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Tag: senior health
Six Habits That Help You Live Longer

Six Habits That Help You Live Longer

There's a lot to look forward to in life as you get older. But the older we get, the more we start to wonder how much longer we're going to live. In order to live longer, it's important to lead a healthy lifestyle and there are many everyday things you can do to benefit your health. Here are six things you can do to imiprove your life.

Move Around

As we get older, our arms and legs don't work as well as they did in our younger years. In fact, there are at least two million new wheelchair users in the United States every year, which means there are two million people who aren't able to get up and move.

One of the best things you can do for yourself to live longer is to keep moving. Even if you're not a gym fanatic, there's plenty you can do to stay active. Aim for at least half an hour of activity every day. You can break it up by taking short walks, lifting some hand weights, playing sports, or walking on a treadmill.

Eat Healthy

It's not always easy, but eating healthy and making good food choices is important the older you get. That doesn't mean giviing up your favorite foods cold turkey, but enjoying foods in moderation and following a diet will help keep you healthy. Studies have found that the Mediterranean Diet, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts, is a good one to follow.

Maintain A Good Weight

Along with eating well and staying active, you can live longer by maintaining a healthy weight. That's especially true of senior citizens. The CDC finds that men and women who reach the age of 80 are likely to live another eight to 10 years. Take time to take note of your weight. If you're unsure what a healthy weight should be, consult your doctor.

Don't Smoke

Of all the things you can do to help yourself live longer, this one might be the most important. Smoking affects the lungs and coronary arteries and the older you get, the more risk you have of a stroke or cancer. Whether you're a casual or longtime smoker, take steps to quit; your body will thank you.

Get Some Sleep

We all have reactions to not getting enough sleep and generally none of them are ever good. A lack of sleep makes it hard to focus, makes you irritable, and perhaps unable to put forth your best effort at work. To help yourself live longer, sleep is paramount. Make sure to go to bed at a reasonable hour and turn off electronic devices so you're only focused on sleeping. Don't be afraid to nap either. A mid-day snooze can be just the thing you need to recharge yourself to focus on the rest of your day.

Make Friends

It's estimated that about one million Americans currently live in senior communities and by 2030 that number is expected to double. In senior living communities, you're surrounded by people who can be your friends. Studies have shown that an active social life can also help you live longer, so don't be afraid to make some new pals.

By taking steps to live a healthier life, you'll give yourself every chance to live longer. You'll also lead a more fulfilling life because you're actively taking care of yourself and doing the things you love doing. So if you're concerned about your health as you get older, take steps to change right away. Even small steps can have a big impact and you may just surprise yourself with how those changes have positive benefits for your health and your life.

It’s Time to Get Your Flu Shot: What Seniors Need to Know

It’s Time to Get Your Flu Shot: What Seniors Need to Know

This time of year should be full of good cheer. But a serious illness can put a real damper on your holiday. And while the global pharma market will reach $1.12 trillion by 2022, there are many of those who still neglect to receive the vaccinations that can keep them — and countless others — healthy this season. That’s right: we’re talking about the flu shot.

Ultimately, just about everyone who’s able to be vaccinated has an incentive (and an obligation) to protect themselves with the flu shot. In order for the 30.2 million small businesses throughout the U.S. to thrive, employees need to be healthy and refrain from infecting others. Parents and relatives need to refrain from infecting young children who cannot yet receive the shot, while friends and loved ones can do their part to protect individuals with compromised immune systems by getting their annual vaccination. Rather than risk being out of school or work for weeks and potentially spreading this contagious disease, you can get one shot (often, for free!) and obtain both better health and peace of mind.

It’s particularly important for elderly folks to protect themselves from this illness. Although the baby boomer population is experiencing a trend of substantial growth that will continue until 2030, there are no guarantees that individuals over 65 will outlive prior generations. Unless you take proper steps to prevent influenza, you could be in real trouble this winter. According to the National Council for Aging Care, seniors are at higher risk for developing flu-related complications than other demographics are. In fact, the CDC reports that 90% of all flu-related deaths that occurred between 2017 and 2018 involved adults over the age of 65.

That’s why it’s typically recommended that many seniors receive a special high-dose version of the flu vaccine. Known as Fluzone, the high-dose vaccine is formulated to have antigen content four times the standard dose and is specifically created for those over the age of 65. This higher dosage has been shown to be 24.2% more effective in preventing influenza in seniors than the regular flu vaccine.

So unless you want your healthy streak to have the lifespan of an ice sculpture (about four to six hours, on average), it’s important to consider receiving this higher dose vaccine — even if you’re in excellent health. However, there may be a small problem: some localities are reporting Fluzone shortages.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the makers of Fluzone, there isn’t actually a nationwide shortage of the vaccine (like some news outlets are claiming). As a result, seniors in certain areas are having trouble getting their shots and are having to wait longer to get them. Since the World Health Organization waited an extra month to make their official recommendations about which H3N2 flu strain to include in this year’s vaccine — and Fluzone’s manufacturer also waited to see which strains were already circulating in order to make the vaccine more effective — the result is that pharmacies are receiving partial or delayed shipments. Usually, the vaccines would arrive by late summer; this year, they may not arrive until late this month. And already, some providers have received and dispensed their full supplies for the year due to increased demand.

This can, understandably, leave seniors frustrated and concerned. However, officials advise that seniors not panic. While localized shortages aren’t unheard of, there are so many treatment providers that tracking down a source won’t take a log of leg work. It’s a good idea to contact your regular pharmacy or physician’s office first to see whether they have the vaccine in stock. If that fails, it’s recommended that seniors contact other pharmacies or retailers that offer the vaccine. If you aren’t able to find Fluzone, however, not all is lost. Seniors can opt to receive the Fluad vaccine instead (another flu immunization designed for adults over the age of 65) or get the regular flu shot — as some protection is certainly better than none at all.

Certainly, influenza can be scary — especially for older people. But if you know what you’re up against and take the need for getting the shot seriously, you’ll be able to better protect yourself and everyone around you.

How To Care For Two Parents At Once Without Going Broke

How To Care For Two Parents At Once Without Going Broke

By Chris Taylor

NEW YORK (Reuters) – For years, Madeleine Smithberg has been at the forefront of American comedy as co-creator of The Daily Show and a talent coordinator for Late Show with David Letterman.

That sense of humor was especially handy during the last few years. That is because Smithberg had to cope with not one, but two elderly parents in rapid decline.

“It’s heartbreaking,” says Smithberg, 56, who heads a production company in Los Angeles. “And yet it’s invisible, because nobody talks about it.”

Dealing with one aging parent is challenging enough, whether you are helping navigate the complex healthcare system, paying for an assisted living facility or struggling with cognitive decline as the parent slips away. But the emotional and financial stress can be more than double if you are caring for both parents at the same time.

“It’s like having toddlers,” says Smithberg, whose father passed away in 2014 after she moved her parents to Los Angeles. “They’re hot, they’re cold, they’re hungry, they ask repetitive questions, and their needs become the most important thing in the world at that second… The biggest challenge of all is holding onto your patience.”

According to a new study by Northwestern Mutual, the childrearing comparison is apt: 59 percent of Americans feel that taking care of two parents between ages 85 and 90 would be even harder than handling two kids between ages 3 and 5.

Caregivers may also have kids of their own. In that case, it’s not just the “Sandwich Generation” – it’s a Triple-Decker.

The Northwestern Mutual report found that 38 percent of those surveyed have not planned at all for handling the financial burdens of caring for elderly parents.

The costs can be gigantic: National median costs for an assisted-living facility are now $43,200 annually, according to insurer Genworth Financial in its annual Cost of Care study. A private room in a nursing home? $91,250.

That is more than enough to blow up any financial plan. The following is advice on how to care for your parents without going bankrupt yourself.

LONG-TERM CARE

“Long-term care, long-term care, long-term care.” That’s the simple advice from Smithberg. Her father had taken out coverage for himself and his wife, which she calls “the best thing he ever did.”

Long-term care insurance covers expenses for nursing home or home care if you become incapacitated – most of which is not covered by Medicare. The coverage, like the care, can be extremely expensive, and to be sure, it did not cover all of Smithberg’s parents’ assisted-living costs. But, combined with their own life savings, the policy has meant that she has not yet had to dip into her own savings to pay for their care.

HAVE THE TALK

With the holidays right around the corner, it is one of the few times of year when far-flung families tend to gather in one place. Don’t let the opportunity slip by to discuss your parents’ expectations, should illness arrive. Find out if they have advance directives – documents that spell out what treatment they would and would not want during a life-threatening health crisis. Make sure you establish who has power of attorney, should they need someone to make important decisions.

“It’s the perfect time to have this kind of conversation,” says Kamilah Williams-Kemp, Northwestern Mutual’s vice president of long-term care. Her spouse’s grandmother lived to 102, and her mother-in-law has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

CONSIDER A REVERSE MORTGAGE

Reverse mortgages allow homeowners aged 62 and above to borrow against their home equity and to receive either a lump sum, a series of monthly checks or a line of credit that can be tapped as needed. The upside of a reverse mortgage? With the bank paying you every month, instead of the other way around, that check can help cover costs for in-home caregivers.

Tom Davison, a financial planner in Columbus, Ohio, is working with a 90-year-old woman whose daughter moved in with her as a caregiver. “A reverse mortgage could help (the daughter) pay her the wages she has given up,” Davison said.

The downside, of course: The family home will eventually become property of the bank.

GET HELP

Your first instinct as a child may be to drop everything and handle all your parents’ needs yourself. But if it comes at the cost of your own career, think about the ripple effects – on your retirement savings, on the needs of your own kids, even on your own sanity.

With Americans extending their lifespan – 76.4 years for men, 81.2 years for women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics – this is a family challenge that won’t be going away anytime soon.

Denver financial planner Kristi Sullivan recommends hiring a case manager to do the heavy lifting.

“For an hourly fee, these people can handle tasks quickly that it might take you hours to do – scheduling doctor’s appointments, handling medical payments and dealing with insurance, helping find a good nursing home or in-home care,” Sullivan says. “Spending this money may seem expensive, but it’s less than putting someone’s career on hold to become a full-time caregiver.”

(Editing by Lauren Young and Dan Grebler)

A young carer holds the hands of an elderly woman in a residential home for the elderly in Planegg near Munich in this June 19, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/Files

Quick & Healthy: Is There Anything Green Tea Can’t Do?

Quick & Healthy: Is There Anything Green Tea Can’t Do?

“Quick & Healthy” offers some highlights from the world of health and wellness which you may have missed this week:

  • One day your phone may be able to sniff out the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, based solely on the way you type. Researchers are currently developing software that can monitor the rate at which users tap on their keyboards and make assessments as to how well a typist’s central nervous system is functioning. It’s an exciting development, but for now, anyway, the software cannot distinguish between someone with Parkinson’s and someone who’s simply sleep deprived.
  • Green tea is the gift that just keeps on giving. The antioxidant-loaded, bacteria-battling, fat-burning substance just got yet another boon: According to a new study, a regular green tea habit correlates to a lower risk of dementia. The study found no such link with black tea and coffee, although those drinks have plenty of well-known health benefits on their own.
  • And we have a winner! Researchers have amassed results from several studies conducted on commercial diet and weight-loss programs, and have determined that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers are the most effective.
  • A new startup is setting its sights on revolutionizing in-home health care for seniors. The Silicon Valley-based service is called Honor, and it’s designed to bring seniors the best in in-home care, while also allowing family members to stay in close contact, even and especially while they’re remote.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons