Life can often present us with challenging situations and people that can test our ability to remain positive, peaceful and healthy.  Our Positive Living classes teach helpful tools for coping with these challenges, and gently encourage us to do our best to rise above these situations.  In the process we learn to feel better not only about ourselves, but to also feel better about the very situations and people that once seemed insurmountable.  Each class is 1 hour long.

• New!!! Aromatherapy for Balanced Health – Essential oils can give us extra energy, calm our minds, help us sleep better, improve memory function, and provide relief from other imbalances. Learn how aromatherapy can help you, sample some essential oils, and make a customized body lotion and body scrub to keep. (1 hour class. $5 materials fee)
• New!!! Healthy Living Through Ayurveda – Ayurveda is an ancient practice of natural healing and self-care that promotes vitality by integrating the body, mind and spirit. Learn how to determine your individual “dosha”, and the recommendations for sleep, diet, exercise and personal care that support your dosha type.
• New!!! Managing Relationship Stress – Our relationships with family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances can be the source of particularly difficult challenges. Learn healthy ways of communicating and managing expectations, to help you get through these situations and improve your relationships.
• New!!! Humor As a Life Plan – Smiling and laughing has numerous health benefits, including reducing stress and improving stress-related illness. Learn the many ways that you can bring more humor into your life. You’ll also get to try some fun games and groan through a few corny jokes!
• New!!! Posture Made Perfect – We all know that we are supposed to have good posture, but we don’t always know what that means. And a lifetime of less-than-perfect posture can be a hard habit to break. Learn proper posture for standing, sitting, walking and sleeping. Getting familiar with how it feels will help you be able to do it on your own. We can also teach posture for walker and wheelchair users.
• New!!! “Dear Abby” – A group discussion program led by a grief and loss survivor. We will talk about the things that we wish were different in our lives, and offer advice for changing what we can and thriving anyway in spite of what we can’t. All group members will be invited to offer positive advice to each other from their own life experiences.
• The Power of Intention – Our thoughts are very powerful.  We create our own sense of reality based on how we think and where we place our attention.  In this class you will learn how to become aware of your current thought patterns, and decide where you would instead like to direct your energy and intentions in order to create a more peaceful and authentic reality for yourself. We will have a short intention meditation at the end of class.
• Making Lemonade From Lemons – This class helps you learn how to maintain peace and happiness despite the challenges you may be facing in your life such as grief over the death of a loved one, decline in cognition or mobility, increasing health issues, loss of independence, and moving from your home.  We will discuss different methods for coping with these issues through positive thinking, empowering speech, and a gratitude-focused approach to life.
• Introduction to Holistic Health Care – You will learn about the physical benefits and stress-relieving benefits of yoga, Tai Chi, massage therapy, Reiki energy therapy, and meditation.  We will discuss how these different techniques help to improve breathing, balance, flexibility, and strength; as well as promote relaxation and peacefulness.  We will have a short meditation demonstration at the end of class.
• The Amazing Benefits of Gratitude Journaling – Keeping a daily journal of things that you are thankful for is a life-changing experience.  By noticing and focusing on the good things in your life, bad things lose their effect, and you end up with a much happier outlook on life.  Gratitude journaling can help to elevate mood, increase optimism, alleviate depression, and cope with sadness.  Learn how to start a journal, what to include, and all of the ways that gratitude journaling can benefit you.  We will also have a short discussion about Mindfulness Meditation, as it ties into observing and finding things to be grateful for in the world around us.
• Every Day Stress Relief – This class teaches methods for staying peaceful amid the typical challenges of life.  We will discuss relaxing breathing techniques, an introduction to meditation, methods for being accepting of ourselves and others,  and ways to approach challenging situations in a healthy way.  We will have a short meditation demonstration at the end of class.

 

• Meditation Made Easy – Meditation helps to quiet the mind and release us from worry.  For many people, though, the goal of clearing our minds of thoughts seems impossible to attain.  This class teaches easy methods to meditate, and incorporate it into everyday life. We teach exercises that help the body and mind to become relaxed and centered.  The relaxation and peace of mind you will learn in this class will help you gain a more positive outlook on your daily life.  We will practice different types of meditation throughout the class.
• Good Health Through Balanced Energy – You will learn how energy imbalances can affect physical health, thinking and personality.  We will discuss the difference between yin (passive) and yang (active) energy, the concept of chakras (the seven energy centers located within our bodies), methods to balance our own energy, and methods for interacting in a healthy way with other people who have a different type of energy than we do.

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• Architecture
• Cooking
• Drama
• Fiber Arts
• Fine Arts
• Gardening
• Holiday Activities
• Interior Decorating
• Laughter Yoga
• Life Stories
• Massage Therapy
• Music
• Pet Connections
• Positive Living
• Reiki
• Writing
• Yoga and Posture

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The benefits of sharing our lives with animals are endless.  They provide steadfast and dependable companionship.  They provide us with opportunities to stay in the present moment – listening to a cat purr or feeling a dog lick our hand makes it easy to forget our troubles.  The fact that they depend on us for their health and happiness helps us feel loved and needed.  And the health benefits of animal relationships are many: decreased blood pressure, better resistance to stress, less asthma and allergies, increased exercise and outdoor activities, more opportunities for socialization, andless likelihood of depression and loneliness.  But most of all they provide a beautiful example of unconditional love and accept us for who we are, without judgment. 

• New!!! All About Therapy Dogs – A certified therapy dog and his/her guardian will visit your group for an hour of tail-wagging love and education. Learn what is involved in therapy dog training, what kind of dog can be a therapy dog, and what rules the dogs need to follow while they are working. There will be plenty of dog petting also!
• Doggy Days – We bring a therapy dog in to visit with you, to share their own special happiness and unconditional love!  You are more than welcome to pet the doggy while they visit.  The dogs are trained and certified therapy dogs.

• Pony Visits – We bring a pony or a miniature horse inside your home to share some fun and love with you. The animals are trained not to “go” while inside, and their hooves are wrapped, so that your floor stays clean.  A fun and unusual activity!
• Exotic Animal Education – We partner with area zoos and wildlife sanctuaries to bring exotic animals, reptiles, and birds to your home.  We provide information and education about the animals and their habitats, and you are able to see interesting and unusual animals up close.

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• Architecture
• Cooking
• Drama
• Fiber Arts
• Fine Arts
• Gardening
• Holiday Activities
• Interior Decorating
• Laughter Yoga
• Life Stories
• Massage Therapy
• Music
• Pet Connections
• Positive Living
• Reiki
• Writing
• Yoga and Posture

Visit our Services for Caregivers page

 

   
Like all forms of art, music moves each of us in distinctly individual ways.  Music is an integral accompaniment to all eras of our lives, past and present.  Hearing a song from our past carries us back to that place in time, and reminds us of the sentiments and memories that we associate with it.  And listening to a new piece of music stimulates our emotions and inspires our opinions in ways that define who we are and what we believe in.  Music is therefore not only a critical component of our history, but also has the power to affect and define our present.

• Holiday Activity! Holiday Sing-Along  – An hour full of memorable songs that are sure to get your group into a festive spirit!  Small percussion instruments are handed out so that everyone can participate.  We can do a non-denominational performance, or a combination of secular and religious music. This activity is sure to get those bells jingling and those toes tapping! (1 hour class)
• New!!! Good Vibrations – How is sound made? How does it travel through the air? What makes some sounds pleasant and other sounds unpleasant? This interactive class teaches the mechanics of sound vibrations through demonstrations of musical instruments, wind chimes, and our own voices. We will combine science with practical examples, and also have fun singing songs together.
• Musical Autobiographies – We help you make a list of all of the songs that are meaningful to you, and write down the stories and memories that make the songs so special to you.  We then create a musical chronology of your life with a special, personalized CD.  The stories and memories are printed on the CD insert to explain the significance of each song.  The CDs make wonderful heirloom gifts for family and friends.
• Music Sing-Along – A fun activity for all ages.  Our musician plays guitar and sings, while inviting you to participate.  We also have small percussion instruments available for you to try.  Sing-Alongs are available for all ages: older seniors, Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers, and kids. We also discuss the history behind each song for an interesting educational look at songwriting history. (1 hour class)
• Music Discussion – A musician performs songs, accompanied by guitar, that are specifically chosen to evoke memory, opinion, or emotion.  We then talk after each song to share the life experiences that the song reminds you of.  This is a fun way not only to share past experiences that are important to you, but to also express your current viewpoint on several relevant subjects. (1 hour class)

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• Architecture
• Cooking
• Drama
• Fiber Arts
• Fine Arts
• Gardening
• Holiday Activities
• Interior Decorating
• Laughter Yoga
• Life Stories
• Massage Therapy
• Music
• Pet Connections
• Positive Living
• Reiki
• Writing
• Yoga and Posture

Visit our Services for Caregivers page

 

  
Massage helps to remove toxins from the tissues in the body. It helps to move the lymphatic fluid through the lymphatic system and circulate blood back to the heart. Massage keeps the muscles, tendons and ligaments supple, which helps with range of motion in joints. Massage also reduces stress and stress-related ailments. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and compromised immune systems can all benefit from massage treatments.

Massage can be especially helpful for senior adults and those with limited mobility. Blood circulation to the heart, and circulation of the lymphatic system, is usually done by the legs.  Massage will help keep these systems working well. Massage also helps to keep your muscles exercised, when you are having difficulty exercising them yourself.

Our massage therapist will provide you with a one-hour private massage session in the privacy and comfort of your home.  We treat individual health concerns as well as provide overall relaxation and stress relief.  We can also include the use of Aromatherapy, Myofascial release, Positional Release, and Muscle Energy work as needed or desired.

The sessions are conducted in a quiet room with relaxing music. We provide a comfortable and sanitary padded massage table, or the session can also be conducted on a bed.  Our therapists have extensive experience with massage for senior adults.

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View other Classes

• Architecture
• Cooking
• Drama
• Fiber Arts
• Fine Arts
• Gardening
• Holiday Activities
• Interior Decorating
• Laughter Yoga
• Life Stories
• Massage Therapy
• Music
• Pet Connections
• Positive Living
• Reiki
• Writing
• Yoga and Posture

Visit our Services for Caregivers page