May 2022 - Richmont Senior Living

May is mental health awareness month and is an opportunity to share awareness of how important mental health is. Some elderly patients in facilities for Alzheimer’s suffer from depression and family members and caregivers need to be on the lookout for signs of mental health issues. Recognizing the symptoms help mental issues from escalating keeping your loved ones from living a normal life.

Mental Health Awareness Month

The feeling of sadness, loneliness, or desolation at times is part of life when faced with struggles, challenges, and uncertainties. But when these feelings are experienced for a long time or become overwhelming, they can take a toll on your overall health.

In the United States alone, millions of Americans suffer mental health illnesses every year. During May, advocates join to educate people about these issues, share stories, and encourage engagement, provide support to people with mental health issues including residents in facilities for Alzheimer’s and their families.

For this year’s celebration, May 2022, your support aids in better mental health awareness. If you have personal experience with mental health issues, openly discuss this with friends or family. Or you can share the story of how this has affected a family member.

Or you can support organizations or nonprofits that support and provide services relating to mental health. You can donate your time or money for these organizations to continue with their services.

Lastly, learning the signs and symptoms will not only help save lives. Understanding mental illness shows you care for your loved ones and the residents in facilities for Alzheimer’s at the same time being there for them during their challenging journey.

The Effects of Alzheimer’s on Mental Health

People with Alzheimer’s can immensely impact their thoughts and feelings. Adults diagnosed with dementia will experience a range of emotions like anger, irritability, loss of hope and worthiness, fatigue, and more.

Having Alzheimer’s can cause anxiety and depression. Senior adults may find it hard to deal with these emotions which may also affect their food appetite and interest to seek further medication.

Being afraid about the future and uncertainties can leave feelings of hopelessness and loss of interest in life in general. The effects of Alzheimer’s can lead to recurring thoughts of death and suicide.

Ways to Support an Alzheimer’s Patient’s Mental Health

Maintaining a sound mind, body, and spirit will aid in improving seniors in facilities for Alzheimer’s daily life.

By knowing the key symptoms and learning the coping strategies, you can create a secure foundation in which your loved ones can cope with the challenges of this disease.

Help your loved ones adopt a healthy lifestyle by getting regular checkups, setting up an exercise routine, hearty meals, and getting sufficient rest.

It is also important that your loved ones can freely express their feelings. The range of emotions like agitation, frustration, or confusion can be overwhelming. Patients will need a lot of care and understanding during this time.

Help your loved ones connect with others with Alzheimer’s. Build a solid support group. Continue doing activities you both enjoy. Let them know you understand what they are going through.

Looking for excellent care at a senior living facility in Nebraska? Check out our page to learn more by clicking here!

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Even with technological advancements, reading continues to be one of the favorite pastimes of young and adults alike. Nothing beats a good book, one that can take you places, experience adventure, and learn consistently without leaving home. There is no better way to welcome the month of May than having a new collection of books. Just in time for Mother’s Day, give your loved ones in senior housing facilities one of the recommended books for seniors this month of May.

Benefits of Reading for Senior Housing Residents

Reading is more than just enjoying good and indulging stories. According to scientific studies, reading provides numerous benefits for senior adults. Some of these satisfactory favors include reduced stress, better sleeping habits, boosted analytical thinking, improved focus, and delayed onset of Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Reduced Stress

Reading can relieve stress and anxiety according to research from the University of Toronto. So, people who frequently read have a lesser tendency to act impulsively. Frequent readers relax more as they get into a good book.

Sleeping Better

Bedtime rituals, like reading, alert the brain that it is time to sleep. Residents in senior housing communities who read put their bodies and mind in the mood to sleep.

Sharpened Thinking

Reading is a brain exercise, allowing readers to identify patterns and view different perspectives. Regardless of the type of book you are reading, this activity improves analytical thinking.

Improved Focus

Whether you are reading classics, fantasy, or fiction, reading requires focus to remember the details of the story and imagination to process the characters and story scenarios. Reading stimulates the brain.

Light Reads for the Light Reader

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Confess is a romantic story about Owen and Auburn who met at a Dallas art studio. Both have difficult pasts they both want to keep secret, something that will hamper the mutual attraction they felt for each other.

Their instant attraction is hard to ignore and Auburn is ready to take a chance. But then she discovered that Owen also has his own secrets. Will Auburn walk away or take a shot at love?

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

This psychological thriller is the story of Rachel Watson who was fired from her job for being an alcoholic. Afraid to tell her roommate Cathy the truth, Rachel continues to take the train from home to work every day.

Rachel, a regular commuter, watches a particular couple along the train route. One day, she sees something shocking that prompted her to go to the police. How deeply will Rachel get involved in the investigation?

Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean

The book tells the intense and terrifying story of a woman who was kidnapped and trapped on an isolated farm. Upon learning she is pregnant; she meticulously planned her escape to save her life and her unborn child’s life. But another woman was taken to the farm. Will she push through her plans or stay with this other victim?

Deep-Dives for the Committed Reader

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

The story is about Meghan, her husband Ray, and Broome, living lives they never wanted. The secrets they’re hiding and the past they’re trying to bury are about to crash their lives. Behind the pretty facades lurk dark secrets that will keep senior housing residents turning the page.

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

This book is a romance story about a couple who spent five years together but ended up falling out of love. The story is told in reverse, from the break up to the magical first kiss. Each chapter brings you back to the past, understanding the love, how it happens, and why some fall out of love.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid

The book is about a fictional Hollywood character, Evelyn Hugo, who tells the story of her glamorous yet scandalous life.

Reporter Monique Grant grabs the opportunity to write Hugo’s biography to jumpstart her career. Grant slowly feels a real connection to Hugo as the story unfolds, but the later discovered her own life intersects with Evelyn’s.

So, are you on the hunt for excellent care in senior living? Check us out at Richmont Senior Living by clicking here!