New Year’s resolutions should be accessible to anyone at any age but can feel tough to do in older age for some. Our team at Home Instead, Lafayette’s go-to senior home care provider, recommends these 5 healthy New Year's resolutions for seniors to help you or your loved one stay healthy in 2022.
Wellness Visits and Regular Checkups
If you have not already scheduled your annual wellness check and routine doctor visits for the new year, we recommend that you do these immediately. Have a list of questions and concerns you have about your health ready to go over with your physician beforehand to maximize what you get out of those visits.
This is also a great time to discuss your current medications and any changes you may need with those, as well as discussing any suggested screenings and immunizations your health care team may recommend. Having an annual full blood panel run that looks at important things, such as your nutrition levels, to see if you need to adjust your daily vitamins and supplements is also a way to get on top of your health for the new year.
Multivitamin and Supplement Intake
Based on the results from your wellness visit you can add creating, adjusting, or sticking to a daily vitamin and supplement intake routine to your resolution list. Sticking to a physician-approved vitamin and supplement routine will allow you to stay on track with your health journey.
Daily Diet
With your new vitamin and supplement plan in place, the next resolution is maintaining a healthy, nutritional daily diet. As you age, your body requires less caloric intake. Based on what your physician suggests incorporating into your daily diet, adjust from there with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, low-fat dairy, and healthy fats. The American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation suggests a daily intake of five colorful servings of fresh fruits and vegetables will set your health up for success.
Daily Movement
If you don’t use it, you may lose it, they say. Get ahead of your health and make staying active with daily movement the fourth new year’s resolution on your list. Despite any health diagnoses you may be working through, physical activity is still vital to your overall health and wellbeing. If you need a little guidance on how to map out a daily movement plan that fits what your body needs most, consider asking your physician about this and reaching out to see what the local senior centers, nearby gyms, or online options have to offer.
Regular exercise has been proven to prevent and improve some health diagnoses, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis while releasing “feel good” endorphins to aid in self-confidence, be a healthy coping mechanism for mental health struggles, and can lead to more social interactions.
Mental Health Check
Last but not least on your new year’s resolution list is your mental health. According to The American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation, every one out of five older adults suffers from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, not all of them speak up about the symptoms to their physician in order to work on their mental health as a part of their overall health journey.
Now is the time. Some signs of depression to be aware of are continuous feelings of sadness, fatigue, changes in appetite, and lack of desire to do things you used to love. If you find yourself unable to get proper sleep due to feeling worried, or irritable, and/or wanting to isolate yourself for more than two weeks, you must take the time to speak up about your mental health concerns. Do it for you!
Sticking with new year’s resolutions throughout the year may be a daunting task for older adults. Always remember that you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
Our Caregivers at Home Instead offer the best home care services in the Lafayette, LA, area to help you or your loved one keep the resolutions alive. We provide home care services ranging from personal care, home helper, to companionship to assist you or your elderly family member in achieving a better, healthier year.
Contact us today!
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