Category: Blog

Depression is an increasingly prevalent problem in today’s society. Some people become more at risk of experiencing depression as they age. Seniors who are isolated and perhaps no longer able to take part in the activities they used to enjoy may develop symptoms of depression as a result of these changes.

Caregivers should be mindful of this and take steps to look after the mental health of seniors in their care. But, at the same time, caregivers also need to be mindful of their own mental health. Shouldering the burden of care can be stressful and demanding. Let’s look at some tips for preventing depression in both seniors and their caregivers.

Preventing depression in older adults

When caring for seniors, it’s important to encourage them to stay connected. Socialization is one of the most important factors, as loneliness is a common problem for seniors. As well as friends and family visits, seniors could join a club or a class where they can meet new people and see them on a regular basis.

It also helps to set goals with them so that they have something to work toward. Goals will vary greatly depending on the person’s interests and capabilities. Talk together about what kinds of goals they could set. Pursuing hobbies is also good for lifting spirits and giving them something to look forward to. Gardening is a popular hobby among seniors.

Maintaining a balanced diet and staying active can help to maintain mental health as well as physical health. So, make sure they’re eating enough and that they’re getting a mix of fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein.

Looking after your own mental health

Self-care is also important for caregivers. Make sure that you give yourself enough breaks and time off from your responsibilities. If you can, try sharing your duties with your siblings or other family members. If there is no one else available, then try looking into temporary in-home care services or respite care.

Focus on your own diet and activity levels, too. The same principles apply to you as they do to those you’re caring for, so make sure you’re not neglecting your own needs because you’re too focused on them. As well as taking the time to socialize, you should also have someone who you can talk to if you’re facing problems. This could be a friend, a family member, or a therapist.

Do you need support when caring for an elderly loved one? At Bermuda Village, we provide independent living, assisted living, and additional care solutions for seniors. Get in touch to find out more about our community in Bermuda Run.

We know how tough being a primary caregiver can be. You dedicate so many hours to looking after your loved one as well as handling your own responsibilities, and perhaps even maintaining a job at the same time. Caregivers spend so much of their time looking after others that looking after themselves can easily slip through the cracks.

This is where respite care can help. Read on to find out more about respite care and how

It can help you manage your life and caregiving responsibilities.

What is respite care?

Respite care gives caregivers a break from their daily duties for a short period of time. It may involve a professional carer coming to your home to provide care, or you might take your loved one to a care home for a few days. In the meantime, you can take some time for yourself to rest, relax, enjoy yourself, or take care of any responsibilities that you haven’t had time for. This is suitable for memory care, rehabilitative care, and lots of other needs.

What are the benefits of respite care?

Taking the time to look after yourself makes you a better caregiver in the long-run. If you try to do too much and don’t take the necessary breaks, then you could end up becoming burned out and exhausted. In this state, you could make mistakes and it could lead to mental and physical health problems for yourself. When you come back after respite care, you’ll be refreshed and renewed, ready to take your responsibilities back on.

Caregiving shouldn’t be your entire life, so respite care is a great way to let you enjoy your life outside of these duties. You can reconnect with friends you don’t get to see often, spend time on a hobby, take a vacation, or simply take some time alone.

How to arrange respite care

There are lots of agencies and independent providers that can help you arrange respite care in the US. Assess the needs of your loved one to decide whether in-home or out-of-home respite care is best for them. Then, do some research and compare your options to find the best provider. It helps to make a note of all your daily responsibilities and activities, and all your loved one’s needs so that the interim carer knows what they need to do.

If you’re struggling to manage your caregiving responsibilities, then you should look into respite care as a form of relief. Alternatively, consider whether it’s time to look into assisted living for your loved one. Get in touch with Bermuda Village to find out about our assisted and independent living community in Bermuda Run, NC.

Are you or a family member resisting the move to a senior living community? Whether it’s a retirement community, independent living, or assisted living, moving into one of these senior living communities has a great deal of benefits for both mental and physical health. Here are just a few of the benefits community living brings to seniors.

Healthy meals

At any point in our lives, it can be difficult to motivate ourselves to cook healthy meals for ourselves every day. And seniors with mobility issues or other health conditions may not be fully able to cook for themselves. In either situation, a senior living community ensures that dietary needs are catered for, providing residents with nutritious meals every day.

An active social life

Socialization is important for us throughout our lives. Being in a community surrounded by your peers makes socialization much easier, especially with organized events and activities within the community. This ensures that residents have people to talk to and spend time with, allowing them to make close and meaningful relationships.

Exercise and wellness classes

Another important component of health is staying active. Even gentle exercise like walking and tai chi helps our bodies stay strong and healthy. Senior living communities hold lots of exercise classes and activities to keep residents fit and healthy. Residents can also get advice and guidance when it comes to health and wellness, helping them to make the right decisions for their health, plus rehabilitation if needed.

A safe environment

Living alone comes with certain health and safety risks that living in a community mostly eliminates. Plus, for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the facility is designed to prevent wandering behavior from putting them in harm’s way. And senior living communities are equipped with grab rails and other safety features to avoid accidents and injury.

Provision of care

In assisted living communities, around-the-clock care is provided. Although the provision of care is less in independent living communities, as residents of these can usually care for themselves, for the most part, some care services are provided for those who need it. This ensures that residents are looked after and kept in good health.

If you or a loved one are ready for the move into assisted living or independent living, then get in touch with Bermuda Village for senior living and rehabilitative care in Bermuda Run, NC.

When we get that first taste of independence, usually in our teen years, we start to get used to doing things for ourselves. If we suddenly have to rely on someone else to get us where we need to be, then it can be extremely frustrating. This is something that can happen to seniors if their mental or physical state starts to deteriorate.

But we want to make sure seniors can keep their independence for as long as possible, so we’ve put together some tips to help you or your loved ones stay independent as they age.

Take care of yourself

A sudden loss of independence usually happens after an injury or illness. This is why it’s so important to keep taking care of yourself as you age. Make sure you eat right and remain active, take any medications you need, and see the doctor when there’s a problem. Socializing and pursuing hobbies are also important for your mental and emotional wellbeing.

Adapt your home to your needs

You might not be as mobile as you used to be, so it’s important to adapt your home to these changes so that you can still move about freely and in order to avoid trips and falls. Moving into a single-story house or installing a stairlift eliminates the need to walk up and down the stairs several times a day. Grab rails will also help you get about the house and avoid slips in the bathroom and other parts of the house.

Let technology help

There’s lots of tech that’s designed to make everyday life a bit easier for you, so don’t shy away from it. You can stay in touch with friends and family through social media, get about using Uber if you no longer drive, and play music through devices such as Alexa. You may also need an alert device that allows you to quickly inform the emergency services or a family member if you fall or in other emergency situations. If you need help, there are classes you can take to familiarize yourself with new technology, or you can ask a younger relative to show you the ropes.

Independent living

Even if it comes time to move into a senior living community, you can still keep your independence. As opposed to assisted living communities where residents need a higher level of care, independent living is designed for seniors who can still take care of themselves on a daily basis. In independent living, you can set your own schedule and do the things you’ve always done for yourself at home.

If you or a family member are looking for an independent living community in North Carolina, then check out Bermuda Village to see what we can offer. Located on Bermuda Run Country Club, we have top of the range facilities to keep you independent in the next stage of life.

When you’re caring for someone who has dementia, one helpful way to manage their symptoms and progression can be to keep their mind engaged. Keeping their brain active in this way is thought to slow down degeneration, and can even be an important part of preventing conditions like dementia in the first place.

Here are a few ideas for engaging activities you can take part in with someone living with dementia.

Physical activity

Exercise is good for everyone. Not only does it keep our bodies in good shape, but it also releases endorphins, which help to lift our mood. So, it’s good for battling depression and keeping the mind and body active. Going for walks outdoors is especially a good activity because being in nature is also highly engaging and stimulating.

Arts and crafts

Creative pursuits have been found to be especially good for engaging dementia patients and stimulating different parts of their brain. You could try drawing, painting, knitting, or making something with them. If they’re not particularly arty, then one good option is to buy adult coloring books for them to color in.

Making music

A similarly creative active to try is listening to and making music. Simply listening to music can lift our moods and make us think back to past memories we associate with certain songs. You can also try playing musical instruments together or singing, especially if these are things that they used to enjoy doing.

Puzzles

Activities like brain training are thought to combat the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s by keeping the brain active. Crossword puzzles, wordsearches, and other mentally stimulating puzzles are great for the brain. Jigsaw puzzles are another good option, and they’re fun to do together.

Cooking and baking

Cooking and baking are great hobbies at any stage in life. They’re stimulating and engaging, and you have something tasty to show for it at the end. This could also help to keep patients’ appetites up and keep them eating healthily. The progression of their symptoms will determine how involved they can get in these activities, so be sure to adjust accordingly.

Looking at old photos

Reminiscing is another good way to stimulate the mind. Try looking through an old photo album or home videos and getting them to talk about the people in them or what they remember about the day they were taken. You might want to let them take the lead with activities like this as it can be frustrating to be asked lots of questions if they don’t know the answers to them.

If you need additional support as a carer for someone living with dementia, then contact Bermuda Run to see if our independent living and assisted living communities are suitable for them.

They say that friends are the family that you choose, and they’re a really important part of our lives and our mental health. They provide companionship, fun, and someone to talk to when you’re facing tough times. This applies just as much, if not more, to seniors as it does when we’re younger.

Why friendships are important for healthy aging

Loneliness and depression are serious problems at any stage of our lives, but they can become more common as we age. Visiting and staying in touch with friends can help to combat these feelings of loneliness and give us more of a sense of purpose. We think about our role in their lives and how important we are to our friends, making us feel valued. This has many positive knock-on effects for both our mental and physical health.

A social senior is also more likely to be an active senior. You might go out for a walk with your friends or take part in a class or activity with them. This gets you out of the house and keeps your brain and body active, which is also an important factor for healthy aging. Research has even found that staying connected to friends and family increases our chances of living longer, and even improves the outcome of those suffering from health conditions.

Making and maintaining friendships in our senior years

It was always so easy making friends as kids. You just start talking to another kid and, hey presto, you’re best friends. But it becomes a lot more difficult in adulthood. If you move to a new city or lose touch with your old friends, you find yourself with the challenge of making new friends. So, what can seniors do to make new friends or stay in touch with their old ones?

Local classes and groups are always a good place to look. Maybe there’s an exercise class designed for seniors, more creative activities like an art class, or groups like book clubs that meet on a regular basis. Seniors who live in assisted living or independent living communities often find it easy to make friends because there are so many organized events and activities to take part in.

When it comes to staying in touch with old friends, technology makes it a lot easier these days. Even if your friends have moved to different cities or countries, you can call them up on Skype or Facetime and have a face-to-face conversation with them. Here are some tips on how to use Facetime.

If you’re interested in the social environment of independent living in Bermuda Run, NC, then get in touch with us here at Bermuda Village.

Being active is just as important in our senior years as it is when we’re younger. But as we age, it becomes all the more important to ensure that our bodies are prepared for exercise and that they recover properly afterward. Stretches and mobility exercises help to keep your joints and muscles in good shape for physical activity.

Since golf is a popular activity among seniors, let’s look at some exercises and stretches that can help you improve your golf game and keep you active.

Seated hip stretch

Hips are one area where we especially lose mobility and flexibility as we get older. Regularly stretching can help to keep our hips more fluid and mobile.

1. Sitting in a chair, lift your left leg so that your ankle is resting on your right thigh.
2. You may already feel the stretch in your hips at this point. If you can go further, gently push down on your left knee to extend the stretch until your leg is parallel to the ground.
3. For an even greater stretch, lean your upper body forward.
4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

Standing calf stretch

Golf involves a lot of walking, so you might notice some tightness in your calves the next day. Try to stretch your calves before and after playing golf.

1. Facing a wall, place your palms up against it around shoulder height.
2. Step your right leg back a couple of paces so that both feet are flat on the floor, one in front of the other.
3. Straighten your back leg and bend your front leg.
4. If you don’t feel the stretch in your back calf, try lengthening your stride a little or pushing forward against the wall. Make sure your back heel is pushed into the ground.
5. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.

Shoulder stretches and rotations

Now for your upper body, which plays an important role in your golf swing. The main joint you’ll rely on here is your shoulder joint, although the entire body moves to achieve a great golf swing.

1. Raise your right arm in front of you and cross it over your chest.
2. Bring your left arm in front of your right arm and gently squeeze it into your body. You should feel this stretch across your upper arm and shoulder.
3. Hold for 20 seconds and switch arms.

Rotating your arms forward and backward also helps to loosen up your shoulder joints and improve their mobility.

Performing these stretches and exercise on a daily basis, especially before and after you play, will help to keep you flexible, which reduces the risk of injury and helps you play better on the course. Bermuda Village is located in the Bermuda Run Country Club, which has its own 36-hole golf course. Get in touch to find out more about life in Bermuda Village Independent Living.

Living with Alzheimer’s is a challenge in lots of different ways. Patients often can’t think or communicate in the same way they used to be able to. This can be extremely difficult to cope with, but it also poses challenges for the loved ones of someone with Alzheimer’s. Here are a few simple tips to help you communicate with a family member who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Tailor communication to their condition

Each person with Alzheimer’s will differ in terms of what stage their symptoms are at. And one person’s condition can vary a lot from one day to the next, or even one minute to the next. Be aware of what your loved one is and isn’t capable of and tailor your communications to them.

Some days, they might be able to remember details from their entire life, in which case you can reminisce about fond memories. Other times they might be more confused, so trying to correct them or present new ideas to them might be too difficult for them to handle. Choose topics of conversation based on what kind of condition they’re in at that specific time.

Keep things simple

Alzheimer’s patients will not be able to process words, ideas, and other things as fast or as effectively as before. So, you should try to keep things simple when talking to them. Don’t speak too fast or use long and complicated sentences or words. Make sure you speak clearly to help them understand you better.

This may apply to the environment you’re in as well. If there is a lot of noise or visual distractions, you’re increasing the number of things they need to process at one time. Quiet and familiar environments will help to keep your loved one more at ease.

Be patient and empathetic

Alzheimer’s is a frustrating experience for both the patient and those close to them. Remember that they’ll be feeling this frustration, too, so try to remain patient when talking to them and remain empathetic to their condition. Speak in a soothing manner and use physical contact if they’re comfortable with it, such as holding their hand as you talk.

Give them time to respond or finish their sentence, they will likely need more time to process what you’ve said and how to respond. Interrupting them or finishing their sentences for them can cause even more frustration. If disagreements arise, try to change the subject or simply agree with them as arguing is not helpful to either of you.

If you need help caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s, Bermuda Village could be the perfect environment for them to be in. We provide independent living and assisted living for seniors with a range of care needs across Bermuda Run. Contact us to find out more.

You might think that your best social years are behind you as you get older, like partying in your twenties or hosting dinner parties for friends in your thirties. Friends drift apart and it becomes even harder to make close friends as you get older. But it doesn’t have to be. Moving into independent living, assisted living, or senior living community is the prime time for socialization.

These senior living communities don’t just provide you with a place to live and access to care when you need it, they also create plenty of opportunities for you to socialize with your fellow residents. There are plenty of common spaces for you to mingle and socialize with your neighbors, but these communities also facilitate your social life by arranging a variety of events and activities for you to take part in.

Ensuring residents still have an active and engaging social life is key to keep them happy and healthy. Read more about how continued socialization is good for your mental, physical, and cognitive health.

Social life at Bermuda Village

So, what exactly is on offer when you come to live at Bermuda Village? We organize a varied program of events and activities to suit a range of tastes. Everyone’s different, whether you like quiet evenings watching a movie, more physical activities and games, mentally stimulating activities, or lively parties and events.

Here’s a taster of the different kinds of events and activities you can take part in:

• Coffee hour
• Cocktail hour
• Live music
• Movie nights
• Card games – like bridge and poker
• Mahjong
• Bingo
• Fitness classes
• Swimming – indoor, heated pool
• Billiards
• Active games – ping pong, shuffleboard, croquet
• Themed parties
• Chorus group
• Theater trips

This is just the start. Hopefully, there are a few things that catch your fancy on this sample list of activities. We also take feedback and suggestions from our residents, so feel free to request a new club or activity and we’ll see what we can do. Get a taste of what living at Bermuda Village is like – check out our May monthly newsletter to see what activities took place this month. We keep our residents updated each month to make sure they don’t miss out on the events they love.

If you’re looking for an independent living community for you or a loved one, then contact us at Bermuda Village. We always have our residents’ interests in mind and like to encourage a thriving social life for every one of them.

 

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Are you ready to make the step into assisted living, either for yourself or a loved one? It helps to be fully informed before making a decision about which level of care and which community is the best choice. We’re sure you’ve done plenty of your own research into the topic, but we thought we’d help out by putting together this list of 5 things you might not know about assisted living.

You can live in a fully private apartment

If you’re imagining a nursing home with rooms branching off long corridors, or shared apartments like college dorms, then you don’t need to worry. Most assisted living communities provide private apartments as the standard style of accommodation for their residents. You’ll be in a living environment where you can easily socialize with others, but you’ll still have your own space and privacy.

Residents have flexibility and independence

Although assisted living provides more structure and care than independent living, residents still have the freedom to set their own schedule and come and go as they please. Care services are provided as needed, and there are plenty of activities to take part in if you choose to. You can eat in the shared dining spaces or in your own apartment. You still have plenty of choice and independence in assisted living.

You might be able to bring your pet along

If you’re worried about leaving your pet when you move into an assisted living community, speak to the places you are considering. Many residencies will allow you to live with your pet. This can be a big boost to the mental wellbeing of residents.

The monthly fees cover most living costs

When you move to assisted living, you don’t need to worry about keeping track of bills and other payments. The cost of your accommodation covers all of this. Although certain facilities and activities may be available at additional prices, your assisted living costs cover various things, including utilities, healthcare, housekeeping, your meals, and a variety of activities.

There’s lots of choice for activities

Speaking of the activities available in assisted living, it’s not all bingo and shuffleboard. Most assisted living communities offer a diverse program of different things to do. These will likely include games like cards and bingo, but also creative classes like drawing and painting, communal movie nights, educational programs, and much more.

We hope this has given you a better understanding of assisted living and whether it’s the right fit for your loved one. If you’re interested in either independent living or assisted living in Bermuda Run, NC, then contact Bermuda Village for more information about our community and services.