On Teaching Seniors The Benefits Flow Both Ways!

by Bridget

Wet Handlebars by Melina Meza

While not yet a senior myself, I do teach seniors at the North Berkeley Senior Center. I came to yoga with serious, debilitating back pain—caused by high-speed, over-the-handlebars bike accidents in my teens, and untreated whiplash from several car accidents later on. The gentle Iyengar-style yoga taught at The Yoga Room in Berkeley set me on a path of healing. So, to me, yoga has been a therapeutic, kind and compassionate endeavor—one that has strengthened my back and quieted my mind to an extraordinary degree. Because of this, teaching seniors and working with any physical limitations they may have has been a pretty natural process.

My students at the senior center range in age from late-50s to late-80s. Within the group there's also quite a range of abilities, but there is such a sweet cohesiveness, and a sense of community and support for each other. I try to keep class moving along for the more active students, but everyone is patient when I spend some extra time making sure a new student can keep up. A core group arrives early to set up chairs and bring props into the room from the storage closet, and at the end of class everyone works together to get the room cleaned up, chatting about their interesting, full lives as they go. Last week, one of my students told me that she always feels better after she comes to my class. I paused for a moment to take that in and I realized that I always feel better after teaching it too.

These active seniors are always up for trying something new. I remember the first time I taught a modified inversion – handstand with feet on the chair – an 83-year-old student (after I’d offered an assist and some suggestions for strengthening her pose) stepped down from the chair, looked up at me, and said, “That was FUN!” Of course, handstand isn’t for everyone, and we work carefully up to a final pose. I always offer alternatives, explain potential health hazards, and I often turn poses into “partner poses” just so they can have someone watching and can help each other to remember the details. The partner work also cuts down on the number of people actually attempting a pose at one time, giving me a better chance to keep an eye on the entire room.

While active, eager and ambitious, they also tire more easily than my other student populations. One of my first experiences teaching seniors, I was substituting a class regularly taught by Herta Weinstein. This large class came with an assistant who knew the students well. After I’d led them through nearly half of the ambitious practice I had planned for the hour and a half class, the assistant leaned over and whispered, “I think they need to rest.” I was surprised to realize that the sighing I was hearing was about them wanting a break, not them wanting me to hurry up!

There's never any rush to get it right. That's the beauty of yoga - there is always something new to work on, so you'll never run out of topics to explore, muscles to strengthen and alignment to finesse. My students have reported feeling stronger, better-balanced and more energetic with the addition of the yoga practice. From my perspective, they are all gaining form and body awareness that is gorgeous to behold.

One of my favorite things about teaching this population is their dedication, both to yoga and to the community they’ve developed in the room. Another is that they’re tremendously creative and interesting. I’ve attended piano concerts, photo exhibits, and a Weavers Guild exhibit, all featuring the work of my students. I’ve also attended live performances, eco-movies and co-op dinners with my students, and any time it’s cold you’ll see me wearing a hat crocheted by one of them. My life is so enriched by their presence, and I continue to count working with them among the highlights of my week.

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Non Medical Home Care Helps Many Seniors And Families

By Catalina Nielsen

Non medical home care companies offer valuable services to many seniors and their relatives. In fact, these types of services are making it possible for a lot of seniors to stay in their homes much longer. Here are important reasons to consider a senior assistance service with all its benefits.

When you hire a qualified senior service they can provide your loved one with valuable companionship. Many people face busy schedules and must work during the day. Children may be attending school and this can leave a senior all alone for a long time each day. It can be very hard for some people to deal with isolation and loneliness.

If you are by yourself in the daytime, day in and day out it can be depressing. Most seniors that live alone have lost someone special and this loss can leave a whole in one's life that is almost impossible to fill. Because family cannot always be there, non medical home care can fill in the gaps of loneliness with someone to talk to. Enjoying the company of another person brightens one's life and makes one feel better.

Perhaps you are a senior that lives alone but are having some difficulties. With the right services you can have all of the assistance that you need without giving up your independence. If you need help with light housework or someone to assist with laundry, this is not a problem. Just knowing that these things are taken care of can make life better.

You might enjoy driving your car and going places during the day. However, your vision or hearing may not be very good and this can make it too dangerous to drive a car. A senior assistance service can help you with your transportation needs. There is no need to ask a friend or relative for a ride to the doctor's office. You can keep dental appointments and travel about the city when you need to.

Maybe you do not care to shop or it is just too hard to get out and perform this task. Your senior assistance services can do your grocery shopping for you. They run all kinds of errands like picking up prescription medications, also. This not only makes life more convenient, but it is one less thing that you have to be concerned with.

Some seniors may have problems with getting up in the morning and routine grooming. There is no reason to feel badly about this when senior services are there to assist you. If you need some help with meal planning or preparation, you can depend on these services.

Every day, non medical home care companies provide important services, making life easier and more convenient. Instead of going to a nursing home, many of the elderly can remain in their homes while keeping their independence. This can save one a great deal of money and headaches. Relatives will also enjoy advantages as these services can ease the burden on care givers. If you live a long ways from your loved one, you can be comfortable knowing that everything is fine.

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