Improve Your Health with Super Foods

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease and causes a narrowing or complete blockage of the arteries.  This can result in angina or a tightness and discomfort in the chest as arteries are not getting enough blood to the heart, which must work harder.  As time goes on, CAD can cause heart failure or an irregular heartbeat. 

Recent studies report turmeric, a seasoning that enhances the flavor of food, may also be beneficial to your heart.  Research suggests turmeric may help to reduce a person’s total cholesterol as well as the levels of bad cholesterol known as LDL (low-density lipoprotein) in the blood.  By reducing the oxidation of LDL, turmeric may help reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Another benefit of turmeric is it is believed to help calm inflammation in the body as its essential oils and curcumin display a wide spectrum of antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and other anti-inflammatory properties.  Turmeric may also offer a natural protection against Alzheimer’s disease as curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and work toward preventing or slowing the progression of nervous-system related diseases. 

Acai berries are another nutrient-dense super food loaded with antioxidants, which may be good for our heart and brain.  High in fat and low in sugar, studies has shown acai may decrease the total and LDL cholesterol in animals, and researchers believe it may do the same for humans.  Other studies show the plant compounds in acai may also boost brain function and protect our brains from damage as we age.  Current research points to improvement in the memory of rats. 

At MorningStar at Bear Creek, we specialize in providing residents with holistic, loving assisted living dementia care.  Our entire team and wellness programs are focused on finding ways to stimulate and enhance our residents’ quality of life.  This includes providing meals created with BrainWise foods such as such as acai berries, turmeric, Omega 3 fats, dark chocolate and dark greens.   Visit our website to learn more. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with our mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to creating a true home within an ideal setting and invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand the best assisted living dementia care in Colorado Springs.

Source: healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-acai-berries

Walking for Exercise has Many Benefits for Seniors

Experts agree that walking is beneficial to seniors’ health as it can stop bone mass loss, strengthen leg and abdominal muscles, and improve circulation by helping to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk for heart disease.  Walking can also lead to weight loss or maintain your weight, help you sleep better, increase your mental sharpness, and improve balance and stability.  It can even increase your lifespan.  However if you have not exercised in a while, doctors recommend you start slowly and only gradually increase your distance and pace.

If you let your health care provider know you are going to start walking, they can help you determine a safe starting point.  From the onset you may only be able to walk a short distance, but over time, you will be able to go farer and should start noticing benefits fairly quickly.  Additionally experts say even if you need a cane or a walker to safely move about, don’t let that stop you from walking, just take it with you.  Also wear properly fitted comfortable shoes that provide good arch support.   If you have foot problems, talk to your doctor about orthopedic shoes. 

Remember do not overexert yourself.  Walk at a safe pace and keep in mind that the most important thing is to just get started.  For your safety, tuck your cell phone into a pocket that you can easy get to if the need arises and stay hydrated.  To help keep you motivated, walk with a buddy or join a walking group. 

At MorningStar of Billings, we wholeheartedly agree that walking is great exercise for seniors and we have walking paths for our independent living and assisted living residents.  Please visit our website to learn more about our beautiful senior living community, activities and programs, and our wide range of amenities. 

Please consult your health care provider before starting any type of exercise.

MorningStar Senior Living of Billings represents the finest in senior living with our unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve, we provide a true home for residents.  We invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand our exceptional independent living, assisted living and memory care.

Learn More About MorningStar

A highly respected senior housing company, MorningStar Senior Living has communities throughout the Western U.S. that are designed to be true homes for their residents.  MorningStar at Arrowhead is one of four MorningStar communities in the Phoenix area.

MorningStar Senior Living recently celebrated our 15th anniversary and we attribute our growth and success to God’s grace and to staying true to a mission of servant-leadership.  Right from the beginning, Founder/CEO Ken Jaeger began MorningStar based on the following three mission statements:

·         Honor God in our business practices and relationships — a commitment to strong moral values and ethics

·         Value all seniors as gifted and contributing individuals — a commitment to creating a community that promotes a healthy, engaged lifestyle, while providing security and independence

·         Invest generously in our team’s ability to serve well — a commitment to hiring and retaining employees who use creative minds and compassionate hearts to serve residents

At MorningStar at Arrowhead, we recognize our mission is advanced by team members who hold true to our core values of love, respect, honesty, fairness, goodness, and kindness.  They are the type of individuals who feel privileged to serve seniors and help us create the kind of culture we envision building – a Family for Life.   In addition we are a company committed to investing our time and talents in charitable projects close to home and around the world. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead consists of 60 private assisted living suites and 25 suites in our Reflections Neighborhood dedicated to the specialized care of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases. Visit our website to learn more about the many amenities and services offered by our exceptional community. 

  

We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve…all of which contributes to creating a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. Located on the north side of Glendale AZ, MorningStar at Arrowhead offers residents a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community with inviting common areas and beautiful contemporary décor.  Call to schedule a visit to the finest senior living in the area.

MorningStar at Bear Creek has Caregivers with a Felt Calling to Serve

MorningStar at Bear Creek is a specialized, individualized dementia care community.  With 48 suites, we offer a selection of four floor plans including two variations of studio apartments as well as one- and two-bedroom options.  Our community has a reputation as one of the top Alzheimer homes in the Colorado Springs area.  We know this would not be possible without a team of extraordinary caregivers.

These remarkable individuals all share a felt calling to serve and are the kind of people who do the right thing even when no one is watching.  We are proud of the fact that our team selection starts with heart; and we seek people who want to perfect the art of anticipating needs and are willing to go the extra mile.  Together we know that serving seniors – at its best – is love in action! 

Everyone at MorningStar at Bear Creek, regardless of their position, goes through our proprietary brand Service Excellence initiative known as “Radiance,” which promotes an attitude of selflessness.  It embodies the way we deliver service (like light a beam of light), and its precepts are reiterated daily during our group Huddle.  Radiance’s loving grace permeates the way we speak to our residents, their families and fellow team members and allows the love beneath our roof to shine through.   

As dementia care specialists, we feel privileged to walk alongside our residents and their families on this unexpected journey, and invite you to visit our website to learn more about our unique approach to dementia care.  Our beautiful community is truly home to our residents and we recommend setting up a tour to experience the loving atmosphere.  We look forward to meeting your family.  

MorningStar at Bear Creek embodies the very best in Alzheimer homes with a distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest”.  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing seniors and investing in a staff with a felt calling to serve, we offer loving, compassionate care within a beautiful home-like setting.  Please contact us to learn more about the finest memory care in Colorado Springs.

Beautiful Private Suites at MorningStar of Fort Collins

At MorningStar of Fort Collins, we are committed to providing residents with a “true home” and offer 55 stylish, private assisted living suites.  Additionally, we have 24 secure suites devoted to individualized care for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases.  Our graciously-appointed senior care community is in the southeast side of the city, and convenient to hospitals, banks, shopping, restaurants and grocery stores.

One look at our website and you will see that MorningStar of Fort Collins is indeed a beautiful, special place.  Right from the beginning, we worked to ensure our community would be a comfortable place for our residents to enjoy carefree retirement years and have designed our entire community to cater to those needs.

All of our assisted living private suites offer high ceilings, large windows, wall-to-wall carpeting, lighting and mini blinds; and includes a full, handicapped-accessible bathroom.  Each suite is also equipped with an emergency call system, private heating and air conditioning, and basic cable TV and utilities. We offer residents weekly housekeeping and laundry service as well as spot cleaning and daily trash removal.  To help residents feel right at home, we are pet friendly, and all you need to do is to bring your furnishings and personal items.

We encourage you to take a look at our various floor plans as they were designed for the utmost comfort.  Starting with a large two-bedroom configuration to our studios, we are certain you will feel right at home, however, please set up a tour to see for yourself why we are so proud of our gorgeous community.      

MorningStar of Fort Collins represents the very best in senior care with a mission “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  Our foundation is one built upon honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting team members with a felt calling to serve.  We invite you to schedule a tour to discover the finest assisted living and memory care in Fort Collins.

Assisted Living May be the Best Answer

Many seniors are pleasantly surprised to discover that assisted living is not such a “terrible place” after all but rather a true home that offers many benefits.  Several studies also back up this assertion and have found that for many, a senior living community is a healthier, safer and more agreeable alternative to living alone. 

Initially it can be difficult for seniors to leave their familiar family home and often mistakenly think moving into an assisted living community will mean the end of their independence.  Actually the opposite ends up being true as when a senior receives the proper care he or she needs, they are able to lead a fuller life. 

Another reason seniors can be reluctant to make the move is they do not realize that assisted living communities of today are not anything like nursing homes.  As a resident of an assisted living community, you not only will have you own private suite but an array of care options and amenities that are designed to provide your utmost comfort and security.    

In many cases assisted living is a much better option than trying to patch together the range of services the senior needs from in-home care providers.  Furthermore, assisted living communities are already set up to accommodate those who may have mobility difficulties, and it can be expensive to retrofit a private home to make it safe enough for a senior with physical limitations.  In addition, communities such as MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care at Arrowhead provide 24/7 care and offer residents as well as their families the peace of mind knowing help is close at hand in an emergency.  

Please see our website for contact information and to learn why assisted living or memory care may be the right decision for you or your loved one. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve…all of which contributes to creating a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. Call to schedule a visit to the finest assisted living in the area.

Source: aplaceformom.com/blog/social-life-for-seniors-why-assisted-living-is-better/   

UTIs Can Go Undetected in the Elderly

If a young woman experiences burning and irritation when urinating, she visits her doctor and is most likely diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).  However it can be a different story for elderly adults as they rarely have any of the common symptoms or discomforts associated with UTIs and may be unaware they have an infection.  Anna Treinkman, a nurse practitioner at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago and president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners, explains that as we age, our immune response changes and no longer functions at optimal levels.   

  

UTIs are the body’s second most common infection and are generally easy to treat.  However in the elderly, an undetected UTI can mimic other, much more serious conditions including dementia.  “UTIs, for instance, are a leading cause of sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection of the bloodstream.” 

UTI symptoms in the elderly can also manifest in a range of behaviors such as disorientation, agitation, confusion, dizziness and poor motor skills.  These in turn can increase the risk for falls and even result in depression or sudden urinary incontinence.  Another reason the UTI may go untreated is that the symptoms are attributed to more serious illnesses or simply to old age. 

If you suspect a UTI, a simple urinalysis can be performed to confirm the infection and get treatment started.  Most cases are cured by antibiotics within a few days to a few weeks depending on the severity of the infection and other health problems affecting the person. 

Along with medication, your doctor will recommend drinking four to six 8-ounce glasses of water a day, and may ask that you add cranberry juice or cranberry tablets to your diet.  This will help flush the infection from the system. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek offers the Colorado Springs area individualized, loving dementia care.  We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about our exceptional community.

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health.

MorningStar at Bear Creek embodies the very best in senior living with a distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest” that sets us apart from other senior living communities.  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing seniors and investing in a staff with a felt calling to serve, we offer loving, compassionate care within a beautiful home-like setting.  Please set up a tour to see for yourself our unique approach to dementia care.  

Sources: aplaceformom.com/planning-and-advice/articles/elderly-urinary-tract-infections

seniorliving.org/healthcare/uti/