Seniors Site

It’s quite heartbreaking to see Haiti in the news nowadays, despite the fact that weeks had passed since the destructive earthquake and help from global communities just keep on pouring in. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, volunteers from all over the world keep on arriving everyday but still those who lost a loved-one are not yet allowed to mourn as they need to keep the spirit alive for those who are lucky enough to survive. If there’s one good thing that the disaster brought the country of Haiti, it is the awareness of how bad we have been treating our environment and sadly, we are the same species to ultimately suffer.
I would say that if this is something that can be remedied in a week, most likely it would be forgotten by now. But, the magnitude of destruction the country of Haiti had experienced would require long-term planning and solution as the country is literally in shreds and yes, any form of help is most welcomed at this point and hopefully when Haiti is finally restored, it will be better than before.
Which got us all thinking, in times like these, we only have ourselves to rely on. We do damage, we suffer the consequences, we try to restore. For those who were miles away from Haiti or even those in its safer neighboring cities when the disaster struck, we cannot help but thank God we’re safe. But it doesn’t have to end there, we should also think of ways to extend our help for our fellow Haitians. It really doesn’t matter what kind of help, just as long as you exerted enough effort to help those in need. Seniors are no exception!
A retirement home in Canada started collecting milk bags which residents there started weaving to create plastic mats for rescue operations in Haiti. It may not be much but the doctors there thank these elderly volunteers for spending time to do such things as these mats prove to be very useful in maintaining a certain amount of cleanliness when they operate on a rescued person.  Raffles sponsored by senior groups and organizations started to circulate to help raise funds for Haiti. Indeed, anybody, no matter what your status in life seems to be can help in your own ways. There are also several websites accepting monetary donations for those who are unable to actively participate in rescue efforts in Haiti. Here are some websites you can try:
http://www.hopeforhaiti.com/
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.unicef.org/index.php
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

If there’s one group that is adamant in chasing these statistics, it is the MOWAA or the Meal On Wheels Association of America. This group provides food for those in need, even delivers it to your home which proves to be very beneficial for seniors who are no longer capable of moving around, much less cook their own food. MOWAA is very particular when it comes to understanding and finding a solution for senior hunger. They aim to improve seniors’ quality of life at the same time, keeping them healthy despite their current condition. To know more about Meals on Wheels, click here.
Unfortunately, a recent study done by the group stated that they fear the condition is not improving, in fact, it keeps getting worse! They foresee more seniors facing hunger in the coming years and the group is now calling for community involvement to strengthen their mission and be able to reach out more effectively to hungry seniors all throughout America. Taken into account is the non-recovery of the world’s economic status in which it was found out that seniors are taking the direct hit.
Even with funding and sponsors, Meals on Wheels admitted that they can only do so much in keeping these hungry seniors alive as the demand for such nutritional services keep on growing everyday. Clearly a case of overwhelming demand versus limited amount of resources. This is also the reason why the group pushed for resolving the problem instead of just providing temporary solution in hopes of somehow getting to the root cause of the problem and be able to get these seniors provide for their own in the future.
According to their study, aside from poverty, it was found out that hunger is more likely to occur in a house wherein a senior is living alone. If truth be told, they highly suggest for these seniors to seek help in assisted living facilities or even a companion in the house to be able to monitor their regular food intake. Sadly, this is not their call to make.
Hunger can actually affect one’s health. It can trigger underlying diseases or even worsen the existing ones. Seniors who are in constant hunger state are also in a great risk for serious health problems. This is something that MOWAA hopes to avoid. Interestingly, according to their studies, there is more to seniors’ hunger than poverty. Factors to affect seniors’ hunger problem are:
·    Education. It was found out that those who didn’t finish school are most likely to suffer hunger later in life.
·    Living alone. This includes widow, separated and dissolved marriages without any children to look after them.
·    Debts. It may be due to supporting a grandchild or even renting his or her home. Single parents are also a likely candidate.
·    Out of job. When a senior finds himself sacked out of the job, it’s quite hard to get up on feet again.

National Fire Data Center has released their figures and data pointing out that older adults are indeed at risk when there’s fire. The staggering numbers do say it all! See full report here.
It was found out that at age 65, a senior doubles his or her risk of dying in a home fire and triples it when he reaches the age of 75. Sad facts but true, but what’s clear and evident in this study is seniors are never safe even in their own homes. This is especially true for those who have limited range of motion or those who are no longer capable of caring for themselves.
Some of the reasons why fires occur in a senior’s home were pointed out in their report. These are: smoking, ignited furniture or bedding, and cooking. If we are to connect the dots in this report, it’s fairly easy to see that it all boils down to carelessness. Either that, or memory gap, choose your pick. As to the reason why most seniors with homes afire never made it out alive is partly blamed to the “unpreparedness” of the victim.
If “don’t play with fire” works for children, we seniors should also heed the call, that is if we aim to live longer lives and not be burnt to a crisp! Reaching a certain age when we feel we are easily distracted and forget activities soon after we are engaged in the next one should make us realize that fire and flames instantly become a threat not only to our lives but also to our families. Be aware of your movements when starting a fire, never leave it blazing and kill it off as soon as you’re ready to move on to your next chore will help you tremendously in avoiding fires. Here are some tips on how to fight off the fire risk:
·    Always keep your emergency kit near you. When going to bed, put it right beside you where you can easily grab it on your way out. Your emergency kit should include:  your glasses and flashlight, medications, etc..
·    Avoid smoking while in a position that is prone to you falling asleep i.e lying down. It was found out that cigarettes are the common cause of an ignited furniture or bedding, with the senior on top of it!
·    NEVER, NEVER leave a stove or even the oven open. If you need to go out of the kitchen, turn everything off or yell for someone to watch it for you. No ifs, no buts!
·    Install fire detectors especially to areas that are considered as high-risk.
·    Have a water sprinkle attached with the fire detector so it could easily put the fire down while manageable.

One of the worst things that can ever happen to a senior is when they are forced to give up their privacy just because they are no longer capable of caring for themselves. In fact, it stays as the number one reason why seniors give their loved-ones a hard time when pursued to have themselves moved to assisted living facilities or even have someone to care for them in their own homes such as home care. Aside from the apparent reason of compromising one’s “ego”, what these younger people don’t understand is that losing our privacy contributes immensely to the very stressful situation.

But, whether we like or not, we have to admit that we are no longer safe when left alone. Especially if our aging bodies are already harboring one hundred and one life threatening illnesses that are bound to attack anytime. Most of these illnesses do not manifest ahead of time nor give warning when it’s due. They just happen, worst, they happen when nobody is around to attend to us. With that said, we know that in order to prolong our lives, we must act fast in making our dilemmas meet half way.

Some blog posts ago, we’ve discussed how technology was able to help seniors solve part of their problems. There were pendants and belt-clipped devices that can alert a nearby person that the wearer is in dire trouble with just a push of a button. Although these devices were able to save seniors from greater danger, it failed to steer seniors away from dangerous situations altogether.

Good news is, many manufacturers are now moving in for the kill! The new and improved alert devices that were merely a loud, buzzing speaker can now do so much more! According to sources, it can now answer the phone, remind the senior when it’s time to take meds and even prepare the medicines to be taken when it’s time. Other uses include alerting the wearer when there’s fire or intruder in his home. It also has motion detector that monitors the senior’s movement and studies the wearer’s activity pattern such as sleep and walk. It can also be programmed to work with other devices that the senior or the monitoring facility may have.

Seniors who are able to experience first hand these high tech devices swear by them. It was reported that having one gives them added protection and security which enabled them to stay at home by their own. Health care providers encourage seniors to try these devices if they opt to stay at home without any supervision.

Yes, you read that one right! Due to aftermath of holiday rush and all, the author has stumbled upon this very interesting article about seniors’ shopping behavior and how they landed the title of being the biggest buying group in the US. Obviously even with recession and limited job opportunities, we, seniors, still hold the buying power.

For years, it was reported that the older adults’ group, particularly baby boomers, represents the strongest buying generation and this group has the upperhand when it comes to consumer demand, playing almost 50% of it. Must be the reason why most infomercials and adverts we see are specifically targeted to seniors! Close second being the teens’ group.

Companies have reported that older adults are easier to convince when offered a product since they know exactly what they want, unlike younger folks. Let’s not forget that seniors do hold their own bank accounts so they can pretty much buy whatever they want, whenever they want it. Also, these companies found out that it is easier to attract this group than any other generations out there just by giving them their three major reasons to buy:  price versus quality, excellent service and the product should make them feel good about themselves.

So why seniors? Like mentioned earlier, seniors hold their own money hence it’s easier for them to buy things without someone questioning them. Also, with so many adverts directed to them, it’s quite hard to turn a blind eye and not be convinced that indeed these products are good for you. Aside from that, if we take a closer look to our shopping behavior, take for example our last Christmas shopping spree, most probably we would find our shopping bags filled with the things that were not intended for us. Seniors buy for their friends, children and much, much more for their grandchildren! Combine all these purchases and you get a high-powered consumer!

Moreover, never, even for one second, think that not all seniors are capable of loitering around shopping malls or force their way into year-end sale just because it’s physically impossible for them to do so. Well, according to surveys, most seniors, and even those who are just nearing the golden age, do their shopping using the internet, via online stores, without the hassle of physically transporting your body to somewhere unsafe. Flights are booked online, look for product information online, find suppliers online, we even do our market days online and let them deliver it right on our doorsteps!

Good news for working seniors, effective last Friday, July 24, 2009, the third installment of minimum wage increase came through. Although the increase is not a life-changing one, this proves to be very helpful for most seniors struggling with daily expenses, and not to mention their medical needs and bills. This is the third and final federal wage increase which preceded the first two ones in 2007 and 2008. However, if as an employee you are qualified for both state and federal wages, the higher of two shall apply.

The wage increase states that there should be a 70-centavos raise to the $6.55 making it at about $7.25 per hour. This means that there will be a $28 more every week for employed seniors if you are working under the federal minimum wage. On the other hand, seniors who are working under the disability program, please be reminded that you are entitled to receive special minimum wage for workers with disability. Furthermore, seniors who are working through the Senior Citizen Employment Program are also eligible for the increase. State wage is expected to follow lead after the federal wage increase has taken effect.

Working seniors are now looking forward to their next paycheck knowing that there will be a big difference as compared to their last one. Most of them are thankful for the increase since it will help them tremendously with their daily living expenses—something that keeps these seniors working even if it’s way beyond their retirement years. It seems that everyone in the workforce had been looking forward for this raise for some time now considering the fact that the economic crisis has been affecting us still.

Prior to this very good news, there had been debates on whether to push through with the wage increase or postpone it for next year. Economic analysts argued against it since they fear that it will only aggravate the situation further. What they fear the most is that small businesses might see the need to cut back on hiring employees or shorten their working hours to ease the stress of wage increase to their businesses. Also, big companies who are hiring employees on a regular basis would be compelled to seek people who are better experienced for the job at hand, eliminating the possibility for entry level jobs which help those first time workers with no experience under their belts. Nonetheless, this situation doesn’t pose any risk for seniors but is proving to be an advantage since most seniors are well-experienced and don’t need further training.

Apparently, bedbugs are infesting senior housing facilities all throughout America, the most recent reported case being the one in Boston where residents were asked to prepare their things for pests’ extermination come Friday. As to where the residents will stay during the 5-hour mandatory evacuation of the said building during the extermination period is still undisclosed. This is to address the parasite problem discovered sometime last week

Bedbugs in senior facilities have been a major problem for sometime now, no matter how hard housing authorities fight to keep and maintain their facilities habitable for occupants. Parasitic problems such as this one are considered as stressful for senior residents; as much as possible house keepers make sure their facilities are clean and free of any biting bugs to bother their residents. Unfortunately, these things seem to find their way in albeit uninvited.

Some residents are quite unhappy about these bedbugs and seek help from their landlords; After all, this is the housing management’s responsibility but it seems that there are landlords who choose to do little or nothing at all about the problem at hand. Because of this, seniors are stuck trying their best to live with bedbugs until the management finds time to address the problem.

Bedbugs multiply fast; that is why if given 2 years, they could cover the whole area effectively. Actually, bedbugs are widespread and their mode of transmission is fairly easy. They can easily be transported from one hotel room straight to your home or from your home to the senior housing facility via your luggage. Bedbug bites cause allergic reaction for some aside from the very visible bite mark it leaves behind. Because of the ever increasing number of reported cases over the last few years, a bill was introduced last May 2009 that aims to protect Americans from bedbugs. The bill, aptly named as “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009”, intends to have lodging facilities inspected for bedbugs although senior housing facilities are not mentioned within the bill as it is targeted towards hotels and motel rooms so far.

The best way to prevent bedbugs from invading your home is knowing how to look for them. Almost always, they come from hotel rooms during vacations which means, you must be aware of the telltale signs such as fecal spots, blood spots and musty smell when renting out. Bedbugs are nocturnal creatures so you won’t see them during the day and they usually surface only when they know you’re already asleep. The best place to look for bedbugs is the bed since this is the place where they live; however, for heavily infested areas, they can also be found in walls and cabinets.

Seniors need to be extra careful now that Alzheimer’s disease research and studies are panning out—close enough but not all-too-specific as we are hoping for. There have been numerous speculations and findings on how this terrible disease invades the minds of older people and how they are contracted but none too specific and targeted to prevent it altogether. Is Alzheimer’s disease genetically implanted with us since birth? Or like any other lifestyle diseases, Alzheimer’s disease is based on how we lead our lives? Is it even possible to avoid or cure this dreadful, not to mention expensive disease? Apparently, we will never know, at least for now, but it will not hurt us if we follow some minor lifestyle changes that might steer us away from Alzheimer’s disease.

Just this month, a research showed that eating curry or incorporating turmeric in your diet once or twice a week could delay Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by slowing down plaque formation within the brain. Further studies are on their way to establish if curry could prevent plaques from forming in the first place. Now, it was said that over-the-counter drugs can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in an older person’s brain and could be potentially harmful for a person’s nervous system.

According to the University of Indiana researchers, most of the over-the-counter drugs seniors are buying nowadays could cause cognitive impairment in general. These drugs, particularly, are for aches and pains, cough and cold, anti-allergy and sleeping aids. Apparently, these drugs block acetylcholine—a neurotransmitter for both central and peripheral nervous system. FYI, there are three neurotransmitters that get affected during an Alzheimer’s disease onslaught: the serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine—the latter being the most affected of the three.

Not all over-the-counter drugs can harm a senior’s brain; be especially on the look out for those containing diphenhydramine because it is an anticholinergic. This substance is usually present in antihistamine drugs or histamine blockers. If you are taking these drugs regularly, its effect could pile up overtime and could lead to Alzheimer’s disease. It is also not advisable to take these drugs for maintenance; if you are experiencing chronic pain and you need to manage it somehow, you need to consult a doctor for a more suitable maintenance drug that won’t give you such side-effect. Older adults are advised not to take anticholinergic drugs because of its effect on the brain.

Sleep is important no matter what age you are in. Seniors do need sleep especially if they are trying to nurse their body back to health; they need sleep as much as any younger adults do. Sleep is essential for all living humans; this is the time when the body restores itself. If the body doesn’t get its required sleep every single day, it will not be able to repair itself properly. Your body’s restorative cycle is then broken down resulting to minor nerve dysfunction each time you miss a goodnight’s sleep. These nerves are your body’s main “message” ways which connect and transmit messages all throughout your body. Just imagine if you messed-up these neurotransmitters badly by not getting enough sleep accumulatively overtime. It was even suggested that lack of sleep results to plaques in the brain; an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.

Unfortunately, it gets doubly hard for seniors to get enough sleep for many varying reasons; some of them are for health reasons, medications and abnormal sleeping patterns. These, among other reasons, get in the way of senior’s goodnight sleep. A study was found that seniors age 65 years and above experience chronic sleep disturbances that usually leave them feeling sluggish and unenergetic in the morning. This is because your circadian rhythm is wrecked.

Circadian rhythm is your body’s 24-hour clock; it tells your body when it’s time to sleep and wake up. It encompasses your basic biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes. In layman’s term, this is when you feel sleepy and you start to slow down, something like your body shutting down and getting ready for sleep. You will understand this better if you experienced jetlag in the past. All living things, including plants and animals have circadian cycle or rhythm.

Your circadian rhythm solely depends on the light and dark patterns entering your eyes. This is not your usual light bulb pattern but your 24-hour solar light, night and day pattern. The nerves in your eyes process the signals to be sent to the master clock of the brain. Sadly, these nerves deteriorate overtime and get affected with age-related macular diseases such as hypertensive retinopathy. If and when this happens, your circadian rhythm will only get limited amount of solar light and therefore cannot send the right signals to the master clock.

Alzheimer’s disease can also affect a person’s sleeping pattern because of neural deficiencies common to sufferer of the disease. Lack of outdoor activity for seniors can also add up to development of irregular sleeping pattern among seniors. Although there are light devices in the market today that help stimulate your circadian rhythm, they are sometimes too bright and glaring and would therefore defeat its purpose altogether. One research found out that blue light works better than white light in stimulating our circadian rhythm. The project for this finding is still on-going and developers are hoping this is the answer to seniors’ sleep problems.

Falling is a serious accident for seniors than in any other age groups. This is because older adults tend to break bones when they fall or slip; usually the hip bones. According to statistics almost half of the senior population with hip fracture as a result of accidental falling or slipping, dies in about six months prior to the fall itself. At this alarming rate, health care providers are compelled to seek the root-cause of the problem and in a way prevent seniors from deaths due to this very unfortunate accident.

This is also why exercises that will establish and strengthen an older adult’s balance such as yoga are highly recommended by their physicians and attending doctors. But sometimes, even these exercises couldn’t regain one’s balance and prevent seniors from falling down and injuring themselves.

Last Monday, May 25, 2009, John Hopkins University School of Medicine released a finding that will provide a link to aging and falling risks. Apparently, not because you just reached the age of 40 that you will gradually lose balance; there is a closer link that will provide some sense to it especially if the person feels much younger than his current age.

If you are having some difficulties in hearing or had an inner-ear infection even far back in your childhood days, you have a higher risk of losing balance and falling down when you reach forty. You can even feel this imbalance in your younger years although you must have overlooked it since you still had a stronger footing and faster reflex then. Vestibular dysfunction or inner-ear dysfunction affects half of the American population at any age bracket but doctors didn’t suspect this back then to have an effect on seniors, much less on their falling episodes. They assumed that weakness, vision impairment and gait were the culprits to a senior’s fall.

Vestibular dysfunction affects one’s balance. If you look closely to the ear’s composition, the inner ear is the one responsible for sending signals to the brain which in return stabilizes the person’s balance. When there is a disruption along the line from the ear to the brain, the person’s equilibrium is heavily compromised, exposing the person to increased risk of falling and losing balance.

The study firmly believed that if the senior is aware that he or she is suffering from inner-ear dysfunction, he will be able to prevent falling or protect himself from doing so. Tests for inner-ear dysfunction are available upon request in your doctor’s office and they don’t cause much. Inquire about them now.