Understanding Health Literacy and Why It Matters for Seniors

Hot summer days are a good time for everyone to think about staying hydrated. For older adults the topic of hydration is a year-round discussion that never goes away. Its a serious issue for most seniors but doesnt get resolved because it needs to be addressed every day and cant be solved with a pill.Seniors have a very high risk for dehydration, which is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization after the age of 65. They have a greater risk of dehydration for many reasons, including the fact that as we age, our kidneys become less efficient at conserving fluids, our sense of thirst weakens, and we are less able to adjust to changes in temperature. Some medications like diuretics, sedatives, and laxatives can also cause increased fluid loss.Dehydration can cause temporary symptoms that mimic symptoms of Alzheimers. If dementia-like symptoms seem to appear suddenly, it could be dehydration which is easily curable.Symptoms of dehydration range from minor to severe and include persistent fatigue, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, forgetfulness, confusion, lethargy, increased heart rate, sunken eyes, dry mouth, dark colored urine.  Urine should be clear to pale yellow. I tell my clients that if their urine is darker than pale yellow, they should head straight to the kitchen from the bathroom and drink a full glass of water.  Keeping a glass of water beside you all day to sip on rarely results in someone drinking enough fluids.  Its more effective to drink the entire glass, even if its a small glass.  Seniors cant rely on their sense of thirst to tell them when to drink water.  Scheduling a glass at each meal and/or after a bathroom visit, making sure to drink the full glass, is the best way to make sure youve gotten your full daily amount.If you have any questions, please call us at 303-444-4040. 

Isolation and loneliness are not new concepts to those who work in the field of aging. And, as a result of the COVID pandemic, almost everyone, regardless of age, experienced some form of isolation and loneliness. Many of us were separated from family, friends, and coworkers for so long that the isolation left a nearly permanent mark. As a senior service provider, Cultivate has seen, firsthand, the negative effects isolation has had on our senior clients. We have also seen the power of healing that the volunteers provide when they take time to build connections with our clients. According to the CDC, loneliness and social isolation in adults can lead to serious health conditions beyond the effect it has on mental health. The senior population has been disproportionately affected by isolation for years, and it is only in the aftermath of the pandemic that much of the population can begin to understand. Society saw a surge in volunteerism during the beginning of the pandemic because many people were struggling with the loneliness of quarantine while becoming very aware of the fact their neighbors needed help. However, that surge ended, and non-profits are finding a significant reduction in the number of new volunteers. Many forget that just because most of the population is no longer quarantined, this does not mean that the issues of isolation have disappeared. There are different ways that the community can get involved to help reduce isolation and loneliness in seniors. This work can start by reaching out to family, friends, and neighbors. You never know how much of an impact your time and words can have on someone. Volunteerism is also a good way to reach people who need the most help. Often the volunteers get as much out of their experience as those they are helping do. Whatever you choose, remember that we all know what it feels like to be lonely, and we all have the power to relieve the loneliness of others. Editors Note: This article was submitted by Carly Marquis. Carly is the Director of Volunteers with Cultivate and may be reached at 303-443-1933 or by email at cmarquis@cultivate.ngo.

Written by: Patti Chenis, WEC Team SupervisorContemplative Practices/ meditation/mindfulness are beneficial ways to strengthen our wellbeing, resilience, and develop a fuller capacity to recognize the healing power in ones heart to work with stress and difficult challenges.Mindfulness is knowing what you are doing as you are doing it. It is bringing awareness to your present moment lived experience. Bringing our attention to breathing is one of the most widely used objects of meditation and anchor for our attention. Continually coming back to the attention and awareness of our breath brings a sense of precision, (being in the present moment-connecting to our life force of breath) gentleness, (allowing whatever is arising e.g. thoughts, emotions, sensations to be as they are without judgement and returning to our awareness of breath) and openness ( being curious about the richness and fullness of our experience).Mindfulness can be developed as a formal practice on meditation cushion, chair, standing up, lying down or walking meditation. The point of meditation is to remember to bring mindfulness (that conscious awareness of being in our present lived experience) into daily life, so you could say any aspect our lives can be a mindfulness practice.Her are some thoughts about bringing mindfulness, loving kindness, self-compassion and compassion into daily life.Deep Conscious BreathsTaking some deep conscious breaths in the morning or whenever you feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or want a fresh restart in you daily life. Before you do something stress- full, step back and take some deep breaths; research shows deep breaths calm the nervous system.MovementWalking (especially getting out and enjoying nature), yoga, tai chi, qigong, dancing to your favorite music, laughter (full belly laughs can do wonders for the spirit-try it), singing your favorite song(s); crying (allow yourself to feel the release that crying can bring e.g. tears of sadness, joy) whatever gets your energy moving and flowing.Self-compassion and compassion practicesDispel the myths that self-compassion is selfish or that we are not worthy of love and wellbeing. Research show that offering words of loving kindness to oneself changes our brain and improves our resilience, strengthens our immune system and increases our capacity to be of benefit to others. When we feel resourced and have a sense of well-being our capacity to work with stress and difficult emotions is greater.Good morning Practice:Good morning (put your name here) I love you. You can repeat this in the morning or anytime during the day to interject some good will toward oneself or someone else in your life if it is difficult to say this about yourself at first.Compassion is not only feeling empathy and emotional connection to the suffering of others but also wanting to relieve that suffering. It is the courage to open our hearts to our own suffering as well as that of others and that we are all interconnected, in the same boat so to speak. We can offer words of care and loving kindness to ourselves, mentors (someone who has been kind to us) friends, strangers, difficult people, as well as to all beings as we open our heart of compassion to include all. May I and all beings have happiness, well-being, safety, health and live at ease and in harmony.