As we grow older, many of us tend to avoid trying to learn new skills, especially when it comes to technology skills. Seniors and technology mix about as well as oil and water, but it does not have to be that way. In fact, seniors can get a lot out of technology just for completing responsibilities such as paying bills and scheduling healthcare appointments. Technology serves a highly functional purpose in the lives of most seniors.
Yet, the resistance to technology continues to be a problem for seniors. At the MorningStar at Arcadia assisted living facility in Phoenix, Arizona, technology plays an important role in the lives of our residents. We not only encourage our residents to increase their technical knowledge, but we also offer activities that help them learn new skills. However, family members can help as well by encouraging their seniors to be more connected with technology in the following ways. Alleviate Security Concerns In an AARP survey, 85 percent of respondents between the ages of 50 and 64 stated they are concerned about privacy and data protection while using the Internet. Helping your senior be more connected with technology starts by taking steps to prevent hackers from stealing sensitive information. Demonstrate how to create secure passwords that meet the criteria established by multi-factor Authentication (MFA). Help your senior loved one set their privacy information on social media networks to allow just their friends to view profiles. Emphasize Online Safety Seniors are the most vulnerable segment of the population to succumbing to financial scams. Before the Internet exploded into the gateway for all communications, seniors fell victim to mail and telephone call scams. Now, seniors must implement measures to prevent falling victim to online scams. Help your senior learn how to separate junk emails from important emails, and then immediately empty the junk email file. Make sure your senior understands the importance of never sending sensitive information via chat, text, and email. Take Small Steps For seniors that have been out of the workforce for many years, trying to learn new technology skills triggers stress and frustration. The best way to help your senior be more connected with technology involves starting slowly and interacting during multiple visits to prevent information overload. Taking small steps can include explaining how to upload a favorite photo to a social media profile page or teaching your senior how to maximize the tools offered by live chat options such as Zoom. You must exhibit plenty of patience, which includes allowing your senior to complete each step without assistance. Access Free Online Resources You do not always have to be there when your senior loved one wants to learn additional technical skills. Show your senior loved one how to access free online learning resources to help them develop the type of technology skills that they want to develop. The Internet also offers many programs that help seniors access free and low-cost apps and devices to enhance their learning environment. With a focus on honoring God, MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care at Arcadia values our seniors, which is reflected by the compassionate professionals that fulfill the role of caregivers. At our senior living facility in Phoenix, we offer residents access to fast broadband Internet service to help them achieve their goals. Connect with one of our representatives to learn more about what MorningStar at Arcadia has to offer.
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When a loved one goes to live in an assisted living facility, it can be difficult to maintain the same close relationship you both shared when your loved one lived at home and enjoyed a more independent lifestyle. However, maintaining a close relationship with your senior loved one is even more important when the time comes to transition into living at an assisted living facility.
At our memory care facility in Phoenix, we emphasize the importance of friends and family members staying in close touch with their senior loved ones. This is an especially important point for seniors who have just moved into a senior living facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Let’s see how to remind your senior loved one is still loved. Schedule Regular Visits Routine becomes an integral part of your senior loved one’s life when making the transition to living in an assisted living facility. Meals take place at the same time each day, and certain social events occur on the same day and time weekly and monthly. Scheduling regular visits with your loved one gives your loved one something to look forward to at the same time and day each week. Following a routine also keeps you accountable to uphold your end of the bargain when reminding your senior loved one is still loved. Send Your Love Through the Mail Catching up with your senior loved one via email is an effective way to stay in touch, but it is also an impersonal way to say, “I love you.” On the other hand, sending gifts through snail mail does a much better job of reminding your senior loved one is still loved. You do not have to wait for a holiday, birthday, or anniversary to send a gift via snail mail. Receiving an unexpected pleasant surprise from a friend or family member is a good way to light up the life of a senior loved one living in an assisted living facility. Get the Grandchildren Involved If your senior loved one has grandchildren, nothing will light up your senior loved one’s eyes more than spending time with grandchildren. Your senior loved one has demonstrated a strong bond of love with the grandkids, and now the time has arrived to pass it back through the love shared by your senior loved one’s grandchildren. Either plan a special event for all family members, grandchildren included, at the assisted living facility, or even better, plan a celebration outside of our memory care facility in Phoenix, AZ. Work on a Mutual Hobby One of the most effective strategies that caregivers recommend for improving memory involves participating in activities that work the mind. Activities such as crossword puzzles, as well as board games like chess and checks, help seniors keep their minds active. Another way to help your senior loved one keep an active mind is to work on a mutual hobby. Maybe you and your senior loved one both like to work on developing a garden. Whatever the activity, spending time with your senior loved one demonstrates that you care. The mission statement at MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care at Arcadia is both simple and life-enriching: “To honor, to value, to invest.” Our team has created a foundation based on honoring God, while placing an immeasurable value on taking care of our residents. Discover how our senior living facility in Phoenix is the right home for your loved one by submitting the short Contact form found on our website. When you think of exercise, you probably think about the many options you have to work out the body. As we age, physical exercise becomes even more important to help us maintain strength and agility.
Did you know that exercising your brain is just as important as exercising your body? According to the National Institutes of Health, exercising the brain can improve memory, reasoning, and the speed of processing information. Other studies show that seniors who exercise the brain enjoy greater independence and a lower risk of developing dementia. One of the most effective ways to exercise the brain involves playing what mental health experts call brain games. If you are searching for an assisted living facility in Phoenix, Arizona, you should verify that any of the senior housing facilities on your shortlist promote healthy brain games for their guests. Let’s look at six good brain games for seniors. Crossword Puzzles Crossword puzzles do a great job of exercising the brain because they require developing keen foresight to see how words form several steps before the time comes to create them. Your senior loved one can find crossword puzzles in a wide variety of print publications. Crossword puzzles do not require the participation of another person, which means your senior loved one can work on one at any time during the day. Bingo We go from crossword puzzles that can be done alone to a good brain game that requires the participation of dozens of other people. Many assisted living facilities host bingo night, which attracts a large group of residents. Bingo requires staying on top of the numbers you have in front of you, as well as reacting quickly whenever one of your numbers gets called out. Senior centers typically put on a bingo night once a month as well. Checkers The next two good brain games provide the ultimate tests of exercising brain power. Checkers is a fun game to play, as well as a relatively easy one to learn for seniors. This good brain game is less about developing strategy and more about the process of making logic-based decisions and improving hand-eye coordination. Games sets come in a wide variety of sizes to accommodate the vision needs of seniors. Chess Chess represents a much more complex game than checkers because of the multiple layers of strategy involved in moving the pieces around the board. However, learning chess is highly beneficial because it improves problem-solving skills, as well as enhances deductive reasoning. Chess even can improve your senior’s patience, which is something that often diminishes as we grow older. Scrabble As the classic brain game associated with seniors, playing Scrabble is an entertaining activity while at the same time giving memory a robust workout. Scrabble also is one of the best games for improving or restoring a senior’s vocabulary. This good brain game brings together seniors, which is a plus considering the isolation that can develop while living apart from family members. Jigsaw Puzzles Your senior loved one can work on a jigsaw puzzle alone or with one or more friends. Jigsaw puzzles strengthen problem-solving and strategy-developing skills, while also requiring your senior loved one to exhibit a high level of patience. This good brain game varies in complexity, depending on the number of pieces and the type of picture design.At the MorningStar Arcadia assisted living facility in Phoenix, Arizona, our culture is “to honor, to value, to invest” in our residents. This type of culture separates us from other memory care facilities in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about our beautiful community by submitting the online Contact form. |
MorningStar
MorningStar Senior Living offers assisted living, memory care and respite (short-term) care. Our communities have graciously-appointed assisted living suites, as well as beautiful and spacious private suites for those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Morningstar Senior Living's award-winning architecture, together with amenities that foster a lifestyle of comfort and wellness, make our residents’ retirement years as carefree as possible. Our activities and programs are enriching, and our care services first-class, but what truly sets us apart from other senior living communities is the love beneath our roof. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in your area, contact us to schedule a tour. Archives
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