It is no surprise that as we age, our senses deteriorate. Our ability to see, hear and taste can dull and fade. It is therefore important to make a conscious effort to maintain and improve them as we grow older in order to live out the rest of our golden years fruitfully. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, especially with help available in an independent living community in Marco Island, FL can help you or your loved one preserve their senses and prevent sensory impairment. Here are three ways a healthy lifestyle can help.
Reduce Hearing Loss
No one is able to escape the fate of deteriorating hearing. However, the rate at which we lose it depends on a couple of different factors, such as our genes as well as the damage we have done to our ears in the past. In order to prevent doing more damage and preserve your auditory senses, it is recommended that you turn down the volume at which you listen to music through headphones or earbuds and wear protective gear around loud noises like when operating lawn equipment (lawnmowers, weed whackers, etc.), around construction sites, or even at concerts.
Look out for signs to indicate any hearing loss. Check with your independent living community’s doctor or take part in the survey by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to keep up with your hearing health.
Maintain Vision
Vision problems can occur starting at just 40 years old, with many adults needing reading glasses to read the newspapers and more though having had perfect vision prior. As we head into our 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, our eyes are more susceptible to issues like glaucoma and cataracts. Luckily, there are habits we can adopt to help maintain and improve our eyesight. Eating the right foods, particularly leafy greens and fish can help to keep your retinas in good condition. On the other hand, it is not recommended to consume too much saturated fats and sugars as they can damage the retinas. Regular exercise can vastly also reduce retinal degradation related to aging and not smoking also contributes to reducing your susceptibility to some vision-impeding conditions.
Retain Smell and Taste
Starting from the age of 70, our ability to smell and taste declines with those living in environments with poor air quality and smokers losing those senses quicker. In order to continue being able to smell the flowers and the aromas wafting from the kitchen, it is recommended for aging adults to increase their zinc intake. In order to retain your sense of taste, avoiding mouthwash and having good dental hygiene habits can go a long way. In lieu of mouthwash, rinse your mouth with a saline solution.
It is inevitable that our senses deteriorate as we grow older. That is simply a part of life. However, with healthy habits and mindfulness of activities that may not be good for our senses, we can prevent our senses from fading as quickly, keeping them as sharp as possible and even strengthening them.
At our Independent Living community, we help residents improve their quality of life by taking care of all aspects of their health. Residents have access to complimentary health screenings to make sure that they are in good health and to help with the upkeep of vision and hearing. Our Sensations dining also help ensures that not only are our residents receiving delicious meals but that they also meet their nutritional needs to help them attain the best quality of life possible.
