June 17th, 2010
Failing to take medications regularly can increase falls among senior citizens.
-Dr. Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
According to the latest edition of Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences, older adults increase their chances of falling by not taking their medications as directed. This information comes from a recent study of Boston-area residents over age 70, which found those who sometimes neglected their medication experienced a 50 percent increased rate of falls compared with those who did not.
“Falls can now be added to the growing list of poor health outcomes associated with non-adherence to medication,” said lead author Sarah D. Berry, MD, MPH, a research scientist with the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston.
“Because non-adherence is common and easy to screen for, health care providers should discuss this subject with their patients.”
Berry and her co-authors are the first investigators to study the association between falls and medication adherence. The team used data gathered from subjects in the Maintenance of Balance, Independent Living, Intellect, and Zest in the Elderly of Boston (MOBILIZE Boston) Study, a community-based cohort of seniors recruited for the purpose of studying novel risk factors for falls.
They examined responses from a total of 246 senior men and 408 senior women with an average age of 78. Between 2005 and 2008, 376 individuals in this group reported a total of 1,052 falls.
A participant was characterized as having low medication adherence if he or she answered yes to any of the following questions:
- Do you ever forget to take your medications?
- Are you careless at times about taking your medications?
- When you feel better do you sometimes stop taking your medications? Sometimes if you feel worse when taking your medication, do you stop taking it?
- High adherence was defined as a “no” answer to every question. In total, 48 percent of the respondents were classified as having low medication adherence.
Those in the low-adherence group experienced falls at an annual rate of 1.5 times that of the high adherence group. This association persisted after adjusting for other variables, including age, sex, cognitive function, and total number of medications.
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June 17th, 2010
The anti-cancer lifestyle
-Dr.Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
When David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., discovered he had a brain tumor, he was forced to reevaluate conventional cancer-beating methods and dig deep for something new and promising. Schreiber decided to take a deeper look into what factors cause cancer and how it can be prevented.
From his research he realized that all of us have cancer cells within our bodies and it is our own protective systems that keep two thirds of the population cancer-free. For the other one-third of the population that will most likely get cancer, however, Schreiber writes that we must protect our immune systems in order to make it harder for those cancer cells to take over the body. Some of these prevention techniques include lifestyle changes such as more exercise and stress-reducing activities such as breathing exercises.
Schreiber identified several behaviors that could help fight cancer that one might not have guessed would help battle this disease.
-Avoid refined sugar
-Add spicy foods to your diet
-Exercise regularly
-Practice yoga and mindful meditation
-Avoid household toxins like Teflon
Although Schreiber has been living with cancer for 16 years he feels much happier and healthier after his lifestyle change.
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May 23rd, 2010
Why late-in-life depression is harder to treat: seniors’ abnormal reaction to emotional stimuli.
-Dr. Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
In a recent study led by Toronto’s Baycrest had found that older people with depression do not respond normally to emotional stimuli, such as when they see happy, sad or neutral faces. This has led scientist to find a clue in understanding why people who suffer from depression later in life are harder to treat and keep well in the long term.
Their study which appears online in this week s American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, is one of the first published data to focus specifically on emotional processing in un-medicated older adults with late life depression.
“In our study we found significant differences between older depressed subjects and older healthy subjects in how they emotionally respond to and perceive facial expressions,” said principal investigator Dr. Linda Mah, a clinician-scientist in the Mood Clinic at Baycrest.
Emotion dysregulation is already well established in mid-life depression and some studies have shown it to be predictive of a relapse of mood symptoms. But the majority of late-life depression studies have concentrated on the link with cognitive decline, suggesting that the more impaired the cognitive functions the greater the chances of a poor prognosis in depression.
“Our data suggest that we need to also focus on emotion to better understand the neurobiology of late-life depression, so we can treat it more effectively and help people feel better longer,” said Dr. Mah.
In the study, 11 un-medicated outpatients with major depressive disorder, and 11 healthy comparison subjects, participated in two tasks that involved looking at photographs of faces with happy, sad, fearful or neutral expressions. The age range of participants was 60 to 87.
In the first task, participants were asked to make judgments regarding a physical feature of faces, rather than judging the emotional expression. In the second task, participants were asked to label the emotional expressions on faces.
The study found that healthy controls were 16% slower in making judgments about physical features of the faces with positive or negative emotional expressions (happy, sad, fearful) relative to neutral faces – an indication that they were distracted or affected by the emotional expressions on faces.
The depressed participants showed no differences in response time to rating physical aspects of faces with emotional expressions or neutral faces. This suggests they were less sensitive to the effects of positive or negative emotional expressions.
In the second task, depressed participants had greater than 60% more difficulty with correctly labeling neutral faces, compared to healthy subjects. Depressed participants misread neutral expressions as happy, sad or fearful.
Dr. Mah noted that an impaired ability to read other people’s emotional expressions can have social consequences and affect the quality of social interactions with others.
She also pointed out that these abnormalities in emotional processing seen in older depressed adults are distinct from those already reported in younger depressed adults who tend to perceive and process emotional stimuli more negatively overall when compared to healthy subjects.
The Baycrest study included small sample sizes, so the results should be considered preliminary. Efforts are ongoing to recruit older patients who are currently not on antidepressant medications, and to use functional neuroimaging to pinpoint the brain changes underlying the abnormalities in emotional processing that appear to be associated with late-life depression.
Tags: Senior depresson
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April 29th, 2010
“Thank you very much for the planter and plants you delivered to our Mother. I know she will really enjoy it. Not only will it be good exercise and mental exercise, but it will be something to talk about.
 Mrs. N with vegetable garden “The planter is such a good idea! Very innovative!
“We appreciate all you do! Thank you again.”
Peggy & Craig N.
(Home Care Assistance of San Diego has delivered and set up patio/deck vegetable gardens for many of it clients. The vegetable planter gardens implement the Home Care Assistance Balanced Care Method to promote the total health and independence of its senior clients.)
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April 22nd, 2010
 This spring, we are delivering and setting up patio/deck vegetable gardens for many of our clients. The planters are small, but will produce pounds of tomatoes, vegetables and herbs during the coming months.
Because the planters are 44″ high, they are easy for our senior clients and their caregivers to maintain and harvest.
 Nutritious food, physical exercise and mental stimulation are all part of our Balanced Care Method program to promote total health and independence for our senior clients.
Tags: Cardiff, Caregiver, caregivers, Carlsbad, choosing a homecare provider, Coronado, Del Mar, elder care questions, Encinitas, gifts for the elderly, home care carlsbad, home care Coronado, home care encinitas, home care san diego, Oceanside, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Bernardo caregivers, Rancho Santa Fe, san diego, san diego home care, san diego homecare, san diego senior care, senior care san diego, Solana Beach
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April 9th, 2010
March 25th, 2010
-Dr. Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
Did you know that the amount of physical exercise you exert during the day is one of the key ingredients to helping you get a good nights sleep? The more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are to relax at night and fall asleep faster. With regular exercise you’ll notice that not only has your quality of sleep improved, but you may also find it easier to deal with stress and worries of your life.
Research and studies indicate that there is a direct correlation between how much we exercise and how we feel afterwards. It has been proven that when you increase your physical activity during the day, you give your body enough stimulation so you are not full of energy at night. This helps your body function in a healthy manner.
It is important to note that you should not be exercising three to four hours before you go to bed. The ideal time to exercise is in the late afternoon or early evening for a period of 30 minutes or so, three to four times a week. By adding a regular exercise activity to your daily schedule will help you to improve your overall health and help you emotionally as well. Along with running and walking there are several other physical activities that you can add to your daily life to increase your level of physical activity. If you are battling not sleeping, you’ll find aerobic exercise to be the best.
Your goal with exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your blood stream. Overall, there are many types of aerobic exercise for you to choose from. The activities include running, biking, using a treadmill, dancing, and jumping rope.
Below are some non aerobic exercises that you may find beneficial to help you solve your amnesia problem.
Yoga
Yoga is an exercise that has a stimulatory effect on your nervous system, especially the brain. Yoga utilizes breathing techniques and yoga postures to increase the blood circulation to the brain, promoting regular and restful sleeping patterns. The regular practice of yoga will help you to relax as well as relieve tension and stress.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient art of breathing and movement that was developed by the Chinese monks. The movements involved are slow and precise, which is ideal if you have joint pains or you are unable to participate in high aerobic exercises. Research has shown that Tai Chi can help with insomnia by promoting relaxation.
If you discover that you don’t have any time to exercise on a regular basis, you should try to sneak moments of activity into your schedule. Whenever possible, you should take the stairs instead of the elevator, as little things like that will do wonders for your body. You should also park your car around the corner and walk that extra block or two to get to your destination. As you may know, there are many small things you can add to increase the activity in your life. Your overall goal here is to have a healthy and well balanced life – with plenty of sleep.
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April 8th, 2010
April 8th, 2010
-Sandy Harris
Did you know that your favorite maple syrup is effective in fighting cancer and diabetes? According to the studies conducted by US researchers, there are strong evidences showing that maple syrup can substantially slow down the growth of cancer cells and can effectively reduce the risk of diabetes. The new research shows that your favorite maple syrup has thirteen active compounds that serve as antioxidants. These thirteen compounds were previously unknown. The discovery proved that maple syrup could be very effective in fighting bacterial infection, diabetes and cancer.
An Effective Solution or Diabetes Sufferers
Considerable amounts of the phytohormone, abscisic acid, are found in maple syrup. This acid is a powerful defense against diabetes and metabolic syndrome, because it encourages the release of insulin through pancreatic cells and enhances fat cells’ sensitivity to insulin. Seeram revealed the results of his tests on Canadian maple syrup during the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco.
Maple Syrup as the Best Anti Cancer Food
A study by researchers at the Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, implies that maple syrup can be more effective than broccoli, blueberries, carrots and tomatoes in significantly slowing cancerous cell growth in the brain, prostate and lungs and somewhat less significantly in the breast.
A Delicious Option in Fighting Cancer and Diabetes
The following is from a study titled: Antioxidant Activity, Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Overproduction, and In Vitro Antiproliferative Effect of Maple Sap and Syrup from Acer saccharum, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, and written by Jean Legault, Karl Girard-Lalancette, Carole Grenon, Catherine Dussault and André Pichette: Maple sap and syrup from 30 producers in three Quebec, Canada, regions were evaluated concerning the time of harvest and abstract antioxidant activity, inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) overproduction and the antiproliferative effect of ethyl acetate extracts.
The harvest time does not have an analytically notable incidence on antioxidant activity of either maple sap or syrup extracts. Their Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values are 12 +/- 6 and 15 +/- 5 mumol of Trolox equivalents (TE)/mg, respectively. A cell-based assay also confirmed the antioxidant activity. The ORAC assay was also used to establish the antioxidant activity of pure maple syrup. The results show the pure maple syrup ORAC value of 8 +/- 2 mumol of TE/mL to be lower than the blueberry juice value of 24 +/- 1 mumol of TE/mL but similar to the strawberry juice value of 10.7 +/- 0.4 mumol of TE/mL and the orange juice value of 10.8 +/- 0.5 mumol of TE/mL. Lipopolysaccharide-induced NO overproduction in RAW264.7 murine macrophages was considerably inhibited by maple sap and syrup extracts.
It is believed that transforming maple sap into syrup enhances NO inhibition action, because the syrup extract was considerably more active than the sap extract. The maple syrup extracts induced the highest NO inhibition at the season’s end, and the darker syrup was more active than the clear syrup. This indicates that the activity could be partially attributed to some colored oxidized compounds.
Maple syrup extracts (50% inhibitory concentration = 42 +/- 6 mug/mL) and pure maple syrup have a discriminating in vitro antiproliferative action against cancerous cells.
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April 6th, 2010
April 5th, 2010
-Dr. Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
In a half a century it can be said that these may be the toughest times for older workers, but a new study forecasts that in less than a decade, these workers will be in demand once again.
According to a study done for the MetLife Foundtion and Civic Ventures, a San Francisco think tank, by 2018, boomer retirements and smaller pools of younger adults could result in at least 5 million job vacancies. The fields of education, health car, government and nonprofit wirk will account for about half of th openings it says.
“These jobs will go begging and the economy could suffer if older workers don’t adopt them as their encore careers,” says Barry Bluestone, an economist at Northeastern University in Boston who prepared the study. As the economy recovers, spot shortages in some sectors could appear even sooner, he adds.
The report, accompanied by three papers on new jobs in health care, education and the green economy, is based on analysis of current census data, federal labor statistics and a labor market assessment tool developed by the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern.
Labor economist Richard W. Johnson of the Urban Institute agrees that the job picture will be brighter for older workers in the coming years. “I would say within five years we’ll start seeing strong demand for workers in some of these social service jobs,” he says. “We would have to include older worker participation to meet this demand.”
Still, five to eight years may seem like a long time to a desperate older job seeker who needs income now. The national unemployment rate for workers 55 and older reached 7.2 percent in December, the highest in more than 50 years. On average, workers 55 and older are remaining unemployed for nearly 36 weeks.
But second careers often last as long as 25 years, says Civic Ventures CEO Marc Freedman. “As terrible as the current downturn is, this study is a reminder that you need to think about a longer time horizon. How are you going to invest your own human capital so you can take advantage of emerging opportunities?”
Although community colleges, online degree programs and other organizations are developing initiatives to help older workers transition to new careers, more needs to be done, says Freedman. “We desperately need more inexpensive and expedited pathways to help people move from aspirations to action on their encore careers. Until then, you’re on your own.” Encore.org, a nonprofit group specializing in second careers, offers a list of educational resources.
A rare sector that added jobs during the recession, health care dominates the list of hot second careers. Demand remains strong for traditional positions, such as home health aides, nurses and medical assistants. But a changing health care landscape and an aging population are also creating new jobs in support, education and advocacy to patients. Experts say there is already a need for chronic illness coaches, community health workers, patient navigators and home modification specialists.
Tags: working seniors
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March 19th, 2010
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New tool can efficiently and accurately measure anxiety levels among seniors!
March 19th, 2010
-Dr. Kathy Johnson, PhD, CMC
The department of psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital has created a new questionnaire and measurement scale to evaluate anxiety in senior citizens. Anxiety is a condition that is becoming more common as an individual gets older. In order to determine the condition of a medical disorder, it is necessary to evaluate outcomes. Standardized scales are always recommended as a tool to treat psychiatric disorders.
Some symptoms of Anxiety fall into four general categories:
* Tense muscles, which leads to shaking, trembling, muscle restlessness, and easy tiring
* Increased nervous system activity which leads to shortness of breath, rapid heart reate, sweating, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, flushes or chills, frequent urination, or difficult swallowing
* Paranoia, feeling irritable
* Changes in normal behavior to avoid stressful situations such as avoiding meetings which leads to excessive hand washing for example
This new scale can be easily incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating for anxiety. Mark Zimmerman, MD director of outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital and his colleagues created this new scale called CUXOS (Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale test”. 1000 outpatients completed the test in less than 1.5 minutes and each CUXOS could be scored in less than 15 seconds. This test has also been found to be a good valuation of symptom change. As Zimmerman says, “If the optimal delivery of mental health treatment ultimately depends on examining outcome, then precise, reliable, valid, informative, and user-friendly measurement is critical to evaluating the quality and efficiency of care in clinical practice.” This new scale is a valid test to measure anxiety in patients.
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March 11th, 2010
When it comes to healthy snacks, the age of the baby carrot is over. Sure, raw carrots are great for you, but so are plenty of other delicious foods. These ten delicious snacks are also “superfoods” – not only are they not bad for you, they have health-boosting properties to boot. Whether you crave something sweet, something salty, something crunchy, or something creamy, there is a superfoods snack for you. Note the serving sizes mentioned and enjoy all snacks in moderation for a healthy, varied diet.
1. Almonds have been shown to lower cholesterol and help maintain a healthy weight. About a ¼ cup of almonds is a beneficial serving. Enjoy them plain or roasted, whole or slivered. Almond butter – just a tablespoon or two – is a healthy treat, too. Try some on a whole grain cracker and a cup of green tea for a late afternoon energy boost.
2. Blueberries are as full of cancer- and disease-fighting antioxidants as any food around, so much so that they have been even shown to restore antioxidant levels. Also, like cranberries, they can help prevent urinary tract infections. Note that wild blueberries tend to have even more antioxidants than cultivated ones. Fresh berries are delicious all on their own or with a bit of Greek yogurt (see #5). Frozen berries can be used in smoothies or put on top of low-fat frozen yogurt. Use about ½ cup fresh or frozen berries as a serving.
3. Broccoli eaten either raw or lightly steamed contains tons of soluble fiber and antioxidants, as well as folic acid, calcium, ion, and potassium. Broccoli has even been shown to have the power to reduce diabetic damage. Don’t throw away the stalk/stem! Cut off the thick, fibrous darker green peel to reveal the tender, pale green vegetable underneath – it has the crunch of celery and a mild broccoli flavor. Try broccoli florets or peeled stems with a little drizzle of soy sauce or a simple dip made from fat-free Greek yogurt (again see #5) – stir in minced garlic and herbs, lemon zest and minced rosemary, or a sprinkle of cumin and cayenne to taste. About ½ cup of florets or peeled stem is a serving.
4. Cherries, tart ones in particular, have similarly insanely high antioxidant levels as blueberries, putting them in the position to fight memory loss, heart disease, and diabetes. They’ve also been shown to help reduce inflammation, helping alleviate arthritic and gout pain. Fresh, frozen, or dried (unsweetened) tart cherries make a great snack on their own or combined with other nuts (almonds, walnuts, pumpkins seeds) and fruits (blueberries, raisins). Count ½ cup fresh cherries or ¼ cup dried cherries as a serving.
5. Greek yogurt is thick and creamy in a way regular yogurt can only dream of. It’s high in calcium, of course, and contains good levels of probiotics, which aid healthy digestion. But did you know low-fat and fat-free versions contain twice as much protein as regular yogurt? The texture of Greek yogurt makes it a great snack – especially when topped with dried fruits like blueberries, tart cherries, or raisins – as well as a good substitute for fatty sour cream. Include in it your three servings (1/2 cup each) of low-fat dairy a day.
6. Pumpkin seeds give you protein, zinc, magnesium, and selenium, a potent combination that can fight heart disease and depression. Selenium, a trace mineral, is essential for proper thyroid function. Look for roasted pumpkin seeds, often sold as “pepitas,” that are unsalted and flavor-free. As with all nuts and seeds, a serving is about ¼ cup.
7. Raisins, like all dried fruits, contain a lot of natural sugars, but the fiber and iron in raisins, along with high levels of vitamin C, put them squarely in the super snacks category. Plus, the phytochemicals in raisins have been shown to fight the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. Keep servings to about ¼ cup and buy only unsweetened raisins.
8. Soy beans (edamame) are a great source of protein as well as cancer-fighting flavonoids. Steamed or boiled fresh or frozen soy beans can be eaten like fresh sweet peas or in-shell peanuts – and, in fact, they taste a bit like a cross between the two – where part of the fun is getting the nugget out of the shell. Enjoy ½ cup shelled soybeans or 1 cup in-the-pod soy beans as a tasty, healthful snack.
9. Walnuts bring protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and precious omega-3s to the party. They’ve been shown to lower cholesterol, improve brain function, regulate sleep patterns, and fight cancer and heart disease. If you find walnuts a bit too bitter to enjoy them fully, use this trick: blanch walnut halves in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove some of the bitterness, drain them, and then toast them on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes to bring back their crunch. As with all nuts, limit your serving size to about ¼ cup.
10. Dark chocolate – saving the best for last. Dark chocolate has tons of antioxidants, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, and phosphorous. Look for chocolate that contains over 70% cocoa to get the full benefit of chocolate’s antioxidant powers and limit your intake to about an ounce a day.
Posted in Uncategorized, elder care, home health care, home care, senior care | 3 Comments »
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