This post is dedicated to all the Silver Queens that have inspired my life. I first pay homage to my beloved Granny Mabel Ellis. She was and is with me as I write. Second order of business, Mom I know you don’t have grey hair, and never will lol. Ignore the emoji it’s the only one I could find hahaha!

Recently I took a professional development course on Silver Wellness. I had never heard the term until then, and was intrigued by the phrase. To orient those reading, my target population as I began to research was 60+.

According to the CDC by 2040, the number of older adults is expected to reach 80.8 million. By 2060, it will reach 94.7 million, and older adults will make up nearly 25% of the US population. Clearly there’s reason enough for all of us to educate ourselves and share openly on this topic.

Ways to Improve Silver Wellness:

Take steps to prevent falls

1. Keep your hands free.
   • Use a shoulder bag, fanny pack, or backpack to leave your hands free to hold on to railings.
2. Choose the right footwear.
   • To fully support your feet, wear nonskid, rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes.
   • Don’t walk on stairs or floors in socks or in shoes and slippers with smooth soles.
     • *Personal side note, investing in proper shoes can be life changing. This was the first year I went to a specialty foot store and purchased shoes best for in walking pattern. Truly wished I would’ve done it sooner.
3. Stand up slowly.
   • Getting up too quickly can cause your blood pressure to drop.
4. Have your eyes and hearing tested.
   • Even small changes in sight and hearing are linked to an increased risk for falls. 
5. Let technology assist
   • The falls detection feature on Apple is outlined in an article on Forbes Health.
     • If it detects a fall, it will “tap” the person on the wrist with a buzz, sound an alarm and show an alert. The person can then choose to connect to emergency services or dismiss the alert.
     • If the Apple Watch senses the person is moving, it will wait for them to respond.
       • However, if the person appears to be immobile for approximately 60 seconds, the Apple Watch starts a 30-second countdown while it taps them on the wrist and sounds an alert.
     • The alert gets progressively louder so that either the user or someone near them can hear it.
       • Unless someone taps the cancel button, the watch will contact emergency services automatically as soon as the countdown ends.

Stay mentally and socially active

According to the CDC, engaging in mental or social activities may help to build up your brain’s ability to cope with disease, relieve stress and improve your mood. This means doing these activities may help to delay, or even prevent, dementia from developing.

Find activities you enjoy that challenge your brain, and do them regularly. This could be puzzles or crosswords, but there are also many other activities you could do. Finding and engaging regularly in a hobby can make this fun! Lean into classes, learning videos, even online classes that promote your interests.

For example:

• Any kind of adult education or learning
• Arts and crafts (especially in groups)
• Playing a musical instrument or singing
• Volunteering
• Doing ‘brainteasers’, such as puzzles, crosswords or quizzes 
• Playing card games, chess or board games 
• rRading books, or becoming a member of a book club 
• Creative writing or keeping a diary 
• Learning a new language
• Start a group!
  • Card playing
  • Meal-time meet ups
  • Even Bingo!

Increase Movement

According to National Institutes of Health, adults 40 and older taking 8,000 steps or more per day compared to those only taking 4,000 steps was associated with a 51% lower risk of death from all causes. Physical activity—such as walking, bicycling, and swimming—decreases arthritis pain and improves function, mood, and quality of life. Adults with arthritis should move more and sit less throughout the day. Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week is recommended. However, any physical activity is better than none. Be gentle with yourself and try to get it in where you can. I use a step tracker. Tracking my steps daily has been a gentle motivator to increase movement in my life each day. There are many step tracking devices out there which will be written more in-depth about in a future blog post.

Evaluate your Sleep Quality

Not getting enough sleep can make a person irritable, depressed, forgetful, and more likely to have falls or other accidents. According to a study cited on National Institutes of Health on Aging those in their 50s and 60s who got six hours of sleep or less a night were at a higher risk of developing dementia later in life. There are many things you can do to improve sleep:

• Avoid napping late in the day
• Try following a regular schedule
• Add an evening routine to your schedule
  • This will signal your brain it’s time for sleep

Last but not least, go to the doctor regularly. Doctors can catch chronic diseases early and help patients reduce risk factors. Build a repoire and relationship with your Doctor for open honest conversations.

Below is a download I found as a resource from the National Institutes of Health. Feel free to download and share just in time for the holidays!

I hope you found something in this post enlightening! We honor you all our Silver Friends!

In peace,

Judith

References; Promoting Health for Older Adults ; Alzheimer Society; National Institute on Aging Falls prevention; Tips to boost healthy aging; Apple Watch Falls Detection; What do we know about healthy aging?

Elderly Older Adults Silver Wellness