Sharon's Senior Living Blog

Moving into a nursing home is one of the biggest decisions that older adults and their families will ever have to face. This step-by-step checklist will help you ask the right questions and find the best nursing home available.
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Nursing Home Compare: Get Nursing Home Performance Ratings

You don't have to be a bodybuilder to benefit from strength exercises. Having strong muscles helps you maintain balance and prevent falling, a leading cause of injury for older adults. Strength exercises also help you get around easier and keep your independence longer. And did you know that working your muscles can help you avoid weight gain by increasing your metabolism? These basic strength exercises are perfect for beginners, and you can do them at home.

There’s truth in the expression “use it or lose it.” Learn how poor physical function is associated with an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease in elderly adults, and why exercise can help to reduce your risk for dementia.
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Treatment for people with elderly depression can often be successful, but a study reports that the key to long-term success includes continuing treatment for a maintenance period after you start feeling better. Here's how to maintain long-term good spirits after treatment for elderly depression, plus a suggestion for improving depression in elderly people who have chronic illness or multiple medical problems.
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In addition to strength and balance, there are two types of exercises recommended for older adults:

Endurance and Cardio Exercises help to keep your heart healthy and increase your metabolism.

Stretching Exercises will increase your flexibility and range of motion, helping you do more of the activities you enjoy.

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If you are thinking about retiring in the next 5+ years, learn from your predecessors and make a retirement planning checklist now. In a survey, 57 percent of recent retirees looked back on their years before leaving the workplace -- and wished they had done more retirement planning before they retired. Answering these questions can help you determine your priorities and create a retirement plan that will help you meet your goals.
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For many older adults, independent living -- in their own houses or apartments -- is an important factor in the quality of their lives, and you may be surprised to learn that a few simple home modification can make a big difference for seniors who want to stay in their homes. This checklist will help you determine where to start to make modifications for independent living.
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Finding the best places to retire depends on many personal factors. Climate, access to entertainment and community services, cost of living and cultural ammenities just a few of the criteria people use to determine where they want to live after retirement. Now there's a tool you can use to help you decide which cities could be your best places to retire. With information about more than 2,000 cities across the U.S., you can enter the criteria that are important to you and find out which cities come up as your best places to retire. Plus, you'll find photos, videos, and "best of" lists for sports, recreation, culture and more.

Many people feel lonely, especially if they have become homebound or socially isolated because of health, family demands or other circumstances, but loneliness doesn't have to be a permanent condition. Find out how you can meet new people, increase your circle of friends, and beat the blues.
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The next time you have toast or a sandwich, make sure you choose whole grain bread. Here's information on a study showing that older adults who eat whole grain foods instead of refined grain products significantly lowered their risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a condition that can lead to several serious health problems including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
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