Providing healthy and nutritious meals is essential for seniors. Learn some tips on improving seniors' dietary habits and making meal times more enjoyable.
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic began and brought the idea of disease prevention to the front of our minds, many people have been wondering about what extra steps they can take to protect themselves. Though we have vaccines for the COVID-19 virus and for seasonal influenza, there are always extra measures and tools at our disposal. We learned during the pandemic that distancing, masking, and frequent hand washing and disinfection protocols can lower our risk of contracting diseases of any kind. But many of us are also wondering what we can do to boost the strength of our immune system and help our body’s natural line of defense. For seniors, this is a greater challenge due to the changes brought about from age.
Experiencing a stroke can be a life-altering event for seniors. Learn some practical tips and advice catering to your parent's recovery.
As we age, some of the changes that our bodies go through can make driving a less safe activity for seniors. Eye diseases, arthritis, memory problems, side effects from medications, and more, can all make it harder to street, react to conditions on the road, and make decisions behind the wheel.
There has been a great deal of research done recently which has shed light on what has been called an “epidemic” of loneliness among seniors. The University of Michigan published a study which found that 25% of adults have reported feeling lonely. And you may not know this, but loneliness is in fact a health problem. Many experts have listed it among health concerns such as smoking or obesity in terms of causing negative health outcomes.
While it is entirely possible to work out at home or outside, joining and working out at a gym has numerous advantages. For one, there is a large amount of space and a wide variety of equipment and machines, all allowing you to perform many exercises that would be otherwise difficult or impossible at home. Staff and instructors teach classes for you to follow along with, and can show you the correct and safe way to use machines and perform exercises. Gyms also provide a place to exercise in the event of bad weather, and many health insurance plans offer discounted or even free gym memberships.
There is certainly no doubt that you’ve heard something about the terrible epidemic of opioids that is sweeping the nation, ruining and costing so many lives in the United States.
Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms in a large vein, most often in the lower leg, thigh, pelvis, or arm. The clot can not only cause temporary or permanent damage in the vein where it forms, but there is another risk of it breaking free.
In the United States, more than 30 million people are currently living with diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that happens when levels of blood glucose, more commonly known as blood sugar, are too high.
Maybe your trips to the supermarket produce section are limited to grabbing a few tomatoes, bananas, apples and an onion or two for a basic selection of fruits and vegetables.
When the word travel comes up, most people have different images come up in their minds. For some, it means jet-setting off to a exotic, tropical locale. For others, a simple road trip out to see tourist stops along the highway, or maybe an all-inclusive cruise through the Gulf of Mexico.
Addressing vitamin deficiencies in seniors is crucial for their well-being. Learn its importance and how to include them in meal planning effectively.
It can be a real challenge for family members to ensure their senior relatives are protected from threats. Learn how to keep them safe from online scams.
Our teeth and gums change as we age. The years of wear and tear will take a toll, often leading to thinning enamel and broken or lost teeth. And even when teeth are repaired, with crowns, fillings, root canals or bridges, they are still less hardy. And gums recede, leading to sensitive areas of the teeth not covered by enamel to be exposed.
Dementia is a collection of symptoms that can occur due to a variety of diseases. They include impairments in thought, communication, and memory. Currently, there is no cure for the symptoms or the diseases that cause them, and the best way to combat it is to adopt a healthy lifestyle and hopefully prevent it. For care providers and family members of the elderly, it is important to be aware of the early signs of dementia.
Many of us are not alone in feeling tired and sleepy. According to the CDC, one in five adults suffers from insufficient sleep every day. As we get older, adequate, restful sleep can seem to slip away from us. Creating good sleeping habits when you can will pay off later in life.
It is typically around 40 years of age that many people start to notice changes in their eyesight caused by aging. And in the United States, there are more than 142 million people that are currently over the age of 40. It is predicted that by the year 2030, more than 90 million people will be age 65 or older, and one in six of these people will have a vision impairment that will not be able to be corrected by glasses or contact lens. For people in these age groups, awareness of common eye symptoms can help them seek quicker treatment in order to prevent vision loss.
Family matters in a very important way when diabetes is the subject. Families often share the risk of diabetes. Knowing your family history is important. If you don’t know your family health history offhand, it’s time to do some research and ask around in the family. For example, who in your family is currently living with diabetes? And who may or may not have had it in the past? Knowing if your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents suffered from diabetes is important information. Knowing this can encourage you and other family members to be tested for diabetes, which is important because if undiagnosed and left untreated, the disease can lead to serious health problems, such as blindness, loss of mobility or limbs, kidney failure, and heart disease.
You may or may not have once heard the term “elder orphans” during the past year or two. This term was coined to describe those seniors who do not have a spouse or children who can assist them as the needs of their care change as they age. It is currently estimated that about twenty two percent of older adults today fall into this category, with the number only expected to rise as time goes on.
As we age, it’s harder to get a good night’s sleep. We may find ourselves in bed for hours, unable to drift off to sleep. Or, we might find ourselves sleeping right away, but then experience a period of wakefulness in the middle of the night, perhaps waking up at 4am and then being stuck staring at the ceiling until dawn. Painful health conditions and some medications can interfere with sleep. And middle of the night bathroom trips can get us up out of bed, of course, and even if we are getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep, we might not feel rested for the next day.
As we age, our daily habits and activities can start to take a toll on our well-being. Find out the benefits of writing letters by hand for seniors.
Mental health is an important part of our overall health and well-being. Discover the different ways spring cleaning can help with your mental health.
A healthy diet is important for your overall bodily health, but it’s also very important for the health of your eyes. Proper nutrition that provides essential minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants can help you in the prevention of serious eye conditions. A healthy diet can keep you from developing eye conditions such as cloudy vision due to cataracts, vision impairment from age related macular degeneration, glaucoma, dryness of eyes, and poor nighttime vision. Oxidants can damage our health in negative ways unless counteracted by the intake of antioxidants in the diet.
To a doctor, the way an older adult walks can reveal a lot. It can capture a snapshot of overall functioning and well-being, provide insight into a senior’s mobility and independence, and give foresight into fall risk, hospitalization, and future disability.
Everyone alive is aware of the harmful effects of smoking, but the problem with nicotine addiction is that just being informed as to the negative health outcomes isn’t necessarily enough to stop. Any doctor under the sun will suggest for you to quit smoking, and your loved ones will certainly feel much better in their twilight years living a smoke-free lifestyle. But wanting to quit and actually quitting successfully are two different animals. Consider the following ways you can support and help facilitate your loved ones’ desire to give up their smoking habit.