Our Residents are Proud to Call MorningStar “Home”

Senior living communities such as MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care at Arrowhead are a popular option for many older adults and offer a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community. At our all-inclusive community, we strive to meet seniors’ physical, emotional, spiritual and wellness needs within a comfortable, secure setting.  

Assisted living is an excellent solution for older adults who are finding it increasingly difficult to live alone. MorningStar offer various levels of assistance with daily living activities and are tailored to meet individual needs.  Our Wellness Director carefully assesses each person and then creates a care plan in agreement with the senior and their family.  Also as we offer 24/7 care, you know you or your loved ones will get the attention they need.   

Memory care is another term for dementia care and is intended for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia-related diseases.  MorningStar’s memory care is delivered with the utmost professionalism and respect for the individual.  We use alternative natural therapies whenever possible, and try to replace medications with patience, attention and love.    

MorningStar residents are provided with a warm and inviting place and are proud to call it “home.”   Our community offers seniors a safe place to socialize and make new friends as well as a place to learn new things or just have fun with our variety of meaningful activities.  In addition if you are someone who values their privacy, you will have that at MorningStar as our spacious suites are designed to give you your privacy while offering the comfort of knowing people are around.    

Our community is just over two years old and is located on the north side of Glendale near Peoria AZ.  We offer 60 assisted living suites in addition to our Reflections Neighborhood that has 25 suites devoted to the individualized care of those with memory impairment.  To experience our community up close, contact us to schedule a visit.   

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest.”  We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in the Phoenix area, contact us to schedule a tour.

Boulder’s Best Senior Living is More Affordable than You Thought

Do you have a loved one who needs a little assistance on a daily basis but you have shied away from senior living as you thought it was too expensive?  MorningStar of Boulder invites you to take a more in-depth look at senior living and to consider all of the advantages and benefits it offers to residents.   

It may be you have heard about the monthly cost of assisted living from friends or acquaintances and thought it was more than you or your parent could handle.  While that may be true, have you factored in the real costs of a community such as MorningStar of Boulder as compared to mom or dad living in their own home?  Keep in mind that MorningStar’s monthly suite rental includes the resident’s meals, snacks and refreshment along with a whole range of services and amenities such as scheduled transportation, housekeeping, and laundry services.    

If your parent is still maintaining a home, their expenses now include property taxes, home insurance, utilities, home maintenance and repairs.  Also you may have the costs of home care providers coming in to help your parent as well as paying for someone to take them to doctor appointments, run errands and buy groceries.  They may even need someone to prepare meals for them.  This doesn’t even include the costs of retrofitting a home to accommodate your parent’s lack of mobility such as the need to provide a ramp to their home and widening doors and hallways to accommodate a wheelchair.   

At MorningStar of Boulder the monthly suite rental also includes a 24-hour care staff and an emergency call service along with a range of wellness and leisure activities, health monitoring, and much more.  Our residents are treated to three daily meals and snacks prepared by our Executive Chef and designed to be tasty as well as nutritional.  Please see our website to learn more about one of the best senior living communities in Boulder.

MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Boulder represents the best in senior living with a distinct mission statement - “to honor, to value, to invest.”  Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve.  We are dedicated to providing a true home for residents amidst a beautiful, serene setting and invite you to schedule a visit to experience one of the area’s finest senior living communities.        

Know the Warning Signs of a Stroke

Being aware of the warning signs of a stroke could save your life or that of a loved one.  While family history increases one’s likelihood of suffering from a stroke, they can happen to anyone.  As we age, strokes are more common because seniors are more apt to have developed the risk factors for having a stroke.  Statistics show that 75% of strokes occur in adults over the age of 65 and is the third leading cause of death.

A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot.  Part of the brain is shut off from oxygen, and cells in the affected area immediately start to die.  It is critical to get to a hospital to start receiving treatment as doctors are trying to prevent any more loss of brain cells and lessen the impact of the damage caused by the stroke.  

Some of the risk factors for a stroke are the following:

• High Blood Pressure­ (HBP) is the number one risk factor for a stroke.  It is something that must be addressed by both you and your doctor.  If advised, taking drugs to lower your HBP can help, but you may need to change your lifestyle.  You will have to lose weight if that is a problem, watch the salt in your diet, and start to exercise.
• Smoking puts you at risk for a stroke as well as heart disease and lung cancer.
• Heart disease can cause blood clots to break off from the heart and travel up through the vessels into the brain blocking blood flow.  It is important to keep your   cholesterol low and control your weight and eating habits.  You may be prescribed medication.
• Diabetes can cause damage to blood vessels including those around the brain.  Managing you diabetes well is important to maintaining your health.

It is important for you and your family to know the signs of a stroke since receiving the proper care is so essential.  The National Institute on Health publishes these warning signs of a stroke:

• sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• sudden severe headache with no known cause

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest.”  We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true home for residentsamid a beautiful, serene setting. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in the Phoenix area, contact us to schedule a tour.

Sources:strokecenter.org/patients/about-stroke/stroke-statistics/

nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/atrisk

ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke_bookmark.htm

Discover our Broad Range of Activities and Special Events

At MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care at Arrowhead, our goal is to provide seniors a true home where they can enjoy their retirement years as carefree as possible.  As such, our community offers all kinds of activities and entertainment in an atmosphere that fosters companionship, socialization, and just pure fun. 

For example, by taking a quick look at our website, you can see a photo of the group who represented our community at Sun City West’s 5K Walk to End Alzheimer’s on October 14th. We raised $1150 for this event to support the fine work of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Last spring, MorningStar of Arrowhead celebrated Radiance Spirit Day for residents and staff alike.  The theme was Pajama Day, and was kicked off with a Pancake & PJ’s breakfast in our dining room.

Our 2nd Annual Vintage Car Show was held in April and fun was had by all.  Dale Gross and his 1957 Ford Custom 300 2 Dr Sedan won “Fastest Looking Car”; Chuck and Mercy Vickers with their 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 Door Sedan , won “Best First Date” Car; Gary Cinder and his 1961 Mercy Comet Limited Edition won “Most Impressive Car”

This is just a sampling of some of the special events that are in addition to our regularly scheduled activities that take place every month at MorningStar at Arrowhead.  We invite you and your family to schedule a tour to come and experience firsthand our gorgeous community and discover why so many seniors are glad to call it home. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest.”  We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in the Phoenix area, contact us to schedule a tour.

Memory Exercises Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline

As we age, engaging in memory exercises is just important as physically excising our bodies. The Alzheimer’s Association offers recommendations on some easy ways to daily exercise our brain with activities that include reading, writing and doing crossword or other puzzles, playing games and attending events such as lectures or plays.   

They state that there are four areas we can work on to help reduce our risk of cognitive decline: physical health and exercise, diet and nutrition, cognitive activity, and social engagement.  In fact research has found that simply by keeping our brains active, we can actually increase its vitality and may even help to generate new brain cells.  

An article on the “6 simple steps to keep your mind sharp at any age” from the Harvard Health Publication outlines ways to help prevent cognitive decline and reduce your risk of dementia.  The article stresses the importance of continuing to learn as challenging our brains with mental exercises is “believed to activate processes that help maintain individual brain cells and stimulate communication among them.”

MorningStar of Boulder could not agree more.  Our senior living community is loaded with activities that are not only fun but also help to stimulate our brains.  Just a quick look at our monthly calendar shows an abundance of activities such as word, board, and trivia games that help to challenge our brains.   

Regardless of personal interest, our seniors find plenty to do to keep them interested in life.  With a range of activities such as reading and baking groups, arts and crafts, and fun-filled card games, residents stay social and keep their brains active.  

MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Boulder represents the best in senior living with a distinct mission statement - “to honor, to value, to invest.”  Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve.  We are dedicated to providing a true home for residents amidst a beautiful, serene setting and invite you to schedule a visit to experience one of the area’s finest senior living communities.        

 

Sources: alz.org/we_can_help_stay_mentally_active.asp

health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/6-simple-steps-to-keep-your-mind-sharp-at-any-age

Lifestyle Changes Can Improve Brain Health

While scientists have known for some time that as we age our brains shrink, a few years ago a report was published that for the first time provided evidence of certain risk factors which can contribute to a reduction in brain size.  However the good news is that since these risk factors are generally controllable; we can make changes to our lifestyle that will not only improve our physical health be also help to delay a decline in our brain volume.    

The study, from the University of California, Davis, reported that there are four risk factors associated with a faster decline in brain function including: high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking and being overweight or obese.  The 1,352 participants were an average age of 54 years at the start of the study and did not have any signs of dementia.  All of them were part of the Framingham Offspring Cohort Study (the children of the participants of the original Framingham Heart Study). 

The researcher’s results proved similar to those of earlier studies, which indicate a strong link to the fact that “damage to the cardiovascular system is associated with cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia.”  Although we know that smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes increase the chance of cardiovascular-system damage; these are all controllable factors that can be addressed through medications and lifestyle changes.    

The Alzheimer’s Association reminds us that while we cannot change risk factors such as age, family history and heredity, most experts agree that Alzheimer's disease occurs as a result of complex interactions.  They state that, “Research is beginning to reveal clues about other risk factors we may be able to influence through general lifestyle and wellness choices and effective management of other health conditions.” 

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health.  

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest.”  We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in the Phoenix area, contact us to schedule a tour.

Source:

healthland.time.com/2011/08/03/study-4-factors-that-may-shrink-your-brain/

Easy Bruising as You Age

You may have wondered why it is as you have gotten older; you seem to bruise more easily and find bruises that you do even remember getting.  There is a scientific explanation for why the problem occurs more commonly in the elderly, and generally bruises do not require treatment and are not serious.   However please keep in mind that significant bruising can be a sign of medical problems and should be discussed with your health care provider.  

According to the Mayo Clinic, a bruise, know in medical terms as a contusion, occurs “when small blood vessels (capillaries) near the skin's surface are broken by the impact of a blow or injury — often on the arms or legs.”   This impact causes blood to leak out of the vessels and look like the black-and-blue-mark we are all familiar with.  As we age, our skin becomes thinner and loses some of the fatty layer that protects our blood vessels from injury, thus making it easier to bruise.   

While most bruises do not require a doctor’s care, Dr. Aarthi Anand, a board certified geriatrician and family medicine practitioner in Los Angeles, suggests applying a frozen compress for up to twenty minutes at a time.  Also if you elevate the bruised area higher than your heart during the first 24 hours of the injury, it will help to reduce swelling and inflammation.  

There are several steps you can take to try to eliminate getting bruised in the first place.  To start, make sure your living space has a clear path to move around in so you can avoid bumping into things as well as help prevent falls.  Another thing you may want to do is to use a cane or walker if you are unsteady when you stand up or while walking.   

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health. 

MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Boulder represents the best in senior living with a distinct mission statement - “to honor, to value, to invest.”  Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve.  We are dedicated to providing a true home for residents amidst a beautiful, serene setting and invite you to schedule a visit to experience one of the area’s finest senior living communities.      

Sources:mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/easy-bruising/art-20045762

aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles/elderly-bruising 

Technological Advancements to Improve Seniors Quality of Life

An article in the U.S. News and World Report discusses several technological advancements under development that may benefit the lives of older adults.  One example they cite that is already available is remote health monitoring systems that permit patients to take their own vital signs and send them to their medical provider.  Additionally shoe insoles with GPSs inserted in them have also been developed as a way to track someone with Alzheimer’s.  

Still in the early stages of development, self-driving cars may help to improve the lives of seniors.  We know that driving is something that many seniors start to feel uncomfortable doing, but giving it up can often mean a loss of independence.  Experts predict self-driving cars will be widely available in as little as ten years.    

Another interesting technological development already available in Denmark is edema socks that detect and signal swelling of the feet and edema.  SmartSox is a similar concept under development that will be a used to “detectFup excessive pressure, heat and misplaced joint angles that could cause foot ulcers. This is useful because people with diabetes often lose sensation in their feet and can't always feel such changes.” 

Also while not currently being produced, a group of researchers have developed a vibrating shoe insole to improve balance and stability and may reduce falls by as much as 70 percent.  Along those same lines, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are trying to create a shirt with built-in sensors that will be able to administer CPR.  

No article on technological advancements would be complete without the mention of robots.  For years, researchers have been working on robots that will have the required artificial intelligence to serve as health care aides.   In fact as soon England, Greece and Poland will be testing robot caregivers.    

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to value, to invest.”  We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. To experience firsthand the finest senior living in the Phoenix area, contact us to schedule a tour.

Source:money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/retirement/articles/2015/12/09/7-tech-advances-that-will-change-seniors-lives