Relay for Life 2016 to Benefit American Cancer and Our Members
Relay for Life 2016 to Benefit American Cancer and Our Members
On Wednesday, June 15th, our Members will be walking, walker-ing and rolling around our custom track during our mini Relay for Life 2016 to benefit the American Cancer Society. Although the relay will benefit ACS, the act of walking – or getting any kind of exercise – will benefit everyone who does it!
At any age, exercise is important part of a healthy life. But it is even more important as adults get older. Even with all of the studies showing that consistent physical activity is proven to enhance longevity and the quality of life for people of all ages, over 85% of adults are either not regularly active or not active at all!
Exercise can help prevent heart disease and osteoporosis, among others. According to research from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, physical activity, including exercise, can slow the changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Those adults in who exercised 5 times a week did better on cognitive tests and had less age-related changes to the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s.
Below are 4 types of exercise that can help prevent a variety of age-related health issues.*
Cardio – this includes activities like walking, swimming, biking, or just doing housework. Any activity that increases your heart rate for an extended period of time can improve your heart health and help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism.- Strength – build muscle and increase your metabolism by lifting light weights.
- Balance – can help prevent falls and other accidents by building leg muscles and making older adults more stable on their feet.
Stretching –stretching allows you to increase your flexibility and improve your freedom of movement. This will help you stay more independent in your senior years.
(*Remember, you should always talk with your physician before starting any exercise regimen.)
You can’t control your age, but you can control how well you age. Start exercising now so you can age gracefully!
At NSC, physical activity isn’t just important this one day a year; it is important every day! Whether our Members walk around our track just to take a stroll or for our Relay for Life 2016 event, hop on the stationary bike, use the weights or participate in one of our other activities, we make sure they keep their bodies in motion. We also work on their minds and spirits through socializing, harmonizing, improvising, and just plain having fun!
Call to action: contact us to schedule a FREE 3-hour trial at our facility so you can see what we have to offer and understand the Naperville Senior Center experience. It’s like “Home Away From Home,” but with a nurse and therapists in your living room.
Free TRIAL is for new Members and their caregiver.
The trial visit is Monday-Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Tour our adult day services facility.
Observe some fun activities. Join us for lunch. Learn more at our Senior Adult Day Care center FREE TRIAL
Receive Peace of Mind.
*** No obligation! ***
Learn more about Naperville Senior Citizen services and upcoming events.
Can you believe it was just one year ago, on St. Patrick’s Day 2015, when we had our first ribbon cutting after opening our doors on February 25? We have had many successes since then! We are excited to have our 1st Anniversary Party and Business After Hours again on St. Patrick’s Day 2016 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm!
Our charter Member, Charlene, started with us the week after we opened. We love having her here; she continues to brighten our days with every visit!
We hosted a mini Walk for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society in June, and raised over $2,400 to fight cancer. We want to be sure our Members continue to exercise – and being able to do it for an important cause was a great motivator!
We provided fun activities for our Members including planting a garden (and then enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their labor), dressing up on Talk Like a Pirate Day, and having children come by before Halloween to get treats and play games with our Members.
We have hosted several Continuing Education (CEU) Workshops after hours for nurses, therapists and social workers. We are happy to provide this amazing venue for the community when they need to come together to gather and learn. Do you need a space to hold your workshop? Give Mike a call at 630-857-3017.
We hosted our 1st Annual Fall Craft and Vendor Fair in November. Thank you to all 23 vendors who joined us for a wonderful event. Our Members were even involved in making most of our crafts that were sold that day.
We hosted our own ‘Oscar’s Day Awards’ with our Members just before the Academy Awards! Our competition was fierce, but we outstanding performances!
There is a lot of hoopla surrounding the Big Game this Sunday. It’s the 50th Super Bowl; it’s the biggest age difference between opposing quarterbacks in the Big Game; and it could very well be the last game of a future hall-of-fame quarterback.
Do you feel like you have to be cooped up in the winter? You don’t have to! There are plenty of things to do in the Chicagoland area. Embrace the winter wonderland; don’t hide from it!
There are more than 5,000 adult day centers across the country with more than 260,000 participants, according to the 
Make it fun. Give your parent a fun reason to go. Is there a fantastic arts program? Or another activity that your mother or father would really enjoy? “The first day, look for a hook,” Eskenazi recommends. “Is there a trip or an activity they would like? Make sure you plan for the first day so they’re engaged right from the start.”
Ask a professional to step in. If you and your parent just aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on attending a day center, you may wish to reach out to a third party for help. Your mother or father may go willingly if a doctor or a social worker offers the suggestion. At Alzheimer’s Community Care, which runs 10 dementia-specific adult day centers in South Florida, a family nurse consultant will often encourage a parent to attend a day center when an adult child is having no luck. Once through the door, he or she is often happy to be there. “We hear these stories all the time,” says Kathleen Herd, vice president of development for the organization. In one case, the family nurse consultant drove the mother right to the day center. “Her face lit up. Here was her peer group and she didn’t even know she was missing it,” says Mary Barnes, executive director of Alzheimer’s Community Care.
Start with a short schedule. Don’t ask a parent to stay too long at a day center on the first day. “Make it short. Make it easy. Don’t make someone stay the whole day,” Eskenazi says. Don’t overwhelm a parent by booking too many days early on. Keep the schedule as light as possible. “Start with maybe one or two days per week. I would recommend someone starting an adult day center with a shorter schedule and then working up to more days and more hours over time,” Eskenazi says. Be supportive. If a day center is a positive experience for a parent, be upbeat and positive and encourage him or her to attend. “Let them decide if they want more days,” Eskenazi says.
“It often takes several visits to an adult day center for a new person to feel comfortable in a new setting and new routine,” Barnes says. “The ideal situation [in their eyes] is for them to be with you, and you can’t do it 24/7. Ask the staff for help in making the transition from home to the day center.” A parent with a neurocognitive disorder may be insecure about new experiences. But if you are a strong proponent for the day center, a parent may feel more comfortable attending.