Senior Magazine

More and more people are staying active as they age. This is healthy, but playing team sports, jogging or doing other high-impact activities that repeatedly pound, twist and turn the knees can stress aging joints. Highly active, middle-aged patients may develop painful knees as a result of osteoarthritis (OA)—a painful condition occurring when the cartilage lining on the ends of bones gradually wears away.

The increase in the number of retirees, longer lifetime expectancies, the decrease in appetite for risk, and prospects for lower returns of both equity and fixed income, have all caused people to re-think retirement investment assumptions. Old “rules of thumb” work well until the underlying assumptions change.

Chronic pain is classified as pain that has lasted for six months or more. Those who suffer from chronic pain experience first-hand the impact their pain has on their own life and the lives of their loved ones. Many believe they have to just “live through” the pain; some are dependent on pain killers. It is likely that you or someone you know lives with chronic pain as 1 in 5 people have chronic pain.

Do your fingers feel numb or tingly when you perform strenuous activities with your hands? Do you wake up during the night because your hands feel like they are asleep and you need to shake them out to get the feeling back? If you answered yes, you may be experiencing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) which affects 4-10 million people annually.

You’ve lived with pain in one or both knees or hips for years. Activities such as golf, hiking, bike riding or perhaps even daily chores are a thing of the past or limited as best. Like many others, you’ve tried various medications, treatments and physical therapy—all to no avail. You’ve thought about knee or hip replacement, but quickly dismiss it as an option after envisioning a long hospital stay, extended recovery and results that may be only slightly better than your current condition.

No one wants or plans to be in a traumatic accident, but if you or your loved ones face that “curve in the road,” the Trauma Services team at Penrose-St Francis Health Services is ready to provide award-winning, premier healthcare.

“Trauma care starts when the patient arrives in the emergency department and ends when the patient is discharged,” said John Gentzel, Penrose-St Francis Trauma Services program manager and nurse. “The ever-present goal is to return the individual back to an optimal state of health and well-being.”

Pain has a fundamental constituent that is its primary foundation, its essence; that essence is inflammation. Inflammation (Latin: inflamatio for to set on fire), is a process that initially is a protective mechanism in the body to help repair injured tissues and restore health. If this process is left unchecked, rather than healing we are instead, “set on fire” and tissue destruction occurs. In the spinal canal, this inflammation is directed at the nerves and results in their swelling, increased sensitivity, and often dysfunction. Research tells us that without inflammation there can be no pain and that most, if not all, human medical frailties are linked to this.

Your kids fought over who would sit in the front seat of the car. Do you really think they’re going to agree about dividing your estate? Not likely as every probate attorney can tell you horror stories about families torn apart by greed and old animosities upon the death of a parent.

Connecting with patients, escorting visitors and cuddling newborns, Memorial’s volunteers are an indispensable part of the health system. Though these hard workers vary in age, retired seniors seem to be drawn to volunteering at Memorial.

The Seven Levels of Healing® is a leading-edge integrative oncology program for anyone touched by cancer. The program was created by Jeremy Geffen, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist and an internationally renowned pioneer and expert in integrative medicine and oncology. It is facilitated by specially-trained RMCC staff and is free-of-charge to anyone touched by cancer: patients, family members, loved ones and health professionals.