During the Holidays, Watch for Clues Indicating Your Senior Loved One Might Need Help
Are you spending an extended amount of time with your loved ones during the holidays? If so, it may be an ideal time for your to be on the lookout for the well-being of an aging loved one. Here's what you should keep an eye on:
Pain, Opioids and Fall Risk
Many elders have chronic pain from musculoskeletal disorders like arthritis, from nerves damaged by diabetes or shingles, or from cancer. Consequently, more than 30 percent of people enrolled in Medicare Part D use opioid prescriptions to control pain.
The Connection Between Magazines and Falling
It’s irritating when you open a magazine and a bunch of subscription postcards fall out and scatter on the floor. For frail elders with poor balance, this irritation becomes a health hazard, as they can fall if they bend over to pick up the cards that have fallen out of magazines.
Falling and Not Telling is Never Good
Even though falls among older adults remain a growing concern, a recent study reported that only half of elders discuss falling with their doctor.
Can Diabetics Prevent Falls by Exercising?
Diabetes is an established risk factor for falls. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage affecting sensation, movement and balance) is a common complication of diabetes that disposes elders to a higher risk of falling.
Safe Nighttime Toileting
Getting out of bed at night to visit the toilet is a leading cause of falls by elders. Here are fall risk factors and solutions to prevent falls at night.
Older Women, Hip Fractures and Bone Tests
When older women fracture a hip, they usually don’t get a bone density test that shows whether they need treatment to help prevent more broken bones. According to a new study, just 17 percent of women get tested for osteoporosis or receive treatment for the condition. This is unfortunate, since osteoporosis screening helps identify women at risk for future fractures.
Postural Activity & Bathroom Falls
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 200,000 Americans are treated in emergency departments for bathroom-related injuries annually. How a bathroom is designed may keep elders safe and avoid fall risk.
Diabetes & Fall Prevention
Diabetes is a lifelong (chronic) disease in which there is a high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. People with diabetes often have no symptoms at first. They may not have symptoms for many years. Learn how to help prevent falls caused by Diabetes.
Preventing Falls In Winter Weather
In many parts of the country, winter weather is already bringing snowstorms, freezing rain and sleet. For elders at risk of falling, especially those with poor balance, stepping outdoors places them at risk for slips, slides and falls. Here are some sensible tips on how to guard against winter weather falls.
Can Table Tennis Help Prevent Falls?
Table tennis is an activity that many elders participate in, regardless of physical ability. Aside from being enjoyable, playing table tennis can also help elders avoid falling. As a physical exercise, table tennis helps reduce the risk of falls.
5 Exercises That Are Vital To Your Independence
The key to preserving mobility in old age? You have got to move! Here are 5 core and glutes exercises that are vital to your independence.
Moving Keeps You Mobile
Decreased mobility due to aging is not irreversible, even though studies show that people typically lose 8 percent or more muscle mass every decade after age 40. Muscle mass gives you strength and is associated with mobility. For some older adults, it is also vital to their independence.
Avoiding Falls by “De-Prescribing” Medications
Nearly 60% of Americans — the highest ever — are now taking prescription drugs. More than half of elders take five or more medications. Why such lengthy medication lists?
Finding the Right Pill Organizer
While pill organizers can help avoid medication errors, there must be a good fit between the user and the pill organizer, otherwise, the benefits of using a pill organizer will be lost, and may actually impair one’s health.
Home Care Can Help Reduce Fall Risk in Seniors
These and other stories are in the September edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter, providing information, advice and support for adult caregiving.
Pill Organizers Could Lead to Overdoses
According to a new report, pill organizers may actually be responsible for causing dangerous overdoses. Individuals who started to use a pill organizer suffered impaired mobility, episodes of dangerously low blood sugar, and falls.
The Opioid Crisis and Fall Risk
Seniors using opioids are at a seven-fold greater risk for falls (and increased hip fractures) than those who use other pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Bathroom Safety: The Toilet
The bathroom can be a dangerous place for people of all ages, but older Americans are more vulnerable to falls and injuries.
Bathroom Safety: A Shower Chair or Bath Bench?
Shower chairs, shower stools and bath benches are a good option to help with bathing safety and fall avoidance.
Bathroom Safety: Grab Bars
Would it surprise you to learn that nearly 200,000 older Americans are treated in emergency rooms for bathroom-related falls and injuries every year?
Decreasing Fall Risk Through Dancing
A new study showed that elders who participated in a half hour of ballroom dancing (three days a week for three months) had a 50% improvement in balance and fewer falls.
RightCare … The Right Choice for You.
Securing at-home care for your loved one is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Right at Home is committed to helping you choose senior care wisely. Rest assured that with Right at Home, your loved one will be getting the Right Care.
Vitamin D and Fall Risk
Many health providers recommend vitamin D supplements as a way to build muscle strength and prevent falls in elders. Does high doses of vitamin D improve mobility for seniors?
Walking to Prevent Falls
There’s little doubt that regular walking helps elders avoid falling. By strengthening bones and increasing muscle strength, flexibility and sense of balance, walking is an important fall prevention strategy.
Sarcopenia: An Unfamiliar Cause of Falling
Sarcopenia begins around age 45 and increases thereafter. By age 65, people, especially those who are sedentary, have lost almost half of their muscle mass and strength. The muscles become so weak that everyday mobility becomes difficult.
I’ve Fallen! Is it Alzheimer’s?
If an elder with memory problems suffers a fall, there’s a tendency to just dismiss the cause by saying that the person has Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s is not the only health issue that can lead to memory loss, confusion and forgetfulness.
Can Home-Monitoring Technology Prevent Falls in Elders?
Up to 50% of elders fall each year in their home. Many of these falls result in broken bones, hospital admissions and relocation to nursing homes for ongoing care. Can an elder, who is growing frailer with age, remain at home safely?