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

Checklist Fall Prevention: 5 Ways to Stay Safe Inside Your Home.

"Home is where the heart is" but home is also where, according to Health.com 8 million Americans lose their balance and fall. Senior adults are particularly at risk because they may have impaired vision, and a variety of musculoskeletal issues, like bone loss and osteoporosis. No matter your age, nothing interrupts your holiday celebration like a run to the emergency room.

This month, before the snow and ice mean precautions outside, use this checklist to safeguard against falls inside your home.

Check the RX label.
Do your medicines list dizziness as a side effect? Many medicine interactions also may cause lightheadedness. Read the labels, use a drug interaction website and talk to your doctor and pharmacist when you begin another medication. 

Light the stairs.
Good lighting in the home is essential for safe movement but it is especially important at the top and bottom of stairs, where it is easy to miss a step. Consider night-lights or small wall units to light up the dark side of the staircase.

Wear the rubber-soled slipper.
Or socks, or shoes. Bare feet have good traction, but for the cold-feet among us, wear warmth with slip-resistant soles.

Lose the area rugs.
Yes, they are pretty and warm up the home, but the edges tend to curl up and trip us up. If you must have them, make sure they are backed with skid resistant backing. 

Clear the clutter.

In the holiday season we may pile the wrapping, boxes, purchases on the stairs or on the floor; which can quickly mean in the way of walking. Think of the comedic banana peel, only it isn't funny when you are one upended.

We at Always Best Care sincerely wish you all a safe and fall-free holiday!

Refresh your Spirit; Enjoy Local Arts

• Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article46054920.html#storylink=cpy

Many people look to December to enjoy rich arts and crafts and the Triangle area does not disappoint. Whether you are looking to be inspired by the creative spirit, or find a unique gift; here are 4 ways you can get out; get refreshed and see something beautiful.

All events are free

Annual Juried Photographic Exhibit

Cary Senior Center in Cary is pleased to hold their

8th Annual Open Juried Photographic Exhibition. caryphotographicartists.org

November 30-December 18, 2015

Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm

120 Maury Odell Place

Cary, NC 27513

For more info (919) 469-4081

Annual St. Nicholas European Christmas Market

Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church

Fri 12/4/15 at 7pm-9pm 
Sat 12/5/15 at 10am-3pm 

www.facebook.com/saintnicholasmarket

2510 Piney Plains Road

Cary, NC 27511

For more info (919) 851-9266

Holiday and Winter Art Exhibit and Silent Auction

Apex Chamber of Commerce

A very special exhibit of artwork for the winter and holiday seasons. Forms for submitting silent auction bids on the works are available at the site.

November 28 – December 7, 2015

220 N. Salem St. Apex, NC 27502For more info (919) 362-6456

Boylan Heights ArtWalk 

Admire holiday decorations and shop for artwork and handmade crafts as you stroll through historic Boylan Heights.

Meet neighbors on their porches.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Noon-5pm South Boylan Ave between Hillsborough Street and Western Boulevard, Raleigh, NC

boylanheights.org

If you need assistance to bring a loved one to these or any holiday events, please give us a call. We can arrange something for a minimum of two hours of care. Office: 919 724-4297

6 Ways to Help a Male Caregiver

Male caregivers? Doesn't most caregiving in a family fall on the women? Aren't they the ones who coordinate care, or provide the day-to-day support for ailing loved ones?

Traditionally, yes, but in a survey reported in the October/November issue of AARP, a full 40% of family caregivers are men. 50% of all family caregivers work full-time. Chances are you know a friend, co-worker, or family member who leads in the hard work of making sure their parent, spouse, or adult child is well-cared for.

But men do not traditionally have a social network of support and tend to labor alone.
Here are 6 ways you can support and encourage a male caregiver.

1. Be a Buddy.

Day-to-day caregiving can isolate even the most well-connected healthy adult. Men particularly are inclined NOT to ask for help or admit to the loneliness. Give that man a call, stop in for a visit, buy him a beer. Support is as important to a man as it is to a woman.

2. Feed Him

• Yes, bring him a home-cooked meal if you can, but a favorite take-out meal or gift-certificate to a favorite eatery will be welcome as well.

3. Offer to do a Specific Chore.

• Better yet, just do it. Take his over-due books back to the library. Get his oil changed in his car. Offer to pick up the kids from after-school events. Ignore his insistence that "it isn't necessary."

4. Offer a Break.

• Come by and offer to stay in the house while he goes and does errands or takes a break, without worrying what will happen when he is gone.

5. Hire a Housekeeping Service

• Yes, he might want help cleaning the house but might feel embarrassed if someone he knows came in and saw the need. Professional help doesn't judge.

6. Help Celebrate the Holidays.

• Offer to do a holiday chore that he would like to do but, like everyone, finds difficult in the time-crunched life of a care-giver. Can you put up Christmas lights? Not every man hates to shop; offer to help find, wrap, or send gifts. Hang a fresh wreath on the door.

These are just some ideas to help you acknowledge the man who shoulders the care of his loved ones.
Would love to hear how you support and celebrate those who care.