Staying Involved With Your Loved One In A Nursing Home

When a family member moves to a nursing home, it is important to stay involved in their life. More than 1.4 million people 65 and older live in nursing homes, and sadly, almost half of those individuals do not have regular visitors. For families of nursing home residents, there are several things you can do to keep your resident involved with the family after they have entered a nursing home.

Regular Visits

One of the greatest ways to keep your loved one involved with the family after moving into a nursing home is visiting regularly with different family members. This gives your loved one something to look forward to. Visiting regulations in nursing homes are very flexible so it is easy to make time in your schedule to visit your loved ones. You can also determine whether your loved one is receiving the proper care in their nursing home environment.

Schedule Different Visits at Different Times

This gives you the opportunity to bring different family members with you during different times of the day. You can also work other family members’ visits around their schedules and keep your loved one excited and anticipating the next visit. For example, you may choose to bring children in the afternoon and adults at night - it all depends on what you think is appropriate for your loved one and your family.

Call the Nursing Home

This is another alternative if you do not live close to the nursing home, but it is still a good option for communicating with your loved one even if you live close by. A short call to check in on the resident is a small gesture that shows that you are thinking of them. Speaking with a nurse to check up on how the resident is doing is important as well. If your loved one has a computer, teach them to use a service like skype and set up times to video chat with them.

Go to Nursing Home Events

Most nursing homes schedule events that family members can attend. Take advantage of these events and bring other family members along. This gives you a chance to spend time with your loved one in a different setting. Make sure to ask a nurse for an event calendar so you don’t miss an event.

Send Letters and Pictures

This is especially important if you live far away from your loved one’s nursing home. This is a great alternative to keeping your loved one involved with the family. In this fast-paced, computer-age world, it can seem easier to send a text or an email, but hand-written letters are much more personal and will be treasured much more. Sending detailed letters about family updates and attaching pictures of your family is a great way to show the resident that you have not forgotten about them.

Staying involved in your loved one’s life after they enter a nursing home is beneficial for your loved one and yourself. Remember, being involved will ensure that your loved one is getting their needs met. If you have any questions regarding nursing homes and what they offer, visit our website at Lutheran-living.org.

The Importance of Physical Activity for Senoirs

All throughout our lives, we are told that physical activity is good for us. As we get older, the complications from ignoring this advice begin to catch up with our health. Maybe you are starting to notice some health concerns and are thinking “I should have done more physical activity when I was younger.” Well, the truth is it is not too late. Physical activity is very important to incorporate into your daily life, especially for older adults. Here are just some of the benefits seniors can receive from physical activity:

It helps prevent health problems that come with aging. Physical activity will reduce health risks such as heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Exercise slows down your body’s aging by helping your body feel and look younger - it’s a key factor in longevity.

It provides health benefits. Physical activity gives you a better range of motion, balance, flexibility, and strength. Having physical activity present in your life allows you to grow stronger and do daily activities on your own. It allows you to keep your independence in your daily activities rather than asking others for help.

It is a great way to manage stress. Physical activity has been proven multiple times to be a great way to reduce stress. It also helps with managing moods. Depression and anxiety have been said to decrease when physical activity is incorporated in an individual’s daily life.

It helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints. Having healthy bones, muscles, and joints are very important as an individual gets older. Physical activity helps keep all three of these aspects in our body healthy and strong to prevent further complications down the line.

It helps individuals maintain or lose weight. This is one of the obvious benefits physical activity provide,s but it is just as important. Having a healthy weight for your specific body type helps keep everything else in the body healthy and reduces health risks.

It improves sleep. As we get older, we tend to sleep less at night, and it can be difficult to get a good night of sleep. Physical activity provides individuals with better sleep habits such as falling asleep quickly and sleeping deeply.

It is good for the brain. Yes, it is true - physical activity helps your brain. It gives you better multi-tasking skills and creativity in your day-to-day life. It also helps prevent memory loss, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Now that you know all the benefits physical activity can provide for you as you get older, it is time to get motivated. First, figure out what type of physical activity you want to incorporate into your daily life and start off slow. Most importantly, find what fits best for you and enjoy the process.