Magnolia Manor Blog

March is National Nutrition Month – no better time to talk about healthy eating! Proper nutrition is vital to fuel strong bodies and minds at any age, especially seniors. You may not realize that as you age your relationship with food changes. For one thing, your metabolism slows, which means you need fewer calories each day to energize your body. Aging also tends to diminish the sense of smell and taste, which can diminish interest in eating.

Power of attorney. It sounds official, and it is. A power of attorney, or POA, is a document that gives another person the legal right to make certain important decisions on your behalf. There is such a thing as a temporary POA, but a durable power of attorney is something every senior needs because it is your chance to direct your future.

February is the month of love, and nothing says love like taking good care of your heart. No wonder folks all around the country celebrate American Heart Month in February each year. You can wear red to show your support, but taking action is the best way you can get involved. This is especially important if you’re a senior because adults 65 or older are a lot more likely to experience a sudden heart attack, a stroke, or develop long-term heart disease.

One of so many reasons seniors love to live at Magnolia Manor is our truly amazing staff. We know we are blessed to have such dedicated, caring people to assist and support our residents – and our residents know it, too. When we say we treat one another – staff and residents -- like family, it is simply the truth.

From time to time we like to introduce our outstanding staff. So let’s find out more about Charlotte Ingram. Charlotte is the Activities Director at our well-known Mattie H. Marshall Memory Care Center, located on our Magnolia Manor campus in Americus. She works with residents who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia or cognitive impairment.

Nobody is happier to live at Magnolia Manor than Jackie Mullis, and to say her enthusiasm is contagious would be an understatement.

Although she was born in Florida, Jackie has lived in Moultrie since 1949. As the years passed, her family became concerned about Jackie living on her own. She had friends at Magnolia Manor and had visited them on occasion, so she went back with the idea of possibly moving there. She fell in love with a two-bedroom apartment and told herself, “I have to go home and count my money.” She was able to move right in within a month.

For families who are close-knit and live near one another, the first line of “defense” when an aging loved one needs a little help is family members. Of course you want to help, it’s only natural. You might say family caregivers are the ultimate “cottage industry”:

How to pay for senior living is a topic that every aging adult (and sometimes their adult children) grapples with sooner or later. Whether you have more than comfortable assets to draw from or your finances are very limited, the cost of continuing care can be weighty indeed. But that doesn’t mean you must divest yourself of key assets such as a home you own before you can make a move.

Are you ready for a raise? Prices go up and retired seniors need to keep up, so the Social Security Administration has announced a “pay” increase for more than 64 million folks who receive Social Security retirement benefits. Starting in January 2022, benefits will go up 5.9% -- the largest cost-of-living adjustment in quite some time. Of course, while your benefit is increasing, Medicare premiums are also going to increase.

Some people are thrilled to call it quits when their “working years” are over. Retirement – finally! This is your chance to spend the days doing whatever you want, on whatever schedule suits you. But that’s not the case for everyone. If you really love your job, you may choose to stay with it longer; something that wasn’t an option to past generations who were forced to retire at age 65.

When we say Magnolia Manor of Marion County is an award-winning senior living community, we aren’t just making that up. We are bursting with pride to announce that our Buena Vista campus is one of just two long term care organizations in the entire country to win the 2021 National Gold - Excellence in Quality Award.