Seniors Site

One of the many signs of aging is hearing loss. Actually, hearing loss can be experienced even by younger adults but unfortunately, almost all seniors get them since they come packaged with all the other age-related afflictions known to us therefore hearing loss is most associated with older adults.

Hearing loss is not an immediate health risk per se. There is no reported case of someone dying from deafness but many are having accidents which some lead to dying due to hearing problems. Due to this fact, it is only safe to consider hearing loss as an immediate threat to senior lives. The intensity of hearing problems can go from mild to severe—the latter being totally deaf. Hearing loss is a very serious condition and can be very embarrassing at times resulting to diminished self-esteem for seniors.

When you feel something is amiss with your hearing, it is best to see a doctor at once so he can better help your with the problem at hand. Seniors should know that hearing loss has different types and extent. These will be considered by your doctor prior to advising seniors of what to do with their hearing problems. Here are some signs that you might want to watch out for:

·    Having trouble with telephone calls and would shout when inquiring assuming that this is the right “loudness” for the receiving party.
·    It gets hard to follow spontaneous conversation especially when there are 3 individuals involved.
·    When you’re watching TV, others are complaining about its loudness which puzzles you since it seemed fine.
·    Too much mumbling from other people especially when kids are talking to you.
·    Words are harder to understand especially when there is an ongoing background sound.
·    You find yourself leaning towards the person you are talking to just to catch whatever he is saying.
·    You find yourself reading the words directly from the mouth of the person you are talking to and associating them with the little sound you hear instead of relying with the sounds alone

Hearing problems are best handled by otolaryngologist. Otolaryngologists are doctors specializing in ears, nose and throat. These doctors will assess the damage, extent and type of hearing problem the patient has and will then send the patient to an audiologist, if needed. An audiologist is needed if you’re prescribed to wear hearing aids for your hearing problems.

Aside from aging, some of the known causes of hearing loss are:  exposure to loud noises, infections, earwax buildup, medications, hereditary factors and even lifestyle diseases.

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.

As health-conscious seniors, we know that the best possible solution to beating cancer is through prevention or even early detection. Although there is no known cause of cancer to prevent as of the moment, health care providers aim for early detection as much as possible since cancer, in early stages has higher survival rate and it is easier to manage and defeat.

We can detect cancer; that is if we know exactly what we are looking for and if we are conscious enough of how our own body works. By staying alert and vigilant of whatever changes that are occurring to our body, we have better chances of surviving the said disease. Actually, doctors worldwide recommend seniors to undergo preventive health measures such as screenings and tests since seniors tend to succumb to the disease at a faster rate than younger ones. Here are some cancer signs that you might want to know about:

·    Chronic stomach problems should be addressed at once, no matter how trivial it seemed. Frequent stomach ache could signify something more fatal than a regular digestive disorder. A normal digestive disorder is a reaction therefore it should have a preceding event that would trigger it while in a chronic stomachache, it just goes on and off in random times and intensity. When you experience constant or chronic stomach pain, it is best to seek help from a doctor at once just so you would know what’s happening in there. Some types of cancer with noted symptom of stomach pains are colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and leukemia. Stomach pains vary from acid stomach, dull aches, stomach cramps, and abdominal pains.
·    Take note of your bowel movements as well. Abnormalities in such areas could signify a cancer among your internal organs. This includes rectal bleeding, diarrhea, constipation and irregular bowel movements. On the other hand, difficulties in urinating could be a symptom of prostate cancer.
·    Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite; although this is one of the most common attributes of a disease, it could also signify cancer most likely spreading all throughout the body and in return, affects your appetite. Difficulty in swallowing could sometimes be more than just a sore throat so it pays to have it checked especially if it’s already giving you a hard time. If you are experiencing this, note the color of your stool and urine as well before consulting a doctor.
·    One of the most apparent signs of liver cancer is yellowing of the skin, also referred to as jaundice. The same goes for pancreatic cancer in later stages.
·    Aside from lung cancer, a cancer that manifests itself first in other internal organs could also affect your lungs causing you to have difficulties in breathing such as shortness of breath. Try to take note of your usual energy level and consult a doctor at once if it changes abruptly and without an apparent cause.
·    Take some time to study your nails. Usually, when something is upsetting your system, your nails are the first ones to bear signs.

For all those self-confessed packrat, now is the time to clear up all those clutter and start seeing the beauty of your home once again—after all, it has been a while. Older adults tend to accumulate knick knacks overtime. Whether intentionally or not, apparently it happens and at some point in our lives, we need to let something go to make way for something new right?

No matter how hard we cling to our life-long possessions, wishing that they would all bring us back to cherished memories they each possess, there will come a time when we can no longer care for them like we used to. Sad but true, they need to go. In order for you to launch a successful yard sale or garage sale, you need to give your stuff—and yourself too—some closure. If this is your first time, try operating a joint garage sale so you could pick only the ones you’re willing to let go. With joint garage sale, nobody would notice even if you bring a little of your stuff since there are several others pitching in. This way, you could also test if you’re meant for this kind of job without hurting yourself too much.

Launching a yard sale is not that easy; considering you need to go through your own, personal stuff and deliberate how much you’re going to tag each one. To an untrained eye, it’s hard to set a price especially if it’s far less than what it is really worth so if you’re the kind of person who gets sentimental about things, you need to seek help from “yard sale pros” just so you would know how to properly price them. After having a “half-baked” idea of what’s going to happen and how much you’re going to get after the sale, decide on the time and date when your yard sale will take place. The most recommended, of course, is on sunny weekends since this is an outdoor affair. Call up your friends who might be interested in joining you and schedule a meeting one week prior to the event so nobody would get lost when the event comes around. Delegate other tasks as well such as spreading the word and distributing notices; this can be done over the internet as well. Also, don’t forget to assign a member of your family to keep track of all incoming payments since you’ll be very busy hawking your wares during the yard sale. Contact a local charity to pickup all your unsold stuff after your little event; these are the things you don’t need back inside your house.

Inquire about any existing restrictions around your area regarding yard sales; some localities may require permits to be secured first before one could operate so to avoid unnecessary occurrences, it is best to follow these rules; the same goes for posting signage.

Don’t forget to make an inventory of what goes out of the house. It also pays to clean them first so they become quite attractive to customers. There should be a nearby outlet to test your electronic things that need to be tested without having to run inside the house–and out again—for a customer.

Yard sales are fun especially when you get the hang of it. It’s a great way to get the clutter out of the house and make some money while doing so—money you can use to buy other things. Also, it’s a great way to bond with friends and make some new ones as well.

At some point in our lives, we will suffer tremendous stress or may have been going through a lot of transition which could be very hard to keep up. Sadly, these are the moments when depression sets in and seniors are no exception to the rule; in fact, the most vulnerable to depression among all age groups are seniors since mostly their transitions are life-changing and some of them are unexpected by the person himself.

Some of the known factors that contribute to seniors’ stress and depression are:  careers, jobs, forced retirement, lifestyle downgrading, medical bills, health issues, mobility, chronic pain, financial stability, death of a loved-one, caretaking and even inability to drive could all lead to depression and may worsen if left untreated.

The problem with depression is that it became a household name thus people now assume that it’s a common, normal occurrence to a person when it is not. Depression is never normal, no matter what age you are in and it should be treated at once since it can cause other health complications if not. Although depression is not a life-threatening condition during early stages, treatments are highly recommended by healthcare providers since it contributes to low quality of life among seniors. Aside from that, studies have shown that seniors, as compared to younger people, tend to have a hard time bouncing back when depression attacks; even if they do, traces of depression are still apparent especially if they didn’t seek therapy or medical help.

Before introducing any other treatments to a patient suffering from depression, healthcare providers usually go for psychotherapy first and see how it goes from there. Psychotherapy is another term for counseling. In psychotherapy, seniors are encouraged to speak their minds and bring out everything that bothers them at the moment. These are supposedly done with psychotherapists but some support groups perform group therapies free of charge.

Psychotherapy works well against depression especially for older adults. A good therapist will help you identify the root cause of your depression and will also guide you in finding the perfect solution for your problem. Its main goal is to assist you in adjusting to your current lifestyle and help you understand your situation better. Medications can also make you feel good temporarily but it never solves the problem; the sooner you face your demons, the better your chances of winning the battle against anxiety and depression.