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Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

by | May 22, 2016 | Healthy Aging, Uncategorized

As we grow older, it isn’t uncommon to experience minor vision problems. It might be dry, irritated eyes from staring at a computer too much or red, watery eyes that are the result of an allergy. But sudden changes in vision can be a warning signs of something more serious. From a detached retina to a stroke, there are vision issues older adults and caregivers shouldn’t ignore.

Vision Problems that Need Medical Intervention

Here are a few tips to help the Michigan caregivers who follow our blog identify the warning signs of potential problems:

  • “Floaters” in Vision: A vision issue that requires immediate medical assistance often begins with what look like “floaters” in your eye sight. It is often a warning sign of a detached retina. A burst of light or color is another common symptom. It is important to get medical attention without delay to prevent blindness.
  • Change in Vision: A sudden loss of vision or blurred vision in one or both eyes should never be ignored. Both can be warning signs of a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). It requires immediate medical intervention. People sometimes wait to see if the symptoms disappear before calling for help. When someone is having a stroke, time is a critical factor for receiving life-saving treatment. Call 911 without delay!
  • Dark Spots in Vision: If a dark spot appears in the center of a senior’s vision, it can be a symptom of macular degeneration. Problems distinguishing one color from another or difficulty reading signs are other early signs. Call your physician if you or the older adults you care for experience any of these symptoms. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in seniors.
  • Blind Spots in Vision: When a blind spot appears in a senior’s vision, it can be a warning sign of several different medical conditions. High blood pressure and diabetes are a few of the most common. Call your primary care physician to see if they want you to come to their office or go to the emergency room.
  • Halos or Cloudy Vision: Both of these warning signs can be symptoms of cataracts. Many seniors don’t realize how serious the condition can be. Left untreated, cataracts can cause blindness. Ask your primary care physician for a referral to an Ophthalmologist if you don’t already have one you work with.

Medicare Coverage for Vision Problems

Many vision issues are preventable if caught early. Routine vision screenings are the best way to identify potential problems. To learn what eye exams and screenings your Medicare benefit will cover, visit Your Medicare Coverage.

For the latest news on successful aging and caregiving, don’t forget to sign up to follow Heritage Senior Communities blog. A new, educational article will be delivered right to your Inbox each week.

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

The Therapeutic Value of Journaling When You are a Caregiver

by | May 16, 2016 | Caregiving, Uncategorized

If you have ever kept a diary, you probably already know the clarity getting your thoughts down on paper can bring. Writing is a therapeutic form of self-expression known to relieve anxiety and stress.

The Therapeutic Value of Journaling for Caregivers

Caring for aging parents or another senior loved one can be tough on many different levels. There are moments of joy and then there are times of sadness. The rollercoaster of emotions is often difficult to manage.

Journaling is one tool family caregivers can use to process their own feelings and record life events. It provides family caregivers a safe place to honestly record their innermost thoughts.

Words that Heal

Journaling can also be a powerful healing tool for caregivers. A few common benefits include:

  1. Physical Health: Journaling positively impacts physical well-being. Research shows it can reduce symptoms of chronic diseases like arthritis and asthma.
  2. Reduce Anxiety and Stress: Caregivers may experience a wide range of emotions every day from sorrow and despair to joy and gratitude. Writing can help you understand and process difficult feelings like anger and resentment. It can also allow you to find moments of happiness amidst the toughest days of caregiving.
  3. Personal Time: Every family caregiver needs a few minutes of personal time every day. Journaling is a way to slow down and focus on your own feelings and fears.
  4. Problem-solving: Writing your worries down on paper allows you to access the right side of the brain. It’s the part of your brain where creative thought comes from. Let’s say you’ve been struggling with how to talk with your mother about her diabetes and the impact a poor diet is having on her health. After journaling about the problem, you may realize one solution is to talk with your mom about moving to a Michigan senior living community. Healthy meals that meet her dietary restrictions will be provided for her.

Journaling Prompts about Caregiving

If you would like to give journaling a try but aren’t quite sure how to get started, this exercise will help.

Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes once every day. Use the time to write freely and to complete each of the following sentences:

  • Today I feel…
  • I’m looking forward to…
  • I’m worried about…
  • I’m grateful for…

Remember, when you are a caregiver, it’s important to make an extra effort to take care of you. By caring for your own health and well-being, you can be present to more fully care for your senior loved one.

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

5 Tips for Disposing of Old Medications

by | May 10, 2016 | Healthy Aging, Uncategorized

Keeping medications that are no longer needed or those that are expired around the house can create problems for people of all ages. In households where older adults live, it can lead to the wrong medication being taken accidentally or to grandchildren finding one and ingesting it.

Experts estimate that 71,000 kids under the age of 18 are taken to the emergency room because of unintentional overdoses caused by a prescription or over-the-counter-medication.

What can you and your Michigan senior loved one do to safely dispose of medications that are no longer needed?

There are a few resources that can help you figure it out.

Guidelines for Disposing of Old Medications

Here are the guidelines recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ):

  1. Take Back Programs: Take advantage of prescription take back days in your local community. Pharmacies typically offer them a few times a year. You can check to see if one is coming up near you by visiting the Department of Justice Office of Diversion Control
  2. Ask the Pharmacist: Check the instructions that come with each prescription medication to see if it indicates how it should be disposed of. If you didn’t save the safety insert, call the pharmacy where it was filled. (The phone number should be on the label.) The pharmacist can provide you with that information.
  3. FDA Database: The FDA maintains a list of medications that can safely be flushed down the sink or toilet. For these medications, it is considered the best way to keep small children and pets safe. Do not flush medications down the sink or toilet unless the instructions for disposal specifically indicate you should do so.
  4. Coffee Grounds and Kitty Litter: If the medication you want to dispose of didn’t come with any instructions, experts say to take the medicine out of the container and mixed it with coffee grounds or kitty litter. Don’t smash or crush the pills just mix them with either of the two products. Seal the entire mixture in a leak-proof bag and place it in the trash.
  5. Avoid Identity Theft: Make sure you remove or scratch out any identifying information on pill containers before disposing of them. This is an important step for reducing the risk of identity theft.

We hope these tips help you create a home environment that is safe for all generations!

 

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

Is Alzheimer’s Really Type 3 Diabetes?

by | Apr 28, 2016 | Alzheimer's and Dementia, Uncategorized

Getting the news that you or a senior loved one has Alzheimer’s can be life-changing. A frustration for both seniors and their families is the lack of solid science about the cause of the disease. Recent studies linking diabetes and Alzheimer’s, however, seem to be gaining ground.

Nearly 26% of adults age 65 and older have diabetes. One out of eight older adults lives with Alzheimer’s disease. What researchers are trying to determine is if there is a link between the two.

Is There a Link between Diabetes and Dementia?

Since 2005, the link between dementia and insulin-resistance has grown stronger. It’s even led some researchers to begin referring to Alzheimer’s by a new name: Type 3 diabetes.

These studies seem to indicate seniors with diabetes are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

While researchers don’t yet understand the cause-and-effect between diabetes and dementia, they do know that high blood sugar can have a negative impact on brain health.

Type 2 diabetes results when the body doesn’t make the right amount of insulin or doesn’t process it properly. As blood sugar in the body rises, it puts more stress on blood vessels, including those in the brain. This causes arteries in the brain to harden and narrow.

If an adequate supply of blood doesn’t reach the brain, an older adult’s cognitive abilities may decline. They may develop problems with memory or have trouble completing daily tasks independently.

Excess glucose (sugar) also limits the brain’s ability to break down fatty membranes. When these clump together, they form plaques and tangles that are believed to contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

How to Lower an Older Adult’s Risk for Diabetes

While there is no definitive way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, researchers believe lifestyle is the key.

According to the American Diabetes Association, you can lower your risk for diabetes by:

  • Using the plate-method to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
  • Get 150 combined minutes of exercise each week. Most physicians recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week.
  • Work with your family physician to monitor and manage cholesterol and blood pressure.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Limit alcoholic beverages to just a few times a week or less.

Successfully controlling blood sugar may help seniors prevent or delay the onset of dementia allowing them to live healthier, more active lives.

 

Photo Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for a Senior in Assisted Living

by | Apr 22, 2016 | Dear Donna, Uncategorized

Dear Donna:

We recently moved my mother-in-law to an assisted living community in Holland, Michigan. The process of downsizing for the move required her to part with many of her belongings, and it was still a tight fit to get her settled and find a place for everything.

With Mother’s Day approaching, we aren’t sure what to get her for a gift or how to plan a celebration. She doesn’t have very much space for more “stuff” and the community where she lives now provides almost everything she could want or need.

Do you have any suggestions for gifts? Or for planning our celebration? We feel like it is important to make the day extra special for her this year.

Kind Regards,

Tami

 

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Seniors in an Assisted Living Community

Dear Tami:
Your question is one we often receive this time of year, especially from families who are new to assisted living.

Our first suggestion is to talk to the team at your mother-in-laws assisted living community. They can offer suggestions for reserving more space at the community if you need it, as well as for helping to make arrangements for food.

As far as gift ideas, here is a list of ideas we’ve noticed have been popular with our residents in past years:

  • A family calendar that has family members’ birthdays and anniversaries marked, along with family photos on each month’s page
  • A handmade coupon book with vouchers to trade in for outings to the mall or a local restaurant, help with their computer, a trip to a local spa or another favorite treat
  • A digital scrapbook or family video
  • A photo bouquet of family pictures
  • Gift certificate for the in-house beauty/barber shop
  • A custom gift basket with items she can use to pamper herself, such as essential oils, lotions and other beauty products
  • A gift card to a clothing store
  • A pedometer or fitness tracker
  • A fruit-of-the-month club membership
  • Gift cards to a restaurant and/or movie theater
  • Gift card to their favorite craft or hobby store
  • A tablet device they can use for connecting on social media and email
  • A bird feeder to place outside their window along with seed
  • A basket of DVDs, games and puzzles to enjoy when the grandkids visit

Finally, don’t overlook the more traditional Mother’s Day gifts. A potted plant, a bouquet of flowers, or a box of chocolates might be the perfect treat!

Best of luck to you and your family, Tami! I’m sure your mother-in-law will appreciate your efforts.

Sincerely,

Donna

Vision Changes Seniors Shouldn’t Ignore

Creating a Caregiver Back-up Plan

by | Apr 18, 2016 | Caregiving, Uncategorized

If you are a Michigan senior loved one’s primary caregiver, you’ve probably worried about what would happen to them if you suffered an emergency of your own. Because you are involved in their day-to-day care, you likely know their medical history well. You also understand what medications they take and what the schedule is.

But in the event of an emergency, would someone else in the family know what your aging family member needs? What their allergies are? When their next physician appointment is?

Having an emergency caregiver in place before a crisis occurs is the key.

There are two important steps for creating a successful caregiver backup plan. The first part is to carefully craft the plan and the second is to share it with others.

 

How to Create an Emergency Care Plan for a Senior

Begin by pulling together all of the information someone else would need to be able to care for your senior loved one in the event you are unable to.

At a minimum, your back up plan should include:

  1. Medical history: Create a complete health file that includes your senior family member’s medical history, past surgeries, current and past medical issues, and any allergies.
  2. Medication list: Also put together a list of prescription and over-the-counter medications your loved one takes along with the schedule. Be sure you include the prescribing physician and pharmacy name in case the back-up caregivers need to have one refilled.
  3. Physician list: It’s important to document all of your loved one’s physicians and any other health professionals who are involved in their care. Include their contact information along with the reason your family sees each of them.
  4. Insurance information: To help prevent your family member from falling victim to identity theft, it’s important to keep insurance documents stored in a secure location. Just make sure back-up caregivers are apprised of where and how to access them in the event of a medical emergency.
  5. Legal Documents: Also share the location of any legal documents your senior loved one has in place, such as a durable power of attorney or living will, with family members who may be called on to pitch in and help with caregiving duties.

Our final tip is to visit with senior care providers in Michigan and develop a list of those you feel would be a good fit for your aging loved one if you aren’t available to provide care. Include this information in your back-up caregiver plan.

 

Share Your Caregiver Back-Up Plan

Once you have created your plan, it is important to make sure friends and family are aware of it and comfortable with the information it contains.

Some families have found technology makes it easier to keep everyone on track. CareZone, CareMind and Caring Bridge are a few easy-to-use apps to explore.