Trips to the Emergency Room (ER) can be stressful, especially for a person living with Alzheimer’s or another form of memory impairment. Symptoms and behaviors of memory impairment vary greatly between individuals, and it can be difficult for ER staff to know how each person will react in this situation. Following are some tips for professionals and caregivers to use as guidelines:
Diabetes – these days it has become almost a household disease. It discriminates against no one: young and old, family or friends, most people know at least one person with the disease. But have you heard about pre-diabetes?
This is a less known condition, but just as important to discuss because all the potential complications it presents, including progressing to diabetes itself. Pre-diabetes is what the name suggest, a state where one’s blood glucose levels are higher than they normally should be. Some may call it “borderline” diabetes. Physicians commonly refer to this state as Impaired Glucose Tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become weak and can break from a minor fall or in serious cases, from as simple an action as a sneeze. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, typically occur in the hip, spine, and wrist.
WHO’S AT RISK?
Fifty-five percent of Americans, 50 years of age and older, are at risk of developing osteoporosis. Currently 10 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease, and 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis. While women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis.
Whether your loved one is receiving home health services, visiting a doctor, confined to a hospital or recovering in a skilled nursing facility, you can improve communication with the care providers to ensure that your family member gets the best care.
When facing recovery of various degrees and circumstance the lingo can seem indecipherable. There are acronyms for every style of therapy. Terminology and jargon are used for speed and efficiency among therapists, doctors, nurses and caregivers. However, the more you know the better prepared you are to aide in your recovery process because understanding lends itself to motivation.
People hear the word “estate” and immediately their minds shift to multi-million dollar houses, personal jets and the “caviar and champagne set.” But even if you aren’t in the category of people whose decisions involve which luxury car to purchase next, or where to buy that third vacation home, you still must take time for estate planning. Every adult has an estate—whether large, small, or somewhere in the middle. And every adult should make plans for dealing with that estate should he or she become unable during life, and for passing on his or her estate after death.
Pat Colonna, writer and a senior-housing resident, recently said “Chronological age has little or nothing to do with making the decision to move to senior housing. It’s all about you.” She is absolutely right. Each individual needs to assess his/her own needs and resources before making a move. Preparing ahead is key to making the right move, at the right time, for the right reason.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can lead to damage of the eye’s optic nerve and result in blindness. Open-angle glaucoma, the most common form, affects about three million Americans—half of whom don’t know they have it. It has no symptoms at first but over the years it can steal your sight. With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.
The heat and humidity can be brutal and is probably one of the most obvious hazards that one has to be aware of in a Texas summer. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can’t be taken lightly! According to the CDC, they caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003.
Some people think managing money is fun. They read the Wall Street Journal every day, track financial news online, create and follow household budgets and even enjoy paying the bills. Others don’t get all that excited when the Dow hits a new high, a favorite stock splits, or all the credit card bills are paid off. They simply don’t enjoy money management, and they never will.
