Generic drugs can cause confusion for caregivers and risks to patients

Many seniors are taking multiple prescriptions and it is often hard to determine which medications were originally prescribed and which were substituted for generics.  Sometimes, the generics may be confusing.  

A recent New York Times column noted that the practice of giving drugs two names, a brand name and a generic name, makes no sense.   The column explained that worldwide, almost all medications have a brand name that remains patent protected for 20 years, meaning the patent holder is the sole manufacturer and distributor. That allows the holder to charge more for it.

“When drugs go generic (for example, Tylenol to acetaminophen), anyone can make them and the price tends to drop, meaning company profits drop, too. But the companies keep the brand names, and insist they be used wherever they can, because they know people tend to trust brand names more, even when there is no difference from the generic.

To make things even more confusing, we have recently seen a proliferation of look-alike, sound-alike meds. For example: Zantac is used to treat heartburn, while Xanax is an anti-anxiety medication. A list of these sound-alikes fills a full eight pages on the Institute of Safe Medication Practices website.”

The ramifications for caregivers and seniors are vital since taking the wrong medication can have serious health effects.  At Assisting Hands, our home aides can help ensure that the right medications are being administered. 

Watch out for loneliness during the holidays

The holiday season is supposed to be a nurturing time for family members to reconnect and celebrate.  But for many seniors, the holidays can bring feelings of sadness, loneliness and isolation.

“It’s not unusual for seniors to hide their feelings of isolation and sadness from family members during the holidays  because they  don't want to worry the family by displaying these feeling or try to deny them,” said Richard Ueberfluss, a physical therapist and president of Assisting Hands Chicago, with home care agencies in Naperville and Hinsdale..

Ueberfluss notes that there are many factors that contribute to those feelings of sadness, including those that have been widowed, have lost close friends as they age, are separated from family and may be suffering from ill health. They may feel guilty for have feelings of sadness which may in turn intensify those feelings of sadness.

The season also puts pressure on adult children who want to spend time with their family but feel guilty and torn about not spending enough time with their senior parents.

“A practical solution is to use home care aides who can spend time visiting and caring with senior parents.  The companionship will stave off depression and if depression is apparent, work with family members on proper remedies,” said Ueberfluss. “Nobody should be alone during the holidays and home care aides can fill the void.”

For more information visit: www.assistinghands-naperville.com  

Can Monitoring Heart Disease in Women identify early Warning Signs for Dementia?

There is new evidence that women with heart disease might be at increased risk for dementia, according to a story in HealthDay News.  A study reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that U.S. women aged 65 to 79, who had healthy brain function when the study started, were 29 percent more likely to experience mental decline over time than those without heart disease.

“The risk of mental decline was about twice as high among women who'd had a heart attack as it was among those who had not. Women who had a heart bypass operation, surgery to remove a blockage in a neck artery or peripheral artery disease also were at increased risk for mental decline.”

Quoting the study’s author, Dr. Bernhard Haring, from the department of internal medicine at the University of Wurzburg, in Germany, “Many different types of heart disease or vascular disease are associated with declining brain function, with accompanying factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which also increased the risk for mental decline.”

Although the study found an association between heart disease and an increased risk of dementia in older women, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study recommended that women with heart disease -- in particular women who have had a heart attack, bypass surgery, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral vascular disease or carotid endarterectomy -- should be monitored by their doctors for potential [mental] decline. It was highly recommended that heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes be monitored in post-menopausal women.

Richard Ueberfluss, PT
www.assistinghands.com/naperville

Choosing a Form of Care for Your Loved Ones

Just this month, another California assisted living facility in under fire for neglecting patients during a transitional period of relocation. All of this, after a mid-October suspension of license upon the discovery that medication was being improperly distributed, employees were not being given background checks, and the lack of training being provided to employees. Given the lack of facility hygiene and amidst suspicions of elder abuse, three employee caregivers serving the home without pay called police to report gross neglect.

This story is far from the first of its kind—unfortunately, it repeats itself every month, week, day across the United States. Overwhelmed by the generally sudden prospect of caring for an elderly family member who may be suffering from a varying degree of memory loss, more and more individuals are turning to care facilities. If the prospect of seeing your loved one suffer at the hands of an ill-equipped facility makes you weary but the idea of independently caring for your loved one is too much to bare, take note—there are resources available to ensure that your family member is safe, loved, and well cared for.

Seek Help

Before you make care arrangements for your family member, make sure you consult a Senior Care Advisor. These people will often work for care facilities (in home, apartment communities, independently contracted nurses, etc) but are a good resource for choosing the facility that is right for you. Often, referral agencies will be able to put you in touch with someone who can help. You can also contact the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, a professional network of advisors who may assist you.

Read Reviews

Fortunately, sites like Care Compare allow you to view user-submitted reviews for all homes or services in  their network of care professionals. This is a great way to evaluate a particular facility—if there’s a problem, someone is very likely to have written about it. Because these reviews come from individuals and families,  they’re generally unbiased and informative.

Take a Tour

Luckily, most reputable facilities will allow you to tour them as many times as you like, be they assisted living facilities or office buildings that dispatch in-home care professionals. If they refuse, this is a major red flag—seek facilities who are open, willing to work with you, and committed to finding answers for all of your questions. In these cases, rely on your instincts. If a facility or company doesn’t pass the smell test, it may not be the right fit for you.

Read

Finally, get as much information as you can from the resource at your immediate fingertips—the internet. Many individuals are blogging about their experiences with senior care, good and bad. These kinds of personal accounts of caregiving can help you make a choice that is right for you and your loved one.

Elder abuse is not the norm, but it is certainly something to be aware of as you prepare to make potentially difficult decisions regarding those you love. By being aware and informed, you ensure care that meets your needs and offers plenty of loving support for your loved one.

Madison Hill lives in Seattle where she’s still figuring out the finer points of Alzheimer’s care. When she’s not renting rowboats, you can find her sipping Starbucks and enjoying a book of poetry.

Can Referral to Home Health Care reduce ER visits?

According to Nurses.com, the CDC issued a new report on ER visits by people 65 and older, stating that 511 people per 1,000 in that age group visited an ER during the two-year period spanning 2009-10. Among people 85 and older, 832 per 1,000 visited an ER during the study period.

The numbers of ER visits by nursing home residents also rose (29.2% of patients ages 65-74, compared with 54.3% of patients 85 and older). Of those patients, 32.4% of patients 65-74 were admitted.

According to the CDC report, ER rates are expected to climb to almost 20% by 2030.
“Given their growing proportion of the population, older individuals will comprise an increasing share of emergency department patients in the coming years,” the authors wrote in a National Center for Health Statistics data brief. “This is important because of the ED’s role in treating acute illness and injury in older adults and providing a pathway to these patients for hospital admission.”

One way to help reduce ER visits is to have a trained health aide in the home to monitor patients so that a health condition doesn’t worsen to the point where hospitalization is required.   Many ER visits are attributed to home falls and improper medication dosing – both largely preventable with a home aide.

New study finds that Risk of stroke can be reduced through Vitamin B Supplements

A study by Zhengzhou University in China, as  reported in HealthDay News, found that  

taking vitamin B supplements may help reduce the risk of stroke by as much as 7 percent.  Although vitamin B supplements reduced the risk of stroke, it did not appear to reduce the severity of strokes or the risk of death from stroke.

 

Taking Vitamin B supplements has its fans and foes, with some studies concluding that taking vitamin B supplements may actually increase the risk of stroke.

 

Data from the study, published in the journal Neurology, found that “the ability of vitamin B to reduce stroke risk may be influenced by a number of other factors, such as the body's absorption rate, the amount of folic acid or vitamin B12 concentration in the blood, and whether a person has kidney disease or high blood pressure.”

 

It is advisable to discuss taking any vitamin supplements with your healthcare provider before starting a vitamin regimen.

 

Richard Ueberfluss is a Physical Therapist and owner of Assisting Hands Home Care

www.assistinghands.com/naperville

The Importance of Hydration in Preserving Joints and Preventing Falls

Proper hydration is one of the most essential aspects of maintaining good functionality of the joints and organs in the body. Many of the body’s essential nutrients are delivered through water. Some of our joints, such as the knees have no blood supply and rely solely on nutrients from water to maintain proper function. In the elderly, hydration is especially important because at their age their joints are already rather worn down.

 

The joints are supplied with nutrients through a substance called synovial fluid. This fluid fills the space between the bones and provides the cartilage tissue and joint with food. Synovial fluid is around 80% water which means that your joints do not receive a healthy flow of nutrients when you are dehydrated. Furthermore, this fluid enables cartilage to stay strong and healthy enough to provide smooth, strong cushioning between your bones and keep them from rubbing against one another. Overtime, the lack of hydration will lead to starving, unhealthy joints and ultimately lead to more rigid bones and/or afflictions like arthritis and osteoporosis.

 

Along with preserving your joints, water provides nutrients to your vital organs such as the brain. Dehydration by as little as 2-3% of your body weight can lead to serious light headedness, loss of balance, and fatigue. Many elderly experience troubles with balance or joints when they are older due to inadequate hydration over long-term periods in their life.

 

The amount of water one should intake varies from person to person and largely depends on your level of activity. Six to eight glasses a day has long been considered a good standard to shoot for but for those who are active it is recommended that you get substantially more.  According to the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine, a healthy woman should get over 11 cups or 91 oz of water a day whereas a healthy man should get nearly 16 cups or 125 oz. of water a day, from all food and beverages. Certain foods carry more water than others. The best way to monitor your hydration is by paying attention to the color of your urine. Regardless of what you eat or how active you are, clear colored urine means you are properly hydrated whereas darker, gold urine means you are dehydrated.

 

Cheryl Swanson is a writer and former geriatric caregiver who enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with seniors everywhere. She writes for the rolling walker supplier Just Walkers.

Helping Elders Address Incontinence to Prevent a Worse Condition from Developing

The importance of addressing incontinence immediately when it arises cannot be overstated. Around 20 million people in the United States alone suffer from incontinence, nearly 75% of which are women. Childbirth can very easily weaken the pelvic floor muscles enough to where urinary incontinence becomes a problem immediately after pregnancy. Given the personal and rather embarrassing nature of the symptom it is the most under reported symptom for women and the elderly.

 

Our elders are proud and don’t want to burden others with embarrassing problems but the fact is both urinary and fecal incontinence can be early symptoms of serious conditions. Bladder cancer, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and a number of STDs can all cause one to experience troubles with incontinence in their early stages. Even if the symptoms are not related to something more dangerous, incontinence symptoms can cause unwanted troubles of their own if not treated properly.

 

An all too common approach people tend to take when they find they are susceptible to accidents is to eat and drink less. When you drink less liquid the urine becomes more concentrated and less filtered, causing it to flow more yellow/gold. This less filtered urine actually irritates the bladder more and will cause one to still have to make frequent trips to the restroom even though they are not urinating much at a time.  Frequent urgent visits to the restroom can be a contributor to falls. Dramatically cutting off your food intake is unhealthy for all too many reasons and should never be considered an option.

 

Instead of cutting back on how much is eaten/drank, help them be smarter about what they put in their body. Talk to the elder about their diet. Encourage them to start only eating 3 times a day and only drinking natural fruit juices or water. These liquids are tremendously less irritable to the bladder and will help them get a better handle on urinary incontinence while still staying hydrated. Fecal incontinence is usually a side effect of another disease/disorder. In a lot of these cases a good way to handle it is to eat 3 solid meals a day with plenty of fiber. Urge the elder to eat at least 10 grams of fiber at each meal through a combination of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. This should prompt bowel movement within a reasonable amount of time after the meal and enable them to set up a bathroom schedule that will make incontinence troubles less inconvenient.

 

Regardless of how well an elder says they have incontinence under control it is always best to be cautious. Make sure they consult a doctor and rule out any worse conditions developing. Wearing incontinence briefs, having a bed pan handy, and having a healthy diet will help them manage the symptoms better and not have to live with the anxiety and fear that another incident could happen at any time.

 

Guest contributor, Martha June Whitman is a geriatric health writer who enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience form her years as a caregiver. She writes for National Incontinence, a supplier of depends diapers and tena briefs.

Does caregiver stress lead to increased anti-anxiety drug use?

A PharmaTimes story revealed that the stress associated with providing unpaid care for a sick or disabled adult is leading to a 29 percent greater use of anti-anxiety medicines among such caregivers, compared those who do not provide such care, according to research from pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) Express Scripts.. An estimated 42 million Americans serve as a caregiver to a relative or friend, and that number will grow significantly as the boomer population ages.

 

The study noted that “Use of medications to treat conditions for which stress is the common denominator - including high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and ulcers - is higher among caregivers, with the widest difference seen in the use of medicines to treat anxiety.”  

 

The study also reveals that:

- while antidepressants must be taken as prescribed in order to provide a benefit, adherence rates for caregivers who use such medicines are relatively worse than for non-caregivers, at 67% versus 73%, respectively. And across all health conditions, 64% of caregivers are adherent to their medication therapy, compared to 68% of non-caregivers;

- caregivers are more likely to rate themselves in poorer health compared to non-caregivers (15% vs 12%) and as being unhappy (5.3% vs 3.5%);

- only one in five caregivers reside in the same household as the patients in their care, with 52% living within 15 miles of their primary care recipient and another 27% living more than 15 miles away; and

- approximately one-third of all caregivers in the US provide for more than one person, while two-thirds are providing care for a patient, older relative, sibling or friend, as opposed to a spouse or adult child.

 

Caregiver stress is a serious problem, but one that can be minimized by delegating more responsibility to trained home care aides.  If anxiety and stress diminish a caregiver’s ability to provide assistance to a loved one in the home, both parties are at risk.

Call Assisting Hands for help at:  630.321.9000 Hinsdale; or 630.305.9100 Naperville. Or visit  www.assistinghands.com/naperville or  www.assistinghands.com/hinsdale

Can blood glucose monitoring prevent dementia?

According to a report in Reuters, NEW YORK seniors with high blood sugar - but not high enough to be diabetic - face a slightly greater risk of developing dementia, according to a new study of over 2,000 volunteers.

The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that an average glucose reading of 105 to 120 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) was tied to an increase in dementia risk by 10 percent to 20 percent in non-diabetics. If the reading was below 100, the risk was lower.

A fasting blood glucose of 126 mg/dL and above is used to diagnose diabetes.

Diabetics also faced a higher risk if their average blood sugar levels remained high.

The study’s author notes that this isn’t a time to get alarmed if glucose levels are high but it may suggest that “what we had thought was normal for blood sugar is appropriate for the heart and the kidney, but the brain seems to have a different idea. There is no threshold where you're safe from dementia."

There also is an indication that a parent with Alzheimer's increases the risk two- to three-fold.

Non-diabetics who had an average glucose reading of 115 mg/dL over the previous five years were 18 percent more likely to develop dementia than volunteers whose average reading was 100 mg/dL, the researchers found.

Among people with diabetes, there was a graduated risk as well. Compared to those whose blood sugar was typically 160 mg/dL, people with a much higher average of 190 mg/dL were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia.

In home care givers can remind the elderly to monitor glucose levels for safety.

Richard E. Ueberfluss, PT is a physical therapist and owner of Assisting Hands Home Care.  www.assistinghands.com/naperville

Can Exercise reduce stroke risk?

As a certified physical therapist I advocate movement and exercise for everyone, and that includes seniors.  One of the priorities I set for my home aides is to encourage seniors to move during the day.  It helps with heart health and even improves mental health.

 

Now there is evidence from a study called REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) that found that regular, moderately vigorous exercise, enough to break a sweat, was linked to reduced risk of stroke. Part of the protective effect was due to lower rates of known stroke risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and smoking.

The study looked at over 30,000 participants that supplied their medical history over the phone. The researchers also visited them to obtain health measures such as body mass index and blood pressure.

 

“Epidemiological studies such as REGARDS provide an important opportunity to explore race, genetics, environmental, and lifestyle choices as stroke risk factors," Claudia Moy, Ph.D., program director at NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke).

A stroke can occur when a blood vessel in the brain gets blocked. As a result, nearby brain cells will die after not getting enough oxygen and other nutrients.

 

If your loved one has high blood pressure and might be a stroke risk, ask your health care team if exercise might be a good idea.  We can help create a plan that is customized to the needs and capabilities of a senior.

Richard Ueberfluss, PT

www.assistinghands-naperville.com

 

How can families avoid infections?

One of our primary responsibilities as home aides is to prevent loved ones from requiring hospitalization.  Hospitalizations add great stress and discomfort to seniors, and now there is new evidence that the risk of infection rises when a senior requires hospitalization.  In fact, roughly 45 percent of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are in patients older than 65, according to Thomas File, MD, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

According to the Alliance for Aging Research some 1.7 million Americans develop hospital-acquired infections each year at a cost ranging from $28.4 billion to $5 billion

Victoria Fraser, MD, a professor of infectious disease at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, told MedPage Today reporter David Pittman, that aging contributes to decreased protections from infections such as changes to the skin and lungs. Immune response is weakened by more chronic conditions such as heart disease which accumulate through time.

"I think there's a huge emphasis on prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance among the infectious disease physician and nurse community,” said Dr. Fraser.

The report also noted that when infections do occur in the older population, the burden of illness is high and often the outcome is less favorable. Older patients are two to five times more likely to develop a hospital acquired infection. .

One of the real challenges connected to HAIs is the rise in resistant antibiotics.  About 70 percent of hospital-acquired HAIs are resistant to at least one drug.

The message is that the more prevention that can occur at home, the more caregivers can help control and prevent hospitalization. Ask Assisting Hands about our home care programs. 

www.assistinghands.com/naperville

Richard Ueberfluss PT 

Can Blood Pressure medication help avoid strokes?

As a Physical Therapist, I have been telling my patients to take their blood pressure medication and take their time getting out of bed in the morning by "rolling" to one side vs doing a sit up to avoid heart attacks and strokes.   According to another recent report in HealthDay News, failure to take blood pressure-lowering medicines as directed greatly increases the risk of stroke and death in patients with high blood pressure. 

The study’s authors report that "These results emphasize the importance of hypertensive [high blood pressure] patients taking their antihypertensive medications correctly in order to minimize their risk of serious complications such as fatal and non-fatal strokes.

They also reported that Non-adherent patients have a greater risk even 10 years before they suffer a stroke, and found that there is a dose-response relationship, and the worse someone is at taking their antihypertensive therapy, the greater their risk.

Patients who didn't take their blood pressure-lowering medications correctly had a 2.7-fold higher risk of hospitalization in the second year after being prescribed the drugs, and a nearly 1.7-fold higher risk in the tenth year, the study also found.

In the actual year that non-adherent patients were hospitalized with stroke, they had nearly twice the risk compared to adherent patients. 

Noncompliance with prescriptions is a very large problem among seniors and often contributes to hospitalizations. That’s why Assisting Hands home aides are trained in medication management to ensure that loved ones are taking the proper doses and at the correct times.   

 

Richard Ueberfluss, PT

 

www.assistinghands-naperville.com

 

Do Stroke victims suffer from PTSD?

Although post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with retuning veterans, a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that people who develop PTSD after a stroke could have a greater risk for heart problems or another stroke because of the psychological issues they endure.

 

Reporter Barbara Bronson Gray, writing for HealthDay, found that the researchers “discovered that patients who develop a serious health condition followed by intense treatment may have mental problems that frequently go unrecognized by physicians and family members. PTSD is an intense physical and emotional response to a life-threatening or traumatic event. The symptoms fall into three broad types: reliving the event, avoiding usual activities and hyperarousal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

 

Bronson warned that “unlike a soldier who can leave the battlefield, stroke patients typically return to the place where the crisis occurred. Many patients may simply see the living room chair where they had the stroke and immediately feel PTSD symptoms.

Flashbacks, nightmares, palpitations, chills, and elevated heart rate and blood pressure may occur for months or years after their return home.”

 

If you are caring for a loved one that has experienced a stroke, monitor their behavior to determine if they exhibit any unusual behavior.  Assisting Hands can provide an aide to keep company with the loved one and try to minimize any anxiety --they are trained to seek medical intervention if they suspect a patient’s condition has worsened.

 

As medical science studies stroke victims they are finding ways to detect strokes early and treat them, but also that strokes can present challenges beyond the initial incident.
Richard Ueberfluss, PT
www.assistinghands-naperville.com

Is High Salt in our diet Causing Bone Fractures?

A study of senior women at the Shimane University Faculty of Medicine in Japan found that the average sodium intake among all the women studied was 5,211 milligrams a day. The women in the top 25 percent for sodium intake averaged 7,561 milligrams a day.   Now there is evidence that having a very high salt intake is linked to a higher risk for bone fractures in women past menopause. 

Dietary guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend no more than 6 grams of salt per day (a heaping teaspoon) or 2,300 milligrams of sodium. You should go even lower if you are trying to reduce your blood pressure: 1,500 milligrams of sodium or 3.8 grams of salt per day. On average, Americans consume 3,375 milligrams of sodium per day. One quarter of adult men get more than 5,200 mg per day and one quarter of adult women consume more than 3,500 mg per day. 

Most of the sodium in our diet (about 75%) comes from processed foods; discretionary salt makes up 11% (5% from cooking and 6% added at the table).

 

The study found that women in the top 25 percent for sodium intake (7,500+ mg per day) were four times more likely to have bone fractures than women who had lower sodium intakes. This risk existed even after taking into account women's risk for osteoporosis and other factors.

 

The National Institutes of Health recommends ways to reduce sodium intake.

Buy no salt added vegetables.

Canned foods tend to be High in salt buy fresh!

Use herbs and spices instead of salt
 
Cook without salt

Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza and package mixes.
 

Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium. 

Assisting Hands can help evaluate eating habits and help caregivers shop for low sodium grocery products.  Home aides can also do the grocery shopping and help prepare lower sodium meals.  Contact Assisting Hands for more information.

If lowering sodium can help reduce the incidence of bone fractures, it makes sense to monitor salt intake.
 

Richard E Ueberfluss, PT

www.assistinghands-naperville.com

   

Are caregivers prepared for the rise in confusion and memory loss in seniors

A recent story from Bloomberg News quoted a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta that estimates that 1 in 8 Americans at least 60 years old reported confusion or memory loss in the preceding 12 months.  In addition, about one-third of those Americans also said they had functional difficulties including the ability to work or do household chores.

One of the troubling findings of the report was that only 19 percent of the people with memory loss or confusion discussed their problems with a health-care provider.   This is significant because it indicates that it delays recognition of early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.  There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and the number may triple by 2050, according to the National Institutes of Health. With as many as two-thirds of all cases of dementia going undiagnosed.

Caregivers or family members are encouraged to look for signs of confusion and memory loss and engage a loved one’s healthcare team if you suspect that they may be exhibiting early signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

Discussions about symptoms and possible causes of cognitive decline “enables individuals and family members to better anticipate needs and plan for the future,” the CDC said in a statement accompanying the report.

If you are a caregiver or family member trying to balance care of a family member with Alzheimer's and making it through each day's normal activities, contact Assisting Hands and let us discuss an in-home care program. We can help relieve some of the stress that comes with Alzheimer's care. Richard Ueberfluss, PT www.assistinghands-naperville.com

Are Caregivers Dealing with unrecognized Memory Loss?

One-third of caregivers will deal with memory loss of a loved one

By Richard Ueberfluss  

About 1 in 8 Americans at least 60 years old reported confusion or memory loss in the preceding 12 months, according to report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  This puts caregivers on the alert for early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the report, about one-third of Americans also said they had functional difficulties including the ability to work or do household chores.  Only 19 percent of the people with memory loss or confusion discussed their problems with a health-care provider.

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s (which has no cure), and the number may triple by 2050, according to the National Institutes of Health. With as many as two-thirds of all cases of dementia going undiagnosed, today’s report underscores the need of health-care workers to initiate talks with patients about the issue, the CDC said.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, here are the 10 most common signs of Alzheimer’s.  

1)            Memory loss that disrupts daily life

2)            Challenges in planning or solving problems

3)            Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure

4)            Confusion with time or place

5)            Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

6)            New problems with words in speaking or writing

7)            Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

8)            Decreased or poor judgment

9)            Withdrawal from work or social activities

10)         Changes in mood and personality

Remember that these are early signs and having one or more of these symptoms does not indicate Alzheimer’s.  It’s a good starting point for advanced monitoring. 

If you are a caregiver trying to balance care of a family member with Alzheimer's and making it through each day's normal activities, contact Assisting Hands and let us discuss an in-home care program. We can help relieve some of the stress that comes with Alzheimer's care.

www.assistinghands-naperville.com

 

 

 

 

Is sleep important to the health of Seniors?

As we age our sleep patterns change, so as seniors we may become sleepy earlier, wake up earlier, or enjoy less deep sleep.  A study of adults over 65 found that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.

So it may explain why the use of sleep medications is on the rise. But with it, come some potentially serious side effects

 

A recent HealthDay  story found that researchers studying  emergency-room cases involving sleep medications such as Ambien, increased sharply from about 6,000 in 2005 to more than 19,000 in 2010.

 

“Women were more often affected than men. The findings revealed that during the study time frame, there was a 274 percent increase in the number of women who went to the emergency room due to a reaction involving zolpidem (the active ingredient in Ambien), compared to a 144 percent increase among men. In 2010 alone, women accounted for 68 percent of all trips to the emergency room for an adverse reaction related to zolpidem, the researchers said.”

 

The study’s authors also noted that adverse reactions to these sleep aids could be worsened when the medication is taken with other substances, such as certain anti-anxiety drugs and narcotic pain relievers

 

Caregivers should look for signs that a senior might be having an adverse reaction from their sleep- medication. These include:   daytime drowsiness, dizziness, hallucinations, agitation, sleep-walking and drowsiness while driving.

 

It is important to talk with a senior’s healthcare team to see if a sleep medication has been prescribed, and determine if a senior is taking the proper dose or having adverse reactions.  While visiting, also look for over-the-counter sleep medications.

 

If you’re unsure about sleeping medication use, a home caregiver from Assisting Hands can provide guidance. 

 

by Richard Ueberfluss PT, MBA, FACHE,

president of Assisting Hands/Naperville-Hinsdale

www.assistinghands.com/hinsdale

Listen to Benefits of an Exercise Program on Conversations in Care

The Benefits of an Exercise Program for Seniors

Conversations In Care

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Mon, March 11, 2013 01:00 pm

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Join host Tami Neumann in Conversation with Richard Ueberfluss as they talk about how to create a senior exercise program.
Having been a Physical Therapist for 24 years Richard has developed a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how to develop an exercise program for seniors.
Learn how to distinguish between natural age related changes and inactivity, understand different types of exercise, safe ambulation and more.
Contact Richard Ueberfluss:
Assisting Hands Home Care
Blog
(630) 305-9100

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Exercise Program for Seniors

Senior Care

Elder Care

Physical Therapy

Exercise

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