Archive for December, 2011

Can Exercise Fight Parkinson’s Disease?

Exercise has many benefits, and for Parkinson’s disease patients, it may serve an even larger purpose than merely maintaining fitness. Parkinson’s researcher, Dr. Jay L. Alberts, discovered that, after taking a tandem bike ride with a Parkinson’s patient, some of the patient’s movement control symptoms seemed to temporarily disappear.

Further research seems to indicate that it isn’t just voluntary exercise that has a good effect on the brain. In fact, forced exercise may alleviate even more symptoms than activities that a patient chooses to do.

To find out more about Dr. Alberts’ research and the positive effects of forced exercise with Parkinson’s patients, read this eye-opening article from the New York Times.

Stuck in the Suburbs

A shocking and often overlooked statistic is just how many Americans 65 and older will be virtually stuck in communities with poor or non-existent public transportation – an estimated 15.5 million by 2015. With a rapid number of baby boomers choosing to age in place, many are finding themselves without proper access to transportation and unable to operate a vehicle, and with poor public transportation funding, U.S. cities are finding it hard to keep up.

The following article takes a look at this trend and ranks cities nationwide on their transit access, giving us a look at what we can expect by 2015. Click here to read more.

Home for the Holidays: Creating a Senior-Friendly Season

Most importantly, during holiday gatherings, slow down and be sure to include elderly relatives in family traditions. Ask them how they would like to celebrate the festive time together and consider assigning someone to accompany the senior throughout the day to ensure comfort. After the holidays, if you’ve determined that additional care might be necessary for your loved ones, contact a home care agency such as Continuum. Our professional caregivers can assist with services such as meal preparation, personal care, transportation and specialized dementia care, whether the needs are daily, weekly, temporary or long-term. To help determine if in-home care is appropriate for your situation, or for tips on how to talk to a loved one about accepting in-home care assistance, contact Continuum at (314) 863-9912.

Follow this link for tips to create a senior-friendly holiday season!

How Your Hearing Aid Might Be Protecting Your Brain

While we may not always notice small changes to our senses as we age, our brains definitely do. A recent study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine revealed that individuals with poor hearing showed a decrease in gray matter density in auditory areas of the brain, suggesting a link between hearing ability and brain volume. According to Jonathan Peelle, PhD, lead author of the study, “People hear differently, and those with even moderate hearing loss may have to work harder to understand complex sentences.” This suggests that hearing aids may not only help you hear, but may also help preserve your brain.

Find out more about the fascinating study in this Medical News Today article.

Home for the Holidays: Warning Signs that Care is Needed

As soon as the front door opens to welcome friends and family in, even before hugs are exchanged, an unexpected disheveled appearance of a loved one may be noticed. Failure to keep up with daily hygiene routines such as bathing, tooth brushing and other basic grooming could indicate health problems such as dementia, depression, or physical impairments. Inspect to see if clothes are clean and if the individual appears to be maintaining good grooming habits.

At the dinner table, appetites may appear to be healthy during the holidays, but noticeable weight loss without trying could be a sign that something’s wrong. For the elderly, weight loss could be related to many factors, including:

Difficulty cooking. The person could be having trouble finding the energy to cook, grasping the tools necessary to prepare a meal, reading labels or directions on food products, or getting groceries into the home. Check the pantry to see if foods are fresh and stocked appropriately; assess pots and pans for ease of use and heaviness.
Loss of taste or smell. Some loss of taste and smell is natural with aging, especially after age 60. In other cases, illness or medication contributes to the loss of these senses. The person might not be interested in eating if food doesn’t smell or taste as good as it used to.
Underlying conditions. Sometimes weight loss is a sign of a more serious underlying condition, such as malnutrition, dementia, depression, or even cancer.

Additionally, any big changes in the way things are done around the house could provide clues to health. For example, scorched pots could mean forgetting about food cooking on the stove. Neglected housework could be a sign of depression, dementia, or other problems. Check to see if the lights are working, the heat is on, the bathrooms are clean, or if clutter is blocking the walkways of the home.

Safety issues around the house and mental attitude are key indicators in determining if the effects of aging or changes in health require additional care. If safety is a concern, ask your loved one the following questions.

  • Do you have difficulty navigating a narrow stairway?
  • Have you fallen recently?
  • Are you able to read directions on medication containers?
  • Is there adequate lighting for nighttime trips to the bathroom?

Follow this link for conversation starters to discuss home care with seniors!

Finding Joy and Balance During the Holidays

The holidays are not always holly jolly. In fact, many people experience exhaustion and depression while friends and family members are in the mood to celebrate. Even people who are normally cheery sometimes find themselves feeling down around the holidays, and those who have a history of depression need to be extra mindful of how they manage their holiday stress.

The good news is that, while it will likely take a little effort on your part, there are ways to combat stress and find some holiday joy this season. Keeping modest expectations of the holidays is a good start to keep from being disappointed. Don’t worry about things beyond your control, take care of yourself and don’t be afraid to accept help when needed.

For more ideas of ways people can find balance, reduce stress and find ways to celebrate the festivities, read the full article on WebMD.

Home for the Holidays

Season’s greetings sometimes greet family members with alarming signs that additional care or daily assistance is needed in the home of aging loved ones. With busy schedules or long distances separating families for much of the year, subtle (or not-so-subtle) indicators can easily be missed. This year, make holiday visits a time to evaluate the needs of elderly relatives, and encourage in-home care solutions that will enhance quality of life and ensure safety at home long after the holidays are over. Seniors are not always aware of what would be considered by others a compromising health condition, and sometimes the fear of losing independence can make someone want to disguise care needs. Be a senior’s best advocate this holiday season, remembering that checking for warning signs is not for the purposes of judgment or criticism. It’s a check for wellness, wellbeing and safety.

Follow this link for a list of some helpful questions to ask prior to making a decision about staying at home with care or moving elsewhere.

Diabetes: A Worldwide Epidemic

We’ve all heard that U.S. citizens, as a whole, are getting larger. What we don’t typically hear about is that diabetes is also on the rise worldwide and reaching epidemic proportions. A HealthDay News report states that 366 million people are now suffering from diabetes. 4.6 million deaths are caused by the disease each year.

This year, the UN held a summit on diabetes to help mount a global drive to combat the disease. It marks just the second time that the United Nations has held a summit on a health-related issue. The first one, in 2001, set goals to treat the HIV/AIDS crisis.

To find out more about this startling health trend, read this article from Health.com.