Seniors Site

Foodborne illnesses are physical conditions and illnesses you are most likely to get when you consume bacteria, virus, or parasite-contaminated food. These conditions are also called as food poisoning although symptoms are not always similar to that of a person being poisoned. However, seniors, being the immune-impaired, must always make sure that the food they eat is safe for them.

As you age, your body may find it hard to fight bacteria inside your body, even your sensitivity to certain types of food may now be heightened. Notice how you develop new food allergies or reactions to certain food groups when 5 or so years back, you eat them without a moment’s hesitation. This is also why your healthcare provider might suggest that you stay away from eating raw meats—well, of course, including your oldtime favorite sushi!

Do take note that foodborne illnesses in older adults can cause serious medical complications—even death so you might want to take this one seriously. Below are some tips on how to properly prepare, handle and cook your food so you prevent foodborne illnesses from happening:

•    BE sure to separate meat from other produce you bought at the supermarket and separate meat according to kinds (i.e poultry, pork, beef or fish). This way you avoid contaminating one from the other in case you got a bad meat.
•    As soon as get home, wash meat, drip dry them (no more juices left dripping), and put in separate, lidded containers before storing them inside the fridge.
•    Always wash utensils you used for preparing and handling uncooked meat such as chopping boards and knives. Warm, soapy water will do fine.
•    Wash your hands before and after preparing, handling and cooking food. This is such an easy task but often overlooked.
•    Wash fruits and vegetables before serving them especially if you intend to serve them raw.
•    Never leave meat at room temperature. They should be in the fridge, cooling themselves.
•    If you are to reuse your shopping bags, make sure you wash them first before doing so.
•    Use your senses in gauging the food if it’s still okay to eat. Look for telltale signs. If in doubt, then throw them away or if you doubt your senses, then have someone cook for you.
•    Never eat raw, rare, medium rare or whatever. It should always be well-cooked. If you are not a fan of well-cooked foods then you need to make sacrifices for your health.

I would like to put blame on the holidays for triggering my unhealthy cravings. Personally, I noticed that if I resist them long enough, the cravings don’t come strong however, if I give in two consecutive cravings then it will be a lot stronger the next time so the best possible way for me to control them is not to give in at all—hence the blame on the holidays.

For us seniors, resisting cravings is not only about staying fit and looking good, it also has something to do with our health and let’s just say that our quality of life depends on how good we’re able to balance everyday meals. Although maintaining a healthy diet is quite hard especially if faced with temptations left and right, it helps to have techniques to combat unhealthy cravings :

•    Learn to know when you’re really hungry or just craving for something not good for you. There’s a difference between physical hunger and a triggered craving. Knowing the difference will help you avoid eating on a craving.
•    Avoid triggers. What’s good to know about cravings is that they usually have triggers and it is almost always, the smell. Yes, it’s impossible to shut our nose off at all times however knowing that it is indeed a trigger, it will be easier to remind yourself that it is also a craving.
•    Indulge it once in a while but never twice in a row! Indulging a craving can actually help you stay on track with your diet. Remember, treats are good for you. Consider it as a reward for a job well done.
•    Practice mindful eating. Mindful eating involves the mind whereas cravings are desires. These two are different.
•    Welcome distractions. Cravings can also be easily forgotten. If you learn how to distract yourself from eating what you crave at the moment, your cravings will surely pass thus you escape unscathed.
•    Fill up with liquids. Craving for something? Drink a glassful of water. Liquids can quench your cravings for a while, keeping it at bay for the moment.
•    Never skip a meal. Skipping meals only intensify your unhealthy cravings since the body is put in a lot of stress and you are making room for hunger to grow. If you worry that you won’t be able to control your meals when started then go for light snacks althroughout the day.
•    Identify the emotions that come with the craving. Are you feeling lonely? Or perhaps awfully mad? Identifying your emotions is like getting to the rootcause of the problem and by getting to the root cause of it, you are better equipped in avoiding it.
•    Support system. It is important that you have someone to support you in your battle with cravings as oftentimes it is the people around you which trigger an attack.

This must be one of the bitterest winters I have ever known! Either that or I’m getting awfully old, my body is already disagreeing with the weather. I must say that I won’t be a bit shocked if I find my sugar levels skyrocketing because of all those hot cocoas which effectively warmed my body—yep, and soul too. Not to mention those sad, sad trees which sacrificed themselves just to keep the fire at my feet burning nice.

We all know how hot weathers can affect an aging body and due to ever worsening climate change, it is bound to kill a senior or two however, we tend to downplay the health hazards which cold weathers can give us. Perhaps cold weathers are associated with holidays—an occasion which we seniors enjoy the most or it can also be that we feel mellow under such weather. Whatever the reasons are, you should know that cold weathers can also bring forth health issues best kept maintained.

•    Dehydration. This one is tricky, it is quite hard to feel thirsty if you are fighting to keep yourself warm. Add to that the possibility of not getting enough liquids into the body as they are not freely available (think frozen). Also take note that the air during winter is drier than in any other season hence the tendency for it to absorb your body’s moisture.
•    Heart attacks. When the body is under such weather, the arteries inside of it tend to tighten or constrict. If the arteries are clogged enough to begin with then the senior is in major risk of having an attack. Blood clots also happen during cold weathers.
•    Frostbite. Seniors are more prone to frostbites during winter since the older your body gets, the harder for it to generate heat naturally.
•    High blood pressure. A drop in temperature may cause your blood pressure to rise. When the body is in such stress, it activates your nervous system in such a way that it releases hormones which makes your heart beat faster hence the increase in blood pressure.
•    Asthma. For children and seniors both, cold weather can trigger an asthma attack since there is difficulty in breathing. Cold air is known to trigger asthma attacks by tightening the airways making it difficult to breath.
•    Depression and fatigue. Also called as winter blues, it may also be caused by lack of exercise during cold months.
•    Toxic gas poisoning or carbon monoxide poisoning. In an attempt to generate heat inside of home, you trap warm air from stoves thus trapping carbon monoxide as well.

It’s irrefutable; seniors need exercise in order to keep everything inside their body in good, working order—well that’s besides looking good on the outside too. However, as an owner of a good, “vintage” piece of machinery known as the body of mine, I do know that not every exercise equipment in the market today is safe for me to use, or else there will be an onslaught of aging bodies bursting of muscles ala Schwarzenegger and it wouldn’t be a nice sight too.

So yes, it’s quite confusing to decide what exercises to do and what types of exercise equipments to use especially if your age is the limit. Which reminds me, consult your doctor first before starting on any program as your current state of health may not permit it or you may need certain adjustments to it such as intensity and time spent on exercising—these things are important to note when a senior is exercising. You may also want to sign up with a professional trainer specializing with geriatrics to ensure you are doing all your exercise routines right. Furthermore, if you are thinking of going to a gym, do check if the gym is seniors-friendly—that is, if it is adequately equipped with anti-slip rubber flooring which at the same time can help you prevent injuries in the instances of accidental falls.

•    Elliptical trainers. Stationary elliptical trainers are good for seniors doing cardio exercises since it trains your heart and at the same time, your hips and legs thus improving balance. It is also considered as low-impact so you don’t have to worry about hurting yourself if you are a beginner.
•    Recumbent bikes. This kind of exercise bike is much kinder to your knees and it supports your back beautifully while you concentrate on giving your body’s lower half a good exercise.
•    Dumbbells. Since dumbbells involve using just one of your hands, you’ll be able to separately adjust weight according to your hand’s preferred weight unlike with a barbell when you have to use both hands to balance the bar. Do note that it is not uncommon to find one of your hands to be stronger than the other thus the difference in capacity.
•    Rowing machines. For pulling exercises, seniors are better off using rowing machines. When done concentrating only on the upper body, it trains the back and shoulders perfectly.
•    Leg curl machine. Since you have to do this sitting down, it eases the pressure on your back while giving it the support it needs. Also, leg curls concentrates on training the legs so it gives your upper body some rest.

Are you in constant stress? Perhaps helping your mother make that daily trip to the clinic for therapy is already busting your energy or balancing your obligation to your family, parents and your partner is already too much for an aging body like yours? If these things send you running for your favorite comfort food and you are having no problem finishing an ice cream tub meant for 4 people, then you are not alone!

Scientifically, it is your body’s response to combat the bad feeling you are having or you are about to have right now. It’s like a love affair, your brain tries to comfort your body by making it do whatever it is that makes it feel good, whether it is actually good for your well-being or not in order to keep sanity intact. That means, the “healthy you” is pretty much, helpless, under these conditions.

Of course, the best way to stop stress eating is to avoid stress at all cost. However, we all know that in an adult life, that is quite impossible right? So here are some tips to help you overcome stress eating when the urge strikes:

•    Ask yourself—everytime. It’s that simple. By asking yourself, you bring awareness to your eating, thus your conscious self waking up and taking charge. Remember that stress eating is usually done mindlessly and by bringing your conscious mind onboard, you are sure to stay on track.
•    Look for a more physical way to release stress. Like walking or running or swimming—anything just as long as it’s not eating. These things won’t need you to be always conscious. In fact, these things can be done in auto-mode which means your body takes over and do what it is trained to do while your brain takes its well-deserved rest.
•    Or perhaps something productive? Read a book, sign up for a volunteer job or maybe a good dose of knitting will keep your hands off those unhealthy things. This should be something that won’t put any more pressure on you.
•    Get someone to hug you. Any breathing person will do, so grab your hug-partner now to alleviate stress!
•    Sleep it off. Catch a few winks and it will definitely refresh you. Aside from that, it will help you let the eating urge pass.
•    Relax, the sun will still shine tomorrow no matter what. It’s all in your mind and it’s how you handle challenges in your life. Just consider the consequences of entertaining stress in your life as opposed to outshining it at every opportunity. If there’s something you can do, then do it and if there’s none then you just have to step back and let it pass.

Catching cold or flu can be nasty! Oh, I hate the days when you have 101 things to do but are forced to stay in bed just because your body won’t cooperate. Having cold and flu may look oh-so-simple for us seniors and don’t require much but a day’s worth of good R&R but it can also be annoying especially if it comes around wrong times of the year, say, when you’re about to leave for a skiing trip or perhaps closing a big deal in the middle of the week!

Do note that your body is most vulnerable to catching common cold and flu if your immune system is running so low. Your first indication for such case is fatigue, that is, if you find yourself dragging your body out of bed every morning and all throughout the day. With that said, you should also note that when your immune system is low, your defenses are down too and infectious diseases like colds and flu are, well, opportunists.

The only way to fight cold and flu is to prevent them, and to prevent them, you’ll need to boost your immune system. Think of it this way, you’re not only building your defenses high but you’re doing your body a favor! Here are simple ways to boost your aging body’s defenses today!

•    Avoid stress. Stress must be the biggest enemy of your immune system as it keeps your system on its toes, running around trying to find the aggressor when there’s none. Due to stress, your body’s resources are used hence depleted making you vulnerable to infectious diseases.
•    Get enough sun! Vitamin D is crucial in activating your immune system or keeping it going strong, particularly its ability to find and destroy infectious viruses and bacteria. When your body lacks vitamin D, the cells that are responsible for such activity remain “dormant”.
•    Super soup to the rescue! Remember how homemade, made from scratch kind of soup can make you feel instantly good? It’s not just because it was made out of love but also the ingredients in it, when simmered, make it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients it needs to combat invading viruses.
•    Add vitamin A and C to your everyday list! These two are immune boosters. Beta-carotene found in vegetables are known to strengthen cells and enhance immune responses.
•    Get enough rest. Abusing your body or even always pushing it to its limit can never be good. You need to give it its much deserved rest when tired. Quality rest can help your immune system stay in tiptop shape.

Worrying about your senior’s obvious addiction? Well, you’re not alone. It was reported that there is a growing number of seniors admitted into rehab centers for drug abuse, unfortunately, experts suspect there are more out there who just won’t accept the fact that they need help—and fast! Worse, caregivers don’t have any idea that their seniors are already addicted to substances their bodies don’t necessarily need, or are too busy to recognize the signs.

One of the most abused substances in a senior’s group is alcohol, second to that is prescription drugs. It is important to note that alcohol abuse in seniors should be taken seriously and should be treated at once as it is very dangerous for an aging body to still be taking alcohol. Most recommended for seniors is to undergo alcohol rehabilitation and for caregivers to prevent relapse.

Your senior’s addiction may need intervention since it can be hard to just ask a senior to submit himself to rehabilitation. Remember that it is not always that the addicted person accepts that he or she is indeed an addict. It may need some more time or even a fall-out with authorities or a run-in with death to actually convince a senior that rehabilitation is what they need. The best way of intervention is to seek help of a professional whom you think your senior will listen to and respect advices since most of the time family intervention is not enough.

Once the hardest part is over, it was found out that once a senior starts the program, they are most likely to finish it without further resistance. However, it is important for your senior to attend a rehabilitation program that is specifically designed for their age rather than in a mixed program in which they are exposed to other age group. Experts explain that seniors respond differently to treatments than any other age group. It is because when they finally submit themselves to treatments, they take everything seriously and they really strive to get treated the soonest possible time. Aside from that seniors have different health problems, needs and wants from younger patients.

In a senior’s rehab program, treatments are closely supervised since their health should be taken into consideration at all times. There are also individual and group therapies which will benefit your senior tremendously in getting into the root cause of their addiction. Holistic drug treatments are usually practiced when seniors are concerned. Treatments like this aim to treat entire well-being rather than the addiction alone. Also, in a senior’s rehab program, support stays even when they are already an out-patient thus making sure your senior stays “clean” even on the outside world.

A senior who just had a heart attack requires aftercare until the patient is fully recovered. But, what exactly is “fully recovered” and what kind of aftercare does your patient really need?

When you are looking after a senior who just had a heart attack, expect a long—if not tedious—way to recovery. And, indeed, it calls for a lot of patience on the caregiver’s part. While a patient may have spent a fairly short time in the hospital after the attack, that doesn’t mean that the senior is already well. One of the most notable changes in a senior’s life after an attack is the amount of maintenance drugs they are required to take everyday.

Thanks to the advent of technology, a person who suffered a heart attack can resume near-normal life with proper care and without any lasting effect. Do take note of the words “proper care” as this is where the hard work comes in! However, if done right, your senior can even enjoy a healthier body than that of what it was before the attack.

RIGHT AFTER DISCHARGE

As the caregiver, you must be informed of the patient’s followup checkups with the attending physician. If you missed this, you can ask nurses as doctors leave their instructions for them to follow. A therapy is also needed so you must arrange schedules with the rehabilitation clinic. Usually there are informative flyers that nurses give to caregivers so they will be better equipped in caring for the patient. Take some time reading this and ask questions when needed. There will also be medications which your patient should take religiously and as prescribed. If cholesterol levels are too high, dietary changes are necessary.

If your senior happen to have two doctors, make sure they know about each other’s prescribed medications as drug-to-drug reactions are usually fatal and irreversible. In addition to that, inform the doctors of what medications your senior is currently taking—or was taking prior to the attack.

AT HOME

Your road to recovery should be taken nice and slow. Slowly and gradually, increase physical activities but always be on the look out for signs of physical stress. When spotted, cease activity and rest. Exercise programs for the heart are usually available upon request in most therapy clinics—just make sure your doctor approves it first. Your senior may feel unstable emotionally. This is understandable and should be treated with care and respect as to avoid depression. Undergo counseling if needed. It is important that the senior becomes attuned with his or her body as they are the only ones who can tell you if there is something different in it. With proper education, your senior will be able to express themselves more clearly.

Judging by how we live our lives nowadays and the many choices we are faced, it’s quite funny how “true” health buffs preach and tell us normal people—not to mention, aging—to always eat only those we prepare from our kitchen. Obviously, and due to health reasons and limited range of motion, this is not always possible. Above all, with all those dining options, it seems to me that it is almost a sin not to dine out once in a while. But for those who are closely watching what goes into their mouths, one trip out can mean disaster. So how can you indulge, or even pamper yourself, and still stay healthy? Here are some “dining out” tips for older adults:

•    Always go for salads. They may not be as healthy as the one which came straight from your organic garden but a little added calorie won’t hurt you! Just take note of the dressing as this what makes a salad lethal. If you are doubtful of what dressing to choose, stick with olive oil-based or a simple lemon squeeze. If all else fails, munch on it plain.
•    When craving for a burger but wouldn’t want to be cursed with its standard-issue calories, then opt for grilled chicken and you’ll be fine. Ask for a low fat dressing to jazz up your burger.
•    Always scan the menu for healthy options. This may be a little tricky since most dining places boast of healthy options when their offerings are nowhere near healthy! However, it’s still worth a try. Again, stick with those laden with veggies and fruit as these are your best bets.
•    Limit carbo intake especially rice since it boosts calories to the roof! Go for other filling dishes such as those with mushrooms or tofu.
•    Skip the whipped cream. Going out for a cup of coffee with your best gals? Then you might want to skip the whipped cream. While you’re at it, go with skim milk to lower your cup’s calorie content.
•    Look for variations. You need not limit yourself to just salads, you can order other veggie forms too such as taco.
•    It’s a wrap! Wraps are also a cool way to enjoy your dine-outs. Skip the dressing when possible.
•    Go for kiddie plates. Eating in a fastfood chain? Just notice how big their servings get and just imagine what a wreck it will cause you and your diet! If no other alternative left, then go for kiddie sizes. They are much friendlier than your regular-sized servings!

When you discuss bowel movements with seniors, it is almost always a matter of being constipated or even experiencing chronic constipation for years now—like it is a way of life for an elderly person. Ask a caregiver and you’ll probably be exchanging tips on how to stay regular within minutes since it is fairly known around caregivers’ circle that as the years pile up, the more you’ll have a hard time staying “regular”.

As a rule, bowel movement of less than three times a week is considered as constipation. If you strain when you are defecating, that’s constipation too. If your stool is too hard to even pass your sphincter, or if you draw blood just by pushing it out of you, then you are positively dealing with constipation. Unfortunately, constipation is common with us seniors. Healthcare providers believe that there are some lifestyle factors affecting your ability to maintain a regular bowel movement. One look at it and you’ll know why most seniors are having a hard time moving theirs:

•    Digestive system not working properly anymore, in relation with old age.
•    Low calorie and fiber intake.
•    Lack of exercise.
•    Cold temperatures.
•    Not enough liquid intake.
•    Medications.
•    Surgery.

For a senior, it is important that you have maintained a healthy bowel movement during your younger years as this will help your body establish a routine. More importantly, maintain an active body since it promotes movement inside the body as well. A diet that is high in fiber and low in protein will help soften up your stool and make it move faster than your usual rate. Aside from that, drink plenty of water as the longer the stool sits in your rectum, the more water your rectum will absorb making the stool dry thus harder to pass.

While laxatives can help seniors with constipation, it is not recommended for prolonged use. Regular use of laxatives can cause nerve and muscle damage of the colon—damage that is irreversible so you would want to stay away from it. When trying to treat constipation, do know that constipation is a symptom of an existing condition or lifestyle. Eating too little can result to constipation, so does thyroid problem, along with other conditions. It is best to consult your doctor, armed with your stool journal in which it details the frequency of your stool, consistency and even your bowel habits. This will help your doctor determine when the constipation started and its probable cause.