Blog Archives - New Haven

Is Senior Living Right for you?

Is Senior Living right for you? Listen to what some of our residents are saying after making the decision to move into New Haven.

“If I would have known what life was like living in an assisted living, I would have made the decision to move sooner. I have met new friends while attending the daily activities offered. My health has improved overall, I am exercising often and eating well-balanced meals. I love having privacy when I want and can be as social as I want” - Betty

“I enjoy the fellowship with some of the other residents. It was important to me that I had someone available to assist me on the days I didn’t feel well. I came to New Haven after an injury and was limited to a wheelchair. With physical therapy and help from the staff I am now walking with a walker and feeling better” – Jim

Web banner panoramic image of happy senior man and woman couple sitting together at home smiling and happy with perfect teethSeniors who transition into assisted living have a better chance at saying physically, emotionally and mentally connected as they age, compared to those Seniors who choose to stay at home.

New Haven recognizes the importance to keeping the body and mind active through the various Life Enrichment programs that contribute to our resident’s overall health and wellbeing. Staying active, eating healthy, sleeping well and taking care of oneself can slow the risk of mortality for seniors as they age. Seniors that live on their own succumb to bad habits when no one is around to encourage an active lifestyle. New Haven understands the importance of our residents sustaining a healthy diet, one that is rich in nutrients can help with cognition function as well as nutrition intake. New Haven offers a dining program where our residents enjoy three nutritious Chef prepared meals a day.

Statistics show that both personal and environmental resources are important to aging well, senior living communities offer a unique combination of personal competence and environment that determines an optimal level of function. Senior Living residents report lower level of stress with being able to handle situations knowing they are surrounded by a support system day and night.

There are many benefits New Haven Assisted Living & Memory Care have to offer. New Haven provides very individualized care, robust activity programs and specially designed communities that help seniors continue to thrive with all the comforts of home. Visit us today to determine if senior living is right for you.

Coping with the Stress of Moving

April is stress awareness month. At New Haven we understand that by moving a loved one into a new home, can be a stressful situation for both the resident and family. Many families believe that the stress of moving is so hard that leaving them at home could be the best option. Stress can come from being lonely, lack of nutritional diet, and lack of physical activity. Here are a few tips and tricks to help with coping with stress, especially when having to move a loved one.

Home Away from Home

The best way to make your new home look like home is to decorate your room with personal items. At New Haven we allow the families to decorate the room with furniture from your own home! We also allow you to hang and decorate your own private room with family pictures, personal décor, and any other items you wish to bring along! We want New Haven to be your home as your family is our family.

Visit Often

Think back to your college years of moving away from home, family, and friends. Moving for elderly can be compared very closely to this situation. It is best for your family and friends to visit your loved one very often to help them feel comfortable and more at ease for making a big move. Your daily visits and company will help them feel more at ease and will help them settle in like at home. Our doors at New Haven are always open for visitors and family visits!

Keep that Body Moving!

It is important to get in a daily exercise of at least 30 minutes a day. By exercising daily, it has been proven that it can not only be good for your health, but exercising is a mood booster. New Haven offers many different daily activities and can specialize with any certain activities for your loved one.

Close-Knit Community

Moving into a large new location or environment can add to the stress of adjusting to the new environment. New Haven offers 16 private rooms at each of our special locations. Moving into a new community is hard, and if you must adapt to 30+ new faces it can make the adjusting process even more difficult. New Haven serves 16 residents and has the best staff to resident ratio to ensure your loved one is getting the care and assistance they need. With our quaint environment we can adjust any of our services that best fits your loved ones needs.

These are just a few tips of how to cope with the stress of moving a loved one. If you have any questions or concerns about moving your loved one feel free to contact us and we can help, make your move easy, and stress free! Your family is our family!

Tomball Assisted Living Expansion

Accepting DEPOSITS NOW!!!

New Haven of Tomball is expanding in Tomball, Texas. We are now building a world-class 28 bed assisted living community near our specialized memory care center in NW Houston. Come visit our existing and growing campus.

We are accepting deposits NOW!!! Call Marion to get first choice in your personal room in our Assisted Living Community in Tomball!

We are working with industry domain experts in architecture and construction with experience in gerontology and aging.

We will be having an open house on Wednesday, February 13th at 2 PM at our Tomball Memory Care campus @ 609 S. Pine Street Tomball, TX.

Come visit and walk the site, see how we are incorporating world-class amenities at this new 28 bed Assisted Living campus in Tomball TX.

New Haven Tomball Assisted Living Expansion Set

For more information please call:

Contact our Executive Director

Marion Hattix

PH: 832-576-2587

marion@newhavenassistedliving.com

Heart Health Month at New Haven

5 Heart Healthy Habits For Seniors during American Heart Month in February -#ourhearts are healthier together

No matter what age you are, you can keep your heart healthy, it does take some effort and possibly changes in your every day routine such as, eating a heart healthy diet and increasing your activity level. Here are some suggestions to keep your parent or Senior loved one’s heart in great shape!

Eat Healthy – As we age our bodies change, less muscle mass, our bodies burn fewer calories so it is important to maintain a healthy weight. Eating a heart healthy diet is essential in ones overall health and wellbeing. Eating less fatty meats and incorporating more Omega-3s such as salmon or trout. Eggs are also rich foods that offer high protein and vitamins and minerals. Try to get at least five servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Fruit and vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Dairy or milk products provide Vitamin D and calcium, as well as cheese, soy, rice and almonds. Fiber rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, whole-grains and nuts will help lower blood cholesterol.
Information on Medication Management – In order to avoid possible complications with medications, schedule frequent Physician visits to review medications. Make sure your taking your medications as prescribed by your Physician. Presort pills in daily reminder boxes if you take multiple medications. Know which medications you can take together, and which medications you can’t, or which medications need to be taken with foods or liquids. Watch for side effects. Dispose of old drugs that are expired or discontinued medications by your Physician.
Plenty of Sleep – Sleep can have many affects on seniors that most might ignore. Poor quality sleep may cause memory loss or forgetfulness. Feeling groggy or less alert might lead to increased falls. Consuming too much caffeine throughout the day can affect sleep quality. Maintaining a regular bed and wake time schedule will help your body get used to a pattern. Aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Proper sleep helps keep your mind alert, preserves energy levels and helps you live life to the fullest.
Stay Mentally Healthy – Many Seniors deal with mental stress, depression and anxiety, worsening their overall quality of life. Connecting with others as often as possible helps with isolation and loneliness. Staying in touch with family and friends which can also help create opportunities for Seniors to interact with others in their neighborhood or Assisted Living communities. Exercise can also improve mental health and might be just as affective as medications. Relieving stress, can also benefit psychological health. Getting fresh air, and a change of scenery can help boost ones mood and can be as simple as taking a walk outside. Mental exercises such as puzzles, reading and brain exercises are also important to stay mentally healthy.
Vision Changes – Annual eye checkup is a simple, low-stress way to keep tabs on your eyes and overall health. What Seniors do not realize is that an eye exam can also uncover symptoms of significant health problems.

Red Carpet Welcome at Spring Assisted Living

At New Haven Assisted Living & Memory of Care of Spring we don’t hesitate to roll out the red carpet for all new residents because your family is our family. We were fortunate to celebrate Ms. Joan and her moving in to our caring and compassionate home.

Staff at New Haven look forward to providing world-class nursing care, services and amenities for Ms. Joan and continuing to be Northwest Houston and Spring, TX’s trusted provider of expert personal and medical care.

Come learn why so many choose to call New Haven Home.

Contact our Executive Director

Mark Bearden, MSHA LVN CALM CDP

Cell: 832-640-2370

Email: mark@newhavenassistedliving.com

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors

Here at New Haven Assisted Living we pride ourselves on not only caring for our residents but having the ability to share our insights with everyone on things you can do at home and in the community to keep our seniors safe.

1. Stay Active

Physical activity is important for older adults. Exercise such as walking, chair aerobics, water aerobics, tai chi and stretching can help control weight, build muscles and bones, improve balance, posture and mood. Even if you suffer from heart disease, diabetes or arthritis, many of these conditions may get better with mild to moderate physical activity!

2. See your Doctor Regularly

Regular wellness visits with your healthcare provider is important. Discuss any changes in your health, review advance directives and medications. Annual screening tests are important to remember. Ask your doctor if you should be getting any new booster or immunization shots.

3. Protect Yourself From Falls

Falls are the leading cause of injuries and death among older adults. Eliminate items in your home that are trip hazard like, throw rugs, excess furniture and wet floors. Exercising can increase your strength, balance and flexibility and help avoid falls. Ask your Doctor to check your medication to make sure you are not taking anything that can make you more likely for a fall. Insert safety rails or grab bars in your bathroom and install night lights so that it is easier to see at night.

4. Keep An Active Mind

Being physically active is just as important as staying mentally active. Our brain controls happiness and as we age, mental health is an important part of being able to live independently. Some stimulating activities include arts and crafts, word games, crossword puzzles, bingo, jigsaw puzzles, trivia and reading. Keeping an active mind is essential to a healthy well-being.

5. Rekindle An Old Friendship OR Find New Friends

You are never too old to find new friends or reach out to an old one. There are many ways to connect such as social media, write a letter, a phone call or video chat. Staying social is a great way to connect with friends in your community. Attending Church, exercise classes, Senior Centers, Volunteering, and visiting with your neighbors. Socialization is vital to your health physically, mentally and emotionally.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Senior Cool in the Heat

1. Serve Cooler Foods

Keep your loved one cool this Summer hot season with some chilled and healthy alternatives to the bbq. Hot foods can increase the risk of heat exhaustion.

Add a smoothie. Smoothies are healthy fast and easy to whip up on a hot summer day. You can add extra protein powder for higher nutritional value.

Sip on chilled gazpacho soup. It always seems odd to drink cold soup, but this one is packed with vitamins and minerals to help replace what is lost when sweating and is easy to digest.

Share a fruit platter. Keep a fruit platter at the ready. These contain vitamins and nutrients and fruits like watermelon pack in some extra hydration.

2. Hydrate

High temperatures make us sweat more no matter our age. To maintain healthy seniors we want to make sure that they are hydrated to prevent heatstroke.

Sip liquids throughout the day. We lose minerals that help us absorb nutrients in the body when we sweat. Keep water bottles at the ready for easy access and to encourage your senior to drink more. You could also encourage this by adding fresh orange, strawberries or cucumber for easy sipping.

Add electrolytes. You may want to monitor to add electrolytes to water to replace what is lost when sweating. This may be of greater significance when going through a heatwave.

Cut the caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and works against staying hydrated. Opt for a fresh herbal tea or herbal ice tea with ice is even better.

3. Opt for Cooler Clothing

Planning a day trip? Staying outside for a better part of the day? Make sure your senior is wearing lightweight breathable clothing. A looser lighter fit will prevent overheating of the body.

Light colored clothing. Lighter colored clothing reflects the sun and doesn’t absorb the heat.

Wear a hat. The bigger the better. A nice wide brim for a day trip out will help keep the sun off their head, neck and shoulders.

Sunglasses. Sunglasses are not only a style statement but the elderly can have trouble adjusting to the changes in light on a brighter day. Sunglasses will help prevent eye strain and headaches.

4. Stay out of the Sun

While it’s really nice to head out and enjoy a sunny day opting for the indoors and some AC can be a dream. Being cooped up inside can still be a downer on a Summer day but you can venture out keeping these tips in mind.

Shady Spaces – Opt for shady spaces and places when going out and use the trails and shade of trees or awnings if you’re in a for a city walk. If necessary, use some sun umbrella’s to stay out of the direct light.

Go out early or late. The really hot days can have temperatures soaring before noon but going out early or later will avoid the hottest peek times.

Sunscreen. SPF 30 or higher if your senior is going outside to prevent sunburn from aging and more sensitive skin.

5. Cool Baths

You really don’t want the bathroom to feel like a sauna in this heat so be sure to encourage your help you senior to enjoy a cool bath temperature. You don’t want to contribute to heat exhaustion.

Cool or lukewarm temperatures. After a long hot day outdoors this will be more refreshing and assist with bringing down the body temperature from being outdoors.

Cold wet towel. A cool wet towel on the back of the neck can also help in cooling down the body after sun exposure and hot days out.

Warning Signs of Heat Stroke

It’s no fun to stay indoors during the hotter months but it’s important to take these tips into account to protect you senior from heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

If you don’t live with your loved one, or perhaps it’s your neighbor, be sure to check on on them a couple of times a day. If they are experiencing headache, neausea, dizziness, rapid heartbeat or difficulty breathing then be sure to call 911 or use their medical alert system.