Older adult health issues

It seems to me that while older adults face greater vulnerability to a number of health issues, their complaints that might lead to early detection are often ignored. Also the complexities presented by dementia, neuopathy, and depression so common in older adults can confound the efforts at diagnosis and intervention. My father's PAD was ignored despite his continued complaints of heavy feet. His dementia was blamed until a loosened blood clot lodged in his lung. The neuopathy in his arm was diagnosed and measures to enhance the possibility of returning function employed but I wonder if so many in the nursing home setting with decreased function of hands and arms may have failed get the same early prevention provisions. My mother's severe headaches were made light of by the medical professional to the point that she felt that there was no hope. Hospice finally brought relief, but why did she have to wait for comfort until she was closer to death. Bladder incontinence is taken as a fact of aging life with little effort extended to improve function. The solution seems to be to put them in a disposable brief. There is a saying among the pro-life proponents that comes from Dr. Seuss, "a person is a person, no matter how small." We should apply that to our older adults as well. A person is a person, no matter how old.

Decisions in cases of Dementia

The most difficult thing about caregiving is making decisions for others. The most important thing is that the decisions reflect what the person would have decided if they were in the position to make the decision. You know how to make some decisions because you know the person well enough to know what they would have decided, but there are so many things you can not be sure of and others that there is no way to know at all. Sometimes what you believe and feel is right is directly opposed to what you know they want, so you must deny your senses and go with thier wishes. This can be especially difficult.

Taking care of yourself while you care for someone with Alzheimer's disease

By Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor

Don't even think of skimming by this one. You really do need to come first on the priority list, not last. It's almost too easy to neglect your own needs when you're juggling caregiving, a job, a marriage, and children.

But just as with tending to a child, caring for a sick person can be depleting. If you fail to keep an eye on your own mental and physical health, you're vulnerable to everything from colds and other illnesses right up to burnout.

No one can keep up with the round-the-clock demands of Alzheimer's care -- even in the early stages -- without periodic relief. Indeed, caregiver burnout is a primary reason Alzheimer's patients enter nursing homes.

Make time for yourself every single day, even if it's just a 20-minute walk while a neighbor pays a visit. Don't abandon all your former interests and hobbies to support someone with Alzheimer's.

You don't have to eat the same food as him (especially if he's down to simple, easy-to-manage foods), but neither do you have to subsist on drive-through fare. Stock up on nutritious, easy-to-grab snacks if time is an issue.

Getting enough sleep is a special concern: To help yourself fall asleep, try incorporating some relaxation exercises or meditation into your nighttime routine. Some people benefit from yoga, tai chi, or deep breathing exercises. A good tension release is progressive muscle relaxation, a technique that calls for tightening and relaxing all of your major muscle groups, one by one.

Your wind-down can be as classic as a warm bath or a good book. Whatever your choice, make it routine -- at about the same time each evening, if you can -- to help your mind associate the activity with rest. Reorganize your bedroom so that it's a haven rather than a cluttered workspace.

Get a medical exam yourself, and be sure to tell your doctor about your situation. She may be able to give you some strategies to deal with stress and anxiety, and can help you identify signs of clinical depression and, if needed, treatment options.

To go to the entire article at: CARING(dot)COM click anywhere in the text.

From TIME Magazine Nov 15 2010

Click on the little fishies to enlarge the post.

FIND SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TO NOTICE

Lisa Beamer recalled this story:

"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, ' Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment.

Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice.

It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. The class was completely quiet.

We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

In GOD we trust ...

Were you contacted for this survey?

October 19, 2010

It was reported on the CBS Evening News tonight that 87% of Americans report they will have more than enough money from Social Security for the necessary basics once they retire.

My question is this:

1. Who are these people?

2. Why wasn't I called?

3. Were they ALL drinking?

4. What did the other 13% say?

5. And the most important question:

How did they choose between food, heat and medicine?

I can only afford one choice!

Thank God cat food is cheap and I'm a bit healthier than some!

How to Prevent Getting the Flu

Getting the flu is never fun. So follow these simple steps to ensure you stay healthy this year

This is a slide show of 8 photographs, showing eight ways to help prevent getting a flu.

Click on the first line to see the slide show