Keeping the Road in Your View – Driving Tips for Seniors

There’s nothing like a beautiful sunshine day, the wind in your hair and miles of highway ahead. As Willie Nelson sings it, “On the road again…I just can’t wait to get on the road again.” The fun and thrill of driving is something most of us take pleasure in for a large part of our lives. As we age, driving to the grocery store, mall, or a relative’s house continues to give us a sense of independence and mobility. However, our vision, judgment, and mobility needed to drive may diminish over time. While utilizing public transportation and ride services help seniors get around, having the ability to drive alone is something most would like to enjoy for as long as possible. Here is some advice on how to maintain your driver’s license while staying safe on the road:

1) Have your annual eye exam. One of the primary reasons of senior license suspension is the inability to see clearly when driving. Making sure you can pass the DMV driving tests is one of the ways to maintain a license. If your bifocals or contacts are not good enough to read the eye chart clearly, it is important you see your optometrist to find better correction. Memorizing the eye chart is not going to help with maintaining your license. Getting correction for you visual problems will.

2) Take a driving course. Many driving schools offer courses on refresher topics like - how to deal with pedestrian traffic and right-of-way protocol. You shouldn’t be embarrassed to take one of these courses because knowing traffic rules can only work to your advantage. You can also take a few online courses that will help. Because we take a comprehensive driving test only a few times, refreshing our memory helps us to stay cognitive and alert on the road.

3) Drive smart. Being smart about your driving decisions means avoiding accident-prone situations. For example, if you have difficulty focusing at night, try to avoid driving at night. If you have trouble with reading your dashboard, try and adjust your dashboard so that you can see everything clearly. Avoiding crowded highways and parking away from high traffic areas of a parking lot can help avoid accidents.

Making these smart decisions can help you retain your license and keep you driving longer. Keep in mind community shuttle services can take the stress and hassle out of driving. You may want to consider driving yourself on short distance trips and take alternate forms of transportation for longer distances.

In an effort to help keep you on the road, Woodland Terrace will be hosting a “Drive Safe” program starting November. To RSVP, call (919) 465-0356.

Growing Your Body and Soul – the Way Mother Nature Intended

Spending time with nature can bring peace to the body and the soul. From hiking to gardening, interacting with nature can release stress, improve concentration, and combat depression. There are copious opportunities to actively enjoy mother nature.

Just being outdoors can benefit your health! Taking a 30 minute walk not only lowers the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure but also provides your daily dose of vitamin D. As we age, we need higher amounts of vitamin D which helps prevent osteoporosis and various cancers. If mobility is an issue taking a walk can be substituted for sitting in the garden to enjoy the sun and observe nature.

Gardening gives the grower a hands-on opportunity to work with nature.
It is also a good form of low impact exercise and can be enjoyable for people of different mobility levels and living situations. A balcony or patio garden can become a peaceful retreat with a few window boxes and hanging planters.

Another great way to enjoy nature is to go on a short hike or walk on a local trail. Hiking is a great activity that appeals to people of all fitness levels. It’s easy to get started, just choose a scenic beginner’s trail near you and gather a group of friends. You can research easy beginner’s trails on http://www.trails.com. Other outdoor activities like bird watching and fishing give the feeling of being a part of the natural environment. The key is to choose an activity best suited for you and incorporate nature.

Providing an opportunity to appreciate nature, Woodland Terrace invites you to join our trip to Sylan Heights Waterfowl Park on Friday, October 29th. Did you know Sylan Heights has the world’s largest collection of waterfowl? RSVP to bird watch with us and see for yourself!

Understanding the Wonders and Worries of Alzheimer's

While Alzheimer’s greatly impacts the physical and mental wellbeing of those affected, it’s also important to recognize it’s impact on the family and friends supporting them. Support groups, forums, and care giving guides can help in understanding how to cope with seeing their loved one change with the disease.

The primary responsibility of care giving for someone with Alzheimer’s will often times fall upon a sole family member. Remember - the responsibility does not have to fall on you alone. If you find yourself in this situation, write down a list of your responsibilities and see which ones you can hire someone else to do. Consider hiring a part-time caregiver to help with some of the cleaning, shopping, and maintenance. Reducing your task list can keep you from burning out quickly and will reduce the mental stress and clutter that comes with care giving responsibilities.
When you do have time for yourself, take that time to sleep, exercise, meditate, or write in a journal. Processing your experiences is extremely important to preserve mental health. Also be realistic with the capabilities of home care. Assisted living facilities are able to provide the 24-hour attention and care needed for those who are in Alzheimer’s early to mid stages.

Making sure family and friends understand the effects of Alzheimer’s is crucial to creating a supportive environment. Joining a support group can help affected families manage the stress from care giving and coping with the changes in their loved one.

Woodland Terrace in conjunction with Horizons Grief Center will be conducting “Wonders and Worries” - a six-week support group for children and teens who have a family member with Alzheimer’s or dementia related diagnosis. All Wonders & Worries services are provided by Certified Child Life Specialists and other counseling professionals who are specially trained to help children and their families.

The support group helps to:
• Giving an age-appropriate understanding of the illness, its treatments and side effects
• Facilitating expressions of feelings related to the changes in the family
• Identifying individual coping skills to help ease feelings of sadness, anger, and fear

“Wonder and Worries” first meeting is 6:30 – 7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26th. To join us and learn more call (919) 465-0356.

The Portrait of Wellness is Ageless

Releasing your inner artist is not only invigorating, but good for your well-being. Engaging in the arts has shown to increase mental and physical health. Painting pictures, making crafts, and taking a trip to a museum keeps the mind active and stimulates the senses.

Art brings emotional benefits to the individual artist. Creating and viewing art has been known to lower stress and blood pressure levels. The sense of accomplishment that accompanies a finished art project is a definite mood-booster. Working on art projects with friends and family provides a creative space for bonding and sharing with one another.

Our upcoming “Art is Ageless” Art Show features paintings created in our popular art class taught by Courtney Ramsey-Coleman. Courtney brought in pictures of flowers for our residents to work from. Each resident created a personal rendition of the flower they liked with acrylics on a piece of canvas.
Estelle Sabath has been with us since July 2001. The pink flower she painted is gorgeous!

Grace’s beautiful white flower. Grace Thompson has been with us since March 2009.

Jacques Moryoussef has been exercising his creative juices with us since May 2000. Great color and brilliance!

Lamar Earp shows her detailed portrait of a gardenia. Lamar has been with us since November 2009.

Regina Schubel, with us since December 2008, shows us her masterpiece.

These painted squares will eventually become a wall hanging to be displayed in our Arboretum – a memory care community on our Woodland Terrace campus. The artists painted additional pieces that will be made into another Arboretum wall exhibit. Our amazing residents further demonstrated their talents by creating miniature pieces with chalks and paints to be made into note cards and sold as part of a fundraiser for Alzheimers-North Carolina.

Show your support by attending our “Art is Ageless” Art Show on Thursday, October 14th at 6:30 pm. Art pieces shown will be transformed into note cards, mouse pads, mugs and other products which can be purchased. Money from these products will be donated to Alzheimers-North Carolina. Alzheimers-North Carolina provides family support for those afflicted by the disease as well as community education, public awareness, and research support for finding a cure. RSVP today! Call us at (919) 465-0356.

Preventing Falls and Walking Towards Wellness – It’s All A Matter of Balance

Accidental falls can happen anytime. When we get out of bed, trip on the stairs, or slip in the shower. Unfortunately these minor falls can be extreme and debilitating for seniors.

Falls are a health risk for seniors and are experienced by one-third of people 65 years and older. With two-thirds of these individuals, experiencing another fall within six months of their first incident, it is important for seniors to take measures and reduce their risk. Falling can lead to fractures, resulting in a long recovery period and loss of independence, and in the worse cases can be fatal.

A measure every senior should take includes balance exercises. These exercises can reduce the risk of falling and eliminate the day-to-day fear of an accident. This low-impact exercise works on strengthening muscles as well as increasing agility and strength. Seniors also gain confidence and a feeling of independence from their progress. The exercises can also be a fun, social activity incorporating water, weights, and partners.

“A Matter of Balance” at Woodland Terrace is a comprehensive program that teaches participants about the risk of falling in conjunction with balance exercises offered. Our “A Matter of Balance” class is a part of the Wake Tech Community College’s Plus 50 program which promotes lifelong learning for seniors through classes and programs.

Come try our “A Matter of Balance” program every Tuesday morning starting October 5th from 10AM-12PM. Everyone is welcome! To reserve a spot give us a call at 919-465-0356. You can also view our wellness program schedule on our Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/woodlandterrace