Whether you're bedridden or you have a disability that makes it difficult to get around, staying in your home for health purposes doesn't necessarily mean that you're confined within the walls of your house. Skype, a software that "enables the world's conversations," provides a platform for millions of individuals and businesses to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users.
The ways people are using Skype to keep in touch with the people who matter most are seemingly endless and we've come up with just a few of the many ways you can use Skype too!
- Log in for a daily conversation about current events with a friend - Skype allows you have have face-to-face interaction through your computer screens. Simply sit down with your favorite newspaper or magazine and get ready to chat!
- Tell your grandchild a bedtime story - Seniors can instruct their grandchildren to have an adult set up a laptop on their bed at night right before their bedtime so they can have a meaningful exchange with a long-distance grandparent.
- Play cards with family or friends who live far away - Grab a deck of cards, set up your computer and select your favorite game to play!
- Play "show and tell" with a grandchild in another state - Maybe they painted a masterpiece in art class or they purchased the toy of their dreams with their weekly allowance; whatever the case may be, Skype can allow grandparents to share in these special "show and tell" moments.
- Participate in important meetings or events by having a friend take a laptop - Can't make it to the town hall meeting? With the permission of the meeting leaders, have a friend set up a laptop so you can watch and participate as though you were present.
- Eat dinner or enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend - Prepare your favorite dish or pour yourself a cup of joe and nestle up by the computer to catch up with a friend on the other end.
- Have a fun sing-along with a friend or grandchild - Skype can make joining to sing an old favorite or teach a new tune easy and fun.
- Talk to a family member while viewing new family photos online together - Log on to Facebook, Flickr or another photo hosting Web site with a family member or friend to look thorugh virtual photo albums together.
- Lead a friend in a relaxing set of stretches and yoga poses at the end of a long day - The buddy system is a great way to stick to an exercise routine. Skype can allow you to lead a friend in a series of relaxing stretches and poses to keep you on track!
- Enjoy a messy finger painting session with a friend and share your artwork with each other afterward - Grab some paints and paper and log onto the computer, then Skype can allow you to collaborate as you create and share your works of art.
This is just the tip of the ice berg-there are so many fun and interesting ways to use this neat software. Now, all you need is a Skype account, an Internet connection and a Web cam, and you're all set! Can you think of other ways to use Skype? Have you tried Skype? Share your stories with us!
Ryan Malone, of Leaders In Elder Care, wrote a great article about functional fitness. And we're not talking exercises for the sake of fitness, but exercises that are geared toward helping seniors with everyday issues like arthritis pain, brain power and diabetes, to name just a few. Of course, functional fitness has some great health benefits too, but unless exercises are geared directly toward seniors, there can be significant risks involved.
Malone also included a helpful podcast by Suzanne Andrews, an occupational therapy practitioner and host of PBS TV's Functional Fitness. Andrews specializes in increasing peoples functional ability through medically engineered fitness techniques for the over 40 population. Be sure to check out the rest of this great article here.
"Home sweet home," "Home is where the heart is" - there are many variations of these old sayings, but the meaning never changes. For many, including seniors, home is your sanctuary and, whether you're making dinner for friends or laying down for a nap, you deserve to feel safe and secure. Here are just a few ways to help promote safety in your home.
- If you must have rugs in your home, make sure they have rubber backing on them, or lay out rubber mats on bathroom and kitchen floors will help to prevent falls. You can also purchase comfortable socks and slippers that have rubber grips on the soles to avoid losing your footing on these smooth surfaces.
- Make sure the house is well lighted and equipped with nightlights.
- Lock your doors, both when you are at home and when you go out, to promote peace of mind and security-for you and your home.
- Direct electrical cords toward walls and secure them there; they should not run through walking areas.
- Post emergency phone numbers in large print next to every telephone.
- Install and maintain guard rails near stairs and/or ramps inside and outside of your home to ensure you will be able to grab onto something sturdy as you move in, out and about your home.
- Look for worn areas in carpets that could catch a foot and cause a fall.
- Get a dog! Dogs often make intruders get nervous about a barking dog and may deter them from breaking into your home. Plus, dogs make great companions and a great excuse to get out and take a stroll!
- Remove or rearrange furniture that is difficult to walk around.
- Audit any alarm systems you may have-fire, carbon monoxide, home security, etc.- to ensure that they have new batteries and are working properly.
Have you received great tips and advice about ways to safeguard your home? Share them here!
After battling breast cancer for well over two years, my aunt was told by her doctors that not much more could be done and the focus of her care would shift from treatment to management. My family reluctantly arranged in-home hospice care for her, but with my uncle working overtime to feed their two children and pay for her mounting medical bills, it soon became obvious that they needed
more support. According to the
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, it is typical for a family member to serve as the primary caregiver to supplement regular visits from hospice staff. So what happens when family members are thousands of miles away? Such was the case with my aunt and her family.
Millions of people receive hospice care each year, and I can't even begin to imagine how many of these families must be going through the same things my family experienced. When family caregivers can't be with their ill loved one due to work or simply because they are exhausted and need a break, families need to know that they have options. As you can imagine, the importance of ensuring that my aunt was being taken care of outside of hospice visits was insurmountable. She had been such a trooper through the seemingly endless number of hours of treatment; it broke our hearts that my uncle had to feel as though he was choosing between my aunt and paying the bills each time he left for work.
When we were able to arrange for a supplemental caregiver to be with my aunt when hospice left-to help her, to spend time with her, to ensure she was comfortable-a weight was lifted from our shoulders. While it didn't change the fact that we were thousands of miles apart, we found some solace in knowing that she was being cared for, even when other members of my family were not able to be with her.
According to Dr. Jerry Avorn, M.D., the elderly face a double jeopardy from drug side effects-they are more likely to get them and the side effects are more likely to go unrecognized. "'Ageism' is the tendency to attribute all sorts of problems-such as fatigue, depression, incontinence, forgetfulness, or unsteadiness on the feet-in elderly people to the process of getting old. In fact, not one of these problems is part of the normal aging problems." Dr. Avorn goes on to say that the new onset of any symptom can be the side effect of a medication and can often be remedied by simply bringing it to the attention of your physician.
So what can be done to avoid ageism in senior care? If you are experiencing unusual symptoms, don't be so quick to chalk it up to old age. Getting older may, in some cases, mean more health issues, but not necessarily. In fact, healthy aging may not have any side effects or symptoms. Here are some tips on how to avoid ageism:
- The best advice is to ask your doctor. Describe your symptoms and be sure to note whether or not you feel that it may not be associated with aging.
- If you start taking a new medication or alter your diet, document it. Keep a medical journal so you can reference it and identify whether or not your symptoms began before or after your change, and how long they lasted.
- Practice describing how you feel and getting in touch with your body. If something hurts, in what way does it hurt and how much? Does it feel like a sharp pain or just an aching? Is it consistent or on and off? Does it occur at the same time each day or sporadically?
Do you have any tips and tricks that you use to document and describe new symptoms? Share them here!
Maybe you're a senior who doesn't leave the house very often or you have a disability that prevents you from getting out; or maybe you're a parent or babysitter who wants to keep energetic kids active on a rainy day. Whatever the case may be, you don't need to be outdoors to get a great workout. Here are just a few ways to get your body moving while you're indoors:
- Walk around the house as many times as possible.
- Throw and kick a large rubber ball.
- Do some jumping jacks and/or run in place.
- Sit down and stand up. Repeat several times.
- Find a spacious area on the floor and do a few push ups and sit ups.
- Walk up and down the stairs in repetitions.
- Do yoga and stretch and bend legs, arms and back.
- Lift light weights (such as soup cans or milk jugs).
- Hold on to the back of a chair and raise and lower each leg.
- Lift weights attached to legs.
What are some other ways to break a sweat while indoors? Share them here!