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Many seniors, particularly men, don’t go to their primary physician for regular checks. It’s likely due to a fear of them finding something wrong. However, a study that was done in 2019 found that having 10 additional primary care doctors per 100K people increases a community’s average life expectancy by 51.5 days. This is due to the fact that more doctor visits leads to more vaccinations and screening tests. Medicare pays for a free annual wellness visit.
Many people don’t realize it, but you can have a negative drug interaction even with over-the-counter drugs. Ginkgo biloba and garlic can increase bleeding risks if you take anticlotting drugs. And St. John’s wort can reduce the effectiveness of warfarin and certain statins, channel blockers and digoxin (AARP Bulletin June Issue, page 22). Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can increase side effects of many medications, including certain statins, blood pressure and heart-rhythm drugs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Alcohol can increase drowsiness and raise the risks of overdoses when used with many drugs for anxiety, seizures or depression, according to the National Institutes of Health. Talk to your doctor about these issues!
Obesity can lead to a number of health problems including diabetes, heart disease and strokes. One issue that can easily be tackled is to stop drinking sugary beverages. A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains 65 grams of sugar—five times as much as a typical glazed donut. Even things that you think are healthy might be a bad choice. Store-bought orange juice has as much sugar as soda! Try switching to sparkling water with lemon or making your own iced tea.
Based on a new survey done by AARP, our 60’s are a watershed decade when it comes to shifts in attitude regarding longevity, relationships, well-being and wealth. At the same time, concerns about life expectancy dips, while worries about stamina, cognitive skills, diminishing eyesight and memory loss rises. It’s not until people get into their 80’s that many people reported making necessary plans to help their families and medical team understand and carry out their end-of-life wishes, as well as planning for their assets, funeral and burial. That seems like a long time to wait! My suggestion is to get a living trust, will, POLST and medical and legal power of attorneys in place immediately. You never know what the future will hold.
Aptos, CAÂ Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends (Aptos, Ben Lomond, Â Boulder Creek, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel & Watsonville)
We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade, and we are now expanding into Santa Cruz County.  We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.
Family inHome Caregiving is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care. Our services include:
Caring companionship
Meal preparation
Incidental transportation
Running errands
Light housekeeping
Medication reminders
Monitoring of safety while bathing
Information and referral services
Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.
If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you! We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems. Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus. To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle. To apply, please visit our website https://tsc221.ersp.biz/index.cfm?event=Apply.index click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online. We have immediate openings.
Science is taking a giant leap forward as machine-learning, artificial intelligence and other types of computer-generated intelligence are contributing a great deal to our knowledge of various diseases. Finally, there is good news on the Alzheimer’s front. A study which was published in the journal Nature found that a machine-learning MRI algorithm can predict whether a person has Alzheimer’s disease or not with a whopping 98% accuracy. It can also differentiate between an early and late-staged Alzheimer’s patient with an accuracy of 79%. The modeling was achieved on an MRI found in most hospitals.
Oddly enough, new research found that if you are unable to balance on one foot for 10 seconds, you’re twice as likely to die over the next decade. So if any of you girls were sent to charm school when you were young and taught proper balance and posture, now is the time to thank your mother.  The peer-reviewed study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and found that poor balance is linked to frailty in older adults and one’s musculoskeletal fitness is a prime indicator of declining health.
Telehealth continues to boom even as the pandemic has begun to slow. It’s quicker, easier, and doctors can see more patients. Prior to the pandemic, telehealth made up less than 0.01% of healthcare visits across the United States. By mid-April of 2020, that number had jumped to 69%. Both Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, or CHOMP, and Dignity Health care are actively promoting telehealth. This is particularly great news for those with rare diseases for which there are just a handful of specialists nationwide. A new study found that 83% of those with rare diseases were offered a telehealth visit by their health care provider and 92% of those felt it was a positive experience.
Ben Lomond, CAÂ Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends (Aptos, Ben Lomond, Â Boulder Creek, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel & Watsonville)
We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade, and we are now expanding into Santa Cruz County.  We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.
Family inHome Caregiving is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care. Our services include:
Caring companionship
Meal preparation
Incidental transportation
Running errands
Light housekeeping
Medication reminders
Monitoring of safety while bathing
Information and referral services
Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.
If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you! We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems. Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus. To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle. To apply, please visit our website https://tsc221.ersp.biz/index.cfm?event=Apply.index click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online. We have immediate openings.
There can be great self-gratification that comes from participating in a clinical trial in the hopes of coming up with a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, there has been very little good news on the clinical trial front, with a new study showing that the most recent drug released to the market, Roche’s crenezumab did not slow or prevent cognitive decline.
There was a recent story in The Future of Personal Health about Donald Macintosh, a smart attorney with a good memory who had a 25-year career but now can’t make a cup of coffee or remember what he ate for lunch. He was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, an affliction that impacts 6 million Americans. He is now excited to be participating in a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug which could slow the progress of the disease. “It’s a privilege,†he says. “Not everyone is in such a trial because either they don’t know about it or they don’t meet the requirements,†he added. Although Donald had to drop out of the most recent trial due to side effects, he is looking forward to joining others. He has no regrets about participating. “Even if it doesn’t benefit me personally, it will benefit other people in the future,†he said.
Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother died of this terrible disease. There are some great people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey at Ryan’s Ranch that can help you if you are dealing with a family member with dementia. They also have a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.