As we age, physical exercise becomes increasingly important for seniors. Regular physical activity can help seniors maintain their independence, improve their overall health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. 

Physical exercise can also help seniors stay strong and independent. Regular physical activity can help seniors maintain their balance, strength, and flexibility, which can also reduce the risk of falls, heart problems, and other chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

In addition to a myriad of physical benefits of active living, a regular exercise regime can help seniors stay socially active. Exercise can help seniors stay connected with their friends and family, and also meet new people.  

As we age, our dietary needs change. Eating a healthy diet is essential for seniors to maintain their health and well-being. Here are some tips for seniors to help them make healthy food choices:

1. Eat a variety of foods: Eating a variety of foods helps insure that you get all the nutrients you need. Choose foods from all the food groups, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. 

2. Choose nutrient-dense foods: Nutrient-dense foods are those that are high in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Examples include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

3. Limit processed and sugary foods: Processed and sugary foods are often high in calories and low in nutrients. Try to limit these foods and opt for healthier options instead. 

4. Stay hydrated: Staying hydrated is important to seniors, as dehydration can lead to fatigue and other health issues. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

5. Get enough fiber: Fiber helps keep your digestive system healthy and can help lower cholesterol levels. Good sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. 

By following these tips, seniors can ensure that they are eating a healthy and balanced diet, leading to a healthier and better quality of life. 

1. Strength and Balance Exercises. Lower body weakness and mobility problems are major risk factors for falls. Improve strength and balance with low-impact exercise and increased activity in general. You don’t necessarily need to leave your home to improve strength and balance. With your doctor’s approval, there are scores of online classes for older adults. Also, evaluate footwear for stable slip-proof shoes.
2. Home Environment. If you aren’t comfortable evaluating the safety of your loved one's home, get an occupational therapy (OT) evaluation. An OT can make suggestions on grab bars in the bathroom, railings for stairs, toilet risers, and other accessibility additions. Investing in a chair lift can allow an older adult to safely go up and downstairs. Declutter and remove throw rugs which are a known fall risk hazard. If your loved one doesn’t have an emergency response system (ERS), get one right away. An ERS can mean the difference between life and death or severe disability after a fall.
3. Lighting. Many falls occur at night or in poor lighting. Improve lighting from the bedroom to the bathroom. Brighter lights throughout the house can help minimize the risk of falling.

Letting Go of Clutter: Why Many Seniors Struggle

Bring up the topic of decluttering in a conversation with older adults and you’ll get a variety of responses. For some, getting rid of things is easy; they may even respond with something like “I love throwing things away!” On the other hand, you have people who can’t seem to throw anything away. You can actually see them shift into a state of panic at the thought of discarding their belongings. The majority fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, being able to confidently identify what is clearly trash, yet feeling certain about items they’re compelled to keep.

Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?

Clutter is common in the lives of so many. There is only one factor that makes the clutter of an older adult unique: time. The older you are, the longer you’ve had to accumulate things. As time passes, you attach meaning to those things which provoke certain emotions and these feelings may develop into a physical form of nostalgia. Many items can impact us emotionally, something renowned organizing and decluttering expert Marie Kondo calls “objects that speak to the heart.” These evoke a flood of memories and sentiment, something that provides even more significance and comfort as we age.

Though it may be hard to discard possessions, holding onto too much—especially as a senior with increasing needs for a safe environment—can have dangerous results. What we accumulate can present challenges throughout the living environment. Clutter resulting from stacks of mail, paperwork, packages, books, magazines, holiday décor, knickknacks, mementos, and more on and around surfaces and furniture can also contribute to feelings of confusion and overwhelm, increasing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. Studies show clutter can also contribute to increasing dissatisfaction with life. Overall, these issues are something an older adult—possibly with increasing cognitive issues—needs less, not more, of.

Risks of Clutter and Life-Threatening Injuries

Statistics tell us that each year, 36 million Americans, or one in four adults over age 65, experience a fall. That number climbs every five years. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for people over age 65.

Increased risk of falling

While some falls are caused by physical decline, including balance and mobility issues, clutter in one’s surroundings can raise the odds of an accident no matter what the senior’s condition. It can present hazards to navigate, resulting in tripping and breaking a leg, arm, hip, neck, ribs, requiring stitches, sustaining head trauma, or suffering internal injuries.

Confusion over medications

Cluttered medicine cabinets can be life-threatening for seniors. Decluttering your medicine cabinet is critical, especially for those with decreased vision. If a medicine cabinet is disorganized, it can be easy to confuse medication vital to the preservation of one's health and wellness. Throw away expired medications and keep them organized to reduce confusion.

Limited mobility

Excess furniture can lead to many challenges for seniors with limited mobility. Not only can they have more trouble getting around on a daily basis, but this trouble can be serious if disaster strikes and they can’t get through certain spaces.

If doorways are blocked, or even partially blocked, first responders may have trouble entering the premises or getting into specific rooms. Also, if caregivers are working in the home, it’s especially important that they have a safe, adequate berth in which to maneuver and support the client. With challenges mounting as seniors age, the last thing a caregiver needs to worry about is steering a client around piles of personal belongings or oversized furniture too big for a space, pieces of furniture placed too close together, or improperly stored equipment including walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, shower chairs, and more.

Health Benefits of Decluttering

The benefits of having an organized space extend far beyond general safety conditions. Mental health experts and geriatric social workers concur that aging seniors with less clutter in their everyday lives enjoy many health benefits.

Improved concentration

One of the most noticeable differences you may experience after you declutter your living area is an improvement in your ability to concentrate. Although you may not realize it, the items in your space are constantly competing for your attention. When you are in a cluttered environment, you are essentially forcing your brain to multitask by giving it extra stimuli to filter through as you try to focus on your task at hand. As soon as you declutter your space, you will likely notice an immediate boost in your productivity.

Better sleep

Many older adults experience a surge in sleep disturbances as they age.

Another great reason for seniors to declutter their space is that it can positively impact the quantity and quality of their sleep. You are probably familiar with the feeling you have when you get into your bed after you just cleaned your room. You feel noticeably more relaxed and ready for bed than in the previous days.

Interestingly enough, those with more clutter have been shown to have more difficulty not only falling asleep but also staying asleep. Those with clutter often have more sleep disturbances.

Reduced stress

Another good reason to get rid of your clutter is to reduce your overall level of stress. Many studies have shown a negative correlation between those who keep their homes clutter-free and those who reside in well-organized homes. There are many reasons for this.

As mentioned, having many items in your space places additional work on your brain as you force it to constantly work at filtering out irrelevant information so you can focus on what’s important.

There has been a study conducted that identified a relationship between homeowners and their density of household objects. They found that the higher the density of household objects, the higher their levels of cortisol tested – thus indicating higher stress levels.

Improved positivity

Walking into a room where there is a lot of clutter can do more than add to your stress, it can also cause you to feel like you don’t have your life together.

If you think about it, looking at a pile of papers can easily remind you of all the things you haven’t completed yet, directing your attention away from everything you have accomplished. You know the phrase, “out of sight out of mind.” Well, that is certainly the case with a pile of papers, along with all other clutter.

Using The Four Box Method for Decluttering

One of the simplest strategies for decluttering your home is one referred to as ‘the four-box method.’ This method works great because it forces you to make decisions about everything you own.

To use this method, you are simply going to take four boxes (trash bags can work too) and label them as one of the following.

1. Keep/put away
2. Donate/sell
3. Toss
4. Storage

One room at a time, you will use these boxes to help you categorize your belongings.

For example, let’s say you have made the decision to organize your home. And let’s say you decided to start in your living room. You figure this is not only where you spend most of your waking hours, but it is also where you entertain your guests.

When you are ready to begin, you will bring your four labeled boxes into the living room. You will then go through each item in the room and make a decision as to whether you need to keep it, donate it, throw it away, or store it.

The Keep/Put Away Box

The keep/put away box is designated for items you want to keep. Ideally, this should be the smallest box. If the item you want to keep belongs in the room you are working with, you are going immediately put it away. If the item you want to keep belongs in another room, you are going to place it in the box. This is going to help ensure you have enough space for all the items you want to keep.

For example, there might be piles of magazines and miscellaneous papers on the table in your living room. In this case, you might want to sort through the pile. You may decide to keep the current magazines on the table and place the important papers in the keep box to be filed away. Any papers deemed unimportant can be placed in the trash box.

The Donate/Sell Box

The donate/sell box is going to be designated for items you want to donate or sell. These items should be in good condition. Ideally, they should be items you no longer find valuable but that may be valuable for someone else.

You might have furniture in your living room taking up space. You might want to consider selling or donating it. You can even give it to someone in your family who would make better use of it.

Also, take a look at unnecessary “knick-knacks.”

The Toss Box

The toss box is for items you decide to throw away. This should be anything you don’t want anymore that is unworthy of selling or donating. Think about damaged items or broken items you intended to fix but never did for whatever reason.

The Storage Box

Refrain from thinking of storage as a place for items you don’t know what to do with, but think of it as items you don’t currently need.

Seasonal items are a great example. Think about seasonal decor or holiday-specific decorations. These are items you don’t need out at all times, only during the particular season or holiday time. Place the out-of-season items in the storage box.

Clothing may be another item you may want to store. If you live in a seasonal area, you will have little to no use for a winter coat in the summer. This would be something you want to keep for the cooler months, but you don’t need to have it handy in the summer. Place it in your seasonal box.

Seniors are often at a higher risk for depression. Living alone presents problems for seniors, but things are only made worse by the current pandemic. The self-quarantining and social distancing needed to prevent the spread of the disease has forced many of us to limit contact with family and friends. Not only are seniors at higher risk from complications from COVID-19, but this also puts them at a greater risk of the anxiety and depression that comes from isolation.

It is important to understand the causes of depression in seniors and how to help them through this difficult time.

Depression Caused by Isolation

During the pandemic, time spent with children and grandchildren has been severely limited. The everyday contact between seniors is limited to medical and healthcare staff, who must also take extra precautions so as not to spread the virus. While we do these things to protect the physical health of our senior population, their mental health suffers as a result.

According to the World Health Organization, depression is a major cause of illness across the globe. Over 264 million people suffer from it. Since our mental and physical health is so interconnected, ill-health in one causes ill health in the other. Links between depression and heart disease and dementia have also been established. Depression also increases the risk of other conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke. These things confront many seniors making depression an even bigger threat to their health.

Signs of Depression

The threat is great, but there are treatments available as well as steps to take to prevent depression. First, here’s what to look for in a senior who suffers from depression.

• Feelings of hopelessness
• Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
• Anxiety and irritability
• Restlessness and difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Substance abuse
   

Helping Seniors Deal with Depression

If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, don’t ignore them. Try talking to your loved ones about what they are going through. Listen to them, but also talk to their doctor about it. Treatment could involve medications, changes to daily activities, diet, and counseling.

If your loved one lives alone, they may benefit from living in an assisted care facility. Even though social distancing policies are enforced in these facilities, they will receive expert care and daily support. Assisted care also ensures they make it to their health appointments and are taking their medication as directed by their doctor. Staff is also on hand to assist with grooming, take care of shopping needs, and make sure guests receive proper nutrition.