Respite Care: Caring for the Caregiver
The holidays are over, and you’re exhausted. It’s not because of the cooking, or the shopping, or even the extra five pounds you put on. It’s because during what should have been a busy but festive season, the extra task of taking care of Mom pushed you beyond your usual feelings of guilt and stress.…
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The Hidden Connection between Your Teeth and Your Lungs
Mom always told us to brush and floss our teeth in order to prevent cavities, but it turns out the proper dental hygiene has benefits that extend far beyond our teeth. Because we ingest the bacteria in our mouths as we eat, the bacteria in our mouths, known as oral microbiota, affect the bacteria in…
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Move it or Lose It: The Dangers of a Sedentary Lifestyle
Sedentary lifestyles have unfortunately become the norm in the United States, with the likelihood of complete physical inactivity increasing as we age. A recent meta-analysis, published in the journal Sports Medicine, of existing studies on the effects of prolonged sitting revealed that most of us spend about 75% of our day sitting, and that this…
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Short-Term Rehab: Easing the Transition from Hospital to Home
A hospital stay is almost always a difficult event, especially for an older person. But going home is not necessarily much easier. There may be postsurgical wounds to care for, a new diet to implement, new medications to manage, and follow-up appointments to make — and keep. In many cases, the home must be retrofitted…
Read MoreCDC: Higher Than Normal Flu Activity Across US
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that as of the week ending December 22, 2018, incidence of the flu has already reached elevated levels in nine out of ten regions in the United States. The CDC, the federal agency in charge of public health in the United States, reported that in…
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4 Medications that Affect Cognitive Function
“Senior moments,” in which older people forget with they were looking for, or can’t come up with the word they’re looking for, are often treated lightly, as a common effect of aging. But the very real possibility of Alzheimer’s and other dementias is no laughing matter. We know that being physically active, and avoiding such…
Read MoreCOPD: Just the FAQs
What is COPD? Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that includes, most commonly, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. While emphysema and bronchitis work differently — emphysema destroys the lungs’ air sacs, while bronchitis causes inflammation of bronchial tubes — what they, and other COPD diseases, have in common is that they cause…
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UTIs in Seniors
Bacterial or fungal infections of the kidneys, ureter, bladder or urethra, known collectively as urinary tract infections (UTIs), are common, particularly in women. The symptoms are generally clear-cut, and affect urination. However, among seniors, UTIs are not only one of the most common types of infection, they have more severe — and even very different…
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What Is Pulmonary Hypertension?
Pulmonary and hypertension are not two words we usually hear together. Pulmonary means relating to the lungs, and hypertension means high blood pressure. Pulmonary hypertension, therefore, is high blood pressure that takes place in the arteries of the lungs. But pulmonary hypertension is not just a subcategory of hypertension; it is its own unique, progressive,…
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6 Causes of Fluid Retention
Are your feet or legs swollen? It might be caused by something simple, like being on your feet too long, or it could be caused by a health condition so serious that it requires emergency attention. Edema is the medical term for fluid retention that causes swelling. Other symptoms include: Discomfort in the swollen area…
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