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.

The holidays can be extremely stressful for caregivers, and it can take a little bit of effort to really enjoy the spirit of the season even while caring for an elderly family member. Here are some tips for senior caregivers to make the most of the holidays!

1. Get shopping done in advance – don’t just shop for the holidays when the season is approaching, start early. Keep your shopping list in mind throughout the year, and when you find something that you think someone in your life would appreciate as a holiday gift, buy it and store it away!

2. Get into the spirit with your loved one – involve your senior in seasonal preparations. Put up decorations together, collaborate on writing cards, and even create decorations or bake

3. Reminisce about past holidays – remember happy times in the past with your senior care recipient. Even if there are members of the family no longer with you, positive memories create positive holiday experiences

4. Remember to ensure that the senior you care for is comfortable – when family is visiting, particularly a senior with Alzheimer’s might become overwhelmed. Try to keep the noise down and give them a quiet place to escape to.

5. Plan and ask for help – for any holiday celebrations, plan early and write everything down. Then, you’ll feel less overwhelmed about the process and can better ask for help

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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.

As families gather around for the holidays, concerns may arise in regards to your senior’s mental and physical health. One of the most widespread health problems for the elderly can be depression, making it vital for families to know the symptoms and where their senior can receive help.

• Loss of appetite—A change in appetite usually results in the most common sign a senior is depressed of unintentional weight loss.

• Generally disinterest—Seniors may lose interest in daily activities they once enjoyed or found pleasing.

• Sleepless nights—A depressed senior may have trouble sleeping through the night. This can also explain another sign your senior is depressed, increased fatigue.

• Increased Irritability—Some seniors’ personalities turn increasingly agitated or dispirited when feeling low or depressed.

• Unusual thoughts about death—Abnormal notions about death and dying arise in a down senior.

• Where to get a geriatric assessment—Phoenix Seniors and senior caregivers can receive help and more information on these depression signs by visiting their primary care physician or other outlets such as hospitals, senior centers, religious affiliations, Medicaid offices, or a local Area Agency on Aging.

Source: National Pace Association

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.

Some factors that contribute to sadness that seniors may feel:

* Losing a spouse
* Losing close friends as they age
* Separated from family
* Suffering from ill health
* Feel guilty for feeling sad

Dr. Harry Croft, a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in San Antonio TX, also shared strategies he gives to his patients to help them cope with the holiday blues:

* Don’t isolate
* Invite close friends
* Volunteer - Helping others is a great way to forget your own troubles
* Avoid alcohol
* Watch your finances
* Set a budget for gift giving and stick to it
* Don’t deny or try to hide your feelings of sadness
* Take time to relive the fun and friendship

These same coping strategies can be useful for seniors suffering from clinical “major” depression as well.

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.

The inclement weather of late fall and early winter can isolate seniors, keeping them homebound and depriving them of exercise.   Why not suggest a walk in the mall where your mom or dad can window shop?

A trip to the gym or YMCA could include light weights and walks on the treadmill.   Or contact a local community center to learn what classes might be available to help you and your aging parents stay active this holiday season.

Don’t fall in the “give up exercise” trap during holidays, family visits, vacations and other time devourers, instead - make a schedule for the next few months that includes family obligations, and pencil in exercise sessions just like any other appointment. Work out at least three times a week instead of five so that while you may not build new strength, you won’t be losing ground, either.

And remember, it’s important to stay hydrated - drink plenty of water all day long, and especially before and during workouts.

Have a great holiday season, don’t eat too much, and exercise!

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.

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.

• 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.

Heart Problems Causing Heart Failure

• Coronary Artery Disease – most common form of heart disease and the most common cause of heart failure.  Occurs when there is a build up of fatty deposits, which narrows the arteries. This can deprive areas of the heart muscles of oxygen creating greater weakness.
• Heart attack – plaque formed by fatty deposits in the arteries rupture, creating a back flow of blood clots to the heart.
• Faculty heart valves – healthy valves are forced to work overtime to make up from the lack of blood flow from the faulty valve.
• Cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle) – diseases, infections, alcohol and drug abuse can all damage the heart muscle.
• Myocarditus (inflammation of the heart muscle) – often caused by a virus.
• Congenital heart defects – valves or chambers in the heart may not form correctly at birth, which requires the healthy parts of the heart to work overtime.
• Heart arrythmias – the heart beats too fast, which creates extra work.

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.

One day I received a terrifying phone call; before I even had the opportunity to say “hello”, the voice on the other line said “I think I might be having a hard attack.” The caller was my mother, who at the time was 72 years old with no previous history of heart trouble, as far as we were aware. While my first instinct was to rush to her side, living with states between us made that impossible, so instead I tried to get a grasp on what she was experiencing. Based on her disposition, I suspected she wasn’t actually suffering from a heart attack, but I knew it was important to be supportive and make a point to understand.

Not surprisingly, the first symptom she mentioned was a severe ache in her chest, but she also complained of dizziness. I encouraged my mom to hang up with me and contact the office of her physician to determine the best way to proceed in order to deal with her symptoms. The doctor said that if she felt the symptoms were severe, she should go immediately to the emergency room at the local hospital; otherwise she could come in for an appointment at his office later that afternoon so he could assess what she was experiencing.

My mom felt that her symptoms were not severe enough to go to the hospital, but opted to take the doctor’s appointment with my encouragement. Speaking to her after she returned home to the doctor, I learned that heart disease was the suspected diagnosis. Her physician said that she did the right thing, even though she was only exhibiting some of the symptoms of heart disease; dizziness and chest pain, and not nausea, shortness of breathe, an elevated heart rate, loss of consciousness, or palpitations. He explained that elders who suffer from heart disease, can experience any mix of the above symptoms, which can also include heart attack or stroke. He also said that in the future, if she experiences symptoms of a heart attack which he explained, had severe chest pain or loss of consciousness, then emergency medical treatment should be sought.

After completing further tests to ascertain a more concrete diagnosis, the doctor prescribed a course of treatments which included management through medication and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. While my mom has had no further complications to date, I still can’t help but hold my breath when the phone rings; but I know now I can put my own reservations aside and offer my support where it’s needed.

Sources: Heart Disease About.com

Heart Disease About.com

4woman.gov

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.

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.