Seniors Site

We often find ourselves examining the way we eat and make a painstaking effort to adjust them to the way they are supposed to be. Healthy eating says eat more fruit and veggies and avoid red meat as we grow old since the former will give our body more fiber and the latter to prolong our lives—whatever that means. Even if we don’t understand half of it, we faithfully follow them to a tee. However, what we fail to give attention to is those bad after-meal habits we have grown to adapt. Here are some of after-meal habits you must avoid:

•    Walking it off. I remember back then when walking after a meal was highly recommended. It was supposed to boost your metabolism making you burn calories faster. Boy, did I walk! The only reason I stopped doing that is that I came to a point wherein I resist the urge to run instead of a leisure stroll or walk—which I know would be very bad for my health if I do. For an aging body, walking after a meal hinders nutrient absorption so you might want to wait a little while after a meal before you go for a walk.
•    Smoking. I know how good smoking feels right after a meal. For some reason, it makes the “eating experience” complete, however, it also encourages a routine which, in time, would be the hardest to break. Also, your body is in “absorb” state after a meal which makes it more vulnerable to absorbing chemicals from a cigarette stick.
•    Sleeping or napping. I, personally, am guilty of this. The older I get, the harder it becomes to resist sleeping or napping it off after a meal. I believe that when the body is in sleeping or resting state, it slows down every known bodily function including your metabolism and digestion. Considering this, you must conclude that sleeping right after a meal can never be good for your health.
•    Drinking tea. Seniors with iron deficiency problems must avoid drinking tea before, during and after meals since it blocks iron from being absorbed by the body. While drinking tea along with a fatty meal is highly recommended, please be aware that teas in general do block certain nutrients. Considering your aging body’s needs, you need all the good nutrients you can get.
•    Exercise. This, I swear:  exercising right after a meal is not good! Snacks are okay but a meal.. it can never be good. After a bout of cramps, my fitness instructor advised to wait for at least an hour after a meal before engaging to such strenuous activity since the body is still busy processing the food you have just eaten.

A caregiver’s job is 24/7, which means no ifs, no buts and sadly, it rarely gets better, instead most cases only gets worse overtime. If you are a primary caregiver to a spouse or a parent, you most probably know how hard it is emotionally, mentally and most of all, physically.  There are many aspects of your personal life that gets sacrificed, especially the social aspect of it. No matter how dedicated you are in fulfilling your duties, at some point, your body and mind are bound to crave a little time of your own. This, should not bother you as it is perfectly normal for a caregiver to feel that way. Believe it or not, giving in to the temptation will certainly improve the way you see things and will definitely renew you as a person.

So, how exactly can you do that when you don’t trust just about anyone to do the job for you, albeit temporarily? What you need is a respite care service. Respite care services are temporary, time-limited care services available for caregivers who have problems taking breaks since their seniors need round-the-clock care. Respite care services come in many forms. They can be done in-house or out-of-home, both have their own sets of pros and cons depending on the caregiver and the senior’s needs and comfort.

In-house respite care, as the title may suggest, is when someone comes in your home to relieve you of your duties. It can be a family member willing to sit in with your senior for a while during your absence or a volunteer from local caregiving communities. Skilled assistant, on the other hand, can be paid to look after your senior while you’re away. In an in-house respite care, there is no need to move your senior out of the house which can benefit seniors who are bedridden or have limited range of motion. However, you are not only leaving your senior at this person’s mercy but also your home so you must be very careful in choosing the right person to trust.

Out-of-home respite care is basically moving your senior to a place or facility where you can leave him or her for a couple of days in case of emergency or when you need to go out and there’s no one to look after the senior if he stays at home. There are day care programs for seniors which is ideal if you are looking for a respite care service for only a day or opt to avail respite care services from a residential respite care facility which caters to cared-for seniors needing a place to stay and sleep for days to weeks.

If you have been on a strict maintenance drug for quite some time now, you probably know what “after/before meals” and “not to be taken with..” phrases mean. And somehow, you would have guessed at some point that drug reacts with food and there are some combinations you need to avoid in order to make the drug effective or in some cases, avoid complications.

The primary reason why your healthcare provider is adamant that you follow strict orders when prescribed is that sometimes, food interacts with drug in such a way that it hinders the drug’s effectivity making it almost a waste of time taking it. Furthermore, drug-food interaction is not limited to prescription drugs alone—although the odds are much higher—even OTC medications you thought were safe enough to be taken without having to evaluate what your body has as of the moment.

One good example of drug-food interaction is the level of absorption your body has if you take medication at the same time you eat. Naturally, your body is busy processing the food you’re eating thus making the drug you just took less absorbed than it should have been. Ideally, meds are to be taken with an empty stomach to guarantee its effectivity however, there are some drugs that go well with food so make sure you got your doctor’s instructions right before starting on it.

When dealing with drug-food interaction, it is important for seniors to always stay alert. Your first rule is to read labels and ask questions if in doubt especially if dealing with prescription drugs. Be especially aware of contraindications your drug may have since it clearly outlines when the drug is inadvisable to take. Be sure you get the exact dosage your doctor prescribed and not alter dosages at any point. While it’s a common practice to some seniors, breaking a tablet in half then taking it in halves is never a good idea. If, for some reason, you need to lower your dosage, talk with your doctor about it.

Vitamins may look harmless enough to be taken with medications—bad news is, it’s not. While it can be taken any time of the day, its component can react with your meds badly. If you are taking vitamins on a daily basis, it is best to mention the brand name or better yet, bring the vitamin bottle with you when consulting a doctor. This way, he will know exactly what he’s dealing with.

Lastly, it is a big no-no to mix meds with alcohol. For as long as human beings have existed, alcohol and medication never quite got together well—be it a century-old grass-and-bark medicine or the ever modern drug we know of.

If you have been on a strict maintenance drug for quite some time now, you probably know what “after/before meals” and “not to be taken with..” phrases mean. And somehow, you would have guessed at some point that drug reacts with food and there are some combinations you need to avoid in order to make the drug effective or in some cases, avoid complications.

The primary reason why your healthcare provider is adamant that you follow strict orders when prescribed is that sometimes, food interacts with drug in such a way that it hinders the drug’s effectivity making it almost a waste of time taking it. Furthermore, drug-food interaction is not limited to prescription drugs alone—although the odds are much higher—even OTC medications you thought were safe enough to be taken without having to evaluate what your body has as of the moment.

One good example of drug-food interaction is the level of absorption your body has if you take medication at the same time you eat. Naturally, your body is busy processing the food you’re eating thus making the drug you just took less absorbed than it should have been. Ideally, meds are to be taken with an empty stomach to guarantee its effectivity however, there are some drugs that go well with food so make sure you got your doctor’s instructions right before starting on it.

When dealing with drug-food interaction, it is important for seniors to always stay alert. Your first rule is to read labels and ask questions if in doubt especially if dealing with prescription drugs. Be especially aware of contraindications your drug may have since it clearly outlines when the drug is inadvisable to take. Be sure you get the exact dosage your doctor prescribed and not alter dosages at any point. While it’s a common practice to some seniors, breaking a tablet in half then taking it in halves is never a good idea. If, for some reason, you need to lower your dosage, talk with your doctor about it.

Vitamins may look harmless enough to be taken with medications—bad news is, it’s not. While it can be taken any time of the day, its component can react with your meds badly. If you are taking vitamins on a daily basis, it is best to mention the brand name or better yet, bring the vitamin bottle with you when consulting a doctor. This way, he will know exactly what he’s dealing with.

Lastly, it is a big no-no to mix meds with alcohol. For as long as human beings have existed, alcohol and medication never quite got together well—be it a century-old grass-and-bark medicine or the ever modern drug we know of.

First of all, internet apps are tools. The word “apps” stands for “tools”, in other words, when you say internet apps, you’re talking about internet tools. Tools that will help you make your computer days easier and enjoyable. Before we move on further, I would like to warn you that there are thousands, if not millions, of internet apps to date. Whether you’re using a Mac or running on Windows, a tech-savvy senior can indeed find useful internet apps to suit their needs—some are paid and others are for free.

However, no matter how good it sounds like, you don’t need them all. Plus, it is impossible to download them all as well. My advice is, stick with the popular ones and read reviews. Find out if it can do you more good than not since internet apps are not without glitches, especially free ones. Aside from that, you might want to practice safe downloading measures as some of them contain harmful viruses that can ruin your computer system—worst, a spyware which steals your personal info.

Like I said, it is important that when you look for an internet app, you must have an idea of what you want and need. Below are what I think will benefit seniors tremendously but safe enough to be downloaded or used.

•    Google Earth:  Planning to see the world without ever leaving your chair? Or perhaps experience running a plane via a flight simulator? Even better, watch the stars and celestial bodies realtime? All these things and more, you can do with Google Earth. Yes, there’s a free version.
•    Google Maps:  Stuck in the middle of nowhere during a supposedly fun road trip? Consult your Google Maps and you’ll be amazed how far it can take you with little planning! Basically, it works similarly to a GPS when installed to your mobile phone but it doesn’t require a receiver but you still need an internet connection, of course.
•    Skype:  Looking for ways to cut on your phone bills? Then download Skype! Everybody is on Skype, you just have to ask your friends’ and relatives’ Skype IDs, find them over Skype and add them to your contacts. Now you can talk with them for free! You can also use it to call landbased and mobile phones, of course you need to pay for those.
•    PayPal:  PayPal offers apps which you can access from your mobile phone, enabling you to send or transfer money from almost everywhere. PayPal is important for those who are planning to start their own online stores and even to those who loves shopping online as it doesn’t expose financial details on transactions.
•    Remember the Milk. I soooooo love this one as it keeps me in track. Basically it is a task manager. Think of it as your personal assistant reminding you of your priorities. It can also be integrated to popular online services such as Google calendar and Twitter.

This is one of the things in life I try to avoid the most, however, they are unavoidable so might as well discuss them here. When you file an insurance claim, there is always a possibility you’ll get turned down or worse, scammed. Usually, you file a claim when your mind is not functioning well so there is not enough time to rehearse what to say or even choose the words that should come out of your mouth. To top it all off, there is not enough patience in you to deal with it diplomatically. Unless you are a scammer yourself, you don’t file a claim if there is without a need for it, right?

Luckily, I have a “broker” relative who knows insurance very well and he has simple tips to keep in mind when filing an insurance claim:

•    Go through all the motions of properly filing an insurance claim. That is, contact your agent, fill out forms and wait for the adjuster to come and visit you. Make sure you file all your supporting papers and documents to back your claim up.
•    Stay away from your insurance company’s radar. Two or three in a row claims will definitely put you in the worst possible position and you risk cancellation of your insurance coverage.
•    Go over your policy before filing a claim. Be your own adjuster and find loopholes in it. Know your policy by heart.
•    File as early as possible. No need to wait for God-knows-what, the earliest you can file, the better are your chances.
•    Get estimates from reputable repair companies, preferably two or three so your adjuster will have options.
•    Keep your tracks well documented. Done some minor repair? Ask for an invoice. Hired someone to fix the roof? Ask for a receipt. You need to be able to show your insurance company how much you spent on repairs and if indeed there were repairs made. Photos are good, videos are better.
•    It is better if someone knowledgeable would be present during an adjuster’s inspection. Surely, there will be questions thrown your way so having someone around who knows exactly what to say will help you get through the visit smoothly.
•    Do take notes and keep them in one place as a reference. This will come in handy for seniors who are suffering from memory problems.
•    Fight for your rights. Don’t just accept an assessment if you feel it’s not done fairly. Haggle if you must.

Prevention is always, always better than cure. As an observant person, I have seen friends and relatives who suffered tremendously just because they felt invincible back then—not caring if sometime in the near future they will eventually get it. I saw my grandfather withered his life away just because he couldn’t stop smoking. Then there’s my dad who loves eating so much he doesn’t care what it can do to his body—and did I mention, no exercise since birth?..

My mom, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. As soon as she hit her 40th birthday, she adopted a somewhat healthier lifestyle—watched what she ate, exercise whenever she can, best of all, she stopped smoking, claiming she’s doing it for her grandkids. Maybe it was what saved her life, since her genes are trying its damndest to put her on a hospital bed for quite sometime now.

For me, the most unpredictable to monitor is cholesterol level. Maybe it has something to do with the food we eat, or perhaps the lifestyle we lead or the easy choices we make everyday. Keeping my cholesterol levels in check has been an overwhelming task for me eversince as I can never be certain if it’s low or high now. That alone forced me to maintain a heart-friendly lifestyle just to be on the safer side. Here are my favorites:

•    Anything “fried” is out, no matter how tempting they are!
•    Eat in healthy portions. Take note, I said “healthy” not “hearty”. Do this by strategically spreading your meals althroughout the day. 8 small meals are enough to get you going.
•    Trail mixes work for me. I don’t usually go for those you can easily buy in supermarkets, I mix my own. There should be berries and nuts there but less or no salt at all, not sweet either.
•    Fresh fruits for snacks. I used to love donuts and coffee for snacks and had a hard time switching from donuts to fruits. Overtime, I learned to like it.
•    Less red meat, more fish. Preferably steamed. My suggestion is get a good fish cookbook and get ideas from there.
•    Skip the bacon, eat a bowl of oatmeal—everyday! I swear by oatmeal, it can really do wonders in keeping your cholesterol levels in check. I also go for muesli, they are a favorite.
•    Walking it off. I like walking. I do it every chance I have.
•    Stay away from fastfood chains. You should know why.
•    Be an inspector. Examine closely those labels when buying your groceries. They should be no saturated fat, if possible.
•    Lose excess weight. It raises cholesterol levels.

By now, you must have guessed that I am a book lover. Yes, a bona fide bookworm, if you must call it that. As a kid, I used to scour newspapers for comic strips since I didn’t know how to read back then. As soon as I started to read, I often end up at libraries, borrowing books of any kind just to get me through the weekend. I started with big, easy-to-read letters then as I get older, the smaller the letters get. When my eyes started to fail, I got to a point when I bought a magnifying glass—small, of course—and that little clip-on book light so that the one sharing my bed could get his goodnight’s sleep while I read the lights away. Me, never had a problem falling asleep, books lull me to dreamland and it never failed, not even once.

One thing that bothers me though is the amount of dollars I spent on books and the unbelievable amount of space it commands of my home. I hate to see them go so naturally, they tend to accumulate overtime and take almost half of my home. That’s when the better half usually steps in and take them all to donation areas without me knowing it—and he’s been doing it since the day we got married.

So you could just imagine the joy I felt upon discovering ebooks and ebook readers. Let’s just say, it solved all my problems with paper books. No more magnifying glasses over reading glasses, no more clip-on lights and no more cluttering inside my home! Best of all, no partner nagging me to cleanup or else he will throw me out of the house! I still buy paper books every now and then since addiction is pretty much hard to treat but I must say—and say proudly—ebooks improved my reading habits tremendously.

So why switch to ebooks? Here are the benefits of ebooks vs. paper books:

•    Special discounts for seniors like me!
•    Very environment-friendly since it doesn’t require cutting of trees just to give you a decent printed paper.
•    Easier to keep. You can just buy a pen drive and store your ebook collection there, then have it uploaded and saved online for backups. Have someone to teach you if you are not too familiar with that.
•    Possibilities are endless. It’s so disappointing to visit a bookstore only to find that the book you are looking for is not available. Ebooks never run out of copies.
•    Ebooks are cheaper. Classic ones can even be legally downloaded from reputable sites.
•    Ebooks are very flexible. Their font sizes can be changed and their background colors adjusted. They can be customized according to your reading convenie

When we talk about caregivers or caregiving duties, it is almost always a woman that comes to mind. It must be the maternal instinct that women in general possess but you cannot deny the fact that in a marriage, there is a man and a woman and as much as a man is vulnerable to sickness later in life, women too can get them. Just think of the movie “The Notebook”—my all-time favorite movie, if I may add.

If you are to consider the movie, it is possible that a man is capable of caring for his ailing wife. However, as the story would suggest—and throw a couple of cynics on the side—it takes one undying love for a man to stay caring for his wife until his own life ends. So where does that put us—or male caregivers for that matter?

Let me assure you that there are indeed existing male caregivers the world over, however, they tend to concentrate on hospital areas and assisted living facilities. Why? Because their masculinity are much needed in these areas than at homes, caring for their loved-ones. Furthermore, male caregivers are usually hired when the elderly in question needs frequent lifting and transferring from one place to another. They are, more or less, not needed if caregiver duties are just mild ones such as keeping track of the senior’s medication or preparing their meals. Then, there are male seniors who prefer to be handled by their own, treating their male caregivers as their companions too.

If you count the numbers, you’ll see that there is a glaring difference when it comes to male-female caregiver ratio but it doesn’t imply that men are less capable of caring for their loved-ones. They, too, can be as dedicated as a woman. Still, it can be hard for a man to assist an elderly sometimes especially when it comes to personal and intimate matters such as hygiene, that is—but not limited to–bathing and clothing.

Plus, let’s face it, when it comes to stressful, emergency situations, women are quicker to make adjustments to their work schedule and won’t mind sacrificing work if it comes to that. Whereas a male spouse is most likely to take some time thinking of his next move and end up hiring someone to do the caregiving duties for them than dropping work altogether. This should not be taken against them though, since it is unusual for men to make work adjustments for caregiving duties. Add to that the fact that there is almost non-existent work allowance given to male caregivers.

It’s amazing how the senior market responded to Apple’s latest product, the iPad. For those who have been living under a rock for quite some time now, iPad is basically a tablet PC, netbook and ebook reader rolled into one. If you’re to ask me, it’s like a smart phone (internet capability and all) but has bigger screen and a lot of ease of use. I really think that what got our group’s attention is iPad’s simplicity, no complex installation and configuration, no weird, color coded wires to stick into sockets just to have it up and running and best of all, we are no longer limited to ebook reading since we can also use iPad for surfing the net and checking our emails—something that is remotely possible with a simple ebook reader—but still at almost the same size.
Ebook readers were an instant hit then, enabling seniors to read with ease since they can adjust font sizes and look up words without having to reach for their dictionaries. For me, ebook readers have been a real space saver, since I am a packrat at heart. If you could just see my book collection amassed during pre-ebook reader era, I bet you would say I can put up my own bookstore and have it running without a supplier for a whole year! That’s how crazy things were during those times and if not for my partner threatening to sue me I wouldn’t have donated them to a local library!
So more or less you get the idea where I am coming from. My love for books and my eternal bond with the internet were enough to have me waiting in line for just a glimpse of the ever popular iPad. Men and women of different sizes and ages were there with me, patiently waiting and hoping to get our orders in. So, does it appeal to seniors? The answer will be a resounding YES.

Upon closer look, iPad has features that will definitely benefit seniors, even those who are not into internet stuff. Applications, for one, are enough to entertain seniors. There are health applications which prove to be valuable for seniors. This includes applications for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, blood pressure, health tracking plus a handy locator for those who are quite lost in finding the nearest pharmacy.

Having a hard time with your eyes? Don’t worry, iPad has an audio feature which basically reads whatever you touch within its screen, making it very easy for seniors with poor eyesight to create emails and send them to friends and relatives or do whatever they want with it. Of course, there are hundreds, if not thousands of audiobooks you can play with your iPad. Possibilities are indeed endless!

When it comes to housing options for seniors, sharing house with someone must be the most ideal since it is most likely to benefit seniors more than having them moved to a smaller place.

Having a housemate benefits seniors in two ways: it provides independence and companionship. Both are very important in a senior’s life. Aside from that, it gives you and your loved ones some peace of mind that if and when something happens to you, there would be someone who will notify them and look after you while waiting for them to arrive. Also, if you’re hesitant to downgrade your house just because it is costing you too much, finding—and keeping—a good housemate would be the most practical move for you. This is especially true for elderly women who thrive more with an ally!

However, it is not that easy to find a housemate, especially if you value your privacy too much or just got out of a bad marriage. Whether your reason is financial or you just need to have someone with you around the house, your best bet would be a friend or someone you really know instead of risking it with ads and strangers.

Moreover, there are organizations helping seniors to find their perfect match, if none of your friends is in dire need of housing yet. These organizations do background checks and other protective measures for both the homeowner and the potential housemate as well as making sure they will compliment each other well. There will also be interviews and house checks for matches just to make sure everything is going well between them.

To help you find a perfect match, keep in mind these tips:

•    Be honest enough to let your flaws be known. There is no use in hiding them as your housemate is most likely to find them in no time. Remember, this person will share your home, will be sleeping and living there so there is no better time to introduce yourself than now.
•    Knowing your limitations. And there should be! Drawing lines prior to matching is crucial since this will be the basis if the relationship will work.
•    Knowing when to negotiate. Relationships are all about give and take. If you are not willing to bend any of your rules then housesharing may not be for you after all.
•    Having realistic expectations. There is no such thing as a perfect housemate such that there is no perfect home owner as well. You just have to know what is acceptable for you and what is not.
•    Patience is a virtue. Expect it to be a long journey before you find a perfect match. That is understandable since not all seniors are willing to move out of their own homes and move to a stranger’s house.