Only the Very Best for Your Loved Ones
Odd Fellows Home patient centered comprehensive care plans provide a broad range of skilled care and therapeutic services designed to promote independence, optimize mobility and enhance the quality of life for our residents. 24 hour skilled nursing, hospice, respite and secure unit dementia care afford residents excellent services with dignity and compassion. Our facility is agency free with clinical staff members who are direct employees of the home, a distinction that renders us unique in this region. This affords us the opportunity to assure consistency and quality of clinical care.
Our experienced therapists offer: short term rehabilitation and post surgical care, in house physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, wound care and IV therapy. Residents receive individualized attention in a safe environment with staff members who are dedicated to resident needs. Staff members collaborate to maximize functional capabilities for each resident through an interdisciplinary treatment approach.
Can Stress Ruin Your Health?
The holidays are a stressful time for all of us, but is it affecting your health? Stress can be one of the most detrimental things to your overall well-being, it takes a huge toll on your body. While a fight-or-flight reaction is great if you are in danger, experiencing the same same response because of emotional stress over a long period of time can be very bad for your health. A great interview with Dr. Ben Kim goes over how stress can effect your well-being and how you can prevent it.
Top Ten Secrets to Longevity
Living a long time is a get goal, there is so much in this world Read more
Can Dancing Help Prevent Falls?
Everyone knows that not only is dancing fun, it is also great exercise. But researchers Read more
The Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and now it is more popular than ever before. While not like traditional exercise, yoga’s stretching Read more
Depression and the Elderly
Depression is a problem that affects millions of Americans, and the elderly are not immune. Sometimes, having to deal with medical issues and the deaths of loved ones Read more
Grandma on Facebook? Why the Elderly Are Embracing Social Media.
Nowadays it seems like everyone is using social media, especially Facebook! Facebook used Read more
How Caregivers Can Properly Treat Wounds
It is normal for a person to get a scrape on their knee from tripping, or a paper cut on their finger from opening an envelope, and usually these minor accidents are not considered a big deal. A scrape or a paper cut for an elderly person, however, can actually be a big deal. Open wounds do not heal as easily on elderly people as they do for those who are younger. Therefore, they must properly treat any wounds they receive if they want to heal. If they do not treat their wounds they could take months to heal, and could even result in an ulcer. Read more
The Importance of a Healthy Diet for the Elderly
It is important for everyone to maintain a healthy diet, but it is especially important for elderly people to do so. The risk of possible complications that could come from an unhealthy diet is greater for the elderly because their bodies are not as strong as they once were. In order to take proper care of themselves and ensure many more healthy years, older adults should be paying a lot of attention to what they eat. Helpguide.org provides a great explanation for how elderly people should be eating, and why they should be eating this way.
The Joy of Eating and Aging Well
Food for thought: Think healthy eating is all about dieting and sacrifice? Think again. Eating well is a lifestyle that embraces colorful food, creativity in the kitchen, and eating with friends.
For seniors, the benefits of healthy eating include increased mental acuteness, resistance to illness and disease, higher energy levels, a more robust immune system, 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.
You are the boss when it comes to food choices! Read on for tips on how to supercharge with food.
Feeding the body, mind and soul
Remember the old adage, you are what you eat? Make it your motto. When you choose a variety of colorful fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins you’ll feel simply marvelous inside and out.
- Live longer and stronger – Good nutrition keeps muscles, bones, organs, and other body parts strong for the long haul. Eating vitamin-rich food boosts immunity and fights illness-causing toxins. A proper diet reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, bone loss, cancer, and anemia. Also, eating sensibly means consuming fewer calories and more nutrient dense foods, keeping weight in check.
- Sharpen the mind – Scientists know that key nutrients are essential for the brain to do its job. Research shows that people who eat a selection of brightly colored fruit, leafy veggies, certain fish and nuts packed with omega-3 fatty acids can improve focus and decrease the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Feel better – Eating well is a feast for your five senses! Wholesome meals give you more energy and help you look better, resulting in a self-esteem boost. It’s all connected—when your body feels good you feel happier inside and out
Tips for wholesome eating
Once you’ve made friends with nutrient-dense food, your body will feel slow and sluggish if you eat less wholesome fare. Here’s how to get in the habit of eating well.
- Reduce sodium (salt) to help prevent water retention and high blood pressure. Look for the “low sodium” label and season meals with a few grains of course sea salt instead of cooking with salt.
- Enjoy good fats. Reap the rewards of olive oil, avocados, salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, and other monounsaturated fats. Research shows that the fat from these delicious sources protects your body against heart disease by controlling “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and raising “good” HDL cholesterol levels.
- Fiber up. Avoid constipation, lower the risk of chronic diseases, and feel fuller longer by increasing fiber intake. Your go-to fiber-foods are raw fruits and veggies, whole-grains, and beans.
- Cook smart. The best way to prepare veggies is by steaming or sautéing in olive oil—it preserves nutrients. Forget boiling—it leeches nutrients.
- Five colors. Take a tip from Japanese food culture and try to include five colors on your plate. Fruits and veggies rich in color correspond to rich nutrients (think: blackberries, melons, yams, spinach, tomato, zucchini).
How to Recognize Early Signs of Dementia
It is never easy for a friend or a family member to admit that their loved one could be experiencing early signs of dementia. It is difficult to come to terms with, and some do not even know the signs to look for in this situation. No one wants to deal with a loved one suffering dementia, and no one wants to be the first to point out the possibility that they could actually be suffering from it. Knowing the signs for dementia will help you to determine if it is something that your friend or family member could be at the beginning stages of. We found a great article written by Dr. Deborah Bowers on how to recognize signs of senile dementia.
1. Understand the Definition of Senile DementiaThere is a great deal of misunderstanding about the distinction between “dementia“ and “Alzheimer‘s Disease.” Dementia is simply a word that is used to give a name to a set of symptoms that describe the behavior associated with this condition. Senile dementia is restricted to symptoms of dementia that are found in the elderly. Alzheimer‘s Disease is a diagnosis that causes senile dementia. Dementia can also be caused by a number of medical conditions including stroke, hardening of the arteries, Parkinson’s, head injury, and complications arising from the use of certain medications.2. Examine the Family History
Lapses in memory and infrequent episodes of confusion are often dismissed as normal signs of aging. But when a significant number of symptoms occur with frequency or the symptoms that are present worsen, dementia is always a concern. Making the leap from seeing these symptoms and attaching possibility of dementia as a significance can be difficult to do. The first, yet most significant step, can often be examining family history.Certain forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s Disease, stroke, and Parkinson’s Disease are frequently seen in the family history of an individual who is exhibiting similar symptoms. If a parent or sibling has been diagnosed with a form of dementia that may be hereditary, any suspect symptoms should be taken seriously and a complete medical assessment should be done.
3. Rule Out Depression
The elderly population is at greater risk of depression than any other age group. Seniors who are suffering from depression do not always manifest the classic symptoms associated with this mental illness. Lapses in memory and confusion can easily be mistaken for early signs of dementia. The anxiety and fear that often accompany depression can look like early changes in mood and personality. Seniors who begin to display these symptoms should be screened for possible depression before moving on to consider the possibility of dementia.4. Know the Progressive Signs of Senile Dementia
Senile dementia often progresses slowly. Although early symptoms can be difficult to spot they may include the following:
1. Increase in anxiety
2. Decrease in energy
3. Social withdrawal
4. Brief lapses in memory
5. Slight, recurring confusion
6. Changes in balance and hand-and-eye coordinationAs dementia increases, the symptoms become easier to distinguish and may look like these:
1. Instances of forgetting how to do normal daily activities
2. Mood swings often characterized by increased anxiety and/or agitation
3. Changes in sleep patterns sometimes accompanied by episodes of disorientation and wandering
4. Increased confusion and memory loss
5. An uneven and halting gaitIt is latter stages, dementia is characterized by:
1. Extreme personality changes that can shift abruptly
2. Loss of bodily functions, including bladder and bowel
3. Inability to walk, feed, or bathe self
4. Inability to recognize family members
5. Loss of the ability to communicate beyond stereotypical phrases that lack meaning
6. Visual and/or auditory hallucinations
7. More frequent illnesses related to dehydration and/or poor nutrition5. Be Proactive About Getting a Diagnosis
It can be difficult for loved ones to recognize the initial signs of senile dementia. Momentary lapses in memory and increased anxiety are often associated with the normal aging process. Depression sometimes mimics the early symptoms that are characteristic of dementia. Recognizing dementia is further complicated by the various disease processes that are often associated with its symptoms. Even when behavior becomes more extreme, no family member likes to face the reality that a loved one may be slipping away due to personality changes and cognitive decline.If you or your family member is showing signs that might be associated with a form of dementia, early assessment is essential. By recognizing these signs, you may be able to pursue treatment strategies that can sometimes slow down the progression of this condition. Although there is presently no cure for dementia, managing its symptoms with the help of a geriatric specialist could mean having more precious time with the ones you love.