By Susan Ashby
The American Stroke Association has designated May American Stroke Awareness Month in an effort to spread the word on identifying, preventing and treating stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strokes kill about 140,000 Americans each year, which equals about one in every 20 deaths. But it’s not all bad news. Strokes are preventable. In fact, the CDC reports that some 80 percent of them could have been avoided.
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What’s more, identifying strokes in their early stages—acting FAST, so to speak—can help prevent them from turning fatal or causing disability. Why? Because every minute, quite literally, counts during a stroke. In fact, approximately 2 million brain cells are lost every minute of a stroke. In short, the earlier the treatment, the better the chance for a full recovery. And there’s no better way to ensure early-stage treatment than by getting well-acquainted with stroke warning signs.
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By Anna Hazard
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Part 1 - Benefits & Drawbacks
Part 2 - Tips, Alternatives, & Helpful Programs Part 3 - Best Dogs for Seniors Part 4 - Best Cats for Seniors Part 5 - Best Birds for Seniors Part 6 - Best Rodents for Seniors Part 7 - Aquariums & Aquarium Plants Part 8 - Best Aquarium Fish for Seniors Tips for Choosing the Right Pet for a Senior
Some further things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the right pet for a senior include...
By Anna Hazard
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Part 1 - Benefits & Drawbacks
Part 2 - Tips, Alternatives, & Helpful Programs Part 3 - Best Dogs for Seniors Part 4 - Best Cats for Seniors Part 5 - Best Birds for Seniors Part 6 - Best Rodents for Seniors Part 7 - Aquariums & Aquarium Plants Part 8 - Best Aquarium Fish for Seniors Introduction
Pet therapy has often been suggested when it comes to helping the young and old alike recover from both mental & physical problems. Here we discuss both the benefits & drawbacks to owning pets for seniors as well as going over things to keep in mind when searching for that perfect elderly companion. The best overall breeds & types of individual pets for benefiting older adults are also examined in greater depth.
The Benefits of Pets
The many benefits of keeping pets have been well known for years. This includes studies that indicate that pet owners have significantly reduced levels in triglycerides, cholesterol, and the stress hormone cortisol. Heart & pulse rate as well as blood pressure (50% in the case of high blood pressure linked to mental stress) were also noted to decrease within pet owners. This in turn lead to noted drops in known risk factors for cardiovascular disease & stroke, an increased chance of survival amongst heart disease patients, and an overall mortality rate drop of 1/3rd amongst pet owners.
Pets help people cope with stress by providing emotional support & distraction. They aid in relaxation as their presence has been linked to the increased production of feel good hormones such as serotonin. Overall pet owners have reportedly less headaches, indigestion, insomnia, and other smaller complaints as well as higher pain tolerance levels.
By Anna Hazard
View the Rest of the SeriesIntroduction
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder whereby a body's immune system targets its own body tissues, particularly joint linings. The skin, heart, lungs, eyes, blood vessels, and nerves may also be targeted. RA distinguishes itself from other types of arthritis by symmetrically affecting both joints on both sides of the body at the same time (ie both wrists, both knees, both elbows). Rheumatoid arthritis often first manifests in smaller joints such as fingers & toes and can eventually degenerate into bone & cartilage erosion and complete joint deformity.
Symptoms of RA vary in severity and can fall into remission or flare-up in increased bouts of disease activity. These symptoms can include swelling, warmth, & pain in the joints, fatigue, and stiffness after long periods of rest or inactivity. Risk factors for RA include gender (with females more likely to develop it), family history of RA, environmental influences such as smoking, asbestos, and silica, as well as age. While RA can occur at any age, most people affected are between the ages of 40 and 60. Currently nearly 1% of the American population (~1 million people) are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Below are a selection of smartphone apps for both iOS & Android that are specifically tailored to help with the rheumatoid variety of arthritis. Many take the form of management & disease tracking tools that are also helpful for producing disease data for the user's healthcare providers, give general information, support, nutritional advice, physiotherapy & exercise routines, or act as overviews & guides to RA. While generally there are more rheumatoid arthritis focused apps available on the Android platform, there are still a good selection of cross-platform entries that will also work on iOS. Apps
By Anna Hazard
View the Rest of the SeriesIntroduction
Osteoarthritis is the most commonly found chronic condition afflicting the joints of the body where the cartilage between the joints breaks down. The chances of it developing increases with age with a greater proportion occurring in people over 60. However, it can also develop in those younger, particularly those who have other joint injuries or repetitive stress in the joint area. Symptoms include soreness in the joints (particularly pain after either extended bouts of movement or inactivity), stiffness that increases with rest (such as in the morning after a night's sleep), as well as bony enlargements or swelling in the joints.
Here are a selection of apps that focus specifically on the osteoarthritis version of arthritis including overall comprehensive guides, tips & advice regarding symptoms, treatments, and dietary prevention, as well as a selection of exercise & rehabilitation programs. Apps
By Anna Hazard
View the Rest of the SeriesIntroduction
Arthritis is an umbrella term for a conglomeration of diseases & conditions that afflict the joints of the body. Due to its nature of inflammation of the joint, the most common arthritis symptoms are pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion in the joint. With over 100 different varieties of arthritis, it is the leading cause of disability in America. While often associated with aging due to the proliferation of osteoarthritis, the various forms of arthritis can occur at any age through all genders & races.
Due to it's widespread occurrence, many smartphone apps have cropped up that have arthritis as their chief focus. Here are a selection of apps for both iOS & Android that are meant to help deal with arthritis & joint inflammation in general instead of focusing on one particular type (such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the two most common varieties). Since smartphones can be easily incorporated into exercise routines & are usually carried around wherever the user may go, these particular apps tend to focus on exercise routines to help mitigate pain or otherwise act as general founts of knowledge as overall guides or by providing easy access to other references (such as arthritis magazines or video selections). Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Part 1 : Urinary Tract & Lung Infections
Introduction
Two other types of infections common within the elderly are respiratory infections (comprising the mouth. nasal cavity, pharyx/larynx/trachea, bronchi and lungs) and gastrointestinal infections (comprising the GI tract - mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, rectum, and anus - as well as the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder) both of which tend to flare up often and spread quickly through institutionalized group settings where seniors can often be found such as nursing homes, rehab centers, and hospitals.
Bacterial or viral infections are the most widespread, but seniors comprise a disproportionate amount of patients suffering from fungus based infections within the skin & lungs due to their overall weaker immunities and tendency towards activities that expose themselves to fungal spores.
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
The risk of infections poses an increasing danger as people age to the point that more than 33% (greater than 1/3) of all deaths of those 65+ can be attributed to an infectious disease. In particular, gram-negative bacteria are responsible for more infections in the elderly than in younger adults.
Seniors are overall more susceptible to infections due to diminished immune responses, decreased physical reserves, a greater likelihood of the presence of chronic diseases & medications for treatment which can cause further complications, as well as a greater chance for requiring invasive procedures that leave them more vulnerable to infections. In addition, there are higher rates of exposure to infection (including more dangerous antibiotic resistant strains) at hospitals and institutional group settings such as nursing homes & senior care centers. Besides a greater overall susceptibility, early detection & treatment of older adults for infections can be further complicated by symptoms which are more subtle & nonspecific and generally manifesting differently than in younger patients. One of the most common symptoms of infection is fever, which may not be noticed within an older adult due to an aging person's poorer body temperature response. Due to their white blood cell count often not rising as high as the norm in a younger adult, many of the common blood tests will not properly detect infections in the elderly. Some common symptoms for various infections within seniors include loss of appetite, weight loss, loss of balance & falling, cognitive impairment & decline in functioning, delirium & other mental changes, as well as an increase in respiratory rate.
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
Similar to the Android exclusive apps, these iOS based ones tend to be completely free or inexpensive to upgrade or purchase compared to the more well known cross-platform mind training apps such as Luminosity, Elevate, and Peak.
With some exceptions such as the Mensa based programs games, these games tend to focus more on being entertaining with the side effect of improving mental acuity & memory due to their puzzle-like natures rather than having scientifically backed research & studies behind their activities. iOS Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
These smartphone apps are based on the premise that being submersed in an enriched environment with lots of mental stimulation will produce positive brain changes, promote mental health, and improve cognitive & psychological functioning based on neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to remodel nerve cell connections through experience)
In particular these types of games focus on improving memory, problem solving skills, processing speed, increasing overall I.Q., or enhancing other cognitive skills particularly in older adults where some studies have indicated that they can be helpful in preventing age-related memory decline and reducing the risk of dementia by lessening the probability of developing brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The smartphone games listed below are amongst the most well received and highly rated across both the Apple iOS & Android platforms. They are mostly available in the form of free trials with further premium content (such as upgrades, access to further games & levels, or monthly subscriptions) available through in app purchases. Cross Platform Apps
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AboutNews updates, tips, and guides on senior care, senior health, stress relief and a host of other caregiving related topics from the professionals at Ella Stewart Care. |