Category: Health
Keeping Up Dental Hygiene With Age
| April 16, 2013 | Posted by Maddie under Aging, Caregiving, Dental, Health |
Many elders suffer from all different kinds of dental problems. Many of these problems could easily be fixed or improved through simple dental care, or by just visitinga good dentist. As we age, we often forget the importance of good dental hygiene and we begin to see a lot of changes in our mouths. Some of the most common dental problems we face as we age are:
- Tooth Decay- In older adults, tooth decay appears most frequently around the gums. If untreated, tooth decay can eventually cause teeth to die and an abscess to form.
- Periodontal Disease- This disease causes swollen, sensitive gums that bleed at the slightest irritation. Small pockets develop between the teeth and gums and food gets caught up underneath. If this disease goes untreated it will continue to cause more and more destruction, and eventually result in a loss of teeth.
- Brittleness or Wear of Teeth- As we get older our teeth contain less fluid content and become brittle. Brittle teeth are easily chipped or broken.
Some simple ways to prevent these sorts of dental issues from happening are to:
- See a dentist- It is very common for older people to stop going to regular dental check ups. It’s important to see at dentist every 6 months to keep up with hygiene and be aware of any issues that may be arising in the mouth.
- Brush- Brushing our teeth is so important at any age, but especially for elders! If you or your elderly loved one has trouble with gripping a toothbrush, there are grips and bands that can be found in drug stores that will help keep a firm hold.
- Floss- Flossing is so important because it reaches many areas that the toothbrush can’t. Since elders have a greater chance of developing periodontal disease, flossing is very important to reach those in-between spots!
- Rinse- Rinsing with warm water will help to dislodge any food particles that may be attached to the teeth and/or gums. Rinsing should not be used as a substitute for brushing, but it is especially helpful for those who have a difficult time brushing.
All of these options are instrumental in keeping good dental hygiene. Dental health should not be neglected at any age, and it is important for caregivers to ensure that their elderly loved ones are keeping up with their hygiene.
Foot Health: Arthritic or Diabetic Feet
| April 5, 2013 | Posted by Ronni under Health, Top Products |
April is National Foot Health Month, so EasierLiving would be remiss if we let it pass without presenting our most popular foot health product for people with arthritic or diabetic feet: The Silipos® Arthritic/Diabetic Gel Socks*.
The gel socks work against common symptoms that result from major systemic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or arthritis. They help to reduce friction, abrasion, shear forces and callus formation by adding a small layer of gel between the ground and the skin of the foot. The gel also helps to prevent foot ulcerations. It’s a layer of protection that is not provided with a traditional sock.
Silipos Arthritic/Diabetic Gel Sock
Not only does it protect, but it works to support the foot as well. The gel bottom conforms to the shape of the foot to provide added support, cushioning and comfort throughout the day. It features a seamless toe design to also bring relief to sensitive, sore skin on the toes. The cuff of the gel sock is excellent for people who like their socks looser but also like the to stay put! It won’t restrict blood flow to your feet like compression socks, yet it won’t slip out of place!
If you are looking for a sock for you or a loved one that brings them relief from the sores or sensitive skin on the bottom of their feet – this is the sock you want. Wear it like any other sock you own, but experience relief and comfort like never before!
Interested in looking for other great products for your feet? Check out our Foot Care page on EasierLiving.com!
*This product is latex-free and hypoallergenic.
Great Eye Health at Any Age!
| March 7, 2013 | Posted by Ronni under Aging, Health |
As we know, age brings on many changes, one being weaker vision. Our eyes are two of our most valuable organs that we often take for granted and forget to take care of. Through years of ultraviolet sunray damage, dust particles and everyday eyestrain, our eyes are bound to become weaker with age- but we can slow the age-related damage by following a few simple steps:
- Regular eye exams: This is the most important factor in keeping up with eye care. After the age of 40, everyone should see an eye doctor every two years. After age 60 check-ups should be annual. Anyone with a family history of eye problems, or living with diabetes, should see an eye doctor more frequently.
- Eye protection: This goes for people of all ages! As stylish as sunglasses may be, they also serve as protectors from harmful ultraviolet rays that raise our risk of developing cataracts. A wide-brimmed hat is also useful for shielding the sunlight.
- Enjoy your veggies: Dark green veggies such as kale, spinach, collard and mustard greens contain lutein, which studies have shown to reverse symptoms of macular degeneration (loss of vision in the center of the visual field.) Orange and yellow veggies such as corn, squash, and carrots contain zeaxanthin, which has also been shown to reduce symptoms that come with aging eyes.
- Brighten up your workspace: Reading or working for a long period of time in a dimly lit area can cause eyestrain. It will benefit you to take a break from any activity that involves prolonged staring, and also be sure to shed some light on your workspace!
- Pay attention to warning signs: Many vision problems can be treated as long as they are detected early enough. Don’t ignore the warning signs! If you are experiencing blurred or double vision, or anything irregular with your eyesight at all, you should see a doctor.
Having clear vision is possible at any age. You can’t stop yourself from aging, but you can make sure that your eyes stay healthy throughout the process!
4 Tips to Preventing Eye Strain
| March 5, 2013 | Posted by Ronni under Aging, Health |
Having good eye health is crucial to having good vision. Although healthy eyes can often have lower vision, it’s not often that unhealthy eyes do. Your eyes are the gateway to your general health as well. They can often tell a doctor if you are afflicted by a more serious disease before other symptoms occur. Straining your eyes can lead to an unhealthy eye. When your eyes are tired, they are more susceptible to disease. Preventing strain on your eyes can keep your eyes healthy and strong. If you feel that your eyes are being coming tired – they could feel dry, itchy or painful – you should try these tips to prevent eye strain: 
- Reduce Glare – Whether you are looking at a TV, computer screen, tablet or out a window, glare could be causing your eyes to work to hard. Change the position of the device or the light you are using to keep glare to a minimum. If the glare is because of day light from a window, close the window curtain to block the light.
- Make it Bigger – Magnification may seem like a no brainer, but often times we forget how easy it is! In this technology driven age, we can increase the size of the text on our e-readers, TV’s and tablets. If you’re kickin’ it old school with an actual book or newspaper, we recommend picking up a magnifying glass or non-prescription spectacles from a pharmacy.
- Increase Your Lighting – Turn on the lights! Although it may decrease glare on your devices, having adequate lighting is super important to keeping your eyes from being strained. If you are on a computer, get a desk lamp. If you are watching TV, turn on a side lamp. If you are reading on a tablet or an e-reader, make sure the backlighting is at the right level for your eyes. You can also change the brightness and color contrast on your TV or computer.
- Take a Break – We may not like to take a break from doing what we love or have to do, but for our eyes it may be necessary. Staring at a computer screen all day can lead to worsened eye sight – especailly if the lighting in the environment isn’t up to par. Also, reading for hours and hours or performing hobbies with small components (like cross-stitching) can make us go cross eyed! Get a glass of water, go for a walk, close your eyes and rest for a bit. No matter what it is – change your focus for a bit.
Better Heart Health: One Sip at a Time
| February 6, 2013 | Posted by Ronni under Health, Wellness |
Heart disease is preventable. But living and eating healthy isn’t always number one on a caregiver’s list of priorities. Good news: It doesn’t have to be. Below are a list of some great drinks that you can fill your “to-go” cup with in the morning and sip your way to better heart health! Although, we recommend waiting until after a stressful day to enjoy a little of the red wine! Drink your way to heart health responsibly! 
Cup o’ Joe: The antioxidant activity in your morning cup of coffee is very high. The best part of coffee is – it’s everywhere! Here in New England, they rumor you can find a coffee shop every 200 ft!! In a very wide study of 83,000 women (according to caring.com) women who drank two to four cups of coffee a day saw a 20% drop in the risk of stroke. We recommend putting as little sweetener and creamer into your coffee as possible to keep it as healthy as possible.
Blend it Together: During our search we found a recipe from Dr. Oz for a heart-healthy smoothie! It’d be a great treat during the summer to keep you cool and healthy! It’s chalk full of antioxidants and delicious ingredients! Check it out HERE!
Nectar of the Forbidden Fruit: Pomegranates, rumored to be the forbidden fruit that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, has an antioxidant level that is 3 times more than that of red wine or green tea. Once, pomegranate juice was considered hard to find – but now you can pick it up at pretty much every grocery store. Drinking the juice regularly may lower your cholesterol and remove arterial plaque. Stick to the “all-natural” brands with less sugar and additives.
During Tea Time: Both black tea and green tea are extremely good for your heart. During Fermentation of the tea, the leaves change chemical structure bring out the antioxidants hidden in the root of the plant. A few cups of black tea a day can reduce your risk of stroke by removing the bad cholesterol from your body. It can also increase blood flow throughout the day. Green tea also reduces the risk of stroke and coronaries. It can also be used to treat inflammation of the joints!
Daily Night Cap: Although alcohol has several side effects that can lead to bad health habits, a small glass of red wine daily may not be a bad thing for women. Research has shown that red wine is jam packed with cardioprotective compounds – like polyphenol. Polyphenol is found in the skin of the grap and during the wine making process becomes highly concentrated. It keeps the heart pumping. Stick to a small, 5 oz glass once a day. Drink responsibly!
Avoiding the Flu this Season
| January 15, 2013 | Posted by Ronni under Health, Wellness |
The United States has been shocked by the flu season of 2012-2013. In Boston, Massachusetts alone, 700 people have been reportedly diagnosed with the flu – 18 of those people have passed away. This number of reported cases is ten times the amount from last year. Most techniques to avoiding the influenza virus are common sense and have been told to us over and over. But when you care for a household, especially one with small children and elderly adults, you may need to take flu prevention to a whole new level. Washing hands and covering your mouth while cough is extremely important, but don’t ignore the rest of flu prevention! We’ve put together several products that can get you and your family safely through flu season. These products are excellent for flu prevention even after someone in your home is diagnosed with the flu! Click on the banner below to browse these products and check out our tips to avoiding the flu this season.
Top 5 Tips to Avoiding the Flu this Season
- Disinfect everything! From doorknobs and counter surfaces to your own hands, disinfectants and antibacterial products are now your best friend. Most can kill 99.9% of germs after application – the trick is to wait until the disinfectant is dry. Once it’s dry, it’s done it’s work.
- Wear a mask! If someone in your home comes down with the flu, others are definitely in danger. If you have an elderly loved one that may be challenged by the flu, getting them a N95 mask may be your best bet for protection! These masks can kill several viruses including the flu!
- Keep Hand Sanitizer Everywhere! Keep a small container of hand sanitizer in your car, at the office, in the kitchen and in living areas of your home. If you are sharing or touching items the potentially sick people have also touched or used – sanitize before you touch anything else, especially your eyes or mouth.
- Outfit your Home! Antimicrobial additions to your home is never a bad thing. Switching out normal grab bars for ones that kill germs can only keep germs on hands from spreading from one person to another. Grab bars are great in bathrooms, kitchens and stairwells.
- Care for yourself too! Stress and lack of rest will make you more susceptible to influenza. Be sure to rest as much as you need it, drink your orange juice and practice stress relieving techniques to ward off illness.
Can Coffee Prevent Pain at Work?
| October 17, 2012 | Posted by Rachel under Health |
We’ve all been there before—sitting long hours at your desk job working hard (or hardly working) when you start to feel that aching pain in your shoulder or neck. Shoulder and neck pain are common with work involving very low levels of muscle activity, such as office work with computers. But can drinking coffee prior to work relieve the pain? We came across a recent study that took a look at subjects who drank coffee before starting computer office-work and if they showed a different time course in the pain development than those who did not drink coffee. 48 people, 22 with chronic shoulder and neck pain and 26 healthy pain-free subjects, were recruited to perform a computer-based office-work task for 90 min. 40% of them drank coffee prior to working. The study showed that during the work task, the coffee consumers showed significantly lower pain increase than those who did not drink coffee.
So, drinking a cup of coffee before work could be beneficial to preventing pain from occurring while you’re at your desk. Not only can coffee prevent an increase in pain, it can also decrease sleepiness and fatigue. So, if you’re ever sitting at work wondering what you can do to prevent that annoying pain in your shoulder or neck from occurring, try drinking a cup of coffee before going into work the next morning!
The Common but Painful Problem of Headaches
| October 3, 2012 | Posted by Rachel under Health |
Headaches—we all get them. They’re annoying and inconvenient and occur way too often for many of us. There are nearly 130 different types of headachesand they commonly affect our daily activity. Themost common causes of headaches include lack of sleep and stress, and both these factors along with physical over-exertion and weather can cause migraine and tension headaches. But how do you treat a headache?
Primary headaches can be treated with painkillers such as aspirin. If even stronger pain relief is required, you can 
get a doctor prescription for NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and mefenamic acid. To treat headaches that aren’t responsive to any of these pain relievers, doctors can prescribe 5HT1 agonists, such as ergot alkaloids. Aside from medication, you could try resting in a quiet and dark room with an ice pack on your head and apply firm pressure to the scalp to try to relieve the pain.
Ways to Treat Your Back Pain
| October 2, 2012 | Posted by Rachel under Aging, Health |
We often associate back problems with aging and getting older, but what do you do when you actually start to feel that discomfort in your back? It’s normal for someone to freak out when they start feeling pain in any part of their body, but here are some ways to help you treat your back pain.
Being anxious or stressed out will increase your chances of muscle spasm, which is a source of back pain, so do your best to keep the stress to a minimum.- Listen to your body; if you know it’s going to hurt to try to move that refrigerator right now, don’t do it.
- Taking pain medication such as Advil or Tylenol, resting for a few days, and applying hot/cold packs on your back will alleviate the pain.
- Stretching will also help the pain. The most helpful stretch for back pain is the “90-90″ position: lying on the floor with your calves flat on a chair or other horizontal surface, hips at 90 degrees to your body, knees flopped comfortably apart till you are not using any muscle force to stay there.
- Seeking help from chiropractors or physical therapists can do wonders as well!
Medical Tests that are too Often Prescribed
| April 4, 2012 | Posted by Elizabeth under Caregiving, Health |
When to get further examination and when to leave well enough alone – it’s the ongoing struggle of a caregiver. Of course, you want to cross your t’s and dot your i’s when it comes to making sure that your loved one is receiving the best possible care. But for many carees, going through long examinations can be strenuous, expensive and exhausting. The key is knowing when to seek out additional medical care, and when to just keep an extra eye on your loved one.
Dr. Christine Cassel, the president and CEO of the ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Foundation, says that tests like MRI’s, brain scans, back scans and stress tests are necessary, but often overused. Dr. Cassel is one of the Foundation’s leading experts in geriatric medicine, medical ethics, and quality of care. In the featured CNN article, Cassel explains that many doctors say that patients are requesting these exams instead of allowing the doctor to make the decision.
Read this CNN Health piece to be aware of Dr. Cassel’s explanation of overused medical tests, and then speak with your loved one’s healthcare provider to see what is best for the patient.
(As shown on CNN Health)
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