Aging Care in Walnut Creek enables seniors to live happy, healthy, and independent lives in their own homes.

Studies have shown that by mid-February, about 80% of New Year’s resolutions have been abandoned. Have you stuck to yours? Keeping a New Year’s resolution may be a difficult task, and especially for seniors. Often times, seniors choose resolutions that have health benefits. These can include diets, exercise, quitting bad habits or just managing their over-all health more efficiently. No matter what the resolution is, some seniors will need a little extra help. Now is the perfect time to check in and see how you’re doing with your resolutions. The list below provides some ways to keep on track with the goals you have set.

1. Have a support network, Friends and family can provide emotional support. This can be beneficial if the resolution included some drastic changes to daily living. If you have made some tough resolutions, you may benefit from being in the company of others who are also making changes to their lives. This can help seniors stay on track. Positive support groups are essential.

2. Resolutions can be difficult to keep, depending on what they are. Many seniors choose to lose extra weight or start an exercise program. The key to being successful with these resolutions is to just do them. If you have a new diet, stick to it. If you have a new exercise regime, make time for it each day. These changes can greatly improve health and mood, so stick with them regardless of how it feels at the time.

3. If you slip up on your resolution, do not quit completely. Many people make little mistakes. This does not mean the time you have already put into keeping the resolution needs to be thrown away. Just count that day as a loss and pick up where you left off.

Source: associatedcontent.com

Image Source: sxc.hu

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

Here at Home Care Walnut Creek, we encourage seniors to be aware of their sodium intake. This daily intake, though necessary, can cause many health problems. It plays a major role in high blood pressure. Sodium lurks in foods we usually do not think twice about. Seniors should try to reduce their intake, especially if they are already affected with high blood pressure. The list below contains facts and tips for lowering sodium intake.

1. The government passed regulation to label products differently. Anything with more than 480 mg will be labeled as high in sodium.

2. When you reduce sodium intake, you will notice foods taste differently. Do not give up. In a short time, your taste buds will adjust!

3. Do not cut out sodium completely. The body does require some intake. For adults, the minimum amount is 200-500mg/day. Those with high blood pressure should not exceed 1500mg/day.

4. Lower intake by reading food labels and being aware of sodium contents, make records of daily sodium intake, change some eating habits and find low-sodium alternatives to what you normally eat.

5. When dining out, eat from the salad bar and avoid soups and sauces. Also ask for a low-sodium menu.

6. Read labels. Manufacturers are required to tell you how much sodium is in a product based on a serving size. Look at the serving size and then at how much sodium is in each size.

7. Keep in mind that many of your medications may contain sodium. Check with your doctor for tips on how to lower sodium intake. Also remember that tap water contains sodium as well, so try to drink bottled or filtered water.

Source: hearthealthyonline.com

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Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

What exactly is Swine Influenza? Learn the facts about the virus that’s catching the
attention of the news media and concerned citizens all over the US from The Center of
Disease Control and Prevention website and share your thoughts.

1.) How should this outbreak be handled?

2.) What can adults and seniors do to prevent exposure?

Please comment below with your opinions!

Image Source:
-New York Times

2009’s Economic Stimulus Plan brings both good and bad news for senior Americans. While some of the bills President Obama is hoping to have passed by the senate do benefit seniors’ financial needs; there are advocates who fear that the provisions might hurt Social Security benefits and healthcare long-term. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recently passed by the House, does includes some senior-friendly elements such as $87 billion to help fund state Medicaid programs; $650 million to continue the DTV coupon program (allowing people to convert from analogue to digital cable); and $500 million dollars has been allocated to the Social Security Administration to process the rise in disability and retirement claims.

According to the Stimulus Plan, unemployed people age 65 and older will be able to retain their COBRA health insurance coverage, so they are not burdened with exorbitant medical costs until they are eligible for Medicare coverage. Healthcare provisions have also been added that will allow medical institutions to store information about senior health electronically to increase senior medical care. However, they also include a controversial component which requires that medical providers choose medical treatments that are cost-effective. While this may help keep seniors’ bills for medical care low, advocates also worry that this will impact the quality of care received by those with Medicare benefits or private insurance coverage.

Obama’s 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan will also put money directly into seniors’ pockets, with eligibility for one time payments for retirees, including $300 for seniors receiving SSI, Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Benefits.

Sources:
1. Spectrum

2. Bloomberg.com (Betsey McCaughey)

3. Associated Press:  (Adrian Sainz)

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

San Francisco nursing home diabetes care is a critical avenue to study and explore. The Centers for Disease Control says that one out of three people born in the United States in this century will develop the disease in his or her lifetime.

Looking at the data reveals that there is a lack of a systematic approach to diabetes treatment in the facilities studied. The findings demonstrated that practice guidelines for this population must be developed in order to offer optimal care standards to nursing home residents.  And considering that the general population of Appalachia has two to three times the national incidence of diabetes, as diabetes rates increase, the number of elderly diabetics in nursing homes will also increase.

Read the full story.

Training people to avoid falls by repeatedly exposing them to unstable situations in the laboratory helped them to later maintain their balance on a slippery floor, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.

The research could eventually help the elderly, for whom falling is an important health concern, according to a Science Daily report.

Researchers used a moveable platform that could be operated to disrupt a person’s balance. Previous studies showed that people could quickly learn to maintain balance and avoid a fall with a short training period on the platform. This study looked at whether training on the platform could transfer to prevent a fall on a slippery floor.

Study participants were compared against a control group, who did not receive any training on the platform. Researchers found that none of the trained participants fell on the slippery floor and seven of the eight never lost their balance. The trained subjects were able to transfer the skill and avoid a fall on the slippery floor because they were better at controlling the landing foot (the foot that is on the ground during the slip.) They slowed down the movement of the foot as it began to slide forward. The landing foot of the people in the untrained group went out from under them much faster.

Research so far indicates the effects of one training session should last for at least four months and perhaps much longer to protect against backward falls.

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

Are you having a difficult time juggling work and caregiving? Are the demands of both stressing you out?  I know when sitting at my desk and researching elder care topics for mom and dad was extremely time consuming. And then my manager wondered out loud… “productivity is dropping, Carol.”  But at the time it wasn’t so nicely said.

That was my struggle.  Balancing my mom and dad’s health and needs with my employer and also with myself! After all; I had a life too!  Some helpful hints, especially when working full-time:

1. Don’t keep it a secret - Let your employer/manager/HR know of your dilemma and needs around caring for aging relatives

2. Listen up - There are many family caregivers at work who face those dreaded challenges too. Develop your own caring support group at work.  Believe me, when walking the halls at work, (discreetly) pay attention to a few phone conversations - you’ll be surprised how many of us are facing same issues.

3. Build that support group - meet up during lunch hour (if you’re not running an errand for your loved one) and ask for advice or referrals… family caregivers usually have a notebook full of valuable phone numbers and aging service referrals. Support is needed, so ASK FOR HELP!  You are not alone.

Hope these spark a few ideas in your over-worked brain.  I find these 3 tips to be very useful. Also, sign up for our free Newsletter… it’s loaded with good “how to” juggle work and caregiving. Go for it! Sign up here.

Thank you and come back for more Useful Tips on Caring!