MorningStar

Retirement options are greater and more widely available than ever before. A simple google search of senior living facilities can quickly become overwhelming. How can you make sure you’re choosing the right one? To find an ideal senior living community for a loved one struggling with dementia, you should identify your loved one’s top needs and evaluate how those needs may change within the next 5-10 years as well as find a community that prides themselves in understanding the full life of your loved one, not just their disease. It is important to find a memory care facility that can meet the needs of a loved one with dementia not only at their present capacity, but with how their needs may change in the future. As part of your move-in process at MorningStar of Littleton, our Wellness Director will assess your loved one’s current health and review their medical history to ascertain how we can best meet their needs. At that time, we will also learn your own preferences, as well as normal...

Coming to the realization that your loved one may need support beyond what you can provide comes with difficult decisions to make regarding assisted living . Caregivers of family members and loved ones that have special needs or require extra help often experience their own hardships. Anxiety, depression, negative eating habits, financial strain and poor health are not rare when it comes to caring for an elderly parent or family member. Children of senior parents may feel shame in assessing senior living and assisted care, but these facilities can lessen that guilt and offer a peace of mind that your loved one is healthy, safe, and happy. You know your parent better than anyone and have developed a care routine that allows your parent to be close by or living in similar circumstances of their younger years. Sadly, this may not always be sustainable. Perhaps you have welcomed a new child, taken a new job where you will be around less often, or maybe have decided to move. If you are unab...

Older adults may have grown up with a skewed image of what senior living looks like. Media, such as television and movies, often portray assisted living and retirement homes as drab, outdated communities with sterile walls and decoration. There is often a stigma associated with moving to assisted living, but MorningStar at Jordan Creek is changing the narrative and strives to empower future residents with their decision making to live in assisted care and build individualized care plans based on their needs. MorningStar at Jordan Creek’s assisted living in Des Moines is modern and lively as we encourage our residents to participate in community involvement and hobby exploration. Residents in assisted living are typically independent but may need help with meal preparation, medication scheduling, personal hygiene assistance, or upkeep with chores and errands. While staying in assisted living at MorningStar, these worries can be handled while you enjoy our resort-style amenities and mean...

When an individual starts portraying symptoms of memory loss or Alzheimer’s, often communication is a noticeable change that caretakers and family members first notice. When typical forms of communication diminish, such as speech, people may wonder how their loved one will be able to communicate with the world around them. Seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia often enjoy and benefit from creative activities like art that give the opportunity for non-verbal expression and communication. Art therapy is a common activity in senior living and Alzheimer’s care as this holistic method of care has been seen to boost mood, stimulate the brain, and help with overall quality of life. Art therapy encourages personal passion and helps to activate memory and familiarity. The idea of art therapy is to not overwhelm the individual struggling with dementia, but to encourage their independence and free creativity. Safe art projects that are on an adult level can create a sense of accomplishment and pu...

Supporting and caring for a person with Alzheimer’s can be positive and rewarding, but it also comes with unique challenges. Guilty feelings, anger, and stress are emotions that children of parents with dementia and caretakers of seniors with Alzheimer’s often experience. MorningStar of Littleton, Co specializes in Alzheimer’s care as well as senior living and offers advice on how you can make sure you're taking care of yourself, as well as the person you're supporting. Here are some situations in which someone might experience guilt when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, along with some advice on managing your feelings to better support your loved one. Adult children often feel guilt over how they behaved when they were younger towards their parent before they were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Petty arguments and growing pains are common in every family. It can be hard to accept an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, especially in strained relationships. However, you didn't know you...

Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be beneficial. In fact, regular walks, and the incorporation of extra steps into your daily routine, hosts an array of health benefits both for your body and your mind. Sedimentary living can be one concern when residing in a senior living facility. However, MorningStar’s amenities at Jordan Creek offers intellectual, spiritual, and social engagement with creative ways to stay active and productive as we believe the human capacity to learn and grow is ageless. Walking is considered low intensity exercise and is just as valuable as running or high intensity workouts when done regularly. Walking every day, even just for 15 minutes, has been found to greatly improve the lives of individuals. Seniors aged 55 and up who exercise regularly are more likely to participate in everyday activities without assistance and be more independent in household chores and upkeep. Daily walks while living in senior living communities encourages healthy lifestyles. Thi...

For many seniors, there comes a time when they feel they are not living life on their own terms, and routine, day-to-day activities start becoming more difficult. To determine if assisted living is the right choice for a parent or spouse, experts say you need to consider the amount of care they require on a daily basis. If it is more personal care than he/she can get (or afford) with in-home services or in an independent living community , yet they don’t need 24-hour medical care and supervision, assisted living is the ideal option. People often confuse assisted living with nursing homes; however, they are not the same thing. Nursing homes provide around-the-clock skilled nursing care while assisted living provides help with the ADLs (activities of daily living) to enhance residents’ quality of life within a residential setting. While some families may experience sticker shock when first learning the cost of assisted living, you need to consider everything it includes. For example, Mor...