Health Risks You Should be Aware of with Veterans

Chances are that your dad, uncle, grandfather or a female relative has served in one of the armed forces. My dad was in the Army, stationed in Key West during the Bay of Pigs invasion. It may have seemed like a prime place to be stationed, but not so close to Cuba during those trying times! On behalf of everyone here at Assisting Hands® Home Care, we thank all Veterans for their service. We hope that they were not killed in the line of duty – the reason for the Memorial Day holiday; to remember those who were died while serving in the military.

As we remember those who have died defending our country, we focus on those veterans who are still alive. Below we identify the added health risks they may face. Most of these factors are prevalent whether the veteran you know is young or old.

• Higher Risk of Heart Disease. Veterans who suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) may have blood vessels that don’t expand as much as non-veterans, leading to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. According to a researcher from the University of California, San Francisco, there needs to be more research into the relationship between mental health and cardiovascular disease.

• Suicides. Beginning in 2008, the rate of suicides in the Army outnumbered those of civilians. Almost one-third of suicides of military personnel involved alcohol or drug use. Depression and PTSD are suicide risk factors that should not go unchecked.

• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). U. S. veterans have almost a 60 percent greater risk of contracting ALS than the rest of the population, according to the ALS Association. Researchers are still looking for the link between military service and this incurable disease.

• Cancers and Other Health Problems Associated with Agent Orange Exposure.Veterans who served in Korea or Vietnam and were exposed to Agent Orange are at an increased risk for several diseases, including cancers, type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, heart disease and more. It is even more important that these veterans and their loved ones take care of them in the hopes of preventing one of these diseases.

At Assisting Hands® Home Care we take pride in helping our veterans, as well as civilians. They have done so much for our country; we are honored that we can be with them when you can’t be there. Our caregivers are trained to look for these symptoms and can get help quickly. 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 have peace of mind 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.

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.

Are your elderly parents getting the sleep they need?

Have you ever tried to fall asleep but just couldn’t? Or have you fallen asleep just to wake up in the middle of the night and then you can’t fall asleep until just before the alarm goes off? Are you staying awake to care for elderly parents? Sleep is such an important factor in our lives; it controls how we behave, our mood, our energy level, healing and growth.

While we are in National Sleep Awareness Week, we thought we would look at 6 things you can do to get a better night’s sleep.

1.      Have a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. By creating a routine, you body’s biological clock will get used to it and you will sleep better.

2.      Track your sleep. Write down when you go to bed, how you feel, if you wake up – and how long and how many times. Also track what you did, ate or drank close to bedtime. This may help you identify certain foods or activities that could be affecting your sleep.

3.      Wind down. Don’t go from fully active to bedtime in a couple minutes. Take time to prepare yourself: have your things together for the next day; brush your teeth, hair, etc; relax in bed or practice some deep breathing/meditation.

4.      Skip alcohol before bed. When the alcohol levels in your body start to drop, it signals your body to wake up. So even though you may think alcohol will help you fall asleep, it won’t keep you asleep for long.

5.      Create ‘white noise.’ Buy a ‘white noise’ machine, CD or MP3 download that will block outside noises or distractions from within your own home. This will help you clear your mind and focus on falling asleep.

6.      Don’t let your pets sleep with you. Cats are especially active in the late night/early morning hours and may want you to be awake when they are. Have you ever been nudged in the middle of the night for no reason except they wanted you to know they were there? That doesn’t help your sleep. It may be time to have Fluffy or Spot find another sleeping space away from yours.

When you are the primary caregiver for a loved one that needs help throughout the night, you can’t get the sleep you need to take care of yourself because your focus is on your loved one.

At Assisting Hands Home Care we want to take that burden off of your shoulders. If you can get the rest you need, you will be able to take better care of your loved one, yourself and your family – in addition to a job or other activities that you have. 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.

When Is It Time For A Daily Money Manager?

By Wendy Einspar

Think of the mail coming into your home, the bills that need to be paid, the calls or emails that should be made about your insurance, wills, retirement planning and more. Now imagine handling all this with impaired eyesight, decreased hearing, arthritic hands, or failing memory.

Many of us wish we had someone to handle the day-to-day personal paperwork, bill paying and interactions with advisors. Daily Money Managers can fill that role. However, the support of a Daily Money Manager (DMM) is even more critical for seniors.

A DMM for busy professionals often works alone in the clients’ homes (or virtually from theDMM’s office) while the clients are at work. DMMs for seniors, more often than not, work with their clients in their homes and have special skill sets to help their clients navigate between dependence and independence. In addition, the DMM for seniors needs to have an incredible array of resources available to guide the senior and the senior’s family to the right decisions about legal documents, long-term care planning, housing options, care management, financial asset management, household management, and more.

 Signs That a Daily Money Manager Is Needed By a Senior:

• Complaints of too much paper
• Bills not being paid
• Medicare, secondary insurance, and medical bills are piling up and not being addressed
• No Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Advance Directives in place to provide back up for the senior when he or she is no longer able to handle his or her own affairs
• A spouse has passed away and the widow(er) does not know how to settle the deceased spouse’s affairs and/or does not know how to handle the finances going forward
• Estate planning needs to be done, but there is no clear information about what assets are involved
• A sense of confusion is communicated in conversations
• Letters are coming in from the IRS that taxes have not been filed
• Rent, mortgage and/or insurance has not been paid, electricity is about to be shut off
• Medicaid may be needed, but the process of getting everything together to apply is overwhelming

Early on, DMMs need to sort through accumulated papers: locate bills that need to be addressed immediately; identify important documents and file appropriately or note which documents need to be collected. DMMs help organize and file estate planning, tax and financial documents for the client; work with doctors and insurance companies to sort out what needs to be paid by the insurance company or the client; and prepare budget and spending reports.

How Do I Finding a Daily Money Manager

Search on the website of the American Association of Daily Money Managers(www.aadmm.com) – click “Find a DMM” and search by zip code. In the same area of the website, you can find a list of excellent questions to ask when hiring.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Wendy Einspar for a free consultation at:

Phone 630.728.1257

Email – wendy@einspardmm.com

Internet – www.einspardmm.com

Richard Ueberfluss, PT

www.assistinghands.com/naperville

630.305.9100