The Importance of Fun/Life Balance

By Heidi Fischer, Program Director
AGE of Central Texas Austin Adult Day Health Center

So many of us get caught up in the whirlwind of life that it becomes really challenging to find time to smell the roses.  At the AGE of Central Texas Adult Day Health Centers, we believe that the proper amount of fun/life balance is an essential component of wellness.

Respite provides the perfect opportunity for embracing who we really are without other distractions.  The benefits of respite care are many, so let’s break this down a bit and look at what respite really feels like:

• The caregiver relaxes and enjoys respite when two things happen:  their loved one is in a safe place AND their loved one is in an environment that is stimulating and enjoyable to them.
• Their loved one, in turn, relaxes and enjoys being in a safe, caring, and softly dynamic environment.

Caring for Ailing Parents

Parents care for children, and then children grow up to become parents and care for their own children.  That’s the natural order of things—except when it isn’t.

Sometimes parents cannot care well for themselves, and need others to help. This is when children, purely out of love and concern, often begin to care for a parent.  Sometimes the caregiving journey is short-lived, because the need for care is temporary—such as when a parent has surgery or goes through treatment to regain health.  Sometimes it’s a long journey because the parent has a chronic illness such as dementia, or the after-effects of a stroke. When a child cares for an ailing parent, how is the parent/child relationship affected, and what can the child do to make the journey easier?

May Is Older Americans Month

May Is Older Americans Month

The month of May represents national “Older Americans Month,” when communities across the country recognize older Americans for their contributions and demonstrate the nation’s commitment to helping them stay healthy and active.

This year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, communities are focusing on how older adults are taking charge of their health, engaging in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others.  President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law in July 1965. Since that time, the Act has provided a nationwide aging services network and funding that helps older adults live with dignity in the communities of their choice for as long as possible.

While AGE of Central Texas provides programs, education, and resources to older adults and their caregivers year-round, Older Americans Month offers an opportunity to emphasize how senior adults can access the home- and community-based services they need to live independently.  We are honored to be a part of the live of the older adults and family caregivers of this community, and to join them on their journey.

Thumbing Your Way to Health

What is better than learning how to use a smartphone for the first time?

How about learning to make your mind and body healthier with your device? How about taking a class from your peers? Then catching up with them over a cup of coffee after class?

The marriage between health and technology is becoming stronger every day. With the upcoming reign of wearable tech, the relationship between our digital devices and our bodies will grow. The AGE Computer Lab is here to help our community navigate it. 

Improv and Memory Loss

On a recent Tuesday, several adults diagnosed with memory loss gathered in a church in East Austin wearing pink wigs, cowboy hats, Hawaiian leis, and ski caps. One woman, who is really from France, told the others she was from Seattle and sung in a punk band. Another man recounted his recent journey sailing across the Atlantic. A woman from Mexico shared hunting tips. They hadn’t forgotten where and who they were. Rather, these men and women were the first group in Austin to ever try improv comedy as therapy for memory loss.

Last month, AGE expanded its Early Memory Loss Support program to a third site at Hope Lutheran Church in East Austin. In a new location with new participants, AGE brought in a new activity with the improv experts at Move Your Tale. The group was diverse—seven older adults with early-stage memory loss, program coordinator Delilah Dominguez, and a handful of eager volunteers, including the church’s pastor and deaconess.

Helping Caregivers Through the Holidays

When someone in your family has dementia, or really any other chronic condition, it can affect what holiday time and family gatherings look like. There’s no magic solution, but we hope these tips and reminders might help make this holiday season a bit easier and merry as you balance the holidays as a caregiver.

1. Help your family and friends adjust their expectations
If some time has passed since visiting relatives or friends have seen the person who has dementia, there may have been significant changes in that person’s status since the last time friends or family last saw them. It is often very helpful if you update family, perhaps via a mass email or individual phone calls, on what kind of cognitive changes are going on and what they can expect when they arrive.

These changes can be hard for family members to accept. Remind them that changes in memory and behavior are a result of the disease, not the person.

6 Surprising Facts About Falls

Sunday was the first day of fall, which makes it the perfect time to talk about the risk of falls for older adults—this week is Fall Prevention Awareness Week!

Here are 6 facts to help build a clearer picture of why falls are a serious issue:

Cold & Flu Prevention for Older Adults

By Diane Walker  RN, MS, CSA

Getting a cold or — even worse — the flu is a miserable inconvenience for anyone. For an older adult, the outcome can be worse than a few missed days at work or the inability to enjoy one’s activities, it can be much more serious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “…90% of seasonal flu-related deaths and more than 60% of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations in the United States each year occur in people 65 years and older.” Older immune systems tend to be weaker which allows the flu to turn into more serious conditions such as bronchitis and / or pneumonia.

While an illness can hit anyone at any time, there are ways to prevent developing a cold or the flu. The best way to treat a cold or flu is to not get it in the first place. Prevention is key. Seniors and their caretakers should keep the following tips in mind to keep an older adult healthy:

Austin Mayor’s Task Force on Aging

Dear Friends,

For the past year, I have had the great honor to serve on the Austin Mayor’s Task Force on Aging. I am very proud to have been part of this effort.

The recommendations from the Task Force include the following focus areas:

1. Healthy Living
2. Independence
3. Informed Community

We are especially thrilled that under the focus area of ‘independence’, the Task Force specifically highlights the need for critical support and training for family caregivers. One of their recommendations is to expand CaregiverU, a collaboration that AGE is honored to coordinate with the generous support of the St. David’s Foundation.

Dementia and Spirituality Survey

A friend of AGE is conducting a survey dealing with knowledge of and attitudes toward dementia, faith, and spirituality as a part of a masters thesis project.  For those who might be interested, see her invitation below:

INVITATION

I invite you to take a few minutes for an online survey that has nothing to do with the economy or politics or a consumer product!

I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation from the Seminary of the Southwest (SSW) in Austin, Texas.  I am conducting this survey as part of my senior study of attitudes toward and knowledge of dementia, faith, and spirituality.  The survey is for anyone.  The larger the number and wider the diversity of responses, the more helpful the study will be.

Your willingness to give honest answers to fairly personal questions will be deeply appreciated.  Responses are completely anonymous and not connected to you as an individual.  The general findings and implications will be offered in a workshop in Austin, Texas in the coming months and included in a final paper.

I hope you’re curious enough to take the survey.  And, please invite your friends, family, and associates to participate by giving them the link!   Responses are requested as soon as possible and no later than two weeks from the date of this notification. Just click here to take the survey now.

Many thanks for your consideration!

Barbara Wiederaenders
[For more information or questions, contact me at bwiederaenders@att.net]