Caring Right at Home Newsletter
The January edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter is now available!
Celebrities Who Have Glaucoma
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, which is important, considering that glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness across the globe. It is estimated that over 3 million people are living with glaucoma here in the United States, although many may not even realize that they have it.
Top 10 New Year's Resolutions
Get fit. Worry less. Be happy. Read more. The New Year kicks off with millions of people around the world vowing to improve their lives or at least make a list of habits they’d like to change or deeds they’d like to accomplish in the coming year.
Alcohol and Female Boomer Health
If you are female and in your 50s and early 60s, you may want to raise a glass of wine to a study in the journal Menopause: moderate alcohol consumption may lower your risk of osteoporosis.
Deter Holiday Thieves
‘Tis the season to buy gifts for family and friends, but in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you may be the target of opportunistic crooks. Yuletide bandits often zero in on unsuspecting older adults. But here are a number of holiday safety tips to keep your purchases safe from sticky fingers.
Gift Ideas for Seniors
There are only so many sweaters, lotions and historical novels you can buy for the older adults in your life. Here are some gift ideas for seniors who don't want anything.
Alzheimer’s Complicates the Holidays; Keeping Aging Loved Ones Safe During Winter
The December edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter is now available! Below are descriptions of two articles you can find in the edition.
Keep Aging Loved Ones Safe During Winter
The December edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter is now available! Below are descriptions of two articles you can find in the edition
Better Digestion After the Thanksgiving Feast
You swirl another ladle of gravy on the mashed potatoes and gulp down another helping of turkey. But before the pumpkin pie is cut, you start to feel that internal restlessness. What happens to your body’s digestion when you overeat?
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.
Special Exercise for Life and Fitness (SELF)
As a trained exercise physiologist, Dr. Berg used to give lectures on diabetes around Omaha, Nebraska. Eventually, he decided to bring people in and show them what to do to meet their needs, instead of just talking about it. The "SELF" program was born as a result.
4 “Sugar Strategies” for People With Diabetes to Enjoy Desserts
Every year, Americans celebrate National Dessert Day (October 14) by sampling a full menu of sweets. Do you know which American age group is most likely to pick up their dessert fork or to dip a spoon in some dessert decadence?
Staying Active to Stay Well – No Sweat! (well, sort of …)
Staying active as a senior offers a number of health benefits including greater mobility, decreased joint pain and fewer illnesses. Regular fitness activity reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and types of cancer.
Too Much Television Is Bad for You
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds that Americans who watch at least three hours of television a day double their risk of dying prematurely compared to people who watch TV an hour or less a day.
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.
3 Tips to Successful Travel With Grandchildren
Spending time with grandkids isn’t just about making sure they have a good time. It’s an opportunity to teach them how to treat other people. If we act like a doormat, we teach them that it is OK to be rude and inconsiderate.
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.
Home Remedies for Aches and Pains of Aging
A 2012 National Health Interview Study found that 11.2 percent of adults report having daily pain.
Senior Women and Arthritic Thumb
Arthritis is a condition that wears down and destroys a joint in the body. Degenerative wear-and-tear arthritis known as osteoarthritis is the type of arthritis that most commonly affects the thumb.
Legal Issues for Family Caregivers; Is Yoga Safe for Seniors With Joint Pain?
These and other stories are in the August edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter, providing information, advice and support for adult caregiving.
Retirees Pursuing Second Careers
Retirement is taking on a new meaning for the baby boomer generation. Many of them see retirement as an opportunity to launch a second career, as opposed to engaging in leisure activities. Many boomers, more than any other generation, seek a second career in retirement out of curiosity or financial necessity...
How a Cancer Diagnosis Inspired New Dreams
Donn Kramer recently retired after spending over four decades as a Goodyear executive. Kramer realized that improving his golf game is yet to become his sole purpose in life, so he spoke with his financial planner about the possibility of transitioning into a new career.
Boredom Leads to Successful Business
Patricia Barron, or “Big Mama” to those who know her well, finally achieved her lifelong dream of opening her own restaurant at the age of 67. While it may have taken her over 40 years to see that dream realized, everything she learned along the way has contributed to her success.
The Sandwich Generation Feels the Squeeze; Stress-Reducing Tips for Alzheimer’s Caregivers
These and other stories are in the July edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter, providing information, advice and support for adult caregiving.
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.
Safety Tips for Summer Family Fun
Summer is a wonderful opportunity for children, parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents to stack up fun memories while staying injury-free and healthy.
Overcoming Caregiver Fear
As a caregiver, you will be confronted daily with people, situations and events over which you have little or no control, and if you allow yourself to dwell on what might happen, you could easily become overwhelmed by fear.
Trust Grows With Age
Trust increases as people age, and the stronger the trust, the more seniors experience greater happiness over time.
Helping Seniors With Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal nasal allergies strain the body: runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, itchy eyes and fatigue are some of the resulting symptoms. Extreme weather swings, particularly in spring and fall, kick up the production of pollen, the fine powder released by flowering plants. Spread by the wind, pollen settles in a person’s skin, nose and lungs and can cause an allergic reaction. Other common nasal allergens include animal dander and dust mites.
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.
National Nurses Day Celebrates the Contribution of Nurses
National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year celebrates the contributions nurses make to our lives and communities.
What would you do to honor nurses in America?
Counseling Assistance for Every Need
How do you gain a better balance and not discount your mental and emotional health as you care for another?
Donating Time, Money to Charity Is Win-Win
Reaching out with time, money and personal caring rejuvenates both the giver and receiver, unlike high-tech gadgets, a bigger house or extensive vacation travel. In addition to gaining a sense of purpose, countless seniors who engage with charities find they boost their health and contentment.
Coconut Fat May Slow Aging
Nutrition experts praise coconut fat as a super food that improves brain function, boosts energy and burns the body’s excess fat. Plus, research is finding that a diet high in coconut fat also may delay brain cells from aging.
3 Steps to Developing an Attitude of Creative Indifference Toward Caregiving
Maintaining emotional equilibrium while caring for a loved one who is aged, chronically ill or disabled is not easy. It takes constant effort, and some days you will do better than others so you must be gentle with yourself.
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?
Coping With Caregiver Stress
Most caregivers frequently struggle with anger, fear, frustration, guilt, depression and grief. Coping with caregiver stress is something many people struggle with, although it’s hard sometimes to remember that you are not alone.
Boomers Returning to the Movies
America’s seniors are filling movie theaters in record numbers to watch Hollywood’s mature actors reinvent themselves on the big screen. The resurgence of 60-plus cinema stars is attracting box office dollars, and America’s seniors are settling in with their buckets of popcorn.
National Nutrition Month®
The 2016 theme of the March healthy eating campaign is “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.” One of the main goals of the March healthy diet focus is to help children through older adults make informed food choices and develop sound eating and regular physical activity habits.
Medical Skepticism Over Brain Games
The influx of computer-based brain games has promised people even more command of their mental acuity—improved memory skills, faster recall of childhood stories and even prevention of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive decline. But are these brain games really working?
Seniors Unprepared for Hospital Discharge; Consider Dental Costs When Planning Retirement
These and other stories are in the March edition of the Caring Right at Home e-newsletter, providing information, advice and support for adult caregiving.
Smart Features for Older Drivers
AAA estimates that by 2020, 40 million U.S. drivers will be 65 years and older. Through the Smart Features for Older Drivers tool, the auto association helps elderly drivers shop for new vehicles with eight smart car features.
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?
A Valentine’s Message About Elder Love
Why two people are attracted to one another is a mystery, but one thing is certain: We never age out of the desire for love, intimacy and companionship.
Biomarkers Help Predict Illness
Biomarkers help predict illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Through the decade of measurements and a final round of tests and a physical exam in 2009, researchers discovered biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid that can help predict Alzheimer’s cognitive impairment years before the onset of disease symptoms.
Heart Disease and Women
Two types of heart disease, coronary microvascular disease (MVD) and broken heart syndrome, are lesser known but pose a specific risk for women. The American Heart Association reports that 64 percent of women who die suddenly from coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease, showed no previous signs of heart trouble.