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 the Boston area, 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 617.557.4600.

Source: Physicians Highlight Overlooked Connection Between Social Needs and Health

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Seniors who stay healthy live longer. But how can you help seniors maintain good health when the odds of developing dementia, diabetes, heart disease, some form of cancer, or a host of other ailments are against them? Some answers might come from the Greek island of Ikaria where a remarkable one in three natives reach 90 years of age.

According to an AARP The Magazine article called “Live More Good Years,” researchers discovered that, compared to Americans over 90, Ikaria’s 90-plus population experienced 20 percent fewer incidents of cancer, half the rate of heart disease, one-ninth the rate of diabetes and virtually no Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.

To encourage similar habits to help North American older adults add years to their life. Advise seniors to eat meals incorporating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish, and herbal teas to add important vitamins, antioxidants and complex carbohydrates to their diets. Seniors will also benefit from scheduling walks or daily exercises, naps, and opportunities for social interaction and religious practices into their day.

Another approach to increasing lifespan takes into consideration not only the good behaviors to adopt, but also which behaviors to avoid. A recent CDC report boils the secret to longevity down into four key habits:

•Do exercise regularly
•Do eat a healthy diet
•Don’t smoke
•Don’t drink alcohol excessively

If your loved one needs help and assistance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, call Boston Home Instead Senior Care at 617.557.4600. Our CAREGivers are available to help your senior stay healthy.

Visit Caregiverstress.com for more information on healthy aging.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Seniors and middle-aged men who are physically active but do not lose weight might be in better shape than they think, according to a recent study. There is less worry about body mass index being a little high if the men are physically fit, researchers have said. Read the full study at Livelonger.

If the men maintain or improve their fitness level – even if their body weight has not changed or increased – they can reduce the risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The study was only of men but the researchers say it is likely to apply to women, too.

This is good news for people who are physically active but can’t seem to lose weight, said Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and physical activity epidemiologist in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

Results of the study underscore the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for death from heart disease and stroke, researchers said.

Researchers also found no association between changes in body fat percentage or body weight and death risk.

It’s unclear whether these results would apply to severely obese people, Lee said.

Our CAREGivers at Home Instead Senior Care in the Boston area can be there to walk with your senior loved ones on a regular basis. A CAREGiver, of course, can provide plenty of other support, such as food preparation, light housekeeping and medication reminders. Call our Boston office at 617.557.4600.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

People who have had a stroke have an increased risk of another stroke, especially during the first year after the original stroke. The risk of another stroke goes up with older age, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, having had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), heart disease, cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, and drug abuse.

While some risk factors for stroke (such as age) cannot be changed, the risk factors for the others can be reduced through use of medicines or changes in lifestyle.

Patients and families should ask for guidance from their doctor or nurse about preventing another stroke. They need to work together to make healthy changes in the patient’s lifestyle.

Patients and families should also learn the warning signs of a TIA (such as weakness on one side of the body and slurred speech) and see a doctor immediately if these happen.

Stroke survivors and family members may find the hospital experience confusing. Hospital staff are there to help, and it is important to ask questions and talk about concerns.

• Make sure the patient’s condition is caused by a stroke and not by some other medical problem.

• Determine the type and location of the stroke and how serious it is.

• Prevent or treat complications such as bowel or bladder problems or pressure ulcers (bed sores).

• Prevent another stroke.

• Encourage the patient to move and perform self-care tasks, such as eating and getting out of bed, as early as medically possible. This is the first step in rehabilitation.

If you are seeking home care services for loved ones who have had a slight stroke call 617.557.4600.

Lean more Recovering After a Stroke

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Any time caffeine is found to have a positive effect on health, it’s good news for senior citizens. That’s because coffee is by far the favorite drink of older Americans.

The latest research about coffee, this popular drink, comes from a large study that found coffee provides protection from basal cell carcinoma – the most common form of skin cancer. Given the nearly 1 million new cases of basal cell carcinoma diagnosed each year in the U.S., daily dietary factors with even small protective effects may have great public health impact, a researcher said. The study indicates that coffee consumption may be an important option to help prevent basal cell carcinoma.

Researchers reported that women who consumed more than three cups of coffee per day had a 20 percent reduction in risk for basal cell carcinoma, and men who consumed more than three cups per day had a 9 percent risk reduction compared with people who consumed less than one cup per month. The amount of coffee consumption was inversely associated with basal cell carcinoma risk. Those in the highest 20 percent of consumption had the lowest risk, with an 18 percent reduction for women and a 13 percent reduction for men. Animal studies have suggested an association between coffee intake and skin cancer risk, but epidemiologic studies have not conclusively shown the same results.

Another reminder for seniors to guard against cancer. You can also learn more about good nutrition at www.CaregiverStress.com and www.mealsandcompanionship.com.

Check out the study - Coffee Consumption Decreases Risk for Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Elderly faces nutritional health challenges when living alone. If you are planning to visit your elderly loved one during the holiday season this year, Home Instead Senior Care will help you determine if your loved one is facing a health challenge. When you first arrive to your elderly mom’s house and, once again, the fridge is empty and your mother is eating toast for dinner. “Why cook,” she asks, “when I’m all alone?” Or, perhaps, Dad has quit eating altogether since Mom – the gourmet cook in the family – died last year.

When family caregivers live away from elderly relatives, we know how difficult it can be to ensure older adults are eating properly. After all, seniors often face multiple challenges. Much can stand in the way of good nutrition and maintaining elderly health.

For instance, illnesses and diseases can dampen taste buds. Seniors on multiple medications or recovering from an illness may lose interest in eating. The conditions of aging sometimes make shopping and preparing food difficult. And then there’s loneliness. All of these issues can mean your mom or dad could fail to thrive like they should.

Two of five seniors who live alone (44 percent) have at least four warning signs of poor nutritional health such as eating alone, taking multiple medications and having an illness, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care.

“Nutrition is certainly a key factor to an individual’s overall health and well-being,” said Sandy Markwood, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). “If someone is at risk, their health is impacted. When you see the warning signs, it’s indicative of a larger risk. Combine that with loneliness and you’re looking at increased mental and physical health risks.”

Read the warning indicators that a senior could be in trouble: Warning Indicators.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

When someone you love has been diagnosed with breast cancer, your first instinct is not knowing what to do or say. You’re not sure what to do in order to help. Here are some great alternatives; ways you can provide support after a breast cancer diagnosis:

1. Lend an ear – Just listen, lend them your presence and your ear so they feel they have the support of someone

2. Do some research about the disease and provide the facts about treatment options, support groups that are available and other resources that could help

3. Support them no matter what your loved one decides through the treatment and coping process

4. Be yourself – not knowing how to deal with someone with breast cancer sometimes causes people to act unusually

5. Have other friends and family members come together to extend their support so your loved one with breast cancer knows there are others there for her

6. Keep up the fun activities – laughter really is the best medicine, so create enjoyable and memorable situations

Home Instead Senior CAREGiver is the perfect gift of respite and care for both the patient needing help after chemo or surgery and for their primary caregiver. Call us to learn how we can help your friend who is experiencing the devastating trauma of this disease.  Call 617.557.4600.

Would you like to send something special to someone that’s going through this devastating illness? You may want to help, but don’t know how to do that. Let us take the worry from you. Instead of a poinsettia or fruitcake, why not send them a Basket of Care (www.BasketofCare.com)? These baskets are lovingly designed by a cancer patient & survivor, and chock full of items that will lend comfort. A Basket of Care is just the way to say, “I care”.

Sources:

1. SheKnows.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Scientists think they may have found why humans lose energy with age and hope this will point the way to new diets or pharmaceuticals to slow the aging process. According to Biologists at USC, major declines in the availability of an enzyme known as Lon protease, human cells grow older.

• When the body fights oxidative damage, it calls up a reservist enzyme known as Lon protease that protects cells.
• Biologists at the University of Southern California discovered major declines in the availability of Lon protease as human cells grow older.
• As the cells age, they lose the ability to mobilize large numbers of Lon, the researchers reported in The Journals of Gerontology at http://bit.ly/pNmxHf
• Researchers are investigating potential treatments to boost the function of Lon. If normal tasks seem too overwhelming to a senior who has lost energy and the ability to remain independent, remind readers how their local Home Instead Senior Care® office could help.

Oxidation is the process behind rust and food spoilage. In the body, oxidation can damage or destroy almost any tissue. Lon removes oxidized proteins from the mitochondria and also plays a vital role in helping to make new mitochondria.

Study Findings:

• To fight the oxidant, young cells doubled the size of their Lon army within five hours and maintained it for a day. In some experiments, young cells increased their Lon army as much as seven-fold.
• Middle-aged cells took a full day to double their Lon army, during which time the cells were exposed to harmful levels of oxidized proteins.
• Older cells started with a standing Lon army only half as large and showed no statistically significant increase in Lon levels over 24 hours.

Source: Natural Anti-Oxidant Deserts Aging

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Even with the best of intentions and planning, seniors who are without companionship and assistance at home may jeopardize their own good health or recovery from an illness or surgery.

Research by University of Maryland nutrition expert Dr. Nadine Sahyoun revealed that 80 percent of hospital-discharged older adults recruited for the study who qualified for home-delivered meals had food in their kitchens, but they were unable to shop or utilize that food for cooking.

Cooking is an art, it’s been said, and dining both at home and out makes all the effort worthwhile, not only for seniors but their loved ones as well.

Make eating a happy event, Dr. Sahyoun said. We focus too much on what people can’t eat and don’t give enough attention to what food represents to us. Food is at the core of our lives–it’s the smell, color, feel, texture and social context. All of this is what makes a meal enjoyable. We have to pay attention to those things, she added.

To keep their daily menus interesting, and healthy, seniors will want to mix up their food choices—particularly within each food group—every day.

We know that we really are what we eat, said Elisabetta Politi, dietician director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. But each senior’s diet plan is individual, she noted. If Dad has reached age 75 and has not developed heart disease or cancer, you need not recommend any different food intervention than what he is already doing. Dad has found a meal plan that works.

Perhaps a senior’s dietary plan leaves room for improvement. Research shows that change is best done gradually. Encourage seniors to look at how they’re doing and focus on one thing to change.

Try these tasty recipes when cooking for your senior loved one.

Check out these delectable and nutritious recipes from the Duke Diet and Fitness Center made with the 12 Staples that Seniors Shouldn’t Live Without.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Healthy aging is the top goal for seniors. We want to be healthy and a factor that plays a big part in that goal is good nutrition. It’s our first line of defense and helps older adults the most who strive to maintain independence. The Home Instead Senior Care® Network arms seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging.

So, before you go grocery shopping, consider the types of healthy meals you need to prepare. Here are a few tips to help make a caregiver’s trip to the grocery store a successful one.

Make a list – Write out on your grocery list the foods your senior wants to eat for the week. When you make a list, it can cut down on the time and money you spend at the grocery market.

Eat before you shop. Don’t go hungry – When shopping hungry, we will be prone to buy more. So eat a snack or fruit before hitting the market.

Review store ads and clip coupons – This will help you save money, time and hassle at the checkout stand.

Invite a friend or family member – Have Mom bring a neighbor or friend along for the ride. Companionship makes grocery shopping more fun. If your senior can’t drive or shop alone, arrange for grocery delivery or a caregiver companion to help.

Sign up for a grocer’s bonus/discount card – You can get savings and specials when signing up for these programs.

Buy store brands – Most brands sit at eye level on the shelf. Store brands are cheaper and just as good. They are usually placed higher or lower on shelves.

Think variety – Encourage you senior loved one to try new foods.

Shop the perimeter of the store – That’s where you’ll find the fresh and healthier foods.

Stock up on sale items – Buy in bulk for quality and value, but serve healthy portions.

Use your food budget wisely – Buy a supply of fresh fruit in place of a bag of chips or cookies.

Home Instead Senior Care looks for ways to help seniors stay healthy and independent at home. We provide families with the resources they need to help older loved ones with the planning and preparation of nutritious meals. Learn more here Caregiverstress.com.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.