Blog Posts

Caring for Aging Loved Ones: Practical Tips for Family Caregivers

How did it happen? Literally moments ago, you were waiting for Mom to pick you up from soccer practice. Dad was lecturing you about driving safety. A car is not a toy, you know. Now the tables are turning. Instead of worrying about being grounded for staying out too late, you’re worrying about aging parents. You are calling to check on them and wondering if they are living how and where they should be. Welcome to the sandwich generation. You feel responsible for the wellbeing of both your children and your parents. And neither group is too gung-ho about your interference. Yep. Fun stuff. Caring for aging parents is a tricky undertaking. Family dinner can quickly become a battleground as your well-intentioned suggestions are met with, well…let’s just say, minimal enthusiasm. Your mission, now that you have chosen to accept it, is to be an ally, not an adversary. Work with your parents to offer the support and help they need to assess their circumstances and embark on a lifestyle that accommodates their current needs. A little empathy and respect can go a long way toward reaching acceptable solutions – and keeping the peace. What’s the Plan? The time to devise a plan for the golden years is before the proverbial pin is pulled from the grenade. If your parents are already in crisis, you don't have the luxury of protracted conversation. Arrange a friendly family meeting sooner rather than later to focus on your parents’ health, safety and happiness. Reinforce your commitment to helping in any way you can. Talk Finances The last thing your parents will want to do is discuss their personal finances with you. However it is a critical part of creating a viable retirement budget. Help them compile a list of their assets for a comprehensive - and realistic - assessment of what money will be available in retirement. Suggest they collect all essential legal documents – wills, trust, power of attorneys, advanced medical directives, etc – and keep them somewhere easily accessible. If they are not comfortable sharing all this information with you, consult a professional. Diet and Exercise You will ask your parents if they are eating properly. They will say yes. But it’s not a bad idea to follow up that question with a conversation about nutrition and exercise. Offer to help with meal planning. If your parents are at a point where they cannot handle cooking, check out meal delivery options. Make a date to drop by regularly for a walk. You can enjoy a social outing while you make sure your parents are up and moving. Help Them Pack Often helping aging parents means encouraging them to jettison the family home for a living environment that will enhance their enjoyment of the retirement years. You may be sure the house you grew up in has outlived its purpose and is now a source of financial and emotional stress. They may need some convincing. If words don’t do the trick, book a tour at an Overture senior apartment community, and let its resort-worthy amenities, state-of-the-art apartments, and - the piece de resistance - caring, inclusive community, speak for itself. Once your parents are settled and in the swing of things your only problem will be getting them to find the time to return your calls. Don’t take it personally. You know how it is when your friends want to go out and play. Those crazy kids just can’t say no.

Birthdays and Celebrations: Making Special Moments in Your Senior Apartment

They say youth is wasted on the young. When you’re young, you don’t really get it. But when you transition from youth to… let’s call it late middle age – okay, very late - you can appreciate the wisdom of that sentiment. Youngsters tend to think they are the keepers of all things fun. The joke is on them. Nobody knows how to celebrate life’s special moments like those who have finally shed the responsibilities of child rearing and work. Freedom is the magic key to the party kingdom. Seniors in Overture apartments all over the country are rushing through the door - party hats firmly planted and cocktails hoisted - to prove it. The older we get, the more important it becomes to recognize and honor each birthday and anniversary. Every passing year is a gift to be enjoyed surrounded by supportive friends and neighbors. In fact, studies show that celebrating senior living with events that promote social interaction is essential to seniors’ mental and emotional health. Engagement equals happiness. Overture’s senior apartment communities provide the perfect backdrop for every special moment. If you are looking for ideas to celebrate seniors you’ve come to the right place. What Kind of Party Will it Be? The first order of business when considering party planning is to figure out just what kind of celebration this will be. Do you need space for 10, 50 or 100 people? Will there be dancing? If so, you will need music. Will there be a theme? Costumes? Would a pool party float your boat? This is the moment to make your birthday dream come true. If you are planning a party for a friend, be sure to consult them to see exactly what will make them happy. Surprise? Eh. Though the idea of a surprise party sounds appealing, the planning and execution can add an unnecessary level of stress for planner and honoree. Asked if they would want a surprise party, seniors are likely to admit they’d rather enjoy the anticipation and have the time to pick out just the right outfit. Guests Love to Get Involved If you are opting for a dinner party in your Overture senior apartment, consider assigning a dish to each guest. Reserve your kitchen for the main course. This will make guests feel involved in the festivities and also limit the mess. For an even more inclusive experience, why not make use of Overture’s demo kitchen and hire a chef to run a cooking class for the group before dinner? Your Party. Your Choice. This is your party. So, choose food, entertainment, games, and activities that you love. Whether you are a charades buff, love a great game of trivia, or are more of a cocktails and conversation type, the party in your honor should reflect your personal tastes. You don’t have to be Barbra to belt out a tune from Funny Girl. Just have fun and don’t let anyone rain on your personal Karaoke parade. So, will it be an intimate birthday gathering in your new Overture apartment? Or will you be throwing a rager your senior friends will never forget? Either way, life at Overture comes with easy access to great facilities and as many guests as you can handle. All you have to do is pick a date. Book a tour at the Overture senior apartment community of your choice today. It’s time to get this party started.

Healthy Halloween Treats for Seniors: Recipes and Snack Ideas

The end of October is significant for several reasons. We notice the air finally has a bit of a bite to it. We feel the eerie presence of the Halloween spirit. But more importantly, once the first little ghost or goblin yells “trick or treat,” it is officially junk food season. The overindulgence of sweet treats typically lasts until just after New Year’s when we repent and vow to stick to an unrealistic austerity plan forever. While pondering Halloween outfits, it’s also right around now we start mulling the age-old question: Why is there such a huge gap between healthy food and food we actually crave? And of course, the obvious follow up question: Why isn’t chocolate the single most essential element of a healthy, life enhancing diet? What a wonderful world that would be! The good news is, even though we don’t live in that food fantasy land, it’s possible to create healthy Halloween snacks that we can consume with pleasure – and without guilt. Kick off snack season with any one of these delicious and healthy Halloween treats. Olive Cream Cheese Spider Bites Combine olives, and gluten free crackers with cream cheese, and voila! A healthy Halloween recipe that is seasonally relevant and delicious. And the best part is they could not be easier to make. Spread a little cream cheese on each cracker. Cut the pitted olives in half. Use one half for your spider’s spooky body and thinly slice the other half into six slices. Assemble the legs and body on the cracker and enjoy! For those who are dairy free, substitute Kite Hill dairy free cream cheese. Bell Pepper Monster Eyes Your Bell Pepper Monster Eyes will delight friends and family. For this treat you’ll need a circle cutter to create circles from your bell pepper slices. Top the circular pepper with cream cheese. Again, feel free to use a dairy free version. Slice your pitted olives into ¼ inch wide pieces and place an olive on the cream cheese so some peeks through the olive’s pit opening. When it comes to healthy Halloween snacks, the eyes have it! Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits For those of a certain generation, candy corn is basically synonymous with Halloween. Your friends will love Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits, a treat that offers all the nostalgia of childhood without the processed sugar. You will need pineapple bits, mandarin oranges and the dairy or non-dairy whipped topping of your choice. Layer them, in the above order, in a small plastic cup. Your Candy CornFruit Parfait is ready to serve. Healthy, delicious and easy as opening up a bag of actual candy corn. You can certainly decorate each parfait with one piece of candy corn for tradition’s sake. Peanut Butter Apple Monster Teeth Healthy Halloween treats don’t get any creepier – and easier to make - than Peanut Butter Apple Monster Teeth. The recipe calls for green apples but yellow or red will do just fine as well. You can also use any kind of nut butter or sunflower seed butter as a substitute for peanut butter. But you will need sunflower seeds to create the best “teeth.” Simply slice the apples. Put a spoonful or two of your chosen nut butter in a small Ziploc bag and cut a hole in it. Squeeze the nut butter onto an apple slice. Top with another apple and squish them together. Place the sunflower seed teeth along the peanut butter. It’s a great alternative to caramel apples and both the young and young at heart will get a kick out of them. Book a tour at the Overture active adult community of your choice today. A warm and welcoming community can’t wait to share their healthy tricks about treats with you. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Costume Ideas for Seniors: Fun and Comfortable Outfits

Myth: Halloween is just for kids. Fact: Dressing up for Halloween can be a hoot at any age. So, here’s the question: Did your kids trick or treat wearing a sheet with eyeholes? Or were you one of those crafty parents who transformed their kids into mailboxes or pieces of pizza or authentic-looking space aliens that made the rest of the parents cower in fear and failure every October? Well, that was then, and this is now. No matter which category you fell into as a parent, Halloween costumes for seniors are a whole different cauldron of fish. This time the person you’re creating for is you. Hence your only goal is to please yourself and have fun doing it. Scaring the grandkids or trick-or-treaters is just an added bonus. Whether the Halloween party at your active adult community calls for a costume that is creative, scary, or just silly, the key is to wear it joyfully - and comfortably. Translation: At some point during the festivities, you may need to use the restroom. The one-piece cat suit might be less than, well... purrfect. Again, to be clear, the first rule of Halloween costumes for senior citizens is comfort. The second rule is ignoring input from your kids and grandkids who may assume there is such a thing as age-appropriate costumes for Grandma and Grandpa. If you want to be a Ninja Turtle, go for it. Wonder Woman? Why not? Or create a fabulous costume that celebrates some famous person those whippersnappers never heard of. Who cares if they don’t recognize you? Your friends at your 55+ community will. Check out these ideas for senior Halloween costumes. Maybe one of them will connect with your inner Halloween spirit. Screen Legends Past and present stars of stage and screen make great Halloween costumes. Beloved silent film star Charlie Chaplin is a fan favorite. The Charlie Chaplin costume is easy to create and comes with its own built-in shtick. Start with some baggy pants, an old tattered blazer, and a dress shirt and tie. Throw in a cane, bowler hat, and fake mustache, and voila! You are the Little Tramp. Comic Book Favorites Grab your honey or a buddy and be the hit of the party as an iconic comic couple like Popeye and Olive Oyl. To transform into Popeye you’ll need blue pants, a black T-shirt, a yellow belt, and red fabric for a collar. Add Popeye’s signature dixie cup hat, corncob pipe, and pantyhose in which to stuff arm muscles and you are good to go. Olive’s outfit consists of a black skirt, a red long-sleeved shirt, a yellow ribbon for the skirt hem, and an adhesive felt for the shirt collar. With a few “Oh dears” from Olive and “I ams what I ams and that’s all that I ams,” from Popeye, you’ll win the best costume prize for sure. And of course, any and all superheroes - past and present - are a welcome addition to the party. Go Freaky Friday Plenty of kids choose to dress as seniors on Halloween. Turn the tables and dress like one of the kids. Become a typical millennial, complete with trendy clothes and the requisite headphones! Sports Legends It’s easy to find jerseys and sports gear to become your favorite sports hero. Tried and True Don’t ignore the old standbys. Every Halloween party needs a wicked witch or two. Grab the old hat and broomstick and away you go. A simple black outfit with a pair of cat ears will also do the trick – as long as it is a two-piece outfit! Celebrate this Halloween at the Overture active adult community of your choice. Your neighbors may come up with spooky costumes, but there is nothing scary about becoming part of Overture’s warm and friendly community. Book a tour today – with or without a costume. You’re welcome exactly as you are.

Denver's Haunted History: Exploring Spooky Sites Near Your Senior Community

There are spirits and then there are spirits. With 73 breweries in Denver County alone, it’s no secret the Mile High City is one of the top 5 beer cities in the country. But Denver also boasts a plethora of those other spirits. You know, those of the less liquid, more spectral variety. As any Denver folklore aficionado will gladly share, Denver is rich in haunted history. In fact, when it comes to things to do in Colorado for adults, a tour of the haunted hot spots is high on the list of favorites. Yes, we’re talking ghosts – some of whom are said to inhabit the graveyard-turned- public park that inspired the movie Poltergeist. Carol Ann was right. They’re baaack. Check out these well-known spooky spots. As senior activities in Denver go, delving into the phantom realm may feel like a trick, but it will also surely be a treat. Peabody – Whitehead Mansion Dubbed “Denver’s Most Famous Haunted Mansion,” the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion was once the home of Dr. William Riddick Whitehead. After his stint as an army surgeon in the Crimean and Civil Wars, Whitehead claimed to see the ghosts of patients he was unable to save. After the mansion’s conversion to a restaurant in the 1950s, people started making reports of unusual occurrences. According to the lore, ghosts had quite the field day hurling silverware through the air, breaking glasses, and even rearranging furniture. Rumors include sights of “shadow people,” and ghosts in and around the mansion. At last count, some 12 ethereal residents call the mansion home. Cheeseman Park Now an 80-acre park in a residential Denver neighborhood, Cheeseman Park was once the Denver City Cemetery. When the cemetery became a park, some of the bodies were relocated. Others were not. Today Cheeseman is a neighborhood hub as well as the alleged location of an occasional ghost sighting. The Molly Brown House Molly Brown was known as “Unsinkable,” after surviving the Titanic disaster, but she was also famous for her philanthropy and human rights activism. Her house, one of the oldest buildings in Denver, is now a museum open to the public. Apparently, her spirit lives on in the house as guests have reported rearranged furniture and apparitions roaming the premises. Visitors also claim to smell the pipe tobacco from her husband JJ’s pipe. The Brown Palace Hotel Visitors to the Brown Palace Hotel have much to buzz about. First of all, the hotel is well known for its rooftop bee colonies which pollinate the area and provide honey for guests. But according to the ghost gossip, some guests from days of yore liked the place so much, they decided not to leave. Reported ghost sightings include a waiter standing by the elevator, a man dressed as a train conductor, and a crying baby. Denver International Airport The haunted history stage is set from the moment you arrive at Denver International Airport. Stories surround the airport’s strange artwork and gargoyles including the tale of the Blue Mustang, known to those in the know as “Blucifer.” Legend has it that due to the accidental death of sculptor Luis Jimenez, the piece is cursed. ‘Tis the season for haunted hijinks. And if you do happen to come in contact with any of Denver’s resident phantoms, who you gonna call? Why, your friends at Overture senior apartments of course. Overture 9th and Company, and Overture Central Park are luxury 55+ active adult communities in Denver. Book a tour today and enjoy the best of all normal – and paranormal - worlds. That’s the spirit!

The Joy of Fall Gardening: Tips for Senior Apartment Dwellers

Summer is behind us. Sigh. That may lead the unimaginative among us to believe it’s time to throw in the trowel until spring. But for savvy garden aficionados, the bloom is still very much on the gardening rose. Cooler weather can inspire a festival of container gardening, featuring brilliant low-maintenance flowers, foliage, and seasonal vegetables. Before you retrieve the gardening gloves from the top of the storage closet, a few reminders: Soil Good soil is the key to success. For containers, experts suggest an organic material that holds water. If your local garden center carries a soil mix specific to your region, that will help your containers thrive. Drainage Proper drainage helps keep the roots of the plants from rotting. If your container does not have drainage holes, you’ll need to improvise with a thin layer of stone or gravel. Plant Choices Your choice of plants must consider whether your containers will be living in sunlight or shade. As you design your pots, think of the rule of three: A taller flower or veggie to catch the eye, a trailing plant or vine to spill over the edge, and medium-sized plants to fill in. So, a thriller, a spiller, and a filler. Check out this list of some of the best outdoor potted plants for fall and winter and get ready to create your own fall splendor. Pansies These low-growing annuals boast a variety of bright colors and bi-color combinations. Pansies like the sun but will thrive in partial sun. Most stop blooming after a hard frost or heavy snow but will rebloom in the spring. Ornamental Cabbage and Kale These look similar to the edible varieties, but they are not for your salad. You will find them in a gorgeous array of whites, purples, turquoise, and pinks. Kale grows more upright with ruffled edges and cabbages are shorter with smoother leaves. Both thrive in cooler temperatures and enjoy a sunny location and moderately moist, rich soil. These hardy plants become even more beautiful with a light frost. Asters Available in many colors, these flowering perennials require sun but will tolerate light morning shade. They will bloom throughout fall until a hard frost and can survive the winter if properly maintained. Too much water will inhibit flowering. Ivy This trailing evergreen perennial is the perfect choice for the “spilling” element of your pot design. Leaf sizes vary dramatically by variety. The foliage of most varieties lasts year-round. Ivy prefers partial sun to shade. Vegetables Carrots The perfect cool season crop, carrots take about two months to mature. It’s best to sow them 2-3 weeks before the first frost. They are generally problem-free, easy to grow, and a great addition to your fall salad. Radishes Container gardeners love their low-maintenance, easy-growing radishes. These root veggies actually prefer the cold weather, and they will flourish in the fall. Beets Beets are the veggie that keeps giving. They are super-fast growers and love the cooler weather. Their high levels of iron, fiber, and vitamins A and C make them both a delicious and healthy choice. Garlic Garlic is the unsung hero of fall gardening, requiring little attention and growing enthusiastically into early winter. One garlic garden will yield all the garlic you’ll need for an entire season. Leafy Greens Last, but definitely not least, leafy greens including arugula, green lettuce, kale, spinach, bok choy, and collard greens, are both easy to grow and deliciously rewarding. These cool-season crops will be ready for their first harvest in 20-30 days, especially if you plant fully rooted starter specimens. And yes, these you can add to the salad. Share your passion for fall gardening with like-minded friends and neighbors at the Overture senior apartment community of your choice. Fall is the perfect time to plant your new garden – literally and figuratively. Book a tour at an Overture luxury 55+ community today. Time is of the essence. The seasonal and metaphorical clock is ticking.