At any age, physical activity provides many benefits for overall health. For elderly individuals, continuing to engage in physical fitness can help maintain strength, improve cognition, and ease symptoms of many chronic conditions. Our Community Liaison, Julie Mercer, has not only seen the benefits of movement with the senior individuals she has worked with, but she has also learned firsthand how physical activity can play a role in recovery and wellness. Keep reading for Julie’s advice on staying active and finding creative ways to keep moving, no matter your age.
Read MoreMarch 10–16 is Patient Safety Awareness Week. At Overture Home Care, we’re taking advantage of this week to shine a spotlight on safety awareness for independent older adults and the home care caregivers who help them maintain that independence, keeping them from becoming patients anytime soon.
Read MoreDuring National High Blood Pressure Education Month this May, let’s all give thanks for the humble blood pressure cuff and the essential health care insights it provides!
Read MoreAccording to a National Alliance for Caregiving / AARP study, about 34.2 million Americans just like you provide unpaid care to a senior adult every year. Some of those Americans have created organizations and non-profit groups dedicated to providing their peers with needed guidance, support and human connection.
Read MoreThere are some health awareness months that need revisiting year after year. Unfortunately, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is one of them.
Read MoreIn our last post on Breast Cancer Awareness Month we talked about the dizzying array of medications that can make organizing cancer care for the elderly a cause of anxiety not just for patients, but for their family caregivers as well.
Read MoreWe can’t think of a better time to celebrate National Grandparents Day than Healthy Aging Month, because family engagement — and connection to young people in particular — is one of the best tools we have to keep our older loved ones mentally, emotionally and physically sharp.
Read MoreAlong with cooler weather (fingers crossed) September brings one of the most important celebration months in our calendar: Healthy Aging Month.
Read MoreOne thing we all learned from the COVID-19 experience is that viruses mutate frequently and vaccinations need to be updated to remain effective against the new versions. This is true for the seasonal influenza virus as well, and it's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long recommended that everyone 6 months and older get an updated flu shot every year.
Read MoreThis summer has seen record-breaking heat waves across the U.S. and Europe, and it has felt like our own North Texas area has been at the center of it all.
Read MoreFor the last two years, we've used our July posts to focus on ways for seniors to stay mentally sharp and socially active despite pandemic-era social distancing requirements and restrictions.
Read MoreJune brings a second set of recognitions that are always in our thoughts as home care providers: Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and the Longest Day fundraising event for the fight against Alzheimer's.
Read MoreJune is Men’s Health Month, and that means it’s time to get some difficult conversations started with your older male loved ones.
Read MoreAfter a series of March and April fake-outs, real spring is finally here. But it won't last long, so don’t wait to plan fun outdoor activities. While you’re making those plans, consider a few special trips for your older or health-challenged loved ones as well. We all need to get outside to stretch a little and enjoy the sunshine. And with Mother’s Day on May 8 and National Senior Health and Fitness Day on May 25, what more encouragement do you need to plan outdoor events this month that the whole family can enjoy?
Read MoreRemember back in December when we suggested that holiday visits were a good time to take a look around your older loved ones’ homes and talk to them about the support they might need to continue living independently? We mentioned a number of red flags to look for, but here’s something we didn’t mention: the need for deep cleaning and decluttering.
Most of us can benefit from a seasonal tidy-up. But for older people and people with health or mobility concerns, clean and clutter-free living spaces and walkways aren’t just a spring-time thing. They are essential to independent life.
Read MoreTo live independently — that’s a key goal for so many seniors. And losing that independence as we age is a major fear. But according to a 2012 AARP study, 57% of seniors over age 70 need help with daily tasks and no longer find it easy to live alone. For a senior who has confidently handled their own life for half a century, losing full independence can be a hard blow, and having to accept help with daily tasks can be depressing, frustrating and even frightening.
Read MoreWe know that you and your loved ones have heard all of these recommendations before. And we know that it is not easy to make lifestyle changes. But step-by-step, day-by-day, it can be done. And we want to help, so we’ve included a lot of links below with real information that you can use.
Read MoreHere's a New Year's resolution we're going to add to our list, and hope that you do as well: visit your older loved ones, spend quality time in their bathrooms, and take careful note of anything that needs to be updated or added to improve their safety.
Read MoreConsider the holiday visit a good time to have a look around for warning signs that you might have missed, and to sit down for a heart-to-heart talk about health concerns and care needs that your loved ones might not have wanted to burden you with.
Read MoreIt has been a weird couple of years, so let’s take a moment to review safe driving tips for older adults, to revisit some issues you might face when traveling with senior loved ones, and to consider ways that travel — and local rules in areas you may be traveling to — might have changed in the wake of COVID-19.
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