 Maybe you were one of those children who had to be called and called (and called!) to come indoors for a meal or bedtime. Or maybe you were the kind who wanted only to curl up in a corner with a book until your parent said, "Go out and get some sunshine!" Either way, we now know the benefit of "playing outdoors" for both children and adults.
The daily routine of many seniors is… routine, and most of it takes place inside. Getting outside is one way to break monotony and explore new things, even if it's only for a brief time. Listening to moving water, seeing green grass or watching the squirrels eat are ways to feel more alive. The added physical and mental exercise truly helps ward off cognitive decline and dementia. Being out in the fresh air boosts Vitamin D. Exposure to sunlight helps the process of healing. Being outdoors for even a short period can improve sleep patterns. Just seeing something new can be a distraction from the aches and pains felt while sitting at home. Exposure to the breeze and nature helps the entire nervous system. Motor skills and balance improve with increased activity, as does the energy level. Taking a little walk can reduce stress and anxiety. Walking with a friend will provide even more stimulation, and while outside, someone new might appear: a neighbor, a friendly pet-walker or a friendly pet! Concentrating on something farther away than the wall, like a neighbor's home, cars passing or a rustling tree can improve eye focus. Seeing changing vistas or different activities will provide something new to think about or to research later. What kind of bird was that? What are they building on Pear Street? How quickly the seasons are passing! Enjoying the great outdoors can be a wonderful reminder than we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. So, put on a hat if it's hot, or a coat if it's chilly, and "Go out and get some sunshine!" Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com
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 One in three seniors will fall outdoors at least once this year. While we tend to think of falls as happening in the home, outdoor falls are more common than indoor falls. More than half of all adult falls happen outside.
Since we don't want to become hermits, what can we do to keep ourselves and others safe when we leave our homes? There are many ways to take a little journey outdoors without making a trip into a trip! Improve the outdoor space.
Improve ourselves.
Improve the experience.
And if we do take a fall:
Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  If you took a poll of your friends, what would they say is the household chore that they dislike the most? Plenty could be listed. What would Americans most love to give up doing? Here's the countdown: 5. Vacuuming or mopping. This job is a real work-out, especially hauling around machinery, listening to the noise and trying to get to every surface, under furniture and in the corners. 4. Washing dishes. Every day the dishes come out of the cupboard, get used, get dirty, and have to be cleaned and put away again. Even with a handy dishwashing machine, there's the loading and unloading. 3. Grocery shopping. Rain or shine, it has to be done. What to buy? Look at the prices! How come we can't get a good roast anymore? Too many choices! 2. Cleaning the bathroom. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Mildew and mold, dust and water spots are all the enemy, and it seems like there's a different, bad-smelling product for each part of the job. Which is harder: the bathtub or the toilet? And we come to the chore that several studies have found more people dislike most: 1. Laundry. This is another chore that always seems to need to be done. Gathering, sorting, lifting, loading, shifting, bending, folding, sorting again, and putting away! No wonder this is a job that some people avoid as long as possible. One of the nice benefits about downsizing, moving to an apartment or a senior living facility is having fewer of these disliked jobs! Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com How to Make Healthy Habits Healthier | Salina's Premier Senior Living Community Residence 60012/1/2022  Keeping fit is important at any age. Even as bodies grow older and less limber, there are many things to do to keep in good shape. Everyone has read articles about what to eat, what to drink, what to avoid, but how much do we really know about those healthy hints?
What we've heard: Stay out of the sun! What we need to know: Minimizing exposure to the sun and wearing sun block is excellent care against skin cancer. But our bodies need 15 to 30 minutes of sunshine every day. Moderate exposure helps the body create vitamin D, maintaining calcium to strengthen bones. Sunshine also helps improve mood and encourages good sleep. What we've heard: Walking is the best exercise. What we need to know: If we're depending on a brisk walk to keep us well, we need to remember to exercise our other muscles. Lifting moderate weights helps with strength and bone density. Balance can also be improved. A medical professional can help explain how much weight or resistance is appropriate for an individual. What we've heard: Nutrition drinks and power bars are a quick way to eat well. What we need to know: The doctor may indeed prescribe a nutritional supplement in certain cases, but grabbing a power bar is probably a lot like grabbing a candy bar. Check the label to see how much sugar and sodium they contain. Vitamin supplements also need to be okayed by a medical provider. Some supplements fight with medicines we're taking. Staying healthy starts with staying informed! Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  Healthy Friendships
Not only are friends fun, but they're good for our health! Doctors and psychologists agree that a few good friends or a social group can help us live longer and better lives. How does this work? 1. Friends can help our brains work better. Research is showing that having friends can reduce the risk of dementia. Friends who are good listeners actually contribute to our brain health. 2.Friends are a good influence. Being with others can encourage us to get more exercise; eat healthier, more regular meals; and drink less. Our buddies will keep an eye on us, reminding us when we're doing something unhealthy and standing by us as we try to do better. 3.Belonging is good. Feeling that we belong to a small or large group is helpful to our emotional health. Being part of the crowd guards against feelings of hopelessness and depression. 4.Physical touch is important. Studies find that just being touched positively influences our health. "Touch starvation," also called "skin hunger" is a real thing! We all remember the old slogan, "Reach out and touch someone." It turns out that it's healthy! Friends can come and go, and losing a companion hurts. But making the effort to find friends-- and to be a friend-- is good for everyone. Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  Whatever happened to happy days? Even as the economy improves, hot weather fades and medical people are getting a better handle on our healthcare, many people just seem angry! Waiting in a line or even attending a family reunion can expose us to someone who is mad for no obvious reason. What can an ordinary person do when confronted with someone who is hot under the collar?
Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  Decluttering or spring cleaning can be wonderful experiences, giving us new space and atmosphere to enjoy. But there are some things that just shouldn't be thrown out. In fact, keeping them all together in a safe space is a good idea.
Be sure that you and your heirs can find:
Talk with one or more of your heirs about these papers, where you keep them, and what your plans are. Documents are no help if your assistants can't find them, and your wishes may be disregarded without them. Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  How many times have you seen the words "collect them all" in advertising? It might have meant that you should crave all twelve decorative plates in a series, or gold coins from every decade, or a t-shirt from every state in the nation. But the time comes when you just don't have the space to keep all of these "collectibles" or to dust them!
Ask yourself some questions.
5.Do I have what's important? Some things you may simply be unable to pass along. Your baby mug or wedding dress or golf clubs may continue to give you joy forever. But you no longer need to "collect them all." Your memories and generous sharing of treasures can outlast all of the ceramic dolls, pocket knives and stuffed animals. And, think of what you can put on all the clean shelves and cupboards! Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  Special days will always be marked on the calendar: New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Labor Day. Americans have many ways of celebrating all of the holidays, but a few have fallen by the wayside.
While Memorial Day is still considered the beginning of the camping and boating season, it once was celebrated in more sacred ways. Established after the Civil War as a way to remember fallen soldiers of that conflict, communities would come together to deck all of the veterans' graves with the beautiful flowers of early summer. There were even picnics in the cemeteries. Arbor Day is another nearly-forgotten holiday. It was established clear back in 1872, and because of a later proclamation by President Teddy Roosevelt, aimed at children, it became popular for school groups or Scouts to plant trees at the end of April. Maybe you were part of a group who did this as a child. On the first of May, May Day was often celebrated with handmade baskets filled with spring flowers, like violets, cornflowers and roses. The children who made and filled the baskets would creep silently to the front doors of their neighbors, hang a basket on the door, ring the bell and run away! Knowing that the gift was a secret added to the giver's pleasure. Birthday celebrations have come a long way, and maybe not all for the better. In the 1940s, a child might get a special cake, made by a relative, not a bakery, and after blowing out the candles, could also get playful (and non-painful) "spankings." A five-year-old could get "spanked" five times and then "one to grow on." How was your birthday celebrated when you were little? Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com  It might sound peculiar, but if you're lonely, you're not alone. Many people of all ages experience periods of feeling isolated, friendless, or even depressingly lonely. The years of the Covid-19 pandemic have forced many people to be isolated more often. Used to eating with a group, attending an exercise class, traveling with others, during these times people have needed to stay home and stay solitary. Aging also contributes to feelings of loneliness. Hearing loss or a decline in vision can make it much harder to visit with people, even when a person is able to join in group activities.
Can anything be done about being lonely? 1.Look hard for new acquaintances. If you can't get to the exercise room or religious service, talk to the person in the apartment next door, even if you've never really met. Look for someone who is eating alone and ask if you can join them. Invite an old friend over, someone you haven't seen for a long time. 2.Strengthen existing relationships. Families and friends sometimes fall out, or life just gets so busy that they can't get together as often as they used to. Send a note to that cousin, reminiscing about shared experiences. Phone the daughter-in-law from whom you've been estranged. An old friend might become a new friend, too. 3.Keep busy. Being alone doesn't mean you have to sit and feel sad. Volunteer if there is an opportunity, even for a one-time event. Check on your neighbors. Stir up those no-bake cookies and take them to someone who's recovering from a fall. Offer to play games with your great-nephew for an hour after school. 4.Adopt a pet. Not only will Spot provide companionship, you'll find that people who might be too shy to speak otherwise, will reach out to your pet, and then to you. What do you have to lose? Maybe your loneliness. Charlene Frazier Community Coordinator, Residence 600 600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401 785-822-1300 residentservices.600@gmail.com |
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