22 High Fiber Foods You Should Eat

Fiber really helps people maintain a healthy gut, remove waste and move nutrients around the body. This is a good article that shows foods that will make sure you get an adequate amount of fiber in your diet.

If you have other questions about nutrition for an elderly parent or relative, please visit our website at https://aparadiseforparents.com, email us at Cam@aparadiseforparents.com, or call us at 623-295-9890.

Happy Halloween from A Paradise for Parents

At A Paradise for Parents, we will be handing out candy and enjoying fun times with families and our residents during Halloween. We would love to have you stop by and see our home (and eat some candy!)

If you are interested, please go to our website at https://aparadiseforparents.com, email us at Cam@aparadiseforparents.com, or call us at 623-295-9890.

Happy Halloween!

Elderly People Are Getting Arrested On Purpose

Many seniors experience loneliness and depression due to a lack of social interactions. The video below shows the gravity of isolation, not just in America, but also to other countries all over the world.

It doesn't have to come to this. Visit your elderly loved ones or talk to them often.

Seniors in Japan Are Getting Arrested on Purpose

@aparadiseforparentsassistedliving https://aparadiseforparents.com623-295-9890 Cam@aparadiseforparents.com

3 Easy Ways to Raise Energy Levels in the Elderly

It's easy to think as we grow older that our low energy must be a result of our age. Yet some older people find ways to still be energetic and lead a full life.

Here are some tips that have helped older people gain more energy.

12 Things that Anyone Can Do to Prevent Elder Abuse

@aparadiseforparentsassistedliving https://aparadiseforparents.com623-295-9890 Cam@aparadiseforparents.com

Wonderful Video about Best Friends...

Come see more interactions with best friends at @aparadiseforparentsassistedliving https://aparadiseforparents.com, or email Cam@aparadiseforparents.com or call 623-295-9890

6 Important ways to Stop Elder Abuse

We vigorously maintain and loving and caring environment at A Paradise for Parents. Unfortunately elder abuse is way too common. It can even happen between family members. If you see an elderly person being abused, be sure to report it to the Police or other local authorities.

Elderly people have worked hard their whole lives. They deserve a break and to enjoy their golden years free of abuse.

Learn 14 Signs of Depression in Older Adults

If you don't want to download the whole infographic, here are the 14 signs of depression:

1. Emotional Numbness
2. Anxiety
3. Lack of interest in activities you used to enjoy
4. Concentration and memory problems
5. Feelings of guilt and shame
6. Feelings of worthlessness
7. Lack of motivation
8. Suicidal thoughts
9. Increase or decrease in appetite or weight
10. Loss of interest in sex
11. Sleeping problems
12. Constipation
13. Combination of symptoms that last most of the day for two weeks or more
14. Lack of recognition that depression is NOT a normal occurrence in the aging process

Do you know an elderly adult who may be suffering from these symptoms? Find them help as soon as possible!

13 Important Signs of Elder Abuse [Infographic]

Signs of Potential Elder Abuse

• Unusual or unexplained injuries (cuts, bruises, burns)
• Unkempt appearance
• Pressure or bed sores
• Confined against their will (tied to furniture or locked in room)
• Dehydration or malnutrition without a medical cause
• Fear
• Withdrawal 
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Visits to many doctors or hospitals
• Strange and inconsistent explanations for injuries
• Helplessness
• Hesitation to talk openly

Symptoms of an Abuser

• Verbally, assoulting, abusing or threatening the older person
• Concerned only with the older person's financial situation and not their health or well-being
• Problems with alcohol or drug abuse
• Not allowing the older person to speak for himself or herself
• Blaming the older person
• Attitudes of indifference or anger toward the older person
• Socially isolating the older person from others

12 Amazing Benefits of Tai Chi for Seniors

We also have a blog post on our Paradise for Parents site with more information about Tai Chi.

Osteoporotic Fractures cause a lot of problems for seniors

Check out our Availability for the week of October 15th

@aparadiseforparentsassistedliving  https://aparadiseforparents.com Cam@aparadiseforparents.com 623-295-9890

8 Most Significant Contributors to 'Brain Fog'

11 Top Vitamin B12 Benefits for Seniors

As we age, it becomes more and more difficult to absorb the vitamins we need to maintain our health. Vitamin B12 is especially hard because our bodies don’t make it naturally. Our bodies can only absorb Vitamin B12 through the foods we eat or through supplements. Yet it is a vital vitamin for good health. The Vitamin B12 benefits people see can make the difference between great health and all sorts of problems.

Most of the Vitamin B12 benefits revolve around three areas of the body:

1. The production of hemoglobin
2. Improvement of nerve strength and
3. The regulation of homocysteine levels

Hemoglobin is the compound in the blood responsible for bringing oxygen all over your body. The Vitamin B12 benefits for nerve strength should be pretty obvious.

Homocysteine is an amino acid produced by your body. If the levels of Homocysteine become too high, your chances of having a heart attack or stroke spike up. Vitamin B12 interacts with Homocysteine to ensure any excess amino acid is expelled from the body.

Problems of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Not having enough B12 in your body can cause a whole host of problems. One of the biggest problems for older people is that it can lead to cognitive decline (loss of memory). Think of how important it is for Oxygen to head up to your brain. Remember (no pun intended) that Vitamin B12 helps produce hemoglobin that transports the oxygen up to the old noggin.

Here are some other problems with Vitamin B12 deficiency and a video explaining some of them:

1. Numbness or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet
2. Balance problems (increasing fall risks for seniors)
3. Megoblastic Anemia
4. Jaundice – yellowed skin
5. Paranoia
6. Hallucinations
7. Weakness
8. Fatigue

https://youtu.be/F5iQxxtsGRE?t=192

The Megoblastic Anemia is just a fancy term for the bodies inability to synthesize DNA during hemoglobin production. Come to think of it, that’s a pretty technical description as well. Just think of it as bad for carrying oxygen around your body. The problems of not receiving enough oxygen include what you would think – shortness of breath, muscle weakness, and possibly nausea and paleness.

Vitamin B12 Benefits

You would think that most of the Vitamin B12 benefits would be to stop the problems with the deficiencies. And you would be right about that. But there are a few other benefits we will mix in with this list:

1. Help Prevent Alzheimers and cognitive decline– Just taking Vitamin B12 (or any other B vitamin) supplement will not lower your risk of memory loss. But if you have a Vitamin B12 deficiency, you may be at greater risk for the disease. High Homocysteine levels seem to belinkedto higher risks for Alzheimer’s. Maintaining adequate levels of B12 will regulate the Homocysteine and bring down your risks.
2. Reduce chances for Hearing Loss– By helping improve blood flow and oxygen transport all over your body, your ears will resist hearing loss better.
3. Improve Macular Degeneration – A study from the National Institute for Health of 5,000 women showed that supplementing with Vitamin B12 benefits of supplementing on macular degeneration. The 7-year study also had the women taking B6 and Folate supplements. The vitamin combination seemed to reduce the chances for this dread eye disease by 34% in women over 40 and 41% for more severe forms of the disease.
4. Anemia – We mentioned this above, but it’s worth saying again. It is much easier for the adult population to not have enough hemoglobin and consequently to feel tired and weak. Vitamin B12 helps reduce anemia. Consequently, it will help with feelings of fatigue and weakness that many older adults experience.
5. Aids with Depression Symptoms– One of the processes Vitamin B12 helps is Serotonin Serotonin is a chemical in your body that is intimately involved in regulating moods. Low levels of Serotonin are associated with depression. Don’t think that taking a ton of Vitamin B12 will cure your depression. It is one part of a potential treatment program. Please consult a health professional if you have depression.
6. Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder Improvement – Some people just cannot maintain a regular sleep schedule. Vitamin B12 in one studywas able to help both younger and older people who were having this problem move their sleep schedule to the normal rhythm of the day-night cycle. When they were removed from the B12, they had trouble again. Vitamin B12 benefits also assist in Melatonin production, which is very important for a good night’s sleep.
7. Lowers the Chances of Birth Defects – Although most elderly people are not too concerned with giving birth (for a crazy exception see here), they do have children who are making grandchildren. B12 helps in a baby’s development including their:
   1. Neural tube
   2. Brain function
   3. Spine
   4. Blood cell formation
8. Pain Reduction– We mentioned above that a deficiency in Vitamin B12 can give you feelings of numbness and tingling. Therefore adequate levels of B12 can relieve those feelings. It can also provide relief for other pains:
   1. Neuropathy
   2. Neck pain
   3. Back Pain
   4. Neuralgia
9. Reduce Chance of Stroke and Heart Attack– As we mentioned above, high Homocysteine levels can greatly increase your stroke and heart attack risk. So you get it – proper levels lower your risk!
10. Helps your skin – Studies (hereand here) are showing that rubbing B12 ointment on your skin may help people with dermatitis. It helps your skin by scavenging Nitrous Oxide (NO) which contributes to the skin problems.
11. Contributes to Better Digestion– Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria in the guts of animals, including humans! We have to eat other animals to put the bacteria in our gut. Once there the Vitamin B12 helps the good bacteria digest other food. They also prevent the growth of bad bacteria that can lead to conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Obtaining Vitamin B12 Benefits Through Diet

The main foods that can provide Vitamin B12 are all animal-based. That’s why it is especially important for Vegans and Vegetarians to add a Vitamin B12 supplement to their diets. We’re not knocking Plant-Based eaters. We heartily endorse them. It’s just that they may need to add a supplement or two.

Most animal food contains some Vitamin B12. Some of the best sources include:

• Fish (Sardines, Salmon, Herring and Mussels)
• Eggs
• Milk
• Chicken
• Beef

Of course to really optimize the levels, the fish should be wild caught (not farm-raised) and the eggs, chicken and beef should be free range organic. The milk should be raw if possible.

Some cereals are also fortified with Vitamin B12. Check the labels to see what percentage of the US recommended daily allowance the cereal has. Of course eating Frosted Flakes for Vitamin B12 will also give you a lot of sugar and other unhealthy foods. This doesn’t seem like the best way to obtain Vitamin B12 benefits.

Obtaining Vitamin B12 Benefits through Supplementation

Vegans, Vegetarians, and maybe those who just don’t like fish can still maintain B12 levels through supplementation. It’s a good idea to consult a health professional about the right supplements for you.

There are two types of Vitamin B12 supplements:

• Cyanocobalamin – If you read other articles about B12, they will probably refer to B12 by this name. That’s because it is the most popular form of B12. Why is it so popular? Because it is the synthetic, lab-produced form of B12. It’s not found in nature. It’s also the cheapest form. Your body will take this form of B12 and convert it into Methylcobalamin.
• Methylcobalamin – Although a bit more expensive, this form of Vitamin B12 is the natural form. Because your body does not need to convert it, the Vitamin B12 benefits appear in your body much more quickly and easily. If you have to choose between the two possible forms of B12, Methylcobalamin would probably be better.

Generally it seems like around 2.4 micrograms daily works for most people to maintain adequate levels. Pregnant and nursing women should take a little more, since they are ‘eating for 2’. Your health care provider can determine an optimum level.

Don’t worry about overdosing on Vitamin B12. Your body won’t absorb any more than it needs. Any excess B12 will just go out in your urine. You’re just raising the cost of your pee.

We’d love to help you with any questions you have about diet or elder care. We have contracted with a nurse, personal trainer, nutritionist and several doctors in the area to answer any questions you may have. You can contact us through the main pageof our website, email us at Cam@aparadiseforparents.comor call us at 623-295-9890. We’d love to help in any way we can.

15 Years of Living with Alzheimer's - What I've Learned [Video]

One of our residents has been living with Alzheimer's for 15 years. 

They graciously agreed to tell their story on a video. We hope the video

and this transcript with help other families who face this dread disease. 

One of our residents contracted Alzheimer's at Age 60. They call that 'Early Onset' Alzheimer's. He's 75 now. And his wife has stuck by him every step of the way. They've been living with Alzheimer's for 15 years.

We thought it would be wonderful to have them talk about it.

Hopefully you're family is not dealing with Alzheimer's. But if you're reading this, I'm guessing that's not the case.

This video has a lot of nuggets of information. You can fight this disease and enjoy time with your family member for years. Living with Alzheimer's is tough. It's not insurmountable.

Living with Alzheimer's? Here's How to Fight it

We wrote another blog post on many ways to fight this dread disease. Once you have it though, it becomes very difficult to fight.

After a diagnosis, people start learning what living with Alzheimer's will be like, instead of preventing it.

So without further ado, here is our video with Todd and Shirley Nowling. We really appreciate what they did. We also put the transcript below the video.

Transcript Living with Alzheimer's

"I’m Shirley Nowling and I met my husband, Todd Nowling, in 1994 at a singles group. I thought he was the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met. I never expected that we would be together. Shortly after we met, we started dating. Two years later, we got married. In that time, his father, who also had Alzheimer’s, was now in a care facility. That was the beginning of our journey through Alzheimer’s."

When did you first begin to notice signs of Alzheimer’s?

"After we got married, we combined his four children, my two children, and four grandchildren. We had a lot of activities going on and we just started to buy a house in Laguna Beach and remodeled the home. Then in 2003, I started noticing.

When we would go to the movies, out to dinner, the next day I would say, “Do you remember?” and he didn’t. And in October of 2003, he lost his executive position with the car dealership due to lack of focus. We then moved to Las Vegas and he took a new position. We found that he was unable to keep that position.

Then 2004-2005, I noticed that my husband was getting more quiet, wasn’t as social, and was not as interested in life."

What steps did you take when you became concerned?

"At that point, I talked to his internist who listened to me and sent my husband for cognitive testing. On the day he came back from cognitive testing, he looked at me and he said, “I didn’t do very good on the test.” We both knew at that point, that we had a problem of some sort – not quite sure what.

The results came back from the cognitive testing, and the psychologist said to me, “Find the best neurologist that you can find.” I did find a good neurologist, Dr. Broski in Las Vegas and he indicated that there was not any new medicine and that his suggestion was that if he had the disease, then he would move to Phoenix and get in a clinical trial.

We were fortunate enough that Dr. Sebagh at Barrows Neurological invited us to go through four clinical trials that enabled us to live a much more normal life. Dr. Sebagh suggested that we continue traveling and try to make our life as normal as possible."

How was he able to improve after being diagnosed?

"What I found that really helped was routine. We had breakfast at a right time, we had lunch at a right time, dinner at a right time.

The other thing we found was exercise. We bought a treadmill and Todd was on the treadmill five days a week, and worked up to an hour a day, burning 500 to 700 calories a day. That improved the medication, the diet, and with the exercise, we noticed that if he didn’t exercise, then we would see a slight downhill in his cognition."

What advice do you have for other families?

"Todd and I have worked together as a partnership through our journey through Alzheimer’s. I am finding that having my husband now live in a group home has probably been the hardest part of all of this. However, he’s happy, he’s well taken care of, and I see the joy in him and that helps keeping me going.

My advice to anyone that is diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzhiemer’s, you as a caregiver work well with the doctor, look at your diet, look at your exercise program. The Alzheimer’s association has lots of information.

My best advice is live every moment and enjoy everything you have.

15 years into Alzheimer’s, we’re still working through this disease. I’m happy, very happy, that Todd’s doing well. He continues to be healthy and happy and I couldn’t ask for anything better than that."

“Are you happy?”

“I’m happy. Very happy.”

“Ok, good.”

If we can help your family in any way with Alzheimer's or Dementia issues, please reach out to us. You can find us at our website, email us at Cam@aparadiseforparents.com or call us at 623-295-9890.