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6 Ways to Improve your Quality of Life as you Age

Jul 2, 2019

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.

Nye Health Services Award-Winning Campuses & Services

Nye Health Services · 750 East 32nd Street · Fremont, Nebraska 68025 · 402.753.1400 · Privacy Policy | XML Sitemap

6 Things to Expect from Senior Living in the Future

Jun 24, 2019

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.

Independent Living Vs. Assisted Living: Which is Right for You?

May 29, 2019

Deciding where you, your parents or other family members will live out their lives when they are in need of healthcare services, is a momentous decision, often made in haste during a health crisis.

During these times, it is important to be armed with the information you need to make the best decision possible.

Below are seven key criteria for determining which assisted living or skilled nursing facility is right for you or a loved one.

1. Check the Star Rating

The federal government’s Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services created a Five-Star Quality Rating System to help families compare health care providers. Facilities are rated based on health inspections, staffing and quality measures. Look for a facility that has a four-star or five-star rating. NursingHomeRating.org also employs a five-star rating system, as you can see here.

2. Seek Recommendations

An objective review is important, but you also need to think about whether a healthcare provider is right for your particular circumstances. In that case, it can be helpful to seek opinions from both experts and everyday consumers like you. Talk to your friends who may have experienced similar circumstances. Then examine the online reviews of facilities from individual consumers and organizations that specialize in senior living communities. For example,  here is the review from Senior Advice  of Gateway Vista, a continuum of care community in  Lincoln, Nebraska.

3. Research the Company Online

Online recommendations and reviews can be eye-opening, and while they only tell part of the story, they can help you understand the real-life experiences of other families, patients and residents. Research the organization on Google, their website and other online review sites, such as SeniorAdvice.com. Consider both the good and bad information – they will provide ideas of things to look for and questions to ask if and when you visit.

4. Review the Organizational Values and History

Is the organization you’re looking into family-owned or does it report to a corporate board elsewhere? Is its mission to maximize the health and well-being of its residents or to generate profits for shareholders? Is it a place where employees love to work and remain for years or is there constant turnover of staff? Are the people in charge innovators in the field going back decades or are they fairly new to it? Answers to questions like these will go a long way towards determining whether this is the healthcare provider for you.

5. Check Their Credentials

It’s easy to determine whether a provider is recognized for excellence by the American Health Care Association and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

6. Get a Sense of How It Feels There

You want to walk onto the campus and feel like you’re home. You want to see staff and residents smiling and celebrating life. You may feel down when you need assistance with daily activities or rehab for an injury, but you want the people around you to pick you up with their spirit.

7. Make Sure There is Easy Access to Healthcare Partners

Most continuum of care communities have a wide range of healthcare providers on site, but how about the physicians, therapists and specialists you may need while living there? Determine in advance whether those providers are right down the road or two towns over where they might be difficult to access. That can make a world of difference for you or your loved one.

Nye Health Services  offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and one in Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing 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  NyeHealthServices.com  for more information.

8 Pain Management Techniques That Help You Stay Active

May 13, 2019

Although pain is the body’s early warning system, increasingly, health care professionals are recognizing that pain also limits a person’s ability to function. It can interfere with mood and sleep, and the ability to move, concentrate and heal. Longer hospital stays and recovery times have been linked to unmanaged pain.

In short, chronic pain is neither a normal part of life that anyone should have to tolerate, nor a normal part of aging that should just be accepted.

Health professionals are also learning that how we experience pain affects our ability to tolerate it. Individuals who are fearful, anxious or depressed have a lower tolerance for pain and are more debilitated by it. Consequently, pain management techniques must also address the emotional component.

Below are the eight most common methods for treating chronic pain.

1. Physical Therapy

Research shows that moderate exercise can reduce pain and vice versa – less pain allows for more exercise. Physical therapists teach patients how to engage in this virtuous cycle by moving safely and functionally, and building strength through therapeutic exercise.

2. Heat and Cold

Cold therapy reduces painful swelling and numbs the affected area of the body. It is usually used early after the onset of pain. Heat is generally applied after that because it helps muscles relax, promotes blood circulation and eliminate lactic acid buildup. Blood flow and lactic acid removal speed healing and reduce pain.

3. Relaxation Techniques

Meditation, deep breathing, relaxation imagery, bio-feedback, self-hypnosis and other related techniques calm the mind and reduce stress, both of which have been found to alleviate the experience of pain. Additionally, relaxation slows body functions, including the transmission of pain.

4. Massage

Clinical studies like this one have found massage therapy provides significant relief from pain. Massage relaxes painful muscles and related structures and diverts the body’s attention away from pain in a process called “gate control.”

5. Ultrasound and TENS

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to stimulate blood flow to muscles while relaxing them. TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation – innervates offending nerves until they are exhausted, reducing their ability to transmit pain.

6. Acupuncture

The ancient Eastern art of acupuncture has long been recognized as beneficial to those suffering from chronic pain. It’s still a mystery why acupuncture is an effective pain reliever but it is thought to stimulate the body’s own pain fighting mechanisms. It is also generally performed in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere that has some of the same effects as other relaxation techniques.

7. Mental Health Support

Psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other mental health practitioners can provide counseling to individuals feeling stressed and depressed in connection with their pain. Among the techniques they may use are keeping a pain diary, envisioning a pain-free existence, and addressing other issues that weigh on patients’ mental health.

8. Drugs

Useful for short-term relief but a last resort for chronic pain, analgesics like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve) and aspirin can help calm pain. Steroids may be prescribed by a doctor to alleviate inflammation that causes pain and antidepressants can improve mood and aid sleep.

These eight strategies generally work best in combination, because pain has many causes and pathways. Freeing a body from debilitating pain promotes physical, mental and emotional well-being.

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 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.

6 Myths About Dementia

Apr 18, 2019

Dementia is a general term describing a series of symptoms, often found in elderly adults, that inhibit the quality of daily life. These symptoms include forgetfulness, confusion, wandering, repetitive speech and more, and at a certain stage begin to tax the ability of person’s loved ones to care for them. When that time comes, a memory care facility can offer a caring, comfortable alternative with services to arrest the progress of the symptoms.

There are roughly six million Americans living with dementia, and yet most of us are unclear about what dementia is and how a memory care facility can aid those struggling with it.

Here are six myths and facts about dementia:

1. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are the Same Thing

Dementia is an umbrella term to describe all symptoms of impaired thinking and memory that’s severe enough to inhibit daily life. Alzheimer’s is a specific disease – degenerative and incurable – which affects parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. Alzheimer’s comprises 50-70% of dementia cases.

2. If Your Parents Have Dementia, You Will Too

There is a genetic component to Alzheimer’s, but like all inherited traits, it doesn’t guarantee you share the propensity. Dementia, because the causes often are not known, is generally not thought to be inherited. In short, no one really knows whether they will suffer from dementia as they age until they do.

3. Losing Your Memory is Part of Aging

Dementia is not a natural part of aging, though it is not uncommon. Eating nutritious foods, avoiding processed foods, exercising regularly, keeping mentally engaged and generally maintaining good health are helpful to prevent or delay the onset of dementia. In short, a healthy heart and brain help keep dementia away.

4. Dementia is Caused by Concussions, Drug Abuse or Aluminum

Repeated concussions or long-term drug abuse may increase the risk of dementia, but research on this is not conclusive. The connection between aluminum cookware and dementia is a myth based on flawed science in the 1980s that was quickly debunked.

5. Gingko Biloba and Red Wine Prevent Dementia

If only that were true. There is no scientific evidence connecting gingko to dementia prevention. There is some evidence that resveratrol, an ingredient in red wine, may offer some protective qualities, but you would have to consume your body weight in wine every week to see any positive impact, a solution with disastrous side effects.

6. Dementia is Always Incurable

Remember, dementia is merely a description of symptoms. Depending on its cause, it can be arrested or even reversed. More often, because it is a progressive condition, there are steps caregivers can take to slow its advancement and compensate for lost cognitive abilities, especially in early stages. Professional caregivers at a memory care facility are experts in treatments that slow the onset of dementia, like brain fitness exercises and memory games. These and other activities help give residents satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

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 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 nyehealthservices.com for more information.

Nye Health Services Award-Winning Campuses & Services

Nye Health Services · 750 East 32nd Street · Fremont, Nebraska 68025 · 402.753.1400 · Privacy Policy | XML Sitemap

7 Benefits of Downsizing for Seniors

Apr 12, 2019

All our adult lives we purchased the largest homes we could afford. We asked these homes to shelter us and raise our families and keep us comfy in the summer heat and winter cold. Every month we made that mortgage payment so we could stay.

But when we reach a certain age, oftentimes that home no longer meets our needs. Where we were once a family of four or five, now we’re a couple, or even an individual clanking around in all the empty spaces. Where once our pay grew steadily, now we’re on a fixed income and hoping our money sustains us through the years.

It may be time to downsize. Here are 7 benefits:

1. Get a Return on Your Investment

When seniors think about moving, they generally have paid off all or most of the house they’re leaving. Depending on whether you buy a smaller place or rent, you can take all or some of the value of your old home and live off it. How valuable this is to you is a matter of how the numbers work for your particular situation.

2. Lower Maintenance Costs

It’s not just a smaller mortgage payment that downsizing can bring, it’s lower utility costs, homeowner’s insurance, maintenance, repairs and taxes. The difference can easily add up to hundreds of dollars each month that can fund your retirement.

3. Ease of Access

Unless you lived in a sprawling ranch, your old home likely had more than one floor. Moving into a smaller place all on one floor eliminates stair climbing, a concern as we age. That might not be an issue today, but may become more relevant over time.

4. Less Maintenance Required

Downsizing to an apartment, condo or senior community eliminates the need to shovel snow, cut grass, clean gutters and so on. For aging adults who are active, this allows the freedom to travel and explore new opportunities. For those who are experiencing increased physical limitations, it’s even more valuable.

5. Live Near People Your Age

The entire neighborhood might have been your age when you moved into your single-family home, back when the kids were small and you were a younger parent. If your neighborhood is still filled with young families, this is an opportunity to move into a retirement village with other people your age who share your interests. These communities often offer housing that allows residents to remain in their homes as they age and require more services.

6. A More Convenient Location

As we age and our children move away, our needs change. If you purchased your home 20 or 40 years ago because of its proximity to work and good schools, you might today care more about being near cultural happenings, or around the grandchildren.

7. Better Amenities

People who move from a big house made for children built decades ago into an apartment, condo or townhouse often find they get the modern appliances and other amenities they’ve been missing for years. Moreover, they are the amenities suited to a senior lifestyle.

Nye Health Services Award-Winning Campuses & Services