Evaluating Options During Medicare Open Enrollment
Every fall, Medicare designates October 15 through December 7 as an open enrollment period. This is the time of year when Medicare recipients are encouraged to take a look at their health care coverage, evaluate how satisfied they are with their current health care and prescription plans, review other options, and make changes. For seniors and their caregivers, it can be an overwhelming process. It is especially difficult if you opt for a plan other than traditional Medicare.
Five Signs an Aging Parent Needs Home Care Services
Adult children may find themselves wondering if it is time for an older parent to have a little extra help. It might be a concern that arises about their safety after a fall or a worry about how well they are eating. For seniors who remain in their own home, the time will come when they need to accept some form of assistance. Recognizing the warning signs that can indicate they are struggling will help you know when it is time to talk with your parent.
How to Start a Caring Conversation with a Loved One Who is Ill
Many families struggle to accept that a loved one is nearing the end of their life. Putting off necessary conversations is often just fear and denial. If your family has a senior who has declining health or a loved one who has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, talking about their wishes is important. We understand that sometimes just getting the conversation going is the hardest part.
Grief and Aging: The Impact on a Senior’s Immune System
When an older adult suffers the loss of someone close to them, it can take more than an emotional toll. Research shows grief can also compromise their immune system and make the senior more susceptible to illness. For healthcare professionals who work with older adults, this news doesn’t really come as a surprise. Experienced hospice team members can likely cite case after case where a senior passes away soon after the death of a close family member. Now we know why.
Fire Safety Tips for Older Adults
The statistics surrounding older adults and fires are startling. The odds an older adults will be injured or die in a fire are double that of the rest of the population. For those 85 years of age and older, the risk rises to four times greater than younger adults. If a senior you love lives alone, those numbers can be especially frightening.
Alternative Exercises for Winter Months
Freezing temperatures, dark skies, snow and ice make exercise nearly impossible in the winter, yet physical activity is exactly what you need to stay sharp and healthy in the winter. Regular exercise helps you burn off calories, build muscle mass to help you walk on slippery ice, boost your immune system to ward off colds and flu and improve your heart and lung function. Exercise also stimulates the production of endorphins that keep you in a cheerful mood through the dreary, dark days of winter. Many older adults struggle with Vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder because they cannot get outdoors during the winter.
Preventing Falls Among Older Adults
Every year, one in three seniors will experience a fall. If you talk with emergency department physicians and first responders they will confirm just how dangerous falls can be for older adults. They are the number one source of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for seniors.
Five Ways to Get Back Into Exercise
If you are trying to get back into a regular exercise regimen, knowing how to stay safe and motivated are two of the most common challenges you will face.
Get the Facts About Flu Shots
Every fall we receive questions about the flu shot from older adults and their adult children. Some older adults are convinced receiving the influenza vaccine will cause them to get the flu, while others do not think they need the shot every year. To help separate fact from fiction, we have pulled together the most common myths associated with the vaccine.
Helping a Loved One Create an Emergency Kit
Tornadoes and floods can displace people from their homes for many weeks. Because older adults often have health conditions, it is important that adult children and loved ones help them prepare ahead of time in case a crisis hits close to home.