Staying Connected

It’s no surprise that the common image of a kind, loving — and sometimes lonely — senior citizen represents an attractive target for that rare individual who seeks financial gain through fraud. For a host of reasons, not least of which is their tendency to have gathered a financial reserve over their lifetime, seniors are particularly susceptible to financial scams. This is exacerbated by the advent of the Internet and cell phones, two technologies which are relatively new to older adults, but to which they have quickly become very dependent. Fortunately, simply knowing about some of these scams can help prevent falling victim to any of them.

This week is National Women’s Health Week, a time to do what is necessary to stay healthy—including calling your doctor, getting active, eating a healthy diet, prioritizing mental health and practicing healthy behaviors. We at CiminoCare encourage our residents, their families and our care providers to do all these things—and more. And that is to appreciate the time you have with friends and family, to be open to learning new things, meeting new people, laughing together and serving others. It’s all about self-care, which is about more than caring for your health. Self-care is about celebrating life.

It’s understandable to consider good health to be somewhat a matter of fate, subject to genetics, external events, and other factors generally beyond our control. In simpler terms, we might be predisposed to say some people are just lucky to be born healthy, with strong bones and healthy immune systems. But that may be overlooking some “luck” that is actually within our control, or at least under our influence.

We often focus on diet and exercise to live longer, but keeping and growing social and emotional connections may provide better outcomes for staying healthier as we age. More and more research is emerging proving the negative effects of loneliness and isolation on our mental and physical health. As the population lives longer, we are discovering that those who live well the longest have the strongest social connections.