Blog Archive
One of the many benefits of owning a pet is that they both affect our physical well-being and bring us companionship. Not only do we have something to take care of and a reason to get up in the morning but it affects both our psychological and physical health.
Your pet listens to you and loves you unconditionally. Some therapists have even prescribed a pet as a way of dealing with depression or loss of a loved one. The pet does not have to be a dog or a cat but could be a bird that can live long and be very loyal.
Depression:
When you pet a dog or interact with a cat, the body goes through physiological changes and can make a difference in your mood. A hormone associated with stress, cortisol, is produced and the production of serotonin is increased. Serotonin is associated with well-being and helps fight depression.
Blood Pressure:
Having a pet helps keep your blood pressure in balance. When you pet a dog or a cat your blood pressure will actually go down.
Heart attacks and strokes:
Cats have long term benefits that include protection of your heart. One study that was conducted over 20 years showed that people who never owned a cat were more 40% more likely to die of heart attacks. People who own cats have fewer strokes among and cats seem to have a more calming effect on their owners than dogs do.
Pets help promote physical fitness:
Owning a pet will often encourage fitness. If you did not have to walk the dog then you may not go for a walk.
Vitamin D and stronger bones:
Helps build stronger bones and provides vitamin D from the sun
Combats isolation and loneliness:
When taking a walk with a dog, other people will often stop to talk about your dog or their dog or a dog that they once had. Having a dog encourages interaction with other people. People are less likely to be lonely and feel isolated.
Diabetes:
A sudden drop in blood glucose often alerts dogs that this is occurring. It seems they are responding to chemical changes in the body that gives off a scent.
Seizures:
Dogs have been trained to detect seizures.
Therapy dogs:
Visits with therapy dogs help people recover from devastating illnesses. Many therapy dogs visit nursing homes and hospitals.
Specially trained dogs can help you remain independent. Dogs can be trained to help with seeing or hearing and even carry items for you.
Happiness and laughter:
Both of these promote good health.
You should never bring someone a pet just because you think it’s a good idea. Check with the person you are thinking about and do the homework to make sure that the appropriate pet is found so that it can be a good match.
For example, you may not want to bring someone a dog that needs lots of attention and exercise if that person lives in a small apartment without a yard. Check to see if there are services in your area that can assist with pet care.
It is difficult for most of us to believe that anyone would abuse someone who is vulnerable but for many reasons it does happen. The stresses of everyday life make otherwise normal acting people act irrationally. It is not easy to be a caregiver and those without the proper support and guidance can become an abuser of one of the most vulnerable populations.
There are many reasons why abuse occurs and many types of abuse toward elders. They include: physical, emotional, neglect, financial, abandonment and sexual abuse. Some of this occurs when caregivers get frustrated or overwhelmed.
- Physical abuse can occur in the form of slapping, burning, hitting or kicking.
- When elders are forced to take part in a sexual act that they cannot and/or do not want to take part in then it is considered sexual abuse.
- Neglect occurs when the needs of the senior are neglected. The failure to feed, house, cloth and give medical care is types of neglect.
- Emotional neglect can be defined as harming the elder’s well-being with name calling, not letting them see their relatives or friends, embarrassing them or destroying their property.
- Financial abuse happens when someone is misusing the elder’s money, assets or property.
- When a caregiver leaves an elder alone and does not provide the care that is needed then abandonment has occurred.
Who is at risk? Any elder is at risk if the caregiver is stressed, depressed, uses drugs or alcohol and lacks training and social support. If the caregiver is a family member with children and a family they may become overloaded with responsibilities that they did not plan for. Caregivers in institutional settings may not be trained properly and background checks often don’t include all the information that is needed to make a better judgment when hiring.
How does it affect health of the elder? Not only are there physical injuries that can include bruises, welts, cuts and broken bones but there is an emotional effect to abuse. The elder may become fearful and anxious. They are vulnerable to their caregivers and often will not report because of fear of abandonment or more abuse.
How can you help prevent this? You can prevent it by listening to the elders and their caregivers, intervening by calling the local authorities if you suspect abuse. Even if you are not positive you should report. It is better to be wrong and have to apologize then to be right and allow further abuse to take place.
Being a caregiver is often overwhelming so it is important to seek professional help if you feel stressed. You need to take a break, walk away from the situation and involve family members or other groups in your area that can help you cope.
Resources
National Center on Elder Abuse
National Institute on Aging
Elder Abuse Helplines and Hotlines
1-800-677-1116 If it is an emergency dial 9-1-1 immediately
Obesity is on the rise in the United States and is one of the major health concerns that face us today. It’s not only on the rise in all age groups but is particularly on the rise in groups aged 60-69. Between the years of 1997-2003 this group has seen a 13 % increase in weight gain according to the Centers for Disease Control.
There are many factors that affect obesity such as, age, gender, genetics, environmental and physical activity. Learning which affects you the most will be important in maintaining a healthy weight.
What is considered obese? Being obese means that you have too much body fat and this can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, liver and gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, sleep apnea, strokes and arthritis.
Using a measurement called the Body Mass Index (BMI) can help you decide whether it is important for you to exercise more and change your lifestyle as far as eating habits go. Having a BMI of 30 or more puts you in health danger. WebMD has an interactive tool that you can use to find your BMI. If a person is 50%-100% over their normal weight or with a BMI of 40 or higher, they are considered morbidly obese.
Cost of obesity in the year 2000, obesity-related health care costs were estimated to be $117 billion. 27% of increases in medical costs between the years 1987 and 2001 were associated with obesity related disease. Medical expenditures for obese workers are 29%-117% greater than those of normal weight.
When you are considering weight loss you must look at it as a lifestyle change, not a diet. So think about when you eat and why. And what do you eat? Also check with your health care provider about prescriptions that you are taking that may cause weight gain.
Substitute or get rid of one of the highest calorie foods that you love. For example, if you drink soda consider drinking water or seltzer with a small amount of flavoring.
Facts about soda:
A 20 ounce cola contains 15 teaspoons of sugar.
Soda drinkers do not usually drink milk and decrease their intake in calcium that is needed for strong bones.
If you drink one 20 ounce soda every day for a year you would gain 26 pounds in one year. This is equivalent to 91,000 calories. Making the change to eliminate or reduce your intake of soda would be one way to become healthier.
Ask your health care provider for help and set small goals, baby steps. Walk around the block or a short distance the first day, then increase the distance the next time you walk. Walk 15 minutes the first day then increase to 20. Set a goal of 3 times a week to start. Do not think negative thoughts. If you miss one day then get up and move on. Don’t sabotage yourself by giving up because you missed one day
Overuse and unintentional death from prescription drugs is a growing problem not just among aging child stars and celebrities but also people over 50. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 50 people die of unintentional overdoes in the United States each day. This is now the second cause of death to motor vehicle crashes. It has increases 70% since 1999.
The rates are more common in men than in women and people between the ages of 35-54 have the highest rates. This group accounted for 60% of the unintentional deaths in the United States and that number is rising.
Many times the onset of addiction is caused by a surgery and pain killers that are prescribed for after care. A patient is prescribed drugs for the pain and finds themselves wanting more after the dosage has run out. They will sometimes doctor shop (go to different doctors) to get prescriptions refilled or buy them on the street. Prescription drugs such as psychotherapeutic (narcotics) that are used to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia have increased dramatically.
10 most commonly abused: Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, Robitussin, OxyContin, Codeine, Avinza, Ambien, Valium and Seconal. Advertising plays a part and makes it appear normal to take pills. The drug companies pay millions of dollars each year to advertise on television using visions of butterflies and feel good moments on the screen while you can hear in the background all of the side effects that may occur.
Seniors are at risk for many reasons such as their long term use of prescription drugs and not question their health care providers. Many grew up in the day when the doctor knew best. The thought of asking the doctor is he or she is positive that the patient needs the drug just will not happen readily.
Some tips to follow that will decrease misuse of medications
• Do not trade medicines
• Follow prescription directions carefully
• Do not stop medication on your own
• Pay attention to side effects
• Do not crush or break up pills
• Do not increase or decrease doses without consulting your health care provider
• Take a trusted friend or relative with you to the appointment. This may give you the self confidence to question the need of the drug.
Drug interactions can cause: hip injuries, falls and car accidents can happen when older patients overuse prescriptions. Often they use over the counter medicines, dietary supplements plus their prescription medications. It is important to tell the health care provider exactly what the person is taking and the dosage.
If your family member lives alone and wants to stay in their home then you may want to consider hiring a service to go in and check on them and provide them with other services. It is not always possible for family to take care of their loved ones because of distance
, cost or family dynamics.
Welcome to our new Blog! This blog will cover the many facets that concern care for our elders. We will address their concerns with compassion and dignity.
The information will be targeted to the elderly, the families who love them and their caregivers. This blog will be THE place where you can read about the most up to date health topics and concerns for all, when it comes to elder care.
Topics will cover the latest news about new research and findings plus information about how to take steps to keep yourself and your loved ones in good physical and mental health. We will discuss how to determine if your loved one needs assistance to stay in their home.
We will suggest and provide options for care and refer you to providers and there will be information about how to help your loved one transition into facility based care if that becomes necessary.
Some of the other topics we will cover are:
- What to do as people live longer and find themselves running out of funds
- How and when to have the conversation about driving concerns, and possibly giving up one’s driver’s license
- Dealing with issues of the elderly such as how to deal with losing a sense of independence
- Some solutions to loneliness and isolation
- Transitioning to a nursing home or assisted care facility
- Losing a spouse or partner
- Recognizing the “Blues” or is it depression?
- Causes of falling and some easy tips to prevent falls from occurring
- How elders feel about not being able to attend to their own daily needs and having strangers taking care of them
- Access to health care in a rural community
Join and suggest topics that may be of interest to you and I will do my best to write about as many as I can. Welcome to our blogosphere!
