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Aging and Cognition: Tips for Improving Both

Your cognitive health is your ability to remember, learn, and think clearly. It’s a vital part of performing everyday tasks and activities that can be affected by aging, mood disorders, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, you can maintain your cognitive abilities by implementing different activities in your everyday life. 

In Studio City, CA, trusted home care professionals play a vital role in assisting seniors in keeping up with their daily activities, staying connected with others, and maintaining physical and emotional health. Continue reading to find out what activities to follow to improve your cognitive abilities.  

What activities improve cognition?

A significant amount of scientific research reveals that the following activities can improve your cognitive health. Making them part your daily routine can bring you numerous benefits:

What activities improve cognition

Eat healthy

While a healthy diet helps reduce the risk of different chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, it also helps keep your brain healthy. 

A healthy diet comprises whole grains, fruits and vegetables, poultry, fish, lean meat, and nonfat or low-fat dairy products while it limits the intake of salt, sugar, and solid fats. However, it’s also important to control your portion sizes and take enough water. 

Stay physically active 

Activities such as regular exercise, household chores, and other physical exercise bring a lot of benefits. They can:

  • Improve your balance
  • Boost your energy
  • Keep and improve your strength
  • Prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other diseases
  • Improve your mood and decrease depression

According to federal guidelines for physical activity, all adults should get at least 150 minutes of physical activity on a weekly basis. Walking is an excellent exercise, but if you feel like you can do more, there are different senior programs you can take part in. 

Keep your mind agile

When you keep your mind intellectually engaged, it improves your thinking abilities. There are a lot of activities you can take up such as playing games, reading books or magazines, taking or teaching chess, learning a new skill or hobby, and volunteering. They can make your brain more adaptable and reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

Stay socially engaged

Staying connected with other people keeps your mind active, helps you feel more engaged and less isolated, but also improves your overall wellbeing and lowers the risk of certain health problems. 

Studies show that persons who engage in productive and personally meaningful social activities tend to boost their mood, have a sense of purpose, and live longer. 

Keep stress levels low

Stress is an inevitable part of our everyday lives. However, it’s possible to manage it and boost your ability to recover from stressful situations by following activities such as:

  • Regular physical exercise such as walking or tai chi
  • Journal writing to help let go of a problem or perceive a new solution
  • Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or mindfulness
  • Staying positive by releasing situations beyond your control or grudges, practicing gratitude, or focusing on enjoying simple things

Where in Studio City, CA can I find dedicated home care?

studio city ca home care

At A Better Way in Home Care, we boast a team of knowledgeable and reliable caregivers who are devoted to helping your elderly loved ones. They always strive to ensure your family members are well taken care of and receive all the support they need. They’ll assist them in performing their everyday chores, prepare their meals, and accompany them to medical appointments. Whether your senior loved ones live close to the Radford Studio Center or in the vicinity, we’ll make sure they have all they need. Reach out to us today! 

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Staying Social Helps Mitigate Cognitive Decline

There are many physical and mental health benefits of staying social, particularly later in life. According to various studies, socializing with others is essential for both your wellbeing and your cognitive functions. 

Luckily, dedicated home caregivers in Studio City, CA are committed to serving your family compassion supporting you in maintaining the quality of life you deserve every single day. They’ll help you keep up with your social activities and maintain both your physical and mental wellbeing. Keep reading to find out how staying social helps your cognition

How do you mitigate cognitive decline?

Senior social engagement is essential as it can reduce the risk of depression and delay the onset of dementia. It’s as important as engaging in regular physical activity. There are many ways to remain socially active and support your mental health. 

How do you mitigate cognitive decline

Make it a part of your routine

Make it a priority to include socializing activities in your everyday life. Make an effort to dedicate at least a small portion of your day to interacting with others and improving your cognitive skills

Find a cause to volunteer

Apart from providing you with a sense of purpose, volunteering is an excellent way to meet and communicate with new people who share your interests. According to a recent study, the sense of belonging and purpose can extend life by two years. If you’re looking for ideas, you can visit the official website that offers current volunteering opportunities

Become a part of a support group

Support groups are another way to spend time with persons who share common challenges and interests. Today, you can join these groups online or live, whatever suits you best. Whichever way you opt for, you’ll be in for new friendships and emotional support.

Grow the list of your social media friends

You don’t necessarily need to make new friends, but making the best of social media to maintain, support, or reinforce your existing relationships can have an amazing impact on your brain. A recent study has shown that there’s a direct link between the size of certain areas of the brain and the number of friends on social media. 

Users with larger social networks had more gray matter in quite a few brain regions, including left temporal gyrus that’s responsible for face recognition and understanding of word meanings, amygdala, which is responsible for the processing of emotions, memory, and information, and right entorhinal cortex, responsible for declarative or autobiographical and episodic memory. 

Start a hobby

Just like reaching out to a support group, getting a new hobby can connect you with a lot of people. It opens up a lot of opportunities to socialize. Moreover, it also challenges your brain. According to a recent study, learning a new skill such as quilting or photography could be even more effective at keeping your mind sharp than doing crosswords or playing a puzzle. 

During the study, two hundred seniors were randomly assigned to dedicate 15 hours per week to quilting, digital photography, or another similar activity for three months. The results showed a significant improvement in memory, and when they tested them a year later, it was maintained. 

Where can I find reliable home caregivers in Studio City, CA?

home caregivers in studio city ca

A Better Way in Home care is your strongest ally in supporting your elderly loved ones in their everyday life, providing them with devoted social and emotional support. We carefully check the background of every single caretaker we recommend. Whether you need us on Laurel Canyon Boulevard or anywhere else across the area, feel free to rely on our team. Give us a call today!

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How Has the Pandemic Affected Seniors?

At long last, we have reached the point at which we can hope to leave the uncertainty we faced throughout the year 2020 behind us. The prospect of the world bringing the pandemic under control seems realistic, as long as we remain careful and continue to take certain precautions to protect ourselves and those around us. Although it is far from over, we are in a better place than we were a year ago. Easier access to personalized home care in Cheviot Hills and other areas can also significantly contribute to the quality of life of seniors across the LA County region.

But what are the key takeaways from the pandemic? What does it mean for the senior population? 

Is the coronavirus pandemic affecting our mental health?

One can argue that the pandemic has changed Americans of all ages and that will life may never be completely the same again. Some have picked up valuable lessons from the experience, while others may have bitter memories of the whole period. 

But how has the pandemic affected seniors? Aside from the obvious damage to the physical health in those who have contracted but managed to overcome the virus, being under lockdown and forced into isolation has taken a toll on seniors’ mental health.

What can be done to help the elderly during the coronavirus disease pandemic?

Individuals with pre-existing mental, neurological or other conditions, which is often the case with the elderly population, may be more vulnerable to the COVID-19 infection and they may face a higher risk of severe outcomes. But now that vaccination is underway and the pandemic seems to be more manageable, we all feel more at ease and safer going about our daily lives and adjusting to the new normal which is beginning to resemble the life before the pandemic.

Still, for seniors and the elderly, there is still a risk that the situation may take an unexpected turn for the worse and that they will once again be deprived of the possibility to engage in normal, healthy social interactions and other activities. 

Seniors across the country face similar challenges that had been there long before the pandemic, especially among the newly retired. But the pandemic has further isolated seniors from the rest of the community. It is therefore for friends and family to discuss these issues openly with their senior loved ones and be mindful of the following:

  • Seniors living alone at home often face unmet needs, but professional senior care providers can help close that gap. 
  • Now more than ever, aging individuals need mental health and psychosocial support. 
  • If the pandemic has taught us anything in terms of senior care, it is how valuable any programs which enable seniors to stay in their homes are, and that staying out of long-term care facilities is often in the best interest of seniors across the country. 
  • Inability to connect with family and loved ones was one of the key challenges for most seniors during the pandemic and isolation has also been a barrier for quality senior care during COVID-19. 
  • In addition to the risk of the disease itself, there are the lingering effects of the pandemic to cope with, especially for those who have lost a loved one to it.
  • Helping seniors become more savvy and confident about using and communicating through technology is a simple and effective way to help them cope with the pandemic and help them feel less isolated.

Tailored senior home care in Cheviot Hills and other LA communities

Seniors need a connection with their loved ones, and when that is not an option, caregivers are there to step in and help out. Explore flexible senior home care plans for senior residents of Venice and the surrounding areas of LA and LA County. When seniors have their basic care such as housekeeping and meals taken care of, they are in a better position to enjoy living as a healthy, independent adult. At A Better Way in Home Care, we work hard to continually improve seniors’ access to quality in-home care. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us anytime.

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Can Pets Have a Healing Effect on Seniors?

As they sink deeper into old age, our parents may feel increasingly lonely and depressed, especially if they live alone. Some seniors will complain about being abandoned and left out, some will act cranky and moody when you are around and others will simply choose to keep to themselves. 

Whatever the case may be, you must be looking for a way to help out when you’re away. You may consider hiring a professional caregiver or asking a neighbor or friend to check up on your aging loved one. You may also pursue another avenue altogether: pet ownership.

We often hear about the therapeutic effect of pets, especially dogs and cats, on human health. But do they truly have the healing power that is attributed to them and can they really benefit seniors and the elderly? Read on to find out more about what professional providers of home care in Westwood and other areas of Westside LA have to say.

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The Importance of Health Screening for Seniors

Us humans have a tendency to take things for granted, especially our health. As we get older, our health inevitably starts to deteriorate and go through detrimental changes. This can happen abruptly. However, it is never too early to undergo health screenings as part of preventive care. 

How often should you get a health screening

Early health screenings among the aging population, starting at the age of 50, can be an effective preventative measure to maintain health among the aging population. It’s biology 101: the older we get, the more attention and upkeep does our health demand and the need for regular medical testing increases accordingly. 

Take it from  professional providers of homecare in Sherman Oaks and other areas: being proactive about health and about monitoring changes in the body can be crucial to preserving one’s health and vitality and staying strong and fit longer. 

For more details, read on!

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Physical Therapy for Seniors 101

How does physical therapy help the elderly

Physical therapy can be extremely beneficial for seniors, especially when they deal with reduced mobility and pain. Whether they are recovering from an illness, injury or surgery, specialized senior rehabilitation program can help restore functionality, reduce pain and improve quality of life safely and effectively. 

Combining physical therapy with home care in Sherman Oaks, The Valley and other parts of LA could be the optimal solution for senior and elderly clients recovering from surgery, dealing with a recent injury or undergoing treatment for a chronic condition. 

So how exactly can seniors and the elderly benefit from physical therapy? Read on to find out more!

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How to Identify & Prevent Malnutrition in Seniors

No one is ever completely ready to switch roles with their parents, but for many of us, such a turn of events becomes simply inevitable at some point. Of course, you don’t have to take on the commitment all by yourself. There is a way to ensure your elderly loved one is safe and healthy even if you cannot be there yourself. 

Why are older adults at risk of malnutrition

An alternative solution that can work just as well, if not even better, is to hire a provider of home care in Sherman Oaks and nearby areas who can take good care of your loved one for you. 

A caregiver can also keep an eye out for your loved one, and may be the first to notice if anything is the matter. Case in point: malnutrition. Malnutrition is a condition which can severely compromise your loved one’s health. So how do you identify and prevent malnutrition in seniors?

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Exercise for Seniors: How Can Seniors Stay Active?

No matter how old you currently are, having an active lifestyle which incorporates exercise matters. It’s simple, really: if we take good care of our bodies, we’ll live longer and have a healthier, more fulfilling life. Physical activity is, or at least it should be, an essential part of who we are. But as we age, our ability to move our body may shift or even decline. Does that mean we should stop trying to keep up with an active lifestyle? Definitely not. 

Should seniors lift heavy weights

In fact, it means just the opposite: we should do our best to stay as active as possible. This is part of the reason why homecare in Sherman Oaks incorporates light physical activity and walking whenever possible. It is also why doctors recommend physical therapy to senior patients.

So what are the best physical activities for seniors and what is the best way for seniors to stay active?

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What Are the Best Activities for the Elderly?

How do you entertain an elderly personWe all want what is best for our loved ones, especially our aging parents, which is one of the reasons for the steady popularity of professional homecare in Santa Monica. However, as our parents become older and older, it gets increasingly more difficult for us to understand their needs and what they are going through. This is doubly true for the elderly who live alone.

To make our elderly loved ones happy, we sometimes need to think outside of the box and perhaps give them a glimpse of exciting new experiences. No one can argue that making sure that the elderly follow doctor’s orders is important, but giving them the opportunity to boost their mental fitness is just as important. 

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How Can I Make My Aging Parents Happier?

How do you make your parents feel specialFamilies looking for competent and compassionate providers of homecare in Santa Monica have different reasons to do so. But they all share a common goal which is to ensure the wellbeing of their loved ones through professional homecare

The purpose of caregiving in general is to make the elderly healthier, happier and give them a better quality of life. That said, let us not forget the tangible effect of happiness and good mood on health: the happier we are, the healthier we are. 

Even if you cannot afford to spend much time with your parents, having a caregiver step in and help out is the next best thing. A caregiver will be there to remind your elderly loved ones to take their medication, help them follow their diet plan or take a bath. But an equally important aspect of caregiving is companionship. Finding your elderly loved one a trusted companion is perhaps the most effective way to help them fight off depression and feeling of loneliness that so many elderly struggle with.    

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