We give and receive gifts year-round. As we age and arthritis starts to creep into the fingers, though, unwrapping a paper-wrapped gift with tape all over it becomes more difficult. I became aware of this, earlier on, with my grandparents and parents. And now, it's becoming a reality for me as well. So, today, I'm presenting a few tips that may help you or the seniors in your life. image courtesy of freestocks via Unsplash Gifts wrapped with paper are easier to unwrap if less tape is used, allowing enough room for the finger to slip into the overlap and tear the paper. Place gift inside a decorative box with gift tissue or confetti to conceal the gift under the lid. No tape required! Place gift inside a decorative bag with gift tissue over the gift to hide it. No tape required! We all like to surprise the recipient of our gifts, but there are easier presentations than taped up paper. This is not only easier for the senior for unwrapping purposes, but it's also easier for t...
Memory loss is one thing I think we're all fearful of as we get older. We do need to remember that forgetfulness and memory loss are 2 totally different things. It's forgetful to not be able to find your car keys. It's memory loss when you can't remember your child's name or how to get to the grocery store you go to every week. Early on, I discussed other changes in behavior that occur with memory loss as well. So, you might want to read or re-read that after you finish reading this post. Any form of dementia may cause memory loss as well as different behaviors. Doctors agree that early treatment is the best way to slow memory loss. I have met people who are in their 80s who are still very sharp. That's how I want to be. Do you? Below are a few things to get you started on a happy memory journey.
- Keep up social activities. There are many senior groups that encourage outings and gatherings among senior communities. Neighbors are always nearby. If neighbors don't call you, call them! Ask them to come over for a fruit and veggie lunch. Encourage a group gathering. You never know who else may need to be involved in social activities.
- Stay active - a walk in the neighborhood (perhaps with a younger friend or family member or group of neighbors) is a good start. Or do safe senior exercises. As I hinted, these can be a great social activities as well.
- Keep learning! Learning can be done in your group activities as well if you want to combine social, learning, and activity levels. Bible study groups, painting classes, line dancing classes, quilting classes, piano classes, photography classes are just a few examples.
- Get the right amount of sleep each night. The brain needs both rest and activity.
- Eat healthy foods - especially those high in antioxidants such as blueberries and broccoli.
- Drink plenty of water! We all know our body needs water, but so does the brain. I found a couple of great articles to help you understand why our brains need water for mental focus (memory) and other important activities such as sleep and how to know when we are dehydrated. Any symptoms of dehydration means our brains don't have a sufficient supply of H2O.
- Keeping to-do lists helps us remember what to do and gives us ammunition for the day to keep up a healthy, daily routine. Routines are often ignored after retirement. But they shouldn't be. Routine includes getting out of bed, doing a load of laundry, making meals, washing dishes, reading a book, making grocery lists, ordering the groceries for deliver or pickup or doing an old-fashioned grocery trip, balancing the checkbook, working on a hobby. If you don't have a hobby, use the list from number 3 to get one. If you don't have a routine, you soon lose interest in life. And life is too precious a gift to lose interest in it. I keep about 6 calendars - and a dry erase board on the fridge - for daily living: appointments, cleaning, blog posting, book writing, laundry, hobbies, and more. Life is beautiful and I pack as much into each day as I can.
image courtesy of Sena Aykut via Unsplash
I would like to go a step further and suggest that you go online with your hobbies. Unsplash is a great place to showcase photography. If you've noticed, most of the images I use for my posts come from Unsplash. Etsy and Ebay are great places to sell your homemade or vintage items. Upwork and Linkedin are great places to find work you may be interested in, such as typing, transcribing, data entry, proofreading, and so many other types of remote work. Udemy and LinkedIn are great places to learn new things. Both sites have lots of free classes, and most of the paid classes on Udemy are on sale or will be on sale eventually for $20 or less. Or maybe you can offer pet sitting, baby sitting, housecleaning, or other helpful services on Care.com. These are just a few ideas to get you motivated. Definitely do your own research. AARP always has great ideas for keeping seniors active.
Your doctor may have great ideas to slow memory loss for you as well. So, ask her on your next visit. Remember! Stay active mentally and physically and get the right amount of sleep each night to help your brain maintain memory for as long as possible.
#schedule
#calendar
#exercise
#hobbies
#memory
Until next time, take care,
Patricia
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