Improved healthcare resources and healthier diets have contributed to longer life spans. However, emergency room visits among seniors remain high. In fact, people over 65 account for 20 million trips to the ER annually, and almost 15% of these patients will develop a lasting disability within six months of their visit. In this article, we examine…
Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “aging well”? It usually refers to a person’s looks, but aging well can mean so much more. It’s not just about wrinkles, sagging and spots. It’s really about health. Aging well means maintaining your health. A healthy body is naturally more attractive but that’s really just a…
Gerda Saunders served as the University of Utah’s associate director of Gender Studies until she retired in 2011. That year, her colleagues gave her a leather-bound notebook as a farewell gift. Nine months prior to leaving her job, Sanders was diagnosed with cerebral microvascular disease, a precursor of dementia. She was only sixty-one. In her…
Caregivers are the backbone of our society. Today, upwards of 30 million unpaid caregivers provide care to an adult 50 years or older in homes across America. According to AARP, the economic value of caregiving rivals that of Walmart, the world’s largest company. These statistics, however, hide an ugly truth: burnout among caregivers is high…
Dementia is a cruel disease. The often slow descent into irreversible mental decline is horrific and traumatizing. Challenges abound at every stage, and not surprisingly, caregivers are at the forefront of the battle. To make matters worse, there’s no known cure for Alzheimer’s. For caregivers, hope often proves elusive. Fortunately, there are many books on…
As we age, our risk for having a heart attack grows. We all should be acquainted with the signs of a heart attack. Chest pain or discomfort like pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw or upper part of the stomach. Shortness of breath…
The New York Times recently reported that even after 30 years of warnings regarding the dangers it poses to the elderly, use of benzodiazepine, sedative-hypnotic drugs like Valium, Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin, rises sharply with age. A study in the February 2015 edition of JAMA Psychiatry reports that 9% of those between 65 and 80…
Seniors are often more tech-savvy than they are given credit for. In fact, technology use among seniors has sky-rocketed. Today, seniors live more digitally-connected lives than ever. According to the Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 adults 65 years and older report owning smartphones. Additionally, almost 70% of seniors use the Internet today. That’s a…
With all the focus on developing our own personal fitness plans for the New Year, we forget that our senior loved ones need fitness routines of their own which take into account their specialized needs and deficits. Let’s incorporate exercise into our senior’s routine! Face the following facts: As people age, there is a loss…
Did you know that elder financial exploitation was one of the top 10 consumer scams targeting seniors in 2017? In fact, the SEC reports that seniors who develop Alzheimer’s or other neurocognitive diseases are most vulnerable to financial exploitation. In this article, we explore 5 constructive ways to stop the financial exploitation of seniors in…