Home Care Blog

One of the biggest myths about aging is that as we get older we are more prone to loneliness and unhappiness. The truth: as we age, older adults view happiness differently than someone in their 20’s or 30’s. 

Laura Carstensen, a renowned field expert in the study of aging and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, has found new correlations between aging and happiness. "I've spent the last thirty years investigating the psychology of aging," Carstensen writes. "My research consistently shows that, in terms of emotion, the best years come late in life.” With age comes wisdom and understanding how to deal with negative emotions better, which can lead to less lingering unhappiness.  

Evidence of physical differences between young adults and older adults was illustrated in several studies that monitored both groups’ reactions to disturbing images. Researchers used eye-tracking techniques, which follow participants' eye movements as they view evocative or disturbing images and then rates their reactions with a mood dial. 

Derek Isaacowitz, professor of psychology and director of the Lifespan Emotional Development Lab at Northeastern University, also determined older adults tend to manage negative emotions better than young adults and report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction. His research demonstrated that the younger participants actually spent more time looking at the disturbing images, while the elderly looked away sooner. Isaacowitz believes that young people are "looking at the unpleasant parts and crafting a story that will help them understand the story in a way that's less upsetting to them. Older adults short circuit that by not looking at it as much."

Carstensen's research suggests that as we age we tend to live more in the moment and care less about social pressures that can take a hold over young adults. She writes, "As we age we sense the clock winding down and our attention shifts to savoring the time that is left, focusing on depth of experience, closeness, a smaller set of goals and a highly selected group of loved ones. This change in perspective seems to bring with it a new way of evaluating what is worth one's time, attention, worry or wrath."

Savoring the good times in life becomes more important and surrounding oneself with a support network of friends and loved ones can bring clarity and a new perspective on life.
 

The Alzheimer’s Association recently released the annual report on Alzheimer’s disease, revealing some shocking facts and figures. The report illustrates the burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia-related illnesses on individuals, caregivers, our government and the nation’s healthcare system.

Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of Americans (currently 5.4 million people) with someone developing Alzheimer’s every 68 seconds. By 2050, the rate at which individuals are developing Alzheimer’s is predicted to decrease from 68 seconds to 33 seconds, with 16 million people living with the disease.

From the years 2000 to 2008, there was a decrease in the number of deaths recorded for the four major diseases, however, the percentage of those who died from Alzheimer’s disease during this time increased by 66%. Currently it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  

Alzheimer’s disease not only affects the patient, but the caregiver as well. From 2009 to 2011, the number of caregivers in Louisiana alone increased by 43,581, totaling over 224,000 individuals who are caring for someone with the disease. Over 255 million hours of unpaid care valued at over $3 billion were recorded in Louisiana in 2011.

In 2012, the direct costs of caring for those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias will total an estimated $200 billion. If a person with Alzheimer’s disease also has diabetes, Medicare costs will increase by 81 percent. Considering that most people with Alzheimer’s have one or more other serious medical conditions, the cost will rise fast. At this rate, the cost of Alzheimer’s related treatments is estimated at $1.1 trillion by 2050 and Medicare and Medicaid pricing will increase nearly 500 percent.

In 1952 Monhar Aich won the Mr. Universe International Body Building Championship. Today he still stands happy and healthy as ever, even at the age of 100.  He celebrated his birthday in Kolkata, an eastern city in India, with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren this past Sunday.

So how does this 4 foot 11 inch, “Pocket Hercules,” as he was nicknamed continue to stay healthy? A simple diet and balanced lifestyle keep him going strong.  His diet consists of milk, fruits, vegetables, rice, lentils and fish.  A primarily vegetarian diet keeps his body going strong.

Throughout his years, Aich has been training other bodybuilders to follow in his footsteps.  As he told the Indian Express newspaper, “I didn't become rich. There is not much money in bodybuilding, but there is respect. And for that, I wouldn't mind being a bodybuilder in my next life as well."

While Aich has led a fulfilled and happy life, his one regret is never having me his fellow Mr. Universe, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
 

Planning early for retirement is clearly beneficial because it allows time for investments to grow and accumulate over the years. To help with financial planning, read the below tips that will help guide your decision making process and maximize your investment:

Age 21:
•    This is typically the earliest age in which employees can join a 401(k) plan offered for their employer.  Not every company offers a 401(k) plan, so explore other investment options if this is the case.

Age 50:
•    You can begin adding $1,000 more in a traditional Roth IRA and start deferring paying income tax on more of your retirement savings in a 401(k) or IRA.

Age 55:
•    If you leave your job at age 55 or older, you can start withdrawing from your 401(k) in lump sums, but not IRA, without paying the 10% penalty for early withdrawals.

Age 59 ½:
•    The 10% penalty withdrawal on IRA ends. However, you don’t have to take withdrawals until you reach age 70 ½.

Age 62:
•    You become eligible to sign up for social security benefits, however if you do decide to receive payments starting at age 62, then your payout may be reduced. For example, someone who is eligible for $1,000 monthly benefits at age 66 would only get $750 monthly at age 62.

Age 65:
•    Medicare eligibility begins and the initial enrollment period begins three months before the month you reach age 65 and ends three months after your 65th birthday. It is beneficial to sign up early because premiums increase by 10% for each year you are eligible, but did not sign up.

Age 66:
•    For individuals born between 1943 -1954 (baby boomers), you can receive the full amount of social security benefits. The retirement age has increased gradually for those born between 1955-1959 from 66 and two months to 66 and 10 months.  Once the age requirement is met, you can work and claim social security benefits without having any payments withheld.

Age 67:
•    Full retirement age for workers born in 1960 or later begins at age 67.

Age 70:
•    Your social security payments grow by 8% each year you delay claiming up until age 70. However, after age 70 there are no additional benefits for delaying.

Age 70 ½:
•    You are required to make withdrawals from your 401(k) and IRA at this point, and if you don’t withdrawal the correct amount you will be required to pay 50% tax on the amount that should have been taken out.

Scientist have known for some time that inactivity can lead to an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. However, it is difficult to distinguish the effects of inactivity on individuals because inactive people are more likely to be overweight, have poor eating habits and have a more sedentary lifestyle. 

To explore this theory in more depth, researchers at the University of Missouri took a group of healthy and active young adults and requested they decrease their physical activity dramatically. Volunteers were asked to reduce the amount of steps they took daily by nearly half. Glucose levels were closely monitored to determine if inactivity affected the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.

After analyzing the findings, the results were rather startling. When the volunteer’s remained inactive and still consumed a balanced, healthy diet, their blood sugar levels  spiked significantly after meals (compared to when they were active and ate the same diet).  Even more alarming was the fact that these spikes successively grew each day they remained inactive.

However, once the test group resumed their daily exercise routines, glucose levels went back to normal.  A spike in blood sugar levels only becomes a problem when individuals have prolonged periods of inactivity and the body acclimates.  Researchers believe that over time inactivity creates conditions that can result in chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The slightest activity such as going for a walk around the block at lunch or grabbing a coffee down the street, will help protect you against these conditions.
 

Feeling sleep deprived, may not just be a result of that old mattress you have been holding on to…the culprit may in fact be your profession.  Restless nights spent tossing and turning can add up to some serious sleep deprivation.

Recent research conducted by the CDC’s National Health Survey has linked sleep deprivation to some professions. In fact, the number one sleep deprived professional is home health aids, which on average only get about six hours of sleep a night. It’s unfortunate that one of the most admirable professions is so taxing on one’s sleep.

Other jobs that that ranked in in the top five were lawyers, police officers, doctors/paramedics and economists.  Holding a high stress job in which others rely heavily upon your services and attention clearly does not allow much R&R time.

So what job does allow you an adequate amount of sleep? According to the study, forest and logging workers receive the most rest, with an average of seven hours of sleep a night. A surprising finding from this study is that the most well-rested professional still receives an hour less than the recommended sleep period of eight hours.

Video games are no longer created for younger generations; they can help improve cognitive brain functions in the older adults as well.  New research shows that playing the video game World of War Craft, also known as WoW, can help improve cognitive performance.

In this video game, players develop their strategy at their own pace, so there is no feeling of being left behind or speeding through levels of a game. WoW is a complex game in which novice players can feel challenged, but not overwhelmed. Experienced players can find themselves continually challenged, even after hundreds of hours of playing time. The social interaction aspect of WoW is unique and a great way for older adults to connect with individuals while improving brain performance and having fun at the same time.

Researchers from North Carolina’s Gains Through Gaming Laboratory did a study in which they tested the impact that Wow gaming had on cognitive performance in the seniors.  The study consisted of two groups of volunteers between the ages of 60 and 77.  One group played the game for one hour a day for two weeks and the control group did not. Initially, both groups were tested to see if there would be any improvements after the two weeks.  As a whole, the group that played the video game for one hour a day had an increase in cognitive performance over the control group. 

So next time you’re grandchildren come to visit and are playing video games, don’t be afraid to pick up a controller and ask how to play!

I was browsing Huffington Post’s Healthy Living section and an article caught my eye that I wanted to share with everyone. Former Alzheimer’s caregiver and author, Marie Marley wrote a moving piece called, “Who Suffers More: Alzheimer's Patients or Their Caregivers?” The title immediately conjured up the image of Gena Rowlands and James Garner from the movie “The Notebook” and the heartache the two main characters endured at the end of movie as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.  Watching a family member debilitated by Alzheimer’s disease and the effects it has on his or her memory is not only distressing, but emotionally difficult to process for the caregiver. In juxtaposition, the family member dealing with the Alzheimer’s is also experiencing a great deal of confusion and anguish because they are unable to control what happens to them. The article does a good job of explaining how a caregiver should view their situation and understand the three traits that people with Alzheimer’s disease have to better help him or her cope with the stress caused by this situation.

The three traits that people with Alzheimer’s disease share are: “they usually quickly forget unpleasant things that happen to them, they usually adapt to change faster than their caregivers do and they rarely worry about the future.” Marley carefully examines each trait so that caregivers can be better equipped to emotionally understand and separate their own struggle from their loved one’s struggle. Marley explains the simple fact that many people with dementia don’t realize that a change has taken place because they don’t remember what things were like before the change. Also, one is not to worry about tomorrow because quite frankly people with dementia don’t have that mental capacity. Death and what may happen to them because of the disease is just not something they can worry about.

Lastly, Marley advises caregivers to remind yourself that your loved ones’ lives are only in the present; this can be key for overcoming stress. Thank you, Ms. Marley, for this wonderfully insightful post and I hope that we can all take away something from this article.
 

When you experience a variety of health issues such as chronic pain and tension, for example, the last thing you may think is responsible for causing these symptoms is your clothing. However, recent research is pointing to particularly tight clothing as the culprit for constricted nerves and digestive issues.

Both men and women should be concerned if tight clothing is causing discomfort.  According to a study from Cornell University, men who wear tight collared shirts and neckties experienced blurred vision, headaches and increased muscle tension in the back and shoulders.  Also important to note is that neckties are not cleaned as often as other articles of clothing and can therefore are more likely to transmit bacteria and other infections. 

For many, it is common knowledge that wearing high heels is bad for your feet and your back and can cause bunions, ankle sprains and other ailments. However, did you know that wearing flip-flops might be worse than wearing high heels? Researchers at Auburn University conducted a study and found that the majority of participants had to clench his or her toes to keep the flip-flops on. This behavior led to sore calf muscles and altered the individual’s gait which can lead to long-term ankle and hip problems.

Moral of the story: Using tight clothes to nip and tuck problem areas may do more harm than good when it comes to your health.
 

With the proper regime involving eating right and exercising, your body will have an easier time slowing down the aging process and staying healthier.  According to Dr. Oz, you can do this in less than 24 hours – here’s how:

To commence the 24-hour plan, start the morning off right with light exercise around 6am. Try an easy 7-minute yoga routine. Yoga can be great for lowering your heart rate and reducing stress, which helps keep your mind and body in check throughout the day.

Once it’s 7am, it is time to consume an anti-aging breakfast. When too much sugar is present in your bloodstream it can block cells from repairing themselves (e.g. sugar makes it harder for collagen cells to repair themself, thus causing more wrinkles as individual’s age). Instead of eating a breakfast loaded with sugar, opt for a breakfast with a low glycemic index to keep your blood sugar levels lower for a longer period of time.  Oatmeal and eggs are excellent options as they are both loaded with protein and sustenance that will help keep you full longer.   

As we age we continue to lose muscle mass, which can make us more susceptible to injuries like fractures and broken bones.  This is why exercise is just as important as eating a healthy and balanced diet.  Ideally, aim to choose healthy food options six of the seven days a week and save one day for a “cheat day.”  Exercising moderately three to four times a week will also help maximize your health benefits.