How will you spend your time, and what do you want to do on a typical day? What do you want to learn, and what do you want to teach? Most importantly, how can you stay healthy even though you may have a clean slate. According to an article from sparkpeople.com, here are a few ways to stay healthy during retirement:

1. Limber your limbs: Try to walk or job 20 to 30 minutes, three to five times a week.
2. Get a hobby: Bowling, fishing, gardening, biking or community projects that require some physical activity can keep you on the go.
3. Make strength training a priority: This benefits seniors, as it increases energy levels, reduces stress and anxiety, delays or prevents age-related disorders and enhances sleep, balance, endurance and flexibility.
4. Eat a variety of foods: Avoid cholesterol and limit your total and saturated fats. Also, increase fiber intake, and especially if you’re a woman, calcium. Finally, drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
5. Sleep: Make sure to get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis.
6. Learn something new: Experts say intellectual stimulation is one of the basic needs of human beings. Make a list of all the things you’ve always wanted to learn or try, then pick out something that’s feasible now.
7. Read: If you don’t already, picking up reading can be a great way to stay “current,” pass the time, learn something new and even to keep your cognitive skills sharp.
8. Help around the house: If your partners is the one who cooks, make dinner tonight. Take a healthy cooking class, then show off your new skills.
9. Exercise with your partner: Tennis, ballroom dancing, mini-marathons, even yoga are fun activities you can do to stay connected and fit.
10. Exercise while traveling: When planning a trip, look for ways to be active, like swimming, walking or boating. Limit calorie-rich meals to maybe once a week. Focus on healthful foods througout your trip.

Have you or has someone you know retired? How do they spend their time? It’s very helpful for anyone considering retirement to also consider their plan for post-retirement living to continue thriving.

Families enjoy peace of mind knowing that BrightStar Care nurses are actively involved in their loved ones’ care either directly through regular visits for care settings that demand highly skilled nurses or indirectly by setting up the plan of care and overseeing the caregivers who provide person-centered companion care. BrightStar Care nurses collaborate with the client, family, and other members of the care team such as a primary physician or specialist to ensure the highest quality of life possible for the family’s loved one.

Click here to search and apply for a position with a BrightStar office near you!

National Nurses Week was started in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, to recognize the often thankless work nurses do. Nursing is a profession with varied interests, strengths and passions because of the many opportunities it offers. Nurses are versatile, working anywhere from emergency rooms to school-based clinics, homeless shelters and, yes, in the homecare setting.

Each and every day, nurses play a very important role in helping BrightStar Care to deliver upon our promise of delivering the utmost in quality care. BrightStar takes a different and better approach to homecare by requiring each location to have an RN Director of Nursing involved in the active oversight of our clients and the staff who care for them regardless of state regulations, so it is impossible to over-emphasize the key role nurses play in our everyday operations and, in tandem with our wonderful and compassionate caregivers and CNAs, truly Making More Possible for our clients and their families.

So if you see a nurse, whether it’s this week, this month or any other time of the year, shake their hand or just give them a big hug. Chances are he or she is helping save lives each and every day. Learn more about BrightStar Care’s commitment to offering RN oversight on every case.

1. Carpeting in the home should be low-profile. The padding should be no more than 3/8″ thick. This makes it easier to navigate with a walker or wheelchair and makes up for poor balance.
2. Doors should be wide enough to allow access for a wheelchair or walker.
3. If the home has stairs, make sure there’s at least one handrail that goes the full length of the stairs. And the stairwell should have adequate lighting.
4. A walk-in shower is preferred to a standard tub. If a standard tub is used, a tub bar clamp can be securely attached to the side of the tub and help with going in and out safely.
5. Toilets that are a few inches taller are becoming the standard in newer homes.
6. Look for storage space and cabinets that are within easy reach. A suction tip “reacher” can help retrieve items out of reach.
7. A side-by-side refrigerator is often a good choice, as many more items can be placed within easy reach and the doors are not as wide.
8. Islands for food preparation are typically taller than the counters, which allows for better access while standing.
9. A front-loading washer and dryer mounted on stands takes the bending and lifting out of doing laundry.
10. Electric stoves are safer to use than gas stoves, as people often lose the ability to smell as they age.
11. If there are steps going into the home and a walker or wheelchair is needed, a ramp, either temporary or permanent, can be used.

In January, The Determinators beat out 506 other teams to win the Georgia state championship, and they earned a spot in the World Festival that will take place April 24-27 in St. Louis. Teams from 40 countries and 25 states will compete at this 3-day event, and more than 30,000 people are expected to attend. BrightStar Care is proud to be a team partner and sponsor the team as they prepare for next week’s competition.

“Kids working together to identify a common challenge for seniors and developing a person-centered and easy-to-use solution, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to support them” BrightStar Care CEO Shelly Sun said. “BrightStar Care is honored to be part of The Determinators team, and we are so proud of their commitment to improving the quality of life for people aging in their homes.”

And that’s how “The Determinators” became “The Determinators…Powered by BrightStar Care.”

“BrightStar Care’s partnership has been extremely helpful on many levels,” Team Coach Ken Halley said. “Obviously their clinical expertise and financial support has provided immediate and tangible benefits to The Determinators.”

“What has been even more helpful is the validation and confidence that BrightStar has given the kids. BrightStar Care’s support helps show The Determinators that their ideas and their teamwork really can make a difference in the lives of seniors.”

To come up with the idea for their winning invention, the kids interviewed residents at a local senior living community called Noble Village. From these conversations, they identified getting out of chairs as a common and frustrating challenge for seniors. So they put their heads together and came up with a solution: The EZ Inflatable.

The EZ Inflatable is an ingenious device that gradually inflates to lift a person out of their chair. Their first prototype was put together with a modified inflatable mattress, a Coleman air compressor, and … of course … duct tape.

In addition to sponsoring the team, BrightStar Care also acts as the team’s clinical quality and marketing consultants. The kids presented their invention to BrightStar Care Senior Vice President of Quality and Clinical Operations Sharon Roth Maguire during a web chat in February, and Sharon asked questions that helped them consider how seniors can use the device safely and effectively.

BrightStar Care also mobilized a public relations effort to spread the word about this great group of kids and their brilliant invention. The PR support culminated in a trip to New York City for an in-studio appearance on Fox&Friends’ weekend show April 6 where the team demonstrated their LEGO robot as well as the EZ-Inflatable.

On April 12, BrightStar Care owners in Atlanta organized a send-off reception for the team and their family at Noble Village, the nursing home where the kids conducted their interviews. Local press was on hand to cover the reception, including the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and local TV news stations. Click here to watch a video demonstration from Fox & Friends. Also, here’s an excerpt from the Gwinnet Daily Post’s article on the event, “Young inventors impress seniors, advance to world festival”

“This cushion to help you get up was phenomenal,” said Carpenter, who is 87 years old. “As you get older, different things stop working. And if you can have something that will give you a little lift, that’s terrific. You don’t expect them to be able to come up with something that’s going to be as helpful as this is. So it was really a pleasant surprise.”

…

Scott Morrison, president of BrightStar (of NE Atlanta), said this product is effective because it helps people stay in their homes longer, and it comes at a time when an aging baby boomer population is entering the system.

“It’s going to require all of us to learn to care for the elders, and it’s going to require a lot of technology,” Morrison said. “I’m just thrilled that these young folks are looking at that, because this is the generation that’s going to take care of me.”

Already the team is among the top 20 finalists for a separate but similar innovation competition, and they will lead the opening ceremonies!

On Wednesday, April 24, BrightStar Care owners in St. Louis will host a private welcome reception for the team before the team heads to the opening ceremonies of the competition. During the reception, the team will demonstrate the EZ Inflatable for BrightStar Care representatives. Please join us wishing them well, and stay tuned for further updates on their success.

1. Overcoming everyday life
   Occupational therapists help seniors compensate for challenges they experience each day, such as dressing and feeding, instrumental activities like driving and home management, leisure, social participation and productive activities like volunteering and employment. The therapy intervention plan considers specific problems such as chronic pain or arthritis and develops strategies to help maintain or improve a senior’s safety and well-being.
2. Educational activities
   Therapists can teach seniors with vision or hearing impairments and mobility limitations ways to prevent falls, conserve energy and other compensatory techniques.
3. Environmental modifications
   This includes updating an environment with a bathtub bench or grab bars. Also, therapists can make life easier with assistive devices like a one-handed cutting board for meal preparation or built-up eating utensils. These enhance comfort, safety and independence with day-to-day tasks.
4. Life transitions
   This covers a wide variety of topics such as role transitions and routine changes associated with retirement, widowhood, caregiver roles and relocation. Occupational therapists can makes these changes go more smoothly with new problem-solving abilities.
5. Better health
   This helps with seniors who want to “redesign” their lives in order to experience greater health-related quality of life and well-being. Therapists can also address potential barriers or fears preventing seniors from letting go and experiencing valued life activities. They provide a unique educational approach that allows seniors to look at their own occupations and adapt for optimal well-being.
6. Information and media upgrades
   Therapists can make sure to provide an environment with specific media that will ensure that content and style are sensitive to age-related sensory changes and supportive of cognitive processes associated with older adult learning.

While occupational therapy is beneficial to people of all ages, it is especially helpful to seniors, who are regularly dealing with sensitive physical, mental and psychological changes. Have you ever had occupational therapy? Or perhaps someone you know? What was their experience?

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities, or occupations. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills and providing support for seniors experiencing physical and cognitive changes. First, an occupational therapist must evaluate the home to determine goals.
Here are three common services:

1. An individualized evaluation. This is an initial visit where the client or family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals.
2. Customized intervention. This improves the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach goals.
3. Finally, an outcomes evaluation. This will ensure that goals are being met and possible changes are being made to the intervention plan.

Further services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments, such as work, school or even social settings. Occupational therapists may give recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use. Also, they can provide guidance and education for family members and caregivers. These therapists employ a holistic approach, which focuses on adapting the environment to fit the person. They make the person an integral part of the therapy team. Occupational therapy can be a great option for seniors. Stay tuned for our next blog, which will focus on the benefits of occupational therapy for seniors.

When it comes to adult and elder care, blood pressure and heard disease can be major concerns, so it could be worth looking at foods you eat each and every day to determine how much sodium you’re consuming. In the face of cutting sodium, adults and seniors can tend to worry about how this will impact the flavor of what they eat, but we’ve found that, in time, you will come to appreciate how food really tastes, not just the salty flavor.

Here are some practical tips for reducing sodium in your diet:

• Read the Nutrition facts label to compare and find foods lower in sodium. You’ll be surprised to find that even foods in the same category have different amounts of sodium.
• Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, when possible.
• Limit the amount of processed foods you eat and your portion size.
• Avoid adding salt when cooking and/or eating.
• Learn to use spices and herbs to enhance the taste of your food. Most spices naturally contain very small amounts of sodium, but read the label to be sure.
• Add fresh lemon juice instead of salt to fish and vegetables.
• When dining out, make sure to request your dish without salt.
• Take control of what’s in your food by cooking more at home.
• Choose foods with potassium. They counter the effects of sodium and may help lower blood pressure.