For aging adults, fear and anxiety often surround the transition to assisted living, especially memory care. While memory care offers distinct benefits for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s, older adults often worry about making friends, adjusting to their new living space, and not seeing their family as often. After you’ve had the conversation about your loved one moving to an
Jack’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Technology and the Workforce
Positive role models are a good thing for young people. Hopefully, those models can be established in a young person by observing a family members lifestyle. Let us apply this role model to how a family takes care of the daily living activities; how much "smoother" a day can go if everyone "pitches in." If all have a positive attitude
The Importance of Occupational Therapy
Whether you’re recovering from an injury, dealing with chronic pain, or adjusting to life with a disability, resuming daily activities can be difficult. In these cases, an occupational therapist can help you adapt to new routines and make it easier to perform tasks related to your job, school, housework, and more. Depending on the patient’s condition, pain level, or disability,
How to Plan for Long Term Care
As we reach older adulthood, we may begin to struggle with daily activities and chores that used to be second nature. Some people may only need long-term care for a few months, while others may need it for a few years, or longer. Although long-term care can be provided at home by family and friends, there are other options, too,
Mental Health for Older Adults
Mental health awareness is important for people of every age. However, it’s especially important to spread awareness about mental health problems in older adults. As we age, we have an increased risk of developing neurological disorders, mental disorders, substance use problems, or other significant health issues, like diabetes and osteoarthritis. As we get older, it’s possible we may develop several
Jack’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Automation
Automation is taking it out of the hands and letting technology do the work. I had the good fortune to work at many part-time jobs during the high school and college days. This gave me a good understanding of the world of work. Some of these jobs are now automated. One of those jobs I worked at during evening hours
The Best Ways for Older Adults to Stay Active
Exercising is a key part of living a healthy lifestyle. There are so many benefits associated with exercise, and taking advantage of those benefits becomes even more essential as we get older. No matter your age, the best exercise for you is the one that you enjoy. There will always be reasons that make you hesitate to stay active, whether
Jack’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Encounter with the Circus
As a kid, you had the whole summer to look forward to. It seemed as a never-ending time. What kind of experience could I envision in the weeks to come? I had a recent reminder of one of those experiences, when I observed a poster advertising a coming indoor circus. To relive the real circus of years past came to
The Difference Between Nursing Homes and Assisted Living
It can be difficult to choose between nursing homes or assisted living facilities for a loved one, especially if they require residential care. All senior living homes are different; there is no universal approach for aging loved ones. Many people think of “nursing homes” and “assisted living” as synonyms. However, these two terms aren’t as similar as they used to
Volunteering Experience at The Good Shepherd Community
I started volunteering at The Good Shepherd Community at the beginning of this year for a communication studies course I am taking at St. Cloud State University. I was hesitant at first because I did not know what to expect and what the outcome from this experience would be like. Throughout this year, my experience has made a great impact.