RetirementHomes.com - Retirement Living

Video: Retirement home residents sing Valentine's Day love song

aadmin — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:30:25 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vByIJm9uf24

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Researcher says seniors share a distinct smell

aadmin — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:24:45 +0000

If your grandmother ever seemed to always have a smell about her, science has just discovered why.

As reported recently in the Los Angeles Times, an article in the scientific journal PLoS ONE discovered that as people age, their scents change, and that older people tend to develop a distinct smell. Every person has a specific scent or odor associated with them, but researchers found that the smells of older people was less intense than those of younger people.

Older people also smelt more womanly.

“As you grow older, you smell more and more like a woman,” lead researcher Johan Lundstrom, a neuropsychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, told the newspaper. “It’s almost as if you’re going back to what happened before puberty.”

Lundstrom told the Times that the inspiration for the study came from his own personal experience. Growing up in Sweden, his mother worked at an assisted living community there, and he would occasionally visit her at work.

More recently, Lundstrom was speaking at an assisted living community in Philadelphia, and his sense of smell immediately recalled his experiences as a boy. The smells of the two communities smelled very similar, even though they had nothing in common, and located thousands of miles apart. That’s what sparked his curiousity.

What do you think? Do seniors have a distinct smell or odor?

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

April 2012 RetirementConnect

aadmin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:31:16 +0000

This past Sunday, April 22 was Earth Day, celebrated around the world. According to organizers, Earth Day is meant to increase awareness about the planet’s natural resources, and humanity’s role in protecting and conserving them (see article ‘Five Tips to Live an Eco-Friendly Retirement').

This month, we feature three writers who share information about how Baby Boomers and seniors can live better, including:

1/ Cynthia Ross-Cravit from 50Plus.com, sharing ideas about using music for Alzheimer’s therapy

2/ Chris Bint from the Elder Technology Assistance Group (ETAG), showing us why misconceptions about seniors and technology should be addressed

3/ Gary LeBlanc from Parent Your Parents shows us the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease, and other related problems such as Dementia.

As always, if you have any suggestions for articles you would like to see, please e-mail me at Robert @ retirementhomes.com.

Robert Walker
Editor, RetirementConnect

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Retirement homes of the future

aadmin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:02:04 +0000

In the last fifty years, a lot has changed for Baby Boomers and seniors. In the 1960s, cars were bigger and homes were, on average, smaller.

And because Baby Boomers and seniors have grown along with these changes, more assisted living and Alzheimer’s Care communities across North America are tailoring their homes to be more attractive to their residents.

As reported recently in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, one Arizona community, CantaMia, has built a 30,000 square-foot building which offers its residents two swimming pools, exercise classes and even a kitchen for making healthy meals.

Another community, Glen Arm, Maryland-based Glen Meadows, features a ‘Masterpiece Living’ program which has a full array of health and diet options for its residents.

But some communities are yet to catch up.

“We have no fitness equipment. We have a horseshoe pit nobody uses and a shuffleboard court,” Don Kovac, executive director of Oviedo, Florida-based Lutheran Haven, told the newspaper. “I don’t think the boomers are going to want a shuffleboard court.”

According to the media source, senior living communities ranging from lower-income facilities to luxurious homes are all re-inventing themselves to better suit seniors’ needs.

Across the United States and Canada, it appears this trend will one day spread to all senior living communities.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

New study sheds light on seniors and sex

aadmin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:45:39 +0000

When it comes to aging, everything from spending habits to exercise habits change, and a new study from Spain has tracked the sexual activity of those 65 years old and above.

As reported recently on e! Science News, the study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that there is a big discrepancy in sexual activity between men and women, with the report finding that 62 per cent of men saying they are sexually active, and 37 per cent of women saying the same.

According to the news article, there was a significant variation in sexual practices even within genders, and the oldest age brackets of Spanish seniors, those aged 75 and above, were less sexually active than their younger cohorts. Some factors which helped determine level of activity, according to researchers, was the person’s health level, how many medications are being taken, as well as whether that person was single or married.

“This can be applied to preventing illnesses and promoting health and healthy sexual practices,” one of the study’s researchers, Domingo Palacios of the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid was quoted as saying.

While the Spanish study did not research those living in assisted living or Alzheimer’s Care communities, a 2008 American report found there is a decreasing sexual activity level with age: almost three-quarters of those 57 to 64 reported being active, but the number dropped to less than one-quarter by the age of 85.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

RetirementConnect March 2012

aadmin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:59:30 +0000

Welcome to spring, and to a new RetirementConnect.

Spring is a time for renewal and new beginnings, and this month we offer three articles you can use to help yourself and those around you.
Cynthia Ross-Cravit from 50Plus.com shares 10 things we should never hide from our doctor.

Chris Bint from the Elder Technology Assistance Group suggests seniors should start playing video games more often.

Terry Corcoran from the Well Spouse Association shows how caregivers can create easy and nutritious food for their loved ones.

If you want to see a particular topic or article in RetirementConnect, contact me at Robert@retirementhomes.com.

Robert Walker
Editor, RetirementConnect

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Are Baby Boomers dangerous?

aadmin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:58:14 +0000

When experts talk about an aging population, it often is related to challenges and dangers such as healthcare costs skyrocketing, a shortage of workers, or pension problems. But North America’s aging population brings with it much larger advantages and opportunities for a growing economy, including new jobs.

As reported on FoxBusiness.com, North America’s Baby Boomers – those currently between the ages of 46 and 64 – may be starting to retire, but they are still very active, and they are putting plenty of their dollars back into their local economies.

A recent study conducted by market research firm Scarborough found that, in the last year, 12 per cent of Boomers have attended a professional sports game, 22 per cent have attended live theatre, 14 per cent have visited an arts museum, 9 per cent have attended the opera, and 12 per cent have attended a concert.

“Baby boomers represent a segment of the American population that has a thirst for adventure, and the financial freedom to explore that passion,” Scarborough executive Brian Condon told the news source.

Because Baby Boomers have worked hard for so many years, many of them have saved enough money to afford a potential future move into an assisted living or Alzheimer’s Care community.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Seniors flocking to America's richest county

aadmin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:05:54 +0000

Do you know where the richest county in the United States is? It’s not near Beverly Hills, Malibu or the Hamptons. It’s Loudoun County, Virginia, and according to Erickson Living, a large senior living company, Loudoun County is quickly becoming a hub for retirees from across the United States.

Seeking to meet the needs of the county’s growing senior population, Ashby Ponds, an Erickson community in Loudoun County, is adding a new wing which will open on April 4, 2012.

Red Robin View will be a 105,000 square foot facility which will feature 80 apartment homes. The community will offer independent living, but for those who need Assisted living or Alzheimer’s Care, those options are also close by.

Loudoun County is located in northern Virginia, and is about 45 miles west of Washington, DC with a population of just over 300,000.

According to Ashby Ponds’ executive director David Gallagher, seniors have been flocking to the area to take advantage of its natural beauty, and Red Robin View specifically will offer “a nature-rich landscape full of trees, ornamental grasses and bushes, all surrounding a gorgeous pond with an adjoining gazebo that residents can enjoy each day.”

Perfect for a springtime grand opening.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Canadian couple celebrates 70 years of dancing and travel

aadmin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Mary and Gerry Hughes are big stars at their retirement home. The couple, who lives at the Duke of Devonshire Retirement Home in Ottawa, Ontario, recently marked their 70th wedding anniversary, and as reported in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, their neighbors and fellow residents have been celebrating along with them.

“It’s like having the Queen of England here. They don’t demand a lot of respect, but because of who they are, people respect them,” Vivienne Scott, the retirement community’s activities co-coordinator, told the news source.

The couple met in 1941 on a train from Montreal, and soon they started dating. In their early courtship, Mary and Gerry would go dancing at an upscale Ottawa hotel, the Chateau Laurier.

After marrying, they soon began worldwide travel, as Gerry worked as a Canadian diplomat. They lived in Turkey, Scotland, England, Malaysia, Sweden and Lebanon.

While overseas, the Hughes met Queen Elizabeth, whom Gerry described to the news outlet as being personable. They later had three sons, Tim, Christopher, and Michael, and three grandchildren, currently aged between five years and 24 years old.

The Hughes’ story is inspiring, and there are countless other couples in assisted living and Alzheimer’s Care communities across North America who have similar experiences.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living

Seattle couple turns 101 years old together

aadmin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:18:49 +0000

The average person in North America lives to about 79 years old. The average age of a retirement home resident in North America is in the mid-80s. But one Seattle couple has long passed both those benchmarks, and recently celebrated their 101st birthdays.

As reported recently in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, Joe and Marion Epler were born on February 18, 1911, and February 27, 2011, respectively. They live at a Seattle assisted living community, Ida Culver House Broadview.

The Eplers celebrated their birthdays together on February 26 at their assisted living community, and were joined by about 100 friends and family members. At the party, a jazz band entertained guests, and well-wishers enjoyed dancing, food, and even a guest appearance by members of Seattle’s firefighters, who came to acknowledge Joe’s past service as a firefighter.

“We don’t move as fast as we used to but we do manage to have fun,” Joe told the newspaper. Both Joe and Marion had been married previously, and married each other 20 years ago, when they were both 81 years old. On their 90th birthdays, the couple took a trip around the world, and in December they both volunteer raising money for local charities.

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Retirement Living

Senior Living