by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 24, 2013 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
The physical toll the role of caregiver takes is well documented. Caregivers have weaker immune systems, increased risk of heart disease, and a greater chance of developing high blood pressure. All of these factors can lead to a stressed out, unhealthy caregiver. Maintaining a balanced diet is one of the keys to keeping our Michigan caregivers healthy. And recent studies indicate the Mediterranean Diet may help.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The underlying premise of the Mediterranean Diet is very simple. It focuses on eating very little processed foods and opting instead for a diet rich in fruits, lentils, fish and vegetables. Olive oil is one of the main components of the diet. Breads are multi-grain and low in carbohydrates. Dairy should be consumed in moderation. And the best news is that the diet includes a glass of wine or two each day.
When researchers at The University of Louisiana evaluated people who had adopted the Mediterranean Diet they discovered the following:
- A reduction in bad cholesterol. Believed to be the result of reducing fat and carbohydrates and increasing foods rich in soluble and insoluble fiber.
- Improved brain activity. They attributed this to the benefits of olive oil and omega 3 fatty acids in the fish.
- Lower risk of cancer. Researchers credited consuming lower red meat and animal fats to the decreased risk of cancer.
- Decreased risk of stroke and heart disease. Blood pressure was also reduced.
- Lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Experts agree that antioxidants are probably the reason. They help to decrease inflammation that is believed to contribute to decreased cognition.
If you are wondering how to get started, this Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid might be of help.
Have you adopted the Mediterranean Diet? What benefits have you experienced?
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 16, 2013 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), people over the age of 65 are 2.5 times more likely to be injured or die from a kitchen fire than the general population. That is a pretty frightening statistic if you are an adult child of an aging parent who lives alone. So why is the risk so much higher for seniors?
There are five areas where seniors get in to trouble in the kitchen:
- Not having a working smoke detector in the house. As important as that life-saving alarm is known to be, estimates are that between 10 – 15% of our nation’s seniors either don’t have a smoke detector or the one they have doesn’t work. That allows kitchen fires to get out of control before the senior may even realize there is a problem.
- Along the same lines is not having a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Many older adults reach for a kitchen towel to try to extinguish a stove top flame. That can actually make the fire worse and put them in greater danger.
- Dementia can make seniors more forgetful. They may leave soup simmering on the stove or a casserole cooking in the oven then walk away and forget about it.
- Older equipment that isn’t safe. This is especially true of an older kitchen range. Many of them have on/off dials that are located at the back of the stove top. This forces seniors to reach over burners to turn them off. Loose sleeves can easily drop against the flame or burner and ignite.
- Chronic health conditions can cause physical impairments that may make it more difficult for seniors to spot trouble and react quickly. This includes tremors from Parkinson’s disease or loss of dexterity in fingers and hands caused by Osteoarthritis.
What can adult children do to decrease the risk of a kitchen fire for aging parents?
- Make sure they have working smoke detectors on every level of their home and a small, easy-to-use fire extinguisher in their kitchen. Review with them how to operate both. Make sure to test the smoke alarm batteries when you visit.
- Remind them not to wear clothing with loose sleeves while cooking, but to instead wear short sleeves or keep long-sleeves tightly rolled up.
- Consider replacing their stove if they have to reach across burners to turn temperature controls on and off. Most newer ranges have the dials on the front of the stove.
- New to the consumer safety market but gaining in popularity are stove alarms and stove guards. They use sensors to sound an alarm when a pan is left on the stove or in the oven too long.
Are you an adult child of an elderly parent?
Have they had a close call with a kitchen fire?
Photo Credit
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 20, 2013 | Caregiving, Uncategorized
If you are one of the one million family caregivers in the state of Michigan, a summer getaway may not seem very realistic. Especially if heading out of town to enjoy one of Michigan’s lakes or beaches with your own children means leaving your elderly loved one home alone. Even if you did manage to get away for a few days, the worry over how they were managing on their own would likely keep you from relaxing and enjoying the trip. That is where respite care comes in. Respite can offer you a safe solution for your loved one and peace of mind for yourself.
What is Respite Care?
Respite is a short-term stay in an independent or assisted living community, such as one of the Heritage Senior Communities. It offers your aging loved one access to the same services and amenities that are available to permanent residents of the community. They enjoy the same healthy meals. Have the opportunity to participate in diverse life enrichment programs and activities. And the staff is close by to help your loved one with everything you typically do for them. From providing medication reminders to assistance with bathing and grooming, a respite stay for an aging parent offers peace of mind for family caregivers.
Most communities welcome respite visitors for lengths of stay ranging from a few days up to one month. Some families utilize respite several times a year to allow them time to travel or take care of personal business. Others use respite as a trial stay or “test run” to see how well an elderly loved one adjusts to a senior living community.
To help make a respite stay go more smoothly for your loved one, you might consider bringing them for a visit at the community before you head out of town. That gives staff the opportunity to get to know them and time to introduce them to other residents with similar interests. Most communities would welcome you to stay for lunch or for dinner.
How to Find Respite Care
If you live in Michigan and would like to learn more about respite care, we invite you to call the Heritage Senior community closest to you . Any one of our team members will be glad to help. If you live outside the state of Michigan, Respite Locator can help you find care in your area.
Are you a Michigan caregiver for an aging loved one?
Have you ever used respite? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Photo Credit
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Aug 7, 2013 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
As the number of adults over the age of 65 in Michigan continues to climb, the average age of drivers on our roads climbs too. Contrary to the stereotype we see in the media about older drivers, they are not creating the greatest risks on the road. Teenagers still lead the way in the number of accidents that harm other drivers. Instead, seniors are more likely to be a hazard to themselves. Older drivers in Michigan are no different.
According to the Institute for Highway Safety, older drivers are more likely to have an accident where they are injured. In 2009, almost 4,000 drivers 70 and older died in automobile accidents.
MIT AgeLab and The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence conducted a study that explored the relationship between physical fitness and older drivers. They discovered that exercise can play a key role in keeping older drivers safe behind the wheel. That is because physical activity can help improve range of motion and flexibility.
Surveyors examined three areas that older drivers identified as difficult:
- Turning their neck, shoulders and upper body to look behind them – the action you take when backing out of your driveway or a parking space at the mall.
- Bending down to slide behind the wheel of the car. Getting in and out of their car was often considered difficult for older adults in the study. We know that seniors are at greater risk from falls when entering and exiting a vehicle.
- Turning their head to look over their shoulder while driving. This makes it difficult to merge in traffic and change lanes on the highway.
Using that insight, researchers developed a series of exercises that worked on improving four key areas for older adults: overall strength, flexibility, range of motion and coordination. The eight exercises they recommend are no-impact and many can even be performed while seated.
After eight to ten weeks of participating in the exercise training program, older drivers reported:
- Greater ease in turning their head to back up and to check their blind spot.
- Better able to rotate their bodies to survey their driving environment.
- Stronger muscle tone and flexibility helped them get in and out of their car more easily.
Exercise for Mature Drivers is a free download from The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence and MIT AgeLab.
What do you think? Are you an older driver in Michigan?
Let us know what you think about these exercises after you try them!
Photo Credit
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Jul 31, 2013 | Caregiving, Dear Donna, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My 91 year old mother suffers from advanced diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Both make it difficult for her to care for herself. But she insists on staying in her home in Holland, Michigan instead of moving to senior living. She has lived there for almost 60 years. The problem is that my brother just won’t help with her care. We both live equal distances from her, but he won’t even take her to doctor’s appointments. I love my mother and want to care for her. That isn’t the issue. But I have a busy job and two children still living at home. There just aren’t enough hours in my day to be her only caregiver! I am getting more and more resentful of my brother. I am afraid I will say something I really regret if he doesn’t start helping.
-Melissa in Muskegon, Michigan
Dear Melissa:
You are a classic example of someone trying to survive the “sandwich”. A term we use to describe the generation sandwiched between aging parents’ needs and those of their own children. In your case, you have the added stress of a sibling who won’t help. In almost every family we work with across the state of Michigan, one child bears the primary responsibility of caregiving. Most of the time it is the adult daughter or daughter-in-law.
I have a few ideas for you to try:
- Ask your brother to meet you to talk about your mother. Have the meeting in a neutral place. Somewhere that you can talk without interruption.
- Prepare a list of activities you do for your mother and things you know need to be done but you haven’t had time to do. Even little things like picking up prescriptions should be on the list.
- Really give some thought beforehand to what he could do to help. Maybe lawn care or household repairs? What jobs will he be most likely to do on a routine basis?
- Sit down with your brother and share your concerns and your list with him in a respectful way. This may be difficult to do given how much resentment you are feeling towards him. Just remember, your goal is to get him to agree to help without forever damaging your relationship.
- Listen to what he has to say. You may find that fear is keeping him from helping your mother. Maybe you can arrange to meet at your mother’s house together to work on projects for her. Easing him in to caregiver responsibilities may give him time to adapt to the changes in your mother that have frightened him away.
- Try to divide up the task list and talk about dates and deadlines. Leaving the meeting with a definite plan will help.
- If all else fails, you have two options. You can hire a family mediator to help resolve your differences. Or you can accept that he won’t help and move on without him. That will be hard to do, but continuing to live with resentment will put your own health at risk.
Best of luck, Melissa! Please feel free to call one of the Heritage Senior Communities in Holland if you have any questions or need more advice on senior living.
Donna
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Jul 8, 2013 | Caregiving, Dear Donna, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My father keeps falling. I live three hours away and have had to drop everything three times this month to race to his house after he had a fall. He says it is just a normal part of aging. I think there is more to it. What can we do? I will lose my job if this keeps up!
-Suzanne in Bay City, Michigan
Dear Suzanne:
The teams at Heritage Senior Communities hear stories similar to yours from families we work with across Michigan every day. We know the role of long-distance caregiver is a tough one. Especially if you work and have your own family.
And, you are right. While our senior population does experience more falls, they are not a typical part of the aging process.
There are a few things we can recommend you try to help keep your father safe at home:
- Consider having a physical or occupational therapist do an evaluation of his home environment. They can look at potential hazards that may be increasing his risk for falls. That includes throw rugs, places where grab bars should be installed, stairway safety, lighting and more.
- Has your father had a vision test lately? Many times poor vision and falls go hand in hand. It may be time for a new prescription for his glasses. Or he may be suffering from cataracts that are impairing his vision. It is best to have it checked out.
- Does your father take any prescription medications? The side effects of some medicines can cause an unsteady gait. Or it could be the interaction between two medications that is impacting his balance. Your father’s pharmacist is a good resource for helping you make this determination.
- Poor nutrition can also lead to falls. Is your father eating a well-balanced diet? If he no longer drives or suffers from a disease like Parkinson’s or arthritis, it may be difficult for him to prepare healthy meals. Your local Area Office on Aging will have recommendations on meal delivery programs that might help.
- Strength and flexibility are what help us maintain good posture and balance. If your father has a sedentary lifestyle, you might want to talk with his family physician about strength training and flexibility exercises. He might recommend chair yoga, Tai Chi or another form of no impact exercise to help him regain his strength and flexibility.
If you would like to assess his home on your own, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a great Home Fall Prevention checklist that can help.
I hope these tips help, Suzanne! Best of luck to you and your father.
Donna
