Finally, after a long winter and a spring of wild weather swings, summer is here — and it’s glorious, warm and green.

If you’re a senior living community resident, your neighborhood most likely provides a plethora of opportunities to get more active enjoying the outdoors. But as we age, we have to be careful about overdoing it in the heat. So here are seven of the many great options to consider for summer activities.

1. Hit the Pool

When the going gets hot, there’s no better time to head to the pool to cool off. Whether you’re swimming, floating or just sipping a cool one in a deck chair, the water is always there for a quick dip. You can swim laps if you’re up for the exercise, and as soon as you stop you can cool off. If you have mobility issues, a pool is a great place because the body’s buoyancy in water takes pressure off the muscles and joints.

2. Have a Picnic or Barbecue

Picnics and barbecues have been part of your life and there’s no reason to avoid them now. Most senior living communities organize these events, which feature friends and classic American food.

3. Enjoy the Sunrise and Sunset

Here’s something that is difficult to do other times of year because of the cold. But the cooler temperatures during summer in the mornings and evenings are a plus. Most senior living communities have picturesque meeting spots for viewing the sun’s ascent or descent. Gather some friends and bring a picnic basket to complete the scene.

4. Do Some Gardening

Many people of all ages love gardening because it is such a creative endeavor. It creates beauty for our eyes and noses, and deepens our connection with nature. It has the added benefit for seniors of bringing us outside without requiring excessive physical exertion.

5. Take a Field Trip  

Only your imagination can limit where you go during the summer — whether it’s a zoo, botanical gardens, an outdoor art show, sporting event, outdoor concert or whatever. The great thing is, many senior living communities organize a host of these events, so all you have to do is hop on the bus.

6. Explore a Farmers Market

Most communities host farmers markets during the summer, at which those strolling through can find fresh fruits and vegetables, other foods and often arts and crafts as well. There’s often music and other performers, street food and a general celebration atmosphere surrounding the farm stands. Grab some friends and explore all there is to offer.

There are so many more ideas you could explore, like fishing, playing golf, bird watching and so much more. Summer offers so many outdoor options that don’t require over-exertion. Just make sure to bring the sunscreen, water and a hat to protect yourself outside.

Nye Health Services offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing, memory care, and now home care services. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call 402.753.1400 to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit https://nyehealthservices.com/ for more information. 

Research is increasingly finding that sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise to our daily health. In fact, it could be the most important of all. Humans, like all animals, must sleep. Sleep is a time when our brain consolidates memories, processes psychological stressors, rejuvenates cells, repairs tissues and the entire body rests to prepare for the activity of the next day.

Depending on age, adults require six to eight hours of sleep each night. Getting less than that can cause sleep deprivation that negatively affects our ability to function the next day. Prolonged sleep deprivation leads to a breakdown in bodily and cognitive functions. As we age, the effects of chronic sleep deprivation compound and cause a host of issues.

Obesity

Many studies have linked insufficient sleep with weight gain. Even babies that sleep poorly are more likely to develop obesity in later childhood.

Diabetes

The body requires deep sleep to control blood sugars. Sleeping fewer than five hours nightly is associated with Type 2 diabetes, which can be reversed simply by increasing nightly sleep.

High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease

There is growing evidence of a causal connection between insufficient sleep and a host of heart issues, including stroke and coronary artery disease.

Immune Function

Our immune systems need to recharge nightly for the daily fight against invaders, so it is no surprise that a lack of sleep reduces the body’s ability to fend off infections. In one recent study, individuals who regularly received long, restful sleep were three times less likely to come down with the common cold than those who had just a little less sleep.

Chronic sleep deprivation results in an overall reduction in physical health.

Mental Health

Because sleep helps us feel better physically and process the stresses of ordinary life, going without restorative slumber can have serious negative effects over the long run. People with insomnia are five times more likely to suffer depression, which can interfere with sleep in a vicious cycle. Depression is often treated by addressing sleep issues.

Clear Thinking

Many famous accidents — Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown, Exxon Valdez oil spill, numerous medical mistakes — are at least partly attributed to sleep deprivation in the individuals responsible. Because sleep helps our brains categorize and store information, learning and remembering depend on restful sleep.

A Litany of Other Health Issues

Lacking sleep, our bodies release the stress hormone cortisol, which ages our skin. You’re most familiar with that in the form of bags under the eyes. Sleep deprivation also interferes with our sex drive, which is already declining as we age.

Length of Life

Multiple studies show that people who sleep an average of five hours or fewer die 10-12 years earlier than those who get the recommended minimum of six hours.

Most of these issues add up over our time, causing the chronically sleep-impaired among us to look and feel old earlier in life. Much of the physical and mental breakdown we experience as seniors comes from a lifetime of trading sleep for an extra hour of activity.

Nye Health Services offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing and memory care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime.

If we’re lucky, we will all get old. However, if we’re smart, we can affect the shape of that experience and have a good quality of life. Let’s consider six things we can do to maximize our enjoyment in our later years.

6 Ways to Improve your Quality of Life as you Age

Take Control of Your Physical Health

Our bodies will break down as we age to one degree or another. However, there is plenty we can do to live a healthy lifestyle and slow that decline. Forming healthy habits such as eating right, regular exercise, and staying socially active as early in life as possible is the first step towards improving physical and mental health during the aging process.

Nutritious Diet

As a person ages, their metabolism slows down the ability to taste, their sense of smell declines and the body may process food differently. However, that’s no excuse for skipping meals, over-eating, or consuming junk.

Instead, eat a balanced, nutritious diet, high in vegetables, fruits, and nuts, and low in bad fats and processed foods. A balanced diet is the best way for older people to increase their chances of living longer and reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as high blood pressure.

Stay Active

Physical activity is a great way for seniors to stay healthy (improve their immune system), prevent health problems, and reduce the effects of aging. Staying physically fit can help prevent chronic disease and lower the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.

While aging may reduce the ability to bench press heavy weights or play competitive tennis, lifelong exercise is vital for improving seniors’ health related to their quality of life.

The best exercise for older adults is whatever physical activity they enjoy doing most. However, for older people, exercise in the water has added health benefits. Water uses buoyancy to relieve stress on joints and prevent falls.

Many senior living communities facilitate this lifestyle by providing daily exercise classes, pools, and instructor-led activities like yoga, water aerobics, and tai chi.

Click here to discover more fun ways for older adults to stay physically active (National Institute on Aging)

Exercise the Mind

Exercising the brain is just as critical as exercising the rest of the body. Reading books, engaging in stimulating discussions, constantly learning, and problem-solving are great ways to keep the mind sharp in our 70s, 80s, and beyond.

Many senior living communities offer classes, interesting speakers and presentations, book clubs, and other activities that are fun to attend and stave off cognitive decline.

Keeping busy with hobbies is also good for brain cells. Whether you bird watch, complete crossword puzzles, collect stamps, study a period in history or engage in some other activity that pleases you, continuing that will make you happy and keep you mentally keen.

Keep the Social Bonds Strong

Research shows that multiple, meaningful relationships keep us happy and healthy. Humans are social animals at every age who need friends and family in their lives.

It’s particularly important to stay connected to others as protection against the loneliness and depression that plague so many elderly people. As we inevitably suffer loss in our lives, it becomes more critical to have family members and a social network providing support.

An Attitude of Gratitude

The world, like the bodies of older people, is always changing. As your body ages, people can insulate themselves from the outside world. Or, they can accept what is new, learn how to deal with it, and roll with the punches.

The more adaptable we are as we age, the better we cope with the changing conditions in our lives. Embracing each day as a new opportunity to learn, grow and meet new people, and being thankful for everything we have, has been demonstrated to keep us happier and healthier.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Our bodies need deep, refreshing sleep each night to recharge the cells. Older people often require less sleep because they are less physically active. However, sleep is still a critical bodily function. If you’re fatigued or falling asleep during the day, you probably need more sleep at night.

Laugh!

Research shows that laughter truly is the best medicine. Aging with a sense of humor reinforces all the good habits listed above.

Additional Considerations to Improve Quality of Life as you Age

Adapting Living Spaces

Adapting living spaces to accommodate changing needs is crucial for seniors. Simple home modifications like installing grab bars, ramps, and improved lighting can significantly enhance safety and accessibility.

By exploring various housing options, from independent living communities to aging in place with necessary support, seniors can make informed decisions about their living arrangements. Cultivating a supportive network of family, friends, and community resources further reinforces a sense of belonging and security, creating an environment conducive to healthy aging.

Travel and Leisure:

Travel and leisure activities offer seniors opportunities for exploration, relaxation, and socialization. Group travel options specifically tailored for seniors provide companionship and support while exploring new places. Whether it’s a leisurely cruise, a scenic train journey, or a cultural tour, senior travelers can embark on adventures that cater to their interests and abilities.

6 Amazing Ways a Positive Attitude Improves Aging

Nye Health Services

Nye Health Services offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing and memory care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call 402.753.1400 to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit https://nyehealthservices.com/ for more information.

If 70 is the new 50, then it’s not unusual to find 70-year-olds today acting the way their parents or grandparents acted at 50. That’s walking paths and gourmet kitchens, not shuffleboard and bingo.

These more independent-minded seniors will drive the way senior living looks in the next two decades. They are demanding more active-lifestyle communities, more options to meet the routines to which they’ve become accustomed, and more access to the shrinking world.

Of course, no future is complete without…the future. Smart homes, artificial intelligence and other new technologies will make much of this possible.

Consider six elements of senior living of the future:

1. The Continuum of Care Community

Older people are less apt to move than any other age cohort, but as they age, their needs may change. Continuum of care communities are becoming more popular every year because they offer seniors the opportunity to live the rest of their lives around people their age in one community, whether they are completely independent, require some assistance, or need skilled nursing care. These communities provide a host of options for active, independent seniors.

2. The Merger of Senior Living and Health Care

As more senior living communities offer health care services, the two industries are developing more partnerships, blurring the lines between the two. Aging Americans will be less likely to leave their homes to live in nursing homes than they will be to live in communities with skilled nursing care.

3. A Focus on Healthy Living

Wellness and lifelong learning are becoming the lynch-pin of many senior living communities, as seniors seek ways to maintain good physical and mental health, and continue stimulating their minds. Senior communities are increasingly offering a wide variety of opportunities to exercise mind, body and soul in much the same way other age adults do. In with water aerobics, Pilates and astronomy courses; out with mahjong, chair exercises and scam avoidance courses.

4. VR, AI and ‘Smart’ Everything

People retiring today have spent most of their careers working with computers and are not afraid of the virtual world. Expect to see them embracing the excitement of virtual reality entertainment and the convenience of artificial intelligence in their senior living communities. Roombas already clean rooms and smart TVs already connect residents to the internet. Soon enough “smart” utensils will help seniors with their activities of daily living like eating and tooth brushing.

Add to that the advance of smart speakers, which can change home conditions and convey information upon voice command. Expect senior living communities to provide smart home technology and wireless connectivity powering the smart speakers that relieve residents of having to get up to turn on the lights, hear tomorrow’s weather forecast or set the coffee maker.

5. Walkable Communities

An AARP survey found older Americans want their communities to be more pedestrian friendly – and bicycle friendly too. Why? Because today’s senior still walks and bikes.

6. A Place for the Kids and Grandkids

Increasingly, research shows, seniors eschew generational isolation tanks – they want to live in places that are friendly to people of all ages, including children. They’re seeking more common areas and inter-generational programming that attracts younger people too. Remember that today’s 75 year-olds gave us rock and roll, the same music still enjoyed by subsequent generations.

Nye Health Services offers six campus locations in Eastern Nebraska and one in Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing, memory care, and now home care services. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call 402.753.1400 to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit https://nyehealthservices.com/ for more information.