How Do You Promote a Senior’s Self-Esteem?

Seniors are valuable members of our society, but they may not always feel like it. The challenges of aging can sometimes take a toll on their self-esteem. The loss of loved ones, health challenges, limited mobility, and a loss of independence can lead to feelings of loneliness and irrelevance, symptoms of depression, and a decrease in self-esteem. By paying special attention to the following areas of concern, you can help maximize your loved one’s quality of life and boost their self-esteem.

Social connection

Studies have shown that social relationships are vital to happiness and quality of life for everyone, no matter what age they are. You can help stave off the loneliness and isolation common with older adults by arranging card games, outings, lunch dates, game nights or other activities with your loved one and their friends or family members.  

Active lifestyle

Exercise increases self-esteem by boosting mood-enhancing hormones for the short-term and by helping us feel good about our bodies for the long-term.  Join your senior for regular walks or yoga classes. Or gift them with a membership at a dance school where they’ll not only get the exercise they need, but where they’ll receive the social benefits as well. 

Self-care and good hygiene

Personal hygiene is directly linked to self-esteem. When a person takes the time to care for their teeth, their body, their hair, it says they are worth the time and effort. You can help your senior’s self-esteem by driving them to salon appointments, putting on their makeup before an outing, or making sure they’re stocked up with all the necessary hygiene supplies at home. 

Beautiful clothing

Feeling good about the way you look is not reserved for the young. Older people love to feel attractive too, but unfortunately, many seniors give up on the idea of feeling pretty or handsome. Help your loved one choose clothing that makes them happy, colors they love or fabrics that feel great on their skin, and remind them that there are no rules for what they can or can’t wear just because they’re older. 

A sense of relevance

When the culture is centered around the youth, older people often feel irrelevant, which can have a negative impact on their self-esteem. To help your senior continue to feel relevant and important, include them in family discussions about current events, ask for their opinions and advice about personal matters or things they’re knowledgeable about.  The more a person feels included and involved in the life around them, the better it is for their self-esteem. 

Creativity

Creative activities have been shown to improve brain elasticity in older adults. This means that drawing, painting, ceramics or other creative pursuits help keep the brain fit. They can also reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood, and increase self-esteem. Encourage your senior to sign up for drawing classes at a local community center. Or commit to a weekly date where you set up your easels side by side in the backyard or at local parks.  Just spending time coloring together is a simple creative and social activity that can help keep the brain active. 

Independence

It’s important to help maximize your loved one’s independence in any way you can.  Whether your loved one lives on their own or with you, making modifications in the home is a good way to help them stay safe while also maintaining their independence. This may include simple changes such as installing grab bars in bathrooms or more complex changes such as lowering counter heights and widening doorways for wheelchair users. 

Emotional support

For older adults who may have lost their siblings, best friends, or spouses, emotional support may not be easily available.  You can tune in by asking them how they’re doing and really listening to what they have to say. Additionally, keep an eye out in your area for support groups for seniors. Or, if they’d be willing to speak to a therapist or pastor, you can help make arrangements. 

5-Star Skilled Nursing Facility in San Diego at Bella Vista Health Center

At Bella Vista Health Center, we understand how health conditions and recovery from surgery can take a toll on a person’s overall sense of wellbeing. We offer a safe, comfortable and therapeutic environment and the high-quality care our patients need to achieve optimal physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Our team of compassionate medical specialists and professionals create customized rehabilitation programs designed to shorten recovery time and return patients to independent living as soon as possible. We also offer essential services, social opportunities, and round-the-clock care. For more information or to schedule a tour, give us a call at (619) 644-1000 today. 

Why Occupational Therapy Is Important In Mental Health

Susan B. Anthony said, “Independence is happiness.” But for millions of older adults, independent living is an ever-increasing challenge. Reduced mobility, chronic pain, or degenerative illness can severely impact the capacity for self-care. And when a person’s independence is threatened, so is their mental wellbeing.

According to the World Health Organization, 15% of older adults worldwide suffer from a mental health disorder, with the most prevalent condition being depression. In the older population, depression is both underdiagnosed and undertreated, but the consequences of inaction can be extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, by engaging in an occupational therapy program, seniors can learn strategies to maintain their independence, and thus improve their overall mental health.

Purposeful living is important to your mental health

A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that independent functioning in older adults was linked to living a purposeful life. Purposeful living is all about setting meaningful personal goals and taking the steps necessary to achieve them. This helps to cultivate a sense of accomplishment and self-worth, which not only reduces the risk of depression, but has also been shown to slow memory loss and mood changes associated with dementia. It can also improve physical health and lead to a longer life span.

Personal goals don’t have to be big to be meaningful. Something as simple as cooking your own meals, caring for a pet, or engaging in interesting and worthwhile hobbies can have a huge impact on your overall state of mental health. But as you age, simple tasks like these can become very difficult. And if you’re dealing with long-term illness or memory loss, living a purposeful life can seem like an impossible endeavor.

How occupational therapy can help you live a purposeful life

Seniors who are struggling to live independently and with purpose can regain a sense of autonomy by participating in an occupational therapy program. Occupational therapy activities for adults usually involve setting meaningful goals, identifying obstacles to those goals, and modifying behaviors to overcome those obstacles.

Some common goals that provide meaning and purpose to the lives of older adults may include:

• Running errands. Going to the grocery store, the post office, or the library lend structure to the day and encourage self-sufficiency.

• Socializing. Spending quality time with family or friends prevents isolation and loneliness, which can lead to depression and anxiety.

• Housekeeping. Caring for your home and your belongings contributes to feelings of comfort, pride, and productivity.

When to seek out occupational therapy

Occupational therapists can help improve quality of life for people who are suffering from a wide range of illnesses or conditions. Some reasons you might want to seek out occupational therapy include:

• Injury. If you’ve recently undergone surgery or some other physical trauma, occupational therapy can be an important part of your recovery plan. The difference between occupational and physical therapy is that occupational therapy does not directly treat the injury; rather, it takes a holistic approach to healing, focusing on finding ways to help patients achieve their goals despite their physical limitations.

• Depression. People who are suffering from depression may lack the motivation or resources to participate in meaningful activities. An occupational therapist can help patients define their goals and structure their lives in a purposeful manner.

• Dementia. While progressive neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are irreversible, dementia occupational therapy can slow down memory loss and help older adults live independently for as long as possible.

Bella Vista offers occupational therapy

If you believe you or a loved one can benefit from occupational therapy, Bella Vista Health Center can help. Our skilled and compassionate occupational therapists can help you set meaningful goals and maximize your independence and quality of life. With some of the best occupational therapy San Diego has to offer, we design customized treatment plans for each of our patients, while prioritizing their safety, comfort, and wellbeing. Call us at (619) 644-1000 and find out more about what our occupational therapy program can do for you.

What is Biofeedback and Why is it Useful?

 In the context of your career, feedback from supervisors helps to improve your performance and increase your chances of promotion. And in the context of your health, obtaining useful information and signals from your own body can improve your physiological performance. Biofeedback therapy has been around since the 1960s, and continued research has shown we have more control over our bodily functions than once thought possible. Here’s how biofeedback therapy might be able to help you:

Biofeedback: Already part of your life

Have you ever used a thermometer to check for a fever or stepped on a scale to see what you weigh? The information you receive is actually considered biofeedback, and you can use it to improve your condition by taking medicine and drinking extra fluids for a fever, or adopting a new diet if you’re a few pounds overweight. The complex biofeedback machines used by doctors and clinicians can reveal even more information, detecting internal biological functions with sensitivity and precision.

A wealth of information

A wide range of specialists use biofeedback therapy, including physical therapists, internists, nurses, dentists, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Some of the medical ailments that can be treated with biofeedback include chronic pain, high and low blood pressure, tension and migraine headaches, incontinence, digestive disorders, cardiac arrhythmia, and mobility disorders. 

Tapping into a “sixth sense”

Biofeedback therapy is not magic—it cannot cure diseases. But biofeedback machines act as a kind of “sixth sense,” allowing patients to “see” or “hear” bodily activity. The most common types of biofeedback therapy fall into these categories:

• Thermal biofeedback: measures skin temperature
• Electromyography: measures muscle tension 
• Neurofeedback: measures brain wave activity

While measuring, the machine picks up thermal, electrical, or neurological indicators and translates them into detectable signals like a flashing light or audible beep. For example, a biofeedback machine picking up the electrical signal of a tensing muscle allows the patient to make adjustments, like changing positions or breathing slower, in order to relieve the tension.

The power of thoughts and feelings

Most feedback therapy involves learning how to adjust and relax, and to identify circumstances known to trigger symptoms. Patients are taught how to cope with stress, change habits, and gain self-control, because while thoughts and feelings are technically relegated to the mind, they can have a profound effect on a patient’s physical health. 

Think of the “fight or flight” response: when someone perceives danger, panic triggers the sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body for an emergency by ramping up adrenaline (to run or attack), dilating pupils (to let in more light for better visibility), and contracting blood vessels (to reduce potential bleeding).

These are very real physical responses stimulated by the brain’s perception of what is happening.  

Reducing the impact of stress

Sometimes that “fight or flight” response is triggered by non-emergency situations, like fighting with a spouse, getting reprimanded by a boss, or being cut off by another driver on the road. But when the body is repeatedly stressed by triggered responses, certain bodily functions can become overactive and potentially result in damage to body tissues. Biofeedback can change habitual reactions to stress by helping patients recognize triggers and revert to a relaxed state.

Improved recovery outcomes

In the case of stroke patients and others with conditions affecting mobility, biofeedback can work as skill training to recover the use of arms and legs. Watching signals from still-active parts of the affected limbs can guide an exercise regimen that will help regain use. Even something as simple as reassurance that the limbs are still active in any capacity is encouragement enough to continue recovery efforts.

Bella Vista Health Center can help

At the Bella Vista Health Center, we offer a variety of services and physical therapy programs that are designed to relieve pain, restore function, and enhance health—including biofeedback therapy. Our patient-centered approach focuses on each person’s needs, and you can count on quality care by skilled and compassionate professionals who are dedicated to the health and well-being of every resident. For more information on our services, give us a call today, or drop by our 5-star facility in Lemon Grove. 

How to Help Your Loved One Through Therapy

For people recovering from injury or surgery, or coping with chronic disorders such as arthritis and rheumatism, physical therapy can be extremely beneficial. In fact, one of the only downsides to physical therapy is the time it takes to achieve results. Building strength and improving mobility often require months of treatment and plenty of patience, which is why it’s so important for physical therapy patients to have a support system in place.

If a loved one under your care is undergoing physical therapy, there are several ways you can offer assistance and encouragement. Here are few things to keep in mind:

Physical therapy is a rollercoaster

A common misconception of physical therapy is that it provides gradual, consistent results. But it’s normal for patients to experience ups and downs during treatment, making significant gains one day only to feel like you’re sliding backward the next. But unlike actual roller coasters, physical therapy progress should follow an overall upward slope, so if there isn’t steady improvement over time, you’ll need to discuss it with your loved one’s doctor.

Physical therapy goals should be realistic

Especially for elderly patients, it’s important to set realistic goals that take into account age-related limitations. For example, if your loved one was able to walk 50 feet with a rolling walker prior to an injury or surgery, their goals should remain in that vicinity. One of the best and most realistic goals is regaining independence—the more your loved one can do on their own, the more confident they’ll feel during treatment.

Physical therapy is emotionally demanding

In addition to the physical demands of your loved one’s treatment, recovery can take an emotional toll as well. Try to be understanding and listen to their frustrations and concerns. Sometimes simply letting someone vent can be an immense relief. Of course, there’s a difference between occasional venting and maintaining a consistently negative attitude, so if you feel your loved one’s emotional demands are more than you’re qualified to deal with, it might be worth looking into other forms of therapy as well.

Physical therapy requires homework

In addition to ensuring your loved one attends all physical therapy sessions, it’s important to motivate and assist them with their “homework,” which will usually consist of simple, physician-prescribed exercises that can be done regularly at home in between therapy appointments. Following the regimen will not only make appointments more productive, but it may also even speed up recovery time.

Physical therapy victories are worth celebrating

Understanding the ups and downs of the recovery process, setting realistic goals, and keeping expectations measured are only half of the equation when it comes to supporting your loved one through physical therapy. Maintaining a positive attitude is the other half—especially celebrating progress, no matter how minimal. Each literal or metaphorical step forward is a victory worth celebrating. And those celebrations will aid in motivation as well.

Let Bella Vista Health Center help 

The best thing you can do for a loved one in need of physical therapy is helping them find the best facility available. At Bella Vista Health Center, we offer an individual patient-centered approach to treatment that truly focuses on each patient’s needs. Contact us today for more information about our services, or drop by and see us in Lemon Grove. We look forward to joining your support team and aiding your loved one through recovery.

How Socialization Affects Your Overall Mental Health

How Socialization Affects Your Overall Mental Health

For many people, socialization is something that effortlessly occurs in their lives every single day. They have gotten so used to the habit of planning gatherings with their best friends or joining a few coworkers for happy hour after work. What they don’t realize is how beneficial these social encounters are for their overall mental health. Staying connected to family, friends and activities plays a very important role in every individual’s life. 

Here are some ways that socialization is beneficial to your overall mental health:

Socialization reduces the risk of mental health issues such as depression

Isolation is one of the main signs of depression with people of all ages. Many studies prove that surrounding yourself with other people can help ease the feeling of depression. Belonging to some sort of social group, whether it’s a gardening club or a group of friends who meet once a week for lunch, will put those individuals at a lower risk for depression. The stronger the connection that the person has, the less likely they are to develop this mental health issue. 

Socialization wards off diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s

For a long time, socialization has been considered an important factor for preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In a study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health, older women who had larger social networks were less likely to get Alzheimer’s or Dementia by 26% than women with a small social network. The more connected an individual is, the better they are with memory and cognition. It’s not the number of social acquaintances you have, it’s about the quality of the connection. 

Socialization keeps stress levels at bay

Socializing with others and having a friendly support system not only has a huge impact on defeating psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, but it also plays a key factor in reducing stress as well. Stress leads to serious problems such as heart disease, asthma, obesity, accelerated aging, premature death and more. Social networks that include family, friends and even pets can help foster relaxation in individuals and keep their stress levels at bay. 

Socialization improves mental function

Many studies have come to the conclusion that socializing, even something as simple as talking to another person, can provide mental benefits such as improved memory, improved self-monitoring, and an improved ability to limit internal and external distractions. Socialization provides a short-term brain boost that is comparable to playing games that exercise the brain such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles. 

We’ve got your social life covered!

Here at Bella Vista Health Center in Lemon Grove, we understand the importance of social interaction when it comes to better overall mental health and an improved quality of life. We have multiple organized social activities that are mindfully planned for our guests every single day. 

Come see for yourself! Call (619) 644-1000 to schedule a visit of our 5-star skilled nursing facility.