Osteoporosis is an unfortunate reality for many older Boston adults, as bone density changes. However, with a healthy diet that includes superfoods for your bones, fractures, breaks and other bone issues can be prevented and improve bone health overtime. Choose low-fat foods rich in calcium and healthy foods which contain phosphorus, magnesium, boron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin K and folate. Great sources of these vitamins and minerals, making them some of the best superfoods for your bones are the following:

•    Black pepper (contains 4 anti-osteoporosis compounds)
•    Cabbage (source of boron)
•    Cod liver oil (source of vitamins A and D)
•    Dandelion (source of boron)
•    Garlic (source of sulphur)
•    Onions (source of sulphur)
•    Parsley (source of boron)
•    Pigweed (source of calcium)
•    Arugula (source of vitamin K)
•    Broccoli (source of vitamin K)
•    Collards (source of vitamin K)
•    Kale (source of vitamins K and C)
•    Swiss chard (source of vitamins K and C, magnesium, and calcium)
•    Spinach (source of vitamins K and C and magnesium)

While supplements can be used to help enhance bone strength through use of these vitamins and nutrients, the best sources are the superfoods that promote bone health into the senior years.

Sources:
1.   Dole Superfoods
2.   Project-Aware

Image:iofbonehealth.org

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

What exactly is Swine Influenza? Learn the facts about the virus that’s catching the
attention of the news media and concerned citizens all over the US from The Center of
Disease Control and Prevention website and share your thoughts.

1.) How should this outbreak be handled?

2.) What can adults and seniors do to prevent exposure?

Please comment below with your opinions!

Image Source:
-New York Times

When hiring a new caregiver for an elderly loved one through a senior care agency ensure there is a trial period that allows the caregiver and senior to get to know each other without a firm commitment. Many Boston senior care agencies will replace the caregiver at any time if he or she doesn’t meet expectations or mesh personality wise with the senior; however, since not all do, you want to ensure you can change your caregiver at no fault if the arrangement doesn’t work out.

When introducing a new caregiver to a senior and their home, ensure that guidelines of responsibilities are set based on the senior’s needs at the time; but be flexible and listen to suggestions from the caregiver for the highest quality care. Also request that the agency complete an assessment; as eldercare professionals they may see additional areas of daily life that a senior needs help with and be open minded to their feedback.

Sometimes a senior can be invaded by a new presence in their home, whether it’s a family member or a professional caregiver, since it could be their first real loss of independence. Allow the relationship to grow by having the caregiver spend shorter periods of time with the senior at first and acting as a companion. As the senior becomes more comfortable, the caregiver can then take greater control over the household as appropriate.

Sources:
1.    Senior Care
2.    Ottawa.ca – Common Caregiver Questions

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

We all get older, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to watch the effects that aging has upon our body and minds. Nor is it easy for loved ones to accept particularly drastic changes that are occurring with a senior loved one. To help you cope with the aging you or an elderly relative is experiencing, consider the following tips:

Accepting Your Aging:
1.    Determine why you are anxious about aging – if it relates to unaccomplished goals, find a way to reach them. Also remember to set goals that suit your lifestyle, as an older adult today.
2.    Acknowledge your achievements – instead of looking at the things you are unable to do as a senior, acknowledge the accomplishments you have made with your family, in your community and in your life.
3.    Embrace aging resources – read books and get online to understand the aging process and how you can accept it.
4.    Maintain your health – don’t succumb to the challenges of aging; eat well, exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
5.    Break the routine – at any age, you can embrace new experiences. Travel to a new place or choose a new hobby to keep up the variety.

Accepting Senior Aging:
1.    Communicate effectively – if a senior struggles with their memory, avoid harping on them if they’ve forgotten something. If you’re really concerned, discuss it with a doctor.
2.    Look at their positive traits – instead of focusing on the perceived decline of aging, focus on the senior’s beauty, wisdom and accomplishments.

Sources:
1.   Ehow
2.    Eldercare ABC Blog

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

According to statistics, only about 20%-30% of seniors aged 65 and older are using the internet; and research predicts that these numbers may not change greatly for that demographic of seniors. However, approximately 55% of boomers aged 50-64 are actively using the internet for health research, online banking, and even to make online purchases; which shows that more and more seniors are likely to use the internet as a primary source of information over the upcoming years.

There has been a growth in the activities that seniors are engaging in online. While around the year 2000 most seniors were using the internet as a form of communication through email; more are now engaging in more complex activities that are central to their lives by arming themselves with medical information, reviewing their financial data, filing their taxes and doing their shopping. For those seniors with mobility problems and other declining capabilities, the internet gives them access to resources at their fingertips without ever leaving home. However, increased internet accessibility through adjustable font sized websites and other gadgets to assist with vision and hearing when online might allow more seniors to get online with ease as the boomer generation enters their elderly years.

Sources:
1.    Pew Internet Susannah Fox
2.    Pew Internet and American Life Project

Images: funtimesguide.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Often seniors who are not feeling physically well, will not voice their concerns because they do not want to feel like they are complaining for no reason, or placing additional burden upon their family or professional caregivers. When a senior has a stroke, it can be difficult for a caregiver to identify, since the majority of the symptoms require that the senior tell someone what they are experiencing. But, by paying close attention to the symptoms that a senior is exhibiting and asking the right questions, a Boston senior caregiver can help to identify a stroke and get them needed medical treatment.

Signs of a Stroke:

•    Numbness – a feeling of numbness might appear along one side of the body, in the face, arms or legs. Caregivers should pry further if a senior seems to be exhibiting perpetual signs that they have limbs that are asleep.
•    Poor communication – trouble speaking, confusion about situations or lack of understanding are signs of a stroke that caregivers might be able to identify without relying on senior’s accounts.
•    Vision changes – problems with sight or blurred vision might indicate a stroke. Apparent visual disorientation may alert a caregiver of a senior stroke.
•    Poor motor skills – problems walking, dizziness or loss of balance that appears out of nowhere can tell a caregiver their senior needs medical assistance.
•    Headache – sudden, severe headache

Sources:
1.    American Heart Association
2.    National Stroke Association

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Beginning in May, HBO is presenting a series of documentaries with short films to create awareness and understanding about seniors and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The major portion of the Alzheimer’s project which consists of a four-part documentary series will begin airing on HBO on May 10, 2009.

The first episode, titled “The Memory Loss Tapes” follows the lives and challenges of seniors suffering from dementia at varying points on Alzheimer’s disease. On May 11 the Alzheimer’s Project will feature “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” which features Maria Shriver and is a child-friendly film that depicts the trials and tribulations a child faces when living with a senior relative with Alzheimer’s disease; and “Momentum in Science Part 1” which will teach us about the scientific advances that are progressing in Alzheimer’s research. On May 12, the Alzheimer’s Project will feature a documentary titled “Caregivers” to show the hard work and sacrifices that family and professional caregivers endure when providing eldercare for a senior with Alzheimer’s; followed by “Momentum in Science Part 2”.

The Alzheimer’s Project is a great resource for Boston family caregivers and relatives of seniors with Alzheimer’s as it will increase their understanding and level of care they will be able to provide. The Alzheimer’s Project will also consist of a public awareness campaign and a resourceful book published by Published Affairs Books.

Sources:
1.   Alzheimer’s Association
2.    Alzheimer’s News

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Grants for seniors in Boston are available from the Federal Government and foundations that provide financial assistance for seniors relating to housing, education and more. There are Federal Grants for seniors that cover a number of areas like housing, volunteerism, nutrition and housing.

Popular Federal Grants for Seniors Include:

•    Capital Assistance Program for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities provides funds to provide transportation to elderly persons in areas public transportation services are not available, or when they are inappropriate due to a senior’s physical or mental condition.
•    The Foster Grandparent Program encourages seniors to volunteer in their communities, specifically with special needs children, through funding which is available for seniors 60 and older who have limited incomes.
•    Mortgage Insurance-Rental Housing for the Elderly -  this grant insures mortgage lenders against loss, to increase the number of quality and affordable rental properties available for seniors.
•    Retired and Senior Volunteer Program encourages community service by seniors 55 and older by offering reimbursement
•    Nutrition Services Incentive Program works with the Department of Agriculture to provide nutritious foods to senior meal delivery programs and other nutritional-focused organizations.

To apply for senior grants provided by the Federal Government or foundations, Boston seniors must write a proposal, demonstrating the benefits that they would receive, or be able to dispense to others were they to become an approved recipient of the grant.

Sources:
1.    LovetoKnow
2.    Foundation Center

Image: www.heartlandconnection.com 

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

A large number of seniors in Boston, and around the country suffer from some form of dementia, which can impact their level of independence and require them to rely upon family caregivers and other forms of elder care. Since personal safety, caused by dementia-related memory issues is a big risk for dementia sufferers living independently at home; new “Smart Homes” are being developed to provide seniors with independence and safety.

A group in the UK, the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering that’s behind the Smart Home hopes to have the senior living innovation available on the market within the next 5 years. Currently, there are two trial systems in the UK which monitor seniors’ movements around the home; which can detect unusual changes in behavior which could indicate a medical emergency or other senior crisis. The Smart Homes also have the ability to remind seniors to turn off lights, appliances, or taps that have been left on with verbal prompts, and can automatically turn functions in the house on and off.

The Smart Homes may not be able to replace traditional Boston elder care services entirely, but they will allow seniors to maintain their pride in living with independence well into their later years, even with dementia.

Sources:
1.   Science Daily
2.   Caregiverunderground

Images: pressurefunk.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

In , Boston a moderate to vigorous exercise program can be safe for seniors of all ages who exercise caution and gather knowledge about safe exercise methods so that the physical activity generates improvement to their health rather than create complications. Before beginning any exercise program, seniors should consider the following exercise tips.

1.    Clear it with a doctor – before beginning any exercise program, a doctor can ensure that physical activity will be beneficial to a senior’s health
2.    Start easy – if you’re a senior who doesn’t normally exercise regularly, start with light exercise and work yourself up to more vigorous activities
3.    Consider your options – would you prefer to exercise at a gym or outside? What options are available close to home? Which options are best considering the climate where you live?
4.    Choose safe gear – ensure that you have shoes with proper support, and clothing that is easy to put on and is comfortable to wear during exercise
5.    Forget “no pain, no gain” – when you’re young you might want to feel the burn, avoid activities that cause you pain during, or extreme discomfort later; know your limits.
6.    Pay attention to your body – if you begin experiencing new health issues or symptoms like chest pain, irregular heartbeat, severe shortness of breath, extreme weight loss, infections, or severe muscle or joint pain, consult a doctor and avoid further activity without medical approval
7.    Set goals – short and long term goals will get you to where you want to be
8.    Have a buddy – exercise with a friend or a senior care professional to make the physical activity more enjoyable

Sources:
1.    SeniorLiving.about
2.    Healthy Ontario/ Health Day News

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.