Seniors: Breaking a Hip Can Increase Your Risk of Death

There are many reasons why seniors become more susceptible to falls than when they were younger. There’s declining bone density, declining muscle strength, increase in number of medications they are taking, failing vision, and more. One out of every three seniors falls every year, and some of these lead to physical complications that are irreversible. Breaking a hip is one of the most common complications from a fall (95% of hip fractures are caused by falls), so it’s important to know about these dangers and how to avoid them.

Who is most at risk?

While all seniors are – generally – at risk of falling, there are other factors that come into play including:

• Women are more likely to fall than men
• People of Asian and Caucasian ethnicity are more prone to falls
• People who are small boned are more at risk
• People who are slender are more at risk
• Those who don’t exercise regularly are more prone to falls
• People who don’t eat a nutritious diet that keeps bones strong are more at risk
• Those with alcohol or drug addictions are more prone to falling
• People who have cluttered homes are also more likely to fall

What can you do to prevent a fall?

• Keep a journal or log of all of your medications. Know which ones have side effects that include dizziness, tiredness, etc. Take these at night before bed if possible. Talk to your doctor if these side effects become a problem.
• Assess your home. What types of hazards are in your home? This can include rugs that aren’t tacked down properly, cords that are in the path of traffic, an absence of grab bars in the bathtub, insufficient lighting, and unstable furniture. Get help to rectify these problems.
• See your eye doctor annually. When you can’t see well, you’re more likely to trip and fall. A regular visit to the doctor will help you stay alert.
• Exercise regularly. This will help strengthen your body in general, and make you less prone to falls.

Seniors who live in the Raleigh area, who are interested in learning about assisted living in Raleigh NC or Cary assisted living, are encouraged to call the Always Best Care Raleigh location at 919-724-4297 to set up a free consultation. They look forward to talking with you!

Always Best Care Provides Compassionate Home Care in Raleigh

With a focus on quality and compassionate caregivers, Always Best Care has been the leader in senior care giving for the past 20 years. Their caregivers are always employees, never contractors, and are thoroughly trained, highly-skilled, licensed, bonded, and insured so that senior clients and their families can enjoy the ultimate in peace of mind.

Seniors living in the Raleigh area, who are interested in learning about home care in Raleigh or dementia care in Raleigh are encouraged to call the Always Best Care Raleigh location to schedule a free care consultation. At this time, a professional care coordinator will visit with the senior and their family to discuss all of their available options regarding either in-home care or transitioning into a senior living environment.

More and more seniors are choosing to stay in their homes during their retirement years and are enjoying the benefits that an in-home caregiver can provide. This includes assistance with housekeeping, pet care, supervising home maintenance, planning, making, and serving meals, medication management, planning visits and outings, companionship and conversation, assistance with walking, eating, bathing, escorting for shopping, appointments, and errands, and many others that fall under the categories of home helper, companion, and personal care.

There are different levels of care when it comes to in-home care giving, and Always Best Care is highly-experienced in each, assuring that seniors will always get the care that they require.

• Companion Care. This is the first level of care and involves a caregiver assisting with things like preparing meals, housekeeping, and offering friendly conversation and companionship. It basically offers a second set of eyes to help keep the senior comfortable and safe.
• Personal Care. This is the second level of care and includes everything in the companion care level. It also includes assistance with incontinence, bathing and grooming, transfers and medication reminders. Seniors who are recovering from surgery, using palliative care or just need assistance with daily personal hygiene often seek this level of care.
• Very High Level of Care. This level of care is for people who are bed-bound due to chronic illness, or those who are on hospice. Both companion and personal care levels are also provided here.

Seniors living in the Raleigh area, who are interested in learning more about home care in Raleigh and dementia care in Raleigh are invited to call the Always Best Care Raleigh location at 919-724-4297 to set up a free care consultation. They look forward to chatting with you about your bright future!

How Seniors Benefit from Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that involves inserting needles into the skin to relieve pain and help treat disease. Due to the fact that most seniors take over 27 prescriptions every year (some more than five per day), acupuncture is a non-medicinal strategy toward health and healing that holds many benefits for seniors.

No Prescriptions
One of the biggest benefits to acupuncture is the fact that there aren’t any prescriptions involved. Adverse drug reactions result in nearly one million emergency room visits every single year, with 100,000 of them resulting in death. Acupuncture provides pain relief and disease treatment without a prescription.

Regain State of Health
Acupuncture is centered around the idea that the body’s life force energy can be revitalized by pinpointing the twelve meridians of the body via acupuncture. Through this process, pathogens are released and the body is restored to a state of balance.

Respiratory System
Seniors often have respiratory issues. Acupuncture can help relieve acute sinusitis, acute rhinitis, the common cold and flu, and acute tonsillitis.

Mouth Disorders
As people age mouth disorders become very common due to years of dental neglect and/or a decrease in the amount of saliva produced causing dry mouth. Acupuncture can help treat gingivitis, toothaches, acute and chronic pharyngitis, post extraction pain, and TMJ disorders.

Eye Disorders
Seniors often deal with many eye disorders as well, mainly due to the process of aging. Acupuncture can help treat cataracts, acute conjunctivitis, and central retinitis myopia.

Arthritis
The most common type of arthritis that is treated via acupuncture is rheumatoid arthritis. Results include the reduction of swelling, arthritic inflammation, and relieving discomfort and pain. There are other types of arthritis which can’t be treated with acupuncture.

Mental & Emotional Problems
Seniors tend to suffer from mental and emotional issues more so than other age groups because of physical, mental, and social changes in their lives. Insomnia, depression, and anxiety are all able to be treated with acupuncture sessions.

Always Best Care has been providing exceptional, quality senior services to seniors all over the United States and Canada since 1996. During that time, they have assisted over 25,000 seniors maintain their independence and increase their overall quality of life. If you are a senior in the Raleigh area and are interested in learning about home care services in Clayton or home care in Morrisville, call the Raleigh location at 919-724-4297 to set up a free care consultation. They look forward to chat with you!!

Seniors: Be Aware of Driving & Medication Side Effects

Most people equate driving with freedom. This freedom – in the form of a driver’s license – is usually obtained in the late teen years with no real specific end. Driving is a complicated task that requires extreme focus and agility and sometimes various medications that seniors are taking can interfere with their ability to drive safely.

Seniors between the ages of 65 and 79 take over 27 prescriptions every single year, and taking just five prescriptions in a day can have a huge negative impact on driving ability. Over the counter medications often come with warning labels, and prescriptions do as well. Keep an open dialogue going with your pharmacist so that they can clearly tell you about any side effects that might hinder your driving ability.

How is driving impacted by daily medications?

• Seniors may experience a slower than normal reaction time when they take certain medications.
• Seniors may experience an increase in drowsiness
• Seniors might have trouble with becoming easily distracted or trouble with concentrating
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Fainting
• Excitability – making reactions unpredictable

Medications that can impair driving ability

• Muscle relaxants
• Allergy medications (the ones that cause drowsiness)
• Sleeping pills
• Anti-anxiety meds
• Anti-depressants
• Pain relievers
• Certain OTC drugs
• Certain herbal supplements
• Diet pills
• Stimulants

Consider Alternatives to Driving Yourself

While it’s nice to be able to get in your own car and drive yourself to wherever you need to go, if you must take certain medications that are causing you to have troublesome side effects, there are other options available for you. Consider:

• Getting rides from family and friends
• Use the public transportation system
• Look into senior care services that are available to you
• Ubers and other taxi services

The best first step is to list all of the medications (including vitamins and OTC products) so that you can share the list with your pharmacist or doctor. From there, they will be able to help you decide on possible alternate medications and any other options you might have.

Do you live in the Raleigh area? Are you curious about elder care in Cary or about how to get free referrals for assisted living in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner or Johnston County? Call the Always Best Care Raleigh location today at 919-724-4297 to set up a free consultation. They look forward to hearing from you.

Don’t Be Fooled by These Food Substitutes

Most of us want to be healthier because we know it will lead to increased immunity, less risk of disease (lowered inflammation), and ultimately an increase in overall quality of life. So, we switch out certain foods for other foods, in the hopes that we are reducing calories, reducing trans-fat intake, and being healthier. However, most foods that we think to swap in for bad ones are just as unhealthy as the original foods. Here is a short list:

• Swapping Out: Potato Chips/ Swapping In: Pretzels. It might seem like pretzels are the healthier choice because they aren’t fried in oil like chips, however, calorically they are nearly exactly the same. A better swap? Stove popped popcorn – but don’t drench it in melted butter and handfuls of salt!
• Swapping Out: Dark Chocolate/ Swapping In: Fat-free Candy. Don’t be fooled by the “fat free” label – just because something doesn’t have fat, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have calories. A small bit of dark chocolate will satisfy most sweet-tooth cravings, and also offers a number of proven health benefits.
• Swapping Out: Soda/ Swapping In: Vitamin Drink. Anything with the word “vitamin” in the label automatically gives it a healthier “feel,” right? Sure it does. However, both soda and Vitamin Water are loaded with sugar. Try plain water instead with a wedge of lemon or lime.
• Swapping Out: Sandwiches/ Swapping in: Energy Bars. Again, the word “energy” gets people abuzz and thinking that what they are eating has got to be healthy. But, the truth of the matter is, energy bars are generally loaded with added sugar and more calories than anyone’s diet allows.
• Swapping Out: White Bread/ Swapping In: Wheat Bread. If the wheat bread you are buying isn’t 100% whole wheat bread, you’re just replacing one unhealthy bread for another. Read the label to be sure.

Always Best Care has been providing in-home senior care and assisted living referrals to seniors all over the United States and Canada for the past 20 years. If you live in the Raleigh, NC area and are interested in getting information about Cary assisted living options or in-home care in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, or Garner, call the Always Best Care Raleigh location today at 919-724-4297 or email them at sdas@abc-seniors.com to set up a free consultation.

Why Seniors are at High Risk of Developing a Gambling Addiction

Over the past couple of decades casinos have morphed into what they have become today – a place that makes people feel comfortable through discounts, a variety of options, free drinks, free meals, and for seniors, even free transportation and surroundings that are highly conducive to easy wheelchair navigation. Gambling at casinos is a big draw for many people, and seniors are not immune because they might want to supplement their retirement income, they enjoy being out with other people, they enjoy the thrill of small pot winnings (that happen much more often than landing the big win), and more.

• Gambling at casinos offers a mental “getaway” from the reality of life which might include health problems, relationship problems, and family problems. People, seniors included, may roam the casino for hours slipping coins into slots and being mesmerized by the bells and whistles (that are there quite strategically).
• There might be an underlying health issue such as dementia that causes the senior to “lose” themselves inside the casino. There are also certain medications such as dopamine antagonist medications that put seniors at risk of compulsive gambling.
• It’s now a casino’s job to make their patrons feel loved and missed, and they do this by sending them birthday cards as well as “We miss you!” cards to entice people back inside. Some casinos even have vibrating seats, screen animations, and offer patrons a full sensory encounter that they end up wanting to enjoy again and again.

It’s important to recognize the signs of senior gambling addiction which might include:

• Is the senior continually asking for loans due to various reasons like they lost their wallet or a discrepancy occurred in their bank account?
• Is the senior still engaging in other activities they usually enjoy like gardening or hiking?
• Is there less food in the senior’s refrigerator or pantry than usual?
• Is the senior taking less care of themselves hygiene-wise?
• Is the senior visiting the doctor or hospital more often than usual?

If your parent or a senior you know is exhibiting these behaviors, talk with them and contact the National Council on Problem Gambling for more information.

If you live in the Raleigh area and you are interested in receiving information regarding Apex home health care, or other options surrounding in-home care in Raleigh, you can call the Always Best Care Raleigh location at 919-724-4297 or email them at sdas@abc-seniors.com for more information and to set up a free consultation.