No one likes to take time to visit the doctor — especially if you aren’t sick! But really think about it: have you missed your annual checkup or are you avoiding taking your loved one to their annual checkup? Why take yourself or your loved one if you are in…
By Richard Ueberfluss Antibiotics have played a critical role in treating a variety of diseases. But new research has found that overuse of antibiotics is creating a rise in drug-resistant infections, especially in nursing homes where urinary tract infections (UTI) are an ongoing problem. The issue is that overuse of…
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…
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…
Type 2 diabetes is associated with a number of other health complications, but a new study appearing in the diabetes may lose more brain volume than is expected as they age. Although common wisdom is that the shrinkage of blood vessels is usually associated brain-related health conditions such as strokes or dementia,…
According to Reuters Health, which reported on a study by from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago published in “Patient Education and Counseling,” miscommunication between healthcare providers and patient concerns over drug interactions lead to many seniors having an unnecessarily complicated medication regimen. The report suggests that the…
As we age our sleep patterns change, so as seniors we may become sleepy earlier, wake up earlier, or enjoy less deep sleep. A study of adults over 65 found that 13 percent of men and 36 percent of women take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep. So it…
Senior pain often ignored and misunderstood By Richard Ueberfluss, PT, MBA, OCS, MTC Assessing pain is important for all patients, but it is especially an issue among elderly patients. They often do not report pain so they needlessly suffer and their pain goes untreated. The elderly themselves expect to have some…
Seniors and Medication Adherence It is no secret that prescription drug use is increasing among people of all ages. This is especially the case for those 65 and over. According to the CDC, three out of four seniors take two or more medications per day. Thirty-seven percent take five or…
Many seniors are taking multiple prescriptions and it is often hard to determine which medications were originally prescribed and which were substituted for generics. Sometimes, the generics may be confusing. A recent New York Times column noted that the practice of giving drugs two names, a brand name and a…
