Happy Veterans Day from Senior Helpers of Fairfield

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served in the past and are currently serving. Today, we honor you. Veterans Day is an official United States holiday that honors U.S. veterans and casualties of all wars. To help give you a better understanding of this special day, we put together a few Veterans Day facts.

• Armistice Day – Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and celebrated veterans and victims of World War I. It was changed in 1954.
• October 4th – In 1971, Veterans Day was changed to October 4th in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. It was changed back to November 11th in 1978.
• Celebration – Arlington National Cemetery has a ceremony every year on Veterans Day honoring those who died during war.
• 24 Million – There are roughly 24 million living veterans today! How many do you know personally?

Please send a special thank you to your friends, family, and loved ones who have bravely served our country. Today we salute you!

Caregiver Burnout and How to Avoid it

Being a caregiver for your elderly loved ones can be one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. It can be a joy to be able to care for someone you love who is in need. As your loved one grows older and your role as caregiver requires more and more of your time, efforts, and resources, it’s very likely that stress builds up. Family, marriage, work and other obligations all require your attention. Caring for your special loved one is usually a job that goes unrecognized (and unpaid). Over time, this can wear a person down!

Operating under this prolonged stress will lead directly to burnout. “Burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.” [source] You put your own health (physical, mental and emotional) on the line and everyone depending on you will be affected to some extent. Thankfully, this stress related depression can be reversed but it is preferable to avoid it, if possible.

The first step is to recognize whether or not burnout is something that might be in your future. If it is, here are some simple tips that can help you set aside some guilt-free “me-time” to help you avoid the pain:

• Seek out other individuals who know what you’re going through for support and advice. Talking about your experiences with a support group or a trusted friend can make a big difference.
• Accept your emotions, whether good or bad. At any given time, you may be feeling some combination of any number of emotions. Some of these emotions, such as anger, can leave you feeling guilty, but give yourself a break. You are only human after all.
• Get healthy physically. It’s important to exercise and eat well because a healthy body is better prepared to deal with stress. Getting into a habit of regular exercise, enough sleep, and a healthy diet can boost your energy levels and help you feel more balanced.
• Take a part of every day to do something that makes you happy, such as reading a book, listening to music, crafting/hobbying,  meditating, or getting outside.
• Know your limits and get help when you reach those limits. Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself and your care. Also, realize that sometimes you can’t do everything yourself and that’s ok.
• Above all, taking care of yourself and being a caregiver goes hand in hand so there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself some grace and taking advantage of (or creating) down time to breathe and relax!

Do you have any other tips for eliminating stress from your life? Please share in the comments!

For more reading on burnout go to:
wiseGEEK – What is burnout?”
Help Guide – Burnout Signs & Symptoms

Healthy Eating during the Holidays

Every diet program, gym and personal trainer gears up for the holiday aftermath because they know that healthy eating stops being a priority during those festive winter months. But healthy eating is important year round, especially for your aging loved ones. Their metabolisms can go askew when their diet is unbalanced, and the influx of sugary foods during the holidays doesn’t help the issue! Getting a proper mix of healthy foods with the right vitamins, calories and nutrients is important throughout life, but especially as you age. Here are a few tips for keeping healthy eating a part of your life during the holiday months.

Substitute your cooking styles and ingredients. Instead of frying, grill your food. If you’re roasting, use one of the many available low-calorie spray oils. Try steaming vegetables to retain nutrients and flavor. Use low fat ingredients like egg substitute, applesauce for oil, reduced-fat cheeses and fat-free sour cream. These changes will go virtually unnoticed by your taste buds but you can make a big cut-back on fat and calorie consumption!

Make sure fruits and vegetables are a standard part of each meal. The more colorful you can make your plate with fruits and veggies, the healthier you will eat. Try foods like blackberries, melons, yams, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Just because it’s not summer anymore doesn’t mean hydration can fall by the wayside! One strategy is to take a sip of water with each bite during mealtimes, which will help keep water levels up. Dehydration can lead to urinary tract infections, constipation, and even confusion.

Don’t forget to exercise! It keeps joints mobile and muscles strong. Staying active can also counterbalance overindulgence and help keep off extra pounds.

Check out the delicious sounding recipes at this link including chocolate-dipped oranges and healthy version of eggnog! Yummy!

For older adults, the benefits of healthy eating include increased mental acuteness, resistance to illness and disease, higher energy levels, faster recuperation times, and better management of chronic health problems. As we age, eating well can also be the key to a positive outlook and staying emotionally balanced. But healthy eating doesn’t have to be about dieting and sacrifice. Eating well as an older adult is all about fresh, colorful food, creativity in the kitchen, and eating with friends. ¹

Did you know that a Senior Helpers caregiver can assist with preparing and cooking healthful meals? From start to finish– by planning meals, shopping for ingredients, cooking the food itself and serving it– our caregivers can help ensure that your loved one is getting all the nutrients they require. Call us if this is something you would like for your loved one 973-362-0130.

Share your Traditions — and win!

With the passing of another year, it’s only natural to think back to your favorite holidays and Senior Helpers would like to know what made them special. Share with us a holiday tradition at our seasonal website: www.myholidaytraditions.com. After sharing your tradition, you will be entered to win an opportunity for free airfare ($1,500!) to keep the traditions strong —another way to make this holiday season just as memorable.

Amanda A’s Thanksgiving tradition: Baseball Collecting

On Thanksgiving morning when my brothers and I were kids, my dad would yell out “let’s go to the baseball fields!” We all knew what that meant: scouting the woods and collecting a ton of baseballs! While my mom and grandma strategized and coordinated their battle plan for the cooking of the night’s meal, the rest of us bundled up nice and warm and rooted around for our baseball mitts down in the basement. Dad would empty out this giant green bucket, pile in our found gloves and down the street we’d troop to the fields, seeing who could blow the biggest white puff of air!  We would spend the morning happily combing the frosty woods for lost and forgotten baseballs and softballs that had sailed over the fences as home runs or foul balls. When we were confident we’d gotten them all, we would play catch until our frozen fingers forced us back home.

The next spring and summer, when it was baseball season again, we always had a ready supply of balls that we had collected ourselves. For me, whenever I grabbed a ball from that big green bucket, I’d think back on the fun (and chilly!) day when we found them!

Conversation Starters and Family Holiday Events

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?! Many families are planning to get together to celebrate (and eat a lot of food and watch some football). The holidays are meant to be a joyful time but we’d be deluding ourselves if we didn’t admit that some parts can be a little stressful! If you love planning and organizing, the logistics of pulling off a family get-together can be exhilarating. If you don’t, I’d guess your stress level might be a little more elevated than usual.

Being surrounded by loved ones can provide comfort, peace and festive holiday energy, but can also bring with it the challenge of looking out for the aging members of your family. The holidays change when you factor in caring for an elderly relative, but often a helpful conversation can help you ease into the new situation.

Here are a few tips you can provide your family in preparation for the holidays this year:

• Focus on the story.  If  your  loved  one  talks  about  childhood  or  their  college  years,  ask questions  to  learn  more.  They  may  be  fixated  on  that  time  period  and  you  both  can  benefit  from  allowing  that  conversation  to  play  out!

• Learn family trivia.  For example, “I was named after _______ because _______” and  “Our  family  is  from  ________  and  lived  in  _(city/country)_.”  It can be fun!

• Talk about time period memories.  Try “The first president I remember is  ______,”  “My favorite childhood toy was _______” or “My favorite musical  group was _______.”

Tell us in the comments: What is your favorite conversation starter?

Post Hurricane Reminders

To our local readers and those affected by Hurricane Sandy: we hope you are all doing well in these very challenging past weeks.

Right now, early November, is the start of a very busy time of year: there are major holidays coming up and family gatherings to look forward to. Often this time of year is hectic and can become stressful. Add on top of that our recent hurricane with subsequent power outages and gas shortages! With all that is happening, there are a couple of things that might get overlooked but are still important to take care of.

Traditionally, Day Light Savings is when everyone is reminded to check the batteries in their smoke detectors (after changing the clocks of course!). If you are still without power and using candles, this is an especially good time to make sure smoke detectors are in good working order! Another monitor to check is your carbon monoxide detector which will warm you of dangerous levels of this odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. Carbon monoxide is a concern especially if you are using a generator to power your house.

The gas shortage will hopefully be resolved soon and northern New Jersey’s even/odd license plate rationing is still in effect. [Read more]

Take a minute to check on your elderly neighbors and see if there’s anything they might need. The elderly are more vulnerable in general and a prolonged power outage can make for a difficult living situation.

Hopefully you were able to weatherproof your home and make any repairs caused by Hurricane Sandy before the nor’easter comes to the area. We wish you the best and hope you find joy in the upcoming season.

Leave us a comment: What’s been something good that’s happened to you recently?

Favorite Photo Tips

Almost everyone has a digital camera these days and taking photos has become an accessible activity. With the beautiful fall foliage right at its peak and the holiday season coming up, I want to share with you some of my favorite tips for photographing the family and capturing memories during this family-centric time of year.

Before:
Pack extra batteries – or better yet, invest in a battery recharger. There’s nothing worse than having everything all set up, with everyone in place but then the camera doesn’t turn on! Avoid this by keeping fresh batteries on hand. With a rechargeable battery station, you can make sure you never run out of juice in the first place.

Set up ahead of time. If there are older family members who can’t move around very well or might get tired easily, make sure that they are comfortable by having a comfy seat available. Try not to take a lot of time to fuss with the camera or the background once the group is assembled and ready to go. Take a few minutes ahead of time to set up the place where the portrait will take place.

Taking the pics:
Get the right light—if you are photographing outdoors, there are certain times of day that are better suited to portraits than others. Direct sunlight should be avoided because it causes really harsh shadows on the face (and people tend to squint—not always the most attractive look!) The softer light of morning and late afternoon is universally flattering. The best light of the day is the hour before sun set: it’s called the Golden Hour and the light is really soft and it makes everyone glow! And, it seems counterintuitive, but cloudy, overcast days are the next best thing to the Golden Hour; no harsh light creating dark contrasting shadows!

Avoid red eye caused by the camera’s flash. First, turn off the flash! Then, use natural light or turn on lights so it’s bright enough to not require the flash.

Fill the frame. This might involve getting a little bit closer to your subjects or using the zoom on the camera, but you should make sure that there’s not too much empty space around the people in the photograph. You want to be able to see their faces! Don’t be afraid to take a couple of steps towards the group or person you are photographing.

What to do with them after:
Print your photos for free. There are many websites and drugstores that offer free prints of your photographs, sometimes with a purchase and sometimes they just want you to head over to their store (in the hopes you buy some stuff while you’re there). There are also many websites that offer free prints when you join their site or their mailing list.

Make scrapbook. This would be a great activity to do with your older relatives. For those with Alzheimer’s or dementia, scrapbooking helps stimulate the brain and is a great tool for memory preservation. It’s a fun activity for grandchildren and grandparents to do together!

Display your images on a website (and avoid printing them out at all!) There are a ton of free blogs (like WordPress, Blogger or Tumblr) that you can sign up for and simply post your pictures whenever you want. Give the link out to your family so everyone can look at the pictures at their leisure!

Physical Activity in Changing Weather

It looks like the fall foliage is peaking right now in North Jersey! Yesterday I had a leisurely walk around the block with my dog, took some pictures of the changing leaves against the bright blue sky and enjoyed stepping on the dried, crunchy leaves that were strewn on the pavement.  Fall is a special time of year in this area with classic fall activities like orchard and farm visits, hay rides, corn mazes and pick-your-own apples, pumpkins and raspberries. It’s a great time to be outside, now that the scorching summer days are behind us. With the cooler weather come different challenges for older folks with staying active. While you and your family are outside enjoying the weather and the different offerings of the season, there are some things to keep in mind to avoid injury and to stay healthy and fit during fall.

• Warm up. Cooler temperatures mean muscles and joints won’t be as limber as they are in the summer, so make sure you properly warm up before doing any physical activity.
• Wear appropriate clothes – you can always take off a layer if you get too warm, but being too cold can make you susceptible to illness, so make sure to grab that jacket before you leave.
• Don’t forget the sun. Sunscreen is just as important in the fall as it is in the summer, and can be much easier to forget. The sun’s rays are still damaging, so make sure not to go out without it.
• Stay hydrated! This is another easy one to forget because you won’t be as thirsty in the cooler weather, so avoid dehydration by upping the fluids.

What is your favorite way to stay active when the temperature falls?

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These are some of the photos I took on my walk with my dog yesterday.

Avoiding Cold and Flu During Changing Seasons

Nothing is worse than waking up in the morning only to realize a cold (or worse!) has set in overnight. Sore throats, fevers, coughs and congestion are just a few of the telltale signs that the pleasant transition to cool weather has brought an uninvited guest. We’re all prone to colds and the flu, but as we age, our immune systems have a much harder time staying strong and defending us. We all know the proverb “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If you want to avoid getting sick in the first place, it is essential to take precautions like:

• proper hand washing technique (click here to see)
• clean and Lysol weekly or after a visitor comes to your house
• carry antibacterial wipes with you when out and about
• get a flu shot
• take Vitamin C supplements
• eat healthy, dress warmly, etc.

If you are unlucky enough to become ill after taking these preventative measures, you can still do your best to not spread germs any further. Watch this amusing video about the proper way to cough and sneeze:

Do you or your famliy have a tradtional cold remedy? Tell us in the comments!

Fall Prevention

“Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries to older people in the United States…. Each year, more than 11 million people older than 65 fall — one in three senior citizens.” 1 Now that it’s autumn, it’s a good time to talk about fall prevention awareness! Falls can have some serious consequences but are actually something that is fairly easy to prevent. Knowing how to fall safely or even wearing protective garments (like hip protectors) can give seniors, who are at risk of falling, confidence to help them stay active.

This is a subject that we are passionate about! Our owner, Tamra, provides classes on this and other topics at health safety seminars. Contact us for more info!

There are a lot of resources on preventing falls. Please feel free to browse the following websites for more thorough information on this avoidable hazard:

• National Safety Council: Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls
• FallPrevention.org
• National Council on Aging
• StopFalls.org
• “Falls are Preventable” pdf