According to the U.S. Census Bureau 11 million, or 28% of people aged 65 and older, lived alone in 2010. As people get older, their likelihood of living alone only increases. Additionally, more and older adults do not have children, reports the AARP, and that means fewer family members to provide company and care as those adults become seniors. According to a 2012 study…
By Richard Ueberfluss There is a new study out that suggests that 12 percent of drugs doctors prescribe are for uses other than those approved by regulators. These are known as “off-label” since they are not prescribed for certain conditions for which they are being prescribed. While this doesn’t always mean a negative outcome, patients should be encouraged to ask…
How does long term care insurance work? What does it pay for? Who does it pay for? Will I regret paying the money? Unlike traditional health insurance or medicare, Long – term care insurance is designed to cover long –term services and support, including personal and custodial care in a variety of setting (home, community organization, or facility). Long –…
Since the advent of ACA, our home care agency seems to be seeing more clients sooner in the healthcare process. These patients are sicker with acute medical conditions. There ADL needs are far greater with less clients needing companionship, light housekeeping and transportation and more clients needing transfers, hoyer lifts and personal care. Unfortunately, one of the first things carved…
Summer temperatures can pose a danger to older adults. Working or playing in the sun, spending time in an un-ventilated home, or sitting in a closed vehicle can result in uncomfortable and even dangerous temperatures. As we grow older, our bodies are less efficient at regulating temperature. Especially at risk are people with health problems such as cardiovascular disease,…
New research out of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and reported by CNN, points to falls as being more common among individuals with the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that silent biological changes in the brain may take place a decade or more before the outward symptoms begin to manifest. An estimated 5.4 million Americans are currently living…
Physical therapy is just one of the many pain control options offered by specialists today. Although older adults are more likely to experience pain, it is not a “symptom” of aging, and it should not be accepted as inevitable. Unfortunately, pain has often been undertreated in older adults, but pain relief is an essential part of good healthcare. Untreated pain…
Bed Rest serves as a time honored treatment for both injury and illness, and is prescribed more often around flu season. A normal muscle, at complete rest, in absence of illness, loses up to 15% of its strength each week.1 During bed rest, the first muscles to become atrophied are the trunk and lower extremity muscles involved in gait and…
