Regular exercise may not just benefit seniors physically – some experts say the activity can also help with cognitive issues.

According to a 2008 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a six-month workout program provided a modest level of improvement in memory-related issues.

However, people living with a chronic condition, such as seniors helped by elder home care services, often view any new type of exercise as a daunting task. Their fears are not unfounded and every older person should talk to a health care provider before starting a new exercise routine.

Click here for safe exercise options for seniors.

The mistakes made 50 to 60 years ago continue to cause problems today. In the 1950s and 60s, experts encouraged people to smoke cigarettes. Cigarettes were supposed to relieve tension or help people stay alert. Today, we know the truth.

Now, many families cope with the reality of helping older loved ones who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

According to the American Lung Association, COPD is the third leading cause of death in America and more women than men die from COPD. Smoking is the primary risk factor – approximately 85 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are due to smoking.

Click here to read more about how to cope with COPD’s challenges.

The movement toward person-centered care continues to spread. Each day, more care providers discover that when a client is treated like a person and not a number, it makes a huge difference in their overall well-being.

Studies now give actual empirical evidence this is true. A recent study found that diabetes patients of physicians with high empathy scores were significantly more likely to have good control over their blood sugar as well as cholesterol, while the opposite was true for patients of physicians with low empathy scores.

More hospitals now regularly train doctors to have more empathetic bedside manners. Not only does it improve the patient’s experience, it earns the entire medical staff higher scores in terms of quality.

“Empathy and communication are tied together, and those allow a more collaborative relationship with the patient. So it’s not surprising that if you’re trying to work with a patient on better diabetes control, and establish a more collaborative relationship you’ll be working together toward the same goal,” Gary Rodin, MD, an oncologist at the University Health Network in Toronto, told the Montreal Gazette.

A similar culture change is taking place in how agencies provide home care. Many Homewatch CareGivers’ offices continue to discover that the Eden Alternative philosophy on the quality of care aligns with the heart of how Homewatch CareGivers operates.

“What most people perceive when they look at a person in need of senior home care are the physical challenges. They see a disease or the lack of physical ability that person has. Eden focuses on our attitude in addressing an elder’s spiritual needs. I’m not talking about religion. This is how they feel about themselves and whether they can enjoy their day and feel like they can grow as a human being. The underlying philosophy of the Eden Alternative is to help a person grow,” said Brian Levitan, owner of the Homewatch CareGivers office in Ottawa, Ontario.

Levitan, who is a certified Eden at Home Trainer, is well versed in what Eden calls the “three plagues.” These are issues each senior often copes with: helplessness, loneliness and boredom. By focusing on solving those issues for each person, it gives them person-centered care that marks the difference between existing and living. Eden addresses the plagues through its “three antidotes,” which are loving companionship, the opportunity to give back, and variety and spontaneity.

“What Eden helps us recognize is that everyone has value based on what they can give. The normal caregiving experience doesn’t really focus on the ability of the client to give. What that translates to is making sure that however we attempt to assist others, we do it through meaningful activities. This way a person feels proud of what they can accomplish so they have a life worth living. When seniors can give back to their caregiver, they do not feel so helpless,” Levitan said.

The Eden philosophy is not just limited to seniors. The three plagues can apply to anybody at any age. When caregivers adopt the philosophy they can look at another person and understand the importance of empathizing with their circumstances. It puts the old adage of walking a mile in another person’s shoes into practice.

“A different approach can bring better results. You never give up. If one thing you try hasn’t worked, we strategize with the care team and see if we can come up with different solutions. I think that strategy of trying different things is at the heart of Eden,” Levitan said.

Using a person-centered, empathetic approach to any sort of care does not take more time, it just requires looking at a person in a way that values their own worth to the world. As the U.S. and Canadian population ages, there is a risk the three plagues will become more common. The success of using empathy shows this does not have to happen.

“During the course of our working with families we often get little notes and testimonials from the families and there was one daughter, it was a few years ago, but I still remember what she wrote about her dad after he passed away: ‘Your care was the difference between my father surviving his last year and enjoying his last year.’ That’s what we’re really striving for,” Levitan said.

To learn more about the Eden Alternative philosophy, visit http://www.edenalt.org/.