Importance of Seniors Maintaining A Quality of Life

What is the Importance of Seniors Maintaining A Quality of Life? Seniors can suffer from multiple health problems as a result of being vulnerable to many physical and mental disabilities. Both environmental factors can affect the quality of life in senior populations.  Aging is a natural life cycle attributed to gradual changes in organ metabolic activity and decreasing capacity in cell regeneration ability. The average human life span has been rising worldwide. The quality of life can be affected by several factors, including heredity, lifestyle and a healthy diet, avoiding smoking, and physical activity. Seniors are prone to suffer from multiple health problems because of having decreased physical and mental functions. Solitude, impaired sexual activity, and chronic metabolic disorders are some of the causes that can cause emotional distress. These problems can diminish the senior's quality of life.

Five ways to improve the quality of life for seniors

1. Keep Depression at Bay. Late-life depression affects more than 6.5 million seniors 65 and over—stressful life events, such as retirement or the loss of a spouse. Side effects of a medical illness or drug could also contribute to depression. Recognizing the signs of depression and seeking help from a doctor, psychologist, therapist, or counselor is vital for improving the quality of life.

2. Help seniors feel useful and needed. Everyone needs to feel they are living a successful and fulfilling life, from the very young up to the very old. When you care for an older adult, please do your best to make them know that you still need their support and that they are not a burden to you even if they are unable to do these tasks effectively, perfectly, or even correctly. That is okay. What's important is that they play a part.

Have them help with routine tasks, for example:

• Helping with shopping for groceries
• Making up the shopping list
• Laundry - helping to fold clothes helps with their dexterity and sense of accomplishment
• Making decisions about their clothes - what to keep and what to give away
• Reading and Answering mail
• Staying on top of the world and local news
• Preparing dinner 

3. Encourage regular physical activity. Regular physical activity, however gentle it may be, helps maintain a healthy and optimistic feeling for both body and mind. 

• Physical exercise 
• strengthens the immune system 
• reduces blood pressure 
• improves the quality of sleep 
• enhances heart health 
• relieves anxiety,
•  increases stamina and strength, and more.

 4. Keep the seniors mentally active. Crossword puzzles, brain games, reading, and writing all are excellent mental stimulation behaviors.

5. Seniors who stay connected. Seniors with family, friends, and community are happier and thrive more so than isolated or lonely seniors who have shorter lifespans and are at higher risk for dementia.

Avoid this by empowering your older adult to stay connected to their community and help it.

Some suggestions:

• Arrange for family and friends to meet, eat with, or take them out daily 
• Arrange transportation so they can go to senior centers 
• Please encourage them to attend any celebrations-birthday, graduation, vacation, etc.
• Encourage them to volunteer with church, school, or charitable organizations.

Following up with Item #4 - Keep Their Mind and Brain Active

Memory games are a perfect way for seniors to work out their minds. Often, however, it is difficult to find a memory game that a senior would enjoy enough to keep playing over time. To achieve the best brain-boosting performance, they will play and do so regularly through a variety of brain-training games. We have selected five of the best memory games and activities for aging adults in mind:

1. Lumosity - Lumosity, an online subscription program, offers a limited free version to try before buying. Game categories include focus, versatility, language, problem-solving, and speed, in addition to memory. 

2. Brain Aerobics - Such' brain aerobics' include using all the senses in various ways, such as brushing your teeth with your non-. Such exercises use the whole brain in a special way. You may think of them as a kind of fertilizer that will help your brain develop safe connections.

3. Word Puzzles - Word puzzles like crosswords can help with memory retention. It's well-known that crossword puzzles involve the left and the right side of the brain; invoke logical reasoning; help seniors learn new words, and recall vocabulary terms.

4. Sudoku - Sudoku requires you to use problem-solving skills in a fun, easy to learn and is available online. Sudoku requires logic and memory skills, which pushes the brain to make connections. Strategic thinking improves Concentration and ability to make decisions in a short period of time. 

5. Concentration - Seniors can play Concentration with a deck of cards and is a great simple memory-boosting activity.

The key to boosting memory with any of these games is to play every day.