It is well known that older people are often at risk for falls. This month Elder Voice focuses on the debilitating fear of falling that many older people experience, whether or not they have actually had a fall. Estimates of fear of falling among older adults varies from 3%-over 80% but has been found to [read more…]
Physical Health
Touch, Healing, and Seniors’ Quality of Life
“I was touched by your thoughtfulness.” “It was a touching movie.” “Do Not Touch the Exhibit!” The importance of touch is shown by how it permeates our language and by efforts at controlling how and what we touch in our daily lives. This month Elder Voice discusses touch and the elderly. The importance of touch [read more…]
Insuring Seniors Health: Pay Attention to Their F.E.E.T.S.
FEETS is an acronym that we developed to provide Caregivers with a checklist of five areas that are important to monitor regularly. FEETS stands for Feet, Eyes, Ears, Teeth and Sleep. Proper care and attention to these can detect illnesses and conditions at an early stage and may help to prevent permanent, irreversible damage. Regular [read more…]
After the Fall: Hip Fractures and Recovery
A fractured hip is a life changing and frightening event for many seniors and their family members. This article is meant to help you understand what happens during hospitalization, the rehabilitation process, and to find the support and information you may need. The terms fractured hip and broken hip are interchangeable.Types of fracture include a [read more…]
Sleep and Sleep Problems in Aging
Sleep studies have found that up to 50% of people over 65 have chronic sleep complaints. These can include problems with falling asleep, restlessness or waking during sleep, and shortened sleep period. It is often assumed that older people don’t need as much sleep as younger people. This is not true: older people need the [read more…]
Checklist For Care: Seniors and Medications
Over-medication and mis-medication are serious problems for older people. One study found that as much as 50% of all medication used by seniors is used inappropriately. Caregivers and professionals who are involved with older people need to be aware of the reasons this occurs and the symptoms which indicate there is a problem with medications. [read more…]
Checklist For Care: Pain
“The thing about chronic pain,” one of our clients said to us, ” is that you can never forget about it. It is with you all the time, twenty four hours a day.” Pain is the most common complaint of older people; up to one in five older people are taking pain medication. Chronic pain [read more…]
Checklist For Care
Caregivers and professionals often focus on “large picture” issues such as housing and increasing dementia. Other issues often end up with lower priority due to a lack of time or knowledge, or burnout. Yet these are the ones that often bring on those larger picture issues or distort what is really going on. It is [read more…]
