3 Ways You can Help a Senior Eat Well.

March is National Nutrition Month. 

Living in the United States, you have had a discussion, or two or million on the topic of nutrition and eating well. There isn't a day-time show, medical establishment, or magazine that doesn't tackle the subject, and the information can be confusing and contradictory.

If you are caring for a senior adult you may face even more challenges in the quest to eat well. Age and illness can significantly alter the ability to enjoy eating. Medications can change the taste of food and disturb normal appetites. Life long eating habits may conflict with dietary restrictions. What to do? Here are some tips to help you and your loved ones to eat well.

Spice it up.

No, not just salsa. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland and herbs have multiple dietary benefits. Rosemary, lemon juice and fresh garlic make a healthy and flavorful marinades for meat. Dried oregano flavors pasta and fresh oregano can be added to salad or cooked greens. Oregano naturally inhibits bacteria. Cinnamon can help stabilize blood sugar levels. Sprinkle it on toast, over a baked sweet potato or vanilla pudding. These strongly aromatic herbs also alert the brain; It's time to eat!

Make it Easy.

If your appetite is compromised, you are unlikely to eat a full-sized meal. Prepare or buy foods that can be eaten quickly and without much fuss. Stock the refrigerator with bite-sized fruits or soft vegies. Soft cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, jello or pudding are all easy to chew and eaten at any time during the day. Make ahead dishes like soup or casseroles can be portioned out during the week and available to eat whenever someone feels like eating.

Eat together.

Loneliness is a powerful deterrent to healthy eating. Much enjoyment of eating comes from sharing a meal. If at all possible, have at least one communal meal per day. If once a day is impossible on your own, ask for help from friends or neighbors. Investigate community meals sponsored at a church or senior center. Schedule some meal times as a celebration of friendship and love, set the table, bring some flowers, and if possible, pour some wine. Bon Appetit means good eating, and good eating means eating with others.

For more tips check out AgingCare.com

Dawn loves to cook and loves to include others in eating well. For more info, contact her at drozzo@abc-seniors.com

Color Yourself Happy; An Adult Pleasure

I have a confession to make; I never was a fan of coloring books. Coloring inside a pre-printed line annoyed me as a child and frustrated me as an art teacher. Part of the process of teaching people how to draw is getting them to trust their own line-making.

Coloring books were discouraged as an inappropriate adult activity in the Long Term Care facilities where I worked. Interestingly, it was here that my view of coloring books started to change. Provided with complex designs and easy-to-handle materials, adults with cognitive or physical difficulties would sit and create something lovely, something they might even give to a friend or family member.

Now, if you haven't been in a Barnes & Noble or Walmart or Michaels  lately, you might not be aware that we are in an adult coloring book phenomenon. According the New Yorker, in 2011, the British publishing house Laurence King asked Johanna Basford, a Scottish artist and commercial illustrator specializing in hand-drawn black-and-white patterns for wine labels to draw a children’s coloring book. Basford suggested instead that she draw one for adults. Her original release of  “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book” of thirteen thousand copies has since sold more than two million copies worldwide. It also spawned a a massive new industry category; adult coloring books.

You can now buy beautifully drawn, highly complex pages of imagery from the grocery store or at the airport news stand. Pick up some high-ink markers like fine-tip Sharpie or colored gel pens and you have an activity that appeals across the generations. Teenagers will sit with their grandparents and compare pages. We did it recently at a family gathering. Men will also color if provided with suitable subject matter. Retired engineers and construction managers will create precise elaborate color designs within a pre-printed page. 

Are you are looking for an activity for your home-bound loved one, something to stimulate the senses yet provide stress-relief? Would you like to do something that  provides satisfaction when completed and can engage an individual or a group? Try coloring! You might become a fan.

Joy Shared Brings Health

"Joy shared is Joy doubled, Sorrow shared is Sorrow halved." This old proverb, known around the world, describes the reality of how friendships and love impact our lives. So how do we fare if we do not have someone to share our joys and our sorrows? We’ve known for decades that perceived social isolation, or loneliness, is a major risk factor for chronic illness and death. Recently we have gained deeper clues into the reasons why. Studies show loneliness affects immunity In a study of overweight, but otherwise healthy people, those with loneliness showed higher levels of inflammation when faced with stressful activities. Another set of subjects experienced more inflammation, pain, depression, and fatigue than normal, plus a reactivation of dormant viruses in the body. More recently, it was shown that loneliness reduced the ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. Researchers say the body perceives loneliness as a stressor, causing it to go into a “fight or flight” response and release adrenal hormones. Over time this chronic stress response leads to chronic inflammation, setting the stage for numerous disorders, including depression, coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Lonely people have been shown to be at increased risk for cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and viral infections. Compounding the problem is the fact that chronic inflammation is linked with depression and other mental health issues. This may cause a lonely person to further isolate themselves, creating a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. How to remedy loneliness Breaking out of loneliness doesn't happen easily— you have to take steps to connect to new and old friends. Here are just a few strategies. Join Meetup.com groups, or start one; Make a phone date with friends or family you haven't seen lately Attend a school concert, community theater, or music event Sign up for a classes to learn something new with others Volunteer Join a church or spiritual community Visit someone home-bound or in the hospital Invite a care-giver out for coffee  Leave your cell-phone at home Admit you need help, join a support group We are wired for connection. The stress response to loneliness and isolation is a red flag that you need the feeling of protection and inclusion socialization brings. What are some of the ways you have reached out, or have been included? Portions edited from Dr. Tom Mitchell, Chiropractic Physician and Registered Herbalist

What keeps us happy and healthy?

TED/x talks are always empowering, full of info and knowledge. I was blown away by this one at multiple levels: how long the study (who's outcome is being presented) lasted, collaboration across multiple generations, the actual results obviously, and finally the lesson in it for us (me for sure; I'm mostly introverted even if I have learnt how to project differently depending on context). For Dementia/Alzheimer's patients and their family caregivers, maybe there's something in here to be cognizant of, and those who are younger, knowledge to have at the backs of our mind as we meander through life and relationships...

http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness