SYNERGYHomeCare.com SPRING 2018
WORDSEARCH | ENGAGING AT ANY AGE | CROSSWORD 5 CAREGIVER TIPS
ENGAGING AT ANY AGE
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hroughout their lives, people are engaged in activities and pursuing accomplishments. They study in school, work in jobs, raise children, and spend time with friends. Eventually, they face the challenges of aging. The physical changes that occur late in life can impact the ability of older people to get out and continue to be part of society.
For others, regular exercise promotes selfsufficiency, allowing them the freedom to visit friends, family, and recreational centers.
“When you talk about an elderly person,” says Participating in stimulating activities and Robert Greenwood, programs can help counter the effects of aging. Senior Vice President of Getting out of the house and engaging with Public Affairs, National others is crucial to the quality-of-life of older PACE Association, “a adults. Many people require the help of a lot of times physical transportation program to go places and be social. therapy and exercise
are really important just to be able to maintain that person’s independence and ability to do things for themselves and in the community.” Maintaining good physical health allows older adults to engage with others fully, whether they are simply playing games at a local senior center, volunteering for a charity, or participating in a youth outreach program. Social interactions also support overall health. Being active socially increases mental and emotional well-being by giving older adults a means for contributing to society. One of the
most important things is giving people a sense of purpose in their lives, said Robert. Lacey Knowles, Caring Circles Program Director, Phoenix Area on Aging, said that older adults do a lot of outreach in the community. These people will often bring family members with them during volunteer activities, creating an intergenerational bond and learning opportunity.
They bring their grandchildren with them so that they see the value in that service and really get them interested in interacting with other generations, said Lacey.
generations. Social workers will often have youth engage with older people at senior centers. Students who are studying modern history can learn from people who lived during those historic times. Older adults are happy to share their experience and knowledge.
From the seniors’ perspective, they love interacting with children, said Melissa. The older generations are teaching their communities, through actions and examples, that there is immense value in creating a society that engages each other, regardless of age. They demonstrate that all generations can be in the same spaces. Each person in society, older and younger, contributes to, and benefits from, interacting with each other. “We’re going to have healthier communities if we all work together across all ages in order to support one another.”
Older adults are becoming a more prominent part of our communities. As the baby boomer population ages, their ability to continue positively impacting society is getting noticed. “The older generation is growing so rapidly that they can’t be ignored,” says Melissa Elliott, Vice President of Programs and Services, Phoenix Area on Aging. “There is a large aging population, and they have a presence in our communities.” The prominence of older adults is creating more programs which engage the younger SPRING 2018 | SYNERGYHomeCare.com
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n the hustle of daily life and the stress of home-work-life balance, reaching a state of mental clarity is crucial. Repetitive actions and simple tasks can help corral the mind’s thoughts and promote focus. While many activities and methods exist which incorporate these concepts, coloring can be done by almost anyone at anytime. Coloring is a simple activity that encourages attentiveness to the task at hand. When the mind focuses on the repetitive actions involved in coloring, it tends to push other thoughts aside. The act of
coloring reinforces attention and task focusing.
At the same time that coloring strengthens the ability to focus, it also helps reduce stress and anxiety. By focusing on the motions of coloring and the details involved with putting color into shapes, the mind lets go of other thoughts to give priority to the coloring task. Letting go of those thoughts, or at least setting them aside, helps the body to let go of the stress and anxiety associated with those thoughts. Simple, repetitive action can help the mind to enter a meditative state. Meditation is known for inducing relaxation. The repetitive motion of
coloring can ease a person into a mental state similar to meditation, helping them to
relax and improve their mental health.
Coloring also supports fine motor and visual skills. Holding a crayon or colored pencil, applying it to a specific part of a paper, and having to switch tools and spots for different colors strengthens the small muscles in the hands Information from this article was pulled from https://www.ncu.edu/blog/top-7-benefits-coloring#gref
and eyes. The focus on using a writing utensil to achieve a specific color on the paper helps to maintain hand-eye coordination as well.
There is a creative element involved in coloring. The user chooses their colors,
including the patterns the colors will follow, if any. These choices invoke the creative parts of the brain and permit the person to express themselves and demonstrate their creativity. Coloring is a simple exercise that supports a high quality-of-life by improving or maintaining focus, relaxation, hand-eye coordination skills, and creativity. Try incorporating coloring into your daily routines and see how it helps you!
SYNERGY HOMECARE WORDSEARCH BLUE COLORING COMMUNITY ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY FOCUS FRIENDS HAPPY
MIND ORANGE PINK PURPLE RED RELAXATION SYNERGY YELLOW
DOWN 1. It’s important for older adults and youth to ______ with one another. 2. Coloring helps improve and maintain ______ 3. Another name for your brain 4. It’s important to be a part of your ______ 5. Type of interaction everyone needs 6. Robert Greenwood is with the National ______ Association 8. Melissa Elliott is with the Phoenix Area on ______
ACROSS 4. Activity that helps with focus and relaxation 7. Coloring also helps with ______ 9. Homecare company that provides care for everyone!
Hint check out the rest of the magazine for more clues. Key is available at https://goo.gl/87pRFd
CAREGIVER TIPS 1
Turn off the TV; Turn on your favorite CD’s, records, even radio stations.
in an IPod or MP3 player 2 Invest to develop personalized music.
3 Reminisce about music. you or your loved one have 4 Ifever played an instrument, pull
it out again. Or listen to music from the instrument once played. Sometimes people “play” along with the music.
dance, hold hands while 5 Sing, listening to your favorite music.
LAVERNE K. AND TERESA W. CLIENT AND CARE COORDINATOR
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eresa Wendelberger is a Music Therapist and Client Liaison for SYNERGY HomeCare in Milwaukee County, WI. Teresa meets with prospective families, provides informal music programs for our existing clients, and shares her talent for local senior programs. Recently, we were asked to provide supportive home care to “Mary” and respite to her spouse “Ben.” Because Ben was the primary caregiver and taking on many more tasks as Mary’s condition declined, we were able to help him take regular breaks from caregiving, and help Mary with personal care, supervision, and companionship. Mary was very musically inclined. She played the piano, lead her church choir, and sang for pleasure. Unfortunately, she developed dementia in her later years. In the last six months of her life, she also experienced anxiety, confusion, and distress whenever personal care, particularly bathing tasks, were provided.
We asked Teresa to meet with Mary and family to better understand the role that music might play in her daily care. Sure enough, while singing and reminiscing together, Teresa and the caregiver began helping Mary with some of her personal care. The caregivers saw that music would help Mary recall happy times, but it also provided a distraction from the “task at hand.” Singing was ultimately integrated into the daily care and support for Mary up until her death. We were so happy to play a role in bringing back the sound of Mary singing in the home! It not only eased Mary’s anxiety, but it also helped the family recall wonderful memories. The magic and power of music! Watch this video of Teresa in action! https://youtu.be/OSB10P-eWh0 -Ruth Busalacchi, Owner SYNERGY HomeCare of Milwaukee County SPRING 2018 | SYNERGYHomeCare.com
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MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS I think every person… has days of mental health needs, said Paul Fisher, owner of SYNERGY HomeCare of Schaumburg. “Be aware of that. Take it into consideration. Take time to think about how others might be doing during a particular day or particular week. Give them some compassion that maybe they didn’t expect. It goes a long way.”
Often, people who need caregivers are still relatively young. Their mental struggle can be as difficult as their physical struggle. “They need to know the world hasn’t forgotten them,” said Paul. “They tend to feel that it has. They feel like they’re a senior citizen when they’re not. They’re in their 30’s and 40’s.” Getting out into the community and being as active as possible affects every aspect of their lives.
PAUL AND SHELLEY FISHER | OWNERS
One younger man had a traumatic brain injury and was struggling both physically and mentally. His caregiver took him out several times each week and helped him to learn how to ride a bicycle again. Being out and being focused on something helped him feel
SYNERGY HOMECARE OF SCHAUMBURG
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aul and the caregivers in his company interact with people every day who face mental health challenges. Disability due to accidents, diseases, or the aging process impacts a person mentally, in addition to physically. Compassion is a crucial part of caring for people who rely on caregivers. “We try to let them know that there’s still a lot to do and a lot to learn and a lot to enjoy in life,” said Paul. Numerous ideas and options help improve mental health. Above all, the strongest options involve interacting with other people. “Probably the best thing I’ve seen is socialization,” said Paul. Caregivers encourage those they care for to talk about family, friends, or even people in their neighborhood. The discussion helps them feel connected to the outside world. Socialization out into the community is a more powerful method for improving or maintaining good mental health. “We try and do everything we can to get them out of the house and get them engaged,” Paul said. He mentioned one older woman who loves shopping. Caregivers help the woman to go out and visit stores. Even when she doesn’t buy anything, window shopping allows her to interact with store employees and people in the community.
YULIANA C. | JANUARY 2018
PRECY C. | DECEMBER 2017
ADELINA V. | NOVEMBER 2017
like he had a purpose, which improved his overall mental and physical health. It took a long time, but the caregiver knew it was worth the effort. “The caregiver we had just stuck with him,” Paul said.
Caregivers work hard to help with both physical and mental support. Finding creative ways to help people engage with their community strengthens their An active mind supports good mental health. Paul said mental health and their quality-of-life. I’ve seen it, that sunshine, music, activity, reading, and anything said Paul. “I’ve seen people go from tough states of that stimulates the mind will make for a better day. depression and sadness to really looking forward to “Keep them engaged and keep them looking beyond their caregivers coming and being a part of their day.” the television set and looking beyond their four walls,” he said. SPRING 2018 | SYNERGYHomeCare.com
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Care for Everyone Call anytime 877.432.2692 or visit www.synergyhomecare.com Proudly Independently Owned & Operated