Tag Archives: health

Garden Games To Play With Your Kids

05/04/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

With the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, families with children have been looking for more and more ideas of things to do with them outdoors. If you’re lucky to have an outdoor space, then it really can be a blessing, and be transformed into a playground, to create lots of fun for the kids. Garden games are not only just for kids, though. All members of the family can get involved, and throughout all times of the year, not just during this lockdown period. Here are a list of things that you could try out:

garden, games, kids, parenting, fun, health, excercise — image

Water Balloon Dodgeball – this can be a lot of fun, and is perfect for a warm summer day. All you need is water balloons, filled with water. If you can get two colors, and two teams, then you just play a normal round of dodgeball, but you’ll get wet if you get hit! You could introduce no firing zones and other rules; whatever will suit your family.

Cornhole: this is a fun game for the family to play, that can improve accuracy and throwing skills. A homage to a classic fairground game, you could even play for cotton candy! You can make your own cornhole game with cardboard and beanbags, or you could look at a site like Cornhole Worldwide to get things of your own. It works well for children of a variety of ages, and is the kind of game that will grow with them.

Natural Art: this is all about collecting a variety of things that you can find in your yard, such as leaves, grass, sticks, and flowers. Then you can use what has been collected to make small things like nests and bug hotels. Of course, you could use some things like crayons, string, and tape that you already have, to help their works of art to last longer.

Cup Races: for this game, you will need some empty cups, string, and something to make a hole with (like scissors). Water guns are also a must, but water balloons could work well too. What you need to do is to build some parallel tracks using the string. Then make a hole in the empty cup, and thread the cup onto the string. Then you have to make the cup move by using the water gun (or popping the balloons). The cup that gets to the end the fastest wins. If you’ve got some competitive kids with lots of energy, this can be a great idea.

Tug Of War: all that you need for tug of war is some players and rope. Make two teams that are fairly equal, and put a marker or flag in the middle of the rope. Once all players are ready to go and have the rope ready, the games can begin. Once a team succeeds at pulling across most of the other team, the rope will slide towards them, and then they will win the game. This can be fun for big kids and teens especially.

Going Healthy, Parenting

How To Help Your Aging Parents Stay Socially Active

05/01/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

As you get older, you will notice that your parent’s age really starts to show and they may struggle with a lot of simple things that they used to take for granted. It’s important that you’re there for them and you help them to maintain their independence for as long as possible. There are a lot of things that you can do to help your aging parents, but one of the most important things to consider is their social life.

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Even with Home Care Assistance, helping your parents to stay socially active is so important because it slows cognitive decline and prevents loneliness. With the simple tips on this list, you can make sure that they have an active social life.

Learn To Communicate With Them

Older people that are experiencing problems with their hearing often struggle to communicate. This means that, even when you are spending time with them, they may not engage socially that much. That’s why it is important that you learn how to communicate with them properly in a way that they can understand, so you can engage them in conversation. These hearing loss communication tips will help you to make yourself understood, and understand your parents better. If they are not already using them, you need to make sure that they are fitted with hearing aids as well. By improving communication, you will find it a lot easier to help your parents stay socially active.

Find Senior Exercise Programs

Exercise is so important for older people as well, so you should look for some senior exercise programs in the area. It’s a great way to make sure that their physical health is taken care of, and it’s a brilliant place to meet people as well. Attending one of these senior exercise programs will give them a regular opportunity to socialize and they can meet other elderly people that they can spend time with outside the exercise classes as well. One of the key factors that you must take care of when taking your elderly to a senior exercise program is their catheter supplies. In old age, it is common to lose control of bladder motion, while there could be other reasons for it as well. One of the many solutions to this problem are catheter supplies from Byram Healthcare that are readily available at home. You can also consult with the experts for more information on their urology and catheter programs.

Engage Their Hobbies

If your parents have hobbies, you should see whether there are any local clubs that they could get involved with. Things like book clubs, for example, are a great place to meet like minded people and exercise their brains at the same time. There are groups and clubs for so many different hobbies these days, and you can easily find them online, so make sure to engage your parent’s hobbies and use them as an opportunity for socializing.

In some cases, they may not be able to do their hobbies in the same way that they used to. However, you should try to think of ways to adapt those activities so they can still get involved in them.

Offer Them Lifts

Often, elderly people are isolated because they do not have access to the right transport. They are unable to drive themselves, and they may not feel confident enough to take public transport if their mobility is not good. That’s why you should offer them a lift whenever they need it. Let them know that if they want to visit friends then you are always willing to drive them over there or take them both out somewhere else, like the park or a coffee shop.

Get Them Online

While there are a lot of negatives to things like social media, it is also a good way to bring people together. If you can teach your parents about technology and get them online, it helps them to stay socially active. You can set up family group chats so they can always message you and you can send them pictures. It’s a good idea to teach them how to video chat as well because, even if you can’t see them in person, it’s a good way for them to catch up with you. If they are able to use social media and search online, they will find it a lot easier to find local groups and activities that they can get involved with.

Teaching your parents to get online might be tough, but there are often local computer courses for elderly people. Attending these classes is yet another great opportunity for socializing, and it will help them get to grips with new technology that helps them to stay connected.

Helping your parents to stay socially active is so important because it slows cognitive decline and prevents loneliness. With the simple tips on this list, you can make sure that they have an active social life.

Going Healthy, Health, Life

Age-Related Pains (And How To Ease Them)

04/02/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Hey, none of us are getting any younger, right? Age creeps up on us all, and as it does, we can become more prone to aches and pains around our bodies. This might be of no surprise to you, of course, especially if you feel the old twinge in your back when you’re rising from the sofa, or if your knee starts playing up when you’re out on a run.

However, while the various aches and pains we experience can be frustrating and limiting, there are ways to ease them. In this article, we will discuss just two of them, and will suggest a few tips to help you live a more pain-free life.

#1: Lower back pain

pains, back pain, aging, old, health — (Pixabay CC0)

Back pain can often be caused by an injury, so if you have ever had an accident, this might be why you sometimes feel pain in your lower back. You might also feel back pain if you remain in a seated position for too long, especially if you tend to sit in slouching positions. On the other hand, if you are approaching retirement age, then it might be that you are starting to suffer from an age-related health condition, such as arthritis or osteoporosis. Or it might be because, as you get older, your bones naturally lose strength, and your muscles lose their elasticity, so there is a greater potential for pain in your lower back.

Now, if the pain is persistent, you should seek medical advice. If something is seriously wrong, such as a slipped disc, then you will need the support of your doctors. But on a daily level, if back pain is becoming an age-related constant in your life, you can take steps to relieve it. For instance, services like those of RELATYV At Home Pain Management in Wisconsin (or elsewhere) may offer a convenient and non-invasive type of remedy, thereby allowing you to address chronic pain effectively without leaving your home. Additionally, a physical therapist can teach you exercises to help you move better and relieve your back pain. Cardio exercises and strength training are also helpful, as they build core muscles, which in turn support your spine and reduce pressure that causes pain. Heating pads can ease your discomfort, as can ice if you have sustained an injury. Exploring other supportive strategies like posture correction tools or ergonomic furniture can also complement your pain management routine.

There is more advice in the link below, so have a read and heed our advice.

Ways To Relieve Back Pain At Home

#2: Knee pain

Our knees absorb a lot of pressure every day, especially if we live active lifestyles. Over time, our muscles and ligaments become weaker, and the cartilage protecting the bones that join at the knee starts to deteriorate. When that cartilage is gone, we will start to feel aches and pains as our bones rub up against each other. The clinical term for this is osteoarthritis. However, it’s not an inevitable condition, as some people are more prone to it than others. Those who are overweight, for example, or those who are genetically predisposed to the condition.

To delay the progress of Father Time, you should do what you can to reduce the chances of age-related knee problems happening to you. If you are overweight, losing a few pounds can reduce the pressure on your knees. If you can avoid squatting for long periods, you can also do yourself and your knees a lot of favors. And if you can accommodate exercises that strengthen your hip and core muscles, you can do much to stabilize your knee joints. A physical therapist will be able to tell you more.

However, if you are experiencing regular knee pains, you should seek the assistance of a doctor. If you are suffering from an age-related health condition, it might be that surgery is needed. If surgery isn’t needed but you are still in pain, there are anti-inflammatory medications you can take. Your pharmacist will be able to tell you more. Heat and cold can also provide some comfort, so as with back pain, you could use a heat pad or hot water bottle, or ice wrapped in a cloth to reduce the pain you might be feeling. Self-massage can also be beneficial (unless you can find somebody to massage your knee for you), so check out the advice given here: https://www.thekneepainguru.com/massage-therapy-for-your-knees/.

You might also want to consider AposTherapy, a non-invasive way to treat the pain you might be suffering. It has been clinically proven to work and has helped a lot of sufferers. You can find out more here: https://www.apostherapy.com/medical-conditions/knee/ .

Finally

The aging process sucks, we know, but you don’t have to let it beat you. Follow the advice we have given you, and commit to further research for information on how to beat the age-related pains we discussed here.