Many seniors dutifully take vitamins and other supplements to keep themselves healthy and make up for lacking nutrition. But what exactly are those pills made of? And are they doing your body any good? Recent studies have identified various herbal supplement ingredients and their effectiveness. As many people know, the FDA doesn’t regulate many supplements. Because of this, many pills do not need to state exactly what is in their product. It becomes unclear if what they claim is in the supplements is actually accurate. And that’s exactly what the researchers found. Using a system of identifying the supplements’ DNA,
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Monthly Archives December 2013
The Secret Link Between Singing and Memory
Sarah Dessen said, “Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.” But it seems that music not only unites people with each other, but also with their own minds. As we mentioned in an earlier blog post, researchers began a singing lab with seniors who have moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. The seniors were brought together three times a week to share the music of their youth. Half of the participants were lead in singing songs from their young adulthood while the other half listened. While the
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The Next Generation of Seniors
As more baby boomers enter their retirement years, many are pushing for change. Instead of being quietly pushed into a nursing home, seniors are demanding more and better ways of living. So, what exactly does the future hold for this growing population of seniors? 1. More seniors will live at home. It has become clear for some time that today’s seniors prefer to remain at home or in retirement communities. And their health doesn’t have to prevent them from living where they want. As quality home caregivers, like Freedom Home Care, are readily available and affordable, relying on nursing homes is a
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Can Using the Internet Reduce the Risk of Cancer in Seniors?
According to a recent study, seniors who use the Internet are less likely to get cancer than their less tech-savvy peers. The study showed that seniors who used the Internet regularly were more likely to have a lifestyle that kept them cancer-free. It was found that those seniors who valued their online time were more likely to exercise regularly, eat moderately, smoke less, and be screened for cancer more often – all good habits to avoid cancer. And, it turns out, the more a senior uses the Internet, the more likely he or she is to engage in healthy behaviors.
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Medications Found to Increase Risk of Falling
Falling is the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for seniors. Head injuries and hip fractures are two of the worst and most prevalent results of a bad fall. And some medications increase the risk of injury for seniors. We know that some medications can increase the chances of falling, but often seniors rely on their doctors to tell them if their medicine will put them at risk. Instead, seniors should take matters into their own hands. Research has been done to discover which drugs cause the most falls. The common link between the main offenders is that they
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Easy Ways for Seniors to Exercise This Winter
As we get deeper into winter, Mother Nature makes it increasingly difficult to remain active outside. But the good news is, there are still ways for seniors to stay active even when the weather starts to become chilly. We have put together some great ways to stay fit this season. S, grab a sweater, a pair of sneakers, and maybe a friend, and try these ways to get active this winter: 1. Enjoy the scenery. If you’d like to do more than look out the window, consider taking a short and slow walk through a park or forest preserve. Layer your
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