Cantissimo Senior Living Blog

Do you often wake up feeling stiff or aching? Do you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning because of your sore and stiff muscles? This is very common and often referred to as morning stiffness. Even though it is common, many people don't understand the causes of morning stiffness or how to avoid it. Many people think it solely has to do with getting older and the aging of the body. While this can certainly be a reason and a normal occurrence, aging is, more often than not, unlikely to be the reason for morning stiffness.

The most common cause of morning stiffness is tight muscles or worn and tired joints. Muscle tightness can often be mistaken for joint pain. These symptoms can also be an indication of arthritis or inflammation, but that is not always the case.

The fact is that joints do not always age at the same rate as the rest of the body. They can age faster due to wear and tear, or they can age more slowly if they are taken care of properly. Typically, overweight people are more subject to having worn joints and feeling stiff in the morning. Cartilage works as the cushioning of your joints. As your joints age, cartilage dries out and stiffens. As cartilage dries out, your joints also lose necessary lubrication, which also contributes to morning stiffness. This leads to tightness in the morning, stiff tendons, and weakened muscles. It is very difficult to reverse the symptoms of aging joints. Still, there are different things that you can do to reduce morning stiffness and the aging of your joints.

In our last blog, Talking to Your Aging Parents About Money – Part 1, we explored ways adult children could start the conversation about money with their parents. Once the ice is broken, an opportunity to deepen the conversation presents itself.

UNDER THE SURFACE

The "money" subject is the first of several layers of important issues aging adults need to address. The following are major ones adult children need to discuss with their parents.

Most adults with aging parents rarely look forward to raising the subject of their elders' money. It's a scary topic because it involves a role reversal. Parents are supposed to teach their young children about money, not the other way around. Years later, adult children and their parents sometimes find it challenging to break out of this family dynamic. Yet, there comes a time when children need to talk to aging parents about plans for their money and other end-of-life planning topics.

PLAN OR WAIT FOR A CRISIS

Ideally, the time to talk to parents should happen before any crisis. Injury or illness can happen fast. If plans are not in place, decisions may be made quickly without sufficient information. This risk of causing irreversible mistakes is high. Even if plans have been made, failure to share them with adult children may put an effective plan at risk. Talking when parents can physically and mentally hold their own in the conversation provides a better foundation for good planning. In other words, the sooner, the better.

What is Telehealth

Telehealth, the delivery of healthcare services virtually, is an increasingly popular practice that many people are looking at to replace typical in-person delivery. Telehealth can include video conference medical appointments, health apps, and remote patient monitoring. Throughout the last year, people have been forced to schedule telehealth medical appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As many have experienced, this can be a viable option for many, especially seniors, looking forward.

Telemedicine

People often confuse telehealth and telemedicine, but they are two different things. While telehealth is a virtual communication mode between doctors and patients, telemedicine uses technology to deliver care to patients virtually. Therefore, telemedicine is less broad than telehealth because it only refers to remote clinical services.

Nearly half of Americans 65 or older will eventually require some form of long-term care, according to a 2016 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Of those needing long-term care, roughly half need it for less than a year. However, women are more likely to stay longer one year or longer.

Over the years of extended use, nearly 80% of seniors develop foot problems. Common foot problems in seniors include arthritis, ingrown toenails, flat foot, diabetic foot ulcers, gout, bunions, hammertoes, stress fractures, fungal infections, and more. Some of these problems arise from everyday activity and health problems such as arthritis and diabetes. Still, the issue for many is inappropriate footwear.

What to Look For

As foot problems develop with age, people often do not realize that improper shoes can cause or worsen these problems. Aging causes poor foot circulation, loss of fat and cushion in the feet, and foot skin and nails to dry out. This means seniors should not wear the same shoes worn for most of their lives when their feet were healthy.

Upon crossing the bridge into retirement, you will get the opportunity to enjoy what many consider to be the best days of your life. Unfortunately, many suffer from lower energy levels upon entering the age of retirement. Without that desired energy, enjoying your retirement to the fullest will be a challenge. There are numerous methods available for you to boost your energy at any age. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent techniques to jump-start and sustain that energy long into retirement!

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), every 1 in 4 people above 65 falls each year. An elderly individual gets treatments in the hospital's emergency room every 11 seconds. Every 19 seconds, there is a death of an older adult due to a fall.

Falls are among the leading causes of fatal injuries and trauma-related emergency admissions in hospitals among the elderly population. Falls result in over 2.8 million injuries treated in hospitals annually, including more than 800,000 in emergency departments and over 27,000 deaths.

There are several ways to prevent falls, such as getting enough sleep, staying physically active, and taking muscle relaxant medications or strengthening supplements. Exercising helps prevent falls because it improves your balance, strengthens your muscles, and increases flexibility. Here are the ten best exercises to improve balance and prevent falls!

Regular stretching offers a vast number of health benefits to older adults. Tight and stiff muscles can lead to poor posture. For instance, tight muscles in your chest, spine, and hips can cause poor posture and balance. Stretching exercises can improve pectoralis, hamstring, and upper trapezius muscles to improve posture.

Stretching improves flexibility and range of motion in your joints, leading to enhanced performance in physical activities for seniors. Back pain, especially lumbar spine pain, is a common health condition in older adults. Poor posture in the cervical spine (upper back) can lead to discomfort and pain in the lumbar spine (lower back). The condition is often due to tight hamstrings and hip flexors. Regular stretching can alleviate discomfort, inflammation, and pain in your back.

Additionally, stretching exercises can prevent muscle soreness and reduce the risk of injuries. In today's article, we will talk about five of the best stretching exercises for older adults. Read on!

Losing weight is a big task in itself, but for many, it can be even more challenging to keep the weight off afterward. Someone who has successfully lost a significant amount of weight often falls back into bad habits and ends up gaining all the weight once again. It takes impressive dedication, discipline, and motivation to keep the weight off. Read the following tips to help keep off the weight you've worked so hard to lose!