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Month: September 2022

Play Classical Music to Help Your Dad De-Stress

Posted on by Craig Bass
Home Care in Pleasant Hill CA
Home Care in Pleasant Hill CA

President Bill Clinton designed September as Classical Music Month almost 30 years ago. It’s music that’s been around for centuries and may have an entire orchestra performing the pieces or just a few artists.

Did you know that classical music has been found to help with anxiety and stress? In a study of 180 patients, those who listened to classical music prior to a surgical procedure had lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.

A university study found that regular exposure to classical music didn’t ease immediate feelings of stress and anxiety, but it did improve the long-term results of Trait Anxiety and Psychological Well-Being scores. It improved self-acceptance, personal growth, and relationships with others.

Ease Your Dad’s Stress With Classical Music

To help your dad deal with stress caused by frustration with daily routines or chronic health conditions, play classical music each day. There are plenty of free music streaming platforms available with playlists you can listen to. You might have to deal with ads if you’re not a subscriber, but you won’t have to pay anything for the music streaming app.

What are some of the best pieces of classical music to help your dad with stress and anxiety? Your dad can start with the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. It’s a soft depiction of the sunrise. A popular one is Bach’s Air on the G String, again it’s very melodic. Clair de Lune from Debussy is another solid choice. Here are some highly rated classical pieces that people rank well as being relaxing choices.

  • Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement)
  • Ofra Harnoy’s Imagine album
  • Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major (2nd Movement)
  • Max Richter’s entire Sleep album

You should work out your dad’s favorites during the day. Some albums may have faster songs, but you can find slower, soothing songs that help him relax. Try a variety of classical musicians, even modern-day artists, and take notes when your dad really likes someone’s work.

Play classical music for your dad at bedtime. Make it part of his nightly routine. Choose soft pieces with a slow tempo and soft tones. Set a timer and have it shut off automatically after the typical amount of time it takes your dad to fall asleep.

Make Sure He’s Also Supported Throughout the Week

Classical music may help your dad with stress and anxiety over time. It’s also important to support him when he has difficulty completing specific tasks. If your dad struggles with housework or meals, hire home care to help him.

Home care services help your dad with daily tasks, but he also has companions around to help him socialize and remain engaged. Talk to a home care agency to learn more about the prices and steps to get started.

Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29705448/
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1232294.pdf

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Pleasant Hill, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

Cooking Dangers for Seniors Aging in Place

Posted on by Craig Bass
Senior Home Care in Concord CA
Senior Home Care in Concord CA

As your loved one has gotten older, you might be noticing that she’s avoiding the kitchen a bit more, even if she once loved to cook and prepare meals. While there are plenty of reasons why your loved one may be slowing down in this area, one of those reasons may be that she doesn’t feel safe in the kitchen anymore. This is not illogical reasoning. There are plenty of danger zones in the kitchen that your parent may not be able to safely navigate anymore. Here are a few of them and how senior home care can help seniors stay safe in the kitchen.

Recipes

While recipes are not dangerous, following a recipe is important and for those seniors who are perhaps at the beginning stages of dementia, they may find themselves unable to follow a recipe anymore. While most times it’ll just end up in some poorly made food, not preparing food properly can result in a foodborne illness or some severe stomach upset. Having a senior home care help your parent follow a recipe might be a great way to eliminate this danger.

Cabinets

If your parent has cabinets that are higher up than she can reach, trying to get that heavy mixing bowl from the top shelf could be a real danger. To help reduce this hazard, it might be time to rearrange the cabinets so that all of the items your parent would want are in easy reach. While a step stool can help as well, it can also produce another hazard of a misstep.
If your elderly loved one is wanting to use a mixer that’s out of her reach, senior home care can get it down and ready for her to use.

The Stove

The stove has always been a dangerous place but with less stability and even with depth perception issues, it can become even more dangerous for your senior. Bending down to pull a heavy casserole dish out of a hot stove may cause your parent to fall or stumble into the hot stove. Or she may drop the dish once it’s out, breaking the dish and/or stove door.

Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness can lead to many kitchen accidents and while it can happen to anyone, seniors often struggle with remembering little things that can harm them in the kitchen. Your aging parent may forget to turn off a burner which may burn her when she puts her hand too close, or if she forgets it for hours after leaving the kitchen, could generate enough heat to start a fire.
She may also forget how hot a pan may be and burn her hands when reaching for it by not using oven mitts or a towel.
Finally, she may forget about a meal she’s placed in the oven to cook. While the hope is it just ends up being an over-cooked meal, leaving something in the oven for hours longer than it should be might ruin the oven and even cause a fire.

The good news is that senior home care can help your parent safely navigate the kitchen and take over many of the tasks she can no longer do. Be proactive and look at which parents your aging loved one needs help with today.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/keeping-seniors-safe-in-their-own-homes

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Concord, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.