Its that time of year again! Flu season is upon us and seniors should get the influenza vaccine before the flu season starts.

Influenza vaccines are a safe and effective way to help people stay healthy, prevent illness, and even save lives. As people age, they may be at higher risk of complications from influenza. For this reason, seniors age 65 years and older are advised to get an inactivated influenza vaccine, or flu shot, each year.

Visit a local pharmacy, a flu clinic or your doctors office to get your free flu shot.

The number of older adults in the United States is at an all-time high and continues to grow. 

Technology and medical advances have created longer lifespans and allowed people to live longer with chronic diseases. People born in the Baby Boomer generation are benefactors of those advances. As they grow older and live longer, the
United States will see the number of Americans 65 or older double in the next 20 years. At that time, the senior population is expected to reach 72 million people.

Issues surrounding health care are becoming more prominent in the United States as the population ages. A lot more people will be taking from the country’s health care resources. Home care may be a feasible way to cut down hospital stays and a less expensive way for people to continue their medical treatment.

As the number of seniors is expected to skyrocket, it will become increasingly important for people to educate themselves about the medications and medical devices they use.

Many Medications Have Dangerous Side Effects

Older Americans are affected by a variety of health problems, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Many of these conditions are controlled with prescription medication.

Navigating the landscape of these medications is difficult. While many drugs do help people manage their chronic diseases, they may also have side effects.

Diabetes affects nearly 11 million seniors. There are a slew of drugs on the market to control type 2 diabetes. Many of them are successful in controlling diabetes, but a significant number of people have reported dangerous side effects.

Popular diabetes drugs like Januvia, Byetta and Victoza have been linked to cases of pancreatitis, thyroid disease and even pancreatic cancer.

Caregivers know that keeping up with all of this information is easier said than done. Because many people with chronic illnesses and conditions tend to have more than one ailment, it is important to keep track of all of the medications and make sure heath care providers are aware of them too.

Dangerous Devices Can Do Harm

Medical devices are also an important part of senior health care.

Longer lifespans, combined with the effects of arthritis and lots of wear and tear, have increased the need for knee and hip replacements. Joint replacement is intended to ease pain and restore mobility. 

People who receive a new joint have to go to physical therapy in order to learn how to use their implant and strengthen the surrounding muscles. Caregivers can play a major role in the recovery process by helping a person do daily tasks, taking them to doctor appointments and watching out for potential side effects – like dislocation, infection and blood clotting. 

Hip implants that are made out of all-metal materials can cause injury in patients by failing prematurely or causing side effects like metal poisoning.

Caregivers should look out if issues like pain or stiffness last beyond their usual healing periods. If they notice the patient having ongoing problems, it may be the result of a defective device and the patient should feel free to explore avenues of compensation for having a faulty device. 

Caregivers should speak with the surgeon to get helpful tips on how to make life easier for a person with a new knee or hip. One of the main things caregivers can do is make sure the home environment is as comfortable as possible. Once the patient starts going to physical therapy, the surgeons and the therapists will update caregivers on their roles.
In time, the pain should be expected to go away and the patient should regain a lot of their mobility and independence.


 

We are excited to announce we will be having guest writers contributing to our blog, to help give out as much information as possible!
Our guest writers come from the Public Outreach Team for DrugWatch.com
Their organization is an awareness group that aims to educate the public about prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and medical devices that have the potential to cause patients serious harm. Their website is continually updated with drug recall news, drug interactions, side effects, and current developments in the medical field.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Home Sweet Home Care For Seniors!!!

You've noticed some changes in your thinking. Maybe you misplace your keys often or have trouble coming up with the right word in conversations. How do you know when these changes are a "normal" part of getting older, or if they might point to a health problem, such as dementia?

How the Brain Typically Ages  

As you age, your brain's volume gradually shrinks. When this occurs, some of the nerve cells in your brain can shrink or lose connections with other nerve cells. In addition, blood flow within your brain slows somewhat in old age.

These age-related transitions are thought to be behind the changes in cognitive function many people notice as they get older. Everyone has lapses in memory from time to time, but significant memory loss is never a normal part of old age. It's important to talk with your doctor if you or a loved one is experiencing whose memory loss and other cognitive symptoms that are interfering with your normal activities and relationships.
 
Brain Changes That Lead to Dementia  

Dementia is the impairment of mental functions including memory, language skills, perception, reasoning, and judgment. There are several different causes of dementia, including: 

• Alzheimer's disease. The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, occurs when nerve cells in
  the brain become damaged or die, which leads to a gradual decline in cognitive ability.


• Vascular dementia. Vascular dementia, the second leading cause of dementia, occurs when the nerve fibers in the brain are damaged by cerebrovascular or cardiovascular problems – most often strokes.


• Lewy body dementia. Lewy body disease is when brain cells located in certain areas of the brain die, leaving abnormal, protein-filled nerve cells known as Lewy bodies.


• Frontotemporal dementia. Frontotemporal dementia occurs because nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of their brain degenerate, which can interfere with brain activity and result in brain cell death.


• Other types of dementia. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, Huntington's disease, head trauma, and other health conditions can affect nerve cells in the brain, leading to symptoms of dementia.

Dementia can strike anyone, but certain factors increase your risk for developing it, including: 

• Advanced age


• Family history of dementia


• Smoking    


• Excessive alcohol use


• Atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque in the arteries)


• High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol


• High levels of homocysteine


• Diabetes  
   
   
  
  Tips for Staying Mentally Sharp as You Age  
  
  
  Promising research indicates that taking the following steps may help keep your mind sharp as you age: 
  
• Control cholesterol problems and high blood pressure.
  Cholesterol problems and high blood pressure can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, which are thought to contribute to the development of certain types of dementia.


• Don't smoke or drink excessively. Because these are both seen as putting you at increased risk of dementia, kick the habit if you smoke and, if you drink, do so only in moderation.


• Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity is thought to help maintain blood flow to the brain and reduce your risk of conditions such as high blood pressure that are associated with the development of dementia.
   
• Eat a healthy diet. People who consume plenty of vegetables and fatty fish and keep away from saturated fats are thought to have a lower risk of cognitive decline.
   
• Stimulate your brain. Keep your mind active by increasing your level of social interaction, learning new skills, playing challenging games, and doing other activities that require your brain cells to work. People who are more socially and intellectually engaged have a lower risk of developing dementia.