NATIONAL WELLNESS MONTH

Sep 23

3 min read

Celebrate National Wellness Month during the entire month of August. It's time to prioritize your self-care, reduce stress, and create healthier habits to feel like your best self! National Wellness Month is celebrated every August to focus on self-care, healthy routines, and overall well-being.

Ways to Celebrate

Hydration: Drink more water every day.
Nutrition: Adding more fruit and veggies to your meals (Meals on Wheels helps provide a well-balanced meal that meets ⅓ of your daily nutritional needs).
Movement: Walk, stretch, or join a fitness class.
Mindfulness: Meditate and reduce screen time.

CYBER SENIORS

Check out Cyber Seniors website for some great wellness-related programs including virtual exercise, guided meditation, and a variety of FREE tech help classes including one-on-one support for smart phones, computers, and cybersecurity: https://cyberseniors.org/

KEYSTONE COMMUNITY SERVICES

And the National Council on Aging in collaboration with IBM is also offering free on-line courses to help everyone bridge the digital gap! Check out the article https://lnkd.in/gzNJUGB7 and sign up for courses here: https://lnkd.in/g2ieWZ6U.

MINNESOTA AGING PATHWAYS (formerly Senior Linkage Line)

Call 1-800-333-2433 for help with questions related to: Remaining or Returning Home

If you need support to remain in or return to your home (after a hospital, rehab, or nursing home stay), Minnesota Aging Pathways can help. They can help with:

exploring your needs and preferences
connecting you with supportive resources to meet your goals
following-up to make sure services and decisions are working for you
Support Services

Many communities have programs and services specifically for people who need help with transportation, meals, bathing, and more. These services may be useful to you down the road — or if you’re caring for a relative or friend. Services can be provided by your local agency on aging, in the 7-county metro area this is the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging or MAAA (formerly Trellis), or other public or nonprofit agencies, as well as for profit companies. Fees vary by service and location, but some may be free or offered on a sliding scale, depending on your income.

Common programs and services MN Aging Pathways can help connect you to:

Adult day services are provided at a community setting where people come for several hours a day to receive medical, social, and recreation services. They are usually offered during the daytime, which helps people who may be caring for a loved one while working.
Assisted transportation helps people get to appointments and other necessary places. It can include door-to-door van service, discount taxi programs, and volunteer drivers and escorts.
Caregiver services can include respite (a break from caregiving), information, referrals to services, and training or support groups.
Care assessment and management, most often by a nurse or social worker, can help assess a person’s needs, develop a plan of care, and arrange and monitor services.
Friendly visitors are volunteers who stop by regularly to see how you’re doing.
Home care services provide help with personal care like bathing or getting dressed.
Home health care includes nursing and physical, speech or occupational therapy for a specific condition.
Homemaker/chore services help with housekeeping and preparing meals, or chores like mowing the lawn and shoveling snow.
Information and assistance specialists provide information and connect you to local resources and services.
Meals may be delivered to your home or served in a senior center or community facility.
Senior centers offer meals, recreation, classes, information and referral services, volunteer opportunities, employment services, public benefits counseling, and much more.

MAAA’s Juniper Classes offer health and wellness related online or in-person class series that can help you stay strong, steady, and independent. August’s National Wellness Month is a great time to check out what Juniper offers throughout the year!

Go to https://yourjuniper.org/take-classes/ for all the details and to register. Or you can email info@yourjuniper.org or call 1-855-215-2174 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to be connected to a member of their team who would be happy to assist you.