Spring Arbor Living Blog

Being in an assisted living facility can have many benfits. We cater to all of our residents needs and special needs requested by their families. In addition to being there and helping out as much as we can, we also offer fun activities and amenities that our residents can enjoy.

Some of the activities that you can expect from spring arbor would surprise you. Our staff is dedicated to enabling a high quality of life for residents at Spring Arbor and The Oaks, including a range of activities to exercise both the mind and the body. From cooking lessons with the house Chef to gardening classes to discussions of current events, residents are encouraged to rekindle old interests or develop new ones.

Maintaining contact with the community is an important component of life at Spring Arbor and The Oaks. To that end, we arrange outings to churches, synagogues, parks, theaters, shopping trips, local restaurants, and numerous other social venues. We understand that our residents have diverse backgrounds, different hobbies and varying levels of physical ability and fitness. The professionals here have incorporated a broad range of activities into the social calendar, striving to include residents in our vibrant social calendar.

Typical activities in a day might start with morning exercises and then some card playing. Other days they might go out to the local stores to get a shake or go out to a movie with a small group. Usually once a week there is transportation provided to go shopping to WalMart or Target (depending on residents’ choice). In the afternoon there is typically entertainment from someone playing the piano, singing, or playing some other instrument. Cooking demonstrations get out a very good portion of the residents where they can try great recipes and mingle with their friends of the community. Please don't hesitate to contact us as we would be happy to answer any questions and help you in any way possible.

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As many break throughs in the research of dementia and Alzheimer's continues researchers are getting closer and closer to find a proper medication for this terrible affliction. Recently some medications were approved that help with Alzheimer's. Although current medications cannot cure Alzheimer’s or stop it from progressing, they may help lessen symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion, for a limited time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two types of medications — cholinesterase inhibitors (Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, Cognex) and memantine (Namenda) — to treat the cognitive symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. While these are no cure it is still a huge step in helping to rid patients with Alzhiemer's

As Alzheimer’s progresses, brain cells die and connections among cells are lost, causing cognitive symptoms to worsen. While current medications cannot stop the damage Alzheimer’s causes to brain cells, they may help lessen or stabilize symptoms for a limited time by affecting certain chemicals involved in carrying messages among the brain's nerve cells. Doctors sometimes prescribe both types of medications together. Some doctors also prescribe high doses of vitamin E for cognitive changes of Alzheimer's disease. If you know a loved one who has suffered from this illness, contact us today and we'll be happy to help with any questions or do what we can for you and your loved one.

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All of us at Spring Arbor Living seek to promote healthy life styles for both our residents and their entire family.  According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), ten million Americans have already suffered irreversible hearing damage from noise and another 30 million are exposed to dangerous levels of noise each and every day. Hearing loss is a common affliction for both the old and the young. So take two minutes to read, reflect, and if need be, change your bad habits that put your hearing at risk.  

The rule of thumb, according to NIDCD, is to be wary of noises that are “too loud”, “too close”, or last “too long”. When exposure to potentially dangerous noise is unavoidable, noise induced hearing loss can be prevented by using effective hearing protection such as earplugs, earmuffs or headsets. These will help drown out the sound from those outside sources and protect your ears.

Make sure to watch out for symptoms of hearing loss, including sounds that appear distorted or muffled a ringing in the ears, a feeling of fullness in the ears and difficulty understanding speech. Any of these signs signal that a hearing test is essential. The test will go through a series of sounds and pitches to determine where your hearing level is and if it is damaged.

Today’s hearing aids are smarter, smaller and more comfortable than ever before. With proper professional hearing care support, they can benefit 95 percent of all those with hearing loss. However, there is no substitute for prevention, and noise induced hearing loss is 100-percent preventable. There are many programs and companies out there that specialize in hearing aids. And most of them would be glad to help out.

As a small quick tidbit, we'll share some quick sound facts since we are on the subject of hearing and sound. We hope this post was informative and everyone protects their ears. Being able to hear is a valuable sense to have and we take it for granted until it is gone.

•   The unit used to measure sound is a decibel: A whisper may be 30 decibels, and typical conversation measures 60 decibels, while a hair dryer can come in at 90 decibels.
•   An increase of 10 on the decibels scale means the sound is 10x more powerful.
•   The Sight and Hearing Association estimates that unprotected hearing can be damaged in four hours when using a power saw (95 decibels), 15 minutes at a stadium football game (115 decibels), and eight hours in truck traffic (90 decibels).
•   A single acoustic trauma can result in permanent hearing loss – or in temporary hearing loss, which may be followed by partial or total recovery. Sudden hearing loss always requires prompt medical attention.

So just exactly what is "too loud too close, or too long".  Unless you carry a decibel meter wherever you go, you just have to trust your instincts. You know, young people just know that they are going to "hear forever".  We, the mature, know better.  Just be honest with yourselves, and don't be lazy.  Reach for your hearing protection each and every time your gut tells you to do so. 

Stop by or call to continue the discussion or for more references on the subject of hearing loss. 

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