The Power of Laughter for Senior Health

Looking for an easy way to boost your health and happiness during the senior years of your life? Caring for a senior family member or friend who has been a little less than perky lately?

You’ve heard it before and we’ll say it again: laughter is the best medicine! Well, as far as non-medicine medicines go. There’s no replacing blood pressure prescriptions if that’s something your doctor has assessed you need, but the powerful medicine of laughter can do wonders for our health.

Read a list of the amazing benefits of laughter!

1. Studies show that taking a break to laugh can improve your short-term memory performance by 40%. That’s a big deal as we start to get older.
2. Laughing significantly reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which is linked to cardiovascular disease.
3. A good laugh relaxes the entire body and can alleviate muscle tension and stress.
4. Laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer lessening the aches and pains common with old age for up to two hours.
5. A healthy chuckle reduces blood pressure and improves circulation and oxygenation.
6. Laughing regularly boosts the immune system and the body’s ability to fight disease and infection.
7. Laughter reduces stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing levels of dopamine in the body.
8. Laughing exercises the muscles of the core which are crucial for breathing, posture, and mobility.

Each of these benefits happen immediately and as a direct result of laughing. The long-term and greater psychological benefits of laughing and humor are far too many to count here!

To add some laughter into your day, choose comedies over dramas, get everyone to tell a joke or funny story at dinner, or subscribe to a joke of the day email and share it with friends.

If you have questions about the power of laughter or providing elderly care in Ann Arbor, please give us a call. We’re confident you’ll see the difference in quality of care when our family shares life with yours. Schedule a tour of our facilities today. 

Why Seniors Should Join a Knitting Club

Retired and looking for a way to spend your new found free time? Interested in finding a rewarding activity for older parents or a friend?

For a senior activity, you’d be hard-pressed to find something more beneficial for its members than a knitting club. With their relaxed and rewarding environment, these groups are full of opportunities to put both the hands and mind to work. Read on and discover 5 benefits seniors get from joining a knitting club.

Physical

The dexterity and fine motor skill exercised in knitting and crocheting help knitting club members maintain and improve these abilities. Being physically active is also good for both the mind and body.

Mental

Not only is learning or practicing an intricate skill good for mental health and cognitive function, but being part of a social group puts seniors in a stimulating environment. Neurons will be firing all over the place!

Social

Depression can be a common malady of the elderly, especially those living in isolation or prone to spending time alone. Involvement in a group that promotes socialization, like a knitting club, can be a simple way to help an elder family member beat their blues.

Emotional

Engagement in knitting activities can help stay the stresses and anxieties in a senior’s life. Because knitting requires moments of great focus, it’s also a perfect time for relaxation and tranquility as the mind quiets to allow the hands to work.

Purposeful

Settling into retirement after decades of working a regular job can lead seniors to a low valuation of self, missing the feeling of making a contribution to a team or effort. Being creatively active with knitting projects can provide new purpose. A plan to donate projects to hospitals or charities can lead to an even greater sense of purpose.

The importance of these 5 benefits cannot be understated! Joining a group such as a knitting club could be an act which truly saves quality of life at a senior age. If you have questions about knitting or other social clubs, or providing elderly care in Ann Arbor, please give us a call. We’re confident you’ll see the difference in quality of care when our family shares life with yours. Schedule a tour of our facilities today.