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Why and How Older Adults May Stay Active

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Hi there! Feel free to check out this resource centre on information regarding the importance and ways for older adults to stay physically and mentally active in terms of maintaining their cognitive abilities.



General Flow of the Resource Centre:
In the first section, I introduced resources which may have incorporated statistics, and/or discussed the overall importance for older adults to stay physically and mentally active in terms of maintaining their cognitive abilities, such as to prevent Alzheimer's disease and/or slow cognitive decline.

In the subsequent sections, I have grouped possible resources for older adults to stay physically and mentally active under different categories (1. Home - i) Physical Exercise, ii) Mentally-stimulating Activities; 2. Social Support to Encourage Older Adults to Stay Active; 3. Community-based Programs/Activities in Singapore). I have inserted an end-note to summarize the importance of similar resources, and supplemented the relevant cited empirical-based journal article/book at the end of these respective sections to provide more information.

Finally, I have provided references for the citations in the notes which have been inserted between the relevant resources.

World Health Organization's (2011) Global Health and Ageing Publication. Healthy Aging: Promoting Well-being in Older Adults. Wendy Suzuki: The brain-changing benefits of exercise. Cognitive Health and Older Adults. Cognitive health—the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember—is an important component of brain health.

Cognitive Health and Older Adults

Others include: Motor function—how well you make and control movements Emotional function—how well you interpret and respond to emotions Sensory function—how well you feel and respond to sensations of touch, including pressure, pain, and temperature This guide focuses on cognitive health and what you can do to help maintain it. The following steps can help you function every day and stay independent—and they have been linked to cognitive health, too. Take Care of Your Physical Health Taking care of your physical health may help your cognitive health. Get recommended health screenings. Eat Healthy Foods A healthy diet can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes.

In general, a healthy diet consists of fruits and vegetables; whole grains; lean meats, fish, and poultry; and low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Ageing Well: 5 Essential Health Tips for the Elderly. Growing older is a normal part of life and ageing will affect you physically and mentally.

Ageing Well: 5 Essential Health Tips for the Elderly

As you age, it is important to keep practising healthy habits that will help reduce stress and maintain a healthy mind and body. Although you cannot control everything that affects your health, keep in mind that many things are within your hands. There are things you can do to stay healthy that cost next to nothing and can be done alone or with friends. For example, you could start an exercise group with your neighbours and engage in physical activity every morning. Ways to minimise the effects of ageing include healthy eating, staying mentally alert, intellectually curious and physically active. Seated Exercises for Older Adults. Strength Training for Older Adults for Go4Life Month! 15-minute Sample Workout for Older Adults from Go4Life.

Importance of Engaging in Physical Exercise. Physical exercise and cognitive performance in the elderly. Free Printable: Large Crossword Puzzles for Older Adults. Crossword puzzles exercise the brain Doing something that’s enjoyable and mentally stimulating can improve quality of life.

Free Printable: Large Crossword Puzzles for Older Adults

In addition to the fun, studies have shown that brain exercises can keep seniors sharper for up to 10 years longer. And, games like crosswords may even help older adults prevent brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. To keep your older adult engaged and exercising their brain, we found a great source for free, large-print printable crossword and word search puzzles. Here, we explain what you’ll find at their website. Print puzzles for free, anytime As part of their business, Q.E.T.S. offers free and low cost large print and word search puzzles. We love their huge selection of free large print puzzles. All you need to do is open the PDF document and print it out. Free Printable: Sudoku Puzzles for Seniors. Fun puzzles keep senior minds sharp Research (and common sense) say that keeping the mind engaged is a great way to stay sharp while aging.

Free Printable: Sudoku Puzzles for Seniors

Some studies have shown that brain exercises can keep seniors sharper for up to 10 years longer. Sudoku (sue-dough-coo) puzzles are a fun activity and sure to stimulate your older adult’s brain. Free sudoku puzzles challenge the mind We found a great website with free sudoku puzzles that you can easily print. Don’t be scared off by all the numbers. Example of a traditional sudoku puzzle: A sample sudoku puzzle How to play sudoku A true sudoku puzzle has only one solution. Each row, column, and block / nonet (group of nine) can contain each number exactly once.The sum of all the numbers in any row or column must add up to 45. Sudoku tutorial It might take a little practice to solve a sudoku puzzle. Read a Wide Selection of e-storybooks (Access from National Library Board Website) Importance of Engaging in Mentally-stimulating Activities. Cognitively Stimulating Leisure Activity and Subsequent Cognitive Function. Modifying Home Environments to Support Older Adults' Independent Engagement in Daily Tasks.

Making modifications to your home can help the elderly at home be more independent, especially after being discharged from the hospital.

Modifying Home Environments to Support Older Adults' Independent Engagement in Daily Tasks

Making Your Home Elder-Friendly The elderly needs an environment where they can move around safely. Modifying your home by removing slippery rugs, installing grab bars, etc. can make your home safer for them, especially after they have returned home from the hospital. When our loved ones feel safe, they are able to move independently and comfortably. They will also be able to resume their regular routines and activities faster. To make your home safe, remove potential hazards to prevent accidents and reduce the risks of falling. Types of Home Modifications Changes could be simple adjustments or lifestyle changes, or more complicated modifications like the addition of fittings or structural changes to your home.

Simple adjustments could include: More complicated changes include: Getting Help on Home Modifications Other Resources Download a No Articles. Importance of Modifying Home Environments. Caregiver Support Groups in Singapore. Importance of Caregiver Support Groups. The Impacts of Social Support and Cognitive Function on Depression. I Feel Young SG's Active Ageing Programmes. Active ageing programmes (AAPs) encourage seniors to stay active, healthy and socially engaged. Seniors can join these programmes that are located in their neighbourhood. Sweat it out in group exercise sessions Learn a range of different exercises, including Zumba Gold, Kpop fitness, stretch band exercises and low impact aerobics. People's Association's (PA) Wellness Programme. Senior Citizens' Executive Committees PA Senior Citizens’ Executive Committees (SCECs) is the largest seniors’ network in Singapore.

People's Association's (PA) Wellness Programme

Through this network, the SCEC plans and organises a wide array of activities and courses to enrich the life experiences of senior citizens. There are sports and dance activities that are specially designed to help participants stay fit and healthy. There are also courses that fulfill the pursuit of lifelong learning by offering skills to pick up a new language, improve one's cooking, and even explore the possibilities of computer technology. NTUC Active Ageing Hub's Activities for Staying Active.

NTUC Health Active Ageing Hub offers a wide range of services for seniors, including senior day care and day rehabilitation services, as well as community and volunteer activities.NTUC Health’s senior day care services supports families in caring for their elderly loved ones, in particular those with dementia.

NTUC Active Ageing Hub's Activities for Staying Active

Apart from social activities and daily exercises, day centre for seniors also offers regular inter-generational programmes. The Active Ageing Hub offers active rehabilitation therapy and maintenance exercises. Clients can also enrol in the Gym Tonic programme. SkillsFuture Courses for Older Adults in Singapore. Courses for Senior Citizens Facebook Twitter Email Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Gmail Telegram Pocket Mix Tumblr Amazon Wish List AOL Mail Balatarin BibSonomy Bitty Browser Blinklist Blogger BlogMarks Bookmarks.fr Box.net Buffer Care2 News CiteULike Copy Link Design Float Diary.Ru Diaspora Digg Diigo Douban Draugiem DZone Evernote Facebook Messenger Fark Flipboard Folkd Google Bookmarks Google Classroom Hacker News Hatena Houzz Instapaper Kakao Kik Kindle It Known Line LiveJournal Mail.Ru Mastodon Mendeley Meneame MeWe Mixi MySpace Netvouz Odnoklassniki Outlook.com Papaly Pinboard Plurk Print PrintFriendly Protopage Bookmarks Pusha Qzone Rediff MyPage Refind Renren Sina Weibo SiteJot Skype Slashdot SMS StockTwits Svejo Symbaloo Bookmarks Threema Trello Tuenti Twiddla TypePad Post Viadeo Viber VK Wanelo WeChat WordPress Wykop XING Yahoo Mail Yoolink Yummly AddToAny.

SkillsFuture Courses for Older Adults in Singapore

Importance of these Community-based Programs. Additional Importance of NTUC Active Ageing Hub's Activities for Staying Active. Functional declines, social support, and mental health in the elderly.