Can Your Loved One Safely Drive a Car?

In general, senior citizens are less distracted while behind the wheel than younger adults. In fact, more senior citizens wear their seat belts (as drivers and passengers), drive slower and in better weather condition, and do not drive after drinking. With all of those good driving habits, one would think that accidents among with senior citizens would be rare, but that is not the case.

According to the CDC, more than 5,560 older adults were killed and more than 214,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2012. That equates to 15 older adults (of 92 total people) being killed in car crashes every day! Part of the reason that so many seniors are killed in car crashes has to do with the fact that they are more susceptible to injury, along with having other medical conditions that could become worse in an accident.

Here are 4 things you can do to make sure your senior loved one can stay safe behind the wheel:

• Make sure they get regular eye exams. A senior’s eyesight could change dramatically from year to year. By having a regular exam, you can feel more confident that they can clearly see where they are going and any obstacles around them.
• Have their primary physician or pharmacist review their prescriptions periodically to make sure there are no harmful interactions that could impair driving.
• Have them get some physical activity as often as possible. If your loved one is physically in good shape, it is less likely that a minor fender-bender would be life-threatening.
• Pay attention to their mental cognition. If you find them repeating themselves more often or if they can’t remember where they’ve been, you might want to have a cognitive check done. You do not want your loved one to be confused when they are driving.

Driving is a privilege that very few people will willingly give up. Even if your loved one has their hands at 10 and 2, their seat belt on and radio off, it is important that they stay safe on the road in other ways.

At Assisting Hands Home Care we can provide your loved one with safe transportation to and from doctors and other appointments, grocery shopping or other errands. Whether you need someone to be with your loved one during the day, in the evening or overnight, we can accommodate your needs. You will sleep better knowing that your loved one isn’t home alone when they need help with medication, fall prevention, personal care, eating or other needs.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.

Risk of Daily Low-Dose Aspirin is Outweighed by Benefits to Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes

A Senior Journal story related the fact that more than half of older Americans – those age 45 through 75 – take an aspirin every day, even though this use is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration for most people who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine quotes a story that confirms that aspirin use is continuing to surge, especially among adults who are using it for "primary prevention."  Essentially seniors take aspirin in order to prevent an initial cardiovascular event, and in some cases to prevent cancer.

A national survey of more than 2,500 respondents aged 45-75, 52 percent reported current aspirin use, and another 21 percent had used it at some point in the past. The average age of respondents in the survey was 60. A different report found that aspirin use increased 57 percent between 2005 and 2010.

The downside of aspirin use is that it is essentially a blood thinner and can cause bleeding events, which is a primary reason some medical experts recommend caution in its use, even at the "baby aspirin" dose of 81 milligrams often used for disease prevention. The FDA has determined that in primary use to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, for every such event that's prevented, there's approximately one major bleeding event that's caused, such as gastrointestinal bleeding.

Despite the risks, the U.S. preventive Services Task Force recently issued a recommendation that men and women aged 50 to 69 consider taking low-dose aspirin if they are at a high risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Several cardiologists took exception to the recommendation due to the bleeding risks. They want to see the recommendations carry more restrictions.

However, the physicians do admit that for men and women aged 50 to 69 who are at an increased risk from cardiovascular disease, the benefits of low-dose aspirin outweigh the risks. As an added benefit, a low-dose aspirin regimen also helps decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.

   

Some other findings of the survey include:

• The strongest predictor of regular aspirin use was a patient having discussed aspirin therapy with a health care provider.
• About 35 percent of people who don't objectively have risk factors that might merit aspirin therapy still use it.
• About 20 percent of people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, and should be on aspirin therapy, do not use it.
• A majority of both current and previous aspirin users rated themselves as being somewhat or very knowledgeable about it.
• Among aspirin users, the reasons cited for its use by respondents was for heart attack prevention, 84 percent; stroke prevention, 66 percent; cancer prevention, 18 percent; and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, 11 percent.
• Significant predictors of aspirin use included people who were physically active, ate healthy foods, had achieved a healthy weight, managed their stress, tried to quit smoking, and/or had undergone health screenings.

Osteoporosis Drugs Are Effective but Be Wary of Side Effects

By Richard Ueberfluss

More than 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men over fifty will suffer from an osteoporosis-related fracture.

Osteoporosis occurs when bone breaks down faster than it is replenished, leaving the skeleton porous and brittle.  Women lose bone density more rapidly during menopause, so they are more susceptible to osteoporosis than men.

Multiple medications, poor vision and balance problems also make older people more likely to trip and fall — one of the most common causes of hip fracture.

A hip fracture almost always requires surgical repair or replacement, followed by months of physical therapy. Taking steps to maintain bone density and avoid falls can help prevent hip fracture.

The good news is that hip fractures have dropped by 30 percent since 1995, according to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal.

The drop in hip fractures is puzzling, according to experts, because fewer Americans are taking drugs that help control osteoporosis.

In fact, use of osteoporosis drugs has dropped by more than 50 percent in recent years.  One of the reasons is that the drugs often come with serious side effects, such as sudden bone fractures.

The New England Journal of Medicine has estimated that for every 1,000 women with osteoporosis who were treated up to five years with bisphosphonates (a class of drugs that treat osteoporosis such as Fosamax and Reclast), they prevented100 fractures, and only caused one.

Doctors are split on ways to treat osteoporosis.  The Journal for example, quoted orthopedic trauma surgeon at the National Institutes of Health, who recommended that while bisphosphonates are effective, until someone has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, they shouldn’t take the drug for at least five years.

Whether or not medications are used, men and women with osteoporosis should have a senior care agency look for potential tripping hazards in the home that may cause falls.

If osteoporosis patients live alone, many families are using caregivers to stay with the patient to help prevent falls and teaching seniors how to minimize the dangers from falls.

Contact us today to schedule your free in-home fall prevention assessment at 630-305-9100.