Tag Archives: health

Aging Health Issues

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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.

Doctors are faced with questions everyday regarding even the most common ailments. Many people who experience these symptoms write them off as minor and may not seek medical attention when it’s needed. Here we provide you the information you need to determine whether your symptoms may indicate a greater medical issue.

What could it mean when you’ve experienced unexpected weight loss?

• Diabetes (symptoms include weight loss, intense thirst and frequent urination)
• Depression (experiencing weight loss, apathy and insomnia)
• Stomach Ulcer (indicated by weight loss, severe and recurrent upper abdominal pain)

Why is your cough persisting even after you’ve recovered from a respiratory illness (i.e. the flu)?

• Pneumonia/lung inflammation (cough worsens as opposed to improving)

What might the sudden onset of an itchy rash mean?

• Anaphylactic shock; a severe allergic reaction to medication, food or bug bite (signs may include the appearance of hives, and swelling around the mouth or face). Emergency treatment is required!

When might your severe headaches be telling you?

• Tumor (symptoms are blurred/double vision, loss of peripheral vision, instability when standing or walking, nausea and/or vomiting)
• Aneurism/mild stroke (sensation described as “unlike anything you’ve ever felt before, with a sudden onset of symptoms)

When could your chest pain be more than indigestion?

• Heart attack (experiencing severe pain in center of chest, also felt in shoulders, arms or back, nausea and sweating and/or shortness of breath)
• Angina/ arteriosclerosis; hardening of the arteries (symptoms include dull heavy chest pain brought on by physical strain or extreme emotion which disappears with the reduction of physical and emotional stress)

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or have concerns about any persistent medical issues, please contact your physician as soon as possible.

Senior Fitness

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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.

The National Institutes of Health recommend four types of exercises for seniors who want to stay healthy and independent (and who doesn’t?). Sharon O’Brien reports on them for About.com

Strength exercises build older adult muscles and increase metabolism, which helps to keep weight and blood sugar in check.

Balance exercises build leg muscles, decreasing the chance of falls (leading cause of admission into nursing homes).

Stretching exercises give you more freedom of movement. It’s particularly important that older drivers do stretching exercises because not being able to turn your head adequately, for instance, will limit your range of vision.

Endurance exercises are any activity – walking, jogging, swimming, biking, even raking leaves – that increases your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Build endurance gradually, starting with as little as five minutes of activity per session.

For details on the exercises and how to get started, go to http://seniorliving.about.com/od/exercisefitnes1/a/4seniorexercise.htm.

NJ Senior’s 2009 Resolutions

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Setting Realistic Goals for the New Year

Every year we make New Year’s resolutions, and sometimes we set our expectations of ourselves so high that they are lifestyle changes we can’t keep up with throughout the remainder of the year. This year, seniors should set goals for themselves that are realistic and consider their lifestyle and physical abilities. Those who are not already focused on exercise, nutritional and maintaining their overall health should make 2009 the year to improve their lives.

In order to establish a healthier lifestyle in the New Year seniors should incorporate 30 minutes of daily exercise into their regular routine. Seniors should pick activities within their physical abilities, like walking, swimming or other cardio exercises that get them moving and get their heart rates up.

Nutrition should be another major focus in 2009; seniors should eat healthy, well-balanced meals that include fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s important that their diet includes fiber, vitamin D, calcium and that limited amounts of sodium sugar and fat are consumed. Since many seniors have challenges preparing and cooking healthy meals, as part of their New Year’s resolutions they can hire a professional to assist them with these tasks to ensure that proper nutrition remains a priority.

As the New Year approaches, it’s time for people of all ages to plan for the future; putting greater emphasis upon health will secure a longer, happier life.

7 Tips on Keeping the Weight Off

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While there are many ways to successfully lose weight, most people regain it over time. Ongoing research is now giving us insights into how to keep the weight off.

The National Weight Control Registry makes these suggestions:

* Keep eating fewer calories.

* Eat a healthy breakfast.

* Exercise regularly. More than 90 percent of people who’ve kept the weight off use physical activity as part of their weight-control program.

* Weigh yourself daily. If your weight begins to creep up, make a plan to get back on track.

* Beware the fast food. If you do eat fast food, eat it less than once a week. Do not eat out more than three times a week, at any type of restaurant.

* Don’t be a couch potato. Successful weight losers watch less than ten hours of TV per week — much less than average. Try to exercise instead of eating while you watch.

* Be consistent. Those who “go off their diet” on weekends, vacations, or holidays have a harder time keeping the weight off.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/index.aspx?puid=dc54f5d2-47ca-473b-aea1-c787005f3004&p=19&xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyLiving_20080920

September is Healthy Aging Month – NJ Elder Home Health

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September is Healthy Aging Month – Because there’s lots of living left to do…

Visit Healthy Aging often for quality healthy aging information – September is an annual observance month designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older.
http://www.healthyaging.net/index.htm

Healthy Food – for those who want to age healthfully and enjoy good food.

How many times do you think.. yuk, healthy food? It gives the connotation that healthy food is bland and flavorless.. rather than thinking it is better for us. Healthy food can inspire us and motivate us to cook with exciting, great tasting recipes that please our palate! For healthy eating recipes and more, go to healthyagingfood.com. http://www.healthyagingfood.com/

In addition to eating healthy habits is adding more activity and exercise into one’s daily routine. New Jersey Seniors know it’s good for us but avoid it like the plague. The reasons being we are familiar with being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous and painful to be worth the effort given.

But what is beneficial to know is movement is movement -  the more you do, the healthier you’ll be. Even doing moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a big stride in gaining a healthy body.

Just adding a little movement to your life can:

Reduce the risk of stroke, diabetes & heart disease

Have a positive effect on our joint stability

Improve range of movement

Maintain flexibility

Help maintain bone mass

Prevent osteoporosis and fractures

Improve our mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

Enhance self esteem which makes us happier people

Increase and improve memory in elderly people

Reduce stress

Even the small changes, adding movement to your day, and adjusting to a more modest weight, you will gain many benefits. One study exists that shows just a 10% weight reduction helps obese patients to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and increase longevity.

For help when caring for an aging relative at home go to Expert Home Care and call 800-848-2336.