Independent Versus Assisted Retirement Living - Which is Right For You?

As people age, many choose to move to Florida retirement communities to take advantage of the year-round warmth and sunshine. Depending on their needs, retirees may choose to move into either an independent living facility or an assistant living community. Many senior communities offer both options -- independent living for those who can take care of themselves, and assisted living for seniors who may need a little help with everyday tasks.

Independent Living

Many retirement communities in Florida base themselves around the concept of independent living. These facilities are just what they sound like -- independent living centers where people are generally able to take care of themselves. Residents are physically active and able to walk around the community. They are able to bathe and dress themselves, can manage their medications properly, and are free from severely debilitating physical ailments and memory loss.

Florida independent living centers are about staying healthy, active, and enjoying all that life has to offer. Most retirement communities offer numerous activities like walking groups, water aerobics, tai chi, and other fitness classes. In addition to fitness options, many luxury senior living communities also have bingo, movies, bridge, arts and crafts, socials, musical entertainment, and regular outings. Seniors who can live an independent lifestyle, but want to be near friends as well as a qualified, professional medical staff available at any time of day, should consider living in an independent retirement living center.

Assisted Living

Many retirees who can live independently and those who need the help of a medical staff on a daily basis choose to relocate to warmer areas like California or Florida. Assisted living communities are for people who may need help with activities of daily living, such as walking, bathing, and dressing. They may also need help with medication management and require daily nursing assistance as well. Oftentimes, residents of assisted living facilities suffer from memory loss or impairment, and need someone to help them to and from their room around the clock.

However, those in assisted living retirement communities can still stay active. With the help of a dedicated medical staff, residents can participate in physical activities like walks, water aerobics, and beach ball volleyball. As in independent living centers, those in assisted living can also take part in recreational and social activities like bridge games, musical entertainment, and bingo.

Choosing The Right Type Of Living

It can sometimes be hard to know if you or your loved one should be in an independent living community or assisted living community. The main thing to consider is if the person can manage their activities in daily life without any assistance. If they can generally take care of themselves, are physically able, can remember to take their medicines, and are free from memory loss or major physical ailments, an independent living community will usually suffice.

Otherwise, the person probably needs an assisted living center. Those debating between the two types of senior living should discuss the options with their health care provider, and tour different retirement communities in the area. With time, you'll find the right fit for your needs and lifestyle.

Christine O'Kelly is an author for Aston Gardens, a premier developer of award-winning Florida retirement communities. Aston Gardens offers luxury senior living for the active retiree.

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Caregiving - Assess Your Stress and Take Steps to Manage It

My mother had dementia and I was her caregiver for nine years. This experience gave me a clear picture of caregiver stress. Though I took proactive steps to manage my stress, by the time my mother died I was exhausted. It took me a year to regain my strength and optimism.

What is caregiver stress? According to "Frequently Asked Questions: Caregiver Stress," an article on the Womens Health Website (a government agency), it is the emotional and physical strain of caregiving. "Caregiver stress appears to affect women more than men," notes the article.

You may be so busy with caregiving that you pay little attention to your own health. Vicki L. Schmall and Ruth E. Stiehl, authors of the booklet, "Coping with Caregiving: How to Manage Stress when Caring for Older Relatives," think all caregivers make sacrifices. "No matter your relationship or age, as a caregiver you are making concessions and a personal sacrifice to provide care for another person," they write.

Caregiver stress increases over time. You may recognize your stress, but not the extent of it. Fortunately, tools have been developed to help you determine your stress level. One tool, "Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire: How are You?" was developed by the American Medical Association (AMA). The "yes" or "no" questionnaire pertains to one week of caregiving. It has 18 points, such as "Felt completely overwhelmed" and "Been edgy or irritable."

At the end of the questionnaire you tally your score. If you answered "yes" to specific questions, "chances are that you are experiencing a high degree of stress," according to the AMA.

Schmall and Stiehl include a "yes" or "no" questionnaire in their booklet. Their questionnaire focuses on some of the warning signs of stress. There are 11 questions on the form, including "Are you becoming more isolated?" According to the authors, answering "yes" to even some of the questions "can indicate that stress has become debilitating."

Family members may also serve as a stress assessment resource. One day my husband told me I was short-tempered. His comment surprised me because I have a steady, even personality. But nine years of caregiving had taken a toll on me. Toward the end of my mother's life, when I awakened each morning, I wondered if this would be the day she died.

According to the article, "Selected Caregiving Statistics," published on the Family Caregiver Website, caregiving can last a few months or decades. "Studies have found that caregivers may have increased blood pressure and insulin levels, may have impaired immune systems and may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease," the article explains.

Don't wait for your stress to go away. See your doctor if your stress level is going up and ask him or her to assess your stress. Your doctor will also be able to provide you with information on community resources. Joining a caregiving support group can also help to relieve stress.

The American Association of Retired Persons compares stress management to regular car maintenance. In its article, "Managing the Stress of Caregiving," the orgnization says stress management is "critical to staying in shape over time." So get to stress before it gets to you!

Copyright 2009 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30 years. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Association of Health Care Journalists, and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska has published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life." The company has also published a companion resource, the "Writing to Recover Journal," which contains 100 writing prompts. Please visit Harriet's Website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

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Family Caregiver - Part 1 Caring For Elderly Disabled With Parkinson's

We are married 32 years, so there were good times before he became ill. I have no degrees or titles than enable me to offer these tips for Parkinson's care except that of being the family caregiver to my husband. For the last 12 years we have lived with this disease. In the beginning he was only mildly affected but over time his disease has progressed to him being a wheelchair patient. For the first 6 years I was his sole care giver, living with and getting to know his limitations that changed from day to day.

He was 71 years old, I, 22 years younger, was 49. (He is now 82, I am 60. ) My career came to an abrupt halt as I stayed home to be the family caregiver for my husband. In desperation I searched frantically for assistance to cover his medications and help to adapt the house to his needs. Everywhere I tried, either there was no program to help us or we were only dollars from being eligible. Finally one day I made the right contact at the PA Department of Public Welfare Area Agency on Aging for our county.

I had tried there the previous year and was told there was no program to help. I called there again and again every few months. On my last call I coincidentally timed it at the beginning of a new program and was able to get my husband enrolled. The program was not for Parkinson's disease patients only, but for any senior that might otherwise be placed into a nursing home. The goal of this program is to keep the senior patient in their home, out of a facility, as long as possible. We have been enrolled 6 years. This program has been a life saver, life changer.

I am still the family caregiver but this resource

* has provided for us a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to help me care for him and enable me to regain a few hours a day of my own.
* helped us make adaptations to our home so he can use the bathroom and stairs.
* has given him prescription coverage.

I strongly urge you to seek help from this agency if you are or have a senior that needs assistance. There are other agencies that may be able to help in different ways. Keep knocking on doors, making phone calls.
Our age difference has benefited this relationship and how we are able to deal with the demands of his condition. If I were older, I would not be physically able to care for him at home. The weird part of this, if it was me that was sick, because I am not a senior (yet), I would not be eligible for these programs. Some of you may be in this position, and I don't know what advice to offer to you.

Hopefully you will find the help you need. By the way, being family caregiver in my house also includes two senior Black Labrador retrievers aged 11+, who are on medication. Could the family help? We have no children. My husband has four children by his previous marriage, of whom only one keeps touch with him. She cared for her mother-in-law until she passed away a few years ago. She knows what is involved in caring for her father, but does not have the time due to her other commitments.

I do try to keep her in the loop when his condition changes and she does offer moral support. We all seem to have at one time or another the responsibility of being a family caregiver. Dealing with his varying conditions has given me reason to create some interesting items that help me to care for him.

Please visit my web site http://caregiversaide.com/ to see my Patent Pending Skid Seat, my Bed Sled reusable bed pad and related items you may find useful in caring for your loved one. Thank you.

Caring for my husband these 12 years has given me a genuine understanding and sympathy for other caregivers and their individual situations. I am always looking for a better, easier way to help him through the day. If he's happy then we're both happy.

Karen Shiffert is the inventor and manufacturer of the Patent Pending Skid Seat (R) developed in the course of caring for her physicaly disabled husband. Her company, Caregiversaide,LLC offers products she has either developed or discovered to help her care for her husband.

Visit http://caregiversaide.com/ to view her products and accompanying video demonstrations.

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Senior Living Guide

A senior living guide can help you to ensure the safety and security of you or your loved one. By taking the extra time required to research senior and assisted living facilities and their reputations, you can keep yourself - or your family member - out of the papers and off the news.

One important aspect of a dependable senior living guide includes a list of questions and considerations to investigate as you weigh alternatives. These should include simple but often overlooked questions of facility directors or perhaps your own independent research. Some of these questions may include the following:

• How many incidents of resident injuries or accidents have occurred?

• How many incidents of resident injuries or accidents have occurred recently, in the past 5 years?

• What procedures are in place to ensure medications are correctly dispensed?

• How often is the local police department dispatched to the facility?

• What is the current ratio of staff to residents?

• How many complaints, overall, have been filed by residents or family members?

You will want to add on your own set of questions and/or concerns to this existing list. These are a few of the obvious questions you'll want to address when creating your own senior living guide.

When you do your due diligence, your research and evaluation of assisted living care facilities should be as broad and all-encompassing as possible. This is a very important decision that you or your loved ones will have to make - therefore, each and every concern you might have should not be overlooked.

Assisted Living Dallas - Click here and let Senior Living Specialists provide FREE and complimentary services to help you locate the best assisted living residence in the Dallas, Texas area. We also provide referral services across the country!

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Senior Living - 3 Ways to Improve Your Health and Mind

As people age, they often worry about declining health, brain functions, and mood. Senior citizens may also worry about moving into a retirement community or assisted living center. While it's an unfortunate fact that aging can mean the onset of disease and disability, there are things seniors can do to improve their physical and mental condition.

Exercising, volunteering, and staying active in different ways can vastly improve a person's health and frame of mind. Senior living doesn't have to be boring or inactive. Whether you live on your own or in a retirement community, choosing fun, fulfilling activities that fill up your time is great for maintaining or bettering your overall health.

Exercise

Exercising is an important habit to maintain throughout life to keep your body in shape and prevent the onset of heart problems, obesity, and other health problems. As people age, it's very important to maintain a regular exercise routine. Most retirement communities offer a wide range of fitness classes with different levels of exertion. You should look for fitness classes or exercise methods that involve not only cardiovascular health, but also different muscle groups. Your workout doesn't have to be extremely strenuous. If you've never exercised before, you may just start with a simple walk.

Senior living centers often have walking groups, as well as games that work the upper body. Even playing bingo offers residents range-of-motion exercises when they raise their arms in the air upon winning! Retirement communities in Florida or other warm climates also usually have swimming pools, so residents can take part in water aerobics that are easy on the joints and limbs. It doesn't matter which type of exercise you choose, as long as you do something.

Volunteer

Volunteering allows seniors to be around other younger people and give back to their community. By interacting with younger people, senior citizens can feel more youthful themselves and pass on worldly advice to children or young adults. People may choose to volunteer in a school, library, church, or charitable organization.

Senior living centers often organize volunteer opportunities for residents. Since volunteering allows people to feel useful and like they're making a difference, this can do wonders for a person's emotional and mental health.

Stay Active

Maintaining a busy schedule means less time for boredom and depression. By staying active, you better yourself emotionally and physically. Traveling to new places, attending shows, and cultivating new hobbies all stimulate the mind. Many senior living facilities have extensive recreational and social calendars with a wide array of events. Whether you enjoy arts and crafts, Bible study, or musical entertainment, you're sure to have plenty of things to do in an active retirement community.

With age, it's important to keep physical, mental, and emotional health in the best shape possible. By exercising, volunteering, and staying occupied with varied activities, senior citizens can improve their overall health and state of mind.

Christine O'Kelly is an author for Aston Gardens, a premier developer of award-winning Florida retirement communities. Aston Gardens offers luxury senior living for the active retiree.

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Tracing Your Family Lineage With the Use of a Genealogy Chart

The family is the basic structure of human society. It is from this basic building block that all other groups and structures present in the society are built and dependent upon. As such, the primary environment of community and oneness that the family provides is one of the most important social bonds that can ever be formed among human beings - a bond that is strong and lasting and reinforced by blood and kinship; a bond that is strengthened further over time through family lineage.

It is because of this that tracing our family lineage becomes an important and worthwhile endeavor. Being able to identify the people both in the past and present who have made this kinship possible, and to pay tribute to their contribution to the growth of the family gives individuals a sense of camaraderie with their kin as well as a sense of security in the fact that they know exactly who the people they can count on are.

Taking up genealogy, which is what we call the study of family kinship and lineage, though rewarding is not always an easy task. It requires detailed research and an eye for organizing details that may tend to overwhelm beginners by their sheer volume and tedious requirements.

Even if you have arrived at the point wherein you've gathered sufficient data through interviews with parents, grandparents, aunts, cousins and uncles, as well as followed paper trails that have helped you acquire documentation to back up these stories, organizing the details can become one of the trickiest areas to maneuver.

Fortunately, however, there are such things as charts that enable genealogy researchers to organize their data efficiently and easily, allowing them to retrieve this data and read it relatively easily as well. It is thus one of the most important tools that genealogy enthusiasts can ever possess in their quest to build a complete and concise documentation of their family tree.

For the technologically-savvy, there is plenty of available software with electronic charts included in the package. There are also websites on the internet that provide this tool for free and are easily downloadable from the web. These online charts are infinitely helpful in arranging the data that has been acquired so that confusion can be easily avoided.

For those, however, who are technologically-challenged, or who simply want to do it old-school, you can keep it simple by creating your own genealogy chart on paper. It has very little requirements and anyone can do it. In any case, it is important to keep a back up of your records to make sure that the data you've worked so hard to find and organize remains accessible and wouldn't get lost or compromised.

Engaging in genealogy research may challenge your research skills, your patience and your ability to organize, but the fruits borne at the end of this exercise are definitely worth the effort.

Bill Turnbull has been studying genealogy for 15 years and in that time has discovered the secrets to building family trees effortlessly online. For more great information on Genealogy visit Build Family Tree Online

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Tips in Growing Green Today or at Least Saves Some Money If You're Not Green!

Here are many small simple tips you can follow:
• Plug your television into a power bar and turn that off when you aren't watching.
• Wash your clothes in cold water. Since a high amount of the electricity is used in washing your clothes because of heating the water, using cold rather than hot water will save you tons of money
• Install a low-flow showerhead.
• Set the photocopier to print double-sided only. It takes ten times as much energy to make a piece of paper than it takes to copy onto it
• Boiling water for tea in a pot on your gas stove uses one-third the energy of a plug-in kettle
• Choose a laptop than a desktop - it uses about six times less electricity than a desktop
• Turn the screen saver off. Screen savers don't save electricity. Rather, set your computer to go into sleep mode when you're not using it.
• Get rid of that old Fridge and get a new Energy Star model
• Make sure you clean and replace your furnace filter often. A dirty filter forces your furnace to work harder to heat your home.
• When summer comes, keep the blinds closed and run a couple of fans instead of air conditioning
• On sunny days during the winter make sure you open your south-facing drapes and let the sun in
• See the commercial on TV? - Unplug your chargers i.e. cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, cordless tools and other gadgets when you're not charging.
• Turn your thermostat down at night, even a 4-degree Celsius could cut your gas bill by 10 per cent
• Get some foam sleeve insulation to insulate your hot water pipes and wrap it around the first nine feet off your water heater.
• Go from Gas-powered lawnmower to an old-fashioned push-and-pull model.
• Hang your laundry on a clothesline instead of throwing them in the dryer
• Drive at the speed limit. Going from 120 kilometers an hour to 100 cuts your fuel consumption.
• Buy a reusable coffee mug.
• Plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings and floors from heated to unheated spaces.
• Don't throw out that toner cartridge. Instead, reuse it.
• Use Energy-efficient automatic dishwashers that use half the energy and less water to the old fashioned way
• Fix Dripping taps
• Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven. You can save to 50 per cent of your cooking energy.
• Don't idle. You will save you gas and populate less
• Switch off your computer before you leave work.
In conclusion, simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference. It does not take much of your time to do all of these things. Think about how it changes things especially your pocket book, especially if you are not Green minded.

Steve Harrison

http://alternativeenergysourcenews.blogspot.com/

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What You Want to Know About Aquarium Lighting

Aquarium lighting is not just used for decoration so that you can see your fishes clearly during the night. They are also needed and are an important part of a reef aquarium. The proper lighting in an aquarium allows corals and invertebrates to survive. Light for these creatures is needed as their source of photosynthesis so they can generate more energy and food. Without it they will wither and die. So the lighting should be treated as an essential part of an aquarium.

Lightings for an aquarium can be divided in four main types. They are the fluorescent lighting, compact fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting and metal halide lighting. The basic parts in an aquarium lighting system are the hoods, timers, reflectors, shields and ballasts.

For a living room set up, fluorescent lighting is the ideal lighting to use. Fluorescent bulbs are also very safe and energy-efficient and are ideal for tropical fish. Fluorescent lights come in different wattages, colors and lengths and are rated according to milliamp.

Compact fluorescent lighting is similar to fluorescent lighting but is much more powerful, energy-efficient and a great source for high-intensity lighting. It is the ideal aquarium lighting for deeper tanks.

On the other hand, for both small and big aquariums Incandescent lighting is ideal because of its versatile and inexpensive qualities. For small aquariums such type of lighting is very advantageous because it can fit different types of bulbs into it but in a deeper aquarium, this type of lighting becomes a disadvantage because the brightness of light is inadequate and bulb life is short.

But if you are looking for a more compact and aesthetic appeal and don't like fluorescent lights then a metal halide lighting may be the right fit for you. This type of lighting is very popular for reef or planted aquarium as it can really give an intensive light source. Its bulbs come in different colors and temperatures can produce a considerable amount of heat that is very useful in raising the temperatures of the aquarium water.

In choosing the right basic parts in an aquarium lighting system, hoods that easily open up with ease would be the practical choice while glass hoods are ideal for aquariums that have a sophisticated mix-and-match lighting system. Metal Halide lamps which produce harmful UV radiation and high emissions of heat should have built-in fans and UV absorbent filters.

Timers are devices that automatically turn an aquarium lighting system on and off at the same time every day. Timers can also control lighting hoods that are fitted with electronic ballasts.

Reflectors are used to direct light where it is needed. You can choose between the two basic types. They are the divergent and convergent. These two types either scatter or focus right amount light rays into the aquarium.

A shield is piece of glass that keeps water away from the bulbs and also helps prevent glass from falling into the aquarium if a bulb should break. It also keeps heat away from the water and reduces the damage caused by UV emissions.

Then ballasts are used to regulate the voltage from the regular source. They prevent burn-out bulbs and fires.

So, you see, there are a lot of choices, a lot of parts to choose from and to consider, so that you can get the right aquarium lighting. But always remember that they are not only used to make your aquarium look good and that each type of lighting functions differently and is compatible to different aquarium sizes. So choose well.

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Great Summer Activities For Your Hen Weekend

With summer just round the corner and the weather being kinder to us in the UK, if you're planning a hen weekend for the next few months why not think about taking advantage of the lovely climate? There are some fantastic hen weekend activities which are super fun to enjoy during the summer that will no doubt excite and entertain you and the girls! Here's a look at some great summer hen weekend activities for you to think about.

Horse Riding.
What better way to see the beautiful British countryside than on horseback? This is an excellent hen weekend activities when the weather is nice. You don't have to be an expert rider either as most centres offering horse riding will offer an experience that covers all levels from beginners up. It's worth checking this before you book anything just to make sure that your group can be accommodated. Saddle up and then giddy up as you venture out into the beautiful country for a relaxing afternoon on your hen weekend.

Picnic in the Park
Perhaps you have a big night out ahead and fancy something a little relaxing during the day of your hen weekend. Nothing quite says British summer than taking a picnic with your best friends and sitting in a lovely park. There are so many beautiful spots up and down the country that no matter where you've decided to have your hen weekend, you're bound to find somewhere picturesque to enjoy a hamper filled with snacks for you and the girls. Don't forget the champagne and a Frisbee!

Canoeing
If the weather's warm and the sun is bright then hitting the water on your hen weekend is a fabulous way to wave goodbye to your last weekend of freedom. There's nothing more refreshing than hitting the cool water on a hot summer's day and canoeing is fantastic fun for all levels of experience. You won't have to do anything you're not comfortable with as you and the girls make your way down river on an unforgettable canoeing experience.

Explore a City
The UK boasts some wonderful cities that make excellent locations for hen weekends. In the winter months it's great to cosy up in a pub or an indoor activity but if the sunshine is out then we say a hen party should be as well! A great way to spend your day in a city is to find out as much about the place before you go and then hit the streets to explore. Don your best summer dress and comfy sandals and wander simply take in the sights and sounds of your hen weekend destination.

Pampering
Okay, we know a pampering activity on your hen weekend isn't strictly something you need good weather for as it's done indoors. However, the summer months are so much better for being pampered and beautified and then showing off your newly glowing skin to the world as you sit sipping a refreshing drink outside a pub or restaurant. So whether you're getting your nails, hair or make up done, you can be sure to have a better time flaunting it outside in the sunshine!

For more information about summer hen weekend activities visit: http://www.henheaven.co.uk/

Hen Heaven has been sending girls on memorable hen parties since 2003 and their wealth of experience in organising hen weekends keeps people coming back for more! With a passionate, friendly team, your hen weekend is in good hand from start to finish. For a quote or any questions, get in touch!

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