Guest Blog: Selecting comfortable clothing for boomers
Introduction:
As we age, it’s especially important to dress comfortably. Your clothing should allow you to move freely and be easy to get in and out of—no matter what your day has in store.
The clothing you choose should be comfortable and appropriate:
You should always dress for the occasion, but when you’re older, it’s especially important to choose clothing that makes you feel good. You want to be confident in what you wear and comfortable with how people perceive your appearance. You should always dress appropriately be it your formal dresses or casual ones!
While comfort is key for everyone as we age, it’s especially important for boomers who may have mobility issues or other physical limitations that make dressing difficult. If an item isn’t comfortable enough to wear on its own merits (i.e., without being treated as a “fashion statement”), then it probably won’t look great on anyone no matter how expensive or well-designed it might be!
Look for clothes with easy access to pockets and zippers:
- Zippers are easier to use than buttons, so it’s best to look for clothing that has them.
- Pockets are important for boomers because they can hold their phones or keys, which makes it easier for them to get around without having to carry a purse or bag all the time.
- Pockets can be placed in convenient locations on the body; pockets on shirts (like those used by men) tend to be higher up on the chest area near their shoulder blades while women’s shirts usually have lower pockets located closer towards their waistline so they don’t interfere with their skirts/dresses when sitting down at desks or tables during lunchtime meetings at work!
Pick clothing that is easy to put on:
For those who have difficulty dressing, look for clothing that is easy to put on. Pockets, zippers and hooks are all good options. Consider clothing with a button-down front as well as snaps or Velcro closures. This makes it easier for you to reach the buttons or fasteners without assistance from someone else.
If you’re concerned about keeping your shirt tucked in throughout the day and don’t want to wear suspenders (which can be uncomfortable), try a belt clip instead of suspenders! The belt clip attaches directly onto your pants so there’s no need for an extra strap around your waistline–it simply sits on top of them when worn under jackets/coats etc., but still keeps everything looking neat when worn alone too!
Pair slacks with ankle boots or flats:
Ankle strap boots are more comfortable than heels and flats, whereas, flats are more comfortable than heels.
Heels are not always the best choice for people who have to stand or walk a lot during their day. If you’re going to be on your feet all day in one of these shoes, make sure that you have some cushioning on the sole of your foot so that it doesn’t hurt too much after a while (and make sure not to wear socks with them).
Choose soft fabrics, such as cotton or fleece:
Soft fabrics, such as cotton and fleece, are ideal for summer clothing. They’re also great for winter wear because they keep you warm without making you sweat.
If you have allergies or are sensitive to wool, cotton is a good fabric choice because it doesn’t irritate your skin like other materials do.
Choose stretchy, flexible fabrics:
Stretchy fabrics are more comfortable because they allow you to move freely, and they’re more forgiving of body shape changes. They’re also less likely to cause pain or discomfort as you age, as well as more likely to be breathable and allow for better circulation.
If you want a specific example of this principle in action, look at yoga pants! They’re designed with stretchy materials so that they’ll be comfortable even when you bend down into all kinds of different poses during your workout.
Wear socks that provide extra cushioning and support:
It’s a good idea to wear socks that provide extra cushioning and support under your feet. Wearing socks that are too tight can cause blisters on the top of your foot, while wearing socks that are too loose can cause your feet to slide around in your shoes.
When shopping for new footwear, try on different sizes until you find ones that feel right for your foot size and shape by measuring from heel to toe before purchasing them (you should be able to cover this distance easily without taking off or putting on shoes).
Lastly, make sure that any athletic-style sneakers shoes have room at the back of their tongues so they don’t rub against sensitive areas like Achilles tendons when walking around all day long!
Wear loose-fitting clothes that allow you to move freely in them:
Loose-fitting clothes are more comfortable, easier to put on and take off, and don’t restrict movement. They also allow for extra layers to be added or removed as needed.
Dress in layers so you can adjust as needed throughout the day:
Layering is a great way to stay comfortable throughout the day. You can add or remove layers as needed, which means you can adjust your clothing to keep warm or cool, dry or dry.
If you have a long day of activities planned and don’t want to have to change into different clothes at each stop along the way, then layering is a good option for you. It helps keep your clothing clean too!
Consider a sleeveless dress shirt or top:
Sleeveless dresses and shirts are an alternative to traditional button-front shirts. They are easier to put on, especially for people with limited dexterity and strength in their hands. And unlike regular buttons, there’s no risk of losing a sleeve!
Sleeveless tops can be worn alone or layered over other clothing items like sweaters or jackets. This makes it easier to dress for cooler temperatures throughout the year–a significant benefit for boomers who may experience temperature fluctuations due to medical conditions such as diabetes or arthritis.
The right bra:
The right bra can help you look great and feel good. It will be comfortable and provide the support you need. A good fitting bra will also help prevent back pain, shoulder problems and other issues that can be caused by wearing an ill-fitting bra. If your breasts are sagging, it’s important for them to be supported so they don’t bounce around when walking or running.
You should replace your bras every six months or so depending on how often they’re worn (the more they’re used, the sooner they’ll wear out).
Conclusion
There are many ways to dress comfortably as we age. By paying attention to the details and choosing clothing that fits well, you can look good while feeling great while also maintaining your independence. If you have mobility problems, look for easy-on/off clothing with elastic waists or cuffs, zippers or hooks that allow for quick dressing without assistance. If you’re looking for something special but don’t want to worry about getting dressed in the morning, consider a sleeveless top or dress shirt instead of button-down shirts with buttons!
Simple Ways to Find Purpose as you Age
Having a purpose in life impacts its quality regardless of our age. A recently published study on Purpose of Life (PIL) in older adults found that people with purpose experienced fewer disability problems and chronic conditions. PIL is defined as a life with goals, direction, and meaning. People with a high PIL were found to be resilient, healthy and with social support, faith, and good knowledge of health-related matters. Here are some simple ways of keeping these factors in your life as you age.
1. Join an Age-Friendly Gym
Find a gym that has programs for elders. If you don’t know many fitness centers that offer such programs, use an online tool like this facility locator on the International Council of Active Aging website. The map shows the available options in a city by name, number, address, and allowed gender. Next to the name of the center, there are icons to show what type of services they offer. Besides fitness centers, you can use the tool to find other services as well, including recreation centers, retirement living facilities, YMCA, community services, etc. Here are 5 places you can visit to stay in shape and find new friends.
2. Become a Volunteer
Consider becoming one of the many elderly who volunteer. Some popular forms of volunteering include fundraising, teaching, mentoring, and preparing/distributing food. Retired individuals are a good fit for volunteering programs because they come from a variety of businesses and sectors. For instance, your input can be valuable for a fundraiser if you have spent your career in marketing and have a strong connection in the community that takes years to develop. Sites like Volunteer Match list opportunities in a variety of areas and for people of different age groups.
You can also offer your services as a mentor to young people in general or in your field of expertise. For food related jobs, check at your local food banks and at any local food service companies. Volunteering can offer both physical and mental benefits. When choosing a form of volunteering, make sure that it engages you, so you don’t find the work to be tedious and boring.
3. Visit Your Favorite Places
Start signing off the places you have on your travel bucket list. Hit the road, take the plane, rail, or ship. Don’t allow a limited budget to come in your way – look for discounts. A variety of discounts are available, including airfare, dining, clothing, grocery, and entertainment discounts. Here is a list of some of these discounts. Go through them to plan your trip for less. If your travel appliance have gone out of shape, use a home warranty to fix or replace them for free.
4. Learn Something New
Join a class at your library or senior center to stay mentally agile and find people who share the same interests. Check courses at your community college as well. Take a driving course if you feel like your driving skills need a little sharpening. Continue the process of learning.
Guest Blog: Multigenerational Living
Ever heard of multigenerational living? It’s a hot topic these days because many seniors are looking for ways to remain independent longer. As more people enter their advanced years, they and their families are faced with difficult decisions of how to provide the best care possible. For seniors hoping to keep their independence, living with family is the next best option to aging at home. Even if your house isn’t big enough to handle more people living in it, there are companies who remodel homes specifically for seniors moving in.
As noted in NYU Professor Eric Klinenberg’s “Aging alone in America,” 33% of American seniors make the decision to remain out of care facilities. With medical progress and healthier living, remaining out of a care home has become more practical than it once was. Among the rest of the world’s population, living with the elderly is more common, but as Americans, we tend to stay separated from our parents once we move out. With the economic downturn of 2008, however, young adults are staying in their parents’ homes longer and older people are moving back in with their children. Seems like we’re becoming more European every day!
Since elder care facilities commonly drain assets, there are obvious cost benefits to bringing your parents to you. Even more importantly than saving money, living at home helps seniors stay healthy by maintaining a routine. Things we take for granted like housekeeping, cooking, or yard work are types of physical and mental exercise that people do not receive in assisted living centers. After years of retirement it’s easy to lose one’s routine. If someone completely loses their routine they can develop what is called aging atrophy, which means increased dependence on those around them. Doing small chores helps combat aging atrophy. Plus, they can perform the cleaning duties or home upkeep you might not have time to do yourself.
Lastly, living in a multigenerational setting allows seniors to maintain control over their environment. At facilities, there is contact with nurses, other residents, and even other residents’ families that cause exposure to illness. Keeping a clean environment at home without strangers around can help ward off sickness. If your loved one begins to require too much care to remain healthy at home, however, you should look into home-health services or other living options. Aging is often associated with making major decisions, but keeping parents close can help reduce stress.
Jacob Edward is the manager of both Prime Medical Alert and Senior Planning in Phoenix, Arizona. Prime Medical Alert allows seniors to stay in their homes longer and sells equipment throughout the country. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys dining out and supporting his alma mater Arizona State’s Sun Devil sports teams. Jacob lives in Tempe, Arizona.
Guest Blog: Android Apps For Especially Designed For Boomers
The Boomer generation is widely considered the wealthiest and most active generation in history. The Baby Boomer generation is widely considered the richest and most active generation in history. The boom began after World War II with post-war optimism, continued unabated through the civil rights movement, youth rebellion of the 1960s, women’s liberation of the 1970s, and was sustained throughout the explosion of computer technology that has dominated the 1980s and 1990s.
The Very Best Mobile Apps for Baby Boomers are touch screen phone apps designed for seniors, people with vision problems or memory issues, or people who are just plain old fashioned. Here are some of the best new Android apps available for older adults who want to keep in touch, stay active, and remain independent.
1- Booming With Laughter
Laughter is more than just an app for senior LOLs. It’s a fun way to keep in touch with family and friends. It’s free, easy to use, and it makes sending messages simple for seniors who want to keep up on the latest news while having some laughs along the way. It’s the equivalent of a photo booth for your phone; users can take photos, add special effects and instantly share them with others in the app community. What makes Laughter such appealing entertainment is that it comes packed with hundreds of funny visual bits like memes, cartoons, jokes, and animations.
2- In-1 Band Saw and Scroll Saw
This powerful double app functions as a band saw to cut wood, plastic, aluminum, and steel. With a 20-inch capacity of the material, this saw delivers the power of a commercial band saw in the convenience of a scroll saw design. In addition, it features cam-lock blade clamps, adjustable table angles for bevel cutting, and guide bearings into which the upper wheel fits with steel ball bearings.
3- 3D Bowling Game
This is an exciting 3D bowling game with realistic graphics ux design and challenging gameplay. It delivers a high-quality bowling experience complete with online leaderboards so users can compete against others from around the world. This fast-paced game also comes with ten-pin bowling, candlepin, five-pin bowling, duckpins, giant killer, coin collector, and other challenges to keep players coming back for more.
4- The New Retirement
This app helps Baby Boomers and others plan for the future. It explores and discusses everything about retirement and provides more than 20 general guidelines to help ensure a worry-free life after work ends. In addition, the app explains tax situations, estate planning, health care decisions, and many other things related to retirement living. It also has information on retirement communities, retirement gifts for family members, and more.
5- AARP Tax-Aide 2011
This app helps users with personal tax preparation. It’s free, easy to use, and provides direct access to AARP counselors who the IRS qualified to represent taxpayers at the nation’s most considerable Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site network. It’s an excellent tool for seniors looking to file their taxes without the worry and stress of going through the process alone.
6- Twitter
This app is a social networking site that lets people share thoughts and feelings with friends, family members, and others. It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news while staying connected to loved ones who are miles away.
Brain Wave Control 1.0
This game uses brain wave control to move the character on screen by collecting stone pieces. It has three mini-games and a global high scores table.
7- Boomerang
This app allows you to watch your favorite videos, read the latest news and weather reports, tweet to friends on Twitter, write notes, check email, update your Facebook status–all without having to leave the comfort of your couch or swivel your desk chair. More than 10 million users have downloaded this app to their smartphones and tablets, which means it’s bound to become a favorite among Boomers as well.
The Very Best Of the 50s & 60s
This music app features some of the very best songs from the 1950s and 1960s decades. You’ll find classics like “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, and “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher. It’s a great way to relive the golden years of music from an era that will never be forgotten.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND for Boomers:
1- The majority of the apps featured in this post are free. If you don’t mind ads, then many of them come packed with no cost to you.
2- People should always read the user reviews before downloading an app. This will help you better understand what the program is about and how it runs on different platforms. It will also give you an idea of the quality level and any complaints other users may have had.
3- It’s essential to look for updates because these can change app functions and improve their performance levels. Updates are handy if you have an older version of a program installed on your device.
Lastly, Several different android apps are specially designed for Boomers. 7 of them have been mentioned in this post, but there are plenty more where those came from. If you’re an active Baby Boomer who wants to be able to do things on the go, then these types of Android programs will help keep boredom at bay and make your life a whole lot easier.
Guest Blog: Reasons The Elderly Benefit From Aging in Place
In the movie classic, The Wizard of Oz, little Dorothy knew then what has become a staple in the lives of elderly seniors today; “there is no place like home!” Dorothy, the main character in the movie, was swept away by a tornado from her home to a far away fantasy land. The only way back home was for her to follow the directions of the Good Witch Glenda’s magic spell which required Dorothy to click her red shoes together three times and think of the phrase, “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home!” Afterwards, she woke up from a deep sleep in her own bed and in her own home.
Today, roughly 90 percent of older adults aged 65 and over prefer aging in place rather than moving to an assisted living facility or nursing home according to a study conducted by AARP. Like Dorothy, these older people know what Dorothy knew then, that “there is no place like home”, and they plan to stay in their homes as opposed to living in a long term care facility.
What Does Aging In Place Really Mean?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines aging in place as “The ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” Although aging in place is the new trend for senior living, changes to an elderly senior’s body due to aging, may pose a problem. However, with a few low-cost home modifications, the goal to age in place is easily achieved and the benefits from doing so are rewarding.
There are however, some seniors living with medical conditions and other limitations that may prevent them from performing normal activities of daily living on their own. If this is the case, they may need to seek assistance from a home care provider or a family member. With in-home care assistance for routine daily life activities, aging in place is still achievable in spite of those limitations.
3 Common Reasons Elderly Seniors Should Age In Place
Elderly seniors choosing to age in place are doing so for any number of reasons. Even though assisted living facilities have been on the rise since 1979, over a million Americans are opting out of that option. Here are five common reasons why:
1. The growing high cost of living in an assisted living facility!
According to LongTermCare.gov, the average cost for a one bedroom at an assisted living facility is over $3,000 a month. Of course, this price may increase if additional services beyond the basic ones mentioned in the contract are needed. For example, if the resident requires assistance from a healthcare provider or home health aid. This service could add an additional $1,600 a month. Therefore, staying in your own home will definitely save money, even if you had to hire a personal care provider. In most cases, an elderly person’s medicare will cover part or all of the cost of home healthcare.
2. Aging in place is more comfortable!
Living in your own home is much more comfortable. All the treasures you hold dear are in your long term home. In fact, the American Society On Aging found that 56 percent of seniors 65 to 74 years old and 63 percent of those 75 years old and older reports that the “emotional” value of their home is worth more to them than the sales value. This is most likely because their home may be the same home they raised their children in and the memory recall is priceless.
3. Aging in place offers more independence!
Maintaining an independent lifestyle is very important to the elderly population. The ability to go where you want, when you want is a very liberating feeling and doesn’t diminish your quality of life. Responsible adults do not like being told what they can or cannot do. In assisted living facilities, meals are served at a certain time of day, activities are scheduled around their schedules and outside visitors are monitored which can be intrusive.
Just like little Dorothy, “there is no place like home” for today’s elderly seniors choosing to age in place. The benefits for doing so are very rewarding. Aging in place offers elderly seniors an opportunity to save money to enjoy life’s extra pleasures as well as allows them to enjoy the comforts of living at home. In addition, aging in place allows elderly seniors to maintain their independence.
Don’t Wait for the Crisis…
Rose’s family knew that she was having some memory problems as well as balance issues when walking, but they told themselves that she was getting long okay and was safe to stay at home alone. After all, of Rose’s three grown children, only one lived near her, and all the kids had their own families to tend to in addition to working. Rose told herself this as well. She didn’t want to be a burden to her kids and she didn’t want anybody in her house. She was 86 but she could still take care of herself…until one day.
That one day, Rose was in the attic trying to get down some Christmas ornaments. She was standing on a chair and fell, crashing to the floor. Rose felt a searing pain down her leg and she wasn’t able to stand up. She lay there crying, not knowing what to do. She felt so confused. There was no phone in the attic, and no windows to call out for help. She couldn’t get herself up and every time she moved, it hurt so bad that she stopped trying. Rose lay on the cold, wooden floor of that attic with no food, water, or help for 2 days before the neighbors got worried and called the police and her family. By the time they found her, Rose was confused and dehydrated, in bad shape. She had broken her hip when she fell, had a mild concussion and bruised ribs as well. She spent a week in the hospital and then another 3 weeks in a rehabilitation unit within the nursing home after hip surgery to repair the fracture. During her hospitalization, she was diagnosed with middle stage Alzheimer’s dementia. When it came time for discharge from the rehabilitation unit, Rose’s children felt she was no longer safe to stay at home alone and sent her to a memory care unit in a local nursing home. Rose felt like she had done something wrong. Because she fell, she could no longer live in her home and she felt her children didn’t care about her. She didn’t get to set her affairs in order or say goodbye to her beloved home and neighbors.
Recently, I have noticed this alarming trend in the care of older adults. Family members know a crisis is coming, but still they wait. They wait to get help into the home. They wait to tell the doctor what is going on. They don’t seek help or even want to talk about the physical and mental problems they see in their older parent. The older adult is afraid of losing independence so she hides her problems. Sometimes the older person doesn’t realize how serious her memory problems are until there is a crisis. Often the family is too busy or overwhelmed to deal with the realities of what is happening to their loved one. Maybe the older person refuses to have help…until that day when she no longer has a choice.
Planning ahead at the first sign of problems is a positive step for older adults and their families. It avoids the crisis scenario that so often happens. Waiting for the crisis to occur puts everyone in an uproar when it does. Wouldn’t it be better and easier to avoid the crisis by planning ahead? Getting an assessment from the physician done early and making plans for help in the home as soon as it is needed can help avoid all the negative feelings and emotions that come when a catastrophic event occurs suddenly. You may even be able to avoid traveling down the crisis road altogether.
So, don’t wait for the crisis to happen. Be proactive. Take action now. Taking the time to explore assisted living options or arrange for some help in the home could make all the difference in your loved one’s quality of life and will help preserve positive family relationships for the future.