Social Seniors Archives - Golden Heart Walnut Creek

Play Classical Music to Help Your Dad De-Stress

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Craig Bass

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.

Family Fun Month: Board Games That Multiple Generations Love

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Craig Bass

Companion Care at Home in San Ramon CA

Celebrate Family Fun Month together this August by having a game night. Have close family members bring one of your dad’s favorite dishes for an early dinner. Once you’ve had the meal, get out board games that multiple generations love and play games until your dad is ready to call it a night. Companion care at home can help your senior stay busy with board games and puzzles throughout the month of August, too.

Here are a few great games to try with your senior:

Apples to Apples

In Apples to Apples, players are dealt cards and must play them in order to fill in the blank shown on the card that’s in play in the center of the table. Suppose the card in the center of the table says, “Things That Are Fake.” You could play “Reality TV” and hope the judge finds it funny enough to give you the point.

I Should Have Known That

I Should Have Known That is a trivia game for people who aren’t great at traditional trivia games. It asks questions that most people won’t have a clue as to what the answer is, so guesses become your best chance at winning. It includes questions like “What is Greece called in Greek?” Earn points if you’re able to guess answers correctly, and lose points for wrong guesses.

Splurt

This is a game about fast thinking where the person who yells out an answer the fastest gets a point. The card will have a topic on one side and a letter on the other. If you draw, “Book Titles” and flip it over to find the letter L, you have to think of a book that starts with the letter L. Be the fastest to come up with an answer to get the point.

Telestrations

This drawing game works similar to the childhood game Telephone. The first player has a secret word and draws it for the next player to guess, only that player has to draw the guess rather than write it out. The game goes around the table until it reaches the last person who then looks at the drawing they were handed and has to write out what it is.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a strategy game where you take possession of train routes across the U.S., around Europe, or many other geographic areas depending on the game you purchase. If there are children younger than eight, there is also Ticket to Ride: First Journey.

When you don’t live close enough to visit each day or week, who does your dad rely on for help? Does he try to do everything on his own? It’s time to address the benefits of companion care at home services. Let caregivers help him with meals, housework, laundry, and errands.

Companion care at home services also include regular visits to ensure your dad is able to socialize as often as he needs. Call today to learn more.

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

4 Ways Seniors Can Make Their Senior Pets Comfortable

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Craig Bass

Senior Home Care in Orinda CA

November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month and senior pets are the perfect companions for your elderly loved one. But just like your senior loved one senior pets could use a little extra comfort most of the time. It’s essential that your senior loved one’s senior pet have food that is appropriate for their age and get the medical care they need to stay healthy as they get older. But they could also use some extras like these to keep them cozy and comfortable too:

Heated Beds

Even though they have fur during the cold winter months senior pets always appreciate a heated bed to keep them extra cozy, especially if your senior loved one’s home tends to be a little drafty. There are heated pet beds that are battery operated and have a heating element inside the bed. There are also self-heating pet beds that contain a liner that holds onto your pet’s body heat and traps it to heat the bed. With self-heating pet beds there’s no danger that the bed will become too warm for the pet so those are the most popular choice of heated pet bed. If your senior loved one does choose a heated bed that contains a heating element make sure that their senior home care provider checks the bed regularly to make sure it’s not getting too warm.

Boots

Senior dogs who have to go outside in all types of weather can benefit from having booties or shoes on their paws when they go out. In addition to protecting your senior loved one’s floors by preventing those paws from getting muddy and tracking mud into the house these boots also protect the dog’s paws from cold, snow melting crystals, hard concrete, and from very hot pavement in the summer. There are many different styles of boots and shoes for dogs available in all sizes, even for large dogs. A senior home care provider can help your senior loved one put on the dog’s boots or shoes before going out for a walk.

Canned Food

Canned pet food is something that many senior pets appreciate. The soft texture is just right for senior pets who may have missing or damaged teeth. Soft food can also be easier on sensitive stomachs. And canned food contains extra water which is something that many pets need because they tend to not drink enough water throughout the day. If an all canned food diet isn’t something that your senior loved one can do it’s nice to give their senior pet an occasional can of food, especially if the pet isn’t feeling well.

Pet Steps

As pets gets older their joints can get stiff and ache just like people’s joints do. Pets will appreciate a good set of pet steps that will allow them to climb onto the couch or the bed easily and to get down easily without having to jump down and put a lot of stress on already stiff and sore joints.

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

Home Care For Seniors Makes The Holidays Bright

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Craig Bass

Elder Care in San Ramon CA

The holidays are coming fast. The holidays can be a happy time spent with family, but they can also be a sad time for many seniors. Seniors who have recently lost a spouse or a loved one, seniors who are aging in place and are stuck inside because of bad weather, and seniors who are far away from their loved ones all can struggle with depression during the holidays.
Even if you have plans to visit your senior loved one during the holidays, you should consider the many benefits of elder care during this busy time. If your senior loved one has regular visits from an elder care provider, you can be sure that they are getting the warm companionship and help that they need to keep their spirits up during the holiday season. And if your plans change because of a delayed or cancelled flights or bad weather you won’t have to worry about senior loved one being alone for the holidays. Some of the other ways that elder care providers can make the holidays bright for your senior loved one include:

Holiday Baking

The holidays just aren’t the same without delicious treats that only get made once a year. An elder care provider can help your senior loved one shop for all of those special holiday treat ingredients and bake cookies, cakes, candy, and other traditional holiday treats. Seniors will love being able to bake all their favorite holiday specialties for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and other events. They will also enjoy just eating them with a cup of cocoa or tea on a cold winter night.

Hanging Holiday Decorations

Your senior loved one may no longer be able to easily balance on a step ladder to hang holiday lights and decorations. They also may need assistance putting up a holiday tree and putting out of their holiday decorations. Many people treasure their holiday decorations and have curated special collections of decorations over many decades. When you can’t be there to help your senior loved one decorate an elder care provider can make sure that your senior parent’s home gets decorated the way it should.

Singing Carols

Holiday music can turn anyone’s mood from sad to happy. An elder care provider can create holiday music playlists and play holiday music and sing along with your senior parent. It’s great for seniors to spend time singing and dancing, especially seniors with dementia. And holiday classics are great music for seniors because they are familiar tunes and lyrics that your senior loved one will recognize instantly as soon as the music starts.

Sending Holiday Cards

If your senior loved one has arthritis or a medical condition that makes writing difficult an elder care provider can help them write out holiday cards and get them ready to send. A senior home care provider can also take all of those cards to the post office or arrange to have them picked up so that they get mailed in plenty of time to arrive before the holidays.

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