Senior Sunrise

One of the main components of comprehensive elderly planning is making arrangements for the funeral. Before you pass, it is advisable to indicate how you would like your remains to be housed, whether that is in a casket or an urn. If you decide that you would like a traditional burial, it is also advantageous to already have your plot picked out.

There are certain laws, rules and restrictions that are enforced by the FTC to ensure that funerals are dealt with properly. One of the main rules is that the funeral director must give you an itemized receipt that identifies all of the particular goods and services you are receiving. With a few exceptions, you have the right to choose the items and services in your funeral proceedings.

When children grow up and leave the house, some parents experience what is known as empty nest syndrome. It is marked by a general feeling of loneliness and isolation by the parents. While studies have indicated that it is most often associated with mothers, it has been seen in both sexes and, as such, can definitely affect mothers and fathers alike. While many parents who are going to experience these feelings do so when the child first moves away, there are also reports that these feelings can return when the child is married.

In both instances, the role of the parent is reduced in the child’s life. The parent is no longer immediately needed or involved in the child’s life, and this is often seen as the root of the syndrome. Some have argued that it’s more common now than ever because the extended family has slowly been removed from western society, meaning elderly parents are often left living alone. There are several senior solutions that can help, including exercise, taking part in community events, and planning family get-togethers and reunions.

As people get older, they will inevitably begin to think about their passing and how their loved ones will have to cope and take care of the necessary tasks. When people are advanced in years, passing in a comfortable and welcoming environment is always a high priority. For years people have chosen to stay at home during their final days, but for myriad reasons more and more people are incorporating a hospital into their senior planning.

Despite the comfort and familiarity that your home affords, there are several advantages to the hospital. When you die at home, there is excessive paperwork and investigation to ensure that the person died of natural causes, which often leads to unexpected expenses. There will be some costs inherent in checking into a hospital, but the staff will alleviate the paperwork and ado that ensues after a person’s passing.

My grandmother is 87 years old and still lives independently, but all of her children live in a different state. Having had medication mix-ups when emergency treatment was administered in the past, she has been cautious about traveling recently and has missed an important event or two. In order to ensure that she receives the proper medical care and attention, we have prepared an advanced medical directive.

If she were to require medical attention during a visit, this form would assist the hospital or urgent care center and ensure they do not make a mistake with her medications, allergies, or any other medical issues she may have. It also specifies what measures should be taken in a traumatic scenarios. A medical directive is an essential component in ensuring that the proper measures are taken in the event of an emergency.

Preparing for death can be a sobering experience, but the good news is that once you’ve got the planning out of the way you can focus on enjoying life. No one wants to leave family and friends with a financial and logistical burden after death, and by drafting a living will you can prevent that scenario from ever playing out. The first step is to contact a lawyer you trust – or have a close family member make the arrangements.

You’ll be instructed to compile a list of all of your assets – both real and financial. Real assets include vehicles, homes, jewelry and other tangible valuables. Financial assets include shares in stock, savings bonds and the like. Then elderly planning entails systematically deciding which assets should be bequeathed to what particular inheritor. Finishing this process will give you serious peace of mind.

It’s just a fact of life that seniors need to be even more in tune with their bodies than younger people. This means knowing when to seek medical treatment, when to stop driving at night, and even when it’s time to part with certain physically strenuous activities. But just because you know your limits doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the twilight of your life.

Low-impact exercises like yoga and tennis are ideal for people of any age and physical skill level. Tennis is easy on the joints, and you might even meet a new friend or two by signing up for a doubles league. Yoga is great for more than just stretching and working on balance. It can also be a calm and soothing way to relieve stress. Just be sure to get all the elderly health information you can before attempting anything that requires a lot of exertion.

There are so many saints that are known, but remember there are also many unknown.  Count among the unknown all those who we believe that are in heaven enjoying the vision and presence of God.

Here are just a few of my favorites and some words of their wisdom that they learned by living.

    “Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.”  St. Teresa of Avila.

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” St. Padre Pio

“To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.
Pope John Paul II”

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”  St. Francis of Assisi

There are as many saints in this world today as there are

flowers that God created. 

Wishing you a Happy Saints Day!

My great-grandma is currently 99 years old and still has the vigor and tenacity of someone in their 80’s. One of the keys to her longevity is implementing and maintaining a stringent senior health management plan. There are a few simple things she does that keep her going and in good physical shape.

Every morning she makes sure to do a little light exercise, which usually just means walking a few blocks. For her though, this small amount of exercise is enough. She also fills her diet with healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, staying away from excess sugary foods.

Good digestion is something we took for granted when we were younger.  Now, that we have a few years behind us we somehow remember all the little things that our parents and elders told us regarding our eating habits.  Seniors and caregivers, here are a few reminders that can make a difference. 

Don’t sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly.  Thus will elad to gastric and infection in our intestine.

Dont’ walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actual fact this is not true.  Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.

Don’t bathe - Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease.  This will weaken thedigestive system in our stomach.

Don’t loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted and blocked.

Don’t drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid.  This substance will cause the protein content in the food we consome to be hardened, and therefore difficult to digest.

Don’t eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruit after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air.  Therefore, take fruit 1-2 hours after a meal or 1 hour before a meal.

Many people aren’t thrilled about the prospect of getting older. Inevitably, your health will begin to slowly deteriorate and you will be unable to do some of the activities you could when you were young and spry. Just because you are entering your Golden Years, however, doesn’t mean you have to stop having fun.

 This should be the best time of your life, when you get to enjoy retirement and spend time with your loved ones. Once you hit 65, you will be eligible for senior discounts at many restaurants and entertainment venues. Use this opportunity to go out more and do some things you may not have been able to afford in earlier years.