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17 Jul 2017

International Self-Care Day: Tips for Seniors and At Home Caregivers

   

Topics: Insider

Did you know that July 24th is International Self-Care Day? Self-care means doing things that help you maintain your physical, mental, or emotional health. It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. International Self-Care Day is a reminder to all seniors and their caregivers that you need to take time to look after all aspects of your health. Here are our best self-care tips for seniors and their at home caregivers.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Healthy eating habits can be hard to maintain when you’re not feeling your best. For seniors, health issues may make it hard to prepare healthy meals. When you’re not feeling well, it’s easier to just have food delivered or make a microwave meal. Family caregivers don’t always have time to cook healthy meals every day for themselves or for seniors in their care.

For anyone, healthy eating is an important part of self-care. A healthy diet gives you the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy. It’s no surprise that good nutrition is linked to physical health, but it’s also linked to emotional health. Professional caregivers can help with this aspect of self-care by going grocery shopping for you and helping you prepare nutritious and delicious meals.

Get Regular Exercise

Only one-quarter of people between 65 and 74 years old exercise regularly. Many people think they’re too old or out-of-shape to start a new workout regimen, but exercise is good for everyone. Getting some exercise can boost your mood, make you stronger, and improve your balance. Exercise can even reduce your risk of falls.

Walking is a great place to start. Seniors and their at home caregivers can even go for walks together, and improve their health while spending time together. Swimming is another gentle, yet fun exercise that seniors and their caregivers may enjoy together.

Get Enough Sleep

Older adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, but many don’t get it. Older individuals may experience more trouble falling asleep. Since they tend to sleep less deeply, they also wake up more often during the night. That makes it hard to get a good night’s sleep.

When seniors don’t get enough sleep, they’re more likely to be depressed. They’re also more likely to suffer a fall at night. To improve your sleep, try to follow a regular bedtime regime and sleep schedule. Regular exercise can also help you sleep better at night.

Make Time for Hobbies

It’s easy to forget to make time for your favourite hobbies. When you don’t make time for fun and relaxation, it’s easy to become stressed and upset.

There are many hobbies seniors and their caregivers can enjoy together. Creating art or doing crafts can be fun for people of all ages. Playing cards or board games is another fun hobby for the whole family to enjoy. Of course, try to make time for your favourite solo hobbies, too.

Take Time to Relax

Being a family caregiver is rewarding, but it also requires patience and energy. Caregivers may become so focused on looking after their loved one that they may put themselves second. They can become stressed, depressed, and isolated. To counteract caregiver stress, caregivers need to make sure to take some time for rest and relaxation.

Respite care can help! Respite care means a professional caregiver looks after your loved one for a while so you can relax and rest. During this time, you can take a bubble bath, meditate, nap, or just sit and relax. The respite caregiver can clean your loved one’s home, prepare meals, or just spend time with your loved one. You can relax without worrying about your loved one since you’ll know they’re in good hands. If you think this would help you, learn how to have a conversation about senior home care.

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Tennille Kerrigan

Tenille is the president of Senior Helpers Canada, the premier franchise that delivers on what families and their loved ones need most. She has bachelor’s degree in business administration from York University, and has over 10 years of experience as a business owner and director. With Senior Helpers, our franchisees provide the professionalism and expert care that families and their aging loved ones require.

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