Just as we child proofed our home for our children when we get older we more or less need to do the same thing. Many seniors choose to move out of their larger homes to senior communities or smaller homes with everything on one level for convenience. Many look for communities where the grounds are maintained because lets face it after a certain age shoveling all that snow and mowing can really be too much. The older we get the harder those steps are to climb and I find myself huffing and puffing and pulling like crazy on the handrail now. I’m grateful my laundry room isn’t in the basement as many are around here. I’m truly grateful I’ve lived 56 years, but it certainly doesn’t get easier.

When senior proofing our home one very important area to check are carpets and rugs to make sure there are no loose coverings because that’s one of the most hazardous and common ways that elderly people can trip, slip or fall.  A clear path is desirable and furniture should be conveniently placed and objects shouldn’t be just left  lying around. Rugs should be removed at the earliest opportunity, or placed somewhere in the room that is very rarely used so they are just there for decorative effect.  Carpets should be checked every three to six months to make sure that all fittings are still firmly in place.  Make sure you replace or tighten any loose fittings and then check them again after a couple of weeks to make sure that they are still firmly in place.

Accidents happen a lot with our pets and their toys also so if you’re elderly you need to keep an eye out for that stray toy or bone unless you have a special room designated for your pets playtime. I try to keep our dogs toys picked up, but I have tripped over them numerous times lately and I’m indeed grateful my falls haven’t resulted in any major sprains or breaks. We seniors also need to watch our weight because more than any other age group it negatively affects us the most. We all know that as we get older, our metabolism slows down making it harder to  burn calories so it’s easier to add those pounds and a lot harder to shed.

Yes, we all know we’re suppose to have a regular balanced nutritious diet, but that certainly doesn’t mean we can’t splurge and eat some of those no no foods we so love every now and then. We just need to remember that being overweight can put unnecessary stress on the joints so it accelerates the affects of arthritis, osteoporosis and other bone and muscle disorders and illnesses. It can also bring about the onset of diabetes, which is more common in seniors than in any other age group. Too many seniors give up their freedom as soon as movement becomes too painful by resolving not to move or to remain in bed and of course that’s not good either.

From the age of 65 and above 20 minutes of exercise three times a week is the recommended amount for seniors.  While 20 minutes every day may be good for some seniors, twenty minutes over a period of a week is better for others. You know your capabilities better than anyone else and so you are perhaps better equipped to decide what form your exercise plan should take. Even if you choose not to exercise every day, you should at least walk around the house or venture into the yard a couple of times just to stay mobile. The effort is ultimately worth it, no matter how painful it may be, if you can still move.  Our neighbor is 83 or84  and he reminds me of the energizer bunny he just keeps going and going and going. We are living longer so we certainly want to be in the best shape possible to enjoy these years.

Sometimes I think I would just like to forget everything. The last couple days we’ve been struggling here with Bill’s Diverticulitis, we went to the Dr. Monday finally and he’s been on antibiotics which are pretty strong. I can’t understand why his Dr. wants him back Wednesday, today because it’s only a couple days, doesn’t make sense to me, but what the heck do I know? I guess money plays a big part for everyone, 30 bucks a pop for 30 minutes or less can really add up. I recently noticed that sick people whine a lot.

The man can hardly stand, but he feels like he’s wasting his life and time by taking it easy. I really hope he retires soon so he can enjoy part of his life, but I don’t think he will. I have been struggling myself with making sense of everything going on in my life. My Shadow is finally flip flopping all over the place and is now trying to walk with a belly sling. I have had him outside 3 days in a row and he’s so proud of himself and so am I. So for those of you that said I should have put him down, —– —, he’s doing better and for those that said I would know when the time was right, Thank-you.

I’m struggling with keeping this blog going because nothing makes sense so I’m trying to spend all my credits from a program I’m involved with and then I’ll decide what I’m doing. I spend way too much time online and I know there are so many other things I should be doing. Just like in my real world people come and go and the same happens online I may see the same blog for months at a time, but then they disappear and I don’t even miss them until I see their blog again, just saying. Actually not sure what I’m saying.

I need to get my priorities and my mind straight , maybe I’ll just enjoy the senility and forget everything.

Much is being said about Resveratrol which is an ingredient in red wine that helps  reduce the “bad” cholesterol, helps prevent blood clots, and damage to blood vessels. Mostly the research has been done on animals with this product and not people from what I understand. As shown in the video the research in mice that were given the Resveratrol have indicated that the antioxidant might also help protect them from diabetes and obesity and both have been proven as strong risk factors in heart disease. Could this be the breakthrough supplement everyone’s  been waiting for?

Can we re-set our biological clock? Is a molecule from red wine the answer? I’m basically a very skeptical person and besides I don’t know anyone personally that has ever used ResV Radiance. Apparently this has gotten a lot of attention on television and magazines and a lot of research is being done. The Mayo Clinic has this to say about Red wine and Resveratrol: Good for your heart? Looking good or better would be great especially as I age, but I’m more concerned with the health benefits that I might be able to take advantage of for my heart since heart disease runs in my family if it works , but like I said I don’t know anyone that has used it.

Warning: The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute do not recommend that you start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease. Alcohol can be addictive and is associated with other health issues. It’s recommended that if you do drink it should be no more than 2 drinks a day if that much. The research is continuing  into the potential heart-health benefits of Resveratrol. There are some reports of diarrhea or stomach upset in some that took this supplement, but  there weren’t many other known side effects to be reported unlike some of those commercials on television that crack Bill up.

I lived in Arizona a long time ago, Phoenix actually for a month or two and it’s about 13 or 14 miles from Scottsdale which I thought was beautiful. We called it Sun City, but I think it’s referred to as Valley Of The Sun and a lot of people retire there. Of course to me it looked like people with money lived there and I thought if I ever got rich that would be a place I would like to be.

If you have the money and your looking for an interesting and beautiful place you might want to consider Arizona senior living. I was looking at the Colten adult care homes and they look very nice. They have 3 different homes and people can even bring their own furniture if they choose and they will even accommodate pets. The meals are planned around your likes and dislikes.

The Colten senior care AZ is run by Jana and her husband. She’s a Clinical Social Worker and has been taking care of the elderly for 25 years in nursing homes and adult care homes. She decided she didn’t like the depressing atmosphere that she always encountered so decided she would try her hand and see if she couldn’t create a happier living experience for the elderly that choose to make their home with them.

The assisted living Scottsdale homes look beautiful and they have an activity director that works between the 3 homes to schedule events that the residents are interested in. They have live music once a week and try to make a loving, interesting life for the people that live there. I certainly wouldn’t want to be in a nursing home so if at all possible when I get a lot older I may have to consider the assisted living idea if I can afford it because it isn’t like being in an old folks home.

They have what we call high rises around here where we live for assisted living and they charge by your income, but there is a long waiting list and it’s like little apartments and doesn’t seem very friendly to me. Well, I’ll face all that when I have to. Hopefully Bill and I will be able to live here in our home  till we die and be able to maintain, although it is getting harder getting up and down steps.