• Recently Written

  • Fighting Diarrhea
  • Granny’s little package
  • Fresh produce for seniors
  • The disability joke
  • Senior citizen gathering
  • The door to door salesman joke
  • 5 tips to help start walking
  • The healthy food joke
  • Use it or lose it
  • The Witty Senior Joke

• Categories

  • Dating
  • Health
  • humor
  • Insurance
  • Internet Browsing
  • Making Money
  • News
  • Real Estate
  • Senior Discounts
  • Technology
    • Cell Phones

• Archives

  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007

• Admin

  • Register
  • Login
  • Wordpress
  • XHTML

• Search

As we all know, the second most common chronic neurological disorder in senior citizens after Alzheimer’s disease is Parkinson’s. It is a good thing though that aside from doctors, health care providers and caregivers, there are non=profit organizations who contribute to raise awareness as well as funds for seniors who are experiencing the pain of Parkinson’s disease.

The Parkinson’s disease community will be uniting and engaging in a Unity Walk this Saturday in New York Central Park. The main goal of this is to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease research. This is the 14th annual Unity walk. It is a 2 mile walk that will provide an opportunity to celebrate the American Seniors who fight the condition of the disease every single day.

So If you have nothing to do this Saturday, why not join in and help the Parkinson’s disease community!

The plight for longer life has been succeeding for white men in the United States. Well, at the very least it is going quite well for those who are well off. The age advantage grew for more than 7 years for men and 6 years for women between 1960 and 2000.

A long term study of mortality trends in the US county has been conducted at the Harvard School. They found out that there has always been a view in the US health policy that inequalities are more tolerable as long as everyone’s health is improving.

A majority of the country’s worst downward swings in life is located in the deep south where life is not so easy. Over the past few decades, life expectancy in high-income countries around the world has gradually risen with only a few exceptions.

Based on what I could see here, the happy man lives longer while the stressed man dies early. Living happy means taking care of your health, wealth and basically enjoying life. On the other hand, a stressed man always thinks about problems which literally drains all the life and energy away from him.

 

It is very common for senior’s to have problems with their muscles and bones of their feet. This is a type of problem that comes with old age. However, not all of the pain that they experience is an effect of arthritis. Pain in the ball of the foot between two toes is linked to either soft tissue, bone or nerve. The common cause for nerve pain is called Wharton’s neuroma which is a big bundle of nerve tissue between the bones of the foot. This can cause a very unbearable and uncomfortable pain.

If you are having this problem, then you may have to consult with a podiatrist. Podiatrists are the ones who specialize in problems of the feet. Other possible options can include an Internist, a family practitioner or maybe an orthopedist.

In the recent study of UCLA researchers, they found out that the mortality rate of seniors who die of advanced heart failure with diabetes and treated with insulin is four times higher than that of heart failure patients with diabetes treated with oral medications.

The results of the research was published in the American Heart Journal to help raise an awareness among the physicians and the patients. Hoping that they will take a look at what might happen if they continue the use of insulin.

However, more research should still be conducted to explore the facts as to why insulin is increasing the risk of death. As added in the study, almost 5 million Americans are affected by heart failure and it is the most common cause for hospitalization for seniors aged 65 and higher. Between 25 to 44 percent of those with heart failure also have diabetes.

As research progresses, they will soon uncover the facts behind the risks of insulin.

 

It just cannot be helped not to think if Parkinson’s Disease is hereditary. Those who have relatives who are victims of the disease experience this thought that lingers around their heads. While the disease in itself is considered somatic or non genetic, there is recent information that makes a clear cut impression that there is a genetic component to the disease. In some cases, it is familial or appears to be hereditary but more often, it seams that genetic mutation which could possibly be sporadic account for some forms of the disease itself.

In many instances, a close relative like a parent who has Parkinson’s history does not necessarily indicate that any children will develop the same disease. Bear in mind that there are other factors too that could lead to Parkinson’s such as some medications.

It has been placed in surveys that about 20% of people over the age of 65 who had a fracture in the hip will eventually die within the year after the fracture was gained. Indeed, the main cause of death from Osteoporosis is associated with the consequences of fractures. Once diagnosed with osteoporosis, a senior must be treated immediately and the prevention of fractures and falls becomes extremely important.

Other diseases also have an impact on bone loss and survival. A quick consultation to your health care provider is a must and is strongly recommended.

In terms of survival, nobody can live forever. Predicting the survival of a senior with hip fracture generally looks for less than a 6 month survival. However, treatments, nutritions and support systems have a huge impact on survival as well.

Older adults have a rather different symptom of a heart attack as compared to that of a younger adult. Younger ones typically have chest pain that radiates into the left arm or their shoulder. Older ones have a different manifestation. They have shortness of breath, a slight change in their mental status, diaphoresis or profuse sweating with little exertion, palpitations which indicates a decreased blood flow to the heart or the angina. These are symptoms of an incoming heart attack for an elder.

Due to the lesser ability of the body to fight back, heart attacks in elders are generally more dangerous than that of a younger adult. Any manifestation of this must be addressed quickly. 911 is probably the best bet to get to an emergency room as fast as possible.

You may have noticed already that most of the time, seniors feel cold inside the comfort of their homes even if the room temperature is over 80 degrees. My grandfather had the same problems as well when he was still living. He was actually feeling perfectly fine except for the room temperature problem. It keeps him awake all night because he is freezing.

We consulted a physician after a week of observation since it may be a medical condition already. After a series of tests, we found out that the has hypothyroidism. It made a lot of abnormalities on the thermoregulation of his body which results to cold intolerance.

Do not take this problem lightly. Feeling cold may be a symptom of a different disease.

When caring for an elderly, most of the time, we think that they are just over reacting to the pain that they are feeling. Sometimes we think that they are just acting out to get our attention or they are just having a wild imaginary pain. I thought of that myself when I was taking care of my late grandfather a couple of years ago.

After consulting a doctor, I understood that all pain is real whether it happens psychologically or physically. Psychogenic, phantom pain and other types of pain requires the attention of professionals especially with pain management. The treatment differs based on the patients pain tolerance level. It is then that I understood that every pain that anyone experience is real and has to be taken seriously.

Most of the time, people notice a lot of shaking from seniors. Whether it be with the hands or the head, the shaking is something that people would find bothering.

Shaking or more known as tremors are sometimes associated with a certain disease. A restng tremor may be associated or linked with Parkinsons’s disease. These type of tremors have a certain rhythm often described as pill rolling. Some may be associated with medications. Others are often hereditary.

Whatever the cause is, these should be treated accordingly. A consultation to a neurologist is advised to have the problem diagnosed and treated.

← Previous Page — Next Page →

• Blogroll

  • CapWeb Political Blog
  • Senior Forums - Senior Sites User Forums