MorningStar

If you have been caring for your senior parent or an elderly loved one and find that their needs have progressed past the care that you can supply them, you may be considering other senior living options. A major fear that comes up for families searching for senior care facilities is the worry that their loved ones may experience inadequate care and supervision. This fear is not irrational; elder abuse still occurs in senior care throughout America. However, the Alzheimer’s Association established a program called “Recognized Leaders in Dementia Care” that recognizes outstanding Alzheimer's care facilities that have performed rigorous training for their memory care staff. This training positively impacts the overall happiness of seniors residing in communities that are recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association. MorningStar of Littleton enrolls 75% of its staff in an eight-hour training that encompasses brain pathology, communication techniques, and methods of lessening agitation wi...

Companionship is invaluable. Having someone around you that you can trust, have fun with, and explore life with together helps to build an enriching and fulfilling inner world. Dating at an older age may feel daunting. Nowadays people are meeting partners later in life and are still able to create strong and happy experiences. If you’re open to finding new life partners, here are helpful senior dating tips to create fulfilling, meaningful relationships within a senior living community. Explore your new environment and get social. Senior living communities are an ideal environment for exploring the dating scene. Retirement homes host a wide array of communal activities and amenities that encourage seniors out of their shells. Delving into the activities that your community puts together is a great way to meet people with the same interests as you. MorningStar at Jordan Creek is a Senior Living and Assisted Living facility in Des Moines that support residents with resort-style amenities...

We all have a unique relationship with music; our tastes in music genres, favorite lyrics, and memories specific to us become associated with certain songs. Music is a huge part of our culture; there is an understanding that music is deeply rooted in our conscious and unconscious brains. This makes music, and music therapy, a valuable tool in Alzheimer’s care that helps to better understand and relieve some of the effects of dementia and other types of cognitive loss in the brain. Music awakens the brain and a rich supply of memories that are associated with familiar songs or beloved pieces begin to expose themselves. Published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, "objective evidence from brain imaging shows meaningful music is an alternative route for communicating with patients who have Alzheimer's disease." These findings mark a significant step toward music therapy as a holistic method in communication with dementia care patients. It is revolutionary ...

Major changes happen to our taste buds as we age, and we may find ourselves unable to taste flavors as intensely as we once could. By the time we surpass 55 years of age, our taste buds begin to reduce. The average young adult has about 15,000 taste buds, whereas seniors, on average, lose over 50% of their taste buds. This frustrating olfactory change may be why our food cravings fluctuate as we get older and may answer why seniors gravitate towards more sugary foods. Try these foods to satiate your sweet tooth while also providing your body with essentially nutrients and minerals. Sugar is much easier for our taste buds to detect than savory or salty foods. Not to mention, sugar causes our brains to release dopamine which generates pleasure throughout our bodies. However, large amounts of sugar can greatly impact a senior’s health. MorningStar Senior Living in Des Moines, Iowa, believes that through a proper diet and healthy choices, food is a healing medicine unlike any other. Our ex...

Words fail us when we hear our veterans’ stories of raw courage and self-sacrifice— all in the name of Country and Honor and Duty. At MorningStar Assisted Living in Des Moines, we are privileged to include veterans from all five branches of the military service among our residents in our retirement community. If you, or a spouse, have served in the military, you may be entitled to receive senior benefits because of your status as a Veteran. Understanding how to receive these benefits may help in providing you financial support with health care, housing, and even long-term care options. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides both short-term and long-term care in nursing homes to veterans who aren’t in need of hospitalization but are too disabled or elderly to take care of themselves. Ensuring that veterans have a safe and happy place to live is an important part of MorningStar’s values. The Homebound and Aid and Attendance programs offer some support that can make long-term ca...

Currently, there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer's. The absence of medical relief for memory loss leaves families discouraged and anxious about the well-being of their loved ones or elderly parents. Handling this diagnosis alone can also be overwhelming and can lead to periods of depression in the caretaker. If you are trying to find the right care for your loved one with Alzheimer's, the uncharted territory of the disease may have you feeling in over your head. Due to their refusal to give up the quest to find successful dementia care methods, MorningStar's Senior Living in Littleton has been recognized as a leader in dementia care by the Alzheimer’s Association. The Alzheimer’s Association established a program called “Recognized Leaders in Dementia Care.” To be considered for this program, a senior living community is required to enroll 75% of its staff in an eight-hour training that encompasses brain pathology, communication techniques, and methods of lessening agi...

The U.S. News and World Report published an article on tasty treats designed to satisfy your sweet tooth and provide a healthier alternative to more sugar laden desserts. One suggestion from board-certified oncology dietitian, Kailey Proctor, of the Leonard Cancer Institute at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California, is to grill pineapple, banana, apple or pear slices. Grilling concentrates flavors by reducing the water content, and further sweetens the fruit as natural sugars are caramelized by the heat. Dark chocolate is a known powerful source of antioxidants as research shows it can help improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and raise HDLs, reducing your risk for heart disease. One healthy, easy-to-make dessert is to melt dark chocolate and spread it over parchment paper. Then sprinkle dried cherries, chopped nuts or sunflower seeds over it; refrigerate for five minutes and cut into small pieces. Another variation is to dip fresh strawberries or other fruit int...

If you are a senior who is having difficulty turning your neck to look behind you when driving, having problems getting up from a low chair or difficulty picking something up from the floor, you may find adding stretches to your routine can really improve these types of motions. Stretching exercises also help seniors improve flexibility and balance, both of which lower a person’s risk of falls and injuries. Experts explain stretching gives seniors a better range of movement in their joints, helps improve posture, increases circulation and releases muscle tension and soreness. The Journal of Gerontology reported on the results of a 12-month stretch and flex program for older adults. It found “participants demonstrated positive changes in areas like physical fitness, self-efficacy, perceived functioning, and well-being. They also experienced a decrease in pain.” Along with the favorable benefits stretching provides, it can be done anywhere and does not require any special equipment. Howe...

A Place for Mom’s website, a free service that helps families in their senior care search, reports the various services offered at assisted living communities can make it a healthier, safer living option for many seniors. As services typically involve 24/7 care, nutritional meals and wellness programs, it means residents receive the kind of care required to enhance their quality of life. Assisted living communities such as MorningStar at Mountain Shadows provide the social connections necessary to seniors’ wellbeing as well as intellectual stimulation. The individual and their family get peace of mind knowing help is available when it is needed. Likewise, recent research shows assisted living facilities may help seniors avoid falls as most are equipped with safety features such as handicap-accessible bathrooms and wheelchair accessible doorways. MorningStar’s emergency call systems in each suite also means immediate help is at hand. MorningStar at Mountain Shadows offers seniors ass...

Seniors often feel like a move to an assisted living community signals the end of their independence, but this is not the case at MorningStar of Wheat Ridge. Our goal is to provide the best assisted living in the area, with the services and care needed to give residents the best quality of life. Our beautiful community offers 45 private assisted living suites including spacious studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floorplans (some over 700 square feet). We recommend families schedule a tour to experience our community firsthand, and we make it easy to do using our Virtual Assistant to set up the day and time. We will get back to you as soon as possible to confirm. However, while a tour is important, please browse through our website and watch the Virtual Tour, read the home page, and take a look at the full list of amenities and suite plans for an overview of our community. Other informative sections on our website can be found under “First Steps.” We suggest you start with FAQs to get...

MorningStar at Mountain Shadows is a part of the MorningStar Senior Living Company whose vision is “to be a company of servant-minded, purpose-driven leaders in our senior communities and throughout the world.” This means right from the start we have made a point to staff our loving home with individuals who feel called to serve and understand that seniors deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. In addition, we support MorningStar’s mission of serving others here at home and throughout the world including supporting the Alzheimer’s Association and the Casa Bernabé orphanage in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. We also support MorningStar’s partnership with “Lifewater,” a non-profit organization that focuses on delivering safe water sources to villages across the globe. MorningStar at Mountain Shadows is also guided by our company’s founding principles that include: Honoring God in our business practices and relationships Valuing all seniors as gifted and contributing individuals Inv...

Along with assisted living , Colorado Springs’ MorningStar at Mountain Shadows offers individualized care for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Our Reflections Neighborhood has 19 secure memory care suites, and we are equipped to care for residents from the onset of the disease to the most advanced stages. MorningStar’s holistic memory care is personalized and compassionate supported living under what we call Lavender Sky, which is the way we thoughtfully enter, embrace, and explore to find purpose and encouragement in every aspect of daily routine. As dementia care specialists, we deeply understand the disease and know regardless of the extent of memory loss residents deserve to be treated with kindness, respect and dignity. All team members are trained in MorningStar’s brand standards of Lavender Sky and in the pathology of dementia and brain disease. Caregivers provide 24/7 assistance with eating, bathing, dressing and have the tools to calm or s...

While there is not a cure for Alzheimer’s and many other dementia-related diseases, it is important to provide the person with the proper level of care.  Along with assisted living, MorningStar of Wheat Ridge offers compassionate memory care . Our Reflections Neighborhood has the amenities and services to ensure the comfort, safety and wellbeing of our most tender residents.   As dementia care specialists, our approach and philosophy to memory care is encompassed under the expanse of possibilities we call “Lavender Sky.”  All team members, regardless of their position, receive Lavender Sky training, which includes a deeper understanding of the disease and communication techniques to use with memory-impaired residents.  It also includes training in environmental safety and security as well as holistic solutions to challenging behaviors.   An important aspect of our program is to provide plenty of recreational and purposeful activities such as music, li...