Caring Transitions of Dothan https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com RSS feeds for Caring Transitions of Dothan 60 The Importance of Sleep During Life’s Transitions https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/03/14/the-importance-of-sleep-during-lifes-transitions Studies have proven that during our later years, limiting stress and maximizing the appropriate amount of sleep is key to our health. Getting the proper amount of sleep won’t just help us to live longer, but it will impact the quality of the years ahead too. While the amount of sleep we need does change as we age, research by the National Institutes of Health shows just one percent of adults need less than six hours a night, and healthy sleep includes not just the hours of sleep but the quality.  We need rapid eye movement (REM)—the deep sleep in which dreaming happens—and non-REM for a complete cycle, which lasts an average of 90 to 110 minutes. Not only do we feel better the day after a good night’s sleep, we age better as well. According to the CDC, lack of sleep is linked to several chronic conditions, including: Type 2 Diabetes Heart Disease Obesity Depression Furthermore, a study by the journal Nature Communications found that lack of sleep contributes to a more than 30 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia later in life. The American Heart Association studies show that if you have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke, insufficient sleep puts you at an even higher risk for cancer or early death. So, better sleep surely helps us live longer, purposeful lives. But how do we get there? Better Sleep, Better You, Dr. Frank Lipman notes sleep is our primary health rhythm: “All roads lead to and from sleep.”  The book offers a 21-day sleep “reset,” helping reset your body’s natural clock through a series of small shifts in your daily habits. Here are 8 easy habits to incorporate for 8 good hours of sleep: Get your Daily Dose of Vitamin D: A few minutes of direct exposure to bright, natural light during the day, every day, regulates your body’s rhythms. Eat Light: A lighter meal for supper ensures your body isn’t working overtime to digest food.  If you need an evening snack, cherries, grapes, strawberries, nuts, and oats all have high melatonin content. Create Evening Rituals: Begin winding down your day with something like an evening meditation, a non-caffeinated cup of tea such as chamomile or lavender, or anything that helps you unwind from the day.  Avoid alcohol, however, which can reduce REM sleep and cause sleep disruptions as it processes in the liver. Set Your Internal Clock: Create a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same times each day, as much as possible. Turn It Off: Shut off your electronic devices (phones, computer, tablet) at least two hours before going to bed.  If you like to read before sleeping, try a physical book or magazine. Exercise Early: Do any strenuous workouts or activities earlier in the day.  Instead of revving up your system, wind your physical activity down as the day progresses. Set the Mood: Create a great sleep environment by keeping your bedroom as dark as possible, and setting the thermostat between 60 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. Take a Nap: If you get less sleep than normal on a given night, don’t go to bed earlier the next night.  Take a nap the next day instead of adjusting your bedtime. These eight tips will be especially helpful when facing a life transition, when the stress of lengthy to-do lists full of packing and cleaning tasks, while communicating with dependent loved ones, can pile up on your plate. This can lead to restless nights of tossing and turning, as your mind runs wild with anxiety as you prepare to downsize or move. During this time, be sure to ask the experts from Caring Transitions for help before tackling a life transition alone. You’ll be able to rest and relax while they get you organized with an individualized plan and a team of employees who handle the physical labor. Not only will you sleep easier without having to handle all the labor involved with a move, but you can feel at ease knowing that you or your loved one will be set up for success in their next chapter, right from day one. Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565856
<p>Studies have proven that during our later years, limiting stress and maximizing the appropriate amount of sleep is key to our health. Getting the proper amount of sleep won&rsquo;t just help us to live longer, but it will impact the quality of the years ahead too.</p> <p>While the amount of sleep we need does change as we age, research by the National Institutes of Health shows just one percent of adults need less than six hours a night, and healthy sleep includes not just the hours of sleep but the quality. &nbsp;We need rapid eye movement (REM)&mdash;the deep sleep in which dreaming happens&mdash;and non-REM for a complete cycle, which lasts an average of 90 to 110 minutes.</p> <p>Not only do we feel better the day after a good night&rsquo;s sleep, we age better as well. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/sleep.htm" target="_blank">According to the CDC</a>, lack of sleep is linked to several chronic conditions, including:</p> <ul style="padding-left:40px"> <li>Type 2 Diabetes</li> <li>Heart Disease</li> <li>Obesity</li> <li>Depression</li> </ul> <p>Furthermore, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/health/sleep-dementia-risk.html" target="_blank">study by the journal Nature Communications</a> found that lack of sleep contributes to a more than 30 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia later in life.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.144.suppl_1.12677" target="_blank">American Heart Association studies</a> show that if you have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke, insufficient sleep puts you at an even higher risk for cancer or early death.</p> <p>So, better sleep surely helps us live longer, purposeful lives. But how do we get there? <a href="https://drfranklipman.com/better-sleep-better-you/" target="_blank">Better Sleep, Better You</a>, Dr. Frank Lipman notes sleep is our primary health rhythm: &ldquo;All roads lead to and from sleep.&rdquo; &nbsp;The book offers a 21-day sleep &ldquo;reset,&rdquo; helping reset your body&rsquo;s natural clock through a series of small shifts in your daily habits.</p> <p>Here are 8 easy habits to incorporate for 8 good hours of sleep:</p> <ol style="padding-left:40px"> <li><strong>Get your Daily Dose of Vitamin D:</strong>&nbsp;A few minutes of direct exposure to bright, natural light during the day, every day, regulates your body&rsquo;s rhythms.</li> <li><strong>Eat Light:</strong>&nbsp;A lighter meal for supper ensures your body isn&rsquo;t working overtime to digest food. &nbsp;If you need an evening snack, cherries, grapes, strawberries, nuts, and oats all have high melatonin content.</li> <li><strong>Create Evening Rituals:</strong> Begin winding down your day with something like an evening meditation, a non-caffeinated cup of tea such as chamomile or lavender, or anything that helps you unwind from the day. &nbsp;Avoid alcohol, however, which can reduce REM sleep and cause sleep disruptions as it processes in the liver.</li> <li><strong>Set Your Internal Clock:</strong> Create a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same times each day, as much as possible.</li> <li><strong>Turn It Off:</strong> Shut off your electronic devices (phones, computer, tablet) at least two hours before going to bed. &nbsp;If you like to read before sleeping, try a physical book or magazine.</li> <li><strong>Exercise Early:</strong> Do any strenuous workouts or activities earlier in the day. &nbsp;Instead of revving up your system, wind your physical activity down as the day progresses.</li> <li><strong>Set the Mood:</strong> Create a great sleep environment by keeping your bedroom as dark as possible, and setting the thermostat between 60 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit if possible.</li> <li><strong>Take a Nap:</strong> If you get less sleep than normal on a given night, don&rsquo;t go to bed earlier the next night. &nbsp;Take a nap the next day instead of adjusting your bedtime.</li> </ol> <p>These eight tips will be especially helpful when facing a life transition, when the stress of lengthy to-do lists full of packing and cleaning tasks, while communicating with dependent loved ones, can pile up on your plate. This can lead to restless nights of tossing and turning, as your mind runs wild with anxiety as you prepare to downsize or move.</p> <p>During this time, be sure to ask the experts from Caring Transitions for help before tackling a life transition alone. You&rsquo;ll be able to rest and relax while they get you organized with an individualized plan and a team of employees who handle the physical labor.</p> <p>Not only will you sleep easier without having to handle all the labor involved with a move, but you can feel at ease knowing that you or your loved one will be set up for success in their next chapter, right from day one.</p>
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Women’s History Month: Making a Difference https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/03/07/womens-history-month-making-a-difference Since 1987, in the United States, March has been celebrated as Women&rsquo;s History Month. At Caring Transitions we&rsquo;re proud to have numerous female leaders that are part of our community. At the end of 2023, 71% of Caring Transitions franchises were female-owned and operated. Whether as franchise owners or team members, we&rsquo;re all committed to making a difference in the lives of others across the country, to help them age with grace, avoid stressful transitions, and get support at a time when they need it most. We know items represent cherished memories and can connect generations, just as this 71-year-old sewing machine did. Our friends at Growing Bolder have interviewed countless women for the Growing Bolder Podcast; women who are making a difference in their communities, who are exploring the world, changing sports history, starting businesses, saving the environment, conducting breakthrough research and more. Here are a few women who headlined recent Growing Bolder podcast episodes with inspiring experiences and lessons in empowerment we can all listen and learn from: Tracey Gendron is a nationally recognized gerontologist who believes everything you think you know about aging is wrong! She says the most important indicator as to whether your future will be one of opportunity or one of loss is your attitude. She explains the changes you can make in your outlook on life that will result in your best chance at good health and happiness in the coming years. Meet a woman who thought she could change the haircare industry. It&rsquo;s the inspiring story of Angel Cornelius and the products she invented at her kitchen table that she now sells nationwide. She&rsquo;s proof that a good idea, belief in yourself, and persistence pays off. Jillian Michaels is one of the most famous fitness trainers in the world, known for using tough love to achieve extreme results. For a decade, she was the face of the hit television show, &ldquo;The Biggest Loser.&rdquo; She talked to Growing Bolder about her own personal transformation, from an overweight kid to inspiring others to change their mental outlook and gain control over their weight, their health and their lives. From the moment Annie Griffiths picked up a camera, her sense of purpose was born. Griffiths was one of the first female photographers for National Geographic, where she&rsquo;s worked for over 40 years. She&rsquo;s the author of four books and the founder of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document aid programs that are empowering women and girls in the developing world. Griffiths talks to Growing Bolder about her decades finding deep happiness and joy through visual storytelling and how she&rsquo;s using her talents to make a difference. In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to officially register and run the Boston Marathon. Early in the race, assistant race director Jock Semple charged onto the course and tried to physically rip off her bib number and remove her from the competition because she was a woman. Switzer finished the race and found her life&rsquo;s mission: to provide opportunities for women all over the world to experience the same empowerment she felt through running. Submerge yourself in one of the most dangerous jobs there is. As one of the top underwater cave explorers in the world, Jill Heinerth has explored icebergs, volcanic lava tubes, and submerged caves. She talks to Growing Bolder about her experiences being the hands and eyes of climatologists, archeologists, and engineers, and helping them to better understand our earth. Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565855
<p>Since 1987, in the United States, March has been celebrated as Women&rsquo;s History Month. At Caring Transitions we&rsquo;re proud to have numerous female leaders that are part of our community. At the end of 2023, 71% of Caring Transitions franchises were female-owned and operated. Whether as franchise owners or team members, we&rsquo;re all committed to making a difference in the lives of others across the country, to help them age with grace, avoid stressful transitions, and get support at a time when they need it most. We know items represent cherished memories and can connect generations, just as <a href="https://growingbolder.com/stories/sewing-machine-caring-transitions/" target="_blank">this 71-year-old sewing machine did</a>.</p> <p>Our friends at Growing Bolder have interviewed countless women for the <strong>Growing Bolder Podcast</strong>; women who are making a difference in their communities, who are exploring the world, changing sports history, starting businesses, saving the environment, conducting breakthrough research and more.</p> <p>Here are a few women who headlined recent Growing Bolder podcast episodes with inspiring experiences and lessons in empowerment we can all listen and learn from:</p> <p style="margin-left:40px"><a href="https://growingbolder.com/radio-podcast/tracey-gendron-phd/" target="_blank">Tracey Gendron</a> is a nationally recognized gerontologist who believes everything you think you know about aging is wrong! She says the most important indicator as to whether your future will be one of opportunity or one of loss is your attitude. She explains the changes you can make in your outlook on life that will result in your best chance at good health and happiness in the coming years.</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">Meet a woman who thought she could change the haircare industry. It&rsquo;s the inspiring story of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder-haircare-entrepreneur-angel-cornelius/id969234835?i=1000593605251" target="_blank">Angel Cornelius</a> and the products she invented at her kitchen table that she now sells nationwide. She&rsquo;s proof that a good idea, belief in yourself, and persistence pays off.</p> <p style="margin-left:40px"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder-jillian-michaels-personal-transformation/id969234835?i=1000593605024" target="_blank">Jillian Michaels</a> is one of the most famous fitness trainers in the world, known for using tough love to achieve extreme results. For a decade, she was the face of the hit television show, &ldquo;The Biggest Loser.&rdquo; She talked to Growing Bolder about her own personal transformation, from an overweight kid to inspiring others to change their mental outlook and gain control over their weight, their health and their lives.</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">From the moment <a href="https://growingbolder.com/radio-podcast/annie-griffiths-using-your-skills-to-leave-a-legacy/" target="_blank">Annie Griffiths</a> picked up a camera, her sense of purpose was born. Griffiths was one of the first female photographers for National Geographic, where she&rsquo;s worked for over 40 years. She&rsquo;s the author of four books and the founder of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document aid programs that are empowering women and girls in the developing world. Griffiths talks to Growing Bolder about her decades finding deep happiness and joy through visual storytelling and how she&rsquo;s using her talents to make a difference.</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">In 1967, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder-womens-rights-activist-runner-and/id969234835?i=1000591496393" target="_blank">Kathrine Switzer</a> became the first woman to officially register and run the Boston Marathon. Early in the race, assistant race director Jock Semple charged onto the course and tried to physically rip off her bib number and remove her from the competition because she was a woman. Switzer finished the race and found her life&rsquo;s mission: to provide opportunities for women all over the world to experience the same empowerment she felt through running.</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">Submerge yourself in one of the most dangerous jobs there is. As one of the top underwater cave explorers in the world, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder-underwater-cave-explorer-jill-heinerth/id969234835?i=1000593605226" target="_blank">Jill Heinerth</a> has explored icebergs, volcanic lava tubes, and submerged caves. She talks to Growing Bolder about her experiences being the hands and eyes of climatologists, archeologists, and engineers, and helping them to better understand our earth.</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_3.7.jpg
Use a Life Transition to Create a Healthier Home https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/02/29/use-a-life-transition-to-create-a-healthier-home Are you planning for a life transition this year? Whether it may be for yourself, a parent, or a loved one, if downsizing or perhaps even a full move to a new community is on the horizon, now is the perfect time to improve your indoor living conditions to benefit your health. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. This means that the things in our homes and the ways we spend our time inside them can have a dramatic impact on our health. Part of the equation is subtraction --- determining what to get rid of during a home cleanout. The process of deciding what to keep and what to lose can be challenging, both physically and emotionally, as you weed through years of accumulated trinkets and knick-knacks. But you don&rsquo;t have to take on this overwhelming task alone. There are more than 300 Caring Transitions teams across the country, with dedicated experts ready to help who understand the challenges and the benefits of decluttering your house. Lean on the expert advice of your Caring Transitions team to make the process as stress-free and seamless as possible. Once you&rsquo;ve reduced the mess of items together, seize the opportunity to reimagine your living space with small changes to improve the wellness within your walls. &nbsp; Ways to Improve Indoor Spaces to Benefit Your Health Bring Nature Inside Studies have shown that having&nbsp;indoor plants can boost your mood, reduce stress, and can clean the air by absorbing toxins and producing oxygen. Increase Airflow On days with pleasant weather, opening screened windows and doors is an easy way to improve your living space.&nbsp;Ventilating your home with fresh air can help reduce the spread of toxins, improve breathing, boost your mood, and even improve sleeping habits. Benefit from Artificial Landscapes When was the last time you freshened up the artwork on your walls?&nbsp;Studies have shown that looking at artificial landscapes, such as paintings or photographs of nature, can elicit feelings of calm, relieve stress, and increase cognitive function. Even watching a documentary or looking at nature photos on your smartphone can have health benefits. Create a Sense of Calm The way you set up your indoor living space can impact the activities you choose to do indoors. Lean into daily activities that create a sense of calm in your surroundings. Activities like tai chi, meditation, and yoga create a peaceful environment, which can reduce stress and have cognitive benefits. Creative activities that help us slow down and soak in our environment, such as drawing and writing, can improve our mood and increase mental health. Consider the Space Between Your Ears When examining the places where we spend our time, don&rsquo;t forget to consider your headspace. Studies have shown that our belief system has a direct correlation to the way we interact with our surroundings. Creating a space in your home for journaling and reflection can help to clear your mind and bring forth a positive attitude. If you need inspiration for how to reimagine your home, don&rsquo;t be shy about asking your ##COMPANYNAME## team for help! They&rsquo;ve navigated countless move-ins and move-outs and are experts at setting you up to start living your best life, right from day one. &nbsp; #blog-hero { background-position: top center; } Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565853 Transitions,Health,Caring,Cleanout,Downsize
<p>Are you planning for a life transition this year? Whether it may be for yourself, a parent, or a loved one, if downsizing or perhaps even a full move to a new community is on the horizon, now is the perfect time to improve your indoor living conditions to benefit your health.</p> <p>According to the<a href="https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality#:~:text=Americans%2C%20on%20average%2C%20spend%20approximately,higher%20than%20typical%20outdoor%20concentrations." target="_blank"> United States Environmental Protection Agency</a>, Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. This means that the things in our homes and the ways we spend our time inside them can have a dramatic impact on our health.</p> <p>Part of the equation is subtraction --- determining what to get rid of during a home cleanout. The process of deciding what to keep and what to lose can be challenging, both physically and emotionally, as you weed through years of accumulated trinkets and knick-knacks. But you don&rsquo;t have to take on this overwhelming task alone. There are more than 300 Caring Transitions teams across the country, with dedicated experts ready to help who understand the challenges and the benefits of decluttering your house.</p> <p>Lean on the expert advice of your Caring Transitions team to make the process as stress-free and seamless as possible. Once you&rsquo;ve reduced the mess of items together, seize the opportunity to reimagine your living space with small changes to improve the wellness within your walls.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Ways to Improve Indoor Spaces to Benefit Your Health</h2> <h3>Bring Nature Inside</h3> <p>Studies have shown that having&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thesill.com/blog/why-you-need-plants-in-your-life" target="_blank">indoor plants</a> can boost your mood, reduce stress, and can clean the air by absorbing toxins and producing oxygen.</p> <h3>Increase Airflow</h3> <p>On days with pleasant weather, opening screened windows and doors is an easy way to improve your living space.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agegracefullyamerica.com/5-reasons-fresh-air-is-vital-for-your-mental-health/" target="_blank">Ventilating your home</a> with fresh air can help reduce the spread of toxins, improve breathing, boost your mood, and even improve sleeping habits.</p> <h3>Benefit from Artificial Landscapes</h3> <p>When was the last time you freshened up the artwork on your walls?&nbsp;<a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_happens_when_we_reconnect_with_nature" target="_blank">Studies have shown</a> that looking at artificial landscapes, such as paintings or photographs of nature, can elicit feelings of calm, relieve stress, and increase cognitive function. Even watching a documentary or looking at nature photos on your smartphone can have health benefits.</p> <h3>Create a Sense of Calm</h3> <p>The way you set up your indoor living space can impact the activities you choose to do indoors. Lean into daily activities that create a sense of calm in your surroundings. Activities like<a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/tai-chi-benefits#better-sleep"> tai chi</a>, meditation, and yoga create a peaceful environment, which can reduce stress and have cognitive benefits. Creative activities that help us slow down and soak in our environment, such as drawing and writing, can improve our mood and increase mental health.</p> <h3>Consider the Space Between Your Ears</h3> <p>When examining the places where we spend our time, don&rsquo;t forget to consider your headspace. <a href="https://clinical-practice-and-epidemiology-in-mental-health.com/VOLUME/6/PAGE/25/FULLTEXT/" target="_blank">Studies have shown</a> that our belief system has a direct correlation to the way we interact with our surroundings. Creating a space in your home for journaling and reflection can help to clear your mind and bring forth a positive attitude.</p> <p>If you need inspiration for how to reimagine your home, don&rsquo;t be shy about asking your ##COMPANYNAME## team for help! They&rsquo;ve navigated countless move-ins and move-outs and are experts at setting you up to start living your best life, right from day one.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <style>#blog-hero { background-position: top center; }</style>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_2.29.24.jpg
Change Your Perspective https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/02/23/change-your-perspective Transitions are a part of life. Changes help us grow and move forward. Some transitions we choose and can clearly see the good that&rsquo;s coming. Others&#39; life brings to us and can seem harder. Chances are, at some point, we all find ourselves facing adversity. It can be heartbreaking, overwhelming, and life-changing. Sometimes when it hits you, it&#39;s like a door you just can&#39;t open or a boulder that&#39;s impossible to move. If you find yourself in a situation like that, just stop, and take a breath. The only way forward may be to change your perspective. As difficult as it seems, the way forward starts with accepting the situation for what it is. Changing our perspective allows us to look past the pain and the fear, and lets us see the adversity as an opportunity, a new beginning. When we put our challenges into perspective, we become capable of doing great things in life. Perspective allows us to accept what we have and gives us the vision to build on it. It helps strengthen our faith in ourselves to overcome the inevitable changes that life brings. If we can get to that point, we&#39;re well on the way to moving forward. Community helps. Others have been where we are or may be experiencing what we&rsquo;ve already gone through. Reach out and see who&rsquo;s &lsquo;been there before,&rsquo; and ask about their experience. Things like a major move can be overwhelming. The Caring Transitions team is here, ready to help you begin the process. And when you&rsquo;ve made your way through a tough time, share with others how you did it. There&#39;s no better satisfaction than helping somebody else who is already going through something that you&#39;ve already experienced. Help them take the pain, make a pivot, and turn it into power. One of the keys to life is to keep moving forward. We all experience valleys, but we don&rsquo;t want to stay there. Moving forward is the path that leads us to new adventures and memorable experiences. Moving forward allows us to keep growing, to keep learning, but things happen to us all that slow us down and threaten to stop us right in our tracks. Growing Bolder&rsquo;s Secily Wilson knows firsthand how difficult, yet important, the simple act of moving forward can be. She&rsquo;s an author, journalist, and stroke survivor. After her stroke on-air, the broadcast veteran lost her ability to speak. But determined to come back, she worked hard to regain her speech and her career. When we stop moving forward, we stop living. The only way to start is to begin to shed ourselves of all the things weighing us down. Sometimes it&#39;s our own self-doubt or fears &ndash; all very human reactions. It&#39;s much easier to do nothing, to just isolate and hide away from the world, but we only get one life, and it&#39;s worth every bit of the struggle to begin to shed whatever weights are holding you down. For Secily, it comes down to the three P&#39;s. She says if things in your life don&#39;t bring you peace, purpose, or profit, then they&#39;re probably just holding you down. Let them go and see how wonderful life can be once you begin to move forward again. How can you change your perspective today? Are you ready to move forward? Your Caring Transitions team is here to help. Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565851
<p>Transitions are a part of life. Changes help us grow and move forward. Some transitions we choose and can clearly see the good that&rsquo;s coming. Others&#39; life brings to us and can seem harder. Chances are, at some point, we all find ourselves facing adversity. It can be heartbreaking, overwhelming, and life-changing. Sometimes when it hits you, it&#39;s like a door you just can&#39;t open or a boulder that&#39;s impossible to move. If you find yourself in a situation like that, just stop, and take a breath. The only way forward may be to change your perspective.</p> <p>As difficult as it seems, the way forward starts with accepting the situation for what it is. Changing our perspective allows us to look past the pain and the fear, and lets us see the adversity as an opportunity, a new beginning. When we put our challenges into perspective, we become capable of doing great things in life. Perspective allows us to accept what we have and gives us the vision to build on it. It helps strengthen our faith in ourselves to overcome the inevitable changes that life brings. If we can get to that point, we&#39;re well on the way to moving forward.</p> <p>Community helps. Others have been where we are or may be experiencing what we&rsquo;ve already gone through. Reach out and see who&rsquo;s &lsquo;been there before,&rsquo; and ask about their experience. Things like a major move can be overwhelming. The Caring Transitions team is here, ready to help you begin the process.</p> <p>And when you&rsquo;ve made your way through a tough time, share with others how you did it. There&#39;s no better satisfaction than helping somebody else who is already going through something that you&#39;ve already experienced. Help them take the pain, make a pivot, and turn it into power.</p> <p>One of the keys to life is to keep moving forward. We all experience valleys, but we don&rsquo;t want to stay there. Moving forward is the path that leads us to new adventures and memorable experiences. Moving forward allows us to keep growing, to keep learning, but things happen to us all that slow us down and threaten to stop us right in our tracks.</p> <p>Growing Bolder&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/-73mmJ4Ks0U?si=HR5xXbF5nbJIeONG&amp;t=1444" target="_blank">Secily Wilson</a> knows firsthand how difficult, yet important, the simple act of moving forward can be. She&rsquo;s an author, journalist, and stroke survivor. After her stroke on-air, the broadcast veteran lost her ability to speak. But determined to come back, she worked hard to regain her speech and her career.</p> <p>When we stop moving forward, we stop living. The only way to start is to begin to shed ourselves of all the things weighing us down. Sometimes it&#39;s our own self-doubt or fears &ndash; all very human reactions. It&#39;s much easier to do nothing, to just isolate and hide away from the world, but we only get one life, and it&#39;s worth every bit of the struggle to begin to shed whatever weights are holding you down. For Secily, it comes down to the three P&#39;s. She says if things in your life don&#39;t bring you peace, purpose, or profit, then they&#39;re probably just holding you down. Let them go and see how wonderful life can be once you begin to move forward again. How can you change your perspective today? Are you ready to move forward? Your Caring Transitions team is here to help.</p>
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Growing Bolder During Life’s Transitions: It’s not about age, it’s about attitude https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/02/16/growing-bolder-during-lifes-transitions-its-not-about-age-its-about-attitude &ldquo;Whether you think you can or think you can&#39;t, you&#39;re right.&rdquo; - Henry Ford Remember when no dream seemed too big? When the future was filled with possibility? What if it still is? If it feels like it&rsquo;s been a long time since you chased your dreams, there&rsquo;s good news: you are the one who controls your future. The power of self-belief can be incredibly effective in bringing about positive change in your life, no matter how old you are. Dreams are not about age. They&rsquo;re about attitude. Now is the time to embrace a Growing Bolder attitude and believe that the best is yet to come because what the mind believes, the body embraces. If you want different results in your life, you have to have a different attitude. Take a chance. Take a big chance. Know that you are capable of so much more than others might think. To be afraid to fail is to be afraid to live. Don&#39;t sit back. Lean forward and take life head-on. Don&#39;t let your only source of inspiration be the creativity of others. Find your passion and pursue it. The act of personal creation is one of life&#39;s greatest joys. And don&#39;t stop if you fail, because you probably will, and that&rsquo;s okay. Refine, adjust, and try again. And again. Reinvent yourself. And if that doesn&#39;t work, reinvent yourself. It is never too late to try something new for the first time, pick up a new hobby, make a new friend, start a business, fall in love, go on an adventure, exercise, learn something new, or make a life transition by moving or downsizing. Making a change isn&rsquo;t always easy, but it is often worth it. Whether you are thinking of downsizing or moving to a new community, venturing into the unknown alone is an intimidating task. That&rsquo;s when having a team around you comes in handy. Not only will the professionals at Caring Transitions take on the load of planning, packing, moving, decluttering, and more, but they will set you up for success to start living the life of your dreams from day one. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re working with a Caring Transitions team, they understand that the &lsquo;first-day living experience&rsquo; is crucial to launch you into tomorrow, fully embracing the opportunity as best you can. It&rsquo;s the embracing of &lsquo;what&rsquo;s next,&rsquo;&rdquo; says Carrie Coumbs, Caring Transitions senior strategic advisor. You&rsquo;re never too old to go through a life transition, and you&rsquo;re never too old to dream. Don&#39;t wait for permission from our ageist culture or inspiration from our mainstream media to live the life you want. If you&#39;re unhappy with your life, it&#39;s up to you to change. If you long for more, then go get it. Don&rsquo;t wait for a better life to find you and don&rsquo;t wait for permission to go find it. Get off the couch and get into life. Be optimistic about the future and take a leap of faith. Above all, surround yourself with believers who support your dreams and encourage you to get where you want in life. The team at Caring Transitions is here to help. Remember, Growing Bolder is possible regardless of your age, because it&#39;s not about age, it&rsquo;s about attitude. Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565849
<p><em>&ldquo;Whether you think you can or think you can&#39;t, you&#39;re right.&rdquo;</em> - Henry Ford</p> <p>Remember when no dream seemed too big? When the future was filled with possibility? What if it still is? If it feels like it&rsquo;s been a long time since you chased your dreams, there&rsquo;s good news: you are the one who controls your future.</p> <p>The power of self-belief can be incredibly effective in bringing about positive change in your life, no matter how old you are. Dreams are not about age. They&rsquo;re about attitude. Now is the time to embrace a <a href="http://growingbolder.com/" target="_blank">Growing Bolder</a> attitude and believe that the best is yet to come because what the mind believes, the body embraces.</p> <p>If you want different results in your life, you have to have a different attitude. Take a chance. Take a big chance. Know that you are capable of so much more than others might think. To be afraid to fail is to be afraid to live. Don&#39;t sit back. Lean forward and take life head-on. Don&#39;t let your only source of inspiration be the creativity of others. Find your passion and pursue it. The act of personal creation is one of life&#39;s greatest joys. And don&#39;t stop if you fail, because you probably will, and that&rsquo;s okay. Refine, adjust, and try again. And again. Reinvent yourself. And if that doesn&#39;t work, reinvent yourself.</p> <p>It is never too late to try something new for the first time, pick up a new hobby, make a new friend, start a business, fall in love, go on an adventure, exercise, learn something new, or make a life transition by moving or downsizing.</p> <p>Making a change isn&rsquo;t always easy, but it is often worth it. Whether you are thinking of downsizing or moving to a new community, venturing into the unknown alone is an intimidating task. That&rsquo;s when having a team around you comes in handy. Not only will the professionals at Caring Transitions take on the load of planning, packing, moving, decluttering, and more, but they will set you up for success to start living the life of your dreams from day one.</p> <p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re working with a Caring Transitions team, they understand that the &lsquo;first-day living experience&rsquo; is crucial to launch you into tomorrow, fully embracing the opportunity as best you can. It&rsquo;s the embracing of &lsquo;what&rsquo;s next,&rsquo;&rdquo; says Carrie Coumbs, Caring Transitions senior strategic advisor.</p> <div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0; position:relative"><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/823118296?h=0a174956d9&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="8 Embracing the Opportunity of a life transition"></iframe></div> <p><br /> You&rsquo;re never too old to go through a life transition, and you&rsquo;re never too old to dream. Don&#39;t wait for permission from our ageist culture or inspiration from our mainstream media to live the life you want. If you&#39;re unhappy with your life, it&#39;s up to you to change. If you long for more, then go get it. Don&rsquo;t wait for a better life to find you and don&rsquo;t wait for permission to go find it. Get off the couch and get into life.</p> <p>Be optimistic about the future and take a leap of faith. Above all, surround yourself with believers who support your dreams and encourage you to get where you want in life. The team at Caring Transitions is here to help. Remember, Growing Bolder is possible regardless of your age, because it&#39;s not about age, it&rsquo;s about attitude.</p>
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5 Tips to Begin Downsizing https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/02/07/5-tips-to-begin-downsizing Is this the year you&rsquo;re making a move? Or moving your parents or a family member? Downsizing can be a challenge, especially emotionally, and it&rsquo;s never too early to begin. A lifetime of living means a lifetime of accumulating objects. While to some it may seem like &ldquo;stuff,&rdquo; to others it represents a lifetime of memories. &nbsp;Matt Paxton, host of the television shows, &ldquo;Hoarders&rdquo; and &ldquo;Legacy List,&rdquo; is the author of the book, &ldquo;Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff.&rdquo; He has several tips to make the process of transitioning easier. 1. Create a Finish Line Where are you moving to? Before you begin going through your things, the first step is to identify your next location. Knowing what your new environment will be like will inform what you take with you. How much space will you have, what will your consistent activities be in your new home? &nbsp; 2. Know Your Why Next, why are you moving? Is it for health reasons? To be closer to family? To spend less time maintaining a large home? Paxton suggests writing your reasons down and posting them where you can see them. Going through your things and letting go of items can be an emotional process as you relive old memories. Remembering why you&rsquo;re making the change and focusing on the positives it will bring can help you stay motivated to move forward. &nbsp; 3. Pick Your Legacy Items Not everything needs to go. What are the five or six most valuable things currently in your home? Not necessarily financially valuable, but rather those items that tell the story of your life, of your family, and your relatives that came before you. Paxton says determining these first and knowing you are honoring these people, and these stories, will help you let the other less important items go. &nbsp; 4. Document Other Stories We all have more stories than items we can or want to keep. And it&rsquo;s the stories that they represent that really matter the most to our loved ones. With updated technology we can now preserve the stories digitally and let the objects go, by taking photos of items and documenting the stories through apps such as Artifcts. Once you have a digital record of an item and the story it represents, it&rsquo;s very easy to share with family members and friends. &ldquo;When you really get used to telling the stories and you celebrate the past, you find yourself letting go of a lot more,&rdquo; Paxton said. &ldquo;You now just want that joy to go on to someone else that&#39;ll really appreciate it. Then you still have all of the stories online. You can share them with anybody.&rdquo; &nbsp; 5. Upsize what you don&rsquo;t want or need Collect items you no longer need or want that are in good condition and donate them to a local non-profit where they will be appreciated by someone else. Even outdated items like china can be repurposed &ndash; broken into pieces by an art studio and used to create mosaics. It&rsquo;s a process to go through a lifetime of items and memories. Start now with small steps and give yourself the time and support to make the experience as painless as possible. &nbsp;When you&rsquo;re ready to make your move, your Caring Transitions team is here to help. You can listen to Paxton&rsquo;s entire interview with our friends from Growing Bolder here. Wed, 07 Feb 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565847
<p>Is this the year you&rsquo;re making a move? Or moving your parents or a family member? Downsizing can be a challenge, especially emotionally, and it&rsquo;s never too early to begin. A lifetime of living means a lifetime of accumulating objects. While to some it may seem like &ldquo;stuff,&rdquo; to others it represents a lifetime of memories. &nbsp;Matt Paxton, host of the television shows, &ldquo;Hoarders&rdquo; and &ldquo;Legacy List,&rdquo; is the author of the book, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Memories-Lose-Stuff-Declutter/dp/0593418972/ref=asc_df_0593418972/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=532543833004&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=13469403731209084439&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9011785&amp;hvtargid=pla-1457560084464&amp;psc=1&amp;mcid=b609730ddaf63da99c92a443d2644f1d&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJXzhpH0EvmMlFvoJvMx5P_awHJroOh3hDUrSldHh_hcsSZPHe1PypbRoCh3sQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff.</a>&rdquo; He has several tips to make the process of transitioning easier.</p> <div style="padding:2% 2% 2% 5%"> <h3>1. Create a Finish Line</h3> <p>Where are you moving to? Before you begin going through your things, the first step is to identify your next location. Knowing what your new environment will be like will inform what you take with you. How much space will you have, what will your consistent activities be in your new home?<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>2. Know Your Why</h3> <p>Next, why are you moving? Is it for health reasons? To be closer to family? To spend less time maintaining a large home? Paxton suggests writing your reasons down and posting them where you can see them. Going through your things and letting go of items can be an emotional process as you relive old memories. Remembering why you&rsquo;re making the change and focusing on the positives it will bring can help you stay motivated to move forward.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>3. Pick Your Legacy Items</h3> <p>Not everything needs to go. What are the five or six most valuable things currently in your home? Not necessarily financially valuable, but rather those items that tell the story of your life, of your family, and your relatives that came before you. Paxton says determining these first and knowing you are honoring these people, and these stories, will help you let the other less important items go.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>4. Document Other Stories</h3> <p>We all have more stories than items we can or want to keep. And it&rsquo;s the stories that they represent that really matter the most to our loved ones. With updated technology we can now preserve the stories digitally and let the objects go, by taking photos of items and documenting the stories through apps such as <a href="https://artifcts.com/?utm_campaign=brandawareness&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=artifacts%20app&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJX3cbsOYIJ3A7O_xpmmRwriGmLkfp6QFI0hhrJ1EKcoISzhVmd6DKfBoC0-gQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Artifcts</a>. Once you have a digital record of an item and the story it represents, it&rsquo;s very easy to share with family members and friends.</p> <p>&ldquo;When you really get used to telling the stories and you celebrate the past, you find yourself letting go of a lot more,&rdquo; Paxton said. &ldquo;You now just want that joy to go on to someone else that&#39;ll really appreciate it. Then you still have all of the stories online. You can share them with anybody.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>5. Upsize what you don&rsquo;t want or need</h3> <p>Collect items you no longer need or want that are in good condition and donate them to a local non-profit where they will be appreciated by someone else. Even outdated items like china can be repurposed &ndash; broken into pieces by an art studio and used to create mosaics.</p> </div> <p>It&rsquo;s a process to go through a lifetime of items and memories. Start now with small steps and give yourself the time and support to make the experience as painless as possible. &nbsp;When you&rsquo;re ready to make your move, your Caring Transitions team is here to help.</p> <p>You can listen to Paxton&rsquo;s entire interview with our friends from Growing Bolder <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder/id969234835?i=1000606982218" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_2.7.jpg
Make Self-Care a Priority This Year https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/01/31/make-self-care-a-priority-this-year &ldquo;To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don&rsquo;t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;- Thich Nhat Hanh The first few weeks of the new year are the perfect time to set intentions for the months ahead. Especially in times of transition, it&rsquo;s vital to focus on what is most important to us, the energy we want to put out into the world, and to set a course to provide ourselves with the love and care we both need and deserve. And let&rsquo;s make sure to include ourselves in those intentions, not just those we love and are caring for. When was the last time you told yourself how much you love yourself? We often spend so much of our time and energy thinking about others and caring for them, it&rsquo;s easy and understandable to forget about self-care. But as the saying goes, it&rsquo;s hard to pour from an empty cup. If it&rsquo;s been a while since you&rsquo;ve engaged in self-reflection, now is the time to start. Make a list of the positive qualities you are proud of. Think of the recent acts you are proud of yourself for doing. Dream and imagine the things you haven&rsquo;t done yet, that you&rsquo;d love to do for yourself in 2024. If this topic feels foreign to you, you aren&rsquo;t alone. Conversations and questions about how to better love oneself appear frequently across online communities like Reddit and Quora, to name a few.&nbsp; Here are a few tips to set yourself up for improved self-care in the new year: &nbsp; 1. Practice Gratitude Studies have proven that practicing gratitude improves both our physical and mental health. It can be easy to spend our time and energy focusing on the bad things in life, and it takes effort to direct our attention towards the positives we have. But to improve self-care, we need to be present in the moment, and appreciative for who we are and what we have. A great way to start practicing gratitude is to keep a journal, where every day you write one thing you are thankful for in your life, or even something about yourself you appreciate. &nbsp; 2. Consider Your Surroundings This includes people and places! If you wish you had more positive people in your life, seek out new friendships through community gatherings, volunteering opportunities, or even online groups. And don&rsquo;t be afraid to make the change in scenery that you deserve. Your local Caring Transitions team can help create an individualized plan to create a new environment that will make you happier. Whether it is a home clean-out to declutter your surroundings, or even moving to a new state or community, our team can take care of it all, so you are not alone. &nbsp; 3. Change Your Language Giving ourselves proper self-care starts with the words coming out of our mouths. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to compliment yourself once a day or count the small wins you achieve. Also, consider the words you say to others. Often, what we put out into the universe is what we receive. When we send love and positivity outward, we&rsquo;ll often receive more in return. Above all, don&rsquo;t be afraid to add &ldquo;asking for help&rdquo; into your daily dialogue. We are all worthy of receiving help, and it becomes easier to love oneself when we also have a surrounding community of support. Creating time and a self-care plan is especially important if you are a caregiver. Our friends at Growing Bolder have created a full list of resources and tips to help caregivers give themselves the attention they deserve. Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565846
<blockquote> <p style="color:#808080; font-size:24px; line-height:140%"><em>&ldquo;To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don&rsquo;t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.&rdquo;</em><br /> &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;- Thich Nhat Hanh</p> </blockquote> <p>The first few weeks of the new year are the perfect time to set intentions for the months ahead. Especially in times of transition, it&rsquo;s vital to focus on what is most important to us, the energy we want to put out into the world, and to set a course to provide ourselves with the love and care we both need and deserve.</p> <p>And let&rsquo;s make sure to include ourselves in those intentions, not just those we love and are caring for. When was the last time you told yourself how much you love yourself? We often spend so much of our time and energy thinking about others and caring for them, it&rsquo;s easy and understandable to forget about self-care. But as the saying goes, it&rsquo;s hard to pour from an empty cup. If it&rsquo;s been a while since you&rsquo;ve engaged in self-reflection, now is the time to start. Make a list of the positive qualities you are proud of. Think of the recent acts you are proud of yourself for doing. Dream and imagine the things you haven&rsquo;t done yet, that you&rsquo;d love to do for yourself in 2024.</p> <p>If this topic feels foreign to you, you aren&rsquo;t alone. Conversations and questions about how to better love oneself appear frequently across online communities like <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DecidingToBeBetter/comments/r8mks2/can_someone_please_explain_to_me_what_selflove_is/?onetap_auto=true" target="_blank">Reddit</a> and <a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-is-self-love-important-Are-there-any-tips-for-someone-struggling-with-self-love" target="_blank">Quora</a>, to name a few.&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are a few tips to set yourself up for improved self-care in the new year:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>1. Practice Gratitude</h3> <p>Studies have proven that practicing gratitude improves both our physical and mental health. It can be easy to spend our time and energy focusing on the bad things in life, and it takes effort to direct our attention towards the positives we have. But to improve self-care, we need to be present in the moment, and appreciative for who we are and what we have. A great way to start practicing gratitude is to keep a journal, where every day you write one thing you are thankful for in your life, or even something about yourself you appreciate.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>2. Consider Your Surroundings</h3> <p>This includes people and places! If you wish you had more positive people in your life, seek out new friendships through community gatherings, volunteering opportunities, or even online groups. And don&rsquo;t be afraid to make the change in scenery that you deserve. Your local Caring Transitions team can help create an individualized plan to create a new environment that will make you happier. Whether it is a home clean-out to declutter your surroundings, or even moving to a new state or community, our team can take care of it all, so you are not alone.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>3. Change Your Language</h3> <p>Giving ourselves proper self-care starts with the words coming out of our mouths. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to compliment yourself once a day or count the small wins you achieve. Also, consider the words you say to others. Often, what we put out into the universe is what we receive. When we send love and positivity outward, we&rsquo;ll often receive more in return. Above all, don&rsquo;t be afraid to add &ldquo;asking for help&rdquo; into your daily dialogue. We are all worthy of receiving help, and it becomes easier to love oneself when we also have a surrounding community of support.</p> <p>Creating time and a self-care plan is especially important if you are a caregiver. Our friends at Growing Bolder have created a <a href="https://growingbolder.com/stories/tips-for-taking-care-of-yourself-as-a-caregiver/" target="_blank">full list of resources and tips</a> to help caregivers give themselves the attention they deserve.</p>
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When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time? https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/01/24/when-was-the-last-time-you-did-something-for-the-first-time When was the last time you did something for the first time? As we age, our &ldquo;first-times&rdquo; can easily become distant memories instead of items on our to-do or bucket lists. As years go by it&rsquo;s easy to count the reasons why we&rsquo;re NOT trying new things: too old, too busy caretaking to try, too tired, not enough money, or just not something I&rsquo;m good at. The trouble is, we&rsquo;re wired to keep on growing and to evolving, and transitions in life are a great time to take stock of any &lsquo;somedays&rsquo; we still have. You know, like &lsquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll go on that trip to the states I&rsquo;ve never seen, someday I&rsquo;ll start walking every day, someday I&rsquo;ll take a painting class, someday I&rsquo;ll learn another language.&rsquo; Turns out, someday isn&rsquo;t a day of the week. If we&rsquo;re paying attention, we can even turn the obstacles that life gives us into opportunities to try something new. Anna Mary Robertson Moses could no longer do needlework as she aged, so she picked up a paintbrush instead. Totally untrained, she began to paint her memories of farm life at the age of 77 and painted nearly every day until her death at the age of 101. She started selling her paintings for $2 or $3 depending on the size. In 1939, an art collector discovered her primitive but powerful paintings in a drugstore window and before long she was an internationally famous folk artist known as Grandma Moses.&nbsp; What new things could you try? We won&rsquo;t all be famous artists, but would you like to learn to make pottery? Whatever you choose doesn&rsquo;t have to be monumental like a big hike, or difficult, like learning Chinese. It could be trying a new restaurant in a nearby town, making a new friend or going to a dance class. Something that helps us get out of our comfort zones every so often and ideally connects us with others. Our ancestors survived by banding together. We&rsquo;re all human and can annoy each other easily, but when we practice forgiveness, have compassion, and give up the need to be right, life gets better. And trying new things with friends is fun &ndash; chances are you&rsquo;ll end up laughing at each other. Not sure about starting something new? As Henry Ford famously said, &quot;Whether you think you can or you think you can&rsquo;t &ndash; you&rsquo;re right.&rdquo; We have to manage our expectations, but we also have to expect the best we can believe. What if it were fun, what if it were easy, what if you enjoyed the experience? We are each creative just by the mere fact of being alive. What will you create today? The same day you experienced yesterday? Or maybe a new one in which you try something for the first time &ndash; a new food, a new game, or a new experience. It&rsquo;s time to lean into life, to savor every moment and cherish every breath. Take a chance to do something new today &ndash; your brain and your spirit will thank you for it. Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565844
<p>When was the last time you did something for the first time? As we age, our &ldquo;first-times&rdquo; can easily become distant memories instead of items on our to-do or bucket lists. As years go by it&rsquo;s easy to count the reasons why we&rsquo;re NOT trying new things: too old, too busy caretaking to try, too tired, not enough money, or just not something I&rsquo;m good at.</p> <p>The trouble is, we&rsquo;re wired to keep on growing and to evolving, and transitions in life are a great time to take stock of any &lsquo;somedays&rsquo; we still have. You know, like &lsquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll go on that trip to the states I&rsquo;ve never seen, someday I&rsquo;ll start walking every day, someday I&rsquo;ll take a painting class, someday I&rsquo;ll learn another language.&rsquo; Turns out, someday isn&rsquo;t a day of the week.</p> <p>If we&rsquo;re paying attention, we can even turn the obstacles that life gives us into opportunities to try something new. Anna Mary Robertson Moses could no longer do needlework as she aged, so she picked up a paintbrush instead. Totally untrained, she began to paint her memories of farm life at the age of 77 and painted nearly every day until her death at the age of 101. She started selling her paintings for $2 or $3 depending on the size. In 1939, an art collector discovered her primitive but powerful paintings in a drugstore window and before long she was an internationally famous folk artist known as Grandma Moses.&nbsp;</p> <p>What new things could you try? We won&rsquo;t all be famous artists, but would you like to learn to make pottery? Whatever you choose doesn&rsquo;t have to be monumental like a big hike, or difficult, like learning Chinese. It could be trying a new restaurant in a nearby town, making a new friend or going to a dance class. Something that helps us get out of our comfort zones every so often and ideally connects us with others. Our ancestors survived by banding together. We&rsquo;re all human and can annoy each other easily, but when we practice forgiveness, have compassion, and give up the need to be right, life gets better. And trying new things with friends is fun &ndash; chances are you&rsquo;ll end up laughing at each other.</p> <p>Not sure about starting something new? As Henry Ford famously said, &quot;Whether you think you can or you think you can&rsquo;t &ndash; you&rsquo;re right.&rdquo; We have to manage our expectations, but we also have to expect the best we can believe. What if it were fun, what if it were easy, what if you enjoyed the experience?</p> <p>We are each creative just by the mere fact of being alive. What will you create today? The same day you experienced yesterday? Or maybe a new one in which you try something for the first time &ndash; a new food, a new game, or a new experience. It&rsquo;s time to lean into life, to savor every moment and cherish every breath. Take a chance to do something new today &ndash; your brain and your spirit will thank you for it.</p>
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New Technology to Try in the New Year https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/01/17/new-technology-to-try-in-the-new-year New Year, new you? The one constant in life is change, and each new year usually brings some changes our way, both big and small. Are you planning any major transitions in 2024? Whether you are downsizing or moving to a new community, these periods of change offer us all an opportunity for a fresh start. While these transitions take focus and planning, our later years often present us with the gift of extra free time, too. Instead of withdrawing into the things you are familiar with, take the opportunity to embrace new technology that can enhance your life and encourage lifelong learning. Here are five ways that new technology can benefit your life in your later years: &nbsp; 1. Virtual Reality Imagine a world without limitations on where you can go and what you can do. It&rsquo;s a world where your imagination can unlock new doors to creative engagement, socialization, cultural learning, and more. People are using virtual reality to travel to foreign countries they&rsquo;ve never been to in person, watch live sporting events and concerts, or enter digital universes to create works of art, play games or connect with friends. It&rsquo;s a limitless opportunity for social connection and lifelong learning, all from the comfort of your living room. &nbsp; 2. Conversational AI Conversational artificial intelligence is not just a tool for tech-savvy youth; it&rsquo;s a game changer for adults over the age of 50 looking to seize the most out of every day. By now, you&rsquo;ve likely heard of ChatGPT, a conversational AI that learns and improves with each interaction. Essentially it operates as a giant brain, connected to data from books, articles, and the internet, and can process your questions to provide accurate and contextually relevant answers. This free, digital friend can help you with daily tasks like keeping schedules, making grocery lists and setting reminders. It can fuel your creative juices by assisting with creative writing, producing poetry or ideas for works of art. It can even spark deeper levels of cognitive function with thought-provoking discussions and access to a digital world of research. &nbsp; 3. Continued Education Avoid over-scrolling on social media apps and embrace the chance for continued education. One positive result of the pandemic was an increase in online education services, meaning you can engage your mind no matter where you live! Here are two free learning sites for older adults: Senior Planet There are thousands of classes to broaden your horizons on Senior Planet. They have designed courses specifically in mind for those over the age of 60, focused on five impact areas: social engagement, financial security, health and wellness, civic engagement and advocacy, and creativity. Some examples of their introductory courses include &ldquo;Digital Storytelling,&rdquo; &ldquo;Etsy for Entrepreneurs&rdquo;, &ldquo;Ready, Set, Bank&rdquo; and &ldquo;Fitness Essentials.&rdquo; &nbsp; Academic Earth Whether you are looking for a certificate, a bachelor&rsquo;s degree, or even a doctorate, Academic Earth has the lessons to get you on your path to more knowledge. They&rsquo;ve been around since 2009, offering free online college courses from the world&rsquo;s top universities. Explore more than 60 complete courses in art, business, engineering, humanities, medicine, science, math and more! Some state universities and colleges offer free class audits for individuals 65 and older. Check your local community to find out more. &nbsp; 4. Social Gaming A recent study on senior gaming showed that 44% of Americans age 50+ now enjoy video games at least once a month. That&rsquo;s nearly 51 million gamers and counting who are benefiting from the digital age and forming new relationships online to stave off social isolation. Especially for those who may be moving to a new state and located farther away from friends and family, social gaming is a great way to stay in touch. Play your favorite classic board games online or try out interactive games on new systems like the Nintendo Switch that encourage you to communicate while playing. &nbsp; 5. Creative Design Apps The worlds of photography, videography, art and creative design are now open for non-professionals to get their feet wet and enhance their online presence. Thinking creatively has been proven to increase brain health as we age --- even simple activities like coloring and taking pictures. All you need is a smartphone and you can get started! Here are three apps you can try out today: Paper Ironically enough, the Paper app gives you digital &ldquo;sheets&rdquo; to make it easy to sketch, collage, paint, draw and journal right on your smartphone or tablet. It&rsquo;s simple and intuitive, offering drawing tutorials and workbooks to help you sharpen your skills and &ldquo;sketch with confidence.&rdquo; &nbsp; Canva Whether you want to share a favorite quote in a fun way, design a logo, create a meme, add variety to your Instagram post, or create a printable poster, Canva is a great place to get started. They have amassed thousands of professional templates and images to bring your best ideas to life. A step-by-step guided process makes it easy to do, right from the palm of your hand! &nbsp; A Color Story Don&rsquo;t just post a raw photo. Try downloading A Color Story, where you can easily edit and add effects onto your pictures with colors that pop! There are over 500 stackable filters that will make the colors in your photos come to life, plus you can use touch tools to remove unwanted objects with ease! The possibilities are endless! What new technology will you try this year? &nbsp; Wed, 17 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565842
<p>New Year, new you? The one constant in life is change, and each new year usually brings some changes our way, both big and small. Are you planning any major transitions in 2024? Whether you are downsizing or moving to a new community, these periods of change offer us all an opportunity for a fresh start.</p> <p>While these transitions take focus and planning, our later years often present us with the gift of extra free time, too. Instead of withdrawing into the things you are familiar with, take the opportunity to embrace new technology that can enhance your life and encourage lifelong learning.</p> <p>Here are five ways that new technology can benefit your life in your later years:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>1. Virtual Reality</h3> <p>Imagine a world without limitations on where you can go and what you can do. It&rsquo;s a world where your imagination can unlock new doors to creative engagement, socialization, cultural learning, and more. People are using virtual reality to travel to foreign countries they&rsquo;ve never been to in person, watch live sporting events and concerts, or enter digital universes to create works of art, play games or connect with friends. It&rsquo;s a limitless opportunity for social connection and lifelong learning, all from the comfort of your living room.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>2. Conversational AI</h3> <p>Conversational artificial intelligence is not just a tool for tech-savvy youth; it&rsquo;s a game changer for adults over the age of 50 looking to seize the most out of every day.</p> <p>By now, you&rsquo;ve likely heard of <a href="https://chat.openai.com/" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a>, a conversational AI that learns and improves with each interaction. Essentially it operates as a giant brain, connected to data from books, articles, and the internet, and can process your questions to provide accurate and contextually relevant answers.</p> <p>This free, digital friend can help you with daily tasks like keeping schedules, making grocery lists and setting reminders. It can fuel your creative juices by assisting with creative writing, producing poetry or ideas for works of art. It can even spark deeper levels of cognitive function with thought-provoking discussions and access to a digital world of research.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>3. Continued Education</h3> <p>Avoid over-scrolling on social media apps and embrace the chance for continued education. One positive result of the pandemic was an increase in online education services, meaning you can engage your mind no matter where you live! Here are two free learning sites for older adults:</p> <ul style="padding-left:5%"> <li><a href="https://seniorplanet.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Senior Planet</strong></a><br /> There are thousands of classes to broaden your horizons on <a href="https://seniorplanet.org/" target="_blank">Senior Planet</a>. They have designed courses specifically in mind for those over the age of 60, focused on five impact areas: social engagement, financial security, health and wellness, civic engagement and advocacy, and creativity. Some examples of their introductory courses include &ldquo;Digital Storytelling,&rdquo; &ldquo;Etsy for Entrepreneurs&rdquo;, &ldquo;Ready, Set, Bank&rdquo; and &ldquo;Fitness Essentials.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://academicearth.org/online-college-courses/" target="_blank"><strong>Academic Earth</strong></a><br /> Whether you are looking for a certificate, a bachelor&rsquo;s degree, or even a doctorate, <a href="https://academicearth.org/online-college-courses/" target="_blank">Academic Earth</a> has the lessons to get you on your path to more knowledge. They&rsquo;ve been around since 2009, offering free online college courses from the world&rsquo;s top universities. Explore more than 60 complete courses in art, business, engineering, humanities, medicine, science, math and more!<br /> <br /> Some state universities and colleges offer free class audits for individuals 65 and older. Check your local community to find out more.<br /> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <h3>4. Social Gaming</h3> <p>A recent study on senior gaming showed that 44% of Americans age 50+ now enjoy video games at least once a month. That&rsquo;s nearly 51 million gamers and counting who are benefiting from the digital age and forming new relationships online to stave off social isolation.</p> <p>Especially for those who may be moving to a new state and located farther away from friends and family, social gaming is a great way to stay in touch. Play your favorite classic board games online or try out interactive games on new systems like the Nintendo Switch that encourage you to communicate while playing.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>5. Creative Design Apps</h3> <p>The worlds of photography, videography, art and creative design are now open for non-professionals to get their feet wet and enhance their online presence. Thinking creatively has been proven to increase brain health as we age --- even simple activities like coloring and taking pictures. All you need is a smartphone and you can get started! Here are three apps you can try out today:</p> <ul style="padding-left:5%"> <li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/paper-by-wetransfer/id506003812" target="_blank"><strong>Paper</strong></a><br /> Ironically enough, the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/paper-by-wetransfer/id506003812" target="_blank">Paper</a> app gives you digital &ldquo;sheets&rdquo; to make it easy to sketch, collage, paint, draw and journal right on your smartphone or tablet. It&rsquo;s simple and intuitive, offering drawing tutorials and workbooks to help you sharpen your skills and &ldquo;sketch with confidence.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Canva</strong></a><br /> Whether you want to share a favorite quote in a fun way, design a logo, create a meme, add variety to your Instagram post, or create a printable poster, <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a> is a great place to get started. They have amassed thousands of professional templates and images to bring your best ideas to life. A step-by-step guided process makes it easy to do, right from the palm of your hand!<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://acolorstory.com/" target="_blank"><strong>A Color Story</strong></a><br /> Don&rsquo;t just post a raw photo. Try downloading <a href="https://acolorstory.com/" target="_blank">A Color Story</a>, where you can easily edit and add effects onto your pictures with colors that pop! There are over 500 stackable filters that will make the colors in your photos come to life, plus you can use touch tools to remove unwanted objects with ease!</li> </ul> <p>The possibilities are endless! What new technology will you try this year?<br /> &nbsp;</p>
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Where are you headed? https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2024/01/08/where-are-you-headed Where are you headed this year? Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. Are you looking forward, or backward? Where we place our attention informs our intentions in life, and what we&rsquo;re experiencing. One of the keys to a happy and healthy life is to keep moving forward. Moving forward allows us to keep growing, to keep learning, and times of transitions provide great opportunities to help us evaluate where we&rsquo;re headed and what&rsquo;s important to us in this stage of life. Our values and priorities change as we age, and knowing what we want now helps us move forward on a path that leads us to new adventures and memorable experiences. Of course, things will happen to us all that slow us down and threaten to stop us right in our tracks, and that can make the simple act of moving forward seem difficult. But not only can we do it, we really have to. When we stop moving forward, we stop living. The only way to start again is to begin to shed ourselves of all the things weighing us down. Sometimes it&#39;s our own self-doubt, our own fears. It&#39;s much easier to do nothing, to just isolate and hide away from the world, but we only get one life, and it&#39;s worth every bit of the struggle to begin to shed whatever weights are holding you down. It&#39;s also important to consider what changes we might need to make in our lives. Small actions can yield great dividends. In Growing Bolder&rsquo;s interview with The Blue Zones&#39; founder, Dan Buettner, he shared his number one takeaway from studying the lifestyle of the world&#39;s longest living people. &ldquo;If you want to live longer, you want set up your surroundings so the healthy choice is the easy choice,&rdquo; Buettner said. &ldquo;Making friends whose idea of recreation is playing tennis or gardening, friends who eat plant-based, friends who will support you on a bad day, setting up your home so you have a junk food drawer with the bad food out of the way.&rdquo; Longevity experts also emphasize the importance of connection to happy, healthy lives as we age. Giving back is one way to foster more connections. Not only do our priorities change as the decades go by, but our schedules do as well. With empty nests and either less work hours or none at all, we have more time on our hands. Not sure what you want to focus on with this extra time? Well, Mahatma Gandhi once said the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. John Wooden, the great hall of fame basketball coach, said that it&#39;s impossible to live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. We don&#39;t have to change the world, but we can change our lives for the better simply by helping others. A simple act of kindness can change someone&#39;s day and maybe even their life. We have years of experience and expertise to share and there are many charitable organizations in need of help. Making a difference is not about age, it&#39;s about attitude, and leaving a legacy is not about money, it&#39;s about intent. When we are open to sharing, opportunities to share seem to open up. Keep your eyes and ears open for yours. A legacy is simply the stories that people tell about you when you&#39;re gone. So, ask yourself, what stories will people tell about you? What do you still want to do, be or experience in life? Are you headed in the right direction to accomplish what you value? Are you moving forward? And how can you give back? Mon, 08 Jan 2024 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565840
<p>Where are you headed this year? Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. Are you looking forward, or backward? Where we place our attention informs our intentions in life, and what we&rsquo;re experiencing.</p> <p>One of the keys to a happy and healthy life is to keep moving forward. Moving forward allows us to keep growing, to keep learning, and times of transitions provide great opportunities to help us evaluate where we&rsquo;re headed and what&rsquo;s important to us in this stage of life. Our values and priorities change as we age, and knowing what we want now helps us move forward on a path that leads us to new adventures and memorable experiences.</p> <p>Of course, things will happen to us all that slow us down and threaten to stop us right in our tracks, and that can make the simple act of moving forward seem difficult. But not only can we do it, we really have to. When we stop moving forward, we stop living. The only way to start again is to begin to shed ourselves of all the things weighing us down. Sometimes it&#39;s our own self-doubt, our own fears. It&#39;s much easier to do nothing, to just isolate and hide away from the world, but we only get one life, and it&#39;s worth every bit of the struggle to begin to shed whatever weights are holding you down.</p> <p>It&#39;s also important to consider what changes we might need to make in our lives. Small actions can yield great dividends. In Growing Bolder&rsquo;s interview with The Blue Zones&#39; founder, <a href="https://growingbolder.com/radio-podcast/dan-buettner/" target="_blank">Dan Buettner</a>, he shared his number one takeaway from studying the lifestyle of the world&#39;s longest living people. &ldquo;If you want to live longer, you want set up your surroundings so the healthy choice is the easy choice,&rdquo; Buettner said. &ldquo;Making friends whose idea of recreation is playing tennis or gardening, friends who eat plant-based, friends who will support you on a bad day, setting up your home so you have a junk food drawer with the bad food out of the way.&rdquo;</p> <p>Longevity experts also emphasize the importance of connection to happy, healthy lives as we age. Giving back is one way to foster more connections. Not only do our priorities change as the decades go by, but our schedules do as well. With empty nests and either less work hours or none at all, we have more time on our hands. Not sure what you want to focus on with this extra time? Well, Mahatma Gandhi once said the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. John Wooden, the great hall of fame basketball coach, said that it&#39;s impossible to live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.</p> <p>We don&#39;t have to change the world, but we can change our lives for the better simply by helping others. A simple act of kindness can change someone&#39;s day and maybe even their life. We have years of experience and expertise to share and there are many charitable organizations in need of help. Making a difference is not about age, it&#39;s about attitude, and leaving a legacy is not about money, it&#39;s about intent. When we are open to sharing, opportunities to share seem to open up. Keep your eyes and ears open for yours.</p> <p>A legacy is simply the stories that people tell about you when you&#39;re gone. So, ask yourself, what stories will people tell about you? What do you still want to do, be or experience in life? Are you headed in the right direction to accomplish what you value? Are you moving forward? And how can you give back?</p>
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5 Tips to Boost Brain Health https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/12/29/5-tips-to-boost-brain-health Most of us are guilty of bad habits that can hurt the brain. We don&rsquo;t sleep enough. We eat too much junk food. We don&rsquo;t socialize enough. We watch too much TV. Especially when we&rsquo;re caring for others, we tend to neglect what we need ourselves.&nbsp; As we transition through the seasons of life, it&rsquo;s important to remember that we have more power over how we age than we realize, especially when it comes to the health of our brain. Take charge of your future and start giving your mind the care it deserves. &nbsp;&nbsp; Here are 5 tips you can begin right away to improve brain health: &nbsp; 1. Start Your Day Right We need to set ourselves up for success from the moment we wake up, which means plenty of sleep and a nutritious breakfast.&nbsp; Research by Johns Hopkins Medicine has proven that a healthy amount of sleep is vital for brain plasticity. Too little sleep leaves us unable to process what we will learn throughout the day and gives us trouble remembering it in the future. Pair a good night&rsquo;s sleep with a good breakfast. Skipping breakfast will likely lead to irritability and sluggish brain functioning. Start you days with these delicious, energy-boosting options: oatmeal, fruit and nuts, an egg sandwich, or a Greek yogurt parfait. &nbsp; 2. Move it The Mayo Clinic suggests &ldquo;at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.&rdquo; It could be something as simple as walking at a brisk pace. Set a goal to exercise at least three days a week. Physical activity has been proven to increase problem-solving, improve memory, reduce anxiety and depression, and lead to better emotional balance. &nbsp; 3. Walk and Talk Silence isn&rsquo;t golden when it comes to brain health. Research shows that talking provides mental stimulation, which in turn helps sharpen your brain. Experts suggest pairing social activity with physical activity for an added boost. &ldquo;Take a brisk walk with a close friend and talk about your problems,&rdquo; Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, told everydayhealth.com. &ldquo;Movement is probably the most evidence-based way to actually stimulate that process of new brain-cell growth. Then there&rsquo;s plenty of research around the value of connection. The opposite of that connection &mdash; loneliness &mdash; can be incredibly toxic, and that&#39;s measurable. More than just the connection is the depth of that connection.&rdquo; &nbsp; 4. Play Brain Games In the words of the fictional Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister, &ldquo;A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.&rdquo; In other words, you&rsquo;ve got to use your brain if you want to keep it healthy! This means reading, learning, working creatively, engaging in thought-provoking discussions, and playing brain games to challenge yourself. Studies have proven that activities like crossword puzzles, word searches, brain teasers, sudoku and more can improve brain function as we age.&nbsp; &nbsp; 5. Go to the Light Let the sunshine in! It will do you good. Not getting enough natural light can lead to depression. Researchers have concluded that dim lighting conditions cause significant reductions in a chemical that helps maintain healthy connections between brain cells. Conversely, sunlight can improve your brain health. So, get outside and soak in some rays! It&rsquo;s never too early or too late to take steps to improve our brain health &ndash; what will you do today? &nbsp; #blog-hero { background-position: top center; } Fri, 29 Dec 2023 14:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565837 brain health,Habits,Mental Health,Active,Socializing
<p>Most of us are guilty of bad habits that can hurt the brain. We don&rsquo;t sleep enough. We eat too much junk food. We don&rsquo;t socialize enough. We watch too much TV. Especially when we&rsquo;re caring for others, we tend to neglect what we need ourselves.&nbsp;</p> <p>As we transition through the seasons of life, it&rsquo;s important to remember that we have more power over how we age than we realize, especially when it comes to the health of our brain. Take charge of your future and start giving your mind the care it deserves. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are 5 tips you can begin right away to improve brain health:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>1. Start Your Day Right</h2> <p>We need to set ourselves up for success from the moment we wake up, which means plenty of sleep and a nutritious breakfast.&nbsp;</p> <p>Research by <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep#:~:text=First%2C%20a%20healthy%20amount%20of,remembering%20it%20in%20the%20future." target="_blank">Johns Hopkins Medicine</a> has proven that a healthy amount of sleep is vital for brain plasticity. Too little sleep leaves us unable to process what we will learn throughout the day and gives us trouble remembering it in the future.</p> <p>Pair a good night&rsquo;s sleep with a good breakfast. Skipping breakfast will likely lead to irritability and sluggish brain functioning. Start you days with these delicious, energy-boosting options: oatmeal, fruit and nuts, an egg sandwich, or a Greek yogurt parfait.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>2. Move it</h2> <p><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916" target="_blank">The Mayo Clinic</a> suggests &ldquo;at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.&rdquo; It could be something as simple as walking at a brisk pace. Set a goal to exercise at least three days a week. Physical activity has been proven to increase problem-solving, improve memory, reduce anxiety and depression, and lead to better emotional balance.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>3. Walk and Talk</h2> <p>Silence isn&rsquo;t golden when it comes to brain health. Research shows that talking provides mental stimulation, which in turn helps sharpen your brain. Experts suggest pairing social activity with physical activity for an added boost.</p> <p>&ldquo;Take a brisk walk with a close friend and talk about your problems,&rdquo; <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/neurology/how-to-keep-your-brain-healthy-a-conversation-with-dr-sanjay-gupta/" target="_blank">Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, told everydayhealth.com.</a> &ldquo;Movement is probably the most evidence-based way to actually stimulate that process of new brain-cell growth. Then there&rsquo;s plenty of research around the value of connection. The opposite of that connection &mdash; loneliness &mdash; can be incredibly toxic, and that&#39;s measurable. More than just the connection is the depth of that connection.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>4. Play Brain Games</h2> <p>In the words of the fictional Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister, &ldquo;A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.&rdquo; In other words, you&rsquo;ve got to use your brain if you want to keep it healthy! This means reading, learning, working creatively, engaging in thought-provoking discussions, and playing brain games to challenge yourself. <a href="https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/featurednews/title_595009_en.html" target="_blank">Studies have proven</a> that activities like crossword puzzles, word searches, brain teasers, sudoku and more can improve brain function as we age.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>5. Go to the Light</h2> <p>Let the sunshine in! It will do you good. Not getting enough natural light can lead to depression. Researchers have concluded that dim lighting conditions cause significant reductions in a chemical that helps maintain healthy connections between brain cells. Conversely, sunlight can improve your brain health. So, get outside and soak in some rays!</p> <p>It&rsquo;s never too early or too late to take steps to improve our brain health &ndash; what will you do today?<br /> &nbsp;</p> <style type="text/css">#blog-hero { background-position: top center; } </style>
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Spark Personal Growth with Travel https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/12/20/spark-personal-growth-with-travel First, Research So much of having a good trip happens before you even leave. Where do you want to go? Do you know any friends or family who have traveled there recently? Learning from the experiences of others can add enjoyment to your own trip. There&rsquo;s probably also a Facebook or Instagram group for wherever you&rsquo;re headed. Search online for tips on where to stay, what season of weather you would enjoy and what hotels and/or restaurants previous travelers recommend. It helps to know what to bring with you and gives you a head start on what you might enjoy in the region. Then there are the &ldquo;experts&rdquo; &ndash; those lucky individuals that travel the world for work! Over 370K people follow Samantha Brown on Instagram for travel tips. She&rsquo;s an Emmy Award-winning international travel host featured in more than 400 episodes of TV shows on the Travel Channel and PBS. Brown has visited more than 250 cities, 60 countries and spent more than 26,000 hours traveling. Early in her career, she discovered the key to a full, enriching travel experience goes beyond the just visiting the sites. &ldquo;Traveling is about enjoying people&rsquo;s everyday lives in another part of the world, which is extraordinary,&rdquo; Brown told Growing Bolder. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s such a big theme of ours: how do we learn from other people? Then through that, we learn about ourselves.&rdquo; &nbsp; Create a Ritual While many travel buffs say it&rsquo;s all about only trying something new every day, Brown suggests doing at least one thing every day. For her, it&rsquo;s enjoying a cup of coffee in the same coffee shop each morning. She says this gives her more insight into the local culture and allows her to feel the ebb and flow of a neighborhood. It can also provide you the opportunity to have conversations with those that live there. &ldquo;Once you get really comfortable in this space, I feel like that&rsquo;s when you feel relaxed enough to turn to someone next to you and talk. It gives you that moment to open up to others and learn maybe where you should go to lunch or what you should do next, or just have a pleasant conversation.&rdquo; Maybe you&rsquo;d prefer a glass of wine over happy hour. Or a daily walk in the neighborhood where you are staying. Create a ritual and see what you notice, around you and within you. &nbsp; Get out there! With the travel limitations we all experienced during the pandemic, many were conscious of missing all that travel gives us: the freedom to move about the world, to explore and learn new languages, try new foods and experience new cultures, the opportunity to grow spiritually and culturally. Life is short and our time is limited. Travel marks the opportunity for a reset, for a fresh start. It&rsquo;s something new, even if we are returning to somewhere we have been before, because chances are the place has changed, and surely so have we. So, where are you headed in 2024? Whether it&rsquo;s to a familiar location that you can drive to, or somewhere new that requires a plane flight or a train trip, do your research, and make an extra effort to connect with the people you meet, so you can make the most of your adventure. Safe travels! &nbsp; Wed, 20 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565836
<h2>First, Research</h2> <p>So much of having a good trip happens before you even leave. Where do you want to go? Do you know any friends or family who have traveled there recently? Learning from the experiences of others can add enjoyment to your own trip.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s probably also a Facebook or Instagram group for wherever you&rsquo;re headed. Search online for tips on where to stay, what season of weather you would enjoy and what hotels and/or restaurants previous travelers recommend. It helps to know what to bring with you and gives you a head start on what you might enjoy in the region.</p> <p>Then there are the &ldquo;experts&rdquo; &ndash; those lucky individuals that travel the world for work! Over 370K people follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/suspended/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fsamanthabrowntravels%2F%3F__coig_ufac%3D1" target="_blank">Samantha Brown</a> on Instagram for travel tips. She&rsquo;s an Emmy Award-winning international travel host featured in more than 400 episodes of TV shows on the Travel Channel and PBS. Brown has visited more than 250 cities, 60 countries and spent more than 26,000 hours traveling.</p> <p>Early in her career, she discovered the key to a full, enriching travel experience goes beyond the just visiting the sites. &ldquo;Traveling is about enjoying people&rsquo;s everyday lives in another part of the world, which is extraordinary,&rdquo; Brown told <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-bolder/id969234835?i=1000593605291" target="_blank">Growing Bolder</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s such a big theme of ours: how do we learn from other people? Then through that, we learn about ourselves.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Create a Ritual</h2> <p>While many travel buffs say it&rsquo;s all about only trying something new every day, Brown suggests doing at least one thing every day. For her, it&rsquo;s enjoying a cup of coffee in the same coffee shop each morning. She says this gives her more insight into the local culture and allows her to feel the ebb and flow of a neighborhood. It can also provide you the opportunity to have conversations with those that live there.</p> <p>&ldquo;Once you get really comfortable in this space, I feel like that&rsquo;s when you feel relaxed enough to turn to someone next to you and talk. It gives you that moment to open up to others and learn maybe where you should go to lunch or what you should do next, or just have a pleasant conversation.&rdquo;</p> <p>Maybe you&rsquo;d prefer a glass of wine over happy hour. Or a daily walk in the neighborhood where you are staying. Create a ritual and see what you notice, around you and within you.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Get out there!</h2> <p>With the travel limitations we all experienced during the pandemic, many were conscious of missing all that travel gives us: the freedom to move about the world, to explore and learn new languages, try new foods and experience new cultures, the opportunity to grow spiritually and culturally.</p> <p>Life is short and our time is limited. Travel marks the opportunity for a reset, for a fresh start. It&rsquo;s something new, even if we are returning to somewhere we have been before, because chances are the place has changed, and surely so have we.</p> <p>So, where are you headed in 2024? Whether it&rsquo;s to a familiar location that you can drive to, or somewhere new that requires a plane flight or a train trip, do your research, and make an extra effort to connect with the people you meet, so you can make the most of your adventure.</p> <p>Safe travels!<br /> &nbsp;</p>
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It’s Never Too Late to Set New Goals https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/12/14/its-never-too-late-to-set-new-goals 5 Tips to Help You Reach New Heights As 2023 comes to a close and we turn the page to a new year, many seize the opportunity for a timely, positive change. Whether you use the word resolutions, goals, change or simply call it a fresh start, this time of year is the perfect chance for reinvention. An ageist culture leads us to believe that our later years are a time to sit back, withdraw from anything risky or challenging, and just accept where we currently are in life. This couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth. It is never too late to make a change. No matter your age, life situation or the goals you have in mind, we can all reach new heights in the new year. There&rsquo;s a famous proverb that states, &ldquo;Potential can only materialize into achievement when you allow it to.&rdquo; Start by changing your mindset and believe that more is possible as you age, and then consider these five tips to target new achievements, seize your potential and reach new heights in 2024. &nbsp; 1. Define Your Basecamp It&rsquo;s hard to know where you&rsquo;re going if you don&rsquo;t first identify where you&rsquo;re starting from. Take a moment for self-reflection and answer some questions about your journey to this point: What are a few memorable moments in your life when you successfully tried something for the first time? What were a few opportunities to achieve something that you missed in your life, whether by intention or indecision? What personal qualities give you belief in your ability to raise the bar on your accomplishments? By establishing a basecamp, it will be easier to build towards your goals and lean on valuable past experiences and knowledge along the way. &nbsp; 2. Take Aim at Where You&rsquo;d Like to Reach Reaching new heights can mean something different for everybody. Some may take it literally and want to climb a mountain or go skydiving. Others might want to take the leap towards a lifelong goal, like starting a business, writing a book, or learning a new skill. Focusing on a specific goal is the key. Rather than saying something vague such as &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to be more adventurous,&rdquo; hone in on a specific target like &ldquo;I want to learn to scuba dive and take an excursion next year.&rdquo; If you need help taking aim at a specific goal, consider the following: Make a list of the dreams you had when you were younger that you may not have reflected on recently Write down the things you are passionate about that bring you joy today Observe those around you, such as friends, family, and colleagues. What things do you see others doing that inspire you or even make you feel envious at times? When we choose a focused, realistic goal, we can begin to map out a tangible game plan to reach this new benchmark. &nbsp; 3. Read About Others Who Have Reached This Goal Chances are, whatever goal you have in mind has been accomplished by someone else who was once in a similar beginner&rsquo;s position as you are right now. Seek out the stories of other adults who have achieved similar goals to you and learn from their experience. Check out our friends at GrowingBolder.com , where you will find countless stories of adults who have started a business for the first time, explored the world, gone back to school, learned a new instrument and so much more. Absorb the successes and failures of others to help form your own strategy. &nbsp; 4. Set Smaller Milestones By this point, you&rsquo;ve taken aim at the ultimate goal you&rsquo;d like to reach. While keeping that in mind, jot down a few smaller milestones you expect to hit along the way, with specific deadlines to reach them. For example, if your intention is to write and publish your first book, break the goal into smaller bites of the apple. Set an early ideas meeting with a friend you can bounce your writing ideas off of. Mark a date when your first three chapters of your book need to be written. Circle a day on the calendar where you will spend a few hours researching and contacting publishers. With each of these milestones, take a moment to reflect on the journey thus far. It&rsquo;s an opportunity to see how far you&rsquo;ve soared already, and also to identify the lessons you may have learned from obstacles and failures. &nbsp; 5. Share Your Journey Most experts point to having a community as the key to reaching new heights and maximizing potential. Tell supportive friends and family about your goal and your plan to reach it. Don&rsquo;t be surprised when some of them may even want to join in on the goal themselves. Not only will you gain additional motivation to achieve your goal and a source of support to communicate with along the way, but you may inspire a loved one to soar in their own way too. Thu, 14 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565835
<h2>5 Tips to Help You Reach New Heights</h2> <p>As 2023 comes to a close and we turn the page to a new year, many seize the opportunity for a timely, positive change. Whether you use the word resolutions, goals, change or simply call it a fresh start, this time of year is the perfect chance for reinvention.</p> <p>An ageist culture leads us to believe that our later years are a time to sit back, withdraw from anything risky or challenging, and just accept where we currently are in life. This couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth. It is never too late to make a change. No matter your age, life situation or the goals you have in mind, we can all reach new heights in the new year.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s a famous proverb that states, &ldquo;Potential can only materialize into achievement when you allow it to.&rdquo; Start by changing your mindset and believe that more is possible as you age, and then consider these five tips to target new achievements, seize your potential and reach new heights in 2024.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>1. Define Your Basecamp</strong></h3> <p>It&rsquo;s hard to know where you&rsquo;re going if you don&rsquo;t first identify where you&rsquo;re starting from. Take a moment for self-reflection and answer some questions about your journey to this point:</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">What are a few memorable moments in your life when you successfully tried something for the first time?</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">What were a few opportunities to achieve something that you missed in your life, whether by intention or indecision?</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">What personal qualities give you belief in your ability to raise the bar on your accomplishments? By establishing a basecamp, it will be easier to build towards your goals and lean on valuable past experiences and knowledge along the way.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>2. Take Aim at Where You&rsquo;d Like to Reach</strong></h3> <p>Reaching new heights can mean something different for everybody. Some may take it literally and want to climb a mountain or go skydiving. Others might want to take the leap towards a lifelong goal, like starting a business, writing a book, or learning a new skill. Focusing on a specific goal is the key. Rather than saying something vague such as &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to be more adventurous,&rdquo; hone in on a specific target like &ldquo;I want to learn to scuba dive and take an excursion next year.&rdquo;</p> <p>If you need help taking aim at a specific goal, consider the following:</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">Make a list of the dreams you had when you were younger that you may not have reflected on recently</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">Write down the things you are passionate about that bring you joy today</p> <p style="margin-left:40px">Observe those around you, such as friends, family, and colleagues. What things do you see others doing that inspire you or even make you feel envious at times?<br /> When we choose a focused, realistic goal, we can begin to map out a tangible game plan to reach this new benchmark.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>3. Read About Others Who Have Reached This Goal</strong></h3> <p>Chances are, whatever goal you have in mind has been accomplished by someone else who was once in a similar beginner&rsquo;s position as you are right now. Seek out the stories of other adults who have achieved similar goals to you and learn from their experience. Check out our friends at GrowingBolder.com , where you will find countless stories of adults who have started a business for the first time, explored the world, gone back to school, learned a new instrument and so much more. Absorb the successes and failures of others to help form your own strategy.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>4. Set Smaller Milestones</strong></h3> <p>By this point, you&rsquo;ve taken aim at the ultimate goal you&rsquo;d like to reach. While keeping that in mind, jot down a few smaller milestones you expect to hit along the way, with specific deadlines to reach them.</p> <p>For example, if your intention is to write and publish your first book, break the goal into smaller bites of the apple. Set an early ideas meeting with a friend you can bounce your writing ideas off of. Mark a date when your first three chapters of your book need to be written. Circle a day on the calendar where you will spend a few hours researching and contacting publishers.</p> <p>With each of these milestones, take a moment to reflect on the journey thus far. It&rsquo;s an opportunity to see how far you&rsquo;ve soared already, and also to identify the lessons you may have learned from obstacles and failures.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>5. Share Your Journey</strong></h3> <p>Most experts point to having a community as the key to reaching new heights and maximizing potential. Tell supportive friends and family about your goal and your plan to reach it. Don&rsquo;t be surprised when some of them may even want to join in on the goal themselves.</p> <p>Not only will you gain additional motivation to achieve your goal and a source of support to communicate with along the way, but you may inspire a loved one to soar in their own way too.</p>
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The Importance of Resiliency https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/12/07/the-importance-of-resiliency So, how is your comeback going? The truth is, most of us are in the middle of a comeback, right now. We&#39;re coming back from a broken heart or a broken leg. We&#39;re coming back from a bad investment, a bad accident, a bad childhood, a bad relationship or a bad experience. We&#39;re coming back from a 48-hour case of the flu or a year-long battle with cancer. We&#39;re coming back from the loss of a job or the loss of a friend. We are all in the ring battling life&#39;s never-ending challenges, and everyone has the choice to mount a comeback or accept a setback. How successful we are in bouncing back has a cumulative effect on how quickly we age, how long we maintain our independence and, ultimately, the overall quality of our lives moving forward. If you want to accept the impact of your most recent setback that is your right, but understand that life will continue to knock us down. There&#39;ll be another setback and then another and each one will extract active toll on the overall quality of your life. At some point we all have to surrender but for the vast majority of us that time is not now, not yet. Life requires resilience. More than a popular buzzword, resilience is the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. It&rsquo;s critically important as we age because it makes us better able to rebuild our lives after setbacks of any kind. The good news is that we all have the ability to develop resilience. The bad news is that we have to earn it by overcoming challenges. The road to resilience is paved with hardship. 67-year-old Paula Franetti knows that well. In 2016 she was blindsided by an oncoming car as she was driving. The horrific accident nearly crippled her for life. Remarkably she survived and recovered. It took five surgeries and multiple procedures, months in a wheelchair, and a lot of hard physical and mental work, along with support from family, friends and the medical community. But mostly it took the commitment to herself. The doctors put Paula&rsquo;s body back together, but they offered no guarantees. Paula did the rest, returning to competing on a masters basketball team at the National Senior Games. Today she uses the lessons she learned to help others recover, through her business, ReboundPlanner.com &ldquo;I&#39;ve been through probably the most catastrophic thing I&#39;ve ever experienced in my life and it can&#39;t get any worse than that,&rdquo; Franetti said. &ldquo;I want to live life to its very fullest from here on out. I don&#39;t know how many more years it&#39;s going to be, but I have a deeper appreciation for who I am and what I&#39;ve been able to achieve and how meaningful life is now.&rdquo; Darryl Perry is a former Florida Gators football player that suffered a near death experience. His heart went into cardiac arrest as he slept, his brain was deprived of oxygen and after life-saving measures, Perry went into a coma. Against all odds and the expectations of his doctors, weeks later Perry woke up...but to a different way of life than he had known. He had to learn to walk again, talk again and navigate life in a different way. His resilient, determined spirit and faith carried him forward. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very important for anyone who is facing a life-changing event to stay positive,&rdquo; said Perry. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care what&rsquo;s going on, you have to find the positive in it.&rdquo; If you want to continue living an active, engaged life and want to keep having adventures and spending time with those you love&mdash;doing what you love&mdash;resilience is critical. Unfortunately, having resilience doesn&#39;t mean you&rsquo;ll experience less distress, grief, or anxiety. It just means that you have the healthy coping skills that will allow you to not just bounce back but to emerge stronger than ever. For inspiration for your own comeback journey, enjoy these stories of &quot;Surviving and Thriving&quot; from our friends at Growing Bolder. Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565834
<h2>So, how is your comeback going?</h2> <p>The truth is, most of us are in the middle of a comeback, right now. We&#39;re coming back from a broken heart or a broken leg. We&#39;re coming back from a bad investment, a bad accident, a bad childhood, a bad relationship or a bad experience. We&#39;re coming back from a 48-hour case of the flu or a year-long battle with cancer. We&#39;re coming back from the loss of a job or the loss of a friend.</p> <p>We are all in the ring battling life&#39;s never-ending challenges, and everyone has the choice to mount a comeback or accept a setback. How successful we are in bouncing back has a cumulative effect on how quickly we age, how long we maintain our independence and, ultimately, the overall quality of our lives moving forward.</p> <p>If you want to accept the impact of your most recent setback that is your right, but understand that life will continue to knock us down. There&#39;ll be another setback and then another and each one will extract active toll on the overall quality of your life. At some point we all have to surrender but for the vast majority of us that time is not now, not yet.</p> <p>Life requires resilience. More than a popular buzzword, resilience is the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. It&rsquo;s critically important as we age because it makes us better able to rebuild our lives after setbacks of any kind. The good news is that we all have the ability to develop resilience. The bad news is that we have to earn it by overcoming challenges. The road to resilience is paved with hardship.</p> <p>67-year-old Paula Franetti knows that well. In 2016 she was blindsided by an oncoming car as she was driving. The horrific accident nearly crippled her for life. Remarkably she survived and recovered. It took five surgeries and multiple procedures, months in a wheelchair, and a lot of hard physical and mental work, along with support from family, friends and the medical community. But mostly it took the commitment to herself.</p> <p>The doctors put Paula&rsquo;s body back together, but they offered no guarantees. Paula did the rest, returning to competing on a masters basketball team at the National Senior Games. Today she uses the lessons she learned to help others recover, through her business, <a href="https://ReboundPlanner.com" target="_blank">ReboundPlanner.com</a></p> <p>&ldquo;I&#39;ve been through probably the most catastrophic thing I&#39;ve ever experienced in my life and it can&#39;t get any worse than that,&rdquo; Franetti said. &ldquo;I want to live life to its very fullest from here on out. I don&#39;t know how many more years it&#39;s going to be, but I have a deeper appreciation for who I am and what I&#39;ve been able to achieve and how meaningful life is now.&rdquo;</p> <p>Darryl Perry is a former Florida Gators football player that suffered a near death experience. His heart went into cardiac arrest as he slept, his brain was deprived of oxygen and after life-saving measures, Perry went into a coma. Against all odds and the expectations of his doctors, weeks later Perry woke up...but to a different way of life than he had known. He had to learn to walk again, talk again and navigate life in a different way. His resilient, determined spirit and faith carried him forward.</p> <p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very important for anyone who is facing a life-changing event to stay positive,&rdquo; said Perry. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care what&rsquo;s going on, you have to find the positive in it.&rdquo;</p> <p>If you want to continue living an active, engaged life and want to keep having adventures and spending time with those you love&mdash;doing what you love&mdash;resilience is critical. Unfortunately, having resilience doesn&#39;t mean you&rsquo;ll experience less distress, grief, or anxiety. It just means that you have the healthy coping skills that will allow you to not just bounce back but to emerge stronger than ever. For inspiration for your own comeback journey, enjoy these stories of &quot;<a href="https://growingbolder.com/gb-series/surviving-and-thriving/" target="_blank">Surviving and Thriving</a>&quot; from our friends at <a href="https://growingbolder.com" target="_blank">Growing Bolder</a>.</p>
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5 Keys for the Modern Caregiver https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/11/30/5-keys-for-the-modern-caregiver Caregiving is a journey that every one of us are likely to face in some fashion in our lives. As former First Lady of the U.S. and caregiving advocate Rosalynn Carter once said, &ldquo;There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.&rdquo; Caregivers are selfless individuals who provide an estimated $500 billion in unpaid care every year in the United States. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, nearly 26% of Americans report caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease. The caregiving journey can be frustrating and difficult to navigate. It can be tough on relationships and stretch finances. But it can also be one of life&rsquo;s greatest blessings, allowing us to create precious moments of joy for loved ones in our care when we learn to celebrate what remains instead of solely focusing on what&rsquo;s been lost. Amy Cameron O&rsquo;Rourke is a dedicated care manager with a passion for helping people and their loved ones find this peace and joy as they age. She is a best-selling author, a licensed nursing home administrator and a certified care manager with 40 years of experience helping families and individuals navigate the caregiving journey. By following Amy&rsquo;s five keys for the modern caregiver, she believes you can strengthen relationships and capture more moments of happiness as you help a loved one transition into a difficult stage of life. Understand The Fragile Years &ldquo;The Fragile years are a life stage,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. &ldquo;You&#39;ll see us slowing down. You&#39;ll see a reduction in activities. I think about my dad golfing five days a week, down to three days a week.&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says as the fragile years progress, it&rsquo;s natural for older adults to start to give up some of their independence and spend more time reminiscing and looking back. &ldquo;It&#39;s a natural stage. When I meet adult children who are caregivers, some say, &lsquo;I can&#39;t believe this, I wasn&#39;t expecting this.&rsquo; I&#39;m thinking, &lsquo;Oh, you need to know this is normal.&rsquo; Once they learn that it&#39;s normal, it calms everything down and then they can really be present.&rdquo; &nbsp; Minimize Medical Intervention &ldquo;When you&#39;re in the fragile years, it&rsquo;s key to find out what is important to the older adult. Do they want to watch TV? Do they want to walk? What do they want to do?&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke explained. &ldquo;Then when you&#39;re interfacing with the acute medical systems, if one of those treatments is going to interfere with that love of what they want to do, you may not want to do it. Because your priority is thinking, &lsquo;Well, how do they want to function?&rsquo; So &lsquo;less is more&rsquo; becomes the key in this time of life.&rdquo; &nbsp; Manage Expectations &ldquo;Everybody has anxiety, and everybody has expectations that they want met, and they usually collide. You need to ask yourself, &lsquo;What&#39;s realistic?&rsquo; If you want your mom or dad to go to the gym six days a week, is that realistic?&rdquo; asked O&rsquo;Rourke. O&rsquo;Rourke says that a common mistake she has seen caregivers make is that they try to make changes that are too big and overwhelm the older adult. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s an example,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. &ldquo;Mom is falling down. I want her to move to assisted living so she will stop falling. That&#39;s extreme. And also, people can fall in assisted living. So, it&#39;s an extreme solution and it&#39;s too much, too fast, for the older adult to even absorb because they have their own expectations.&rdquo; &nbsp; Manage Your Energy O&rsquo;Rourke says it is crucial that caregivers manage their own energy and take emotional and physical breaks and ask for help when they need it. &ldquo;I was in a meeting with a daughter who&#39;s crying her eyes out. She&#39;s working full time, her dad lives across the street, her mom is in a nursing home and she hasn&#39;t stopped any of her normal activities. She&#39;s sobbing from fatigue, but she hasn&#39;t really learned how to manage her own energy. She needs help with her dad, she needs help with her mom, she needs help with herself,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke revealed. &ldquo;By the end of our meeting, she could see that she couldn&#39;t sustain all the things she was doing, because you only have a limited amount of energy in a day. And she felt tremendous relief knowing &lsquo;It&rsquo;s okay to ask for help. I don&#39;t have to walk around so fatigued all the time.&rsquo; Because what happens is they get mad, and they don&#39;t want to get mad at the person they&#39;re caring for.&rdquo; &nbsp; Knowing What To Do When All Else Fails &ldquo;My final key is for people to realize that all their interventions, all their help and support might not get their parent to where they need to be,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. She recommends that caregivers investigate areas like home care, nursing homes, and assisted living, even before they think their loved one might need it. &ldquo;Find out the options for support ahead of time. That way when crisis hits, you&rsquo;ve done your research and you can just be there for them,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke continued. Of course, O&rsquo;Rourke acknowledges that not every loved one is going to agree with their caregiver on the best course of action. The key, she says, is to be flexible and to continue to value the relationship. &ldquo;Don&#39;t leave your parent because they&#39;re not doing what you think they should do. Just continue to be there and don&#39;t lose that connection. You just have to let go of thinking you&rsquo;re not getting what you want.&rdquo; To hear more from Amy O&rsquo;Rourke and to learn more, check out the Art of Caregiving Online Summit with our friends at Growing Bolder. ol > li::marker { font-weight: bold; } Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:45:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565833
<p>Caregiving is a journey that every one of us are likely to face in some fashion in our lives. As former First Lady of the U.S. and caregiving advocate Rosalynn Carter once said, &ldquo;There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.&rdquo;</p> <p>Caregivers are selfless individuals who provide an estimated $500 billion in unpaid care every year in the United States. According to the <a href="https://www.caregiving.org/research/caregiving-in-the-us/caregiving-in-the-us-2020/" target="_blank">National Alliance for Caregiving</a>, nearly 26% of Americans report caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease.</p> <p>The caregiving journey can be frustrating and difficult to navigate. It can be tough on relationships and stretch finances. But it can also be one of life&rsquo;s greatest blessings, allowing us to create precious moments of joy for loved ones in our care when we learn to celebrate what remains instead of solely focusing on what&rsquo;s been lost.</p> <p>Amy Cameron O&rsquo;Rourke is a dedicated care manager with a passion for helping people and their loved ones find this peace and joy as they age. She is a best-selling author, a licensed nursing home administrator and a certified care manager with 40 years of experience helping families and individuals navigate the caregiving journey.</p> <p>By following Amy&rsquo;s five keys for the modern caregiver, she believes you can strengthen relationships and capture more moments of happiness as you help a loved one transition into a difficult stage of life.</p> <ol> <li><strong>Understand The Fragile Years</strong><br /> <br /> &ldquo;The Fragile years are a life stage,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. &ldquo;You&#39;ll see us slowing down. You&#39;ll see a reduction in activities. I think about my dad golfing five days a week, down to three days a week.&rdquo;<br /> <br /> O&rsquo;Rourke says as the fragile years progress, it&rsquo;s natural for older adults to start to give up some of their independence and spend more time reminiscing and looking back.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;It&#39;s a natural stage. When I meet adult children who are caregivers, some say, &lsquo;I can&#39;t believe this, I wasn&#39;t expecting this.&rsquo; I&#39;m thinking, &lsquo;Oh, you need to know this is normal.&rsquo; Once they learn that it&#39;s normal, it calms everything down and then they can really be present.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Minimize Medical Intervention</strong><br /> <br /> &ldquo;When you&#39;re in the fragile years, it&rsquo;s key to find out what is important to the older adult. Do they want to watch TV? Do they want to walk? What do they want to do?&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke explained.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;Then when you&#39;re interfacing with the acute medical systems, if one of those treatments is going to interfere with that love of what they want to do, you may not want to do it. Because your priority is thinking, &lsquo;Well, how do they want to function?&rsquo; So &lsquo;less is more&rsquo; becomes the key in this time of life.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Manage Expectations</strong><br /> <br /> &ldquo;Everybody has anxiety, and everybody has expectations that they want met, and they usually collide. You need to ask yourself, &lsquo;What&#39;s realistic?&rsquo; If you want your mom or dad to go to the gym six days a week, is that realistic?&rdquo; asked O&rsquo;Rourke.<br /> <br /> O&rsquo;Rourke says that a common mistake she has seen caregivers make is that they try to make changes that are too big and overwhelm the older adult.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s an example,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. &ldquo;Mom is falling down. I want her to move to assisted living so she will stop falling. That&#39;s extreme. And also, people can fall in assisted living. So, it&#39;s an extreme solution and it&#39;s too much, too fast, for the older adult to even absorb because they have their own expectations.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Manage Your Energy</strong><br /> <br /> O&rsquo;Rourke says it is crucial that caregivers manage their own energy and take emotional and physical breaks and ask for help when they need it.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;I was in a meeting with a daughter who&#39;s crying her eyes out. She&#39;s working full time, her dad lives across the street, her mom is in a nursing home and she hasn&#39;t stopped any of her normal activities. She&#39;s sobbing from fatigue, but she hasn&#39;t really learned how to manage her own energy. She needs help with her dad, she needs help with her mom, she needs help with herself,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke revealed.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;By the end of our meeting, she could see that she couldn&#39;t sustain all the things she was doing, because you only have a limited amount of energy in a day. And she felt tremendous relief knowing &lsquo;It&rsquo;s okay to ask for help. I don&#39;t have to walk around so fatigued all the time.&rsquo; Because what happens is they get mad, and they don&#39;t want to get mad at the person they&#39;re caring for.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Knowing What To Do When All Else Fails</strong><br /> <br /> &ldquo;My final key is for people to realize that all their interventions, all their help and support might not get their parent to where they need to be,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke says. She recommends that caregivers investigate areas like home care, nursing homes, and assisted living, even before they think their loved one might need it.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;Find out the options for support ahead of time. That way when crisis hits, you&rsquo;ve done your research and you can just be there for them,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Rourke continued.<br /> <br /> Of course, O&rsquo;Rourke acknowledges that not every loved one is going to agree with their caregiver on the best course of action. The key, she says, is to be flexible and to continue to value the relationship.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;Don&#39;t leave your parent because they&#39;re not doing what you think they should do. Just continue to be there and don&#39;t lose that connection. You just have to let go of thinking you&rsquo;re not getting what you want.&rdquo;</li> </ol> <p>To hear more from Amy O&rsquo;Rourke and to learn more, check out the <a href="https://growingbolder.com/caregiving/" target="_blank">Art of Caregiving Online Summit</a> with our friends at Growing Bolder.</p> <style type="text/css">ol > li::marker { font-weight: bold; } </style>
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The New Age of Aging https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/11/22/the-new-age-of-aging New Study Reveals Dramatic Shift in the Ways Americans Look at Their Later Years Scientists and sociologists tell us that there is an entirely new life stage that has never before existed. &nbsp;A life stage after the age of 65 that&rsquo;s filled with opportunity and possibility. They tell us that it&rsquo;s no longer uncommon to live two, three, and even four decades beyond what is considered &ldquo;normal&rdquo; retirement age. That&rsquo;s longer than the time many of us spend in our careers. Hearing that more is possible from researchers is encouraging but hearing it from ordinary people who are experiencing it is far more impactful. Age Wave, the nation&rsquo;s foremost thought leader on aging and its many implications recently published a study called The New Age of Aging that reveals a dramatic shift in the way ordinary Americans define old age and envision the possibilities of the later years of life. The results of the study underscore the value of change and the importance of successfully transitioning into this new life stage. Four Key Findings from The New Age of Aging: &ldquo;Old&rdquo; Isn&rsquo;t What It Used to Be If you think you&rsquo;re nothing like your parents or grandparents were at your age, you&rsquo;re probably right. The study found that while age 60 was considered &ldquo;old&rdquo; in their grandparents&rsquo; time, age 80 is now considered the median age for &ldquo;old.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s a life-changing shift in perspective because our belief system about aging has a major impact upon how we age. Research proves that those with a positive view of aging live, on average, seven and a half years longer than those with a negative view. &nbsp; Retirement Isn&rsquo;t What It Used to Be The study reveals a major change in the way retirement is perceived. It&rsquo;s no longer considered a time exclusively for rest and relaxation 24/7. &nbsp;Two-thirds of Americans age 50+ now view retirement as a new chapter in life, with the majority wanting to continue working in some fashion -- full-time, part-time, or cycling in and out of work. The nature of post-retirement work is also changing. Increasingly, retirement is less about success and more about significance. The study finds that 83% of U.S. adults 65+ say it&rsquo;s more important for them to feel useful than youthful in their retirement years. &nbsp; Happiness Soars with Age Forget the stereotype of the unhappy, bitter, and ill-tempered curmudgeon. Today&rsquo;s older adults are literally happier and more optimistic about their future than ever. Seventy-one percent of Americans 65+ say the best time of their lives is right now or in front of them. Of course, not everyone has the same life experience but, in general, as we age, we tend to become more aware of the smaller things in life bringing us greater pleasure. We realize that less is more and focus on that which matters most &ndash; family, friends, passion, and purpose. The study adds to the rapidly growing body of research that reveals the importance that purpose and social connections play in our lives. Having a strong sense of purpose in our later years enhances our health and well-being and may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer&#39;s, heart disease, and stroke1 while social isolation has been found to be more deadly than smoking cigarettes2. &nbsp; 1Irving, J., Davis, S., Collier, A. Aging with purpose: systematic search and review of literature pertaining to older adults and purpose. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 2017. 2Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., Layton, J.B., Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLOS Medicine. 2010. &nbsp; Life Lessons are Our Most Important Legacy As we age, we become more aware of leaving a legacy and we wonder if we have enough or have done enough to be remembered. The Age Wave study shows that 65% of adults 50+ think that values and life lessons are the most important thing to pass on to their heirs and loved ones. Only 22% said financial assets and/or real estate were the most important. Kindness, honesty, thoughtfulness, positivity, fearlessness, and loyalty. These are all powerful and impactful legacies that we can all aspire to. &nbsp; This encouraging study concludes that, &quot;Aging most definitely isn&rsquo;t what it used to be. It is an emotional ascent and a time of peak happiness and freedom.&quot; Don&rsquo;t fear life&rsquo;s transitions. They are not the beginning of the end. They are the beginning of what&rsquo;s next and increasingly that&rsquo;s the happiest and most rewarding time of our lives. If you, a family member, or friend are ready for what&rsquo;s next, the experts at Caring Transitions can help. Our team will create an individualized plan that meets your specific needs, to help you make a smooth, stress-free transition into your next living situation. There are more than 300 locations nationwide, specializing in senior relocation, estate sales, downsizing and so much more. Welcome to The New Age of Aging. ol > li::marker { font-weight: bold; } Wed, 22 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565831
<h3 style="color:#9f2241">New Study Reveals Dramatic Shift in the Ways Americans Look at Their Later Years</h3> <p>Scientists and sociologists tell us that there is an entirely new life stage that has never before existed. &nbsp;A life stage after the age of 65 that&rsquo;s filled with opportunity and possibility. They tell us that it&rsquo;s no longer uncommon to live two, three, and even four decades beyond what is considered &ldquo;normal&rdquo; retirement age. That&rsquo;s longer than the time many of us spend in our careers.</p> <p>Hearing that more is possible from researchers is encouraging but hearing it from ordinary people who are experiencing it is far more impactful.</p> <p>Age Wave, the nation&rsquo;s foremost thought leader on aging and its many implications recently published a study called <a href="https://agewave.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/08-07-23-Age-Wave-The-New-Age-of-Aging-Report_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><em>The New Age of Aging</em></a> that reveals a dramatic shift in the way ordinary Americans define old age and envision the possibilities of the later years of life. The results of the study underscore the value of change and the importance of successfully transitioning into this new life stage.</p> <h3 style="color:#9f2241">Four Key Findings from The New Age of Aging:</h3> <ol> <li><strong>&ldquo;Old&rdquo; Isn&rsquo;t What It Used to Be</strong><br /> If you think you&rsquo;re nothing like your parents or grandparents were at your age, you&rsquo;re probably right. The study found that while age 60 was considered &ldquo;old&rdquo; in their grandparents&rsquo; time, age 80 is now considered the median age for &ldquo;old.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s a life-changing shift in perspective because our belief system about aging has a major impact upon how we age. Research proves that those with a positive view of aging live, on average, seven and a half years longer than those with a negative view.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Retirement Isn&rsquo;t What It Used to Be</strong><br /> The study reveals a major change in the way retirement is perceived. It&rsquo;s no longer considered a time exclusively for rest and relaxation 24/7. &nbsp;Two-thirds of Americans age 50+ now view retirement as a new chapter in life, with the majority wanting to continue working in some fashion -- full-time, part-time, or cycling in and out of work.<br /> <br /> The nature of post-retirement work is also changing. Increasingly, retirement is less about success and more about significance. The study finds that 83% of U.S. adults 65+ say it&rsquo;s more important for them to feel useful than youthful in their retirement years.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Happiness Soars with Age</strong><br /> Forget the stereotype of the unhappy, bitter, and ill-tempered curmudgeon. Today&rsquo;s older adults are literally happier and more optimistic about their future than ever. Seventy-one percent of Americans 65+ say the best time of their lives is right now or in front of them. Of course, not everyone has the same life experience but, in general, as we age, we tend to become more aware of the smaller things in life bringing us greater pleasure. We realize that less is more and focus on that which matters most &ndash; family, friends, passion, and purpose.<br /> <br /> The study adds to the rapidly growing body of research that reveals the importance that purpose and social connections play in our lives. Having a strong sense of purpose in our later years enhances our health and well-being and may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer&#39;s, heart disease, and stroke<sup>1</sup> while social isolation has been found to be more deadly than smoking cigarettes<sup>2</sup>.<br /> &nbsp; <blockquote><sup>1</sup>Irving, J., Davis, S., Collier, A. Aging with purpose: systematic search and review of literature pertaining to older adults and purpose. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 2017.<br /> <br /> <sup>2</sup>Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., Layton, J.B., Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLOS Medicine. 2010.</blockquote> &nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Life Lessons are Our Most Important Legacy</strong><br /> As we age, we become more aware of leaving a legacy and we wonder if we have enough or have done enough to be remembered. The Age Wave study shows that 65% of adults 50+ think that values and life lessons are the most important thing to pass on to their heirs and loved ones. Only 22% said financial assets and/or real estate were the most important. Kindness, honesty, thoughtfulness, positivity, fearlessness, and loyalty. These are all powerful and impactful legacies that we can all aspire to.<br /> &nbsp;</li> </ol> <p>This encouraging study concludes that, &quot;Aging most definitely isn&rsquo;t what it used to be. It is an emotional ascent and a time of peak happiness and freedom.&quot;</p> <p>Don&rsquo;t fear life&rsquo;s transitions. They are not the beginning of the end. They are the beginning of what&rsquo;s next and increasingly that&rsquo;s the happiest and most rewarding time of our lives.</p> <p>If you, a family member, or friend are ready for what&rsquo;s next, the experts at <a href="https://www.caringtransitions.com/">Caring Transitions</a> can help. Our team will create an individualized plan that meets your specific needs, to help you make a smooth, stress-free transition into your next living situation. There are more than 300 locations nationwide, specializing in senior relocation, estate sales, downsizing and so much more. Welcome to The New Age of Aging.</p> <style type="text/css">ol > li::marker { font-weight: bold; } </style>
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The Importance of Making & Keeping Adult Friendships https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/11/16/the-importance-of-making-keeping-adult-friendships 3 Practices to Embrace + Common Mistakes to Avoid For many, making friends seemed a lot easier when we were kids than it is now in adulthood. Raising families and long work hours have taken priority over maintaining friendships. And yet, medical experts report that social connection is essential to our overall physical and emotional wellness, especially as we age. Transitioning into retirement or other lifestyle shifts may change the circles of people we&rsquo;re with. If the idea of making and keeping close friends seems difficult, good news. Dr. Marisa Franco, a psychologist and professor, wrote a bestselling book that addresses this very issue - Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends. In an interview for the Growing Bolder podcast, she shared advice on improving our social abilities. 3 Practices to Make Adult Friends &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t assume it happens organically,&rdquo; Dr. Franco explained. &ldquo;It did when we were kids because we saw each other every day and we were vulnerable, and that creates organic connection. We don&rsquo;t have that as adults. That infrastructure&rsquo;s not there. You can&rsquo;t just rely on things happening organically.&rdquo; &ldquo;Assume that people like you. When researchers told people to assume this, they became warmer, friendlier, and more open when they went in to interact with a group, and it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.&rdquo; &ldquo;Join something that is repeated over time, because you capitalize on something called the &lsquo;mere exposure effect.&rsquo; Our unconscious tendency to like people that are familiar,&rdquo; Dr. Franco explained. &ldquo;Once you join that repeated group, maybe it&rsquo;s a hobby that you do in community with others, generate exclusivity by asking people to hang out one-on-one before or after the group.&rdquo; By following these three keys, Dr. Franco believes the important challenge of making adult friendships can become easier for all of us and create opportunities to change our lives for the better. In addition to her suggestions of practices to adopt, she also offered advice on the pitfalls to avoid. Common Mistakes to Avoid &ldquo;I used to think that I can make friends if I come off as smart, insightful, funny, persuasive, entertaining. But in fact, this is the least valuable quality people report in their friendships,&rdquo; Dr. Franco said. &ldquo;The most valuable quality is people want to be around someone who makes them feel like they matter. Being good at friendships is less about who you are, and more about how you treat people.&rdquo; Dr. Franco revealed that many times our own self-doubts likely get in the way of focusing on others in the right ways. We can get caught up in how people are treating us if they are reaching out to us and how they make us feel, and neglect holding ourselves accountable for how we are treating others. &ldquo;For me in college, going into a social group, I would just be like, &lsquo;Everybody&rsquo;s clingy, nobody introduced themselves to me, I feel lonely.&rsquo; But did I introduce myself to anyone else? Did I make anyone else feel like they belong? I didn&rsquo;t. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our egocentric bias. We think so much more about how people affect us and so much less about how we&rsquo;re affecting people. To be a good friend, we need to think more about how we&rsquo;re affecting people and whether we are making them feel loved and valued.&rdquo; The Health Benefits of Keeping Adult Friendships While it can be intimidating to open ourselves up to others, Dr. Franco pointed to research that shows just how crucial adult friendships are to our overall health and wellbeing. Dr. Franco calls loneliness &ldquo;one of the biggest predictors of mortality,&rdquo; even more so than diet and exercise. Research shows that diet and exercise have a 20% to 30% impact on how long we live, while social connection affects our longevity by 40% to 45%. That means one of the best things we could do for our health is really to stay socially connected. &ldquo;I call loneliness, not just a state of mind, but a way of viewing the world. You actually report liking other people less and having less compassion for humanity. You focus less on others in social interactions and more on yourself, because you get into this really self-protective place. Your body&rsquo;s working on overdrive because you&rsquo;re in a state of threat for a prolonged period of time that promotes a lot of wear and tear on your body. By making and keeping adult friends, Dr. Franco believes that not only will the quantity of years you have left increase, but the quality of those years will grow as well. Thu, 16 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565830
<h2>3 Practices to Embrace + Common Mistakes to Avoid</h2> <p>For many, making friends seemed a lot easier when we were kids than it is now in adulthood. Raising families and long work hours have taken priority over maintaining friendships. And yet, medical experts report that social connection is essential to our overall physical and emotional wellness, especially as we age.</p> <p>Transitioning into retirement or other lifestyle shifts may change the circles of people we&rsquo;re with. If the idea of making and keeping close friends seems difficult, good news. Dr. Marisa Franco, a psychologist and professor, wrote a bestselling book that addresses this very issue - Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends. In an interview for the Growing Bolder podcast, she shared advice on improving our social abilities.</p> <h3>3 Practices to Make Adult Friends</h3> <ol> <li>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t assume it happens organically,&rdquo; Dr. Franco explained. &ldquo;It did when we were kids because we saw each other every day and we were vulnerable, and that creates organic connection. We don&rsquo;t have that as adults. That infrastructure&rsquo;s not there. You can&rsquo;t just rely on things happening organically.&rdquo;</li> <li>&ldquo;Assume that people like you. When researchers told people to assume this, they became warmer, friendlier, and more open when they went in to interact with a group, and it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.&rdquo;</li> <li>&ldquo;Join something that is repeated over time, because you capitalize on something called the &lsquo;mere exposure effect.&rsquo; Our unconscious tendency to like people that are familiar,&rdquo; Dr. Franco explained. &ldquo;Once you join that repeated group, maybe it&rsquo;s a hobby that you do in community with others, generate exclusivity by asking people to hang out one-on-one before or after the group.&rdquo;</li> </ol> <p>By following these three keys, Dr. Franco believes the important challenge of making adult friendships can become easier for all of us and create opportunities to change our lives for the better. In addition to her suggestions of practices to adopt, she also offered advice on the pitfalls to avoid.</p> <h3>Common Mistakes to Avoid</h3> <p>&ldquo;I used to think that I can make friends if I come off as smart, insightful, funny, persuasive, entertaining. But in fact, this is the least valuable quality people report in their friendships,&rdquo; Dr. Franco said. &ldquo;The most valuable quality is people want to be around someone who makes them feel like they matter. Being good at friendships is less about who you are, and more about how you treat people.&rdquo;</p> <p>Dr. Franco revealed that many times our own self-doubts likely get in the way of focusing on others in the right ways. We can get caught up in how people are treating us if they are reaching out to us and how they make us feel, and neglect holding ourselves accountable for how we are treating others.</p> <p>&ldquo;For me in college, going into a social group, I would just be like, &lsquo;Everybody&rsquo;s clingy, nobody introduced themselves to me, I feel lonely.&rsquo; But did I introduce myself to anyone else? Did I make anyone else feel like they belong? I didn&rsquo;t.</p> <p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s our egocentric bias. We think so much more about how people affect us and so much less about how we&rsquo;re affecting people. To be a good friend, we need to think more about how we&rsquo;re affecting people and whether we are making them feel loved and valued.&rdquo;</p> <h3>The Health Benefits of Keeping Adult Friendships</h3> <p>While it can be intimidating to open ourselves up to others, Dr. Franco pointed to research that shows just how crucial adult friendships are to our overall health and wellbeing.</p> <p>Dr. Franco calls loneliness &ldquo;one of the biggest predictors of mortality,&rdquo; even more so than diet and exercise. Research shows that diet and exercise have a 20% to 30% impact on how long we live, while social connection affects our longevity by 40% to 45%. That means one of the best things we could do for our health is really to stay socially connected.</p> <p>&ldquo;I call loneliness, not just a state of mind, but a way of viewing the world. You actually report liking other people less and having less compassion for humanity. You focus less on others in social interactions and more on yourself, because you get into this really self-protective place. Your body&rsquo;s working on overdrive because you&rsquo;re in a state of threat for a prolonged period of time that promotes a lot of wear and tear on your body.</p> <p>By making and keeping adult friends, Dr. Franco believes that not only will the quantity of years you have left increase, but the quality of those years will grow as well.</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_11-16-23.jpg
5 Ways to Practice Gratitude https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/11/10/5-ways-to-practice-gratitude Even during transitions, there&rsquo;s something to be thankful for Gratitude is one of the healthiest qualities and emotions available to all. Being grateful improves relationships, relieves stress, improves self-esteem, and even boosts our immune system. While it is a big key to a happy life, thankfulness is often something that takes daily focus and practice, especially when going through a transition. Turning the chapter to your next adventure can bring a mixture of emotions. Whether you are deciding to downsize, looking to relocate to a new home, or helping a parent move to a new community, it can be both exciting and overwhelming to try to imagine the future. When faced with these times, reflecting on the reasons you have to feel grateful can help to embrace change. When we focus more on what we have, and less on what we lack, we gain perspective for the good things and the loved ones in our life. Here are five of our favorite ways to practice gratitude: &nbsp; 1. Start a Gratitude Journal or Jar One of the most popular ways to practice gratitude is creating a ritual to write down the things you are thankful for every day. Some find that keeping a journal helps to focus the mind, to write down an entry from each day about what you were thankful for. Others have found success by keeping a jar in their house, where each day they drop in a scrap of paper that they&rsquo;ve written a quick note on. The key is to stay consistent with your daily writing ritual, and to carve out time to sit and read back all you&rsquo;ve written, whether it is at the end of every week, month or year, to reflect on all the good in your life. &nbsp; 2. Find Inspirational Media As wonderful as technology has been to connect the modern world, it is often easy to be sucked into negative media outlets. Instead of fighting with anonymous &ldquo;trolls,&rdquo; reading comment-board clashes or searching for celebrity gossip, devote your time spent on media outlets that promote inspiration and thankfulness. Check out stories of others who have embraced life&rsquo;s transitions with optimism and enthusiasm with our friends at Growing Bolder. Try finding a podcast focused on gratitude like &ldquo;Good Life Project,&rdquo; &ldquo;Ten Percent Happier,&rdquo; or &ldquo;The Science of Happiness.&rdquo; To improve the time spent on your phone, try downloading an app designed to focus the mind on thankfulness, like the &ldquo;Gratitude App&rdquo; or &ldquo;Presently.&rdquo; &nbsp; 3. Give Back A great way to recognize all the things to be thankful for is through volunteering and giving back to others. Not only is it a grounding experience, volunteering offers perspective to view life through someone else&rsquo;s eyes. Whether it is cleaning up our planet, helping someone in need, or simply assisting a neighbor, there are volunteer opportunities in every neighborhood that can enlighten your own view on the world. &nbsp; 4. Connect with Your Spiritual Side There are countless ways to connect with your inner spirit. It could be in a formal or informal religious community, simply walking in nature, practicing meditation, or even time spent observing the stars. Whatever best aligns with your belief system, focusing on spirituality offers time for pause and reflection, and helps to look at our surroundings and appreciate our place in the universe. It allows a chance to slow down and think about the things bigger than ourselves and form a better perspective on the things that matter most in life. &nbsp; 5. Change Your Language No, this doesn&rsquo;t mean learning Spanish, French or Portuguese. Instead, begin paying close attention to your word choices every day. Start by just making sure you say &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; every time someone does something for you &mdash; even the smallest gestures done by family members. Remove yourself from situations focused on gossip or complaints. When you acknowledge something negative, such as an ache or a pain in your body, try to balance it out with a positive, like identifying how nice it is to be able to be enjoying the fresh air. In the end, you are reframing your brain and how you view the world. It&rsquo;ll become easier each day to become more appreciative of others when you start with the words coming out of your own mouth. Fri, 10 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565829
<h2>Even during transitions, there&rsquo;s something to be thankful for</h2> <p>Gratitude is one of the healthiest qualities and emotions available to all. Being grateful improves relationships, relieves stress, improves self-esteem, and even <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-gratitude-practice#benefits" target="_blank">boosts our immune system</a>. While it is a big key to a happy life, thankfulness is often something that takes daily focus and practice, especially when going through a transition.</p> <p>Turning the chapter to your next adventure can bring a mixture of emotions. Whether you are deciding to downsize, looking to relocate to a new home, or helping a parent move to a new community, it can be both exciting and overwhelming to try to imagine the future.</p> <p>When faced with these times, reflecting on the reasons you have to feel grateful can help to embrace change. When we focus more on what we have, and less on what we lack, we gain perspective for the good things and the loved ones in our life.</p> <p>Here are five of our favorite ways to practice gratitude:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="color:var(--brand-red)">1. Start a Gratitude Journal or Jar</h3> <p>One of the most popular ways to practice gratitude is creating a ritual to write down the things you are thankful for every day. Some find that keeping a journal helps to focus the mind, to write down an entry from each day about what you were thankful for. Others have found success by keeping a jar in their house, where each day they drop in a scrap of paper that they&rsquo;ve written a quick note on. The key is to stay consistent with your daily writing ritual, and to carve out time to sit and read back all you&rsquo;ve written, whether it is at the end of every week, month or year, to reflect on all the good in your life.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="color:var(--brand-red)">2. Find Inspirational Media</h3> <p>As wonderful as technology has been to connect the modern world, it is often easy to be sucked into negative media outlets. Instead of fighting with anonymous &ldquo;trolls,&rdquo; reading comment-board clashes or searching for celebrity gossip, devote your time spent on media outlets that promote inspiration and thankfulness.</p> <p>Check out stories of others who have embraced life&rsquo;s transitions with optimism and enthusiasm with our friends at <a href="https://growingbolder.com/caring-transitions/" target="_blank">Growing Bolder</a>. Try finding a podcast focused on gratitude like &ldquo;<strong>Good Life Project</strong>,&rdquo; &ldquo;<strong>Ten Percent Happier</strong>,&rdquo; or &ldquo;<strong>The Science of Happiness</strong>.&rdquo; To improve the time spent on your phone, try downloading an app designed to focus the mind on thankfulness, like the &ldquo;<strong>Gratitude App</strong>&rdquo; or &ldquo;<strong>Presently</strong>.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="color:var(--brand-red)">3. Give Back</h3> <p>A great way to recognize all the things to be thankful for is through volunteering and giving back to others. Not only is it a grounding experience, volunteering offers perspective to view life through someone else&rsquo;s eyes. Whether it is cleaning up our planet, helping someone in need, or simply assisting a neighbor, there are volunteer opportunities in every neighborhood that can enlighten your own view on the world.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="color:var(--brand-red)">4. Connect with Your Spiritual Side</h3> <p>There are countless ways to connect with your inner spirit. It could be in a formal or informal religious community, simply walking in nature, practicing meditation, or even time spent observing the stars. Whatever best aligns with your belief system, focusing on spirituality offers time for pause and reflection, and helps to look at our surroundings and appreciate our place in the universe. It allows a chance to slow down and think about the things bigger than ourselves and form a better perspective on the things that matter most in life.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="color:var(--brand-red)">5. Change Your Language</h3> <p>No, this doesn&rsquo;t mean learning Spanish, French or Portuguese. Instead, begin paying close attention to your word choices every day. Start by just making sure you say &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; every time someone does something for you &mdash; even the smallest gestures done by family members. Remove yourself from situations focused on gossip or complaints. When you acknowledge something negative, such as an ache or a pain in your body, try to balance it out with a positive, like identifying how nice it is to be able to be enjoying the fresh air. In the end, you are reframing your brain and how you view the world. It&rsquo;ll become easier each day to become more appreciative of others when you start with the words coming out of your own mouth.</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_11-10-23.jpg
The Power of Yes and The Necessity of No https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/11/03/the-power-of-yes-and-the-necessity-of-no One of the most important skills to develop as we age is the ability to say, &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; One of the most important skills to develop as we age is the ability to say, &ldquo;No!&rdquo; That&rsquo;s the yes/no paradox. Learning to say yes invites people, possibility, and opportunity into our lives. Learning to say no ensures that we&rsquo;re focusing on the people, possibilities, and opportunities that align with our values. Saying yes helps build and maintain relationships, leads to lifelong learning, and overall well-being. It&rsquo;s the surest way to discover our passions and purpose. But saying yes too often or to the wrong things quickly results in becoming over-committed, over-extended and overwhelmed. Saying no enables us, and not others, to manage our time and energy. Saying yes keeps us socially engaged while saying no will help ensure that those we engage with bring value to our lives. In other words, it&rsquo;s important that we pick our friends wisely. Entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn famously said that we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. Passion, enthusiasm, and optimism are the contagious cornerstones of health and well-being, making it important that we say yes to those who share our enthusiasm for life and learn to say no to those who are pessimistic, inactive, and unhealthy. Saying yes is a byproduct of curiosity, which may be the single most important trait that&rsquo;s shared by successful people. Colleagues of Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson refer to him as &ldquo;Dr. Yes.&rdquo; Branson believes in the power of yes because, &ldquo;Opportunity favors the bold &mdash; a lesson that I learned early on and have used to guide the Virgin story.&rdquo; Saying yes means risking failure and embarrassment, but to be afraid to fail is to be afraid to live. A key to embracing the power of yes is developing a beginner&rsquo;s mindset which is open to new ideas and understands that failure is nothing more than feedback. We learn and grow by trying, failing, and persisting. Those who eventually become good at something are simply those who were OK with being bad at it for a while. If we can&rsquo;t deal with failure, we&rsquo;ll never know success. Yes or no is a never-ending choice that we all make throughout our lives. Understanding the potential impact of that choice is an important life skill. Steve Jobs once said, &ldquo;Remembering that I&rsquo;ll be dead soon is the most important tool I&rsquo;ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.&rdquo; Our time here is limited. Yes and no are the gatekeepers that guard our time, energy, and focus. It&rsquo;s important to not just say yes to new experiences but also to accepting help and support from others; especially when it comes to life&rsquo;s many transitions later in life. There are many benefits to adapting your home lifestyle in your later years, but it can be overwhelming to undertake on your own. Whether it is decluttering from years of accumulated odds and ends, deciding to downsize after your children have grown, or even relocating to a new community or entirely new state as you grow older, you don&rsquo;t have to do it alone. Say yes to accepting help from the experts at Caring Transitions. Our team will create an individualized plan that meets your specific needs, to help you make a smooth, stress-free transition into your next living situation. There are more than 300 locations nationwide, specializing in senior relocation, estate sales, downsizing and so much more. No matter what your next decision is that has you navigating the yes/no paradox, consider this: instead of imagining the worst that might happen, imagine the best. Instead of asking, why? Ask yourself why not Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565828 Say Yes,Say No
<p style="margin-bottom:16px; margin-top:16px">One of the most important skills to develop as we age is the ability to say, &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; One of the most important skills to develop as we age is the ability to say, &ldquo;No!&rdquo;</p> <p>That&rsquo;s the yes/no paradox. Learning to say yes invites people, possibility, and opportunity into our lives. Learning to say no ensures that we&rsquo;re focusing on the people, possibilities, and opportunities that align with our values.</p> <p>Saying yes helps build and maintain relationships, leads to lifelong learning, and overall well-being. It&rsquo;s the surest way to discover our passions and purpose. But saying yes too often or to the wrong things quickly results in becoming over-committed, over-extended and overwhelmed. Saying no enables us, and not others, to manage our time and energy.</p> <p>Saying yes keeps us socially engaged while saying no will help ensure that those we engage with bring value to our lives. In other words, it&rsquo;s important that we pick our friends wisely. Entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn famously said that we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. Passion, enthusiasm, and optimism are the contagious cornerstones of health and well-being, making it important that we say yes to those who share our enthusiasm for life and learn to say no to those who are pessimistic, inactive, and unhealthy.</p> <p>Saying yes is a byproduct of curiosity, which may be the single most important trait that&rsquo;s shared by successful people. Colleagues of Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson refer to him as &ldquo;Dr. Yes.&rdquo; Branson believes in the power of yes because, &ldquo;Opportunity favors the bold &mdash; a lesson that I learned early on and have used to guide the Virgin story.&rdquo;</p> <p>Saying yes means risking failure and embarrassment, but to be afraid to fail is to be afraid to live. A key to embracing the power of yes is developing a beginner&rsquo;s mindset which is open to new ideas and understands that failure is nothing more than feedback. We learn and grow by trying, failing, and persisting. Those who eventually become good at something are simply those who were OK with being bad at it for a while. If we can&rsquo;t deal with failure, we&rsquo;ll never know success.</p> <p>Yes or no is a never-ending choice that we all make throughout our lives. Understanding the potential impact of that choice is an important life skill. Steve Jobs once said, &ldquo;Remembering that I&rsquo;ll be dead soon is the most important tool I&rsquo;ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.&rdquo; Our time here is limited. Yes and no are the gatekeepers that guard our time, energy, and focus.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s important to not just say yes to new experiences but also to accepting help and support from others; especially when it comes to life&rsquo;s many transitions later in life. There are many benefits to adapting your home lifestyle in your later years, but it can be overwhelming to undertake on your own.</p> <p>Whether it is decluttering from years of accumulated odds and ends, deciding to downsize after your children have grown, or even relocating to a new community or entirely new state as you grow older, you don&rsquo;t have to do it alone.</p> <p>Say yes to accepting help from the experts at Caring Transitions. Our team will create an individualized plan that meets your specific needs, to help you make a smooth, stress-free transition into your next living situation. There are more than 300 locations nationwide, specializing in senior relocation, estate sales, downsizing and so much more. No matter what your next decision is that has you navigating the yes/no paradox, consider this: instead of imagining the worst that might happen, imagine the best. Instead of asking, why? Ask yourself why not</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT-Blog-20231103-Thumb.jpg
Blue Zones: How Your Location Determines Your Longevity https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/10/27/blue-zones-how-your-location-determines-your-longevity Lifestyle habits of the world&#39;s healthiest, longest-lived people Did you know that where we live is one of the most significant determinants of overall health outcomes and life expectancy? Studies have proven that our zip code is a better predictor of our overall well being than our genetic code. The many reasons for this include access to healthy foods, great healthcare, safe environments, quality education, lots of greenspace, and a community of support and encouragement. Aging expert Dan Buettner spent more than seven years studying the world&rsquo;s &ldquo;Blue Zones&rdquo;; areas where people live past the age of 100 in rates notably higher than surrounding communities. His research, now widely referenced by global industry experts, led to a best-selling book and now a new series on Netflix, teaching audiences life lessons on longevity.&nbsp; As part of his Blue Zones research, Buettner revealed the &ldquo;Power 9&rdquo; lifestyle habits that are key to the world&rsquo;s healthiest, longest-lived people: Move Naturally Be active without thinking about it. Identify activities you enjoy and make them a part of your day. Simple things like walking every day go a long way for your health. Cut Calories by 20 Percent Use smaller plates, bowls, and glasses Practice &ldquo;Hara hachi bi,&rdquo; the Okinawan reminder to stop eating once their stomachs are 80 percent full. Serve yourself, put the food away, then eat Embrace a Plant-Based Diet No, you don&rsquo;t need to become a vegetarian, but do bump up your intake of fruits and veggies. Drink Red Wine (in moderation) Keep the daily intake to two servings or less Plan de Vida: Determine Your Life Purpose Write your own personal mission statement and find your reason for getting up in the morning Down Shift &mdash; Take Time to Relieve Stress; Relaxation is Key Don&rsquo;t rush &ndash; plan on being 15 minutes early Cut out the noise &ndash; limit time spent with the television, computer, or radio on Participate in a Spiritual Community Deepen your existing spiritual commitment Seek out a new spiritual or religious tradition Put Loved Ones First and Make Family a Priority Get closer: consider downsizing to a smaller home to promote togetherness Establish family rituals (game night, family walks, Sunday dinners) Show it off: create a place for family pictures and souvenirs that shows how you&rsquo;re all connected Pick the right community &mdash;the people surrounding you influence your health more than almost any other factor Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values Identify your inner circle. Reconsider ties to people who bring you down The good news is that the benefits of living in a community that benefits your health are always at your fingertips. It is never too late to make a move, and more importantly, you don&rsquo;t have to do it alone. There are more than 280 Caring Transitions&reg; locations nationwide, with experts standing by to help you navigate your next move. They&rsquo;ll create an individualized plan to fit your specific needs, to help make your next life transition as smooth and stress-free as possible. Caring Transitions covers it all, from home clean-outs, downsizing, estate sales and the physical relocation of your belongings, so no matter your age, you can move to the community of your dreams. &nbsp; Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565827 Blue Zones,Zip Code
<p><em>Lifestyle habits of the world&#39;s healthiest, longest-lived people</em></p> <p>Did you know that where we live is one of the most significant determinants of overall health outcomes and life expectancy? Studies have proven that our zip code is a better predictor of our overall well being than our genetic code.</p> <p>The many reasons for this include access to healthy foods, great healthcare, safe environments, quality education, lots of greenspace, and a community of support and encouragement.</p> <p>Aging expert Dan Buettner spent more than seven years studying the world&rsquo;s &ldquo;Blue Zones&rdquo;; areas where people live past the age of 100 in rates notably higher than surrounding communities. His research, now widely referenced by global industry experts, led to a best-selling book and now a new series on Netflix, teaching audiences life lessons on longevity.&nbsp;</p> <p>As part of his Blue Zones research, Buettner revealed the &ldquo;Power 9&rdquo; lifestyle habits that are key to the world&rsquo;s healthiest, longest-lived people:</p> <ol> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Move Naturally</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Be active without thinking about it. Identify activities you enjoy and make them a part of your day. Simple things like walking every day go a long way for your health.</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Cut Calories by 20 Percent</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Use smaller plates, bowls, and glasses</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Practice &ldquo;Hara hachi bi,&rdquo; the Okinawan reminder to stop eating once their stomachs are 80 percent full. Serve yourself, put the food away, then eat</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Embrace a Plant-Based Diet</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">No, you don&rsquo;t need to become a vegetarian, but do bump up your intake of fruits and veggies.</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Drink Red Wine (in moderation)</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Keep the daily intake to two servings or less</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Plan de Vida: Determine Your Life Purpose</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Write your own personal mission statement and find your reason for getting up in the morning</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Down Shift &mdash; Take Time to Relieve Stress; Relaxation is Key</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Don&rsquo;t rush &ndash; plan on being 15 minutes early</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Cut out the noise &ndash; limit time spent with the television, computer, or radio on</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Participate in a Spiritual Community</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Deepen your existing spiritual commitment</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Seek out a new spiritual or religious tradition</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Put Loved Ones First and Make Family a Priority</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Get closer: consider downsizing to a smaller home to promote togetherness</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Establish family rituals (game night, family walks, Sunday dinners)</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Show it off: create a place for family pictures and souvenirs that shows how you&rsquo;re all connected</li> </ul> </li> <li style="list-style-type:decimal"><strong style="font-variant:normal; font-weight:700; white-space:pre-wrap">Pick the right community &mdash;the people surrounding you influence your health more than almost any other factor</strong> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values</li> <li style="list-style-type:circle">Identify your inner circle. Reconsider ties to people who bring you down</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <p><br /> The good news is that the benefits of living in a community that benefits your health are always at your fingertips. It is never too late to make a move, and more importantly, you don&rsquo;t have to do it alone.</p> <p>There are more than 280 Caring Transitions&reg; locations nationwide, with experts standing by to help you navigate your next move. They&rsquo;ll create an individualized plan to fit your specific needs, to help make your next life transition as smooth and stress-free as possible. Caring Transitions covers it all, from home clean-outs, downsizing, estate sales and the physical relocation of your belongings, so no matter your age, you can move to the community of your dreams.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
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A Guide to Financial Planning in Your Late Fifties and Early Sixties https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/10/16/a-guide-to-financial-planning-in-your-late-fifties-and-early-sixties As you approach your late fifties and early sixties, the importance of financial planning becomes increasingly evident. This pivotal period in life marks the transition towards retirement, making it crucial to secure your financial well-being for the years ahead. In this blog post, we&#39;ll explore key strategies and considerations for creating a comprehensive financial plan during this stage of life. 1. Understanding Your Retirement Age: Determine your target retirement age. Consider factors such as health, lifestyle, and personal goals. Evaluate the financial implications of retiring earlier or later. 2. Financial Planning for Beginners: Assess your current financial situation: Income Expenses Assets Liabilities Consult with a financial advisor for personalized guidance. Learn about investment options and understand your risk tolerance. 3. It&#39;s Never Too Late to Plan: Assess current assets and explore investment opportunities. Develop a savings plan tailored to your financial goals. Consider seeking professional advice for a customized strategy. 4. Financial Wellness in Your 50s and 60s: Review insurance coverage to ensure adequacy. Establish or bolster emergency funds. Evaluate healthcare plans and consider long-term care options. Address outstanding debts and work towards becoming debt-free. 5. Budgeting for Seniors: Adjust your budget to accommodate potential healthcare costs. Plan for lifestyle changes and new hobbies. Account for travel expenses and leisure activities. Ensure your budget reflects both necessary expenses and desired experiences. Creating a financial plan in your late fifties and early sixties is a proactive step towards a secure and fulfilling retirement. By understanding your retirement age, embracing financial planning as a beginner, acknowledging that it&#39;s never too late to start, prioritizing financial wellness, and adjusting your budget for senior living, you can navigate this crucial phase with confidence. Remember, the key is to take charge of your financial future today for a more secure and enjoyable tomorrow. &nbsp; #blog-hero { background-position: top center; } Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565825 planning for future,financial planning,when retirement age,financial planning for beginners,never too late to plan,financial wellness in 50+,budgeting for seniors
<p>As you approach your late fifties and early sixties, the importance of financial planning becomes increasingly evident. This pivotal period in life marks the transition towards retirement, making it crucial to secure your financial well-being for the years ahead. In this blog post, we&#39;ll explore key strategies and considerations for creating a comprehensive financial plan during this stage of life.</p> <h2>1. Understanding Your Retirement Age:</h2> <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Determine your target retirement age.</li> <li>Consider factors such as health, lifestyle, and personal goals.</li> <li>Evaluate the financial implications of retiring earlier or later.</li> </ul> <h2>2. Financial Planning for Beginners:</h2> <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Assess your current financial situation: <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Income</li> <li>Expenses</li> <li>Assets</li> <li>Liabilities</li> </ul> </li> <li>Consult with a financial advisor for personalized guidance.</li> <li>Learn about investment options and understand your risk tolerance.</li> </ul> <h2>3. It&#39;s Never Too Late to Plan:</h2> <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Assess current assets and explore investment opportunities.</li> <li>Develop a savings plan tailored to your financial goals.</li> <li>Consider seeking professional advice for a customized strategy.</li> </ul> <h2>4. Financial Wellness in Your 50s and 60s:</h2> <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Review insurance coverage to ensure adequacy.</li> <li>Establish or bolster emergency funds.</li> <li>Evaluate healthcare plans and consider long-term care options.</li> <li>Address outstanding debts and work towards becoming debt-free.</li> </ul> <h2>5. Budgeting for Seniors:</h2> <ul style="margin-left:50px"> <li>Adjust your budget to accommodate potential healthcare costs.</li> <li>Plan for lifestyle changes and new hobbies.</li> <li>Account for travel expenses and leisure activities.</li> <li>Ensure your budget reflects both necessary expenses and desired experiences.</li> </ul> <p>Creating a financial plan in your late fifties and early sixties is a proactive step towards a secure and fulfilling retirement. By understanding your retirement age, embracing financial planning as a beginner, acknowledging that it&#39;s never too late to start, prioritizing financial wellness, and adjusting your budget for senior living, you can navigate this crucial phase with confidence. Remember, the key is to take charge of your financial future today for a more secure and enjoyable tomorrow.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <style>#blog-hero { background-position: top center; }</style>
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Stress Less During Life’s Transitions https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/10/09/stress-less-during-lifes-transitions As experts in the field of home transitions, we are often approached by people who wish to learn more about how they can help support loved ones who are transitioning from one stage of life to the next. In this newsletter, we share some tips and intervention techniques that may help ease stressful situations.&nbsp; Throughout our lives, we experience countless personal transitions, either by choice or due to circumstances beyond our control. Whether positive or negative, expected or not, all change involves some level of stress &ndash; relocating to a new residence, recovering from the loss of a loved one, welcoming a baby, celebrating a promotion, experiencing a financial loss, losing a job, navigating a separation or divorce &ndash; all of these life transitions can send stress levels soaring and may leave you or your loved ones feeling overwhelmed, depressed, withdrawn and even angry. You may experience a loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping and cognitive deficiency.&nbsp; Life&rsquo;s big challenges should not be taken lightly, but there is comfort in knowing the right kind of support and clear solutions can improve just about any situation. &nbsp; Focus: One of the best ways to reduce stress is to determine your ultimate objective and develop an action plan in advance. Large projects are much less daunting when disseminated into smaller, more manageable tasks. Work backward from the end goal to your present life, determining the steps and schedules necessary to achieve it.&nbsp; Establishing a schedule for projects, meetings and services provides a daily road map and a yardstick by which you can measure progress and celebrate successes along the way. When time permits, it is particularly useful to include a few extra days or hours in the schedule for each task. This helps maintain flexibility in dynamic situations and also promotes positive feelings that come with &ldquo;being ahead of schedule.&rdquo;&nbsp; When setting goals, it&rsquo;s important to keep them small, measurable and attainable. If the scope of a project is too vast or the ultimate objective is unrealistic, failure to meet expectations can exacerbate symptoms of depression. Instead of saying, &ldquo;We are going to clean out the entire basement today!&rdquo; it may be more reasonable to say, &ldquo;We will clean the basement one hour per day over the next two weeks.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp; Community:&nbsp; A solid support system can make a world of difference when experiencing a life transition. Go out of your way to reach out to those who may be struggling and connect with friends and family who can provide positive input to the situation. Make time for these connections, but also look for new communities that may offer new insights and more active or direct forms of support. You can locate agencies, organizations, social and support groups that offer care, support and understanding for almost any situation. There is rarely a need to face change alone. &copy; Caring Transitions 2006-2012. All content created by or on behalf of Caring Transitions. No reprint in part or entirety without permission.&nbsp; Often, the most important way to help is to simply listen to the stressed individual and allow them the opportunity to voice their concerns. Talking about our fears often helps diminish their influence. It can also help to write down the concerns you or your loved one is facing. In that way, issues can be itemized, prioritized and addressed individually. Try to avoid feeding into fears by elevating them or minimizing them. &ldquo;Oh my gosh, you must be freaking out! I know I would be!&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t any more helpful than, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s OK. It&rsquo;s all right. No need to worry. Everything will be fine.&rdquo; In fact, all may not be fine, and &ldquo;worry&rdquo; can often become the basis for good &ldquo;planning.&rdquo;&nbsp; It is best to set aside dedicated time to discuss how someone is feeling about the changes in their life. Too many important communications fall apart when one party doesn&rsquo;t wait for an appropriate time and place to relay information. Practice listening, without interrupting. Be aware of body language and tone of voice; both yours and the other party. Actions often speak louder than words.&nbsp; &nbsp; Control: We all fare better in stressful situations when we have a sense of control over the outcome. Even if we are falling from an airplane, there&rsquo;s a sense of comfort knowing how and when to pull the parachute. By offering assistance to a friend or loved one, you are offering them a parachute &ndash; your willingness to support them. But communicating your desire to help is a two-way conversation. You can be specific about the types of support you wish to provide, but it is typically best if you don&rsquo;t take action until the other party accepts your help. In our zeal to offer help and &ldquo;fix&rdquo; situations, we often forget this very important step of asking permission to help. When the other party has the option to choose where, when and what kind of support they will receive, they feel more in control of the situation. Their sense of independence is temporarily restored, and they may feel less stressed.&nbsp; &nbsp; Anchors: We are all attached to our living environments. Our sense of &ldquo;place&rdquo; is important to humans at a fundamental and even biological level. When you transition from one place to another, it is useful to focus on favorite possessions and elements of your living space that carry the most comfort and meaning. If you move or remodel, it helps to duplicate some of the styles and settings from your former residence in the new home. This &ldquo;mirroring&rdquo; effect provides a sense of continuity; a feeling of comfort. At Caring Transitions, this is one way we make a new, unfamiliar space feel more like &ldquo;home.&rdquo; We also encourage people to focus onto personal strengths and values, hold on to familiar objects and to follow familiar routines for mealtimes and bedtimes. All of these help to mitigate symptoms of stress.&nbsp; &nbsp; Mind, Body, Spirit: When your life is in turmoil, it is not uncommon to neglect your physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Most people hold stress and tension in muscles, which can lead to difficulty sleeping, headaches, neck and back pain, tight jaws and loss of concentration. You can manage these forms of physical stress through physical exercise or simple breathing techniques (see below).&nbsp; It is always important to take good care of yourself, but even more so when you are going through a tough time. Dedicate time for four small meals a day that include healthy foods, fluids and supplements. Incorporating more natural foods into your diet and eliminating preservatives, sugars, artificial colors and flavors that come from a &ldquo;fast food&rdquo; or &ldquo;packaged food&rdquo; may also aid in your digestion.&nbsp; When you are under stress, it is best to avoid caffeine, which may contribute to feelings of panic and anxiety. Eat meals well ahead of bedtime, as digesting that late-night snack may interfere with a sound sleep.&nbsp; Every situation is unique and while all of the above interventions may not be appropriate in every situation, they can help to improve personal resilience, communication, community support, communications and planning.&nbsp; &nbsp; Mon, 09 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565824
<p>As experts in the field of home transitions, we are often approached by people who wish to learn more about how they can help support loved ones who are transitioning from one stage of life to the next. In this newsletter, we share some tips and intervention techniques that may help ease stressful situations.&nbsp;</p> <p>Throughout our lives, we experience countless personal transitions, either by choice or due to circumstances beyond our control. Whether positive or negative, expected or not, all change involves some level of stress &ndash; relocating to a new residence, recovering from the loss of a loved one, welcoming a baby, celebrating a promotion, experiencing a financial loss, losing a job, navigating a separation or divorce &ndash; all of these life transitions can send stress levels soaring and may leave you or your loved ones feeling overwhelmed, depressed, withdrawn and even angry. You may experience a loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping and cognitive deficiency.&nbsp;</p> <p>Life&rsquo;s big challenges should not be taken lightly, but there is comfort in knowing the right kind of support and clear solutions can improve just about any situation.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Focus:</h2> <p>One of the best ways to reduce stress is to determine your ultimate objective and develop an action plan in advance. Large projects are much less daunting when disseminated into smaller, more manageable tasks. Work backward from the end goal to your present life, determining the steps and schedules necessary to achieve it.&nbsp;</p> <p>Establishing a schedule for projects, meetings and services provides a daily road map and a yardstick by which you can measure progress and celebrate successes along the way. When time permits, it is particularly useful to include a few extra days or hours in the schedule for each task. This helps maintain flexibility in dynamic situations and also promotes positive feelings that come with &ldquo;being ahead of schedule.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p>When setting goals, it&rsquo;s important to keep them small, measurable and attainable. If the scope of a project is too vast or the ultimate objective is unrealistic, failure to meet expectations can exacerbate symptoms of depression. Instead of saying, &ldquo;We are going to clean out the entire basement today!&rdquo; it may be more reasonable to say, &ldquo;We will clean the basement one hour per day over the next two weeks.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Community:&nbsp;</h2> <p>A solid support system can make a world of difference when experiencing a life transition. Go out of your way to reach out to those who may be struggling and connect with friends and family who can provide positive input to the situation. Make time for these connections, but also look for new communities that may offer new insights and more active or direct forms of support. You can locate agencies, organizations, social and support groups that offer care, support and understanding for almost any situation. There is rarely a need to face change alone. &copy; Caring Transitions 2006-2012. All content created by or on behalf of Caring Transitions. No reprint in part or entirety without permission.&nbsp;</p> <p>Often, the most important way to help is to simply listen to the stressed individual and allow them the opportunity to voice their concerns. Talking about our fears often helps diminish their influence. It can also help to write down the concerns you or your loved one is facing. In that way, issues can be itemized, prioritized and addressed individually. Try to avoid feeding into fears by elevating them or minimizing them. &ldquo;Oh my gosh, you must be freaking out! I know I would be!&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t any more helpful than, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s OK. It&rsquo;s all right. No need to worry. Everything will be fine.&rdquo; In fact, all may not be fine, and &ldquo;worry&rdquo; can often become the basis for good &ldquo;planning.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p>It is best to set aside dedicated time to discuss how someone is feeling about the changes in their life. Too many important communications fall apart when one party doesn&rsquo;t wait for an appropriate time and place to relay information. Practice listening, without interrupting. Be aware of body language and tone of voice; both yours and the other party. Actions often speak louder than words.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Control:</h2> <p>We all fare better in stressful situations when we have a sense of control over the outcome. Even if we are falling from an airplane, there&rsquo;s a sense of comfort knowing how and when to pull the parachute. By offering assistance to a friend or loved one, you are offering them a parachute &ndash; your willingness to support them. But communicating your desire to help is a two-way conversation. You can be specific about the types of support you wish to provide, but it is typically best if you don&rsquo;t take action until the other party accepts your help. In our zeal to offer help and &ldquo;fix&rdquo; situations, we often forget this very important step of asking permission to help. When the other party has the option to choose where, when and what kind of support they will receive, they feel more in control of the situation. Their sense of independence is temporarily restored, and they may feel less stressed.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Anchors:</h2> <p>We are all attached to our living environments. Our sense of &ldquo;place&rdquo; is important to humans at a fundamental and even biological level. When you transition from one place to another, it is useful to focus on favorite possessions and elements of your living space that carry the most comfort and meaning. If you move or remodel, it helps to duplicate some of the styles and settings from your former residence in the new home. This &ldquo;mirroring&rdquo; effect provides a sense of continuity; a feeling of comfort. At Caring Transitions, this is one way we make a new, unfamiliar space feel more like &ldquo;home.&rdquo; We also encourage people to focus onto personal strengths and values, hold on to familiar objects and to follow familiar routines for mealtimes and bedtimes. All of these help to mitigate symptoms of stress.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Mind, Body, Spirit:</h2> <p>When your life is in turmoil, it is not uncommon to neglect your physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Most people hold stress and tension in muscles, which can lead to difficulty sleeping, headaches, neck and back pain, tight jaws and loss of concentration. You can manage these forms of physical stress through physical exercise or simple breathing techniques (see below).&nbsp;</p> <p>It is always important to take good care of yourself, but even more so when you are going through a tough time. Dedicate time for four small meals a day that include healthy foods, fluids and supplements. Incorporating more natural foods into your diet and eliminating preservatives, sugars, artificial colors and flavors that come from a &ldquo;fast food&rdquo; or &ldquo;packaged food&rdquo; may also aid in your digestion.&nbsp;</p> <p>When you are under stress, it is best to avoid caffeine, which may contribute to feelings of panic and anxiety. Eat meals well ahead of bedtime, as digesting that late-night snack may interfere with a sound sleep.&nbsp;</p> <p>Every situation is unique and while all of the above interventions may not be appropriate in every situation, they can help to improve personal resilience, communication, community support, communications and planning.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT_10-11-23.jpg
Golden Years: A Guide to Planning Your Vibrant Retirement https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/10/02/golden-years-a-guide-to-planning-your-vibrant-retirement Retirement is not the end; it&#39;s a new beginning, a chapter where life truly begins to take shape according to your dreams. Planning for this phase involves not only financial considerations but also activities that make each day fulfilling. Let&#39;s dive into a comprehensive guide that ensures you&#39;re not just retiring but upgrading to a life well-lived. &nbsp; 1. Financial Planning: Your Roadmap to Freedom When retirement age approaches, financial planning becomes paramount. It&#39;s not just about securing your savings but also about unlocking the potential for the life you&#39;ve always wanted. Consider the following financial planning checklist: &nbsp; Define Your Retirement Goals: - Determine the lifestyle you envision. - Calculate your expected expenses. - Plan for healthcare costs. &nbsp; Invest Wisely: - Diversify your investments. - Explore low-risk options. - Consider consulting a financial advisor. &nbsp; Budgeting Matters: - Create a post-retirement budget. - Factor in unexpected expenses. - Regularly review and adjust your budget. &nbsp; 2. Future Planning for Adults with Disabilities: Embracing Inclusivity Life after retirement is for everyone, including adults with disabilities. Ensure your future planning includes provisions for accessibility, healthcare, and a supportive community. Consider: &nbsp; Accessible Living Spaces: - Modify your living space for ease of mobility. - Invest in assistive technology. - Plan for ongoing healthcare needs. &nbsp; Community Engagement: - Seek inclusive communities. - Explore social activities tailored to different abilities. - Foster a network of support. &nbsp; 3. Third Act Retirement Planning: Redefining Your Narrative Retirement is your &quot;third act,&quot; a chance to script a narrative that aligns with your passions. Activities for future planning should be a blend of leisure, learning, and personal growth: &nbsp; Explore Hobbies: - Rekindle old hobbies. - Try new activities or sports. - Join clubs or groups that share your interests. &nbsp; Continuous Learning: - Enroll in courses or workshops. - Pursue a degree for personal fulfillment. - Attend lectures or join discussion groups. &nbsp; 4. Caring Transitions: Your Partner in Seamless Transitions Caring Transitions understands that this phase of life involves more than just finances and personal activities. Our services encompass: &nbsp; Estate Planning: - Ensure your assets are distributed per your wishes. - Minimize the stress on your loved ones. &nbsp; Senior Relocation and Resettlement: - Transition to a new living space smoothly. - Professional assistance for downsizing. &nbsp; Decluttering and Downsizing: - Streamline your belongings for a more manageable space. - Make room for the things that truly matter. &nbsp; House Cleanouts: - Leave behind a clean slate. - Prepare your home for its next chapter. &nbsp; A New Beginning Awaits Life after retirement is not a decline but an ascent into a new adventure. Financial planning is the compass, and Caring Transitions is the guide, ensuring you make the most of every moment. Embrace the golden years with open arms and let the journey unfold! Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565822 planning for future,financial planning,when retirement age,financial planning checklist,financial planning for beginners,When Planning For Retirement You Need To Determine,Future Planning For Adults With Disabilities,Planning For The Future Activities
<p>Retirement is not the end; it&#39;s a new beginning, a chapter where life truly begins to take shape according to your dreams. Planning for this phase involves not only financial considerations but also activities that make each day fulfilling. Let&#39;s dive into a comprehensive guide that ensures you&#39;re not just retiring but upgrading to a life well-lived.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>1. Financial Planning: Your Roadmap to Freedom</h2> <p>When retirement age approaches, financial planning becomes paramount. It&#39;s not just about securing your savings but also about unlocking the potential for the life you&#39;ve always wanted. Consider the following financial planning checklist:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Define Your Retirement Goals:</h3> <p>- Determine the lifestyle you envision.<br /> - Calculate your expected expenses.<br /> - Plan for healthcare costs.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Invest Wisely:</h3> <p>- Diversify your investments.<br /> - Explore low-risk options.<br /> - Consider consulting a financial advisor.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Budgeting Matters:</h3> <p>- Create a post-retirement budget.<br /> - Factor in unexpected expenses.<br /> - Regularly review and adjust your budget.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>2. Future Planning for Adults with Disabilities: Embracing Inclusivity</h2> <p>Life after retirement is for everyone, including adults with disabilities. Ensure your future planning includes provisions for accessibility, healthcare, and a supportive community. Consider:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Accessible Living Spaces:</h3> <p>- Modify your living space for ease of mobility.<br /> - Invest in assistive technology.<br /> - Plan for ongoing healthcare needs.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Community Engagement:</h3> <p>- Seek inclusive communities.<br /> - Explore social activities tailored to different abilities.<br /> - Foster a network of support.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>3. Third Act Retirement Planning: Redefining Your Narrative</h2> <p>Retirement is your &quot;third act,&quot; a chance to script a narrative that aligns with your passions. Activities for future planning should be a blend of leisure, learning, and personal growth:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Explore Hobbies:</h3> <p>- Rekindle old hobbies.<br /> - Try new activities or sports.<br /> - Join clubs or groups that share your interests.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Continuous Learning:</h3> <p>- Enroll in courses or workshops.<br /> - Pursue a degree for personal fulfillment.<br /> - Attend lectures or join discussion groups.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>4. Caring Transitions: Your Partner in Seamless Transitions</h2> <p>Caring Transitions understands that this phase of life involves more than just finances and personal activities. Our services encompass:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Estate Planning:</h3> <p>- Ensure your assets are distributed per your wishes.<br /> - Minimize the stress on your loved ones.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Senior Relocation and Resettlement:</h3> <p>- Transition to a new living space smoothly.<br /> - Professional assistance for downsizing.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Decluttering and Downsizing:</h3> <p>- Streamline your belongings for a more manageable space.<br /> - Make room for the things that truly matter.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>House Cleanouts:</h3> <p>- Leave behind a clean slate.<br /> - Prepare your home for its next chapter.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>A New Beginning Awaits</h2> <p>Life after retirement is not a decline but an ascent into a new adventure. Financial planning is the compass, and Caring Transitions is the guide, ensuring you make the most of every moment. Embrace the golden years with open arms and let the journey unfold!</p>
https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/portals/ct/Images/Blog/CT-Blog-20231002-Thumb.jpg
Navigating the Sandwich Generation: Tips and Innovations for a Healthy Home https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/09/25/navigating-the-sandwich-generation-tips-and-innovations-for-a-healthy-home In the intricate tapestry of modern family life, a growing number of individuals find themselves sandwiched between the care of their aging parents and the demands of raising their own children. This unique generation, aptly named the &quot;sandwich generation,&quot; often faces an array of responsibilities that can be both rewarding and overwhelming. From managing the household to addressing health concerns, these caregivers are continually challenged. Read on as we explore how the sandwich generation can navigate these demands, focusing on both psychological coping strategies and innovative solutions for maintaining a healthy home, and how Caring Transitions can provide invaluable assistance. &nbsp; Understanding the Sandwich Generation The term &quot;sandwich generation&quot; refers to adults who are simultaneously caring for their aging parents while raising their own children. This dual responsibility can place immense pressure on individuals, leading to emotional, financial, and physical strains. To effectively manage the household and ensure the well-being of all family members, consider the following tips, innovative approaches, and how Caring Transitions&#39; services can be a lifesaver: &nbsp; 1. Prioritize Self-Care: Caring for others often means neglecting one&#39;s own well-being. However, to survive the demands of the sandwich generation, it&#39;s crucial to prioritize self-care. Allocate time for relaxation, exercise, and hobbies to reduce stress and enhance your psychological resilience. &nbsp; 2. Communicate Openly: Effective communication is key to managing family responsibilities. Maintain open and honest discussions with your partner, children, and aging parents about expectations, boundaries, and potential challenges. &nbsp; 3. Seek Professional Support: Don&#39;t hesitate to seek help when needed. Professional caregivers or home health services can provide valuable assistance in caring for aging parents. Research the latest innovations in home health technology and consider using hashtags like #InnovativeCare and #HomeHealthTech to discover cutting-edge solutions. &nbsp; 4. Delegate Responsibilities: Don&#39;t carry the burden alone. Delegate tasks within your family to ensure everyone contributes to the household&#39;s well-being. &nbsp; 5. Financial Planning: Managing the financial aspects of the sandwich generation can be daunting. Seek financial advice and explore government programs or tax benefits available to caregivers. &nbsp; 6. Embrace Technology: Innovations in technology can greatly simplify daily tasks. Consider using family management apps, virtual healthcare consultations, or smart home devices to make your life easier. &nbsp; 7. Find Support Groups: Connecting with others in the sandwich generation can provide a sense of community and understanding. Look for local support groups or engage online through hashtags like #SandwichGenerationSupport and #CaregiverCommunity. &nbsp; 8. Emphasize Healthy Eating: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for both you and your family. Explore quick and nutritious meal options to save time and promote well-being. &nbsp; How ##COMPANYNAME## Can Help ##COMPANYNAME## offers a range of services designed to support the sandwich generation in managing family responsibilities and creating a healthier home environment: Estate Sales and Online Auctions: Simplify the process of downsizing and managing possessions with expert estate sales and online auctions. &nbsp; Senior Relocation Services: Ensure a smooth transition when your aging parents need to relocate to a new living arrangement. &nbsp; Home Clean Outs: Get professional assistance in decluttering and cleaning out spaces to create a safer and more comfortable home. &nbsp; Senior Resettlements: Benefit from specialized services tailored to the unique needs of senior resettlement. &nbsp; Move Management Services: Streamline the process of moving, reducing stress for both you and your loved ones. Caring Transitions&#39; expertise and compassionate approach can ease the burden of caregiving, allowing you to focus on your family&#39;s well-being. Connect with them using the hashtag #CaringTransitionsSupport to learn more about their services and how they can help you navigate the challenges of the sandwich generation. While the sandwich generation faces unique challenges, it&#39;s important to remember that you&#39;re not alone in this journey. By implementing these tips, embracing innovative solutions, and utilizing the services of organizations like Caring Transitions, you can cope psychologically and practically with your family responsibilities. Share your experiences, insights, and innovations using the suggested hashtags to create a supportive community and help others in the sandwich generation navigate their path to a healthy home. Remember, you are stronger than you think, and together, we can thrive in the midst of our caring responsibilities. &nbsp; Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565821 tips,sandwich generations,sandwich generation home health,sandwich generation and a healthy home,sandwich generation how to cope,sandwich generation family responsibilities,sandwich generation how to survive,sandwich generation managing the household
<p>In the intricate tapestry of modern family life, a growing number of individuals find themselves sandwiched between the care of their aging parents and the demands of raising their own children. This unique generation, aptly named the &quot;sandwich generation,&quot; often faces an array of responsibilities that can be both rewarding and overwhelming. From managing the household to addressing health concerns, these caregivers are continually challenged. Read on as we explore how the sandwich generation can navigate these demands, focusing on both psychological coping strategies and innovative solutions for maintaining a healthy home, and how Caring Transitions can provide invaluable assistance.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Understanding the Sandwich Generation</h2> <p>The term &quot;sandwich generation&quot; refers to adults who are simultaneously caring for their aging parents while raising their own children. This dual responsibility can place immense pressure on individuals, leading to emotional, financial, and physical strains. To effectively manage the household and ensure the well-being of all family members, consider the following tips, innovative approaches, and how Caring Transitions&#39; services can be a lifesaver:<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>1. Prioritize Self-Care:</h3> <p>Caring for others often means neglecting one&#39;s own well-being. However, to survive the demands of the sandwich generation, it&#39;s crucial to prioritize self-care. Allocate time for relaxation, exercise, and hobbies to reduce stress and enhance your psychological resilience.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>2. Communicate Openly:</h3> <p>Effective communication is key to managing family responsibilities. Maintain open and honest discussions with your partner, children, and aging parents about expectations, boundaries, and potential challenges.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>3. Seek Professional Support:</h3> <p>Don&#39;t hesitate to seek help when needed. Professional caregivers or home health services can provide valuable assistance in caring for aging parents. Research the latest innovations in home health technology and consider using hashtags like #InnovativeCare and #HomeHealthTech to discover cutting-edge solutions.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>4. Delegate Responsibilities:</h3> <p>Don&#39;t carry the burden alone. Delegate tasks within your family to ensure everyone contributes to the household&#39;s well-being.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>5. Financial Planning:</h3> <p>Managing the financial aspects of the sandwich generation can be daunting. Seek financial advice and explore government programs or tax benefits available to caregivers.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>6. Embrace Technology:</h3> <p>Innovations in technology can greatly simplify daily tasks. Consider using family management apps, virtual healthcare consultations, or smart home devices to make your life easier.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>7. Find Support Groups:</h3> <p>Connecting with others in the sandwich generation can provide a sense of community and understanding. Look for local support groups or engage online through hashtags like #SandwichGenerationSupport and #CaregiverCommunity.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h3>8. Emphasize Healthy Eating:</h3> <p>Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for both you and your family. Explore quick and nutritious meal options to save time and promote well-being.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>How ##COMPANYNAME## Can Help</h2> <p>##COMPANYNAME## offers a range of services designed to support the sandwich generation in managing family responsibilities and creating a healthier home environment:</p> <ul> <li><em>Estate Sales and Online Auctions:</em> Simplify the process of downsizing and managing possessions with expert estate sales and online auctions.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><em>Senior Relocation Services:</em> Ensure a smooth transition when your aging parents need to relocate to a new living arrangement.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><em>Home Clean Outs:</em> Get professional assistance in decluttering and cleaning out spaces to create a safer and more comfortable home.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><em>Senior Resettlements:</em> Benefit from specialized services tailored to the unique needs of senior resettlement.<br /> &nbsp;</li> <li><em>Move Management Services:</em> Streamline the process of moving, reducing stress for both you and your loved ones.</li> </ul> <p>Caring Transitions&#39; expertise and compassionate approach can ease the burden of caregiving, allowing you to focus on your family&#39;s well-being. Connect with them using the hashtag #CaringTransitionsSupport to learn more about their services and how they can help you navigate the challenges of the sandwich generation.</p> <p>While the sandwich generation faces unique challenges, it&#39;s important to remember that you&#39;re not alone in this journey. By implementing these tips, embracing innovative solutions, and utilizing the services of organizations like Caring Transitions, you can cope psychologically and practically with your family responsibilities. Share your experiences, insights, and innovations using the suggested hashtags to create a supportive community and help others in the sandwich generation navigate their path to a healthy home. Remember, you are stronger than you think, and together, we can thrive in the midst of our caring responsibilities.<br /> &nbsp;</p>
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Why You Need a Financial Planner if You Belong to the Sandwich Generation https://www.caringtransitionsdothan.com/blog/2023/09/11/why-you-need-a-financial-planner-if-you-belong-to-the-sandwich-generation Are you part of the Sandwich Generation? If so, you understand the unique challenges that come with simultaneously caring for your aging parents while still supporting your children. It&#39;s a delicate balancing act that requires not only emotional strength but also careful financial planning. Today, we&#39;ll explore why having a financial planner is essential for those in the Sandwich Generation and how organizations like Caring Transitions can lend a helping hand in this crucial phase of life. &nbsp; The Sandwich Generation and Its Financial Challenges The term &quot;Sandwich Generation&quot; refers to individuals who are caught between two significant responsibilities: raising their own children and providing care and support for their aging parents. This often means juggling multiple financial obligations, such as education costs for children and healthcare expenses for elderly parents. As you plan for your future, you must find a way to balance these priorities without compromising your own financial stability. &nbsp; Why Financial Planning is Crucial 1. Complex Interests: Managing intergenerational finances can be incredibly complex. You may need to prepare for your own retirement while also ensuring your parents have the care and resources they need. 2. Education Expenses: With children at home, college tuition and other educational expenses can quickly accumulate. Financial planning helps you save for these significant costs. 3. Elderly Care: As your parents age, their healthcare needs may increase. A financial planner can help you navigate Medicare, long-term care insurance, and other resources available to seniors. 4. Retirement: It&#39;s crucial to plan for your own retirement during this phase, ensuring you won&#39;t become a financial burden on your children later in life. 5. Real Estate Transitions: You may need to consider decluttering, downsizing, or relocating your parents to a more suitable home, which involves real estate transactions and financial decisions. &nbsp; How Caring Transitions Can Help Caring Transitions is here to assist you in this multifaceted journey. We specialize in services such as decluttering, downsizing, and managing relocations, all of which can be significant aspects of caring for aging parents. Our expertise can help you make informed decisions and minimize the financial stress associated with these transitions. Being a part of the Sandwich Generation comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to financial planning. Enlisting the help of a financial planner can provide the guidance you need to secure your future while navigating the complexities of caring for both your children and aging parents. Remember, ##COMPANYNAME## is here to support you every step of the way, making this phase of life a bit more manageable and a lot less stressful. &nbsp; Mon, 11 Sep 2023 13:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:1565817 decluttering,planning for your future,sandwich generation,Caring Transitions can help,downsizing,relocation,retirement,next phase in life,financial planning in sandwich generation,intergenerational finances,preparing to bring home mom & dad
<p>Are you part of the Sandwich Generation? If so, you understand the unique challenges that come with simultaneously caring for your aging parents while still supporting your children. It&#39;s a delicate balancing act that requires not only emotional strength but also careful financial planning. Today, we&#39;ll explore why having a financial planner is essential for those in the Sandwich Generation and how organizations like Caring Transitions can lend a helping hand in this crucial phase of life.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>The Sandwich Generation and Its Financial Challenges</h2> <p>The term &quot;Sandwich Generation&quot; refers to individuals who are caught between two significant responsibilities: raising their own children and providing care and support for their aging parents. This often means juggling multiple financial obligations, such as education costs for children and healthcare expenses for elderly parents. As you plan for your future, you must find a way to balance these priorities without compromising your own financial stability.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Why Financial Planning is Crucial</h2> <p>1. <em>Complex Interests:</em> Managing intergenerational finances can be incredibly complex. You may need to prepare for your own retirement while also ensuring your parents have the care and resources they need.</p> <p>2. <em>Education Expenses:</em> With children at home, college tuition and other educational expenses can quickly accumulate. Financial planning helps you save for these significant costs.</p> <p>3. <em>Elderly Care:</em> As your parents age, their healthcare needs may increase. A financial planner can help you navigate Medicare, long-term care insurance, and other resources available to seniors.</p> <p>4. <em>Retirement:</em> It&#39;s crucial to plan for your own retirement during this phase, ensuring you won&#39;t become a financial burden on your children later in life.</p> <p>5. <em>Real Estate Transitions:</em> You may need to consider decluttering, downsizing, or relocating your parents to a more suitable home, which involves real estate transactions and financial decisions.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>How Caring Transitions Can Help</h2> <p>Caring Transitions is here to assist you in this multifaceted journey. We specialize in services such as decluttering, downsizing, and managing relocations, all of which can be significant aspects of caring for aging parents. Our expertise can help you make informed decisions and minimize the financial stress associated with these transitions.</p> <p>Being a part of the Sandwich Generation comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to financial planning. Enlisting the help of a financial planner can provide the guidance you need to secure your future while navigating the complexities of caring for both your children and aging parents. Remember, <a href="/">##COMPANYNAME##</a> is here to support you every step of the way, making this phase of life a bit more manageable and a lot less stressful.<br /> &nbsp;</p>
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