Stay up to date when preparing to file your taxes. Learn more about how to take advantage of all the tax deductions and credits available to seniors.
Heart attacks occur when there isn’t enough blood flow getting to the heart, preventing it from getting the oxygen it needs to function. This naturally is a dangerous condition, one that can result in lasting tissue damage, and in severe cases, even can cause death in the individual suffering one.
For many people, the pandemic has been a time where much time has been spent quarantined in one’s home, and didn’t spend as much time going out or seeing others. On the other hand, public health experts came to tell us that socializing outdoors was a far safer option than staying indoors and doing it. Events of all kinds, from weddings, to family visits, to church services all picked up stakes and moved to the great outdoors as weather permitted.
While we may be in the middle of winter, you can always find seasonal produce from nearby farms at your local farmers’ market. Eating locally has become a trend in recent years for health and environmental reasons, and for supporting local small businesses and farmers. Local food travels a much shorter distance to get to you and that means it’s fresher, higher in nutrients, and reduces carbon footprint.
Finding a caregiver for a loved one can be a daunting task. They’ll need to be reliable, trustworthy, competent, and compassionate. But how do you know what to look for? There are some key qualities that go towards making someone into an excellent caregiver.
With the world heading into the fourth year of dealing with the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, it can sometimes seem like the virus is old hat, something we’re merely living with now, and an unfortunate fact of life. But the fact is the virus remains as potent and debilitating as ever, and older people are known to be more at risk of serious illnesses due to coronavirus. Those with pre-existing medical conditions and those who are immune system compromised are at a particular risk. The vast majority of older adults do not live in residential facilities, despite popular perception, and are instead cared for by their family members. Therefore, the coronavirus is especially worrisome for those who are living with their elderly loved ones in a multigenerational home.
Alcohol abuse is an insidious condition that can creep up and affect all demographics and cohorts, and the aging population of seniors are certainly not immune. For men and women over the ages of 65, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse considers just one drink per day to be moderate alcohol use. Therefore, heavy drinking is defined as having more than two drinks per day. Estimates have concluded that between 2 and 13 percent of individuals over the age of 60 are currently suffering from alcoholism.
Do you feel isolated during the holidays? Learn more about different ways you can reach out to friends and family online.
The only constant in life is change, and the amount of happiness and satisfaction we feel with our lives depends on how we adapt to those changes. Some changes may be sudden and unexpected, such as the loss of a loved one, a life-changing injury, the end of a relationship, a financial setback, or a new diagnosis of a chronic illness. Other changes are slow and inevitable, which can both give us time to contemplate and adjust as necessary, and also give us ample time to agonize and dread over what’s coming. But with the right habits and mindset, our senior years can be fun, fulfilling and productive.
Alzheimer’s disease is a cruel and crippling brain disorder that slowly eats away at a person’s memory and thinking skills, and will eventually even take away the ability for them to carry out the simplest and most basic of tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, and despite what you may have heard, is not a normal part of the aging process.
Many older Americans grew up in a time and culture when smoking was not only commonplace, it was heavily advertised to them and even encouraged, being portrayed as a habit that was glamorous and sophisticated. Pick up a stack of magazines from the 50’s or the 60’s and not only will you see many, many glossy, full page advertisements trying to entice readers into buying cigarettes with beautiful models and exotic locales, you’ll probably be quite surprised to see that many of those advertisements even feature doctors, nurses, and other health professionals lighting up cigarettes while speaking glowingly about the health benefits of whatever particular cigarette brand the ad is trying to sell to you.
We all tend to see the holidays as a fun time of year when we gather with friends, family, and other loved ones to come together and celebrate time honored traditions. We share meals, raise glasses, and enjoy each other’s company and bask in the shared warmth of good cheer and feelings. For many of us, these traditions include favorite and seasonal foods, perhaps with recipes passed down through the family over generations. After all, who doesn’t look forward to things like brined turkey, sweet potato pie, green bean casserole, and other dishes unique to our families and regions?
No one wants to end up confined to a bed and become a bedridden patient, for any reason. But the sad reality is that things like illnesses or infirmity brought about by the aging process may incapacitate someone, preventing them from moving or standing, which causes them to spend most, if not all, their waking hours laying in bed. For obvious reasons this is incredibly depressing and mentally taxing. If you have a loved one who is bedridden, consider going out of your way and making time to purchase and gift them something to cheer them up and let them know you’re still thinking of them.
Gift giving for seniors, as an age group, can be particularly challenging. After all, having lived their lives and collected many possessions over the years, there’s often not much they want or need, WIth some creativity, however, you’ll be sure to have them smiling when they unwrap their gift.
While we’re all familiar with the basic form of a wheelchair, that is to say, a chair with wheels mounted to the sides to aid in mobility for people who have difficulty or are unable to walk under their own power, most people do not know that there are actually numerous types and designs of wheelchairs, each with their own unique features to serve any number of unique mobility situations.
A poll from the University of Michigan in 2022 found that over half of adults aged 50 or older have helped with at least one care task for another adult over the age of 65. Whether these tasks were health related, personal, or anything else, they all represent a significant investment of time, energy, and emotion for the person giving the care, even if they love their charge very much and have given their help freely.
One of the saddest realities facing us in today’s world is that many senior citizens are unfortunately vulnerable to financial scams. According to a Bloomberg report, the elderly demographic in the United States collectively loses $37 billion annually as a result of scams.
Of all the myriad ways available to keep your brain healthy and supple as you age, one surprising method that few of us might ever think of is video games. While video games have been maligned over the years as a source of concern for parents worrying about their children becoming lazy or mindless junkies, the truth is that a study by the University of Montreal found that subjects who played video games had more gray matter in their hippocampus after playing. The hippocampus is an important part of the brain, as it is primarily in charge of the various memory functions, such as short-term, long-term, and spatial.
As the holidays approach us rapidly, it is important to remember a few helpful tips that will make everyone’s lives easier when senior loved ones come to your home for an extended visit. Your elder loved ones may have a few or several needs that you will need to address to make sure their visit is as fun as possible for everyone involved, not to mention easy and stress free. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind for this coming season.
The aging process brings many joys, such as seeing children and grandchildren grow, having more time to spend on leisure activities and hobbies, and focusing on the parts of life that matter most. But for 18% of adults aged 65 or older, depression looms as an ever present threat to steal those joys. Depression is a treatable medical condition and should never be considered a normal part of aging. While aging may make treatment complicated, relief from symptoms is always possible.
While we often ask and also hear the question “How are you doing?”, it’s most of the time just another way to greet someone. Detailed answers to the question, ones that really go into detail about how someone is actually doing, especially in regard to their health, work, or personal life, are rarely expected or given.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, most always shortened to COPD, affects millions of Americans, and is more common in older adults. Research has shown that approximately ten percent of Americans aged 75 or older are currently living with COPD, but the actual percentage may be much higher as many cases of COPD go undiagnosed. COPD is a progressive disease, meaning it worsens over time, and it is one for which there is currently no cure. Fortunately, there are treatments available to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
October is American Pharmacists Month, which makes it the perfect time to recognize the important role that pharmacists have in serving the health needs of our senior citizen population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 7 out of 10 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 use at least one prescribed medication, and around 1 in 5 take at least five medications.
We humans are social animals, and we thrive on contact with one another. Communication is a fundamental aspect and facet of relationships and the way we all interact and bring meaning to each other. Unfortunately, all too often, that communication breaks down and becomes more difficult as loved ones age and their health and capacities decline. For those adults aging through their twilight years, the prevalence and complexity of communication disorders increases with the onset of diseases and conditions that result in cognitive decline, such as strokes, or dementias like Alzheimer’s disease.
The last thing that any hospital patient and their family wants, no matter the age, is a sudden and unexpected return trip to the hospital or the emergency room. In-home medical care can help seniors released home from the hospital with things like medical treatment, therapy, and help with the essential daily activities of life.