Seniors Site

Different ages require different sets of devices that are age-specific to their needs. For seniors, it is usually geared towards their safety and ease of living. Even though most seniors have stayed active all throughout the years and experiencing no discomfort whatsoever in the way they are living their lives now, sadly those in a really advanced age do encounter difficulties in their everyday tasks. Here are some safety devices that can help alleviate some of these difficulties for seniors:

·    Although anti-slip mats are cheap, they can be very useful for seniors. In fact, they are a staple to any senior home and the most recommended too.
·    Big buttoned phones. Most seniors have trouble seeing little letters and numbers and phones can sometimes be too confusing for them to use. With big buttoned phones, whether it’s a mobile phone or a land-based one, it would be easier for seniors to call in case of emergency.
·    Emergency alert devices. I’ve seen some in forms of necklaces, bracelets and even a wearable USB. The USB device claims it can alert authorities when the senior encountered emergency at the same time be able to supply much needed medical information in case the senior is unconscious at the time of the emergency.
·    Universal remote control. A universal remote control can control most of the appliances in the house which means there’s no need to further complicate things by using multiple remote controls for every appliance you may have.
·    Land-based phone with speed dial keys and automatic dialing features. These are phones which memorize numbers when set. This proves to be of great help for seniors who are having trouble memorizing set of numbers.
·    Magnifying glass. It doesn’t need to be a garish-looking one, in fact, magnifying glasses that are available in the market today are quite fashionable and at the same time, very efficient.
·    Automatic medication/pill dispensers. There’s an automatic and a semi-automatic one which will depend on your needs. These dispensers come equipped with an alarm system so you won’t miss a single dose anymore.
·    Anti-scald device. Seniors usually are slow to react leading to cases of burns which are otherwise preventable. These devices automatically turn off the water if its temperature reaches a certain degree. They can be installed in the shower room and kitchen.
·    For mobility challenged individuals, mobility scooters are a great addition to your assisting devices. Well, they will get you far and they are very easy to use so why not?

Did you know that the single, most insistent reason why seniors would rather delay retirement than spend the last years of their lives enjoying it and making it worthwhile is that their retirement money is never enough to support them? This is indeed a sad one but very true for most working seniors. Consider them lucky since half of the senior population is out of work and they are now living on whatever is left for them to support themselves.

When we talk about bills, of course what bothers an elderly’s budget the most is his or her medical bills. It is a given fact, even if the government is trying to pave ways to make a senior’s life a little better, going through a pace when your body is not agreeing with you most of the time then you still need to get a doctor to inspect it on a regular basis is a very, very expensive price to pay, both emotionally and financially speaking. So to make ends meet, we save.

·    Try not to make anymore debts. In this day and age, it is much easier to borrow money than save for something but a senior doesn’t need this kind of pressure anymore so as much as you would want to, stay away from it.
·    Generic drugs vs branded ones. Medical bills are too much pain in the pocket hence the need to cut corners when we see fit. The problem with medical bills is that some areas of it cannot afford delays. By using health insurances and inquiring about generic drugs you can use instead of buying the expensive, branded ones can help you lessen the burden even for a bit.
·    Generally, generic ones come cheaper than branded products. It also applies to household necessities and even for personal needs. Whenever you can, opt to buy generic brands.
·    Shop when it’s discount season. Most department stores hold seasonal sales that you can take advantage of.
·    Try shopping online. If you’re familiar with online store, you’ll see that most products and services offered over the internet is way cheaper than those you can find in department stores. Just practice safety shopping when online to avoid getting scammed.
·    Basic necessities usually come at discounted price for seniors such as telephone bills and water services. Inquire about them.
·    There’s nothing wrong with using discount coupons. They can save you a lot of money so why not use them? Scour newspapers, mails and even the internet for more.
·    Limit dining out for special occasions only. Dining out is, almost always, expensive and it can make quite a dent in your bank account if you make it a habit. Instead throw potluck parties when you need to unwind and have a little fun.
·    Join senior organizations because they assist their own. Most organizations give discounts to members and we all know discounts are good.
·    Get to know more government programs for seniors. You’ll never know when you’re going to need one.

Naturally as we age, one can’t help but think of death and other factors that surround it. When we were younger, we felt invincible as if nobody can ever touch us but now that we are nearing our final years, it is but normal to think—and even be aware—of what may cause our death just so we can prepare for it, if there’s such thing.

Death is natural and it should come. Like they say, everybody wants to be in heaven but it seems that nobody wants to die. As ironic as it may seem, everyone of us should undergo this phase in life just because it’s the way it has to be. According to the natural cycle of life, one must perish to give way to a new life, just imagine if there will be no more deaths and we will just go on living, would that be fun? I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter if we die tomorrow or the next day, what matters most is how we lived our lives right? Below are the top 10 causes of death in seniors. As you can see, the two most apparent causes are accidents and of course, health. While the former cannot be determined when or where it would strike, the latter can be prevented if we just take care of ourselves early on. Here are they, in alphabetical order:

·    Accidents— This includes fall, slips, fractures and others, acquired from both past and present accidents. Seniors are prone to accidents, partly because most of the time their senses are impaired and they can no longer help themselves. Don’t hesitate to seek assistance when you feel you need one. Practice safety precautions especially if there’s no one to assist you at the moment.
·    Alzheimer’s disease—Although death won’t come instantly in an Alzheimer’s disease, many have gone this route and sadly, most of them would have wanted to be dead than living a life that is empty. Most seniors die from complications brought about the disease and not from Alzheimer’s disease itself.
·    Cancer– Young or old, cancer kills and it seems that most cancer fatalities belong to a much younger group now than it was before. It certainly doesn’t recognize age but it kills almost half of the senior population too. Maybe because cancer still has no cure and its cause has yet to be determined.
·    Diabetes–  Some people are born with diabetes but a greater number of patients suffering from diabetes have the “adult onset” type which is clearly defined by one’s lifestyle.
·    Heart disease–  Again, a lifestyle disease. When you know you’re prone to heart problems, it pays to heed calls early on than suffer an irreversible consequence. Dying from heart disease is usually instantaneous and there’s no telling when.
·    Infection—As we age, our body is getting weaker by the minute comprising our immune system enormously. This makes way for various infections to come and breed inside of us.
·    Kidney Problems—Too much alcohol consumed in your lifetime will certainly kill you. Not only that, it will make your overall quality of life unbearable. Kidney problems have its own set of delaying procedures but it’s too painful to put up with. Renal failure will put your body’s own toxic waste management team on hold causing harmful toxins to accumulate and ultimately poison your system.
·    Lung disease– If too much alcohol can kill a person, so does smoking. Lung disease is an effect of sustained tobacco smoking that proves to be very dangerous not only for you but also for the people around you.
·    Pneumonia– It is a lung infection. Basically, an impaired immune system coupled with a lung that has been gradually giving up already then throw in a miniscule bacterium in there and voila! The ever deadly pneumonia.
·    Stroke– Stroke happens when a blood clot blocks a major artery therefore hindering the blood flow to important organs of the body. Usually, the ones that cause problems are the heart and the brain.

Building a strong relationship with your own personal doctor is important since your life depends on this person. Like any other relationship there is, it requires two individuals working in harmony to achieve a successful relationship so it should not depend entirely on the doctor. There are things you need to do to ensure that your relationship with your doctor would be something that is built based on trust and respect and quite frankly, finding a good doctor that fits your needs is quite hard. The best possible way to find your perfect fit is to start looking early in life. This person should be, most preferably, someone who has been working with your health for quite sometime now.

If you’re able to maintain a good relationship with your doctor, it would be much easier for him to see warning signs upon checkups. His concern is most apparent and you’ll feel secured with each and every decision he is about to make regarding your health. These are some ways to enhance your relationship with your doctor today:

·    Don’t forget an appointment. Your doctor is a very busy person and making him wait for you is a very insensitive thing to do. Remember to schedule a regular checkup once a year so that your doctor is updated with your current heath status, preferably on or before your birthday, just so you won’t forget it.
·    Communication is very important. You must be very comfortable talking to your doctor and letting him know your fears. When your doctor feels this, he would develop a much stronger bind with you.
·    Don’t be afraid to ask questions if there is something you don’t fully understand. Asking questions is different from questioning his ability to decide what’s best for you so there’s no need to be afraid if your intention is the former.
·    When there is something that needs to be addressed immediately, usually the good doctor will give you an ample time to decide. Use this time wisely by doing your own research and listing down any questions you may have regarding the issue at hand. When the time has come for both of you to meet again, don’t forget to ask the good doctor of the questions you may have.
·    It is not uncommon to find a doctor that doesn’t exactly fit your needs. It may be your gut feel kicking in or the way the doctor is handling you isn’t exactly your idea of patient-doctor relationship. Whatever the reasons may be, it is important that you feel at-ease when seeing your doctor and it is not bad to find your perfect fit, so don’t hesitate to see another one if you deem fit.
·    It won’t kill a patient if he takes time to be kind. A simple “how’s your day?” would do good for anyone especially for your tired doctor. Always remember that these doctors are people too and they get tired and pressured every single day.
·    Extend appreciation for a job well done. Everyone needs to be acknowledged even if it is their job to care for people. Sometimes, doing something is not always for the money but for the friendships he or she is able to make while doing what he does best.

Every now and then, seniors need to relax and unwind. An aging body can only take so much and pushing it further over the edge can absolutely make it snap. Relaxing activities is important in maintaining a positive outlook in life. A sunny disposition guarantees a stress-free life and this is exactly what seniors need in times of pressure and challenges.

While traveling proves to make all negative things go away, most of the time, it also breaks the bank which imposes a great challenge for seniors who are somewhat short on funds. If I may tell you, having a break to release bottled up feelings need not be expensive or far. There are fun activities you can do without going through all the inconveniences of planning a trip. Consider these as quick-fixes, best of all, these are for free:

·    If you’re feeling classy today, visit art galleries that are currently holding an opening. Surely, there will be some wine and hors d’oeuvres—staples of an art gallery opening. This activity can also help you satisfy your artistic thirst while having the chance to meet interesting people in the world of arts.
·    Take advantage of free admissions, as well as free passes especially if it’s something you are really interested in–or even slightly interested in. Most public museums and even some private galleries give everybody this awesome opportunity so don’t let it pass.
·    Drown your problems away by immersing yourself in aisle upon aisle of books available for borrowing, of course where else but your local public library? You can either borrow aplenty, go home, sit back and read for hours on end or do the reading while inside the library. Your pick.
·    Go for a walk around town. Sometimes when routines rule our lives, appreciating the things around us can be a little bit harder to do. Take some time to visit local spots, try new restaurants and just enjoy the scenery every now and then.
·    Open mic nights are fun. If you are into music, lounges do set aside a night for this kind of activity. There are also open mics for poetry lovers. In fact, they hold contests in different areas and everybody is allowed to join.
·    Volunteering has been proven to do seniors good. They are fun and could be very rewarding to a person. By joining groups and organizations, one is opening doors for other opportunities to come. Best of all, you’ll surround yourself with people who really care about you.
·    Participate in community activities. They are fun, free and you’re doing the community a favor.
·    Free seminars are a great way to enhance your skills and they can be quite entertaining too.

Come economic crisis and global recession, we seniors need not be stuck at home waiting for the right time to fly and travel. We, seniors should not wait. Never. Traveling is fun and it is a surefire stressbuster, guaranteed to recharge anyone’s tired mind, body and soul.

In fact, studies have found that traveling really does something to a person’s level of productivity, especially if he or she had a good time during the trip. Traveling may cost too much nowadays but let’s face it, it’s an activity that needs to be done—and fast! Afterall, we owe it to our own bodies.

Below are money-saving tips for your next planned trip. They are quite simple and easy to do which guarantee a good stretch for your travel money without sacrificing your trip’s quality:

·    All prescription medications and even OTC ones should be filled up prior to the trip. As much as possible, bring an ample amount to cover the whole trip. These are the ones you need but not necessarily mean you should buy them out of the country. Prices of medications vary from one country to another and there’s a chance that a country doesn’t carry your medications at all.
·    Things to carry along with you:  guide book, map and a dictionary which translates local words for you. The first two, you can buy when you get there since they are much cheaper when you do so. If you are a techie person, you would know that these things are accessible through your phone, BBs, laptops and any other gadgets you might have.
·    Go for B&B when choosing a place to stay instead of staying in a hotel. Local B&Bs are friendly, warm and more intimate—cheaper too!
·    When dining out, hunt down local restaurants and try to stay away from the ones with tourists in mind. Local restaurants which cater primarily to local residents are much cheaper and the quality is evidently better.
·    Try to stay away from peak seasons when traveling because they cost way too much in terms of airfares, and accommodations.
·    It is not bad to buy your food in a grocery store when out traveling. Buy your snacks and beverages in supermarkets and grocery stores like you would back home. If you are staying in a place that has its own kitchen, take advantage of that too by cooking your own food. Dine out only if you want to.
·    When staying at the heart of the city, do without a car. You won’t need them anyway since it is much better to tour the city by walking around. You can call the rental service anytime when the need arises.
·    Call a friend—that is if he resides in the area. A local at your disposal is a guide book, emergency money and tipster all rolled into one.

Organizations that aim to help seniors strongly suggest that senior citizens build their own personal support network that would be there on-call when needed. A personal support network is a group of people who are close to you and would not mind checking on your situation every now and then. This same group would also attend to your immediate needs when it happens instead of relying on others whom you haven’t enlisted help of.

Creating your own personal support network is fairly easy especially if you are a very sociable person to begin with. Naturally, a senior who is well-loved by his or her community would have volunteers in and out of her comfort zones, making it a lot easier to choose your best and most trusted ones out of the pack. When building your personal support network, your best candidate would be someone who lives close to your place so he or she will be close at hand. The best strategy for picking is working your way from inside going out. This will include your roommates, housemates, househelp, neighbors, friends and families. Also, consider your everyday activities and places you frequent such as work and home. Find people within those areas as well, preferably one for each area when you’re physically present there. This means, when you go to work, then you volunteer and after that you go home, it is best to find 3 different people to share a task. This way, you’re assured that you’ll have help when you need it.

Here are some important tasks or assignments you need to assign your volunteers. Designate these assignments well according to the person’s strength and capabilities. Surely, you won’t need a frail, old lady to be your designated emergency girl to help you get to the nearest hospital when an emergency strikes. Here are some important points you need to discuss with your personal support network:

·    Your emergency team. Ideally, they should know how to drive so that when you need to go to the hospital and could no longer drive yourself there, one phone call and you know you’ll get there in time. If you cannot find anyone who can drive you to the hospital, at least get someone who has a telephone and knows the right numbers to call.
·    After an emergency, you need someone to check on you from time to time, especially if you’re living alone.
·    Emergency teams are not formed for medical purposes only. They can also be for natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes and others. Usually in these situations, unified community effort is called for.
·    Find someone you trust whom you can leave important keys like house keys and car keys. This should be your daughter, son, or your bestfriend.
·    Share important documents with someone you fully trust. This could be your attending attorney.
·    When going away for longer periods of time, inform someone of your expected time and date of departure and arrival.

Lastly, don’t forget to say thank you and reciprocate when you can. When you express your feelings of sincerity, it won’t be impossible to receive the same favor from others.

Traveling is a fun and very enjoyable experience for seniors, both men and women. We travel for many different reasons, doubled if we still belong to the working force. Everytime seniors travel, they are given an opportunity to broaden their horizons by learning different cultures and visiting interesting places. It seems that everyone has dreams of traveling many different countries and cities as much as possible and fortunately, it has become more of a trend for many.

Due to these flights to and fro, not to mention the onslaught of passengers every single day, travel services have greatly improved. It has become common nowadays to hear seniors fly from one city to another just to meet someone up then be back for dinner the same day. City-hopping is no longer considered as a luxury; in fact, it has become a necessity for working seniors especially those who hold high positions such as consultants and company presidents. These positions, as we all know, are no longer limited to the male sector but have been invaded by the women force as well.

Since there are many senior women who choose to travel solo, it is important to apply some safety measures to ensure a safe and hassle-free trip as much as possible. Aside from being a senior which would already put you at risk, being a women all the more increases that risk by up to a hundred percent. Although most of these traveling ladies stay confident on their capabilities in protecting themselves in times of need, sadly, unscrupulous people still look at senior ladies as the easiest target of them all.

These simple traveling tips will help you to somehow lessen the risks when traveling alone:

·    All your valuable documents should stay with your body all the time. This includes passports, visas and any other documents you might need in case of emergency. Invest in a good body bag or any other bag that sticks closely to your body without cramping up your style.
·    When traveling, don’t forget to inform someone of your whereabouts—preferably someone who will be left behind–even if it’s a romantic rendezvous. Let them know your supposed schedule of activities or if this is something you cannot afford then at least, your expected time and date of arrival.
·    Don’t give thieves something they are looking for. When they see you sporting expensive little things, you are only attracting fly with a food. Try to maintain a low-profile whenever you’re out alone.
·    One of the most important things that will keep you alive while traveling alone is your medications. Some cities may or may not carry your prescription medicines so to be on the safer side of things, do bring your own when traveling.
·    As much as possible, try to look as if you belong to that city, country or land. Tourists are often considered by local scammers as gullible and ignorant so protect yourself from these unfortunate incidents by acting confident and blend in with your surroundings.

In some cases such as accidents and medical emergencies, it becomes easier to determine when and how to intervene with your beloved senior’s life but unfortunately, there are times when your efforts are met with resistance and things steer into a much harder road of second guessing and lifestyle changes. Sometimes, decreased capacity to lead life normally in seniors is not that obvious and worst, if the senior don’t acknowledge this fact in the first place.

It was always said that the key to a successful intervention is good communication-relationship between the senior and the supposed negotiator or the caregiver himself since more often than not, seniors tend to be weary and untrusting to intruders—sadly, that’s you in this situation. If the senior could somehow feel sincerity in there, he or she will allow you to help them albeit reluctantly. But the question still remains, how would you know when it’s time?

Sending the senior to a long term care facility is way off the mark especially if there is no apparent reason for doing so. In fact, these facilities should be your last resort preferably in phases when the senior can no longer move on his own and he needs medical attention too. As much as possible, allow seniors to have a little breathing room because they still need their privacy as an individual. If your senior can still function normally, like caring for himself but having some trouble keeping the house up and running, then the most you need is a cleaning lady to keep an eye on the house and the senior too. This way you are meeting with the senior halfway.

Actually, the first thing to give way is the appearance of the senior if there is an existing problem with his mental and physical capabilities. It helps if you are good in observing their behavior but be careful not to point out everything you are noticing. Instead, try a different approach such as offering help with their daily tasks. When offering help, give reasons other than what it’s intentionally for such as doing their laundry just because you have nothing better to do this weekend or doing their grocery because you’re also getting yours. With this approach, seniors will give in easily thinking that they are not a burden on your side and you are willing to help with their odds and ends.

There will be times that the senior may mention some minor health problems, these are the times that you should be paying attention and reading between the lines. If your mom or dad is living with someone younger than them then ask this person what he or she thinks. As soon as you notice signs of deteriorating health, it is best to increase number of visits just to see if the situation progresses and how fast it goes. Be on the look out for safety risks that your parent may have left behind unconsciously such as burnt pots, open doors, and slippery floors. Moreover, a senior who is suffering depression needs assistance too and almost always, it is the hardest illness to detect so it pays to take note of that as well.

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.