On February 10th from 2:00-3:30  Dr. Phillip Wall of The Arizona Vein & Vascular Center will be in our office to give an overview of the vascular system including:

• Signs and symptoms of Venus disease and Peripheral Vascular Disease (PAD)

• How to Perform a visual vein screening

Dr. Wall is the founder of the Arizona Vein & Vascular Center, a group of specialists, devoted to the treatment and diagnosis of vascular disease. Dr. Wall is Board Certified in Vascular Surgery and is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1993 and the state University if New York Downstate Health Science Center with his MD in 1997. He completed a residency in general surgery in 2002, followed by a Vascular and Endovascular fellowship in 2004.

The Arizona Vein & Vascular Center office, newly relocated in Surprise, offers evaluation and treatment for arterial and venous disease, including carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, blood clots, PAD, varicose veins, spider veins and in-office ultrasound.

This forum is free of charge and open to the public. 

To register for the education forum contact Home Instead Senior Care, the office is located at 2412 W. Greenway Rd. Suite D, Phoenix, AZ 85023.

Q.  I just turned 78 and my New Year’s resolution is to get in better shape. I’m finally getting over the initial impact of my wife’s death last year and would like to become more active again. Do you have any suggestions on what I could do and how I could succeed?

Walking is an excellent way for older adults to get in better shape and to stay healthy. And the research evidence is mounting that walking reaps considerable rewards. It can lower body mass index and blood pressure, as well as decrease cholesterol.

One study found that pedometers can help motivate walkers. These are small and inexpensive devices, strapped to the hip, which can measure the number of steps walked each day.

The authors searched databases for studies and articles on this topic, and identified 26 studies with a total of 2,767 participants from eight randomized controlled trials and 18 observational studies. The participants’ average age was 49 years and 85 percent were women. Overall, pedometer users increased their physical activity by 26.9 percent over baseline.

Here’s an interesting finding from the study: having a step-per-day goal was a key predictor of activity. Three studies that did not include a step goal showed no significant improvement in physical activity with pedometer use — in contrast to increases of more than 2,000 steps per day with the use of a 10,000-step-per-day (or other) goal.

So there you have it: buy a pedometer; set a step goal, and get together with family or friends to do some walking. Remember to first check with your doctor to make sure you do not have to be aware of any health concerns.

Contact the local YMCA, fitness center or senior center about walking clubs in your area. If that doesn’t appeal to you, join a neighbor or a friend.

Or consider hiring a companion. Your local  Home Instead Senior Care^® office tries to match the interests of its senior clients to those of its CAREGivers^SM. A non-medical companion might be another motivator to get you moving and on the road to better health.

While the flu can get anyone down, older adults may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of these viruses, which could turn deadly fast. If you’re a senior or a caregiver to an older loved one, be sure you’re doing all you can to protect against the flu.

Q.   As a 75-year-old widower with a lot of health problems, I’m concerned about getting the flu, since I live alone and have no help. What can you recommend?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can be prevented by a flu vaccination. Make an appointment with your doctor’s office to discuss whether or not you should have a flu shot.

You’re right to be concerned. Seniors are among the groups hit hardest by the flu. In 2003, the flu killed 36,000 Americans and more than 32,000 were 65 or older — despite the highest immunization rate ever.

That year, more than 83 million were immunized, but still only six of every 10 senior citizens received the life-saving shots, according to testimony in 2004 before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. Combined, flu and pneumonia (the most common complication of the flu) are the fifth leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older.

Though it varies, flu season can last as late as May.

While flu shots are recommended for everyone over 50, there are certain people who should not receive these shots, according to the CDC. Those who should not be vaccinated include:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
• People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.

If you cannot get a flu shot, talk with your health-care provider about other precautions that you can take to prevent the flu.

Remember to wash your hands regularly and get plenty of rest. And if you need assistance around the home to keep your strength up during the winter cold and flu season, consider contacting your local Home Instead Senior Care^® office.

Seniors who track their progress with daily walks have a much better chance to stay on pace with a goal of better fitness. So, too, can the encouragement of a companion or caregiver help keep an older adult on the road to good health.

Older adults who begin to show signs that they need help around the house don’t necessarily need to think about leaving. Assistance can help keep seniors home longer than they otherwise could without help.

Q.   My 77-year-old mother’s house is often in disarray when I visit. I’m thinking it’s time for her to make a change in her living arrangement. What are the options and how can I broach this subject with her?

Observation and careful attention to the problem should be your first course of action. Avoid diagnosing a problem and deciding on a solution quickly. Approach your mother with a sense of working together to find a solution rather than telling her what to do.

The specific circumstances – such as financial constraints – may be relevant. Is the problem simply that your mother is physically challenged by strenuous housework or is she deteriorating mentally? Does she just need help tidying up around the house or are other aspects of her personal care, such as bathing, going downhill?

Assuming that the problem is physical where vacuuming or bending is becoming an issue, begin the conversation with an offer: “Mom, I have some extra cash. What do you say we find someone to help you with the heavy stuff, like vacuuming? It will be my treat.”

Seniors are often very willing to accept help around the house. And most communities have ample resources such as cleaning services and organizations like Home Instead Senior Care® that can help.

Home Instead CAREGivers^SM are screened, trained, bonded and insured, and can keep seniors at home longer than they otherwise could be without that assistance.

CAREGivers not only provide services such as light housekeeping, but also companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, errands and shopping. Every effort is made to match CAREGivers with seniors of similar interests. CAREGivers can be a great support for seniors both at home and in the community.

Seniors who live alone, especially widows, can find that their homes become more difficult to manage as they age. That’s why family caregivers who can’t be there to help should assist their loved ones in finding the resources to take care of those home improvements that can keep them safe and comfortable at home.

Q.   I’m an 80-year-old widow whose husband used to fix everything around the house. He died last year and, with no family nearby, I’m having trouble keeping up with household repairs. What should I do? I don’t want to leave my home.

Like you, many seniors don’t want to leave their homes and, with the variety of services available in most communities, you shouldn’t have to go. First, call the Area Agency on Aging office that serves your area. These offices often make available, through city or county agencies, directories of local services that seniors can access.

The programs may pay for some or all of the materials needed to make repairs, and then bill seniors for the labor on a sliding scale, based on their income. These services often include minor home repairs, primarily indoors, and safety modifications, such as installing grab bars in bathrooms. Or call the city or county directly to inquire whether these programs exist in your area.

If that’s not an option in your community, call your local senior center officials to see if they have any programs available for seniors or if they know someone who does the type of work that you need. Are you active in a church or synagogue? Why not call there to find out if any members would be willing to help you? Or ask a trusted neighbor or friend. You can also check the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory under “Home Improvements” or “Home Repairs.”

If you do hire someone privately, request at least three referrals and contact the Better Business Bureau to make sure that your repair contractor is a professional in good standing. You’ll also want to find out of the person is bonded and insured.

Here’s another thought: Why not hire a private caregiver to serve as a liaison for you. CAREGivers^SM from Home Instead Senior Care®, for example, could help provide you companionship and other activities of day-to-day living such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errand and shopping.

They could also help you in your search to locate someone to assist you with repairs in your home. CAREGivers themselves are screened, trained, bonded and insured. Their mission is to help seniors remain in their homes for as long as possible. Good luck in your search.

Q.   My 82-year-old mother-in-law still lives alone and does quite well. However she really needs some help with her house and errands. She once owned a business and is still so independent. She loves company, but gets really upset when we family members try to help. What can we do?

Many seniors like your mother-in-law are in a transition situation. They are still able to do much for themselves, but they need a little extra help to remain at home and independent. And for those seniors, particularly individuals who have been independent all of their lives, accepting help can be an uncomfortable change. The Greater Phoenix Home Instead Senior Care^® office sees many seniors who are resistant to help, either from their family members or professional caregivers. Some view accepting help as the first step to becoming dependent on others.

It’s obvious your mother-in-law is accustomed to doing things for herself. And if she’s like most seniors, she fears being unable to stay at home. Nearly 90 percent of seniors surveyed in a Home Instead Senior Care poll said they are very or somewhat likely to remain at home.

First, don’t try to force your mother-in-law into accepting help, either from you and other family members or anyone else. Instead, gently remind her that you’re looking out only for her best interests. Let her know that the entire family wants her to remain at home too.

Then point out that the best way for her to stay at home is to accept help from you or others. Most seniors eventually will see the truth in your words. Discuss with your mother-in-law whether she would be more comfortable with a family caregiver or a professional caregiver who could provide her a few hours of assistance a week. Because your mother-in-law was in business for herself and is accustomed to employees, she might actually be better suited to having a professional caregiver. That would allow her to feel more in control of the situation.

 Q.      Uncle Bruce is 81, lives alone and is a little bit on the pudgy side. But he walks fairly often, about a mile when he can find a neighbor or relative to go with him, and says he feels good for his age. My husband isn’t worried because he thinks his uncle is getting out three or four times a week, but I am concerned. I think he should be losing some more weight to maintain reasonable health as he ages. He doesn’t want to change his eating habits, but I wonder if we should insist on it.

If Uncle Bruce is getting regular exercise and his doctor doesn’t see a problem, I think you can put your mind at ease. Perhaps the best thing you can do for him is find someone who’ll walk with him to keep up a regular routine, someone who also could help him with meal preparation.

According to a recent study, there is good news for seniors and middle-aged men who are physically active but do not lose weight. There is less worry about body mass index being a little high if someone is physically fit.

If your senior loved one maintains or improves his fitness level – even if his body weight has not changed or increased – he can reduce his risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The study was only of men but the researchers say it is likely to apply to women, too.

“This is good news for people who are physically active but can’t seem to lose weight,” said Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and physical activity epidemiologist in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health in Columbia. “You can worry less about your weight as long as you continue to maintain or increase your fitness levels.”

Results of the study underscore the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for death from heart disease and stroke, researchers said. Researchers also found no association between changes in body fat percentage or body weight and death risk.

Among obese people, changes in body mass index might have a significant effect on death risks. So it’s unclear whether these results would apply to severely obese people, Lee said.

Because the study was mostly done in white middle and upper class men, it’s difficult to know whether the results apply to other racial and socioeconomic groups.

If he can’t find a neighbor to go with him, ask Uncle Bruce to contact his local Home Instead Senior Care^® office. A Home Instead CAREGiver^SM could walk with him regularly. A CAREGiver also could provide plenty of other support, such as food preparation, light housekeeping and medication reminders that may encourage him to lead a healthier lifestyle.

For more on the study, check out http://www.sph.sc.edu/news/livelonger.htm.

Q.     I am 77 years old and just got out of the hospital after suffering some unexpected bleeding. The doctors said it was caused by my blood-thinning medication, which they say needs to be monitored more frequently now because of my age. I’m a little more worried about my health, but I told my two sons who live 400 miles away that I feel too good to go to a care facility. Any recommendations?

Your situation is not unusual. There are nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations each year for adverse drug events that involve U.S. senior citizens, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Of the thousands of medications available to patients, a small group of blood thinners and diabetes medications caused two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations, the report said.

The study used data collected from a nationally representative sample of 58 hospitals participating in CDC’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project.

Almost half (48.1 percent) of these hospitalizations occur among the elderly aged 80 years or older, and two-thirds (65.7 percent) of the hospitalizations were due to overdoses, or to situations in which patients may have taken the prescribed amount of medication but the drug had more than the intended effect on the patient′s body. Four medications, used alone or together, accounted for two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations:

• 33 percent, or 33,171 emergency hospitalizations, involved warfarin, a medication used to prevent blood clots.
• 14 percent involved insulins. Insulin injections are used to control blood sugar in people who have diabetes.
• 13 percent involved antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, which prevent platelets, or pieces of blood cells from clumping together to start a clot.
• 11 percent involved diabetes medications that are taken by mouth, called oral hypoglycemic agents.

You and your family could feel more at ease if someone regularly checks on you. A Home Instead CAREGiver^SM can provide non-medical services including medication reminders and transportation to doctors’ appointments to help give you peace of mind. CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured.

 More information about how to be better prepared for medical emergencies can be found at www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com. To learn more about this study, go to http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1123_elderly_risk.html.

 Q.      My 71-year-old father recently suffered his second heart attack in the past six years. The doctor told him to consume more food that is high in vitamin C. I can’t monitor his meals every day – and besides, what does vitamin C have to do with heart problems? I thought cholesterol was the biggest problem. What else can we do to help him?   

You and your father should take note of a recent study, which found that heart failure patients who don’t consume enough vitamin C-rich foods have more inflammation and a higher risk of cardiac complications and death. The study was presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011.Compared with those with high vitamin C intake from food, heart failure patients in the study who had low vitamin C intake were 2.4 times more likely to have higher levels of a type of protein that serves as a marker for inflammation and a risk factor for heart disease.

Compared with those with high vitamin C intake from food, heart failure patients in the study who had low vitamin C intake were 2.4 times more likely to have higher levels of a type of protein that serves as a marker for inflammation and a risk factor for heart disease.

“We found that adequate intake of vitamin C was associated with longer survival in patients with heart failure,” said Eun Kyeung Song, Ph.D., R.N., lead author of the study and assistant professor at the Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, in the University of Ulsan in Korea.

The average age among the 212 patients in the study was 61, and about one-third were women. About 45 percent of the participants had moderate to severe heart failure.

The use of diuretics also may play a role because vitamin C is water soluble and diuretics increase the amount of water excreted from the kidneys, said Terry Lennie, Ph.D., R.N., study author and associate dean of Ph.D. studies in the College of Nursing at the University of Kentucky. “Diet is the best source of vitamin C,” Lennie said. “Eating the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day provides an adequate amount.”

Your father might need daily reminders about his diet or help with meals and medication reminders as he recovers from his heart episode. A Home Instead CAREGiver^SM could provide non-medical services for a senior loved one who is recovering from an illness and also can help with a variety of tasks, including preparing healthy meals.

For more information about this study, visit http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/low-vitamin-c-levels-may-raise-217754.aspx.

]]> http://www.homecareinphoenix.com/low-vitamin-c-levels-may-increase-risk-for-heart-patients/feed/ 0 http://www.homecareinphoenix.com/researchers-say-arm-swing-can-be-early-sign-of-parkinsons-disease/ http://www.homecareinphoenix.com/researchers-say-arm-swing-can-be-early-sign-of-parkinsons-disease/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:30:14 +0000 Jason Nash http://www.homecareinphoenix.com/?p=2819 Researchers Say Arm Swing Can Be Early Sign of Parkinson’s Disease

 Q.      My sister and I are worried that my 75-year-old father might have to deal with Parkinson’s disease because both of his older brothers developed it before they reached 80. Since we live in another city and he lives alone, I’m not sure that we see him enough to catch Parkinson’s in the earliest stages.  Suggestions?

First, you and your sister should persuade your father that early detection is important because treatments can slow Parkinson’s progression. And continuing research, including a recent Penn State study, offers hope for additional early detection techniques.

People with Parkinson’s disease swing their arms asymmetrically – one arm swings less than the other – when walking. This unusual movement is easily detected early. As a result, drugs and other interventions may help slow the disease, Penn State researchers noted.

“Scientists have known for some time that people with Parkinson’s disease exhibit reduced arm swing during the later stages of the disease, but no one had come up with an easy way to measure this,’’ said Stephen Piazza, associate professor of kinesiology. “We found that not only do people with the disease exhibit reduced arm swing, but they also exhibit asymmetric arm swing, and this asymmetric arm swing can easily be detected early in the disease’s progression.’’

No cure for Parkinson’s disease exists. But according to Piazza, if taken early, certain drugs can improve some of the disease’s symptoms and even reduce the likelihood of death, making early diagnosis important.

To diagnose patients with Parkinson’s disease early, some doctors and scientists have proposed the use of a smell test, because people with the disease lose their ability to distinguish odors, according to Xuemei Huang, movement disorders physician at Penn State. “But conditions other than Parkinson’s disease also can affect a person’s ability to smell,’’ she said.

The Penn State team’s method of evaluating arm swing can be applied quickly and inexpensively by primary care physicians in their own offices when the smell test is inconclusive and before the application of an expensive brain scan.

For more information in the study, check out: http://live.psu.edu/story/56809.

For more information or to get answers to your questions, please contact your Home Instead Senior Care office in The Greater Phoenix, AZ area.   We can be reached via email at education@homeinstead.com.