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The Best Activities for Seniors in Assisted Living

A group of seniors enjoying their outdoor activity. | Bahama Bay Resort.

The Best Activities for Seniors in Assisted Living

A group of seniors enjoying their outdoor activity. | Bahama Bay Resort.

There’s a certain point in the lives of seniors when their favorite routine eventually becomes tedious. It’s not that they’re losing interest, but their age catches up with them quickly.

However, it’s not too late to explore new activities and learn new things. Seniors have the opportunity to live a life that they once enjoyed or actually find a better one.

Assisted living communities are well-known for their line-up of activities that renew the optimism and happiness of seniors. It’s a place where seniors can renew their vigor & enthusiasm by engaging in activities that are more than just a pastime.

Assisted living communities are run by healthcare professionals that specialize in senior care. Thus, they have the knowledge, tools, and facilities to provide expert care to seniors.

This haven for seniors provides activities that suit best their interests.These activities help improve their motor skills and overall health, and promote independence, sense of accomplishment, and self-expression. These activities are also effective in reducing depression and agitation.

To give you an idea, here is a list of engaging activities that are offered in an assisted living community.

Arts & Crafts

A senior using a brush to paint something. | Bahama Bay Resort

Seniors appreciate the kind of relaxation and peace of mind they experience when doing arts and crafts. They can spend their time channeling their creativity. It’s also an excellent way to connect with fellow seniors in their group.

Their masterpieces, be it painting, knitting, or accessory making, can somehow give them a sense of accomplishment. Here are some arts and crafts ideas that are perfect for seniors who aren’t physically fit anymore to join other activities or those living with Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Exercising

A senior holding two dumbbells to exercise. | Bahama Bay Club.

Stretching their muscles won’t just put away their back pains. It also releases endorphins into their system that makes them feel happier and energized.

Exercising for seniors does not require a lot of movement and effort. A simple walk and stretching will suffice. While some seniors can go further by using gym equipment, jogging, Zumba, taichi, spin class, yoga, or swimming lessons, others can keep it light. Here are some basic stretching exercises seniors can do.

Gardening

A senior couple enjoying Gardening. | Bahama Bay Club.

Most seniors love gardening. This is not surprising since it’s a very relaxing activity. Gardening is commonly included in assisted living communities’ scheduled activities.

Seniors can start their day tending to ornamental plants and flowers at their community’s garden. They can do basic gardening chores like watering, raking, harvesting fruit-bearing plants, and a lot more. Aside from having fun, they’re also benefiting themselves a dose of Vitamin D from being outdoors.

Reading & Writing

A senior focuses herself while reading a book. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Seniors can also keep themselves busy by spending their time reading and writing. Assisted living communities also have a mini-library packed with books, magazines, as well as other reading materials.

Some seniors spend time writing to express their emotions. It can be about poetry, essay, short stories, or their autobiography.

Reading and writing keep their minds sharp and help improve their creativity. Here are some must-read books that enhance a senior’s mindset.

Culinary

A senior looking very proud of her baked goodies. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Seniors who have a passion to cook can channel their culinary excellence through cooking classes. This also gives them the chance to serve their fellow seniors with their signature dishes. They can also prepare special cuisine during special occasions that they can partake in.

They can even learn new cooking techniques and recipes from in-house chefs. There’s a lot of potential and fun in doing culinary activities that usually satisfy their taste buds as a result.

Entertainment

A group of seniors enjoys while listening to music from a piano. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Music and other forms of entertainment help seniors with cognitive impairments focus and relax. There is a strong scientific evidence that music and other forms of entertainment are therapeutic for seniors who suffer from this condition.

This is why assisted living communities make it a priority to schedule entertainment activities like attending concerts, plays, and orchestra. In-house activities like karaoke nights, dance lessons, and movie nights are also common activities lined-up each week in assisted living facilities.

Pampering

Elderly Men Enjoying Facial Spa Treatment. | Bahama Bay Club

Seniors also want to make themselves look great that is why pampering is an essential activity in an assisted living community. Most institutions nowadays are equipped with salons, spas, and barbershops that service seniors regularly.

They can get their grey hair colored again, have a good haircut, get their nails done, enjoy a massage, and a lot more. Doing all these doesn’t just make them look great, but also feel great!

Final Thoughts

Regular activities like the ones we’ve listed above are beneficial for seniors. It stimulates both their minds and bodies Ultimately, it breathes a new life and optimism at this point in their lives.

Bahama Bay Club offers more than that. Senior experience luxury living coupled with exciting activities in a resort-style setting that they can’t find anywhere else. To know more, click here.

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Tax Laws You Must Know

Justice Symbol | Bahama Bay

Tax Laws You Must Know

Justice Symbol | Bahama Bay

All of us are required to pay taxes. It’s not just that the law says we have to pay it. But, it’s because paying taxes means we foster development and growth in our nation’s economy. Taxes are also the government’s sustainable source of funds for its programs and investments to further bolster the nation.

The United States in particular is considered to have one of the strongest economies in the world mainly because of its strict tax laws.

Aside from that, Americans are keen on paying their taxes regularly since they know where their money goes and how it will benefit them. Americans enjoy free education & health. They also benefit from infrastructure & security, to name a few from the taxes they’re paying.

As we all know, there are different types of taxes from personal income, corporate, estate, luxury, excise, sin, property, and others.

Taxes are managed by the laws imposed by the federal government. It’s basically the rules and the procedures that govern our taxes from federal, state, and down to local governments. Tax laws differ from each other from state to state.

These tax laws are authored by the US Congress along with state legislatures. These laws are subject to amendments geared towards improving the law. If you’re planning to read all tax laws, you need to read pages and pages of it.

Don’t worry though, if you’re curious about the different tax laws in the US, we’ve summarized & simplified it for you! So, let’s check out how these tax laws that govern our hard-earned money.

Dollar Bills | Bahama Bay

Internal Revenue Code (IRC)

The basis of the United States’ tax law is the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Title 26 of the U.S Code. It’s formally known as the IRC of 1986. It is the domestic part of the country’s federal statutory tax law. This law covers the income, excise, gift, and estate taxes under its 11 subtitles.

The IRC also sets the administrative and procedural guidelines that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the taxpayers should follow.

Here is the complete information about the IRC.

Federal Tax Law

The Federal tax law has more authority and coverage than the IRC. The Department of Treasury issued several regulations to fully interpret every single code section. This is to provide a more precise explanation, and examples with the authority from the U.S Congress. The Federal tax law has a substantial authority wherein the IRS has to follow their written regulations and guidelines when enforcing it.

Commonly, Congress only writes down brief general principles on the tax laws they pass. Thus, the Department of Treasury added corresponding regulations to further explain a particular code section.

For more information on the federal tax law, check it here.

State and Local Tax Laws

Since each state has its own set of laws aside from the universal federal law, it’s not surprising they have varying tax laws. Not all states impose an income tax; however, they assess other forms of taxes to compensate for the absence of an income tax. They can impose higher taxes on inheritance, property, or sales taxes to name a few. State governments often have distinct and unique federal laws. As we all know, each state is sovereign and has the authority to create essential laws. Each state is unique from one another, thus, their tax laws often are different.

Thus, state governments have different tax codes, but overall have the same mandate as the IRC under the federal government. State and local tax laws can be made and passed on a city or a county level.

Here’s a more detailed explanation of the state and local tax laws.

Changes in Tax Laws

Similar to numerous laws, tax laws can be amended. It’s best remembered that the federal government recently amended several tax laws by incentivizing business and income taxes to help stimulate the economy. States, counties, and cities were also required to follow suit by adjusting their rates on property taxes yearly for different factors.

Here are some of the most recent tax law amendments for your reference.

States With the Highest & Lowest Tax Rates

Since each state has varying tax rates, it’s not surprising that some states have cheaper tax rates while others are expensive. Currently, the state of California holds the highest income tax rate at 13.3% while Pennsylvania holds the cheapest income tax rate at 3.07%.

However, several states in Wyoming, Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Nevada, Florida, and Alaska don’t have income taxes.

The highest property tax in the country is Passaic County in New Jersey with 8.79% while Vernon Parish has the lowest with 0.25%.

Tax Documents | Bahama Bay

Conclusion

Learning even the basics about the taxes we pay is essential. We’re glad you’ve taken time to learn a thing or two about our nation’s tax laws.

At Bahama Bay Club, we make sure we file our taxes regularly according to federal and state law. If you want to know more about how much of your payment goes to taxes, call us today.

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What Type of Diet Helps You Live a Longer, Healthier Life?

A plate of a well-balanced meal and a measuring tape to symbolize proper nutrition and healthy diet. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Diet For a Longer, Healthier Life

A plate of a well-balanced meal and a measuring tape to symbolize proper nutrition and healthy diet. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Science repeatedly tells us that eating the right food will make us live longer and healthier. Starting a diet is pretty easy, but in the long run, it’s easier said than done. People are just too stubborn to eat right, even elderly adults.

However, if you want to live a long, healthy, and good life, it’s time to take your diet seriously. Here are some of the best diet plans in the world to get you started.

A sandwich measured using a vernier caliper ruler to symbolize healthy diet. | Bahama Bay Resort.

Mediterranean Diet

Raw fish, vegetables, and other ingredients for Mediterranean diet | Bahama Bay

People living in the Mediterranean region are known for their healthy & active lifestyle. This is evident in the very low rate of people who have cardiovascular and cancer diseases in their region compared to other countries.

They are also best known for their diet. Mediterranean diet is one of the trendiest diet plans today. It’s not only because it’s effective on shedding weight, but its overall health benefits.

The Mediterranean diet is known to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. It’s also linked to reducing the risk of getting cancer because this meal plan includes foods that are rich in antioxidants. This diet consumes very low on red meat, saturated fat, and sugar.

The Mediterranean diet varies from country to country within the region. However, this diet mainly includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, seafood, poultry, red wine, and yogurt.

Here are some of the Mediterranean diet dishes and recipes you can try!

Vegan Diet

Vegan Bowl | Bahama Bay

A vegan diet means there is no meat served on your plate. Vegans do not consume other animal-based products like milk, cheese, lard, butter, eggs, or yogurt to name a few. They also don’t use stuff that comes from animals. They only eat green leafy vegetables, seeds, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and other plant-based food products. Plus, it should be grown organically.

The vegan diet is as popular as the Mediterranean diet. Many groceries in the United States offer a dedicated aisle for vegan products as more and more people identify themselves as “vegan”. A vegan diet isn’t just beneficial for an individual, but also for nature. Most vegans are animal and environmental activists that condemn animal cruelty and pollution.

Looking for delicious vegan dishes you can cook at home? Find it here.

DASH Diet

Dash Diet Ingredients | Bahama Bay

The name stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). It’s created by the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute in the US. This diet mainly emphasizes food that prevents high blood pressure.

This diet includes vegetables, lean protein, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat food items. This diet prohibits people from eating fatty meats, dairy products loaded with saturated fat, as well as sugary food and drinks. DASH diet also means that the person following it needs to limit their salt or sodium consumption to just 2,300-milligrams daily.

Worry not, we found the best DASH diet recipes here.

TLC Diet

Woman refusing junk food | Bahama Bay

TLC stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes which was developed by the National Institute of Health. It’s their banner diet plan for the National Cholesterol Education Program. Its main goal is to cut or somehow reduce cholesterol as a part of an eating regimen for heart health.

This diet simply implies eating more fibrous fruit and vegetables, pasta, whole grain, cereal, and lean meat. This diet promotes low-fat consumption to promote a heart-healthy diet plan.

For great TLC meal plans and recipes, just click here.

Nordic Diet

Woman Holding A Basket of Fresh Seasonal Produce | Bahama Bay

This diet plan is an innovation of the traditional Scandinavian & Nordic cuisine. It was initiated by Denmark University in Copenhagen and five-star restaurant Noma. This diet plan aims for a healthy lifestyle that promotes family values by sharing a healthy meal that is locally and seasonally sourced food without harming the environment.

The Nordic diet consists of organically grown fruits and vegetables, whole grains, foods sourced from the lakes and seas, and less red meat. This diet plan is based on seasonal produce. So, the food an individual consumes depends on the available fruits, vegetables, and meat of the season. It also promotes the reduction of foods consumed in fast food restaurants.

For exciting Nordic diet recipes and meal plans, click here.

Final Thoughts

A woman holding a bowl topped with fruits as her meal. | Bahama Bay Resort.

There’s a plethora of diet plans & regimens that you can choose from. Dieting is all about promoting health and wellness to ourselves. However, before trying out either one of the diets we’ve discussed in this post, be sure to consult your doctor. This is to prevent any complications rather than benefits.

At Bahama Bay Club, we value our residents’ health and wellness. With that being said, we have a team of chefs & nutritionists that serve gourmet cuisines that are both delicious & healthy. To know more, visit our website here.