangerous for seniors to perform the work on their own. Even changing a lightbulb or fixing a leak can be difficult or dangerous. When seniors have a handyman service they can call on, simple fixes are much easier, much less stressful, and much less dangerous for seniors.

Senior Technology Services

Studies have shown that social media and other technologies can help seniors avoid feelings of social isolation. But many seniors struggle to use these technologies without outside help. To help seniors manage these technologies, many companies offer in-home support to seniors who wish to use the internet, social media, and video chat technologies.

Lawn & Landscaping Services

Just as it can be difficult for seniors to maintain the inside of their home on their own, it can also be difficult to keep their lawn and garden in good shape. Hiring a lawn or landscaping service allows seniors to keep their property’s plant life healthy and attractive, without all of the outdoor labor these activities usually require.

Senior Exercise

There are a number of exercise classes and even personal trainers whose services are specifically dedicated to elderly exercise. These services are designed to reduce the risk of strain or injury for seniors, while giving seniors the activity they need to maintain muscle mass, prevent bone loss, and improve cardiovascular health.

If you have an elderly loved one who is in need of senior services, we invite you to contact your local Visiting Angels. Our senior home care services offer a wide range of benefits to seniors, and can include personal care and companionship care, along with specialized services such as Alzheimer’s care, errand assistance, and help with social media technologies.

Contact your local Visiting Angels office today to learn more about senior services offered in your area.

(NAPSI)—The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, including dental appointments and other important medical care.

With dental clinics now open once again for non-emergency procedures—with enhanced screening and safety measures in place based upon expert guidance and research—many dentists are reporting that their patients have been slow to return, and it has them sounding a warning about the importance of preventive care.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made us put many of our routines on pause, but with dental clinics now reopened, visiting your dentist should not be one of them,” said Dr. Kyle Dosch, dental director at Delta Dental of Washington.

The Washington State Dental Association (WSDA) and Delta Dental join dentists in urging people not to further delay preventive dental exams, particularly for children (53% of which already experience tooth decay by the time they reach third grade) and for those who are pregnant or have a medical condition which puts them at higher risk for dental problems.

In addition to routine preventive treatments such as teeth cleanings, careful exams of the teeth, gums and tongue can provide dentists an early look at signs of arthritis, diabetes, diet deficiencies, liver disease and even some auto-immune diseases.

“A look inside a patient’s mouth can provide great insight to what’s happening in other parts of the body. It’s important to place a high priority on oral hygiene routines, including regular visits to the dentist,” said Dr. Dosch. “Your oral health is important to your overall health, and protecting that is our shared top priority.”

The dentists’ warnings come on the heels of a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll in which 52 percent of adults surveyed said they or a family member in their household had skipped or delayed dental or medical care due to COVID-19.

The poll’s findings are consistent with an American Dental Association (ADA) national survey which found patient visits are nearly 60 percent of what they were before the mid-March shutdown of dental clinics for non-emergent care. In Washington state, Delta Dental’s statewide claims data indicates that people are again beginning to prioritize their oral health, with 99 percent of dental offices now open statewide.

In the state’s largest county (King County), the number of people returning to the dentist increased significantly in June. But the numbers aren’t all smiles in many of the state’s rural areas, some of which are down more than 15 percent.

Nearly half of the 1,300 Kaiser poll respondents who skipped or postponed their dental visits reported not feeling safe returning to their dental clinics. However, the WSDA notes that dental offices have always been a very safe place to visit—and have put even more Centers for Disease Control/ADA-approved infectious disease measures in place to keep patients protected, including:

• To make sure patients are healthy, dental team members will call patients to ask health-related screening questions before scheduled appointments. A dental team member will take your ­temperature upon arrival and may repeat health-related screening questions before your appointment.
• Staggered appointments to allow more time to disinfect exam rooms between visits—you may even be asked to wait in your car until the dentist is ready to see you.
• Reconfiguration of dental office waiting rooms (including removal of toys and magazines) and clinic spaces to provide additional physical separation.
• More personal protective equipment worn by staff.
• Face mask requirement for all who enter the dental office.

“It’s important to remember that dentists are health professionals who manage infection and control risk on a daily basis, even in normal times dentists have been required by law to follow very specific safety protocols to prevent the spread of viruses while keeping your safety and protection a top priority,” added Dr. Dosch.

“You can be confident that as you return to the dentist, he or she is getting a lot of guidance along the way and that the dentist offices are safe to visit,” says Dr. Christopher Delecki, vice chair, King County Board of Health and past president, WSDA. “Conversely, neglecting regular dental exams—for yourself and your children—can put your oral and overall health at risk, at a time when staying healthy is more important than ever.”

“For those who are looking to find a dentist—or who have lost their job—there are many resources available to help care for your oral health, regardless of your benefits provider,” said Dr. Delecki.

To locate a dentist near you, visit wsda.org and use the “Find a Dentist” tool. And for those who have recently lost their job, Delta Dental members can visit DeltaDentalWA.com/MySmile for an overview of what is still covered under your plan, or DeltaDentalCoversMe.com to help you find a new individual or family plan that fits your needs and budget. Those who qualify for Apple Health can visit Arcora Foundation’s Dentistlink.org for help in finding a nearby community clinic or dentist.

The older people get, the less likely they are to share memories, researchers say.

And when they do reminisce, older folks don’t offer as much detail as younger adults do, new study findings show.

Over four days, University of Arizona researchers used a smartphone app to record random bits of conversations as 102 mentally healthy 65- to 90-year-olds went about their daily lives.

Thirty-second snippets were recorded every six to 18 minutes. Participants didn’t know when they were being recorded.

The recordings were analyzed in order to determine how often participants shared stories about their life experiences.

“We found that the older individuals in our study shared fewer memories,” said Aubrey Wank, a graduate student in psychology who led the study.

“Additionally, we found that the level of detail also decreased with older age as people were describing these memories,” she added in a university news release.

The study was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Previous lab research has also found that memory sharing declines with age.

According to senior study author Matthew Grilli, an assistant professor of psychology, “This study really gives us one of the first glimpses of people sharing these memories in their day-to-day life.”

Grilli said it’s important for people to recall and share memories, because it can help them find meaning, connect with others, and guide planning and decision-making.

It’s not clear why older people share fewer memories, but it may be due to age-related changes in the brain, the researchers suggested.

“There are a number of regions in the brain that seem to play an important role in how often we think about our personal past or future,” Grilli said. “These brain areas tend to show change with older age, and the idea is that because of these changes, older adults might reflect less on their personal past and future when they’re talking with other people.”

SOURCE: University of Arizona, news release, June 30, 2020.

(NAPS)—There is a public health threat looming across the United States that’s not visible to most but affects nearly half of all Americans daily: loneliness. Social isolation is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is twice as harmful as obesity.

Worst of all, loneliness is a contributing factor in senior suicides, which are rising in the U.S. While it is not something people like to think about, now more than ever, Americans must remove the stigma around mental health and spread awareness to better combat loneliness.

Many of the 12 million Americans over age 65 who live alone are entering the time of year where that lack of companionship and isolation is most palpable: winter. Whether physical or travel challenges keep seniors from attending family gatherings or the harsh weather deters them from venturing out for a social event, seniors can suffer from prolonged loneliness that can quickly manifest into more serious issues.

Loneliness does not have to be synonymous with getting older or with aging in place. Here are tips on how to help keep loneliness—and its negative health effects—at bay:

Intervene early: Spotting loneliness in yourself or someone you love can be difficult. The most common physical and behavioral signs of loneliness include persistent sadness, impaired cognitive performance, lower self-esteem, or lack of motivation and energy. Early intervention can positively affect one’s quality of life, so it’s important to address these symptoms as soon as possible before they become overwhelming.

Leverage technology: Technology can play a key role in reducing loneliness, ensuring seniors are always connected to loved ones and care teams who can monitor and interact with them. For example, Philips Cares is a mobile application that helps connect seniors who are subscribers to Philips Lifeline service with their family and friends, helping to enable these caregivers to be there for their aging loved ones, easing and enriching their aging journey.

Make a connection: Connecting with people, purpose and passions will help eliminate feelings of isolation. Consider organizing a reoccurring social gathering, such as a book club or a group fitness class. Explore local activities organized by a senior community center or find a National Council of Aging program through www.ncoa.org/ncoa-map.

Learn more

For further facts about the latest technology to help seniors stay connected with their care circle, visit https://philips.to/2MGDqLm or call (855) 223-7395.