Moving Into An ASSISTED LIVING CENTER?

January 31, 2009

Moving into an Assisted Living Center can be a very big change in a seniors life. There are many things to consider when choosing a community that will fit your needs and lifestyle. We have put together a FREE report and an ASSISTED LIVING TOURING CHECKLIST to help you understand what to look for and what questions to ask when doing your research. Click here to VIEW The “Assisted Living Center: 11 Things To Know Before You Move” and to receive the Free Assisted Living Touring CheckList, “35 Questions To Ask To Ensure You’re Choosing Right!”

A few tips Prior to Moving In:

* Read all the materials about the assisted living center before you move in.
* Measure the closet space and don’t bring too many of one thing such as coats.
* Try to meet the Executive Director and the staff before moving in.
* Pack wisely. Do not bring everything. Downsizing is the name of the game. Make life easier.
* Read the activity schedule and choose two or three programs to attend early on to meet new neighbors and other residents.

Assisted Living Center: Senior Living Solutions, San Francisco, California

What Are You Creating Right Now? – Assisted Living Insights

January 31, 2009

WHAT ARE YOU CREATING RIGHT NOW?

“You create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, and your intentions create your reality.”
Dr. Wayne Dyer

By Ruby MacDonald

For years I’ve been fascination by the human brain and its vast potential. First from a psychological v.p. & now from a spiritual view point, not in the religious sense, but in the more mystical/creative realm. I’m convinced that our ability to create begins in our brain; God created us to create. Creation begins with one tiny thought. It may come from within you, or someone else, and once you accept it as yours and begin to think about it, you’ve started the process of creation. The more emotion you have with that thought the more powerful is your ability to attract what you want. Once your brain gets the go-ahead from you, it springs into action and clicks in to perform your command perfectly. That is why it’s extremely important to be aware of your own thoughts and the words you say. Your brain doesn’t sort out positive from the negative; it waits for your command. It simply acts on your thought.
I’ve spent half of my life learning about and teaching how powerful the brain is and how important our thoughts are. When I was a kid I used to hear my father speak of the dreaded “evil eye” in his native Sicily. I snickered and thought it was a bunch of nonsense even though the stories made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention. I’ve since learned about the power of the mind and believe that if I told you that something terrible was going to happen to you, and you believed me, YOU could make it happen simply by the power/energy/focus you give it; your own mind would work to carry out whatever you feared.
I believe that the power of the mind can also make us ill, or worse. One of my favorite examples of the power of suggestion is this one: During the winter months we are ambushed with news that the flu is epidemic. We’re sure we can’t escape it so we begin to worry. If we get the sniffles we’re certain we’ve got something that’s going around. We reinforce our fear by thinking that we have a cold, and we tell everyone who will listen. (It may have only been hay fever.) Next, we think we will be really sick, probably run a fever and by the end of the week we are certain we will be in bed vomiting or worse. Well, guess what? I believe that since we’ve programmed ourselves for a week full of illness— that is exactly what we will get. We’ve created it with our powerful minds. The brain has taken instructions and followed them exactly as we’ve prescribed it.
Arthritis is one of my pet peeves. If we break or sprain something doctors are quick to say arthritis will set in. My doc knows “I don’t do arthritis.” She snickers. I refer to it as the nasty “A” word. People take possession of arthritis as soon as they think they have it. I.E.: A younger friend’s fingers began aching; her mother had arthritis so she was certain she’d inherited it. (How many of us do that?) She took possession of it and referred to it as “my arthritis.” We had a little discussion and it “amazingly” disappeared! I believe strongly that it isn’t necessary to talk about any symptom or medical sentence your doctor has decreed for you. To acknowledge it is to reinforce it. Taking possession of it and making it yours only gives it permission to proceed. Once we start talking about it to others, it grabs that energy/power to accelerate. That energy can better be used to create positive thoughts of healing for yourself. Get the needed treatment. Then if you must tell someone, say, “I’m catching healing,” and let it go. You can tell those symptoms that they are not welcome in your body and to flee. You must believe it, however, and you must be persistent, for the habit of illness is like a child who pushes the envelope to see if you mean business.. It’s up to you to stick in there and show the old habit who is boss. It takes a while to break old habits and patterns, so don’t expect the symptoms to disappear quickly. Like a spoiled child who is suddenly being disciplined, there will be rebellion within. Remember to put lots of emotion behind your thoughts of healing and be persistent.
We are never too old or too sick or too busy, to have creative minds. We “create” every second of every day and it is either negative or positive —depleting energy or increasing energy.
We deplete our energy if we focus on a negative situation, be it our own or someone else’s. Our energy level plummets and a cloud of doom and gloom cloaks us. When we change our thought pattern to those that are sunny, energy levels are elevated to a healthier state; we are less vulnerable to illness & to attracting negative thinking people into our lives.. Thoughts are contagious. Choose wisely.

“As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.” — James Allen 1864-1912 (note the dates—this is not “new age” enlightenment, but time-proven.)

SEAS THE DAY WITH GRATITUDE – Senior Living Insights

November 25, 2008

SEAS THE DAY WITH GRATITUDE    - Senior Living Insights                        

“A day without gratitude is like a day without sunshine.”

 

Today the sky is a lovely cobalt blue, a welcome change from the rains. Fluffy white clouds tease the sun. The horizon is a less vivid color as it dips down into the Coral Sea here on the north eastern coast of Australia. I’m sitting on the deck of a catamaran watching the dark blue waves that barely hint at white caps. We’re cruising along at ten knots and all is well.  Life is good. We utter a silent prayer of gratitude.

 

Gratitude! Such a powerful word. This word is a potent tool for life when we remember to focus on it. Oh, it’s easy to focus on gratitude on a perfect day such as this one when my mind is peaceful; I’m comfortable, healthy and well fed.

 

But what about those days when a persistent wind whips our sails or the seas are so choppy it’s difficult to find our sea legs – or the engines fail to fire up in the face of an approaching cyclone?

 

Even on land everyone has days like those. They seem to multiply as we grow into being more “seasoned adults.” But when we shift our focus from gratitude for all that’s right about our lives and focus on all that is not so right, often the sea of life becomes too rough to handle. It is then that thoughts of gratitude seem to have sunk to the bottom of the sea and the desire to be thankful for what fate has handed us is locked tight in Davey’s locker.

 

The sixty four dollar question then, is, “How can I focus on the positive things in my life when it feels as though I’ve drowned in my own problems?”  Changing our thought pattern is simple but not easy—since the way we think is a habit and habits are not easy to break. But the good news is that since thoughts are a habit, we can start a new habit—a new way of thinking. Use the methods outlined below, and stick with it for the entire month. These new habits will enrich your life and help develop an attitude of gratitude.

 

1. The first thought of negativity that sneaks into your mind must be speared as soon as possible so it doesn’t spread its tentacles like an octopus and render you helpless. A thought, (what you think ) is one of the most powerful, invisible, weapons (tools) in the world. Doubt me? Think about how Hitler’s powerful thoughts/words contaminated the world.  On the positive side, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale influenced thousands, perhaps millions of people including me, with his book, The Power of Positive Thinking. It all started with a thought. Dr. Wayne Dyer, a modern day motivational teacher of wisdom, says that we become what we think about all day long, and the Bible warned us to be careful what we ask for (it is a thought first). A thought alone is as powerful as asking for something with words. Think of it as a seed. As soon as energy is given to any thought it sprouts, and like a pesky weed, will spread its roots and grow.
2. Take charge of your thoughts and words. Remember, thoughts are powerful tools and you are in control of them. Many us allow our thoughts to sail through our minds with no controls. Yet we surely wouldn’t get into a boat that had no captain, engine (sails), no rudder, or wheel, and let the sea joust us about and be at the mercy of the seas Yet that is exactly what many of us do with our lives when we don’t control our thoughts.
3. Have your ammunition at hand. We must have constructive thoughts ready to push out and replace the first negative/destructive thoughts that enter.. Usually negative thoughts stir in the morning as soon as we wake up. Old habits have been lying beside us all night and they get up with us. It’s up to us to usher them out or invite them to stay. There are several kinds of ammunition that will replace those destructive thoughts while we break the old thought-patterns:
   1. Bible verses to read or saying those you have memorized
   2. Being in a state of gratitude first thing in the morning and before sleeping
   3. Prayers of affirmation and gratitude
   4. Reading inspirational magazines and books to keep your mind focused on the positive side of life.
   5. Listening to tapes, CDs of inspirational speakers
   6. Making a nightly list of at least five things for which you are grateful each day.
   7. Taking a quiet time each day to consciously focus on gratitude.
   8. Hanging out with positive people. “You gotta accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,” to quote from an old song.

 

1. BE GRATEFUL.  No matter what the day brings, work at being grateful about the many things that are still good in your life.  Write “GRATITUDE” on your mirror or paper to constantly remind you until GRATITUDE becomes an automatic habit.

 

                              “Serving your mind a dose of gratitude is like a multivitamin for your body.”

 Senior Living Insights

GOOD NEWS! The New Life Of Senior Assisted Living San Francisco, CA Discovers GOOD NEWS!

November 15, 2008

Being fet up with all the bad news reported in the news lately, I decided to go on the web today and type “Good News” into google and lo and behold I found a whole bunch of it. I started ‘The New Life’ out today by saying, “I have some good news for you today!” I could feel their emmediate inner glow of excitement. I sat down and started reading a headline, “Volunteer Greeters Offer Hugs, Applause For Troops”. Basically there is a group out there that goes to Bangor International Airforce Base every time a plane of troops come home from their tours of duty in Iraq, to give applause and handshakes. How beautiful we all reacted. This set the tone for a marvelous dicussion about giving yourself over to a cause greater than one’s self. Residents shared their stories about what they have passionately given time and money towards. Resident, Jenny Murphy shared how she started the Pleasant Hill Senior Community Center many years ago and how over the years of enthusiastically giving to her vision, today it has become a thriving center where seniors go to have fun, while engaging with like-minded people.

The New Life always ends singing, “Oh what a beautiful morning….”

Please join us! Saturdays at 9:45 at the Chateau Pleasant Hill

2770 Pleasant Hill Rd
Pleasant Hill, Ca 94523
(877) 468-9773