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Gardening is good for the soul! Simply getting outdoors and digging in the earth, planting seeds, watering, and watching plants blossom and yield flowers, fruits and vegetables can be beneficial for everyone, including people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Horticulture Therapy professionals believes that therapeutic gardening has an important place is the care and treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Some of the benefits are cognitive, physical and mental/emotional:

• Enhance cognitive functioning
• Promote physical health
• Improve concentration
• Prompt memories
• Help social interaction
• Increase self-esteem
• Reduce stress and help with anxiety
• Decrease depression
• Give participants a sense of accomplishment

Aspen Activity Days at the Taylorsville Senior Center has seen this happen first hand!

They started a garden in April and had everyone participate in preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watering, nourishing and weeding the plants. They have grown a beautiful garden and you can see how much they have enjoyed it. They even made chili for lunch last week with vegetables from the garden!

Aspen has an Activity Day Program in Salt Lake City and an Adult Day Center in Provo where families who have loved ones with dementia can take drop them off for the day and know that they will be well cared for and participate in activities they will enjoy and feel connected to others. To see more of what benefits these programs have to offer visit  www.aspenseniorcenter.org  and  Aspen Activity Days  or call us at 801-224-5910.

Being a family caregiver takes a lot of time and energy , so when families hear about making sure their elderly parents’ legal affairs are in order, it’s often something that gets overlooked in the day to day tasks of care-giving. There are, however, important legal documents that seniors and their caregivers (whether family caregivers or professional caregivers) should have and refer to when making medical decisions. Many people don’t think about these types of medical decisions until an emergency happens and decisions need to be made quickly. Not having a plan in place could mean that seniors’ wishes about medical care aren’t known or honored, or even worse, having their children have to go to court for the right to make their parents’ wishes followed.

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Music is the universal language.

In individuals suffering from dementia, music has a way of reaching back in time and awakening memories. Many of Aspen Senior Care’s caregivers use music regularly with their clients to lift and brighten their moods. Some current studies have even shown what family members and caregivers have known for years: music has an incredible ability to calm, uplift and revive.

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It’s very important for family caregivers to understand the difference between 24-Hr Hourly Care and 24-Hr Live-in Care. Many people think it’s similar care with live-in care being a lot less expensive. However, there are a number of differences that seniors and their family member should be aware of. Quality of care and caregivers being the main differences.

Continue reading “Family Caregivers should know the facts about 24-Hr Hourly Care and 24-Hr Live-in Care” »

Aspen Senior Care has a sister company: Aspen Senior Center in Provo! The Aspen Senior Center in Provo is a day program especially designed for people with dementia. Family caregivers can drop their loved one off in the morning knowing that they will be well taken care of, with a variety of activities, lunch and snacks throughout the day, and then pick them up in the afternoon.

Continue reading “How Seniors Benefit by Coming to the Aspen Senior Center in Provo” »

In a study conducted several years ago, Dr. Charles C. Hall and colleagues looked at how learning and brain-stimulating activities can increase cognitive reserves in people who developed Alzheimer’s. The study involved 488 people with an average age of 79 and followed them for 5 years, with assessments done every 12 to 18 months. The researchers looked at how many cognitive activities were done a day and then how many days a week. Some of the activities were reading, writing, crossword puzzles, board or card games, group discussions, or playing music.

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Nephi and Leona Fitzgerald are wonderful people! They always great you with a smile and a joke! Nephi’s latest joke is:

Continue reading “Our Newest Courage in Action Award and Highest Quality of Care Award are in the Same Family!” »

Aspen Senior Center in Provo is Utah’s finest activity day center! We provide respite for family caregivers caring for loved ones at home and our clients who come have an enjoyable time. Here are some of the benefits of those who come regularly:

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At Aspen Senior Care we specialize in caring for seniors with dementia and providing support for them and their families.  The Aspen Senior Center in Provo is a comprehensive Adult Day Care Center that supports family caregivers who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. We hear the terms Alzheimer’s and dementia used interchangeably but they actually mean different things. Dementia is a blanket term for a set of symptoms that include impaired thinking and memory decline, usually with aging.

Continue reading “Aspen Senior Care of Utah Understands the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and other Dementias” »

When doctors began studying Alzheimer’s it was initially thought that age-related memory loss was an early indication of Alzheimer’s but in a study performed at Columbia University Medical Center, researchers were able to confirm that age-related memory loss and Alzheimer’s were two distinct conditions. In this particular study they also discovered a possible reason for age-related memory loss and that this condition might be reversible!

Continue reading “Is Age-Related Memory Loss Reversible?” »