As we head into the heart of winter once again, the days are getting colder. It can leave you wanting to hide indoors and hibernate until spring. Just as people often take time to winterize their house and car, there are also steps you can take to keep yourself warm when the mercury falls.

Here are a few ways you can stay warm indoors and out when the winter winds blow.

Tips to Avoid Shivering Your Way Through the Winter

Invest in a towel warmer: Stepping out of the shower during cold months of the year can be a shock to the system. It can leave you feeling cold long after you’ve dried off. One way to make showers a more spa-like experience is to invest in a towel warmer for your bathroom. You might want to check out these towel warmer reviews before making a purchase. You can also place the clothes you intend to wear for the day on the rack to warm up before getting dressed each day.

Dress in layers: Whether you’ll be spending the day inside, outside, or a combination of the two, dressing in layers can help you adjust to the temperature. Start with a set of thermals, both a top and a bottom. Not only do they help you stay warm when you venture out to run errands or shovel snow, they can also keep you from having to turn up the furnace inside. If you don’t feel like you need a full set of thermals to stay warm, another option is to wear leggings under your jeans or pants.

Wear a hat: Many people skip this step when dressing for winter weather, and it’s a mistake. While you’ll lose heat through any part of your body that’s exposed to the elements, it’s your head that’s most often uncovered. By wearing a good quality cap, you can help your whole body feel warmer. Even better is to add a scarf around your neck.

Buy hand warmers: Walking is a preferred form of exercise for people of all ages. If you find yourself skipping your daily walk because of the cold or are tired of using a treadmill indoors, consider buying a pair of hand warmers. It’s a trick often used by people who work outdoors, as well as nature lovers. They come in a variety of formats and price points, including some that are rechargeable for repeated use.

Inspect your house: Before the worst of the winter weather arrives, it might be a good idea to conduct an energy audit of your home. It can help you determine if and where your home is inefficient, and what you can do to correct it. Hiring a professional is probably the best way to tackle this project. If you don’t want the expense or can’t find a professional in your area, this article offers some tips for conducting an energy audit yourself.

Winter Weather Preparation Tips for Seniors is another article you might find helpful in getting ready for cold days ahead. It has information on creating a winter safety kit, preparing your car for winter, and more.

Consider a Mobile Alert System for Winter Safety

If you would like the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can quickly summon help in the event of an emergency this winter, consider purchasing a mobile monitoring unit. These devices allow the user to call for help with the press of a button. Call 1-844-203-5617 to get started!

The coldest months of the year are upon us. Use these tips to stay warmer this winter.

Most of us associate summer with sunshine and spending time outdoors. Whether you like to go to a grandchild’s soccer games or read a book outside by the pool, soaking up the sun can make the spirit feel more positive. It’s also good for boosting your vitamin D levels, which are often lower when you are stuck inside during the winter.

But it’s important to remember that the sun’s rays can also be tough on the skin. They can put you at increased risk for skin cancer, sun poisoning, and other challenging health conditions. Even riding in a car while the sun shines through the windshield and windows can lead to sunburn.

That’s why it’s essential to wear sunscreen. These tips can help you learn how much to use and how often to apply it.

Here’s what people should know about sunscreen use all year round, including in the summer:

People are often surprised to learn that sun damage can happen quickly. Ultraviolet (UV) rays can actually start to damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. And that is true even on cloudy days, when it doesn’t look like the sun would be a threat. This is why applying sunscreen every day is a must, even if you are only taking a short stroll around the park to admire the snow on the trees or going for a short drive in the car.

SPF, which stands for sun protection factor, is what determines how well a sunscreen will absorb and deflect the sun. In general, dermatologists say you need a product with an SPF of at least 30. That means you will be protected from an estimated 97% of the sun’s damaging rays.

Another tip for selecting sunscreen is to choose a product that offers what is called broad-spectrum protection. That essentially means it will protect your skin from both types of ultraviolet radiation: UVA and UVB rays. UVA, which accounts for 95% of the sun’s rays, penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin. While UVB makes up a smaller percentage of UV rays, it actually causes the most damage to your skin.

A popular misconception is that opting for a product with a higher SPF will allow you to stay outside all day without reapplying sunscreen. Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works.

For sunscreen to be effective, follow the directions on the bottle—most likely you’ll need to reapply every two to six hours. And a thin layer of sunscreen isn’t enough to fully protect you. An easy-to-remember rule of thumb is to fill a shot glass with sunscreen and layer it generously all over your skin.

If you haven’t explored sunscreen lately, you may be surprised to discover it comes in a variety of formats. Sunscreen is commonly sold as sticks, creams, and sprays. Each offers the same level of protection but is designed for use on different body parts.

Sunscreen sticks, for example, may be easier to apply on small areas of the body, like your nose and ears. They are also convenient to take with you when you leave home. Sprays and creams, by contrast, can quickly be applied to larger areas of the body, such as your arms, chest, legs, and stomach.

For more tips on staying safe during the hottest months of the year, visit Summer Fun and Safety for Seniors: Embrace the Season With Joy and Caution.

Invest in an Emergency Alert System This Summer

If your lifestyle keeps you on the go during the summer, investing in a mobile monitoring unit can bring peace of mind. Whether you’re at the beach or the park, you’ll be able to summon help quickly with a simple press of a button. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn more today!

Sunscreen use is important at every age and in every season. Learn more here about choosing a product, how often to apply it, and more.

Sunscreen 101: How to Protect Skin From Sun Damage

Mother’s Day gives us a chance to recognize and thank the mothers and grandmothers in our lives. The holiday occurs every year on the second Sunday in May.

You may be struggling, like many children and grandchildren, to find just the right gift for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day. If you want to express your love and appreciation with something more meaningful than the usual flowers and chocolate, consider what are known as experience gifts. These are presents that encourage families to spend time making memories together.

Experience Gifts to Honor a Senior on Mother’s Day

Schedule a regular gathering: A great present from the grandkids, or even the great-grandchildren, is to designate a time each month to gather together. When life is busy, time can slip away before you realize it. Unless you commit to a plan, weeks could go by without families getting together. This Mother’s Day, make a plan to spend one afternoon or evening a month with your senior loved one. You can make a craft, take in a movie, or even have the kids teach the senior how to play a video game.

Create a family cookbook together: Another meaningful activity your loved one might enjoy is creating a family cookbook. Fill it with everyone’s favorites. It can be as simple or as detailed as your tech skills will allow. The end result can be a great keepsake for everyone in the family. If you want to take it a step further, make some of the recipes together throughout the years, and document the time together.

Read stories by video chat: iPads and other tablets make it easier to connect with loved ones, no matter where they live. If your children or grandchildren are younger, they might enjoy showing off their reading skills. Choose an easy-to-use platform, such as Skype or Zoom, and have the kids read to their grandparent, or have the grandparent read to the children. To cut costs, you can borrow books from the local library.

Organize project parties: Another experience gift to consider for Mother’s Day is to organize monthly craft nights. They could be at your home or the senior’s. Arts-and-crafts projects are a great way to bond and build memories. And you don’t have to be particularly artsy to enjoy this activity. Family members can each bring their own projects or craft kits to the gatherings. Another option is to pick a different project every month from a site like Domestika that you can do together.

Enjoy a spa day: What woman doesn’t enjoy a little pampering? Maybe this could be the start of a new Mother’s Day tradition for several generations of your family. You could host a spa day at your home or book time at a local salon. If you opt for a day at home, foot spas are inexpensive purchases and make home pedicures a little easier. You could ask everyone to bring a bottle or two of nail polish and their favorite lotions and scrubs. Should you decide an afternoon at a salon is better, narrow down the choices so people can pick from one or two services. For example, they could have a manicure and facial or a pedicure and massage.

One more gift option to consider for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day is a mobile monitoring unit. This emergency response system allows the user to call for help with the simple press of a button. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn how to get started!

Experience gifts might be a good option for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day. Learn more about them and get some ideas here.

Outpatient therapy is a great way to rehabilitate after an injury, a planned surgery, or an illness. People often utilize these services after a fall or sports-related injury, or just to recover strength and stamina following a serious bout with a virus. It’s a great solution for helping you get back to an active lifestyle, whatever that means for you, with minimal disruption to your schedule.

What Is Available at an Outpatient Rehabilitation Center?

Outpatient rehabilitation centers typically focus on physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. Under the guidance of these professionals, patients receive care identical or similar to what they would receive in a hospital or skilled nursing and rehab center.

A few of the many examples of what therapists in an outpatient setting might do, depending on the severity of a patient’s injury or illness, include:

Create a care plan that focuses on targeted exercises, such as those designed to regain fine motor skills, or stretching to improve flexibility

Help find ways to safely enter a vehicle, slide behind the wheel to drive, and then exit the car again

Work with patients to learn or relearn how to perform activities of daily living, such as getting dressed, using the bathroom, and taking a shower

Teach patients how to use assistive devices, such as a cane, walker, shower chair, or raised toilet seat

What Are the Benefits of Outpatient Therapy?

If you are wondering why a patient would opt for outpatient therapy versus a short-term stay at a skilled nursing and rehab center, here are a few of the reasons:

Reduce pain and improve flexibility: When you are finding your way back from a serious illness or recovering from a surgery or an injury, you might be struggling with pain. A physical therapist can help you explore ways to manage that pain while also improving flexibility.

Lower risk of repeat injury: One of the primary goals of continuing rehabilitation after being discharged from the hospital is to avoid experiencing another injury. For example, if a patient had a serious fall, they might be fearful of falling again. And that’s a legitimate concern. Once a senior takes a tumble, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says their risk of doing so again doubles.

Minimize stress by recovering at home: If you’ve spent time in a hospital or outpatient rehab center, it will come as no surprise that it’s difficult to rest there. By opting for outpatient therapy, a patient can continue to recover in the comfort and privacy of their own home. That’s where most people say they prefer to be, anyway.

Lessen daily disruption: Outpatient therapy often makes it easier to continue to lead your normal life. Patients can schedule appointments at times that are convenient for them, such as on weekends or evenings to navigate around their work schedule.

Limit costs: Depending on the type of insurance a patient has, outpatient therapy may be more cost effective. There may be fewer and lower deductibles and co-pays than for an inpatient stay.

During the course of outpatient therapy, safety will be a frequent topic. Both physical and occupational therapists will focus on ways to stay safe and avoid another injury. They may also suggest investing in an emergency call alert device for added peace of mind.

This is where a mobile monitoring unit can be a solution. This discreet device gives the user an easy way to summon help in the event of an emergency. With a simple press of a button, the person can be connected with someone who can help. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn more!

Outpatient therapy has many benefits, ranging from allowing a patient to recover at home to making it easy to maintain a more normal schedule. Learn more here.

Tending a garden, whether it’s vegetables or flowers, can bring about many mental and physical health benefits. The hobby is known to boost the spirit, reduce stress, improve core strength, and more. But for seniors with mobility struggles, it’s a pastime that can present challenges. For example, getting up and down to weed flower beds and dragging hoses around the yard become more difficult with age.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make this beneficial hobby safer for many older adults. Here are a few suggestions you may find useful.

Ways to Make Gardening Safer and More Accessible for Seniors

The first tip we have is to carefully plan the design of your garden. Think through how you can incorporate the flowers and vegetables you like, but in a way that minimizes the work needed to care for them. For example, group similar plants together. Locate plants that require frequent watering closest to a water spigot. That will mean less pulling hoses around the yard.

Other examples are to cluster together plants that need deadheading so you don’t have to get up and down from the ground multiple times. And locate herbs, veggies, and flowers you want to cut for indoor arrangements nearer to the door.

Growing your gardens in raised beds and containers eliminates the need to get up and down from the ground, which lowers the risk of a fall. Seniors with mobility problems or back pain will especially appreciate this. When herbs, flowers, and vegetables are planted at waist level, watering, weeding, and harvesting are all easier.

Another advantage is that raised beds and containers can be placed anywhere in the garden, from the patio to the front porch. That makes it even easier for people with disabilities or aging-related health issues to continue to garden.

Another way to minimize the work associated with gardening is to primarily choose plants that are native to your area. They usually require less frequent watering and fertilizing. If you aren’t sure what those are, talk with local growers at nearby greenhouses and nurseries. Another option is to search online databases like Native Plant Finder. Also, look for pest-resistant plants. That will help cut down on maintenance.

Before you dismiss this suggestion because it sounds too expensive, know that these systems come at a variety of price points. Talk with garden experts at your local home improvement store to explore your options. They may even have contractors who can help with the installation.

While many gardeners think a wheelbarrow is an ideal way to move heavy supplies around, a four-wheeled garden cart is usually a better choice. It can be pushed or pulled with less physical effort than a wheelbarrow, which often requires some lifting. Some carts are even designed with a dumping feature that makes unloading easier.

One more tip is to use a slow-release fertilizer. Fertilizer pellets that are inserted into the soil are often a good option. They allow you to simply “set and forget.” That’s not only more convenient but also much safer than fertilizers that attach to the end of a hose.

If you are looking for more ways to reduce the risk for experiencing a health problem during the warmer days ahead, Tips to Have a Safe Summer has good information.

Our final suggestion is to invest in a mobile monitoring device. In the event you experience an emergency while working in the garden, a simple press of a button on the unit can connect you with help. Call 1-844-203-5617 today to learn more!

Wondering how to make your garden safer and more senior friendly? These tips will be of interest.

Tips for Planning an Accessible Garden for Seniors

There’s no denying that online shopping is here to stay. It’s easy and convenient, especially for older adults who have mobility struggles or no longer do much driving. There is, however, a downside to sharing financial information digitally. For seniors who may not be very tech savvy, the risk is higher than for younger people.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), older adults lose an estimated $3 billion a year to what is known as elder fraud. The FBI says seniors are often targeted because they tend to be more trusting and less knowledgeable about technology. And many older adults are in strong financial positions, such as owning a home and having greater savings and investments.

So, what can you do to shop more safely online or to help older members of your family do so? Here are a few steps you can take to avoid online fraud and scams.

Use only credit cards, not debit cards, when shopping online

While many people like the convenience of a debit card, using one when you’re shopping online is not a good idea. If you pay with a debit card and fall victim to a scam, a thief can empty your financial account before you even know something is wrong. But when the vendor you buy from isn’t legitimate, or someone uses your card for online purchases, a credit card company will usually take quick action to protect you. Your bank likely will, as well, but it will take much longer. In the meantime, your accounts may be frozen until the investigation is complete.

Stick to shopping from stores you know and trust offline

Unfortunately, social media has become a popular way for unscrupulous people to target older adults for fraud. They buy ads featuring attractive clothing and household items for low prices. People click on the links, not realizing they’re scams. Shoppers’ products never arrive, or their credit card numbers are stolen, or both. One way to avoid that is to buy online only from stores you’ve visited in person. Also, go directly to the store’s website using a Google search. Never follow links you receive in an email or on a social media platform, no matter how legitimate they look.

Check the site’s security before shopping

Before you shop, it’s important to ensure the site is secure. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. You can do that by verifying the site’s web address begins with “https” and has a tiny icon of a lock next to it. That combination signals a site is secure. If you don’t see that lock or the “s” after “http,” it’s best to avoid shopping on the site. Doing so might put you at risk for identity theft or other types of financial scams.

Finally, don’t set up your accounts to pay bills automatically and skip reviewing them on a regular basis. You could overlook fraudulent activity for months. This applies to your credit cards, investment accounts, and banking. It’s also a good idea to set up alerts so you are notified when a major charge is made, an account balance reaches a certain amount, or there is a login from a new device.

Learn More About Financial Scams Against Seniors

If you’d like to learn more about scams that target older adults, Financial Scams That Target Seniors is a good article to read. It offers more insight into the ways seniors fall victim to crime, from fake fundraisers to fraudulent contractors.

Older adults lose an estimated $3 billion a year due to crimes referred to as elder fraud. One of these is online shopping scams. Use these tips to stay safer.

How Seniors Can Stay Safe While Shopping Online

Tips to Stay Warm When It’s Cold Out

Tips to Avoid Shivering Your Way Through the Winter

Consider a Mobile Alert System for Winter Safety

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