It’s January, and I’d bet that by now you’re tired of hearing about the New Year’s resolutions of others. Those who vowed to exercise or eat better might already be falling off the wagon already. If you’ve yet to set a goal for this year, then why don’t you try a different approach to resolutions and change your senior years with unique goals. We here at Home Care Austin wanted to share some of these great ideas to help get you started!

1. Educate yourself – you’re never too old for learning. Pursue an interest; go back to school and take advantage of the discounts for seniors who want to return to college. Or take a class that teaches you more about another hobby like a craft or physical activity like dance

2. Expand your career – if you’re a senior who’s still in the workforce, make the best of your last few years in a career and do something you really enjoy. Even if you’re not working for an income, volunteer somewhere that fulfills you

3. Take a trip – if you’ve been dreaming of getting away somewhere, make it your goal this year. You can take the opportunity to plan and save. It doesn’t have to be something glamorous; even a journey to visit family that normally comes to you makes for a change of pace

4. Work on organization – sometimes with age, people become more sentimental. You may find that your home is becoming more cluttered. Take the opportunity to get your home organized for a safer and more comfortable environment

5. Develop new relationships – whether it’s romance you have in mind, or just feel you’d benefit from increasing your social circle; get out there and network!

Via: LifeScript

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Home Care Austin cares for aging adults, and knows than many set goals for themselves each year. These can range from something very minor to a huge lifestyle change. Regardless of what the goal is, seniors often need some extra help when trying to achieve them. The internet offers some great resources that will make reaching a goal much easier. The following list contains some popular sites that can be useful.

1. ResolutionsReminders.com – This is a free site that can help you stay on track and attain your resolutions. The site was established in 1997 and has been going strong ever since. It contains valuable resources and users can sign up to receive email reminders.

2. DietTV.com – This site is great for anyone who has set diet goals for the New Year. A personalized program can be created, including a customized diet plan. The site has many areas that will help with all diet and exercise needs, such as an exercise finder and support groups.

3. StopSmoking.net – Many seniors still smoke, and many members of the senior population make resolutions each year to quit smoking. This is one of the hardest goals to achieve, especially for seniors who have been smoking for many years. The site also offers tips on how to quit as well as the option of creating a personalized stop smoking plan.

Source: helium.com

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

At Home Care Austin, we know that grandparents have such a great influence on the lives of their young family members, which is why it’s great to work together to set goals individually, but work towards them together. Help your grandchildren set their goals and use their progress to stay motivated with your own.

1. Ask them to come up with an area that they could improve in their lives – be gentle, but ask them how they think they could improve. Would they like to get better grades? Get along better with a sibling? Learn a new skill? Once an area has been settled on, help them make that goal specific.

2. Motivate with group efforts – write down your goals along with theirs, and track progress with charts. Get the whole family involved, and come together to talk about how you’re doing with your goals

3. Use visual rewards for progress – when you check in with the progress of your grandchildren, reward them. Add stickers to a chart you’ve created, or give them pennies for their piggy bank for every step of the way

4. Keep the experience positive – motivate children by ensuring they always remain positive even if they have setbacks while trying to reach their goals

Via: eHow

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Austin Home Care knows that seniors often need some extra support when they are trying to achieve a personal goal. Since so many people have make resolutions at the start of the year, staying on track is important. There are some simple tips that are provided below that will help seniors keep track of their goals, progress and final achievements.

1. Try to be more conscious of what you eat. While sweets are hard to resist, try eating a piece of fruit instead of candy. It will satisfy your craving for sugar and is much healthier.

2. Buy a scale for the bathroom. This will help monitor your weight. You can even use a journal to keep track of any changes. A good scale will help you through your weight-loss journey.

3. Increase physical activity. Seniors do not need to join a gym. A simple short walk each day will help burn extra calories. In addition, that walk can help keep your heart healthy.  Exercise also increases your mood, so not only will it have physical benefits, but your mental health will improve as well.

4. Discuss weight loss plans with a doctor. You want to make sure your diet is providing you with the intake you need to stay healthy yet at the same time will help you lose weight.

Source: aarp.org

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Most senior citizens do not make New Year’s Resolutions. However, just like everyone else, the elderly do tend to pledge to be healthier in the New Year. Part of staying healthy comes with diet and exercise. Losing weight can seem daunting, but simple changes in lifestyle can yield a solution to the weight loss problem.

• Change Old Eating Habits—Two may be better than one in this instance. Try and eat with your senior, switching out high calorie foods for healthier dinner staples such as salads with vegetables and lean proteins.

• Record What You Eat—Sometimes writing it all down will give seniors or their caregivers some perspective on their eating habits. By recording what you eat, a senior can easily reduce calories just by visualizing those foods causing the most damage to a slim trim.

• Exercise Together—While reducing calories can help lose weight, seniors must go one step farther and exercise to see results. Take long walks daily with your senior, working together to reach fitness goals. If a senior goes it alone, they may be less likely to stick to that daily walk.

• Meditate—As strange as it may seem, negative thoughts about your body and weight can ruin any fitness efforts. Find a quiet place in your home for 5 minutes a day, and just focus on breathing. This simple act will help clear the mind from critical thoughts about your body, allowing for a greater appreciation of the physical self.

Source: aarp.org

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Many seniors set New Year’s goals, only to find excuses that allow them to abandon them not long after they began in the first place. No matter what your goals are for this year, make sure that you’re part of the minority that actually achieves them, making 2010 a much better year.

1. Focus on fun – particularly when it comes to losing weight or starting an exercise program, the resolution can become a burden rather than something you desire to achieve. Find exercise activities you enjoy, and if your resolutions have nothing to do with weight loss or exercise; ensure you go about attaining your goals in a way that’s focused on fun!

2. Think about your future today – if you have goals for the future, there’s no better time than now to start working towards achieving them. You might have excuses, whether it’s related to your age, your health, the logistics of getting around or something else; but those are aspects unlikely to change so take the bull by the horns and work towards the goals you set

3. Talk to others – if you tell others about your goals, you’ll be more likely to stick to them. It almost creates a challenge, since you’ll be encouraged to tell your friends and family that you’re successful rather than failing at your New Year’s resolutions. This also gives you a support network for encouragement

Via: AARP

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Many believe that older adults shouldn’t get behind the wheel because they pose a risk to themselves and others as their senses change, sometimes effecting their perception and reaction time.  However, according to recently published information, our perception about older adults and driving needs to start changing:

• As baby boomers age, there are more older drivers on the road

• Older drivers today seem to keep their licenses longer and are more comfortable traveling longer distances

• The number of fatal crashes involving older adults have declined, which has been a focus since seniors with health conditions, and that are physically more fragile can mean an accident has much more severe effects

• Older adults rarely pose a risk to other drivers on the road; when crashes do occur, often the only risk they pose is to themselves

• Today’s older adults are better recognizing their impairments, such as limited mobility and how that might impact their ability to drive. They adjust their driving habits accordingly

Via: ScienceDaily

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Sales calls and personal visits to affluent senior retirement communities occur on a daily basis. One company, the International Banking Group, recently has undergone scrutiny for trying to sell high return investments to seniors. Senior caregivers can give their seniors advice and cautions to make sure no schemes touch the senior’s pocketbook.

• If it sounds too good to be true it probably is— One of the best questions a senior can ask is simply about the investment itself, questioning if the broker or product is registered with the state or national regulatory authorities. Be cautious of broker claims that their certificates of deposit (CDs) earn above average interest rates. Many companies trying to scam seniors will say the pay will yield much higher rates of return than normal.

• Be extremely skeptical of salespeople—Scammers target seniors by going door-to-door or pestering them with phone calls.

• Research, research, research—Check the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s list found at www.sec.gov/investor/oiepauselist.htm of unregistered entities with consumer complaints. Also, make sure you do not agree to an investment without consulting family and friends.

• If you have been scammed, all is not lost—Financial crimes against seniors often go under reported, with seniors feeling ashamed or they do not know where to report the company. To file a complaint against a broker or firm, visit www.finra.org/complaint. Read about a seller’s background, at www.SaveandInvest.org or call 888-295-7422. For more on brokers or firms, call 800-289-9999 or log onto www.finra.org/brokercheck.

Source: ConsumerAffairs.com

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Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Q – My mom is in her mid-60’s, she’s had no medical problems or anything that causes the family particular concern. But I know that she’s paid little thought to her future in terms of senior care or legal planning. I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but should I encourage planning, and what should I suggest?

A – It’s never too early to start planning. The earlier you start having discussions, and beginning the planning process, the better her future will be.

1. Look at all resources –in order to help a senior plan for the future, take a look at all of the options by considering family who may be able to provide help, finances and other assets that could contribute to an aging loved one’s future

2. Understand that plans can change – when planning early, a guideline might be put in place. You might decide with the senior in your life that you will be a full or part-time caregiver. But, by the time they actually need help you might not be in a position to follow through. Accept that plans can change, be flexible, and have backup plans in place

3. Enlist help – a geriatric care manager or a senior care provider can help evaluate the future needs seniors may have to aid in planning

4. Organize the legal aspects – encourage your elderly relative to create a will, draft an advanced directive, establish a power of attorney, and go through the estate planning process

Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.