When starting an exercise program, seniors should seek an array of workouts. Just like a balanced diet from the basic food groups, exercise best promotes good health and independent living when it consists of a variety of activities. Here are some general exercise guidelines for seniors:

• Consult a physician before beginning an exercise program.

• Aerobic activities such as walking, bicycling, swimming, dancing and other low-impact aerobic activities are good options for seniors and can improve heart and lung health and help manage weight.

• Seniors should try to work out up to 30 minutes a day most days of the week. For those with arthritis, low- to no-impact exercise such as water aerobics, swimming, elliptical trainer and stationary bicycle may be best.

• Flexibility and agility exercises such as stretching, yoga and tai chi can increase range of motion and improve balance, which helps prevent falls.

• Yoga classes also offer relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, improving overall cardiac fitness, blood pressure and the immune system.

For suggestions on adopting an exercise program, read the National Institute on Aging’s exercise guide.

The winter months are coming quickly. If you live in a northern community climate, don’t let autumn slip away without enjoying bright tree colors. Planning your own color tour can be a great fall activity for seniors – and inexpensive if you don’t have to travel long distances. Here’s how to have a successful day-trip color tour.

• Plan for weather. You’ll need to be flexible in your planning. A rainy day will make the scenery much less enjoyable.

• Find foliage. There are many ways to find out where the best fall colors are. You can find maps of the best autumn tree colors online through weather sites. Consider calling ahead to local state parks where they often have long stretches of wooded areas that make for good sight-seeing. You can also call small local airports. Pilots of small charter planes fly low to the ground and can tell you where the best color is.

• Map a loop route. Once you know the general areas you’d like to cover, use Mapquest or Google Maps to plan a route that loops to your starting point.

• Use a comfortable car. Since you’ll be driving awhile, plan to use a car with comfortable seats that seniors can easily get in and out of.

• Plan stops. You should plan stops with easy to access restrooms.

• Bring snacks. Bringing snacks for the road is always a good idea.

• Pack sunglasses. The bright sun on vivid tree colors can be hard on the eyes after awhile. Bring sunglasses to combat the glare.

• Use your camera. Don’t forget to record highlights of your trip!

Now that the autumn season is here, it’s a great time to try out some of our favorite fall recipes. MayoClinic.com has plenty of really good recipes that are both healthy and delicious.

Pumpkin Soup
Here’s what you’ll need:
3/4 cup water
1 small onion chopped
1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 cup unsalted vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup fat-free milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green onion, green top only, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook until hot. Don’t boil. Soup should be ready to eat right away!

Squash Salad
Put an autumn twist on salad by adding squash. Here’s what you need:
2 small acorn squash
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or olive oil
4 cups leaf lettuce
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
4 teaspoons honey

Microwave each squash on high until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove pulp and seeds. Cut into diced pieces and add to lettuce along with other ingredients.
Apple Corn Muffins
Take advantage of orchard season with this recipe. You’ll need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free milk
2 egg whites
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels

Combine flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk and egg whites. Add the apple and corn and pour over the flour mixture. Stir. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

What are your favorite fall recipes?

Seniors who want to stay in touch with friends & family but don’t want to deal with learning the workings of a PC might consider trying an e-mail station. E-mail stations look much like a small laptop – with a screen & keyboard – but they aren’t built with lots of programs or applications. Their purpose is to simply compose and receive e-mail.
Many e-mail stations have settings to view text larger, which can help seniors read and type easier.

Even better news, e-mail stations are far cheaper than a laptop or desktop computer.
Seniors find that learning the e-station is a good compromise for a new generation’s demand for tech-savvy. And almost all seniors who start using the e-mail station love how easy it is to keep in touch with friends & family. Having a hard time getting your grandson to reply to your written note? Send him an e-mail. He’ll be both surprised & impressed …and you’ll probably get your reply within minutes.

Seasonal flu will be upon us soon, and more communities will be affected this fall and winter by the H1N1 virus than in the spring and summer of this year’s outbreak. Severity of the H1N1 outbreak will be hard to determine, so you need to plan your strategies to protect against illness.

The most important way to help prevent exposure to the flu is by washing your hands regularly. It is important to remember that hand washing is more than using soap and water or using alcohol based products. You need to know how and when to wash your hands.

How to wash your hands:

• Wet your hands with warm water
• Apply soap and rub your hands together for at least 10-15 seconds. Wash the front and back of hands and wrists, between fingers and under nails
• Rinse well. Let water run down your fingers – not down your arms
• Dry hands with a paper towel, but leave the water running
• Use elbows or a new paper towel to turn off faucets

When to wash your hands:

• Whenever hands become obviously soiled
• After contact with blood, body fluids, mucous membranes or non-intact skin
• Before putting on or after removing protective medical gear
• Before and after a work shift
• After handling contaminated equipment or articles
• After using the toilet, blowing your nose, covering a sneeze, etc.
• Before eating, drinking or handling food
• Before and after smoking

If you have elderly parents or loved ones, here are some books that can help you know how to help them.

1. Caring for Elderly Parents by Ruth Whybrow
2. Eldercare 911: The Caregiver’s Complete Handbook for Making Decisions by Susan Beerman and Judith Rappaport-Musson
3. How to Care for Aging Parents by Virgina Morris
4. The Complete Eldercare Planner by Joy Loverde
5. A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer’s Care, A Guide for Family Caregivers by Virginia Bell

Hunger and malnutrition is a greater problem for America’s seniors than many may realize. According to a report by the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) Foundation, more than five million American seniors—11.4 percent of those 65 and older—experienced some form of “food insecurity.” Of that number 2.5 million were at risk of hunger and about 750,000 experience hunger.

A variety of programs exists to help seniors get proper nutrition, such as Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals to seniors, on-site meal programs provided by community organizations and senior centers, food pantries, and the federal food stamp program.

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), about 60 percent of low-income seniors who qualify for federal and state nutrition programs have not enrolled.  NCOA offers a free Web-based service, BenefitsCheckUp® (www.benefitscheckup.org), to help people over 55 identify nutrition and other benefits for which they qualify.

Here are some other ways you can help ensure seniors get proper nutrition:

• Find a grocery with home delivery service.


• Look to churches and community organizations that have volunteers who shop and cook for seniors who live alone.


• Check in regularly with seniors and share meals with them.


• Join with other seniors who are alone, share in meal preparation and dine together.


• Schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian.


• Hire a professional caregiving provider, such as Comfort Keepers^®, to assist with meal preparation, shopping, companionship during meals and other times, and provide other needed assistance around the home.


• Talk with your doctor about screening for potential nutritional problems, switching to medications that don’t affect appetite and reconsidering diets that may be discouraging a senior from eating.


• Help seniors get regular exercise. Exercise is an appetite booster, strengthens bones and muscles and helps control depression.

The Mayo Clinic (www.mayo.org) states that in addition to financial limitations, physical, social and psychological factors contribute to senior hunger or malnutrition, impeding seniors’ ability to maintain a diet that provides the necessary balance of nutrients for healthful living.

Below are 10 main contributing causes of senior malnutrition:

• Debilitating conditions that limit seniors’ ability to get out to shop, prepare meals and feed themselves
• Fixed incomes can prevent seniors from being able to purchase the groceries they need to stay nourished.
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing as a result of diseases such as Parkinson’s, dry mouth caused by some medications, dental conditions and poorly fitting dentures
• Frailty due to loss of muscle mass and fat, which can alter body chemistry, diminishing appetite, especially in seniors with serious illnesses
• Medications, such as some antidepressants, blood pressure and osteoporosis drugs, that diminish appetite, alter the flavor of foods and interfere with absorption of nutrients
• Reduced absorption of nutrients as a result of some physiological changes due to aging. For instance, in many seniors reduced production of digestive enzymes and acids interferes with breakdown of protein and absorption of essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B-12, folate, calcium and iron. Some illnesses, such as gastrointestinal cancers, diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease, can also cause this problem.
• Diminished sense of taste or smell that often occurs with aging. Some medications and illnesses accelerate or intensify this loss, depriving seniors of some of the pleasure associated with eating. This can affect appetite. Bland, medically-prescribed diets can have the same effect. Natural flavor enhancers, like garlic, onions and spices, can help counteract this.
• Dementia, which often prevents individuals from recognizing the need to eat. Some persons with dementia need to be reminded to swallow.
• Depression, due to multiple causes such as grief, loneliness, retirement, poor health, and medications. Depression affects about 6 million American seniors.
• Alcoholism, which is often a hidden problem in the senior population, decreases appetite, destroys nutrients and negatively affects seniors’ ability to care for themselves