Friendly Follow-Ups

May 26th, 2008 by Kristyne McDaniel

It is a well-known fact that an individual’s body will deteriorate as he or she gets older. The stresses and strains of life eventually catch up with everyone and wear and tear takes its toll. Therefore, it is important to get the balance of comfort and support right when you embark on and travel through life as a senior. Your furniture, from your favourite armchair to your bed, must match your needs and requirements in order for you to feel the benefits. Your bed is the most crucial piece of furniture you own as far as support is concerned, purely and simply because you spend more time in or on it than you do any other piece of furniture in your house. You should also bear in mind that your body relaxes into your bed every night because you have no control of it when you are asleep. If it does not support you correctly then it can actually leave you with more aches and pains than you had to begin with.

Everybody knows that a bed is made up of two components - the mattress and the base. In order to provide you with the support your body needs, the two must work in complete harmony. Believe it or not, this effect is more difficult to achieve than it sounds. If the base is supportive, the mattress may be too soft. If the mattress is of just the right firmness than it is likely that your base will let it down by not supporting it enough to distribute your weight effectively. These are all factors to bear in mind when you are assessing whether your bed is actually good enough to cater for all of your needs.

The most common ailments that a bed has to contend with are arthritis and bad backs. Both are caused by the strain put on the joints over an extended period of time. Both can also be extremely painful but the right bed can alleviate the pain because it effectively distributes your weight evenly, thus meaning that your body is not experiencing more weight in certain places than others. Too often your back will take the brunt of any uneven weight distribution, and this can result in a worsening of your condition. Anyone who has ever experienced back pain will know what it is like to wake up in more pain than you had the previous night and will also advise you to avoid it at any cost!

If you have ever been bed shopping then I am sure that you will know that you can buy any type of mattress under the sun as far as firmness is concerned. However, a mattress that is too firm will leave your uncomfortable, even if it does help to ease the strain on joints. A mattress that is too soft, on the other hand, will make you extremely comfortable but will leave you feeling like a truck has hit you in your sleep. This type of mattress can also do more harm than good and so are best avoided. You must purchase a mattress that is perfectly placed in the middle of the firm/soft equation to feel the benefit. This way, you will be able to make the most of the comfort and support. As for knowing when to change it, as soon as you begin to experience a dip in the middle of the mattress or can feel a spring go when you move it is time to go bed shopping!

The base of a bed is of equal importance. However, it may be more difficult when it comes to choosing a base. At least most furniture stores display firmness scales when you visit, thus making it easier to choose a mattress. They have no such scale for bases. You are pretty much left to make your own choice for better or worse. However, seniors should generally choose a divan bed - the kind of bed that has no frame and just looks like two boxes pushed together. Metal and wooden frames can bend and break. They also have no middle and so do not allow for even weight distribution. Divan beds fully support the weight of both you and the mattress, thus easing aches and pains in the long term.

Now you are fully equipped to choose the best bed for you. Remember, always go for both support and comfort!

May 13th, 2008 by Kristyne McDaniel

You cannot pick up a book or switch on the television these days without having a so-called expert preaching to you about the benefits of healthy living. Most of these experts have something to sell and so are easy to dismiss. However, all seniors should attempt to see through their gimmicks because a very important message lies at the heart of their sales pitch - we should all make the effort to be healthy in order to improve our quality of life.

Maintaining health is all about moderation. There is no point going overboard to try and get healthy when we get to a certain age. That just takes all of the enjoyment out of life. If you like something that is bad for you then simply cut down rather than remove it from you life altogether and be miserable. Having said that, there are certain key areas that require attention if an individual senior wants to stay healthy:

Tobacco: We have all seen the warnings on what smoking can do to us, but yet a high number of seniors still smoke. As seniors are more vulnerable to breathing difficulties, smokers should look into the possibilities of quitting. There are now clinics, medication and counselling sessions on offer in every state that are aimed at those looking to quit. If you don’t want to quit though, it would be advisable to cut down. Poor circulation, lung cancer and pneumonia are just some of the illnesses associated with smoking, so ask yourself how long you really want to be around for before lighting up next time.

Alcohol: There is nothing wrong with consuming alcohol, as long as you do so in moderation. Health guidelines state that men should not consume more than two units of alcohol a day, and women should limit themselves to one. A unit is the equivalent of a glass of wine or beer, or a shot of liquor. Some forms of alcohol, red wine for example, are considered healthier than others too. However, all alcohol can contribute to certain cancers and liver disease and thus should be consumed sensibly.

Exercise: Seniors should do at least an hour’s worth of exercise every week. It can be split into six lots of ten minutes, three lost of twenty minutes and so on… you get the picture. That hour of exercise can give the muscles and joints a work out to ensure that they remain supple and flexible, thus cutting the risk of arthritis and stiff joints. It can get the blood pumping, boost your immune system and thus keep any diseases or illnesses at bay to ensure that you enjoy your senior health rather than let it rule your life.

Nutrition: Diet is more important for vulnerable groups than it is for anyone else, and more so for seniors. Diabetes is common in seniors and, for the most part, has to be controlled by diet. Other ailments such as osteoporosis and arthritis can also be aided by a carefully controlled diet. Although none of these illnesses can be cured by a healthy diet, the condition that senior bodies are in can. Eating nutritious wholesome meals can give seniors the strength to fight against their effects.

Medical attention: Seniors should get regular health checks that include blood pressure and sight/hearing exams. Blood glucose should also be tested so any sign of diabetes can be caught early, and some doctors will even do a urine test as well to make sure that their patients are in good health. There is nothing more precious than your health and seniors should pay more attention to theirs than most! If you take care of your body, it will take care of you for that little bit longer!

Seniors are vulnerable to the effects of ill health and should make more of an effort to look after themselves than other age groups. Trying to stay healthy will probably prolong our lives and will certainly improve the quality of them, regardless of how long left each and every one of us has.