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What are the Early Symptoms of Heart Disease?

Heart disease is the number one health problem in the U.S. today. It is the number one killer of both men and women.

However, heart disease can actually mean one of several health problems. For instance, there is coronary artery disease, which is what most people think of when they think of heart disease.
There are also other health issues in the heart disease category, including things like abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease and vascular disease.

All of these can be serious health problems if not treated.

One of the things that can be an early symptom of heart disease are the risk factors for people who are more likely to get heart disease. These health risk factors include being male, at an older age, having a family history of heart health problems, being a post-menopausal woman, and being of the African American, Native American or Mexican American race.

If a person has one or several of these risk factors, it can be an early symptom of heart disease or heart health problems.

Other risk factors include smoking, high cholesterol, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight and having uncontrolled diabetes or stress.

One of the most common signs of heart health issues is angina. This is pain, discomfort, heaviness or aching in the chest, or in the areas of the shoulder, arm or jaw.

Read full article.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides senior care, home care & live-in care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

“HOLIDAY BLUES - DEPRESSION IN THE ELDERLY.”

“The holiday season is quickly coming upon us.  If you are a caregiver for an elderly loved one, you may notice a change in your loved one’s mood as the holidays approach.  Perhaps you are one of many, who visit elderly parents and family during the holidays who live a distance away.  When you visit you may notice that loved ones are not as physically active, or they show symptoms of fatigue or sadness and have no interest in the holiday or in their surroundings.…” read the entire article by going to the link below

Please go to the following URL for the entire article and previous articles: Either click on the link   http://www.planforcare.org or copy and paste the following into your browser:  http://www.planforcare.org

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

There are roughly 70,000 centenarians in the United States. About one-third are doing quite well and living without any cognitive impairment or other functional disability. Estimates are that by the middle of this century, 800,000 Americans will be centenarians.

The increased scientific attention to longevity has uncovered some common characteristics among centenarians:

Geography may play a role. Growing up in harsh physical environments may be an advantage. Scientists have observed a prevalence of centenarians in a belt running through the Dakotas and Minnesota up through Nova Scotia. Sardinia and Okinawa also have disproportionate pockets of centenarians, yet no one knows why.

It helps to be female: 85 percent of centenarians are women, but male centenarians tend to be in better shape than women. Women who have children after age 40 stand a greater chance of living to 100.
People who live to the age of 100 are born to relatively young parents.

Genetics is a big factor, but lifestyle is critical, too. The Adventist Health Study at California’s Loma Linda University found that members of the Adventist faith with good lifelong habits such as healthy diets, exercise and not smoking had an average life expectancy of about 10 years longer than the U.S. population as a whole.

A sense of humor is important. “We wonder if that’s part of some interesting personality traits that are conducive to managing stress well,” according to Perls. When he asked a husband-centenarian how he kept his centenarian wife happy, the husband said, “If I told you, you’d lose your job.”

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

Americans Much More Worried about Retirement, Health Costs

Americans’ confidence in enjoying a comfortable retirement has dropped to its lowest level in seven years, according to the 18th annual Retirement Confidence Survey® (RCS) conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The percentage of workers who were very confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement decreased sharply, from 27 percent in 2007 to 18 percent in 2008, a decline of 9 percentage points and the biggest one-year drop in the 18-year history of the survey.

More than half of retirees (54 percent) say they are now more concerned about their financial future than they were right after they retired, a 14 percentage-point increase from a year ago (40 percent in 2007).

In addition, health-care costs are a big concern for retirees. Among those who left the workforce earlier than planned, more than half (54 percent) say they did so because of health problems or disability. Almost half of retirees (44 percent) say they have spent more than expected on health-care expenses.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

More Younger People Buying Group LTC Insurance

Sales of group long-term care insurance policies jumped in 2007, while the average age of buyers dropped.

More than 62 percent of group LTC insurance buyers are now under age 55, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance’s 2008 sourcebook reveals. Nearly 10,000 employers groups now offer some form of employer-sponsored long-term care insurance.

The research also examines group LTC insurance claims and finds that four of the nation’s largest group long-term care insurers paid a cumulative $172.1 million in claims during 2007, a 16.9 percent increase over their benefit payments the prior year.

Interestingly, nearly 12 percent of those receiving first-time benefit payments from their group long-term care insurance were under the age 60, the report shows. Payments for home care accounted for nearly 40 percent of claims, while payments for nursing home care equaled 44.5 percent.

Reproduced with permission of CD Publications’ “Selling to Seniors.”

For more information, visit www.seniorsnews.net or call 1-800-666-6380.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

Q. Senior clients tell me they have difficulty sleeping. What can they do to get a better night’s sleep?

A. No matter what your age, getting the proper amount of sleep is essential to physical health and emotional well-being; it is just as important for seniors as it was when they were younger.

Difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep (insomnia) is a frequent concern for seniors. Levels of growth hormone, which promotes deep sleep, and melatonin, which regulates sleeping and waking cycles (circadian rhythm), decrease with age.

Other causes of sleep difficulties may include certain health conditions, medications, consumption of alcohol or caffeine and a decrease in bladder size. A reduction in activity and exercise levels, not spending enough time in the sun, psychological stress, and sleep disorders such as Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), may also be challenges to getting and staying asleep.

Try the following suggestions for a good night’s sleep:

• Keep to a regular sleep schedule, every day; even on weekends.
• Expose yourself to sunlight. At least two hours of bright sunlight each day increases the body’s production of melatonin.
• Separate yourself from noises. Try earplugs.
• Adjust your bedtime to concur with when you feel like going to bed.
• Develop bedtime rituals. Try a relaxing bath.
• Check with your doctor to see if your medications may be interfering with your sleep.
• Take care of your psychological health. Try meditation or relaxation techniques.

For more information check out the following; http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_aging.htm and http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article29583.html.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides live-in care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

Are you reluctant to talk about your memory loss? 

Seniors in New Jersey fear Alzheimer’s disease more than heart disease, stroke and diabetes. They fear it so much that elders and seniors with memory loss stay in a state of denial. They will conceal their memory loss from physician, family and friends. 

During screenings, 73 percent of seniors said they had concerns about memory, but only 30 percent said they had shared that with anyone. Of those who did, most told their spouse. Only about 25% shared that memory loss concern with their doctor. Men are almost three times more likely than women to keep quiet about memory loss.

Although Alzheimer’s disease is by no means the only cause of memory loss, an estimated 4.5 million now have the disease – a number that is expected to grow to more than 11 million by the year 2050. While memory screening is relatively new, it will likely grow in usage as one way for individuals to begin to assess concerns about such memory changes, said researcher Sandra Timmerman, Ed.D.

Awareness of memory loss needs to increase in New Jersey and all across America. We also need more education about memory loss and the importance of evaluation to determine whether one may or not have a problem that requires intervention. The earlier the intervention, the better one’s quality of life can be.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

MAKE CAREGIVING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

• While it may seem easier to push your feelings aside, acknowledge them and let yourself experience the emotions. The best thing to do is to ask yourself why you are feeling that way, address the issues, and then you’ll be able to move on.
• Alter or modify your environment to boost your mood, you don’t need to make drastic changes to make a difference. A small change like lighting a candle, burning some incense or putting on great music or a movie can help relax you and change your mood from negative to positive.
• Admit what you’re dealing with to the people you work with. You don’t need to keep it to yourself, and may find that other co-workers may be able to provide you with much needed support and could even have gone through similar things. Your boss may be more understanding if they recognize your situation in advance, although you shouldn’t take advantage of any kindness extended.  It’s better to talk about what you’re dealing with, then to try and keep in a secret.
• Ask for help from your family, friends and professionals. These people can be great resources for information, and can also help you out when you’re in a bind. Asking for help is the first step towards establishing a support network.
• Recharge your batteries by engaging in activities you enjoy, whatever they may be. You need to remember to take care of yourself, or you won’t be much good to anyone else!

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us when your loved one needs help - 800-848-2336.

MAKE CAREGIVING A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

Many people don’t realize that caregivers are under a great deal of stress. They make many sacrifices, and are forced to juggle all the responsibilities in their lives. In order to properly provide for their loved one, caregivers need to ensure that the caregiving experience remains a positive one.

1. Visualize a time when you felt content and light-hearted any time you become stressed, or even feel trapped. Take a deep breath, smile, laugh and let the energy from the positive memories take over. This method will help eliminate the physical symptoms, like a knotted stomach, constricted throat, shallow breathing or tightness in the chest.

2. Have help ready by identifying your ‘support squad’. This may consist of other family members, friends of yours or friends of the family. Make a list of people who can help you in some way and assign each of them roles. Your support squad can help you in any way, from giving you an emotional boost, helping provide care, or taking you out to socialize.

3. Don’t wait to call someone in your ‘support squad’ when you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities. It helps this person feel valued, creates a deeper bond, and is a great way to relieve your own stress.

4. Recognize your own negative thinking and ask yourself questions about your thoughts to gain a more positive perspective. Questions may include the following:  Is my thinking helping or hurting me? What would I tell a friend who was having similar thoughts? What is my real percentage of responsibility in this situation? What small step can I take to make improvements? What are the solutions?

5. Set realistic goals that are easy to achieve, rather than becoming discouraged when you don’t meet a large goal immediately. Plan how you will meet the minimal goals, while keeping the optimal large goal in mind; however, do remember it will take time to get there, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

New Jersey’s Expert Home Care for Elders and Seniors provides care for your aging loved ones since 1984. Please call us if your elder lives alone, we provide quality and fulfilling senior care companionship in New Jersey - 800-848-2336.

One is the loneliest number for NJ seniors and elders…and unhealthy, to boot.

Loneliness is a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older people, and because of this could increase the risk of death by stroke and heart disease.

In a paper titled, “Loneliness is a Unique Predictor of Age-Related Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure,” published in the journal Psychology and Aging, researchers Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo found lonely people between the ages of 50 and 68 had blood pressure readings that were as much as 30 points higher than non-lonely people, even when other contributing factors were taken into consideration.

“Loneliness is a complex physiological phenomenon that incorporates feelings of dysphoria (opposite of euphoria) and stress, dissatisfaction with social support and hostility toward others,” according to the paper. It already has been associated with higher incidences of other health issues, including alcoholism, depression and insomnia, and even impaired immune functions.

Expert Home Care recommends that elders living alone - create more activity outside the home. Rrequent visits to your local senior center can help and it’s not costly. Ask us! We can help - 800-848-2336.

Glen Hast, Certified Senior Advisors