Yearly Archives: 2009

Elderly Vision Loss – How to Reduce the Likelihood of Problems at Home

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New Jersey Senior Health

One of the most devastating physical problems associated with old age is the loss of vision due to such conditions as macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma.  Here are some things to consider that can reduce the likelihood of this leading to problems in the home:

  • Get rid of anything your elderly loved one could trip on, such as coffee tables, toys on the floor, throw rugs.
  • Make sure there are clear pathways within and to each room.
  • Paint doors and trim a color that contrasts with the wall colors, so they will stand out more. Do the same with banisters.
  • Put yellow strips on the edge of each step and also at the beginning and end of ramps.
  • Install grab bars for the tub and shower.
  • Ask your senior and let him or her tell you what kinds of help, if any, would be appreciated.
  • Try to be as understanding as possible during the adjustment period, during which anger and frustration may be forthcoming.
  • Studies have found that those who eat large amounts of certain carbohydrates that cause blood sugar levels to rise and then fall rapidly may have a greater chance of developing central vision loss as they age. Examples of these foods are: white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, sugar and corn syrup.
  • Encourage your senior to join a support group, where others in the same situation share their feelings about and strategies to cope with vision loss.
  • Inspire your senior to participate in vision rehabilitation programs, and then accompany him or her to some. This will teach you what your senior can do independently, enabling you to support his or her successes.
  • Encourage your senior to get counseling from someone trained to deal with vision issues, either individually or in a group setting.
  • Most people with vision loss are told to stop smoking, as smoking can double their chance of developing macular degeneration, one of the main causes of vision loss in seniors. Encourage your senior to get help to stop smoking.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

The Elderly & Broken Hips – 14 Expert Tips

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NJ Senior Health

The body faces an endless list of problems in old age.  One of these problems is brittle bones that tend to break easily and often.

There are more than 323,000 hospitalizations for hip fractures a year in the U.S., or more than 850 fractures a day. Most hip fractures occur in older women.  White, post-menopausal women have a 1 in 7 chance of sustaining a hip fracture during their lifetime.

Here are some tips on how to help your senior recover from a broken hip:

  • Talk with a physical or occupational therapist about assistive devices that can make your senior’s life easier and help him or her to be as independent as possible. These may include extra long shoehorns and devices that can help the  person who is unable to bend dress themselves.
  • With the assistance of devices, such as a long-handled sponge your senior will be able to do a lot to care for him or herself. A bath bench should also be helpful, as well as grab bars for getting in and out of the shower.
  • Purchasing a raised toilet seat and installing grab bars next to the toilet should help your senior go to the bathroom unassisted.
  • Slip-on shoes that are easy to get into and that have nonslip soles will be very helpful. Also, loose clothing that doesn’t go over the head and that can be tied in front can make dressing easier.
  • You can hire trained and certified aging-in-place specialists who can come to your parent’s home and offer advice on how to make the home as safe and fall-proof as possible. These specialists can then make the necessary adjustments to the home.
  • Other options are geriatric care managers and home care agencies whose employees have been trained to assess a senior’s home for falling risks – although your parent will then be left to make the necessary changes on his or her own.
  • Encourage your senior to improve the function of their hip by exercising daily.

Here are some general suggestions that may help to prevent a fall:

  • Rearrange the furniture to create an unobstructed passageway into and around all rooms
  • Make sure no rugs or carpets bunch up or have frayed edges that could be tripped on, and that all rugs and carpets are securely anchored to the floor.
  • Install grab bars in the bathroom and railings in all stairwells.
  • Add lighting so that all stairs, exits and entrances are well lit and pose no hazard.
  • Tape all cords to the wall.
  • Warn your senior to only carry very small loads, as larger ones could cause a loss of balance.
  • Check to see that the soles of any shoes your senior wears in the home don’t stick to the carpet and are not likely to cause falls.
  • If possible, reduce the number of medications your senior takes, as taking four or more can affect one’s sense of balance

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Get Your Elderly Loved One To Quit Smoking – 6 Key Tips

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NJ Elder Health

Does your elderly loved one smoke cigarettes?  If so, you should try to get them to quit as soon as possible. The American Cancer Society, Nicotine Anonymous and the American Lung Association can help you help your senior.

Here is what you can say to your elderly loved one to help them quit smoking:

  • Let your senior know how important he or she is to you and your family, and that you want him or her to be around to participate in your family’s life.
  • Smoking increases the risk not only of having a first stroke, but also of having another one. Smoking increases the risk of having a heart attack, as well as of developing many other health problems.
  • Smoking can double one’s chance of developing macular degeneration, one of the major causes of vision loss in seniors.
  • If your senior smokes, tell them that if they quit smoking they will reduce their chance of a heart attack and death from heart disease by 50 percent. The nicotine in cigarettes causes less oxygen to go to the heart, increases blood pressure and heart rate, as well as blood clotting, and damages cells that line the arteries and other blood vessels.
  • In addition to increasing the risk of getting diabetes, smoking also increases a senior’s chance of developing complications from diabetes, such as retinopathy, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, neuropathy (problems with feet), and more.
  • Some studies suggest smoking has been found to greatly accelerate the rate of mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Elderly ‘Home Accident’ Prevention Tips

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NJ Elder Safety

Making the necessary changes in your home or elderly loved one’s home

Is your senior citizen moving in with you or are they finding it hard to get around their own house? Here are some tips to help reduce the likelihood of accidents and give you some piece of mind:

Outside the house:

  • Add a ramp to replace steps. Maximum slope should be 1 inch for every 20 inches of length with a bolt in place for stability.
  • Add rails on both sides of steps.
  • Add non-slip, contrasting color strips on exterior stairs to help your senior with reduced vision to easily identify steps.
  • Add lighting along walkways and pathways, plus motion detectors.

Inside the house:

  • Replace door knobs with flip handles.
  • Replace swinging doors with pocket doors.
  • Visual-signaling smoke detectors have a light that flashes when smoke is detected to alert a person who is hard of hearing.
  • Increase the size of door openings.
  • Fasten rugs and mats to floors to reduce tripping with double-sided tape.
  • Add handles on both sides of stairwells.
  • Consider installing a chair lift on stairway.

In the bathroom:

  • Though it can be expensive, consider installing a roll-in shower or low-rise step-in tub.
  • Add handles and grab-bars in tub and toilets. Add hand-held shower heads.
  • If your senior is in a wheelchair, install roll-up cabinets.
  • Make sure faucets have anti-scald temperature controls.

In the kitchen:

  • Again, if your senior is in a wheelchair, install roll-up cabinets.
  • Install pull-out shelves for low or deep shelves.
  • Lower the light switches.
  • A side-by-side refrigerator/freezer will allow for easier access.
  • Install a wall-mounted oven for easier access.

General tips:

  • Be sure furniture is stable, and has no sharp corners.
  • Remove scatter rugs and clutter.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Is Your Senior Getting Enough Vitamin B12 ?

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NJ Senior Health

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms, like those of many other treatable health conditions, can be virtually identical to age dementia symptoms, senile dementia symptoms and Alzheimer’s symptoms. As many as 20% of people over age 65 have low Vitamin B12 levels. Correcting the deficiency can help your elderly loved one resume a full and normal live.

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Numbness and tingling of hands and feet
  • Paleness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Sore mouth and tongue
  • Confusion or change in mental status in severe or advanced cases (which can be confused with dementia). More importantly, even a moderate deficiency of this important vitamin and its counterpart, folic acid, may ultimate contribute to the onset of Alzheimers disease or other related dementias.

Vitamin B12 is found naturally in animal products and is also added to certain foods. Good sources of vitamin B12 include:

  • Fish and seafood
  • Meat
  • Poultry
  • Eggs
  • Cheese
  • Milk
  • Yogurt
  • Fortified foods such as cereals

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Discussing End of Life Care with Aging Parents

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NJ Senior Care Planning

Talking to your elder parents about end of life care

No one looks forward to discussing end of life issues with aging parents, but this is something that needs to and should be done.

Having the conversation is necessary so that your senior’s preferences may be honored, if at all possible, and so that your contribution to the decision-making can be based on an understanding of those wishes.

The conversation should be ongoing, rather than just occurring one time, and hopefully each time the topic is revisited it will become more comfortable, as you and your elderly loved one become more used to discussing the range of future possibilities together.

Here are some tips to help you through the discussion:

How to begin a conversation about future wishes with your senior

One way to begin is by asking your senior what their biggest concerns are for the future. This topic may evoke thoughts on the past, regrets, or a life assessment. Listen uncritically, with empathy.  Having your senior share these thoughts with you can bring you closer.

Discuss your senior’s preferences regarding housing options

While most people prefer to remain in their current home, ask your senior what they would like to do if that were no longer possible. Sometimes this conversation will bring forth your senior’s expectations about moving in with one of their children, which can be helpful to know.

Ask your senior if they feel financially secure

It is important for you to have a record of your senior’s insurance policies, such as Medicare, Medigap, prescription coverage plan, and any long term care insurance.  If your senior doesn’t already have a will, durable power of attorney and health care proxy, now is a good time to see an elder care attorney so that they can have their wishes resolved as to asset distribution and care.

Discuss your senior’s feelings about their medical care and whether or not they are satisfied with their physicians

Does your senior have any concerns about their medical care? Do they have any concerns about their doctors? Do you need to help them find better ones? What are your senior’s wishes as to medical interventions and end-of-life care?

Discuss your senior’s wishes as to death, dying and funerals

Do your parents have any preferences as to funeral and burial? These conversations are difficult, but you need to resolve them sooner rather than later. Researching and selecting specific services isn’t morbid, and can help when the time comes.  Seniors to be assured their wishes will be followed even when their adult child is feeling sad and possibly overwhelmed when arranging a funeral.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

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NJ Senior Health

Americans 60 and older have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes among all age groups.  However, before type 2 diabetes occurs, the body develops pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet at the level for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

With pre-diabetes, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but the body cannot use that insulin effectively – a condition called insulin resistance. With this condition, blood sugar gradually increases, often slowly enough that you don’t notice any symptoms.

Common symptoms include feeling tired or ill, unusual thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow-healing wounds. These symptoms happen over time, so many people don’t see them as warning signs.  The American Diabetes Association says one-third of people who have diabetes don’t realize they have the disease.

A Harvard School of Public Health study found that nearly 5,000 people (with an average age of 73) who were less likely to develop diabetes  (a 90 percent lower risk, in fact) had several traits in common. They included the following:

  • were physically active
  • ate more fiber and polyunsaturated fats
  • ate fewer sugars, starches and trans fats
  • didn’t smoke
  • used alcohol moderately
  • maintained a healthy weight

Older adults with pre-diabetes can still prevent full blown diabetes and those that have diabetes can still improve the quality of their lives.  Here’s how:

  • Assuming your doctor says you are overweight, lose 5 to 7 percent of your body weight (which is approximately 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound adult)
  • Participate in physical activity for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Brisk walking will cover this.
  • Eat a healthy diet, limiting calories and fat.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Respite Care – What Is it & Why Should You Use It?

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NJ Respite Care

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care is substitute care given so that the regular caregiver can take a break from the stress of caregiving. The respite care can be for a week, a long weekend, a day or an hour, on a regular basis or just once. It can be for an ill or fragile adult or a special needs child.

Who Gives Respite Care?

Sometimes respite care is given by family or friends, who want to relieve the regular caregiver. Or, it can be provided by paid caregivers who work for a home care agency.

How Will the Caregivers Know What to Do?

You will need to give them a check list of things to do and emergency numbers. List everything you do and check the references of the respite caregivers. For all respite caregivers, make sure they are comfortable and able to provide you with the assistance you need and that the person being cared for understands the temporary transition.

How Will I Find Respite Caregivers?

You can look for a licensed home care agency, many of who offer respite care services. Depending on the length of the respite, some nursing homes and assisted living facilities may also provide temporary respite care.

Who Pays for Respite Care?

Some local governments help pay for respite care. Check with your local Council on Aging or Social Services Department. The federal government is addressing the problem and may offer assistance. Call the eldercare locator at 1-800-677-1116, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, to see if help is available where you live.

Why is Respite Care Necessary?

Caregivers are often at increased risk of depression and other health problems as a result of the stress that accompanies being a caregiver. Having respite care refreshes the caregiver and protects them from burning out or becoming ill.

What Else Can I Do to Avoid Burn Out?

Join a support group, get adequate sleep, eat nutritious meals, and exercise daily. Take advantage of offers of help. Providing constant care is a demanding job. It’s crucial for caregivers to take a break periodically and this need is a normal part of the life-cycle of care. Support groups can help with guilt and frustration or just help caregivers keep morale high.

If you are caring for a loved one, you need to take care of yourself so that you can continue to provide that care. Finding quality respite care is an excellent means to an end.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ elderly, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have home care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

Seniors and Post Surgery – 6 Tips for a Speedy Recovery

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NJ Senior Health

Here are some tips to help your elderly loved one recover from surgery:

  1. In the hospital room, whether your parent is uncomfortable and needs attention, or has a sudden turn for the worse, having a caregiver who will immediately get help could have a significant impact on your parent’s recovery.  You can work out a rotation system to provide 24-hour coverage, with each family member or caregiver sitting by the bedside a certain number of hours.
  2. Let your senior know that you are there for them either in person or by finding or paying others.  This will increase the pace of emotional recovery from the surgery.
  3. You should attend post-surgical doctors’ visits with your parent or loved one because they tend to forget what the doctor said or what they wanted to ask. Having someone take notes, ask questions and in general advocate for the patient can be tremendously helpful.  The more you understand about your senior’s condition, the more helpful you can be.
  4. Following post-surgery instructions might be a problem for your elderly loved one.  If this involves dietary changes, let them know that you realize how hard it is, but that you want them to be there for you and your family, and that following doctor’s orders will allow that to happen.  When you eat with your senior, try to restrict your own diet to the one they must follow.   If your senior was told to stop smoking or drinking, do likewise.
  5. When coping with post-surgery sleep problems, talk to the doctor about sleep medications. Relaxation techniques used before surgery have been shown to lower the degree of pain experienced by patients afterward.  The relaxation techniques also help control post-surgical anxiety and enable some patients to sleep better.
  6. You may notice a change in your senior’s personality after surgery.  Older heart surgery patients can become very emotional afterward, cry frequently, and worry about death.  As a result of anesthesia, they may have a difficult time returning to the way they were before the surgery.  In the initial stages, those reactions are normal, but if they continue, then it might be a good idea for you and your senior to seek professional help.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ seniors, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have elder care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.

NJ Seniors – How to Identify and Stop Elderly Abuse

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NJ Senior Safety

The victim of senior abuse is typically female, 70 years of age or older, and physically or mentally impaired. She usually lives with and is physically and emotionally dependent upon the abuser. Most studies indicate the abuser to be the daughter or son of the victim.

It is a far ranging problem that affects millions of elderly people.  Elder abuse is not something that most elders would ever talk about comfortably. Usually they are very dependent on the person doing the abusing, which creates an even more complicated situation that may be difficult for them to talk about.

Elder abuse does not tend to occur by bad people. There is a connection between adult children who care for elders and alcoholism or mental illness. But a lot of what occurs in elder abuse is done by caregivers who are very stressed by their role and don’t know where to turn for help.

Here are risk factors in a caregiver that can lead to abuse:

  • Inability to cope with stress.
  • Depression
  • Lack of support or isolation
  • Substance abuse and mental illness
  • History of violent interactions

Here is a closer look at some questions and answers concerning senior abuse:

What is senior abuse?
Elder abuse is when a caregiver harms an elderly person. Elder abuse can be physical, emotional or verbal, including financial exploitation and neglect.

How can you spot abuse?
If it’s physical abuse, you’re looking for changes in established patterns, which could be changes in the behavior or personality of the elder if they seem more fearful or afraid.

Are there continuous unexplained injuries?
Yes, but often the abuse is emotional, which is more difficult to spot.  In this case, look for threatening kinds of behavior, which tends to be a little harder to identify, but over time becomes evident.  In neglect, you will see a senior who is left alone in unsanitary living conditions. They might have a physical problem like bedsores or may have lost weight.  Financial exploitation usually results in checks being written out that shouldn’t, unexplained withdrawals from the account, lots of unpaid bills, or the elder telling you that someone came by and took money.

What can families do if they think an elder is at risk?
Find help, whether it’s from other family members or formal providers. Not being alone, not being isolated, talking to helpers, going to support groups, all of that will diminish their feelings of isolation.

When do you know it’s time to step in and intervene?
If you see something you don’t like, think about it, talk about it, report it, do whatever you have to, just don’t ignore it.

Are there organizations or social services that can step in?
States differ on who is required to report abuse and they differ on the definition of abuse and neglect, so you have to look at your own state.  To simplify this process, AARP has put together this State-by-State Elder Abuse Resource List.

Posted by: Frank Esposito, Vice President of Expert Home Care.  New Jersey’s Expert Home Care provides professional and reliable home health care and companion care for NJ seniors, helping them with their daily living activities since 1984. Please call us toll free at 800-848-2336 when you have elder care related questions or need assistance for a loved one. Get a Free Home Care Assessment (a $375 value!) when you mention this post.