Supporting Cognitive Function By:  Brooke Higgins, D.O.M, A.P, L.A Spa Longevita Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine The brain is vital to wellness, yet many of us don’t realize the importance of supporting cognitive function. A healthy brain has many functions, including verbal skills, visual and spatial memory, and intellectual thinking. General brain support is critical and it addresses targeted areas like memory, behavior and mood, and tension and relaxation. Memory issues are one of the most common concerns with age. With age, we generally need more time to remember things and may have issues with concentration. However, scientists are discovering that cognitive decline need not be an “inevitable” result of aging. Increasing…

Encore has been open a little over 3 months.  We have welcomed 31 residents to their new home within the Encore and Avalon Park community.  Over the last year we have worked to build community partnerships that would enhance the lives of the residents of Encore.  We have also worked to provide an outreach for community members that wanted to donate some of their time and talents to our residents.  We are proud to say that the Encore residents are reaping the benefits of our community connections.  The local churches are providing bible studies, devotionals, and church services to our residents.  The Jetsetters, our active senior group in Avalon Park,…

Has Your Get Up and Go, Got Up and Went? By:  Anissa Mitchell, LCSW Have you noticed that you or your loved one struggle with the motivation to get moving and participate in daily activities? Have you seen a decline in the interest in socializing with friends or participating in hobbies? If so, you might be dealing with apathy. Studies indicate that up to 45 percent of people with Parkinson’s experience apathy. Apathy is a neuropsychological symptom of Parkinson’s characterized as the lack of interest and participation in purposeful behaviors, difficulty with initiating, sustaining and completing tasks, and lack of concern for yourself and those around you (Simpson, 2013). These characteristics encompass behavior (treatment compliance, effort),…

Take a “New” Year’s Look By Brenda Lecco, CMC The holidays are a time of family gatherings and frequently relatives that haven’t visited in a while detect a decline in loved one.  The new year is a great time to take a new look at the health of a loved one in your care.  There is a medical specialty for older adults called Geriatrics.  A Geriatrician is a physician specialty that focuses on the unique health needs of seniors.  A geriatrician can perform tests that will detect memory loss, geriatric depression, bone loss that might put an older adult at risk for fractures and can also take a look at…

10 Holiday Survival Tips- published by the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org   The holidays are just around the corner. Families are gathering for Thanksgiving, Hanukah, and Christmas, sharing laughter and happy memories. But for families coping with Alzheimer’s, the holidays can be bittersweet times, filled with stress and frustration. Festivities can agitate, confuse, and over stimulate persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Meanwhile, caregivers can feel anxious, frustrated, and lonely – leading to stress and depression. The Alzheimer’s Association – Florida Gulf Coast Chapter- has developed 10 Holiday Survival Tips for families coping with Alzheimer’s.   Tip 1 –  Planning can avoid holiday stress Individuals who experience the most difficulty…

HOW  TO CHOOSE A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY By Veronica Figueroa, Broker/Owner – Re/Max Innovation There comes a time in life when a change in living situation is necessary to the well being of an aging loved one.  When it becomes difficult for family members to carry out the various activities of daily living without the assistance of others, this is generally the time to make a change.  Older adults face many challenges as they age which include loss of eyesight, memory loss or dementia, fatigue, lack of mobility, prescription medication management, lack of socialization and loneliness. First and foremost, it is important to look at this stage of life as…

You CAN Take it With You! By:  Brenda Lecco, Marketing Director Encore at Avalon Park  When we are young, buying our first home, we choose a home that will be a nice place to raise a family. We think about school districts, floor plans, resale value and where we’re going to put the pool. We don’t think about the feasibility of growing old in that home.  Many seniors find that the home that offered a lot of space for raising children and entertaining grandchildren has become too much for them to care for as they age- especially the upstairs!  For the majority of seniors, health and finances drive their housing…

Moving To College — Moving To A Senior Community — Similar Or Not? By:  Ann Hutchens Creating Divine Order Friday, September 20, 2013 One of Creating Divine Order’s former clients stated, “I hate moving into an institution.” I was a little surprised because she was moving into an independent community with a beautiful campus, a chef who had won awards in local cuisine contests and an open schedule. Residents could choose to participate in as few or many the available activities. Meals were provided but she could choose to eat in her apartment. Still she saw her move as one in which she lost her independence. Another client was moving…

From:  The Three Wise Guys Radio Show: Our Guest, Dr. Martin Hamburg, offered this prayer as “One Final Thought” on the Sept. 2 program Lord, I Am Growing Older – A Prayer from the New England Journal of Medicine, 1964 Lord, thou knows better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject, and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all.…

Each month we try to focus on topics that are important to the senior community.  Our theme for the month is “Why are Seniors so Special?”  I ponder this question on a daily basis as I devote my life’s work to solving the special problems that seniors face.  By the numbers, there were 43.1 million seniors in the United States in 2012.  Of those seniors, 23 million of them are considered “economically insecure”.  By 2050, the senior population is projected to reach 83.7 million and comprise 21% of the population.  These seniors will face a myriad of challenges related to economics, health, life changes, loss of independence and the list…