3 Creative Ways to Personalize Your Senior Living Apartment

You’re prepared to take one of the biggest steps of your life!

You did your research and found the perfect senior living community that exceeds all your expectations! It fits your needs and you’re ready to relocate.

To make the transition from your old home to the senior living apartment smooth and easy, make sure you design and personalize your space. This way you can feel right at home in your new living space.

No, you don’t have to be an interior designer or hire one just to make the most of your new apartment. All you have to do is follow these tips and turn the foreign place into a familiar and comforting environment.

Let’s now head into discussing some ways you can personalize your senior living apartment.

1. Hang Up Pictures

Getting used to a new living space can be exceptionally hard. It can take a toll on your emotional well-being. The best way to make a foreign place to start feeling like home is to fill it with happy memories you share with your loved ones. You can hang pictures of your children, your grandkids and your friends in your new apartment which will ease up the transition period.

2. Paint the Walls (If Allowed)

A large number of senior living communities allow their residents to paint their apartments with the color of their choice. If the community you’re relocating to provides this flexibility, then you can customize your new living space with a color that’ll help you settle right in.

3. Put Indoor Plants

You can brighten up your new apartment by adding indoor plants to the interior. There are many benefits that come with having plants in your living space; these include improved air quality, lower levels of depression and more feelings of happiness.

Before you personalize your new living space, here are some things that you should keep in mind.

Accessibility

While you’re decorating your apartment, make sure you give extra attention to the aspect of accessibility. If you have fellow senior living residents coming over to your apartment, you should consider that they may have walkers or wheelchairs.

Lighting

It’s important to keep your apartment well-lit. Install bright lights in the kitchen, bathroom, corners, balconies and wardrobes.

Storage

Storage might be limited in the new apartment, so before you move in, make a note of downsizing your belongings, especially your wardrobe, and give away what you don’t need.

Are you looking for a senior living community in Calabasas, CA?  Get in touch with AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care.

We’re one of the most reliable senior living communities in the area, committed to providing senior adults with excellent retirement facilities, and a spectrum of services tailored to the needs of all our residents.

We offer luxurious senior living apartments and a wide range of amenities to make our residents feel loved and satisfied.

Connect with us today!


Pets in Assisted Living Care: How Can Our Furry Friends Help?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heat-related illnesses and fatalities can be prevented easily. However, approximately 700 people still die every year because of extreme heat in the United States.

While too much heat isn’t good for anyone, adults are at an increased risk of health problems when it comes to hot weather.

The umbrella term for the different illnesses caused by extreme heat is hyperthermia. These problems include heat syncope, heat cramps, heat edema and heat exhaustion.

In this blog we’ll focus primarily on heat exhaustion and how it can be prevented in older adults.

What’s Heat Exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion is essentially the body’s response to excessive loss of water and salt because of heavy sweating. Older adults along with people with high blood pressure and those who work in hot environments are especially vulnerable to this condition.

The symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Thirst
  • Weakness
  • Headache
  • Sweating

Preventing Heat Exhaustion in Older Adults

Here are some precautionary measures the elder people should follow to beat heat exhaustion.

Increase Liquid Intake

As the water and salt levels in the body decrease because of excessive sweating, and cause dehydration, it’s extremely important to make up for the lost amounts by increasing your liquid intake. Even if you’re not thirsty, make sure you consume water or juice every other chance you get.

Dress Appropriately

Weather-appropriate dressing can help you prevent heat exhaustion. When it’s hot outside, wear light colors, loosely fitted and lightweight clothes. A hat and sunglasses are also must-haves.

Limit Outdoor Activity

During the mid-day hours, when the sun is at its peak, it’s better to stay inside. Outdoor activities and errands should be done when it’s relatively cool outside, which is either after 6 p.m. or before 10 a.m.

Seek Air-Conditioned Environments

If you don’t have an air conditioner at home, we suggest that you find a cool place such as the library, mall or a senior center to spend the hottest parts of the day.

Connect With AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care!

AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care is a luxurious senior living community in Calabasas, CA that provides 24 hour specialized care and support to its senior residents.

We’re a certified Positive Approach to Care (PAC) community offering a wide range of retirement facilities, top-notch services and amenities that suit the unique interests and needs of the residents.

You can take a virtual tour of our senior living community here.


What’s the Empty Nest Syndrome and How Can Senior Adults Overcome It?

All parents want their children to grow up into responsible adults and lead independent and successful lives. They encourage their kids to dream big and to achieve those objectives. However, when the time comes for children to move out of the house to pursue their goals in life, parents often start feeling lonely, sad and depressed. This is called empty nest syndrome.

Even though it’s not a clinical disorder, the empty nest syndrome can have some real effects on a person’s life. Research suggests that it can lead to depression, alcoholism, marital conflicts and identity crisis.

If you have children who’ll soon be moving out of your house, make sure you’re ready to overcome the empty nest syndrome with these tips.

Identify Your Roles

While being a parent to your child was the most important part of your life, the truth is that, there are many more roles that you play. These include, being a neighbor, a daughter or a son, a cousin, an aunt or an uncle and more. Now that you have more time at your hands, you can become more involved in your other roles to ensure that you keep on feeling valuable.

Pursue Fulfilling Activities

Parenthood can easily take over your whole life. You hardly get enough time to pursue your hobbies and what you love to do. But with your children moving out, you’ll finally have spare time; so make sure that you use it to participate in fulfilling activities. You can volunteer at a local shelter, take a class or join a club that you’ve always wanted to try out.

Seek Spousal Support

Not all parents experience the empty nest syndrome when their youngest child leaves home. If your spouse fails to notice that you’re feeling lonely, make sure you share your thoughts and concerns with them. On the other hand, if your spouse is the one dealing with the syndrome, you should be there for them for support.

Consider Relocating to Senior Housing Community

One of the most effective ways to beat the empty nest syndrome is to relocate to a senior living community. A place filled with like-minded people, and countless opportunities to socialize and live an exciting life is just what’s needed to overcome your sadness.

Connect With AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care!

Are you searching for an outstanding and luxurious senior living community in Calabasas, CA? Get in touch with AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care.

We’re a certified Positive Approach to Care (PAC) community, committed to providing excellent retirement facilities, top-notch services and amenities to suit the unique interests and needs of all our residents.

Take a virtual tour of the senior living community and connect with us for more information today!


How Music Can Help Seniors with Memory Problems

While to laymen music might not mean more than concerts and loud partying, there are problems you could solve using music—problems that range from memory issues to depression to beyond.

In fact, music therapy is pretty widely known these days, and is renowned for helping people improve their mental health. Not only is music therapeutic, but it’s also known to improve quality of life. Seniors with memory problems such as dementia often have trouble connecting with the here and now. When they listen to music, things begin to change—and this blog will discuss what you can do with 5 minutes of a great song.

Reduces Stress

Music helps reduce stress. Listening to a song that you like can help slow down your heart’s fluttering beating, and thus cortisol levels in the body are reduced. The music used for this purpose is usually rhythmic so as to help a person relax.

Improves Cognition

Degenerative diseases such as dementia are characterized by memory loss and speech impairment. Music helps improve nonverbal communication skills by making people hum or even sing along, which is great in terms of improving speech skills.

A Stanford research highlighted how music helps in stimulating specific brain regions, resulting in increased blood flow, which in turn boosts cognition.

Encourages Movement

It’s common knowledge that good music makes you want to dance along. It doesn’t even have to be full-fledged dancing—one could be moved enough to want to clap or tap toes, but that music encourages people to move is a given. This is specifically good for people with musculoskeletal issues, and for seniors in general whose lethargy limits their ability to do physical activity.

Songs for Seniors

To start with, music doesn’t really have to be in “song” format for you a senior. If it’s a senior loved one or a parent, chances are you probably know what kind of music they liked in their youth and adulthood. You’d know their favorite artists and bands, and that’s where you can start from. You can, of course, experiment with the music choices you have, and try playing some of your own music for them.

However, always bear in mind that there’s a whole generation between you and your senior loved one, and that they won’t always like what you like. We’d especially suggest against loud music (we don’t think it’s a sensible idea to make seniors with Alzheimer’s listen to metal or rock) and go in favor of something more serene and soothing.

At best, you need something upbeat (to encourage them to move), something rhythmic and nice to listen to (to help in the cognition and speech skills department), and something from their era (preferably the 80s) which they’ll have no qualms listening to.

If you’re looking for a senior living or memory care community center near Calabasas, you should try out AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care in Tarzana. Take a visual tour or contact AGS to find out more today.


5 Tips to Expand Your Social Circle after Retirement

“Man is by nature a social animal,” said Aristotle, and we couldn’t agree more with the Greek philosopher!

Socializing, meeting new people and making friends is an integral part of our lives. Not only is it great for our mental well-being but it’s also beneficial for our physical health.

Unfortunately, as we grow older, we tend to become socially isolated and lonely. This increases the risks of cognitive decline, depression and other chronic diseases. Fortunately, there’s a lot that can be done to counteract the negative effects. One way is to expand your social circle during retirement.

Here are some tips on how to do so.

1. Volunteer

Volunteering locally not only allows you to become a part of a greater goal and fulfill your role in society, but it also helps you connect with like-minded individuals and spend quality time with them. Some good places to volunteer could be animal rescue shelters, food pantries, local libraries and more.

2. Join a Club

One of the best avenues of building new friendships during retirement is to bond with people over similar interests. You can beat feelings of loneliness by joining a club such as a sports club, book club or a fitness club. This will allow you to meet new people while engaging in activities that make you happy.

3. Use Social Media

Social media has made it a lot easier to make new friends and stay in touch with old ones. You can create a social group, invite your friends to join it and start conversations on it. This is definitely one of the easiest ways to expand your social circle.

4. Take a Class

Now that you’ve retired and have some spare time, this is your chance to indulge in your favorite hobbies. Sign up for a class; whether its cooking, dancing, photography or art, learn what you love to do properly and make new friends along the way.

5. Consider Relocating To a Senior Living Community

By relocating to a senior living community you can become a part of a strong and active social network. Senior living communities offer a wide variety of social opportunities such as fitness programs, trips and games where the residents can spend quality time together.

If you’re looking for a luxurious senior housing community in Calabasas, CA, you should consider AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care.

We are committed to providing comfortable and luxurious living arrangements for seniors, where they can feel right at home! Along with independent living, we also offer assisted living plans and specialized memory care for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Call us at (818) 881-0055 and take a virtual tour of our community today!

 


Sins of Senior Isolation

Social isolation has long been victimizing senior people in our community. From being too embarrassed to take our aging parents out with us to a fancy place or too shy to introduce our friends to them, we’re all complicit.

On top of this, retirement from work and physical illnesses can further isolate them from social company. The same bed they used to crave during their work years becomes a prison that chains them during old age.

Here are some sins of senior isolation that you need to be mindful of.

1. Increased mortality rates

A study by the National Academy of Sciences revealed that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of mortality in people who are older than 50 years of age.  One possible explanation for this phenomenon may be that in the absence of someone’s company, elderly people are more likely to fall prey to fatal accidents. Delays in getting medical attention can turn into loss of life in many cases. Fatal outcomes may also occur if seniors have a terminal illness; this worsens in the absence of a vigilant helper.

2. Negativity and mental health

Sitting by themselves all day in their armchair can cause elderly people to develop a chain of negative thoughts. This leads to a vicious spiral of negativity that’s bad for their mental health.

Senior people who are subjected to isolation are also more likely to display signs of poor physical health. This is because your mental wellbeing has a serious impact on your overall health, and problems may surface in the form of physical symptoms.

3. Cognitive decline and dementia

Even though there’s a certain degree of forgetfulness and inattentiveness that comes with age, dementia is a more intense level of memory loss that can jeopardize quality of life. Social isolation can also trigger the process of cognitive decline and seriously dampen cognitive performance in simple tasks. These findings have been confirmed by doctors at the University of Chicago. The reason behind the problem being the same: humans are social species and they function optimally in the company of other people.

We’re an assisted senior living community in Beverly Hills, California that welcomes your loved ones wholeheartedly. Our doors are always open to those who are looking for new friends because no age is ever too old for friendships. You can find your lifelong friends among the family of seniors that our roof is home to.


Ways To Find Meaning and Happiness In Old Age

What does it mean to be happy when you cross 50 years? Does it only come in the form of young grandchildren running about and giggling from the next room? Or does happiness stem from the achievements of your children?

While it’s true that there’s nothing like the relief of knowing that your family is well-settled and satisfied, their happiness is not personal happiness; it’s more like happiness by proxy. Then what does it really mean to be happy in old age?

Finding happiness and meaning in the simplest of things is often what motivates senior members of our community to get through the difficult journey through old age.

Medical conditions that arise during our later years often restrict them to the confines of their house, while a general cognitive decline may also isolate them from their friends.

Over time, the struggle to find reasons to be happy becomes as real as the struggle to reach for the glass of water on their bedside table. So what do you do to make it better? We’re glad you asked.

Books Are A Man’s Best Friend

When people fail to stick by your side through sickness and in health, it’s all those hardbacks that had been lying on your shelves for decades that come to your aid. There’s a different kind of comfort to be found in enveloping yourself in the pages of a book.

The fictional setting becomes your world and you become a character in it. If anything, it’s like a recreational drug that allows you to escape reality for as long as you wish to.

Often times, the characters and their life struggles serve as a mirror to your own life, and make you feel recognized. It’s through someone else’s lens that you learn to find beauty in the minute details and become happy.

Use Your Age As Your Aid

Most people disdainfully reflect on the time when they were able to ride on horseback without the fear of falling or swim long laps without running out of breath. True, old age does put a limit on your physical mobility, but it’s important not to discount what it adds—years of experience and knowledge. If you’re a mastermind at planning and strategizing, for instance, we bet there’s no one who’s as good as you in a game of chess.

If you’ve been able to con people and come out unscathed—all in good fun of course—maybe you can become a master of card tricks in your circle! Remember: with seniority, comes the advantage of experience and expertise, both of which are invaluable assets to the entire community and definite reasons for lasting happiness.

At AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care, we help an assisted community of seniors live independently in Beverly Hills, CA. Join hands with us and find new reasons to smile under our shelter! Contact us for more details on how and where to reach us. We’ll be waiting for our new family!

 


3 Most Frustrating Things About Being Chronically Ill

The next time you read the words: ‘health is the greatest blessing,’ pause before you mock the cliché. When a young and healthy person is derogatory toward such statements, it reeks of privilege. Health and fitness are nature’s gifts, but this gift doesn’t come without the responsibility to value it while it lasts.

It’s convenient to stereotype old people as cranky, frustrated and weak when you don’t know the struggle they live through every day. While aching joints and weak muscles are problems enough, their drooping shoulders are further weighed down under the burden of chronic illnesses.

If you’re wondering why terminal or chronic illnesses strike during our later years, it’s because your immunity weakens with age, making you more susceptible to them. Chronic illnesses not only take a toll on your overall health and wellbeing, but also severely affect your mood. Imagine living with searing back pain throughout the night and day and still keep a smile on your face. It’s hard to stay happy in the worst of times. Here are a few things that make you sick of being sick!

Monotony

Experiencing the same kind of pain monotonously every day is a different degree of painful. When you talk about chronic pain, we can’t emphasize the word chronic enough, because we literally mean all day, every day. Under such circumstances, random bouts of frustration over the ceaseless pain are reasonable.

Confusing Diagnoses

When you’re in pain, there’s nothing like the hope of a cure to make you smile on the bluest of days. Even though a ‘cure’ is sometimes a fantasy for people with chronic pain, the struggle of going from doctor to doctor is the only hope you have.

The medical industry has made huge strides in the last few decades, but patients of chronic conditions still complain about confusing diagnoses. You may be suffering from an illness that has been ruled out on several grounds by multiple modalities before. Therefore, dealing with the confusion that comes with conflicting diagnoses is an added stressor that affects your mood.

Rigid Schedules

Being on pain medication and other prescription drugs can put you on a pretty stringent schedule. This will most likely rule out socialization, family time, and professional growth.

If you can’t stay up past your prescribed bedtime because of the effect of tranquilizers, that won’t stop your friends from hanging out and, naturally, you’ll miss out.

 

If you’re told to cut down on certain foods due to cholesterol problems, you can’t hang out with your buddies at a barbecue party.

The point is, your medical condition will do more than impede routine things; it’ll go the extra mile and influence your social life as well. It’s important to protect our senior loved ones from social isolation because of their illness. The best way to start their emotional rehabilitation is by not criticizing them for being frustrated all the time, because they really can’t help being in pain.

We’re an independent assisted living community in Beverly Hills CA which helps senior loved ones dealing with chronic illnesses enjoy the simpler luxuries of life. With our amenities, we intend to make their life as comfortable (apart from their illness) as possible. Contact us for more details.


How To Make World A Better Place For The Elderly

Have you ever felt like a foreigner in your own home? Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly how we treat elderly people in our society.

Not only are they made to feel obsolete, unproductive, unneeded and unloved, but they’re also made to feel like they’re not a part of the place they built their careers and families in.

As a community, we’re marginalizing the elderly by confining them physically and taking away their home.

If you really care about your senior loved ones and want to make the world a better place for them, begin with making them feel at home. There’s nothing one wants more in their later years than having a place and people to belong to. This can be in the form of a physical home, a family, work, friends, or social purpose.

Changing Perspectives

Change begins from the roots, and the root of the problem here is our mentality. We think of elderly people as a burden and a drain on our limited incomes. This is a faulty and inherently problematic view of a major segment of society. Instead of categorizing them as such, they should be valued and revered as an asset for society at large.

It’s an achievement on its own to successfully survive 65 years or more in this world. Just the wisdom they have to share is a privilege that we can benefit from. True, they require more care, but that’s a small price to pay for the favor they’re doing to the community by imparting their knowledge.

Being infatuated by the cult of youth will neither help us grow out of our misplaced arrogance or harness their expertise.

It’s 2019, and age is no longer a determinant of productivity or abilities. A 70-year-old can be equally (or more) contributing to the economy and community than a 20-year old. If the senior population can contribute £61bn worth of services in the UK, why can’t we allow them to do the same in our country?

Support, Not Censure

The aging population is expected to witness an 87% increase in the next few years. With a segment growing large at this pace, it’s wise to address their needs instead of condemning them. Stereotyping old people according will only serve to lengthen the intergenerational gap. With that generation-divide in place, there’s nothing that can change the living conditions of senior loved ones for the better.

In order to improve their living conditions, we need to provide for medical facilities and luxuries that make life more comfortable for them. They’re in a stage of life where the slightest inconvenience can vex them; hence it’s important to make it as easy for them to live through the day as possible.

At AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care, we provide for amenities such as a 24-hour management team which is just a call away to tend to all their needs. We’re an assisted living community for senior loved ones in Beverly Hills, CA and wish to open the doors of our home for all others seeking love.


How Memory Loss Affects Family Life

Aging is a difficult process which entails a lot more than silver streaks in your hair. It’s easy to glamorize old age; we compliment people’s graying head or appreciate how well-maintained their figure still is. But only a person sailing in the old boat knows the pain of seeing their once flawless skin exhibit numerous tiny wrinkles.

However, the effects are more far-reaching and damaging than just physical changes. While many of us exclaim in the comfort of our age how great it would be to ‘wipe out old memories’ and start afresh, it’s not until you’re in this problem knee-deep that you realize the gravity of it. Memory loss is not only hazardous for the person undergoing it, but also deeply affects their family life. Your home is just not the same when a senior loved one with minor (or major) dementia is living in it.

Changes in perception of self

Studies have been conducted on senior people above 65 years of age that reveal that memory loss can lead to them forgetting their names or those of close friends and family, misplacing common items, and repeating themselves in conversations.

Even age-normal memory loss has led people to feel upset about their declining mental health, so it’s reasonable to expect serious grievances over major dementia. The embarrassment which stems from losing recollections of personal information challenges people’s self-image. Their self-doubt can easily translate into negative self-evaluations and trigger depressive episodes.

Changes in Work and Other Activities

Challenging work tasks and intellectually-demanding activities become a hassle to process and get through with when a person is dealing with memory loss. Since their cognitive health goes downhill with memory loss, it’s hard to focus all their energy on one task and see it to completion.

This includes projects that require coordination among many members such as high-stake presentations. From the agenda of a meeting to what they were going to say next, elderly employees tend to forget a lot of details.

Even though retirement might save them from the embarrassment of disappointing their team at work, the problem persists at home; the only difference is in the setting.

Changes in Relationships

Have you ever been confronted by a friend who you forgot to wish on their birthday? The wrath of a hurt friend in this context is the kind of feeling that’s perennial for people with memory. This is taxing on the senior loved one as well as their family.

It’s as difficult to live with memory loss as it is to live with someone who’s suffering from it. It might not seem as hard but it’s extremely frustrating to share a roof with someone who can’t recall answers to the most basic questions like where are you and what’s your name. This affects how they sustain connections in their social network (as it’s hard to remember names or their referee) or survive the embarrassment of ruining special family occasions like Christmas dinners.

 

We offer senior loved ones an assisted living community in Beverly Hills, CA that welcomes them in its folds wholeheartedly. Under our care, your loved ones will find family again and we’ll do everything possible to make them feel at home!