Seniors Taking Antidepressants More Prone to Falls

Recent research has shown that seniors who take prescription antidepressants and pills to help seniors and elderly sleep are at a higher risk of experiencing a fall. Falls can be serious for seniors. Aside from the pain associated with the fall, seniors feel a loss of independence if an injury is sustained. Most seniors are at risk for these falls, but those who are on antidepressants are 1.5 times more likely to experience a fall. The reason is because most antidepressants have a sedative in them. The following list contains some facts relating to senior falls.

1. Elderly individuals are usually more sensitive to prescription drugs. They cannot metabolize the medication as well as younger patients. This can cause adverse events, including falls.

2. One third of Canadian seniors who reside at home experience at least one fall per year.

3. 90% of hip fractures are caused by falls. Of this percentage, 15% of the patients will have to move into a long-term care facility.

4. Any drug that contains a sedative, including antidepressants, anti-psychotics, sleeping pills and some high-blood pressure medications, will increase the risk of a fall.

Source: Toronto CTV CA

Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 602.588.7725 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Home Instead Senior Care created and designed the 40/70 Talk with Parents. Please use it as a helpful guideline to start a conversation with your parent about tough issues. Sign up - on the left under Special Offers to receive our free Conversation Starters Guide.

View our Video on 40/70 Talk: Starting Conversations About Care For An Elder

In the research of seeking advice on family meetings when addressing our aging parents home care & critical life’s decisions, we like some families would rather chew nails than have select members give advice or opinion on how parents should live out their lives. Even though we come from the same blood line, each one of us are so different. It’s like comparing a woman to a man. We share different attitudes, perspectives, life experiences and joys, and fears.

• Start with immediate family then add extended family and friends for subsequent meetings if this would be helpful. Include the elder person in the meeting if at all possible.

• Make sure you can hear each other – literally, reduce background noise, check to see what has been heard through review, summary, etc.

• Consider large print or recorded material if resources or other written materials need to be reviewed together.

• Have ground rules such as agreeing to talk with the whole group together rather than member to member outside the meeting, can call time out if necessary, be polite and respectful of each other, no walking out.

• Stay focused on the purpose: “helping the parent maintain independent living as long as possible” or “developing a plan of care” or “planning for facility based care,” “home care” etc. Don’t wander into past hurts or past promises. It is a new day with new questions to consider. Eldercare is a process that changes over time and new plans and decisions come up.

• Respect each other’s opinions and listen to each other, especially to the elder person. Different opinions can be respected.

• Create an agenda and use it to stay on task.

• Identify someone to take notes and share them with everyone. Ensure that your elder can read the copy he/she is given. This can be used later to remind people of their agreements, responsibilities, and commitments.

• Consider a neutral 3rd party or professional to facilitate the meeting.

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Aging Factors and Other Illnesses Causing Heart Failure

• High blood pressure (hypertension) – requires that the heart work overtime to pump the blood through the body.
• Diabetes
• Severe anemia
• Hyperthyroidism
• Emphysema
• Lupus
• Hemochromotosis
• Viruses that attack the heart muscle, severe infections, allergic reactions, blood clots in the lungs, and certain medications might cause acute heart failure.

If you or an important elder in your life have a family history which includes any of the above diseases or ailments, ensure these issues are discussed with your family doctor so your risk of heart failure can be assessed and treated. The potential for heart failure doesn’t have to be a looming fear, with proper diagnosis and treatment, effects can’t be reversed but severe damage can be prevented. Remember, a healthy life means a healthy heart, so take care of yourself through a well-balanced diet and regular exercise, and you will be rolling in the benefits.

Source: MayoClinic.com

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Are you a Phoenix senior who is dealing with obesity? You could be facing an increased risk for disabilities.

Obesity in and elder’s life does not make a substantial difference to the risks of death among older people, but it is a major contributor to increased disability in later life, according to a study from Peninsula Medical School in England. It’s like “a ticking time bomb”.

Research study shows that 4,000 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging who were 65 and older  -  the higher an older person’s Body Mass Index, the more likely he or she was to develop mobility problems or to develop difficulty carrying out everyday tasks.

It is important research because a growing proportion of the population is aged 65 and older are overweight. In fact, in most developed countries, middle-aged and elderly adults are more likely to be obese than people in any other age group.

The research team recommends older people talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional about their weight, and take their advice regarding slimming down if they are overweight.

The findings are significant, as increasing numbers of older people and higher levels of being overweight will put an immense strain on health and social services.
Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

When seniors are looking to interact more with their grandchildren and stay healthy at the same time, we suggest challenging a grandchild to a week of walking!  Wear a pedometer - both you and grandchild - you will be able to count the steps each day for a week. Then continue to use the pedometer throughout the year, striving for a 20-percent increase in step totals, and aiming for 10,000 steps a day.  This also is an activity that our CAREGivers do with clients of Home Instead Senior Care Austin.

Walking Tips for Seniors:

* Our upcoming Fall season can be the perfect time to start walking!  The weather is cooler. Fall colors are beautiful. And senses and memories can come alive during a stroll through a nearby park.
* As you walk look at the colors, sounds, smells and feel of the leaves. Reminisce about the things enjoyed  while growing up and the middle years. There are wonderful stories that will stimulate memories.

Before you start your walking - your natural shock absorbers (or “fat padding”) in seniors’ feet deteriorate with age. So does bone density, particularly in women. Combined, these factors make seniors prone to stress fractures. Softer ground produces less shock than harder surfaces and is more foot-friendly. If possible, walk on grass or dirt paths which are flat, even and well-manicured.

Be on the alert later in the fall when cold weather becomes an issue. The cold can cause numbness, limiting the client’s ability to detect trauma or wounds to the feet. It also makes surfaces harder, resulting in more shock to the feet and ankles with every step. When the weather gets too cold, or in our case now, too hot, continue your walking in the local mall, an indoor track or an exercise facility.

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

At the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies reported a link between normal sleep and healthy aging. A study first reported strong associations between disturbed rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older, community-dwelling men. A separate study found that less daytime sleeping and fewer complaints of insomnia best predicted successful aging in the women.

“It is uncertain whether the relationship between rest/activity circadian rhythms and mortality in older people is casual, or whether rest/activity circadian rhythms represent a potent biomarker related to increased risk of death,” said Misti L. Paudel of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Researchers at the University of California-San Diego assessed 2,226 women ages 60 and older for use of sleeping aids, daytime sleepiness, napping, insomnia, early morning awakening, snoring, overall sleep quality and sleep duration, U.S News & World Report says. Based on the results, 20.8 percent of the women were categorized as “successful agers.”

“Our findings reinforce the idea that good sleep is of utmost importance for good health,” said study author Sonia Ancoli-Israel. “Healthcare professionals need to ask their patients – of all ages – about sleep and help those with poor sleep to find ways for improvement.”

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Use simple communication methods to increase not only hearing, but comprehension for your elderly loved ones.  Here are some tips to ensure communication in a way that benefits a senior struggling with loss of hearing:

-  Converse in a quiet environment (no background noises from traffic, music, television, or others engaged in conversation)
-  When speaking with a senior, always ensure you lower the pitch of your voice, since high frequency sounds are the first ones to go ( a condition referred to as presbycusis)
-  Speak slowly, and remain conscious of the pace since seniors can’t process information and listen as fast as younger people
-  Ensure that the older adult is actively engaged and able to hear what you are saying, even by stopping to confirm information
-  Maintain eye contact and make use of non-verbal signals so that your body language supplements your speech
-  Keep in mind that shouting or raising your voice is not usually beneficial for seniors with hearing loss
-  Make sure your speech is clear and your words are enunciated
-  Ensure there is appropriate lighting in the environment  and  attempt to eliminate drastic changes in lighting to aid with vision
-  Provide seniors with written materials and text that are easy to read, with large print
-  Be aware it is easier for seniors to interpret visual cues during the day, when exposed to natural light

When hearing loss occurs, it becomes a family affair. If someone you know is nervous about assistive devices, go with them to consult with an audiologist and help with the decision, and do everything you can through communication to increase their overall quality of life as it relates to hearing.

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Improper use of a walker lands approximately 47,000 seniors in Phoenix and nationwide in the hospital each and every year for treatment of injuries related to accidents from walkers. When used properly, a walker provides support and stability; but if it’s used incorrectly, it can actually do more damage than good. Here are a few of the common mistakes that seniors make when using their walkers, and what seniors should do instead to make sure that they remain safe and accident free:

• Walkers aren’t adjusted to the right height, cause seniors to stoop and providing inadequate support that can result in falls, and causing aches and pains

• Seniors don’t use their walker to get up from a couch or chair. Anytime they go to get up, their walker should be directly in front of them, and used to pull them up

• Seniors move their walkers too far ahead when walking with it, which makes them strain to reach it and puts them in a more precarious position than if they weren’t using it in the first place

• Seniors don’t receive training in walker use from a rehabilitation clinic or physiotherapist

• Seniors might borrow a walker from a friend or family member, that wasn’t selected specifically for them or adjusted to the right height or size.

Sources:

1. The New York Times

2. About

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

Q – My mom was recently diagnosed with a critical form of long cancer. While her Phoenix doctors have been unable to predict exactly how long she has, it looks pretty good that this disease will take her from us. I’m trying to do everything I can to offer my support to her, but I have to admit, I’m dealing with a lot emotionally. What can I do to cope with my mom’s illness so I can be the best caregiver possible to her during these trying times for the whole family?

A – It’s perfectly normal for you to go through your own grieving process once you’ve learned that your mother has a critical illness. While it’s important that you’re there for your mom, you also need to take care of yourself, and there are 5 ways that you can try and cope with your loved one’s pending mortality:

1) Remember, it won’t be easy for anyone, and no one expects it to be

2) You will feel a variety of emotions, ranging from sadness, anger, and guilt

3) Allow yourself to run the gamut of emotions and release them in a way that helps you to cope

4) In order to cope, keep a journal about what you’re feeling, talk to a therapist or join a support group

5) Remember, everything that you feel is normal; everyone reacts differently to stressful family caregiving situations!

Sources:

1. Caregivers Library

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.

As the adult daughter of an 80-year-old widowed father, I have read that one of the biggest risks to a senior’s safety is falls.  What causes them and how can I help protect my dad?

Inner ear disorders – often called vestibular disorders – are a common cause of dizziness in older adults, which can lead to imbalance and place seniors at a higher risk for falls, according to a recent study.

An estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults age 40 and older have vestibular dysfunction and it only gets worse with aging, according to a report in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Yuri Agrawal, M.D., and colleagues at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 5,086 adults who participated in the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

Participants completed a balance questionnaire, which determined history of dizziness and falls, and underwent in-person balance testing that involved standing on different surfaces under varying conditions (for instance, with their eyes closed).

As determined by these tests, the overall prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in the U.S. population aged 40 and older from 2001 through 2004 was 35.4 percent. “Odds of vestibular dysfunction increased significantly with age, were 40.3 percent lower in individuals with more than a high school education and were 70 percent higher among people with diabetes mellitus,” the authors wrote.

Individuals with vestibular dysfunction were more likely to report having dizziness and a history of falls. The 26.8 percent of participants who had symptoms of vestibular dysfunction, including dizziness, had an eight-fold increase in the odds of falling.

Encourage your father to get a complete physical examination and make sure that he asks about ear and hearing issues or balance problems that he might be experiencing.  If he is having hearing issues, ask him to take you or someone else along on his appointment.

If you feel your dad is unsafe at home, having a caregiver/companion with him, even a few hours a day, could help put you both at ease.  Contact Home Instead Senior Care for more information.

Source: Home Instead Senior Care

Image Source: pro.corbis.com

Greater Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative & Central Phoenix Assisted Living Alternative helps elders and seniors live safely at home. Call 623.583.5868, 602.265.8228 or 480.991.3959 for Home Care and Independence.