National survey indicates physicians believe addressing patients’ social needs is as important as addressing medical conditions.

According to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the social needs of patients are as important to address as their medical conditions. In a national survey of primary care providers and pediatricians, 85 percent believe that unmet social needs — things like access to nutritious food, reliable transportation and adequate housing — are leading directly to worse health for all Americans. Furthermore, 4 in 5 physicians do not feel confident in their capacity to meet their patients’ social needs, and they believe this impedes their ability to provide quality care.

The conditions we face day in, day out, where we live, learn, work and play, have a greater impact on our health and life expectancy than our medical conditions and the health care we receive.

It’s important that patients be connected to services that address their social needs. Services like fitness programs, nutritional food and transportation assistance are at top of list. Physicians say that those living in the urban and low-income bracket also need help with employment assistance, adult education and housing assistance.

If your loved one needs help fulfilling their social needs in Houston, please call Home Instead Senior Care – we can help with needs like transportation, nutritious cooking, and helping your loved one keep moving in order to stay fit and active. Call us at (281)484-0200 or (281)440-5160.

Source: Physicians Highlight Overlooked Connection Between Social Needs and Health

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Nearly all senior volunteers surveyed (98 percent) gain a sense of purpose, stay active and feel better physically, mentally and emotionally as a result of their service, according to research by Home Instead Senior Care. Nearly three-fourths are able to overcome feeling isolated (74 percent) and feeling depressed (70 percent).

What’s the secret to keeping older adults from whiling away their days in a rocker? That’s the million dollar question for any senior care professional who has encouraged, cajoled and begged a senior to keep moving.

Inactivity, as many of those who work with seniors know, is one of the biggest obstacles to healthy aging. It appears, though, that a significant motivation to get older adults up and at ’em may come from an unlikely source: helping others.

Other benefits that the senior volunteer survey respondents identified include:

I want to help others — 99 percent

I want to make a difference in my community — 99 percent

I want to provide assistance to causes I care about — 99 percent

I feel like my volunteer contributions are appreciated — 98 percent

I enjoy volunteering with my friends — 93 percent

I want to socialize and meet new people — 92 percent

I want to share my talents, skills and experience — 90 percent

I enjoy learning new skills — 89 percent

I have more time now — 86 percent

I want to occupy my free time — 84 percent

Houston CAREGivers are available to help your senior loved ones continue to pursue their passions by providing non-medical assistance at home – call us for more information (281)440-5160 and (281)484-0200.

Learn more about how one volunteer is making a difference in his community: Salute to Seniors.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

While senior volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to build houses and feed the homeless, it turns out they are doing much more. A majority of older volunteers put their money where their time is by helping to boost the coffers of the organizations where they volunteer, according to research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care® network. The Salute to Senior Service program will recognize the outstanding contributions of older adults and honor those who go the extra mile for their communities in so many ways.

In a survey released in July 2009 by the Corporation for National and Community Service, one of every three organizations reported increasing its reliance on volunteers to cope with the economic downturn between September 2008 and March 2009.

The survey revealed that 80 percent of responding organizations experienced some level of fiscal stress between September 2008 and March 2009. Nearly 40 percent of those organizations said the stress was severe or very severe.

The most recent data from the Corporation for National and Community Service indicates that one of four Americans 55 and older – that’s 18.7 million people – makes a positive impact on their local communities through volunteering. Between 2008 and 2010, these adults contributed more than 3 billion hours of service per year in their communities. The economic benefit of their service to communities totaled more than $64 billion.

We invite our readers to share the ways that older adults are making their marks on the Houston community.

Home Instead CAREGivers in North and Southeast Houston are available to help your senior loved ones continue to pursue their passions by providing non-medical assistance at home – call us for more information call (281)440-5160 or (281)484-0200.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Early detection of Parkinson’s disease is important because treatments can slow the disease progression. Continuing research, including a recent Penn State study offers hope for additional early detection techniques.

People with Parkinson’s disease swing their arms asymmetrically – one arm swings less than the other – when walking. This unusual movement is easily detected early.

No cure for Parkinson’s disease exists. But, if taken early, certain drugs can improve some of the disease’s symptoms and even reduce the likelihood of death, making early diagnosis important. Some people also believe that changes in nutrition and other lifestyle factors can modify the progression of the disease.

To diagnose patients with Parkinson’s disease early, some doctors and scientists have proposed the use of a smell test because people with the disease lose their ability to distinguish odors.

The Penn State team’s method of evaluating arm swing can be applied quickly and inexpensively by primary care physicians in their own offices when the smell test is inconclusive and before the application of an expensive brain scan.

The scientists plan to further investigate whether the arm swing evaluation in combination with a smell test can enhance early diagnosis even more. They also plan to further develop their technique so that the accelerometers give immediate readings, which, they said, would save the extra step of downloading the data to a computer and analyzing it, thereby making the arm swing assessments of Parkinson’s disease even easier.

Our CAREGivers at Home Instead Senior Care in North Houston and Southeast Houston Bay area can help alert family to possible problems with an older adult and assist that senior in a goal of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Call us today at (281)440-5160 & (281)484-0200 to find out how.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Roles that senior volunteers play have evolved over the years, according to Dr. Erwin Tan, director of Senior Corps, who serves as the expert U.S. source for the Home Instead Senior Care® network’s Salute to Senior Service program. The program, which kicked off in January 2012, includes a search for the most outstanding senior volunteer in each state and Canadian province (except Quebec) and culminates with the selection of a national Salute to Senior Service winner in May in the U.S. and in June in Canada.

• As seniors’ lifestyles and longevity have evolved over time so, too, is the desire for new kinds of volunteer activities, Dr. Tan said. In a highly technological world, the “new senior” has different interests than those of the past. Seniors are being encouraged to volunteer for a cause or an activity in which they are interested or for which they feel passionate.

• According to Home Instead Senior Care network research, 95 percent of senior volunteers feel that seniors who volunteer are healthier and happier than those seniors who do not.

• Check out more benefits from volunteering opportunities as well as information about how to make a deserving senior 65 and older who volunteers at least 15 hours a month a Senior Hero – SalutetoSeniorService.com.

• State and Canadian provincial (except Quebec) winners will receive plaques and their story on the SalutetoSeniorService.com website. A gift of $5,000 will be donated to the national winner’s favorite nonprofit charity.

Help us recognize outstanding senior volunteers who make a difference in their community. Nominees have a chance to win $5,000 for their favorite volunteer organization. Please share volunteer stories from your community and nominate a senior for Salute to Senior Service.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

There are nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations each year for adverse drug events that involve U.S. senior citizens, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Of the thousands of medications available to patients, a small group of blood thinners and diabetes medications caused two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations, the report said.

Four medications, used alone or together, accounted for two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations:

33 percent, or 33,171 emergency hospitalizations, involved warfarin, a medication used to prevent blood clots.

14 percent involved insulins. Insulin injections are used to control blood sugar in people who have diabetes.

13 percent involved antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, which prevent platelets, or pieces of blood cells from clumping together to start a clot.

11 percent involved diabetes medications that are taken by mouth, called oral hypoglycemic agents.

Our CAREGivers at Home Instead Senior Care in the Houston area can serve as a second set of eyes and ears for your senior loved one(s) while providing non-medical services that can help track medications and doctors’ appointments. Contact us at (281)440-5160 or (281)484-0200. For more information about how to prepare for an emergency – refer to www.SeniorEmergencyKit.com.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

What is a Stroke?

A stroke is a type of brain injury. Symptoms depend on the part of the brain that is affected. People who survive a stroke often have weakness on one side of the body or trouble with moving, talking, or thinking.

Most strokes are ischemic (is-KEE-mic) strokes. These are caused by reduced blood flow to the brain when blood vessels are blocked by a clot or become too narrow for blood to get through. Brain cells in the area die from lack of oxygen. In another type of stroke, called hemorrhagic (hem-or-AJ-ic) stroke, the blood vessel isn’t blocked; it bursts, and blood leaks into the brain, causing damage.

Strokes are more common in older people. Almost three-fourths of all strokes occur in people 65 years of age or over. However, a person of any age can have a stroke.

A person may also have a transient ischemic attack (TIA). This has the same symptoms as a stroke, but only lasts for a few hours or a day and does not cause permanent brain damage. A TIA is not a stroke but it is an important warning signal. The person needs treatment to help prevent an actual stroke in the future.

A stroke may be frightening to both the patient and family. It helps to remember that stroke survivors usually have at least some spontaneous recovery or natural healing and often recover further with rehabilitation.

If you are seeking home care services for loved ones who have had a slight stroke, call (281)440-5160 or (281)484-0200.

Get more information on Strokes.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

What services are available for elderly people who have had a stroke?

Q: What at-home services are provided for elderly people who have had a slight stroke and what is the cost?

Dr. Amy: There are a range of services for people who have survived a stroke. The services that are needed should be discussed while the stroke survivor is still in the hospital. These will vary depending on the nature and severity of the stroke. There is an excellent booklet published by the US Agency for Health Care Research and Quality that was written to help people who have had a stroke achieve the best possible recovery.

This booklet outlines the services that are available to stroke survivors, and where you can go for more information. It addresses topics like stroke rehabilitation and its goal is to help the person who has had a stroke achieve the best possible recovery. Its purpose is to help people who have had strokes and their families get the most out of rehabilitation.

www.strokecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Recovering-After-a-Stroke.pdf

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Self-directed care is one of the ways to promote senior independence. When a senior is involved in choosing who will be the primary caregiver and what type of care they actually need, they have a feeling that they are still in control of their own life. As we age, many of us will need the help of another because of an illness or disease. When this time comes, it is reassuring to know that the option of self-directed care exists. Self-directed care may not be an option for all seniors.

Below are some tips on how to assess seniors for self-directed care.

• Always take the time to ask the senior their views on the situation. Involve family members in these discussions as well. Also be sure to ask the senior if they have any interest in adult daycare programs.

• Make note of how the senior functions on a daily basis. It is important to know whether they can care for themselves in any way. Some seniors may require minimal assistance, such as with keeping up with laundry or getting to appointments.

• Be sure that the safety needs of the senior are always being met.

• It is important to make sure seniors feel safe in their home. Ask them if this is the case. In addition, spiritual beliefs should be supported and social needs tended to. Seniors should not be isolated from the rest of the world just because they are old and may have an illness.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Families living in Houston put a lot into the holiday season, from shopping, to party planning, to baking seasonal goodies. With so much on their plates, on top of their regular responsibilities, it’s easy for family caregivers to succumb to holiday stress; making them more work than celebration.

This checklist will help you to determine if you are taking the time to celebrate the season, or breezing right past it.

•    You are always having to multi-task when completing holiday tasks, caregiving responsibilities and other obligations

•    You do not set realistic goals, and find you can’t keep up with what you hope to accomplish

•    You don’t take the opportunity to relax, and just enjoy the season

•    You do not ask your family for help with caregiving, holiday activities or other obligations

•    You will not consider hiring a professional caregiver to assist with the care responsibilities of the senior

•    You don’t involve the senior with the holiday activities, despite their physical or mental capabilities

•    You forget that seniors can tire of too much activity, and overdo it by taking them on too many errands with you, or having them attend too many holiday events

•    You don’t acknowledge the signs of stress that your body is providing

•    You will not slow down for anything

•    You feel like holidays are about accomplishing tasks, and not about celebrating the season

If any of the above describes you, it’s probably time to slow down and take the time to celebrate the season properly, surrounded by the people you love most. If you need a break from your parent-care responsibilities, please call Home Instead Senior Care located in the Houston area.

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281)484-0200.

Home Care Houston Northwest & Northeast serving elders in the Humble/Kingwood, Spring, Tomball, Cypress, Katy – call (281)440-5160.