CREATE MEANINGFUL HOLIDAY MEMORIES WITH YOUR KIDS Traditions Start Here
Festive national holidays offer a great opportunity to strengthen family ties and traditions. While most people regard the end-of-year holidays as prime time for family get-togethers, you can make great memories in any season — including the Fourth of July! To foster traditions your loved ones will enjoy, start when your children are young. Repeat your chosen rituals year after year, but stay flexible enough to update them to suit your kids’ developmental stages. EMPHASIZE LIVE ACTION Activities that immerse your children in sights, sounds, smells, and live action can be the most memorable. Community Fourth of July parades offer a great opportunity to socialize with neighbors and friends of all ages. To make memories, don’t just watch the parade — encourage your kids to join it!
Midsummer is a great time to participate in light-hearted three-legged races, an egg toss, and sack races. As kids age, consider holding a Fourth of July Family Bowl for an annual game of soccer, softball, or touch football. At day’s end, fireworks offer a chance to gather in a lawn chair or on a blanket in the grass and enjoy some favorite snacks. CAPITALIZE ON FAMILY FOIBLES Think about traditions that evoke some quirk or twist unique to your family. If your kids love water balloons, a red, white, and blue water balloon fight can leave them laughing. Your family’s favorite films about patriotism or national identity may include fantasy tales, such as the animated 1986 immigrants’ story “An American Tail,” or darker stories, such as “Born on the Fourth of July,” the 1989 film on a Vietnam vet’s struggles after the
war. Whatever your preference, watching a beloved movie together as a family can reinforce shared values. For maximum fun, ban cellphones and make lots of popcorn. MAKE IT MATTER Decorating your house and yard with flags, red-white-and-blue bunting, and patriotic pinwheels can help children get into the spirit. To create a tangible memoir, take photos of the fun and print them for an album or deposit them in a “Fourth of July Memory Jar.” When you pull them out next year, those images will spark plenty of laughs!
The Simple Secret to Better Health in Your Golden Years Sip by Sip
from illnesses, and an elevated rate of unplanned hospital admissions, according to a 2021 study in the journal Nutrients. Another study, a review of 18 studies of adults 60 and over, showed that dehydration also predicts higher rates of mortality and frailty, longer hospital stays, mini-strokes, and poorer neurocognitive functioning. The causes of dehydration are complex, including a decline in seniors’ ability to perceive thirst, or simply forgetting to drink fluids regularly. And dehydration isn’t always easy to diagnose. It may be marked by fatigue, irritability, muscle cramps, or dizziness. Other signs, such as a low volume of dark-colored urine or a dry mouth, can also be a side effect of medications or symptoms of different conditions. Researchers advise paying conscious attention to a senior’s water intake and taking steps to maintain it at healthy levels. Making drinking a part of seniors’ regular daily routine and providing social support for consuming more fluids are linked to healthier hydration levels. Offering a variety of beverage choices in lightweight cups with large, easy-to-grasp handles also tends to help. Determining the right intake for each individual isn’t always a clear- cut process. As a general rule, to calculate a person’s daily fluid needs, divide their body weight in pounds by three and aim to drink one ounce of water for each pound, according to the National Council on Aging. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 50 ounces or about 6 cups of water daily. The best path, however, is to speak to your doctor about your hydration needs.
Dehydration is a common problem among older adults. According to a 2023 study of 22,000 people 65 and over, about 1 in 4 seniors living in their communities or assisted living facilities are dehydrated. Water is essential for our bodies to function well, from lubricating the joints to keeping blood circulating freely to the heart. July is Self-Care Month, so this is a good time to focus on hydration as one of the most important aspects of self-care.
Chronic dehydration is linked to a higher rate of long-term health problems, including poorer cognitive performance, worse outcomes
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