Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing home care for elders and seniors. Call (512) 347-9207.

Tests directed to detect and monitor glaucoma allow eye doctors to monitor the progression of the disease and determine what treatment available would best slow the effects and damage being caused as the result of the disease.

As aqueous pressure builds up in the eyes, it can cause serious damage to the optic nerve which can initially result in a loss of peripheral vision, and finally complete loss of eyesight. A standard eyesight test, called a visual field test helps analyze vision loss that has already occurred. An eye doctor will have the patient look into a machine, and press a button every time a flashing light is visible; which identifies blind spots and loss of peripheral vision.

Since it is intraocular pressure that causes damage to the optic nerve, eye drops and surgeries available as treatment attempt to reduce the aqueous fluid that causes the build up, there are tests to monitor the aqueous fluid and IOP. A totometer measures the pressure of the eye from the surface and an ultrasound biomicroscopy maps the flow of aqueous fluid.

Seniors need to be proactive and take the health of their eyes seriously, because with appropriate treatment, glaucoma is an eye disease that can be managed.

Source: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/glaucoma.htm

We encourage our older clients to exercise using activities that cause minimal impact on the joints to improve overall well-being.  Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

A recent study completed at the University of North Carolina (UNC) – Chapel Hill, shows that the benefits of exercise upon seniors’ brains are even more extensive than we originally thought.

Since many of our clients suffer from some form of dementia, Alzheimer’s or memory loss, these new findings only encourage us to further implement exercise as a regular part of our seniors lives. The study, which focused upon seniors aged 60 to 76, divided participants into two groups; 6 of the participants already lived healthy lifestyles, exercising at least three of more hours per week through activities like walking, swimming, cycling and more. The other half lead pretty sedentary lifestyles over the past 10 years, exercising less than an hour per week.

The goal of the study was to determine if exercise increased cerebral blood flow. To test this theory, participants underwent an MRI and MR Angiography, which demonstrated that in fact, those who exercised had increased cerebral blood flow and a greater number of small blood pressure in the brain. The inactive control group, on the other hand, had fewer small blood vessels and more unpredictable blood flow through the brain.

According to the study’s senior author, J. Keith Smith, MD, PhD, this enforces why regular exercise has a direct correlation to healthy aging.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

After my mom’s stroke, I began pursuing various treatment options to help improve her skills and increase her self-esteem which was greatly compromised by her declining abilities. I had always been hesitant about pursuing alternative therapies, because I didn’t see hw non-medical methods could possibly work. But my thought was; what could it hurt? So I began researching holistic and alternative treatments, including music therapy, to see how they might benefit her.

According to some sources, there is further research being conducted into the specific benefits upon stroke patients, since it recalls recall and recognition of auditory patterns, researchers are hopeful that music might help rebuild the cells impacted by the stroke. That was all I needed to read to start incorporating music into my mother’s regular routine. I wasn’t ready to invest in a musical therapist, but tried to recreate the benefits at home with the help of her full-time, professional caregiver. 

I purchased some classical and Broadway music CD’s that I knew my mom would enjoy. I would put one on every time I came by to visit and encourage her to sing, clap and move to the music. Sometimes it felt a little silly dancing around her home and belting out some of her favorite show tunes, but I lost my self-consciousness once I began to see the benefits upon my mother with my own eyes.

I can’t attest to the impact it’s having upon her mind and body, but I can tell you what it was doing to her overall well-being. She was happy and carefree both during our musical times together and on a day-to-day basis. I knew it took her away from the concerns in her mind, and that she came to really enjoy the time we spent together doing these activities. I can see that my mom is more relaxed and has a smile on her face more often; so even if the music therapy benefits her in no other ways, it’s worth it; because what can be better than knowing you can make your mom smile?
 
Sources: http://www.artsforhealing.org/seniors.php
               http://www.musicworkswonders.com/html/seniors.html

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

When my mother was 65 she had a knee replacement surgery and spent a couple of weeks recovering in the hospital. She was especially impressed by the volunteers who came around to deliver meals, and generally keep her company. Before she left the hospital, she insisted that she would do her part to get involved in the community once she was back on her feet again.

True to her word, my mom began volunteering with her church, took care of a neighbor’s child on occasional afternoons and even dished out meals at her local shelter. My mom has found this a wonderful, rewarding way to get involved with the community and it keeps her spirits up by getting her out of the house and keeping her active since she has retired.

She loves to get to know the people that are also involved with the church and shelter and has even made some friends her own age that has made the activities even more enjoyable. My mom says that had it not been for her experience in the hospital, she might not have even thought about volunteering. However, it’s one of the best things that’s happened to her and she plans on keeping it up as long as she is physically able to, and even then I know it will be hard to walk away.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

Shopping for your grandchildren. The secret is in the planning!

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is as much a part of the holiday season as tree lights, holiday cookies, and tinsel. You can find bargains if you do some preparation beforehand and ready with sales flyers, newspaper and ads.

And boy, can you find deals. Here are some tips:

• Map your course - stores release their sales flyers in Thanksgiving Day newspapers. You can also go to blackfridayads.com.
• Planning is important - you may have a list of what the grandchildren want.
• Best time to shop - morning. Stores start their Black Friday early that morning after Thanksgiving. 
• Check the papers or the Internet for stores that have “doorbuster” deals on items for customers who arrive when front doors are unlocked. 

http://www.grandparents.com/gp/content/newsoftheday/news/article/black-friday-a-grandparents-guide.html

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder home health in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

“I had a fall.” These can be chilling words to hear if you are a caregiver, spouse, child, or friend of an older person.  The possible consequences can be devastating: bruises, broken bones, hospitalization, loss of mobility, and loss of independence.

The fear of falling can lead older adults to limit their activities. This can actually increase the risk of falling as lack of exercise and reduced movement impairs flexibility and balance. 

Falls are the leading cause of injury among Americans over age 65, sending 1.8 million seniors to the emergency room in 2005, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing falls is a key component of healthy aging.

Experts say that efforts to prevent falls should include management of chronic conditions, limiting the number of medications to reduce adverse side effects, physical therapy to increase range of motion, and “fall-proofing” the home.

The first step to fall-proofing the home is to create open paths through each room.  Furniture should be re-arranged so that seniors can walk through each room without have to maneuver around tables and chairs.  There should be a clear path from the bed to the bathroom that is wide enough to be negotiated in the dark.

Home Instead Senior Care Austin - Providing the most trusted elder care in America! Call us today at (512) 347-9207.

The Elderly and Pets for better home health care in Austin.

Socializing with a pet brings a senior not just joy and companionship. Studies have found that when seniors interact with animals, it gives them hope and a sense of independence, ultimately benefiting their mental well being for better home health care.

Pets can act as a support system for older people who don’t have any family or close friends nearby to act as a support system. Often the elderly have trouble leaving home, so they don’t socialize with many people. Pets give them a chance to interact. This can help combat depression, which is one of the most common medical problems facing seniors today. Since pets help combat depression, it makes for an enhanced home health care.

The responsibility of caring for an animal may also give the elderly a sense of purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. Pets also help seniors stick to regular routines of getting up in the morning, buying groceries, and going outside, which help motivate them to eat and sleep regularly and well.

If you feel that your loved one is up to the responsibility that comes with being a pet owner, be sure to talk to them before you pick one out. Make sure that they want the responsibility of a new pet, as well as the noise and the messes that may come along with it.

Pets and the elderly have a lot to give to each other and can enhance each other’s lives in more ways than one, but most of all, the unconditional love they can share will bring happiness to the pet and your loved one.

Aging adults in Austin, Texas can decrease their risk of disability and increase the potential to remain  independent by participating in a walking exercise program, a University of Georgia study shows.

Researchers randomly assigned 26 low income adults age 60 and older to either a walking exercise group, which met three times a week for four months, or a nutrition education control group. The results from the study show that walking, on a regular basis, can make a huge impact on quality of life:

• The control group saw a 9 percent decline in aerobic capacity over the four month study period, the aerobic capacity of the walking group increased 19 percent.
• Researchers found that physical function increased 25 percent in the walking group, compared to a 1 percent decline in the control group.
• The walking exercise group saw its disability risk go from 66 percent to 25 percent, a 41 percent decrease in just four months. The control group saw its risk of disability increase during the study period.

More information on the study, which appears in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, is available in the press release. http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/080715_walking.shtml 

Home Instead Senior Care Austin can help your elder establish a regular walking program with your elder family member. Our CAREGivers help these older adults stay independent. Please call us for more information at 512-347-9207.