• Do you feel like you are having to keep tabs on your aging parent?
• Are you second guessing if mom or dad should still be living on their own?
• Do they need more supervised care with medications or personal care?

There are several hidden warning signs that can be indicators an aging parent needs assisted living care.

• Forgetfulness
• House is a Mess
• Changes in Mobility
• Poor Personal Hygiene
• Not Engaging in Day-to-Day Activities

When observing your adult parent in their living space, you’ll want to keep notes on the following warning signs to assess whether or not they are able to independently care for themselves and their home. You may want to keep a notebook, so you can see patterns of behavior and can share this information with your parent and their physician. This information will be helpful for decision making and for engaging with assisted living counselors when you start evaluating residential options.

When you are making notes about these changes in your aging parent, you’ll also want to observe how they respond to the changes themselves and how they respond to you when you try to discuss these things with them:

• Does it frustrate them? Is the frustration at an acceptable level?
• Can they problem-solve to find a healthy, reasonable work-a-round to the change?
• Do they get anxious, unnecessarily aggravated or belligerent?
• Do they brush it off, even though they changing their behavior as a result and this is affecting their usual quality of life?

Forgetfulness. It may not seem like a “hidden warning” because forgetfulness in older adults is something we typically think of as really obvious. Before forgetfulness gets to the problematic point, it progresses, for most people, at a slow pace. You’ll want to look for consistent, insidious patterns of forgetfulness. This is more than just occasionally misplacing the car keys—something all of us do from time-to-time. When the car keys (or anything else) go missing more than occasionally, and to the point where the keys can’t be found so your parent can’t drive the car, that’s the kind of progression that’s a sign something more serious is going on with memory.

A warning sign for forgetfulness, is your aging parent forgetting to take their medication. Be sure that you are keeping tabs on their dosing—that they aren’t taking too much or too little (or none at all), which could result in a medical emergency situation. Other significant warning signs for forgetfulness include: not remembering where they placed important documents, forgetting to cash checks received, to pay bills electronically or by mail, or placing perishable foods in a cabinet instead of the fridge.

House is a Mess. If your parent wasn’t a messy person most of their life, and their living space starts to look in disarray, that could be cause for concern. Take note of:

• the condition of floors, carpets, counters – have they stopped vacuuming or dusting?
• piles of dirty dishes in the kitchen
• the cleanliness of the fridge – is there spoiled food in fridge?
• trash piles inside / outside the home
• evidence of hoarding
• evidence of pests or insects
• lawn is not maintained
• if they own pets: are the pets toileting in the home?  Is the litter box getting cleaned?

These things could be signs of forgetfulness and/or changes in mobility, meaning your parent is no longer able to do these things and is embarrassed to tell you.

Changes in Mobility. The obvious signs are frequent falls and similar mishaps with movement. Before that degree of change, you’ll want to look for these hidden warning signs in your aging parent’s mobility:

• Do they hold onto furniture to move about a room?
• Have trouble standing from a sitting position? Rising from their bed?
• Do they have difficulty navigating even a few steps or the curb?
• Are they avoiding going up or down stairs even though that’s the only way to access a bedroom or bathroom? (In which case—are they washing themselves at the kitchen sink or sleeping on the couch?)

Poor Personal Hygiene.If an aging parent suddenly looks unkept, has body odor, or seems to be wearing the same clothes over again, these are subtle signs they are losing the ability to independently care for themself. So pay attention to these things each time you visit:

• Are they brushing their teeth?
• Are they doing laundry (can they access the laundry room?)
• Are the closets/drawers for clothes organized or in disarray?
• Do they have soap, deodorant, and other personal hygiene products or are they forgetting to buy these things?
• If they usually wore make-up, have the stopped or are they applying it wrong?

Not Engaging in Activities.If your aging parent has discontinued participation in their usual hobbies, social outings with friends, or routine shopping… and this is not due to an acute illness or minor physical set-back, be concerned. You’ll want to talk

Is it Time for Your Aging Parent to Move to Assisted Living?

If you find that your aging parent displays any of these hidden warning signs of not being able to care for themselves and their living space, then it may be time to consider assisted living. This is especially important to do if you are unable to take-on the challenge of caregiving for your parent. Peabody Place offers support from compassionate care staff who can in help you decide about assisted living care that meets your parent’s unique needs. We provide the resources and options necessary for making an informed and affordable choice. Not only do our state-of-the-art residences provide medical attention your loved one may made need, they will also have access to a full complement of recreational, social, emotional, and cultural activities to support their well-being in gracious surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

First, kudos to you for recognizing it’s never too late to make a change, try something new, or otherwise enhance an area of your life.

Perhaps the most important thing to know is that change is a process. The more ready you make yourself for it, the easier it can be to follow through to successfully keeping your New Year’s resolution.

A few things to keep in mind:

Know Your Why. Write down why you want to make a particular change. Motivation is an important predictor of behavior, so be honest about your why. If your motivation for change isn’t important enough to you, you are less likely to stick with your 2024 resolution. Make note of how you want to feel when you achieve your resolution.

• Connect emotion to your why to strengthen your motivation and commitment to it: I’ll feel healthier and stronger and more confident when I strength train three days per week.
• Another strategy for strengthening your why is to link it to something (or someone) of importance to you: Taking this art class will teach me new skills and I’ll be able to socialize with my friends—and maybe make a new one!

Grant Yourself Patience and Kindness. Whether you’re adding a healthy habit like eating more fruit throughout the day or trying to reduce a poor habit such as smoking or watching too much TV, making a change takes about 6 weeks before the behavior becomes routine for you. Be patient with yourself. If you slip-up, intentionally or on purpose, be kind to yourself. Every moment, every day, is a chance to begin again and do better. Berating yourself will only make you less motivated to stick with your resolution. Be kind to you!

Do Set Goals. Don’t Aim for Perfection. Of course, you’ll set goals to guide your process during those six weeks and beyond. It’s also important to understand that making a behavior change involves more than just good planning. There will be emotional ups and downs, progress and setbacks that will be different for each person. Plan for success and be realistic about challenges you may encounter. Try to anticipate how you will handle challenges that pop-up (our list below can help with this). If you are moving toward your goals 80% of the time, you are doing great!

4 Tips to Help Older Adults Keep Their 2024 New Year’s Resolution

1. Find Your Tribe. Enlist the support of loved ones, friends, and co-workers or a health/wellness coach. Working toward a New Year Resolution together provides social support that makes it easier (and more fun) to stick with making the change. When asking for support, you might start by talking with the people closest to you and letting them know what you are doing and why. You also can ask for specific help: When you see me reach for a third cookie, say something to me. Tell people what you need as you start and keep them updated as your progress toward your goal.
2. Be Aware of Social Cues. If your bongo/board game buddies typically eat sweet snacks and your goal is to cut back on your sugar intake, you’ll need to make some changes to reduce temptation. Bring your own healthier alternatives to your games and invite everyone to take a 10 min walk between games.
3. Have a Plan and Be Flexible. Anything you want to achieve isn’t about finding the time, it’s about making the time—and that’s a choice in your power. Look at your daily and weekly routines to identify blocks where you can exercise or prepare meals in advance. Making the time may mean waking-up earlier or reducing social media screen time to get moving. Block off those times in your schedule. Of course, life happens and there will be things that get in the way. Those are temporary shifts. Get right back to your routine the following day or as soon as possible.
4. Celebrate Success! Incorporate a small reward for weekly successes and a bigger reward for milestones (e.g., 3 weeks of exercising daily, or sticking with a new art class) Rewards need not be expensive; rather, just them meaningful for you such as buying a new workout outfit or a higher quality set of paints and brushes).

5 Great Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions for Older Adults

The Golden Years can be a time of adventurous change for many older adults—and the New Year is the perfect time to embark on a specific change for yourself… check out these ideas:

1. Move joyfully. Daily physical activity that you truly enjoy is easier to stick with and it is important for older adult health: moderately vigorous movement supports heart health, strengthens joints, and reduces the risk of injury from falls.
2. Learn something new. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time for? A language, pickleball, bowling, or calligraphy? The New Year is a great time to learn something new.
3. Make new friends, or spend more time with old ones. For older adults especially, loneliness and isolation has serious health concerns, including increasing risk of heart disease and stroke. Let 2024 be the year that you focus on friendship—making new ones or strengthening ties with current friends. If you’re struggling to meet people in your same stage of life, you might consider the benefits of living in a senior community.
4. Sleep better. Sleep is essential for good health at every age. For older adults, a sound sleep routine supports the health of the immune system, the brain and nervous system (including concentration and memory), and metabolism. Getting restful sleep begins with your pre-bedtime routine and talking with your healthcare provider about any difficulties you are having with sleep.
5. Get tech savvy. If you feel lost in the maze of new technology, help is out there! Try to learn and keep up with today’s tech by attending a program at a local library or asking a tech savvy grandchild to show you around a smart phone. With modern tech in hand, you have more opportunity to stay connected with family and friends, learn new things, and even make daily tasks a little bit easier for yourself.

Resources

Young, S., “Healthy Behavior Change in Practical Settings.” Perm J (2014, Fall) 18:4: 89-92, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206177

NIH.gov, “Changing Your Habits for Better Health”, https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diet-nutrition/changing-habits-better-health

Medium.com, “10 Science-backed Tips to Making a Health Behavior Change that Sticks”, Posted by Paige Brown Jarreua,p https://medium.com/lifeomic/10-science-backed-tips-to-making-a-health-behavior-change-that-sticks-8655c3bbde50

APA.org, “Making Lifestyle Changes that Last”, https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/lifestyle-changes.aspx

Start the year off with a new book! Take a look at these five must-reads on healthy aging that can provide you or a loved one with tips and tricks on how to live your best life.

https://www.theseniorlist.com/blog/top-5-books-on-healthy-aging/

The definition of healthy eating does change a little as we age. For example, as we grow older, our metabolism slows down, so we need fewer calories than before. Our body also needs more of certain nutrients. That means it’s more important than ever to choose foods that give us the best nutritional value.

Explore the information below to get tips on how to find the best foods for your body and your budget.

https://www.ncoa.org/article/healthy-eating-tips-for-seniors

 

The social and emotional health effects of loneliness have been well documented. These effects were exacerbated during the isolation periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, new information shows the ill-effects of loneliness carry over to a person’s physical health.