by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Nov 2, 2014 | Caregiving, Dear Donna, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My father’s hearing loss has gotten very bad over the past few years. While I want him to be able to stay independent for as long as possible, I worry a lot about his ability to be safe. I’m especially concerned because, despite our best efforts to convince him to stop, he still smokes. I was at his house one day when the smoke alarm in the dining room went off while he was cooking and he didn’t even hear it! I’m not sure what to do with him.
Alysha in Holland, Michigan
Dear Alysha:
You are right. Smoking and hearing loss are a tough combination. I’m sure it is does create a lot of anxiety for you.
There are definitely smoke detectors and alert systems that can help with your father’s situation. They are specifically designed for those living with a hearing impairment. I’m sure they can help to ease some of the fears you have about your father’s safety. Most of the major smoke detector manufacturers make them. What is different about these products is that they flash a strobe light and/or send out a strong vibration to alert those living with a hearing impairment of the danger. Many also have an alert that will actually shake the bed in case the home’s resident is sleeping when the smoke detector goes off.
Thank you for sharing your concern with us, Alysha. It provides us with an opportunity to help raise awareness about National Fire Prevention Week which begins on October 4th. Seniors are twice as likely to be harmed or fatally injured in a fire. After the age of 85, that risk goes up to four times more likely.
There are a variety of ways you and other adult children in Michigan can to decrease a senior loved one’s fire safety risk. The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has a library of resources that can help. They range from kitchen safety tips to escape planning.
I hope this information is helpful, Alysha!
Donna
“Dear Donna” is an aging expert from Heritage Senior Communities, a family-owned company serving seniors across the state of Michigan for 67 years. Older adults in the greater Holland area will soon have the opportunity to tour our nearly completed Village at Appledorn West community. It will be home to 88 independent senior living apartments. Construction is projected to be completed this month. An assisted living community will also open on the same campus in the late spring of 2015.
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Oct 30, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
As part of our commitment to keeping our readers updated on the latest research and findings on Alzheimer’s disease, we are sharing a study from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. While exercise is known to be a critical factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, there is growing evidence to indicate it may also be good for the brain.
Exercise May Be Linked to Improved Brain Health
The study by Dr. J. Carson Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is the first research trial to demonstrate how exercise can be used as an intervention technique for older adults who live with a mild cognitive impairment.
The trial showed that exercise not only improves memory recall but also improved brain function. Physically inactive older adults ranging in age from 60-88 years old were divided in to two groups. The average age of study participants was 78. One group was comprised of older adults living with mild cognitive impairment and the other with normal, healthy brain function. Each group followed a 12-week program of regular treadmill walking. Exercise was supervised by a personal trainer.
By the end of the study, both groups had improved their cardiovascular fitness by about ten percent. They also improved their memory performance and showed improvements in neural efficiency when involved in memory retrieval tasks.
The Bottom Line on Exercise for Alzheimer’s Prevention
The bottom line is that the amount of exercise participants engaged in during the trial isn’t overly aggressive. It is the same recommendation most physicians are already making to patients. That is, you should get 30 minutes of moderate exercise (that which raises your heart rate but allows you to maintain a conversation) five days a week.
Just one more reason to lace up your sneakers and head out for a walk each day!
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Oct 22, 2014 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
Falls continue to be one of the leading causes of fatal injuries for older adults in this country. It is why finding ways to prevent them continues to be a focus of so many aging-related researchers. One study that might be of interest to our readers was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June. The article, Effect of Structured Physical Activity on Prevention of Major Mobility Disability in Older Adults, explored how walking might help seniors beat or decrease their odds of being injured in a fall.
What Role Does Walking Play in Fall Prevention?
The goal of the project was to evaluate the potential link between older adults levels of physical activity and the role exercise could play in preventing disability. While seniors are often afraid a more active lifestyle will increase their odds of experiencing a disabling fall, this study took the opposite approach. Researchers posed a different question. Could higher levels of daily physical activity be considered a sound fall prevention practice?
The two-year long study was made up of 1,635 people between the ages of 70 and 89 years of age. Older adults chosen to participate in the project were considered to be sedentary by scoring low on a senior fitness scale. Each of them was able to walk one-quarter of a mile unassisted when the study began.
During the trial:
- Participants came to a research center once a month for education on a variety of topics related to healthy aging.
- A sub-group of participants was randomly assigned to also participate in a twice-weekly fitness program at the center. This group underwent supervised stretching activities and walks. In addition to the organized exercise activities, members of this sub-group also exercised on their own three hours each week.
- Every trial study member was assessed twice each year during the study to see if they could still complete a quarter-mile walk.
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that those who were also enrolled in the exercise subgroup were 18% less likely to have suffered any short-term physical disability during the trial and 28% less likely to have had a permanent disability.
Talk with Your Primary Care Physician First
If you or a senior loved one lead a sedentary lifestyle, the results of this study should be motivation for making a change. Talk with your primary care physician first. Ask them for their help in determining the safest way to begin increasing your level of physical activity.
Heritage Senior Communities is pleased to announce that our newest community is set to open this month in Holland, Michigan. The Village at Appledorn West will offer adults over the age of 55 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments. The campus will also be expanded to include assisted living in the spring of 2015.
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Oct 16, 2014 | Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
More than 46 million people in this country live with arthritis. 300,000 children also live with the disease. It can have a debilitating effect on those who suffer from it. In addition to the physical toll it takes on those who live with this diagnosis are the financial consequences. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that arthritis and complications from the disease add up to over $124 billion each year. Those numbers include the cost of care, lost wages, and other related expenses. There are a variety of forms of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis (OA). As cold weather makes its return to Michigan, the symptoms of OA often worsen.
What can you do to help a Michigan senior you love find ways to treat joint pain that doesn’t involve medication?
Natural Remedies for Osteoarthritis Pain during a Michigan Winter
Inflammation in the joints can be incredibly painful. While exercising is one of the best ways to prevent inflammation and stiffness, the bone-on-bone contact arthritis creates can make it too painful to move.
Here are a few natural remedies that might help you or your senior loved one enjoy a better quality of life this winter:
- Monitor your diet. Everything from toxins in the air to stress and sugar can contribute to inflammation. It is nearly impossible to avoid it all. There are some foods, however, that have been proven to help fight inflammation. A few healthier ones include raisins, kale, sweet potatoes, ginger, cherries and walnuts.
- No impact exercise. One of the best ways to prevent swelling in your joints is to stay active. There are no-impact exercises that still provide a full range of motion workout. Some suggestions to consider are water aerobics, tai chi and chair yoga.
- Alternating hot and cold. Arthritis suffers often find that alternating cold packs with hot ones can provide relief. The heat source can help decrease stiffness in the joints while the cold pack can help with the pain and swelling.
- Hand and finger dexterity. For many with arthritis, joints in their fingers and hands are the most painful. There are several inexpensive products that can help. You can purchase a home paraffin wax machine for under $30 that will help relieve joint pain. Another way to keep joints in the hands limber is to take part in activities that require dexterity such as playing cards, sewing, drawing, and knitting.
We hope these remedies to help decrease the pain and symptoms arthritis sufferers in Michigan experience during the winter!
by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 24, 2014 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Caregiving, Uncategorized
Dear Donna:
My 82-year old father is in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Lately, he has become a little more difficult to manage. He is especially difficult to handle when I have to take him to the doctor. Fortunately, he goes to a geriatrician who is very understanding of and knowledgeable about Alzheimer’s disease.
In past years I have always taken my dad with me to the pharmacy flu shot clinic for his yearly vaccine. I’m on the fence this year about whether he should have a flu shot or not. He goes to an adult day center a few days a week and they are offering it there, but I’m just not sure he really needs it. He had a flu shot at the end of flu season last year, and I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the struggle it will likely be to get him to cooperate this year.
Gretchen in Grand Haven, Michigan
Dear Gretchen:
I’m sure you know that these behaviors are not uncommon for those living with Alzheimer’s disease. Family caregivers often feel understandably embarrassed when they are trying to cope with a senior loved one’s behavior in public. Having a primary care physician who specializes in gerontology like your fathers can really help.
As far as flu shots, I recommend you talk with your father’s physician for the final word but I think she or he will likely advise you that your father should receive the vaccine. Even though he had it later in last year’s flu season, he will need a new vaccine to protect him from this year’s strains of the flu. He is probably at greater risk for complications of flu and will likely be at higher risk for contracting the virus if he goes to an adult day center a few days a week. It might be beneficial to have him get the flu shot at his geriatrician’s office instead of the adult day center if you think they are better equipped to handle his behaviors.
Finally, you might be interested in this story we shared with readers during last year’s flu season. Flu Shot Questions from Alzheimer’s Caregivers in Michigan addressed some of the questions we commonly receive about the flu from family members who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
I hope this information helps, Gretchen!
Donna
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by trevor@addfuelfire.com | Sep 16, 2014 | Caregiving, Healthy Aging, Uncategorized
In our hustle and bustle world it is sometimes easy to only look forward in life. We are so busy worrying about our “To-Do List” for the day that we forget how important it is to preserve our family history. This week, we thought we would share a few ideas to help adult children in Michigan work with family elders to record their family’s legacy. This can also be a great project to involve grandchildren in, especially those with strong technology skills.
Interviewing Family Elders
One way to document your roots is to video interview the eldest members of the family. Here are a few tips to make that easier:
- Many cameras and smart phones have video features. Have someone with a steady hand document a variety of family members asking their elders questions about their childhood and the family’s roots.
- Avoid asking yes or no questions. Open-ended questions usually elicit the best responses. Your senior loved ones may be a little more anxious at first, but after a few questions they will likely open up and forget about the camera.
- Try to involve of variety of family members to both ask and answer questions.
- Be sure to save each interview as it is recorded so you don’t risk losing it if the project takes a while to complete.
Here are some sample questions to ask during family interviews:
- What’s your earliest childhood memory?
- Where did you live when you were born? What was your home like?
- How did your parents meet?
- Where did your father work?
- Did your mother work?
- What chores did you have around the house?
- How did your family celebrate holidays when you were a child?
- Who was your childhood best friend?
- How did you meet your spouse? Who introduced you?
- How did you learn to drive?
- What was your first job? How did you spend your first paycheck?
- Where did you get married? What was the wedding like?
- What was your school like?
- Did you get to play sports or be involved in after school activities?
- What were your favorite school subjects?
- Who were your friends?
- What was your favorite job and why?
- Who are some of your heroes?
- Do you remember the day President Kennedy was shot?
- What days in history do you remember the most?
- How old were you when you got your first television?
- Were you an Elvis fan? How about The Beatles?
Finally, ask senior loved ones what they want future generations of the family to know. Is there any one thing they think is really important?
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