Author: Westminster

Now that spring has sprung, there is no time like the present to do a little spring cleaning and healthier eating! Though it can be challenging, small dietary changes make a big difference in health. Maintaining a diet of healthy foods throughout all phases of life is crucial to maintain weight, manage and prevent diabetes, and even encourage brain health. With warmer weather and fresh food coming into season, spring is the ideal time to swap our processed foods for fruits and veggies! Read on to learn how to best enjoy some fresh foods this spring!

Visit a Local Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s markets are more than just a place to find the freshest produce, they are also a hub of people who are the most knowledgeable and care the most about foods. Produce that grows on trees or vines, like apples, pears, and grapes, may be too involved or too inaccessible for those who grow some of their own fruits and veggies at home, but they can be found ripe and ready at a farmer’s market. While you’re there shopping, you can also pick the farmers’ minds for valuable information about their produce.

Pick Your Own Adventure

What can be even more fun than stopping by your local farmer’s market is going straight to the source! Plan a day trip to learn more about the process behind cultivating these plants, plus you may get some oranges or apples fresh off the tree to bring home with you. With all these options for fresh ingredients available, here are some incredible springtime recipes to try out!

• Spring Green Frittata: Frittatas are a versatile dish that can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner but we recommend starting your spring day with this fulfilling dish! Fresh tomatoes and parmesan cheese accent green spring vegetables in an easy dish that can be on your plate in just 25 minutes.
• Creamy Chicken Apple Salad: Fresh spring apples find their way right from the tree to your plate in this dreamy salad. Easy to prepare but packed full of good nutrition, this dish has plenty of protein from chicken, fiber from apple, and healthy fat from walnuts. Consider whipping this together if you have extra chicken!
• Lemon Grilled Fish on Grilled Asparagus: Looking for a perfect weeknight spring dish? A few healthy and fresh ingredients come together in this bright, fulfilling dinner! There is nothing quite like flaky fish and a quick sear with some simple seasoning and lemon juice is sure to pack a punch of flavor.
• Classic Tangy Lemon Bars: This seasonal favorite is the perfect sweet note to end a springtime meal on. The zesty, smooth lemon filling pairs excellently with a crumbly crust that will leave you wanting more! This puckery perfection is a great way to put some fresh spring ingredients to use for an unforgettable dessert.

At Westminster Manor, we recognize the importance of gourmet dining and healthy eating which is why our residents enjoy delightful dining among friends! Indulge in restaurant-style table services offered for all three meals of the day. You are sure to love our delectable, fresh, and healthy selections guided by the philosophy of our exclusive My W Life wellness program. Enjoy life with a strong foundation for your future at Westminster Manor – simply contact us to learn more!

For older adults, staying mentally and physically engaged with an interactive hobby is a crucial part of filling the void that work once occupied. It’s never too late to pursue new beginnings and beloved activities. An abundance of research points to the plethora of benefits of creative activities for older adults, from personal growth to feelings of purpose and competency. To that end, read on for our 6 ways for seniors to pursue new creative beginnings of their own!

Learn Something New

Have you always longed to learn how to paint, knit, or anything else similar? Fortunately, educational and creative opportunities abound for older adults to explore their inner artist and learn a new talent. Check in with us at Westminster Manor or tap into other local resources, such as the parks and recreation department or YMCA, to learn more about these valuable offerings.

Join a Performing Arts Group

While any form of art is an incredible way to spend time for older adults, the performing arts are especially helpful for boosting self-esteem and confidence – both of which are crucial elements of healthy independent living in Bradenton, FL. Look into community theater options for a variety of important roles both on- and off-stage. Joining a performing arts group also decreases the risk of isolation which is an important aspect of maintaining emotional wellness during COVID-19.

Start a Journal

Journals aren’t just meant for sharing experiences with future generations or preserving your legacy. In fact, writing is linked to numerous health benefits such as improved cognitive function and stress relief. For many writers, getting started proves to be the hardest part of the process. Fortunately, formal writing prompts are widely available on the internet to offer inspiration. Start by simply putting pen to paper and let your creativity take over!

Meditate with Mindfulness

While the benefits of meditation are well known for alleviating anxiety, there is also a long list of physical benefits. Reducing inflammation, relieving insomnia, and even clearing up respiratory infections are all products of meditation. In addition to that, meditation also promotes creative thinking! Even for those new to meditation, it is proven to prompt conception of new ideas. To learn more about meditation, consult online resources from leading establishments like the Mayo Clinic.

Integrate Music into Your Life

From simply listening to beloved tunes to playing an instrument, there are many ways to integrate music into your life. Not only is music itself a creative outlet, but it can also foster creativity in other ways too – from bringing back fond memories to promoting a particular mood. Plus, music is one of the most effective ways to enter what is known as the “mind-wandering mode,” in which most of our innovation occurs.

Color Your Life’s Canvas

When we think of art, our minds often go directly to images of traditional paintings, statues, or drawings. Even for those who have never painted before, classic art is one of the most common outlets for creativity. Grab a blank canvas or piece of paper, brushes, and different colors, then get to work! Try recreating your favorite images or just mess around with colors – art is only limited by your own creativity.

Creativity promotes everything from self-expression to critical thinking and mental well-being at any age. No matter what your preferences may be, there are a variety of ways to embrace creativity and live a more fulfilling life. Find the freedom to pursue your happiness with active and creative independent living at Westminster Manor! Between learning, painting, reading, playing, and so much more, there is never a shortage of ways to pursue happiness here. Contact us today to learn more about our independent living opportunities for Bradenton, FL seniors.

Being able to communicate is a vital aspect of our ability to convey well-being, pain, pleasure, or any simple issue. Without this basic ability – one that many of us in good health take for granted – things can quickly get out of hand and escalate to emergency situations. There are numerous benefits of speech therapy for seniors that go beyond helping older adults to speak better, it can also be utilized as a tool to combat dementia and assist with stroke recovery. Read on to learn more about how we use speech therapy at Westminster Manor to help our residents live their best lives!

Improving Swallowing

As we age, changes to our swallowing mechanisms impact our ability to swallow and digest foods and liquids. For example, materials that are consumed may leak from the digestive tract into the respiratory tract – a condition known as aspiration – and when foreign material enters the lungs, it can result in aspiration pneumonia, which is possibly fatal and difficult to treat. Speech therapists can perform swallowing evaluations and make modifications to an older adult’s diet, as well as undergo exercises with the patient to strengthen the underlying muscles.

Improving Speech Impacted by a Musculature Problem

Problems with the muscles that produce speech are known as dysarthria and stem from sensorimotor problems such as weakness, paralysis, or a change in muscle tone. This can lead to complications making sounds or accidentally substituting some words for others. Speech therapy is a non-invasive means of addressing these muscular deficiencies without involving surgical intervention by utilizing speaker strategies, environmental medication, and alternative communication.

Improving Speech Impacted by Brain Damage

A stroke event may have varying effects on a victim’s speech functions depending on the areas of the brain that are damaged. Aphasia is the general medical term describing a loss in the ability to understand speech due to a disruption in the brain’s pathways, and expressive aphasia is when a patient cannot speak but still maintains their understanding of expression. Speech therapy serves to re-open the damaged pathways in the brain to restore expression and speech by utilizing individual treatment plans including spoken, written, or computer exercises.

Preventing Weight Loss

Structural changes in musculature are not evident from the outside, which makes afflictions such as aspiration so urgently threatening. If food is being ingested but never reaches the stomach, patients may undergo severe weight loss and lack necessary nutrients in their diet. Speech therapists can suggest strategies for pacing and posture as a first line of attack against problems swallowing so that patients maintain their nutrition and weight without invasive medical intervention.

The first step in seeing if your elderly loved one can benefit from speech therapy is by making an appointment with a doctor, who may order an evaluation by a speech therapist. At Westminster Manor in picturesque Bradenton, FL, we offer outpatient therapy services to all residents with convenient treatments to get them right back to their favorite tasks and forms of recreation! Sunny skies and warm hearts beckon at Westminster Manor, contact us today to learn more.

When seniors make the move into assisted living communities in Bradenton Florida, they realize the value of conveniences like dining, activities, and social groups. But another convenience quickly emerging is the use of telehealth services for medical care.

Telehealth Services 

After 2020, assisted living communities quickly adapted to keep residents healthy and safe. The option to use telehealth medical services in Bradenton Florida provides a level of safety by offering consultations remotely, but it also offers convenience for seniors who often are frustrated by the time wasted traveling to and waiting in doctors’ offices. 

Convenience Of Telehealth For Assisted Living In Bradenton FL

Doctors and nurses can meet with patients through a video chat or audio call instead of going in person, when applicable. While this was a necessity during 2020 to limit exposure to infection, the practice is becoming more widely accepted as a safe, convenient way for seniors to receive medical care. When asked if they are comfortable communicating with healthcare providers through email, text, or video, 70 percent of respondents said they are comfortable with this remote access to a provider instead of seeing them in person, according to a survey by the American Hospital Association. The survey on the use of telehealth nursing services also revealed that 76 percent of the respondents said they give a higher priority to access to health care than a desire for in-person interaction with a medical provider.

Telehealth Offers More Interaction With Patients

As the health care community turns more to telehealth options that connect nurses and doctors with patients, Bradenton assisted living communities will benefit from the convenience and more personalized service this new method of medical care will provide. While telehealth doesn’t eliminate the need for some doctor visits, the service will provide residents an opportunity to check in through video and audio calls. A few items you can use telehealth appointments for are discussing prescriptions, lab work, routine updates on chronic conditions, and discussions about diagnostic tests. Nurses and Doctors will likely have more time to focus on individual patients during telehealth consultations because they are not as rushed to clear a lobby filled with waiting patients and have fewer office distractions interfering with the visit.

All in all, utilizing telehealth appointments to replace some of your in-person doctor visits could have its benefits. If it is a routine check-in about an ongoing issue, maybe a quick video call will save you time and make it more convenient to talk to your doctor on a more regular basis. 

Happy New Year! From our quiet slice of the Sunshine State here in beautiful Bradenton, we here at Westminster Manor have had plenty of time to reflect and look ahead toward a bright 2021. Take a look at some of our favorite resolutions below, and how to achieve them at our premier Bradenton assisted living and independent living facilities!

Make fitness fun

We’ve all heard (or tried ourselves) the tried-and-true New Year’s resolutions like “get fit” or “lose weight.” This year, though, why not resolve to combine mind-and-body fitness with fun activities you truly love doing?

With Westminster Manor’s My W Life wellness program, fitness is not merely a task to check off your daily to-do list—it’s a comprehensive lifestyle characterized by nutritious dining, active fun, educational opportunities and so much more. Here at Westminster Manor, it’s easy to make fitness fun by connecting with friends and exercising together at our fitness center or swimming pool, playing tennis, or simply strolling around our gorgeous community. We believe that fitness should feel good and revolve around celebrating your mind and body!

Embrace your artistic side

Resolving to be more creative in 2021? Westminster Manor has you covered with effortless access to the Manatee Performing Arts Center, as well as beautiful natural inspiration all around. Bring a sketchbook and pencil wherever you go, as you never know when creativity will strike.

Connect with friends and family

Perhaps more than anything else, 2020 has taught us the importance of connection. Carry this into 2021 by planning more virtual get-togethers, enjoying socially distant outdoor meet-ups with family, or simply reaching with a call or email to a loved one you miss!

Discover your inner foodie

Make 2021 a flavorful New Year! Resolve to eat nutritiously and deliciously here at Westminster Manor, where you can enjoy restaurant-style table service at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or whip up a fun new recipe in your very own comfortable villa or apartment.

Spend more time outdoors

Did you know that exposure to natural greenery has been shown to improve your mental health? Enjoy the lush environs of Westminster Manor or hop on the water and see the land from an all-new perspective. Either way, you’ll be treating yourself to some beautiful visuals and serious mental and spiritual benefits, too.

From assisted living to independent living, Bradenton FL residents can count on Westminster Manor to provide the tranquil, engaging environment needed to accomplish these resolutions and so many more. Call us today to get started on finding your home here!