Seniors Feeling More Confident about Their Looks

In today's world, we're surrounded by "the beautiful people" at every turn: TV shows and endless infomercials telling us how we can "improve" our faces and lose those love handles with the latest and greatest diet, and magazines with every other page featuring a digitally-altered model with a caption telling us why we need to look just like them.  Although we can all have moments of self-doubt, today it's even more understandable than ever for feelings of self-consciousness to surface, considering what's going on in the world around us.  But don't fret.  It doesn't have to be that way; in fact, research shows that the older we get, the better we feel about ourselves.

According to a Gallup survey of 85,000 people, here's what they found out from respondents aged 65 and older:

• 66% responded that they were happy with their appearance
• 64% of males who responded are happy with their looks, while 60% of women have the same feeling

The numbers above are the highest of any age group in this survey: in the 35 to 64 age range, only 54 percent were happy with their looks, and 61 percent in the 18-34 age group.  There are a few reasons why seniors may feel more confident in their appearance:

• Many seniors may be more relaxed in all aspects of their lives---this feeling can also carry over into how they feel about themselves and how they look.  For example, although they still want to look good, the sometimes unseen pressure of keeping up with the latest fashion trends is not the same as when they were younger.
• According to the American Senior Fitness Association, the overall number of seniors who exercise has increased over the years.  Exercise not only builds strength and stamina, but also builds confidence, both inside and out.
• The Gallup organization also surmised that another major reason for confidence expressed by seniors is that as we grow older, the expectations from society changes, leading seniors to feel better about their appearance.

To sum it up, when it comes to our appearance, confidence really does increase with age.  If you are exploring home care options, assisted living placement or in-home care for a loved one, contact us for a selection of options that may be right for you.

Seniors Can Be Athletes or At Least Active Regularly

We all know the adage, "You're only as old as you feel."  For owners of a non-medical home care business, you know how this applies to your clients. Some are active and able to garden and to participate in sports activities. Others are fairly sedentary and inactive.  Fun does not have to stop because one's age reaches a certain number. There are plenty of great examples of seniors still achieving amazing sports goals.

Seniors Who Are Star Athletes

In June, at the age of 91, Harriet Thompson ran the fastest marathon time (90-94 year old group) in U. S. history in her fifteenth running of the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.  Illinois Wesleyan University professor D. Paul Miller was the oldest cyclist in the 19-sport competition of the 2013 National Senior Games. He was 96 years old at the time.

Seniors also participate in extreme sports. There is a club named Skydivers Over Sixty that jumps in large and intricate formations for fun and entertainment. Other extreme sports with senior participants include:

• Snowboarding
• Mountain climbing
• Waterskiing
• Parasailing

Activities for Seniors that have Specific Health Benefits

Encouraging seniors to become "athletic" does not require inborn natural talent or joining a professional team. It means trying an activity to see if they might enjoy it.  Many physical activities have the added benefit of increasing blood flow to the brain, which helps improve memory in older people. Senior care givers can start by encouraging their clients who have video games such as the Wii to try some of the bowling games or others with physical movements to get the client up and moving around.

Studies have shown that participation in Martial Arts can decrease falls in seniors. The low-impact exercises increase balance and flexibility (which decrease with age) and learning falling techniques has helped prevent some broken hips. Tai Chi increases muscle agility and increases coordination. It also increases core strength, all of which fight against depression, arthritis and slow blood circulation in older people.

Aerobic exercises have been established to improve the blood's circulation and oxygenation. Current research also indicates it may slow aging, improve memory and provide a higher blood flow to the brain, including the hippocampus, which affects the development of Alzheimer's.  Several gyms, recreation departments and other community resources offer Martial Arts classes especially for older adults and seniors. Research what is available in your community so you can pass this information along to your clients.

Laughter Can Help Improve the Memories of Seniors

Laughter is a universal sign of happiness and joy. Laughter means you are enjoying the moment and it makes you feel good. We all enjoy having a good laugh and usually feel better afterward without truly understanding why. There are actual physical changes that laughter causes in the human body. One of the changes, a recent study discovered, is improved memory for senior adults.

The Effects of Laughter on the Brain

A recent study conducted at California's Loma Linda University indicated that when a group of elderly test subjects laughed, their recognition and memory improved and their laughter actually helped them remember those enjoyable moments.  Two groups of subjects were studied to determine the levels of cortisol in their brains.  Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause brain damage if too much of it collects over time.

One group of seniors watched a funny 20-minute long video. The other did not. The results found that the cortisol levels were much lower in the group of seniors who watched the video than the cortisol levels of the control group that did not. Lower cortisol levels result in less impact on the brain from stress, and thus, on memory. The seniors who laughed remembered the experience in more detail.

Laughter also has the pleasant effect of releasing endorphins, which chemically produce the good feelings we get when we laugh and are happy.  Laughter has been thought through the ages to have healing properties for all age groups so laughter literally is one of the best medicines. It can also decrease the risk of developing mental illness.

Indications for Elderly Care Services

Those offering home care services should consider the possible applications of this information in the services you offer all your clients and in the training that you provide to your home care providers. Bringing some laughter to your senior clients could easily become a goal of your services. Considering its beneficial effects on memory and emotional outlook, it should easily become a requirement.

Providing DVDs of funny movies, taking seniors on trips to the movies and going to see a professional comedian perform are all ideas to consider. Even something as simple as having your home care givers teach seniors with a computer how to watch funny cat videos on YouTube during in-home care sessions will bring laughter to their lives.