Senior Health

How could something that’s so comforting and soothing, like a nice, warm bath, be one of the biggest dangers to older adults? The truth is, combining smooth surfaces, slippery soap and hot water create the perfect storm for a fall danger – one of the most severe risks to aging adults.

January is designated as National Bath Safety Month, and it’s a great chance for both education and assessment to ensure the utmost bathroom safety for your senior loved ones.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that about 370 people of all ages suffer bathtub or shower-related injuries each day in the United States. Because most falls in the house take place in the bathroom, AARP recommends taking the following precautions:

Install grab bars for the toilet, shower, and bathtub
Install non-skid tile or use non-skid bath mats
Set the temperature of the home’s hot … Read More »

Chronic coughing. Shortness of breath. Wheezing. Think it might be an asthma attack? Before reaching for the inhaler or those over-the-counter cough drops, however, it might be time to consider if another culprit – COPD – could be a factor. As many as 12 million Americans are currently living with COPD (and another 12 million who are likely to have the disease but have not been diagnosed), so it’s important to figure out the real cause behind the cough.

Here are some of the major differences between asthma and COPD:

Asthma:

Environmental factors such as cigarette smoke, dust, and pet hair can trigger asthmatic symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
Usually displays in patients in childhood, often by age 5.
Thought to be caused by genetics.

COPD:

Environmental triggers can exacerbate symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing, but these symptoms are often present in a milder … Read More »

Sometimes, being diagnosed after struggling with debilitating symptoms can be a relief. Now, the condition has a name, and there’s a plan to treat it! This is certainly true with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). If your senior loved one has been struggling through symptoms such as chronic coughing, wheezing, and fatigue, receiving a diagnosis of COPD could be the first step needed to improve her quality of life.

Here’s what you can expect from the doctor in determining if COPD is the culprit:

Assessment of the senior’s health and environment, to include smoking, exposure to pollutants, symptoms, and family health history
Testing such as spirometry (breathing into a machine to check lung functioning), x-rays and blood work
Creation of a treatment plan

COPD symptoms can vary from person to person, and as a result, treatment plans can differ as well. Here are some of … Read More »

 Cindy and Jake of Hired Hands Sonoma
office recently attended Vineyard Commons Health Fair. Hired Hands Homecare had a table with health information and a 30 minute presentation on Super Foods was given by Cindy in the Commons Lounge.

Hired Hands also had a Super Foods gift basket to raffle for the residents there. It was a great event for the residents and was well attended.
Congrats to the winner of the gift basket!

Looking Great and Having Fun!  A great pic of Kirsten and Chris (AKA the King and Queen of Hearts!) representing at today’s Marin Senior Information Fair.

This year’s theme was “Thru the Looking Glass”, and the King and Queen of Hearts enjoyed holding court with all our community partners, providing great information and entertainment for Seniors and their families!  Yes, it really does take a village!

And, an interesting fact to note…  This was our TWENTY-SECOND consecutive Marin Senior Info Fair!  So very nice to see so many familiar faces, and to get out in front of the community we’re so proud to serve!

Home is where the heart is, and so many seniors’ hearts are set on remaining at home throughout aging, instead of making a move to an assisted living facility or nursing home – close to 90% of them, according to research done by AARP. And who can blame them? The comfort of familiar surroundings, the independence to come and go as you please, the freedom to prepare the meals you want when you want them are all priceless commodities.

But although it sounds like the perfect plan for aging, there are some real concerns to be thought through as well:

Will the senior be safe?
How will he or she get around when driving, or even walking, becomes difficult?
What happens if the senior becomes ill or injured and no one’s nearby to help?

Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever for older adults to stay … Read More »

Pneumonia: it’s one word we never want to hear in relation to our senior loved ones, but unfortunately, seniors are more susceptible to this extremely serious lung infection, for a variety of reasons: a weakened immune system, chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes that put them at a higher risk, surgeries, and frailty.

Symptoms of pneumonia can include:

Fever and chills
Coughing that produces yellow or green discharge
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Lethargy
Recovering from a recent cold/flu

With a fatality rate in seniors of between 30% and 40%, pneumonia kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. These alarming statistics on their own should prompt all of those over the age of 65 to seek out the pneumonia vaccine, but additionally, the pneumococcus bacterium that causes pneumonia can also cause further problems: ear infections, deadly blood infections, and meningitis.

Not surprisingly, the CDC unequivocally … Read More »

When it comes to odd disease names, the shingles virus tops the list. The name of the disease might cause you to picture someone with rows and rows of roofing materials layered over his skin. In actuality, shingles, also known as the herpes zoster virus, is a very painful rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in younger people. If you’ve ever had the chickenpox, unfortunately you are now at risk for also contracting shingles. Shingles risk increases with age, with a full one-half of adults contracting the shingles virus by the age of 80.

To see what the shingles virus really looks like, take a look at this page of photos from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. It is estimated that there are a million instances of shingles diagnosed in the U.S. each year. For that … Read More »

As summer winds down, parents are busy shopping for school supplies, checking last year’s clothing to see what still fits, scheduling appointments for physical and dental exams, and more often than not, subjecting their children to vaccinations. But fall isn’t just the time for school kids to roll up their sleeves for the dreaded shots. This time of year, even adults should get in on the act, including seniors over age 60.

According to this report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adults over the age of 60 should be up to date on the following vaccinations; and if your senior loved one needs a booster, our California senior care services can help!

Influenza – every year
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis – every ten years
Varicella (chickenpox) – two doses throughout one’s life
Herpes zoster (shingles) – one dose after the age of 60
Pneumococcal (PPSV23) … Read More »