Aging adults who remain actively engaged in their golden years can boost their cognitive health, reduce the risk of accidents, and stave off conditions such as heart disease, dementia, depression, and arthritis. Therefore, you need to encourage your senior loved one to take up everyday activities, including those mentioned below. Continue reading to learn why these daily activities are beneficial for older adults.
Cooking
While it’s convenient to order takeout, the food could be fattening and lack the nutrients your loved one needs to boost his or her mental and physical health. However, cooking at home can increase the amount of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your parent consumes. Eating healthy food could help your loved one maintain good cholesterol and blood pressure levels and stave off issues such as stroke, heart attack, infections, and poor bone health.
A professional caregiver can help your loved one plan and prepare nutritious meals. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of elderly home care. You can rely on Assisting Hands Home Care to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Cleaning
It may not seem like a fun activity, but cleaning up around the home could boost your loved one’s independence and confidence. Dusting off tables, folding laundry, and reorganizing rooms in the house are purposeful everyday tasks that enhance motor skills and cognitive abilities. Monitor your parent to ensure safety, and encourage him or her to do things at a slow pace to avoid overexertion.
Engaging in Physical Activities
Seniors need to stay active each day, whether they take up gardening, play outdoor games with their grandchildren, go on trips to the grocery store, or walk up and down the stairs. Even walking to the mailbox each day could provide your loved one with physical benefits. The objective is to do activities that lower the risk of lung and heart disease while boosting mental health, balance, and energy levels. Taking up physical activities during the day could also enhance your loved one’s sleeping patterns at night.
If you usually help your loved one exercise but need a break now and then, consider having a professional caregiver take over for you. Home Care Phoenix experts are available to provide high-quality care to seniors on an as-needed basis. From assistance with mobility and exercise to providing transportation to the doctor’s office and social events, there are a variety of ways professional caregivers can help your aging loved one continue to live independently.
Reading
Vision problems are common in the elderly, but activities like reading can enhance their vision and lower the risk of temporary or permanent blindness. Reading a book, the newspaper, or messages from family and friends can increase concentration skills and help with learning new things, which could increase longevity and quality of life. Encourage your loved one to read as much as possible each day, and make sure he or she has a variety of materials to choose from, including books, magazines, and stories from genres he or she prefers.
Using Social Media
Getting out of the home each day may not be possible for your loved one, but using a smartphone is an everyday activity that can provide the brain stimulation he or she needs. Navigating a social media account requires using critical thinking skills and memory, which can stave off conditions such as dementia. Using social media also boosts the ability to interact with others, from family and friends to individuals across the world who share common interests.
In Phoenix, in-home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Assisting Hands Home Care, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. Our caregivers encourage seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. To create a comprehensive in-home care plan for your parent, give us a call at 602-847-6549 today.
