Holistic Wellness

• Go Blue and Get Screened for Colon Cancer Awareness Month

  Getting screened for colon cancer is one of the easiest — and most effective — steps you can take to protect your health. By looking for cancer before you notice any signs or symptoms, colon screenings can allow life-saving treatment to start earlier. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, an effort by the Colorectal……

  February 21, 2018
• American Heart Month

  Are you or a loved one at risk for heart disease? Physical inactivity, high blood pressure, obesity and other factors can increase the chances of cardiovascular problems, but there are steps you can take to keep your heart healthy. February is American Heart Month, created by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 to increase public……

  January 25, 2018
• Glaucoma Awareness & Eye Health Month

  Did you know that you can lose as much as 40 percent of your vision to glaucoma without even noticing? Known as “the sneak thief of sight,” the disease may exhibit few symptoms — or no symptoms at all — and results in permanent vision loss. As Glaucoma Awareness Month and Low Vision Awareness Month,……

  January 24, 2018
• Maintaining Healthy Bones in Older Adults

  If you are a senior adult with type 2 diabetes, you may be at increased risk for bone fractures. As part of a three-year study of 1,000 people by Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research in Boston, researchers recently found that older adults with diabetes had weakness in their bones that traditional bone density testing……

  January 23, 2018
• Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Older Adults

  For people of all ages, the New Year is the perfect time to make a fresh start. Whether our goals include taking steps to improve our health, being more social or organizing our homes, New Year’s Day 2018 is the time to begin acting on meaningful resolutions. Residents of memory care and assisted living also……

  December 27, 2017
• Big News For Art Therapy!

  

  Big News For Art Therapy This week, something big happened with implications for art therapy, creativity, and research at Elder Care Alliance! First, an update from Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC on art therapy and creativity in our communities and then the big announcement. Art Therapy at Elder Care Alliance Last month, I presented at the American Art……

  December 1, 2017
• National Influenza Vaccination Week

  The holiday season has arrived, and the Centers for Disease Control has an important message for you: It’s not too late to get your flu shot. The CDC and its partners recognize Dec. 3 through 9 as National Influenza Vaccination Week, a time to highlight awareness about the importance of vaccination against the flu virus.……

  November 21, 2017
• Art Student Shares Firsthand Experience of Intergenerational Mural Project

  California College of the Arts, through ENGAGE: Mural Arts, a Diversity Studies course and community engagement program of  Center for Art + Public Life, has brought together art students with a group of elders from Mercy Retirement & Care Center to create mural panels that will be installed in the community in mid-December. We spotlighted……

  November 16, 2017
• Robots in Assisted Living

  

  Are robots our new friends or potential replacements? Whichever category we consider them in, they are coming to assisted living. Elder Care Alliance recently received Jibo, a social robot, and we have been exploring his capabilities with the residents in our memory care and assisted living communities. Though I have interacted with several different robots……

  October 31, 2017
• Artistic Projects Bring Engagement, Beauty to AlmaVia of San Rafael

  

  For people who love art, the hallways and common spaces at AlmaVia of San Rafael provide a feast for the eyes. Artistically talented residents create a continual rotation of new works that add color and beauty to the community. Working both individually and with a local artist who facilitates a class in the community twice……

  October 27, 2017