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AAA Warman Home Care’s E-Update is intended to bring to you timely and useful articles and information at the click of the mouse. It is sent monthly in an effort to keep you apprised of what is happening across the healthcare continuum of care effecting hospital, hospice and rehabilitation social workers and case managers, as well as Assisted Living, Independent Living and Skilled Nursing facility executives. Warman understands that time is limited and has undertaken to share with you important industry information without your having to search for it.
As of Jan. 1, the first baby boomers turned 65. What can American society expect as boomers retire, age and continue to be active? How will this affect the stigma of growing old?
As the birthday celebrations commence, University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on tips and trends related to aging in America. Topic areas include elder law, geriatric medicine, hearing loss, mental health, television viewing and designs for living.
The thoughts of the UB faculty members are summarized below. For more information or to search the UB Faculty Experts blog, go to the Newstips website.
Will hearing aids become a fashion statement? Rock music takes its toll
Richard Salvi, PhD, UB professor of communicative disorder and sciences, otolaryngology and neurology and director of the UB Center for Hearing and Deafness, is an expert in deafness and hearing loss.
According to Salvi, "baby boomers now have reached an age where hearing loss and tinnitus become major health problems. Many have already lost much of their hearing and developed tinnitus (ringing in the ear) due to many years of listening to loud rock music.
"Hearing aids, not yet considered a fashion statement, will by necessity become a necessary part of the boomers dress code as the prevalence of age-related hearing loss begins to accelerate beyond age 65. While hearing aid technology and miniaturization have steadily advanced, restoring the hearing of our youth remains a formidable challenge," he says.
"Hearing health care costs are skyrocketing due to noise exposure and aging. The Veterans Administration ranks hearing loss as one of its Top 5 major disabilities. In 2010, the Veterans Administration paid out more than $1 billion for tinnitus disability claims alone. The trends in the VA are a reflection of those in the general population."
Severe to profound hearing loss and tinnitus associated with aging and noise exposure are not just hearing problems; they can lead to social isolation, anxiety and depression contributing to an overall decline in one's general health, Salvi says.
Today's television lineup includes many reality shows about ESP, "true-ghost" stories and the wonder of near-death experiences. Are they aimed at the elderly? Pop culture expert Elayne Rapping, PhD, professor emerita of American studies, says that whether they are aimed at the elderly or not, her hunch is that's who is watching them. "After all," she says, "TV supports wishful thinking and shows that entertain the connection between the here and the hereafter may be more enticing to an aging population than to those who don't plan on leaving the earthly plane anytime soon."
Anthony H. Szczygiel, a professor in the UB Law School, has extensive experience lecturing, studying and actively taking on cases of elder law and says the elderly and near elderly are demanding changes in how society, governments and the courts deal with aging-related chronic care.
"Traditional nursing home stays are being replaced with new ways of dealing with chronic needs, such as the Greenhouse Project for rethinking nursing home facilities and care and the aging-in-place Village movement," says Szczygiel. "A new example of this Village movement approach to elder care, Canopy of Neighbors, will open soon to serve the aging in one Buffalo neighborhood," he says.
Szczygiel notes that in the legal arena, two recent federal court decisions give support to nursing home residents and their families challenging the warehousing of chronically ill elders, where the resident may benefit from continued physical or occupational therapy. "Too often the nursing home staff gives up on the patient and stops providing such therapy," he says. "The cases provide a way to reverse the unintended negative consequences of Medicare's nursing home and home care coverage standards."
Szczygiel also is knowledgeable of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which provides significant support to research and demonstration projects aimed at better handling chronic health care problems.
Scott T. Meier, professor and chair of the UB Department Counseling, School and Educational Psychology in the Graduate School of Education, is an expert in counseling and psychotherapy.
"Traditionally, the elderly have been less interested in mental health services than younger people," states Meier. "However, that may partially be a generational effect in that people who came of age in the 1960s and later are more accustomed to the idea of using counseling and psychotherapy for personal, vocational and family problems. Consequently, we may see the average age of individuals in counseling and psychotherapy increase over the next two decades.
"One of the issues that may cause stress for boomers is that they are more likely to have to take care of elderly parents (who are living longer) as well as their own children (who may have more trouble getting employed and established in careers and families)."
Robert S. Stall, MD, is a UB clinical assistant professor in medicine and a specialist in geriatrics.
Stall says boomers should avoid self-prejudice ("Doctor, I'm not getting any younger!") and ignore ageist comments from friends, family, even health professionals ("What do you expect at your age?"). Aging boomers have a lot to expect in terms of health and well-being, Stall says. "You should tend to both the diseases and the dis-eases (such as pain, depression, social isolation, functional problems) that are more common as you age but not due to age, in and of itself.
"Everyone knows a 95 year old who looks and acts 75, and the 65 year old who appears to be 80. And anyone who thinks the pain in their right knee is solely age-related needs to wonder how their same-aged left knee can be pain-free."
Stall says it's important to remember that "gradual decline may not be Alzheimer's disease, ageist attitudes are harmful and there is always something that can be done to help" as we age.
Edward Steinfeld, adjunct professor of architecture and director of UB's Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA), is an expert on issues of accessibility. He believes that products and services that benefit elders do not have to be stigmatizing or isolating.
"If we don't take steps to plan our communities and homes for aging populations, older people will be isolated and their quality of life will suffer," Steinfeld says. "Communities that feel an obligation to respond to the needs of their elder residents will proceed with specialized services like expensive paratransit, more publicly assisted housing and services like Meals on Wheels. This will increase the tax burden."
The solution to this problem, according to Steinfeld, is universal design, design for improving usability and social engagement in response to the diversity of the population. "Universal design applies to services as well as products," he explains. "I like to describe the key benefits of universal design by the stages of the lifespan: safety and security for children, independence and social responsibility for young adults, reducing stress for working-age adults and maintaining independence and social engagement for elders.
"Together with our partners, we founded an organization called the Global Universal Design Commission, which I think will soon take a leadership role in changing current attitudes in the business world. The commission already has members like AARP, Disney and Proctor and Gamble, which see the value of this idea. In a few years, universal design will be as well known as sustainability is today."
"The smart sectors of the business community, including builders, developers, planners and manufacturers, are well aware that changing demographics will provide an opportunity as well as a challenge in the future. They have not addressed the aging population very well in the past because they often believe that environments, products and services targeted to older adults are stigmatized due to ageism, thus no one else will buy them," he said.
"This, of course, leads to a separate market for things like age-restricted communities, mature market products and age-targeted services like home monitoring. Even older people don't like to identify as old in our society because 'ageism' is so rampant."
SOURCE: University at Buffalo, February 25, 2011
Continue to tread lightly and don't get too confident, winter isn't over yet. Slips and falls plague some 1 million people every year and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 20,000 people die annually due to injuries related to slips and falls.
Additionally, falls account for approximately 15 percent of jobsite accidents, adding up to almost 15 percent of all workers' compensation costs.
"Many falls can be successfully avoided or the impact minimized by applying a few basic strategies," said Mike Ross, author of The Balance Manual and exercise physiologist at Gottlieb Center for Fitness, part of Loyola University Health System.
Ross teaches balance classes year round at Gottlieb, primarily to those ages 50 and older. Some bodily changes due to growing older are unavoidable and may affect personal safety. "Balance deteriorates as we get older due to the weakening of muscles and change in sensory perception, especially in the ear structure," he said. Equilibrium, or balance, is largely determined by the inner ear and the brain.
"As we age, our eardrums often thicken and the bones of the middle ear and other structures are affected. It often becomes increasingly difficult to maintain balance," he said.
"Aging also breaks down cells in the nervous system, which can often result in a delay in reflexes that can lead to susceptibility to injury," he said.
Ross focuses on preventing injury by being proactive and taking control. Here are Ross' recommendations on how to navigate the rest of winter and to cross over safely to spring:
SOURCE: Loyola University Health System, February 25, 2011
Drivers aged over 60 have higher crash rates in non problematic operating environments - as in junctions - than drivers of other age groups. Although elderly drivers present deteriorated driving abilities, they have proved to be more cautious, to compensate such deficiencies. This way, older drivers avoid engaging in risky behaviours like speeding, passing dangerously or driving under the effects of alcohol.
Such were the conclusions drawn of the study conducted by University of Granada researchers and recently published in Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontología, where a comprehensive study was developed on the relationship between driving and age. The authors of this study are David Cantón Cortés, Mercedes Durán Segura and Cándida Castro Ramírez, professors of the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Granada.
In the last decades, a significant increase of crash rates for drivers aged over 60 has been reported. However, and contrary to the general opinion, the study conducted by the University of Granada revealed that crash rates for this age group are lower that that for younger drivers aged ≤20.
Researchers note that "24.8% of drivers aged over 74 years keep driving", and they remark that, although accident rates are lower for elderly drivers, "when they are involved in a car crash, the injuries they suffer are more serious than that of middle-aged or of young drivers'".
David Cantón concludes that "age does not seem to be a contributing factor in fatal accidents". Additionally, a number of studies have found that "there is a relationship between keeping driving and having higher satisfaction rates in the old age". In other words, old people are happier when they keep driving, since it boosts their self-esteem.
University of Granada researchers remark that a limit of age should not exist for driving and that "the authorities should allow elderly drivers to keep driving as long as they can, providing that this does not involve any risk for their own safety and that of others'".
SOURCE: University of Granada, February 25, 2011
When Karen Franklin was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, it was her passion for Zumba® that helped her beat the disease. Franklin's story, say experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, reminds us about exercise's cancer-fighting benefits.
"Whether you're undergoing treatment or trying to avoid developing cancer, exercise makes your body stronger," said Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., professor of behavioral science at MD Anderson. "By choosing a fun workout, like dance classes, it's easier to get the 30 minutes of daily exercise you need to maintain a healthy weight, which may reduce your chances for some types of cancer."
"By boosting my fitness level, Zumba® helped me avoid the depression and general side-effects that often accompany chemotherapy," said Franklin, a licensed Zumba® instructor. "And the upbeat Latin music, the camaraderie and the dancing made it feel like a treat. It motivated me to keep working out so my body could fight off the cancer."
MD Anderson encourages men and women to integrate fitness into their daily routine. Here are three trendy dance classes that can help jumpstart a lagging workout regimen.
Basen-Engquist acknowledges that no dance class is one-size-fits-all. "But by choosing one that you enjoy, you'll more likely make exercise a habit and keep your body healthy for years to come.
SOURCE: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, February 16, 2011
Fiber intake can decrease risk of a range of health issues, including reducing cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and the risk of some cancers, researchers indicate in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Dietary fiber may be associated with an assortment of reduced health risks, researchers from the National Cancer Institute have indicated, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine online. Dietary fiber may be associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases, and may also reduce the risk of death from any cause over a nine-year period, the researchers said.
Fiber is the edible part of plants that resists digestion. It has been thought to lower risks of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and obesity. Consuming a proper amount of dietary fiber also assists in bowel movements, reduces blood cholesterol levels, improves glucose levels, lowers blood pressure, assists in weight loss, reduces inflammation, and binds to potential cancer-causing agents, increasing the likelihood that they will be excreted by the body. In this study, Yikyung Park, Sc.D., of the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, and colleagues analyzed data from 219,123 men and 168,999 women in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study in 1995 and 1996. Causes of death were determined by linking study records to national registries.
Participants’ fiber intake ranged from 13 to 29 grams per day in men and from 11 to 26 grams per day in women. Over an average of nine years of follow-up, 20,126 men and 11,330 women died. Fiber intake was associated with a significantly decreased risk of total death in both men and women—the one-fifth of men and women consuming the most fiber (29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women) were 22 percent less likely to die than those consuming the least (12.6 grams per day for men and 10.8 grams for women).
The risk of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24 percent to 56 percent in men and 34 percent to 59 percent in women with high fiber intakes. Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources such as fruits, was associated with reduced risks of total, cardiovascular, cancer and respiratory disease deaths in men and women.
“The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend choosing fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains frequently and consuming 14 grams per 1,000 calories of dietary fiber. A diet rich in dietary fiber from whole plant foods may provide significant health benefits,” the authors concluded.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, February 21, 2001
AAA Warman Home Care is a family-owned Residential Service Agency which has been providing in-home health care services to thousands of clients for the past twenty years. Warman specializes in providing the highest quality of private duty, non-medical care and companionship for the elderly, those recuperating after hospitalization / rehabilitation, the terminally ill, disabled, alone or at-risk. It is our goal to assist our clients in living the most independent, healthy and comfortable lives in the privacy of their own homes.
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