How to Recognize & Treat Heat Stroke
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The elderly are particularly at risk for heat related conditions such as heat stroke due to a number of age related factors: poor circulation, heart/lung/kidney conditions, high blood pressure, side effects from medications such as diuretics, etc.
Now that temperatures are rising, it is important to know the signs of heatstroke and to know how to prevent it.
According to WebMd, not all cases of heat stroke are the same. However, the most common symptoms are as follows:
- high body temperature
- absence of sweating (red or flushed dry skin)
- rapid pulse
- difficulty breathing
- strange behavior
- hallucinations
- confusion
- agitation
- disorientation
- seizure
- coma
If you suspect someone is suffering from a heat related illness seek medical help immediately!!
A July 21, 2009 online article from the Instutute on Aging also recommends:
- getting the person out of the sun and into an air conditioned place
- offering the person fluids (e.g., water, fruit and vegetable juices, etc.)
- encourage the person to take a bath or shower with cool water
- apply the person with a cold cloth to the wrists, neck, armpits and/or groin (e.g., places where blood passes close to the surface and the cool clothes can cool the blood.)
AARP Fall Driver’s Safety Courses
Flickr Image via Burning Image
In a March 30, 2009 post (AARP Driver Safety Program), we wrote about the AARP Driver’s Safety Program. For those of you who are interested in taking a fall course, many locations have opened up registration.
Since writing our previous post, it has come to our attention that many insurance carriers throughout the United States offer a multi-year discount to AARP graduates.
For our metro Detroit readers, the Birmingham Community House in Birmingham, Michigan is offering the course on Tuesday, October 6 and Wednesday, October 7 from 12:30 – 4:30. There is a $12 materials fee for AARP members and a $14 fee for non-members. Click here to link to their registration area.
Our out of state readers can find a class near them on the AARP site.
How to Find Your Local First Aid or CPR Class
All Americans should be well versed in basic first aid, CPR, and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) skills. If you are caring for a senior, your chances of needing such skills increase dramatically. The good news is that training classes are readily available throughout the United States.
The American Heart Association dedicated the first week of June of this year to “National CPR & AED Awareness Week.” Although June has since passed, they have continued their efforts to get as many Americans trained in CPR and AED, as possible.
Click here for a CPR, First Aid, AED, or ECC training class near you.
How to Recognize Vascular Dementia
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Vascular dementia is an umbrella term that describes impairments in cognitive function caused by problems in blood vessels that feed the brain.”
In some cases, a blood vessel may be completely blocked, causing a stroke. Not all strokes cause vascular dementia. It depends on the severity of the stroke, where the stroke occurred and the portion of the brain that’s affected. Vascular dementia also can occur when blood vessels in the brain narrow, reducing the amount of blood flow to those sections of the brain.
The prevalence of vascular dementia ranges from 1 to 4 percent in people over the age of 65. Because few treatments are available for vascular dementia, prevention is crucial.”
Helpguide.org outlines the physical signs and symptoms as:
- Memory problems
- Dizziness
- Leg or arm weakness
- Lack of concentration
- Moving with rapid, shuffling steps
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
Helpguide.org also lists behavioral signs and symptoms to be aware of:
- Slurred speech
- Language problems
- Abnormal behavior
- Wandering or getting lost in familiar surroundings
- Laughing or crying inappropriately
- Difficulty following instructions
- Problems handling money
Great CPR and First Aid Guides for the iPhone/iPod Touch
I am thrilled to report that the American Heart Association has some fantastic new CPR and First Aid guides for the iPhone and iPod touch that make it easy to keep their hints/instructions with you at all times.
The iPhone application provides users with illustrations, videos, information storage, recent information updates and American Heart Association guidelines. Topics include: choking, CPR, bites, bruises, burns, seizures, diabetic emergencies.
The information is stored on your iPhone or iPod touch so that you will have access to the information even when you are out of cell phone range.
Please click here for detailed information on the application. You will be impressed!!
Local Computer Classes for Seniors
Picture from Flickr via turtlemom4bacon
According to Pew Research in a research study entitled, Generations Online in 2009, “larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past and they are dong more activities online.” They are primarily using the Internet for “research, shopping, and banking.”
The study reports that despite their growing usage of the Internet they still are not using it as frequently as younger generations. We searched the web for classes that would help them get the instruction needed to help them become more familiar with computer and Internet usage.
We recently learned about SeniorNet Learning Centers. SeniorNet is an organization that offers computer classes to adults who are 50 years of age or older. Their classes are fairly affordable and offer the basics in computer and Internet usage (e.g., introduction to computers, word processing, windows, email, etc.) . They also have more advanced classes in geneology, graphics, digital photography, financial management, etc.
For a complete list of SeniorNet classes in your area, access the SeniorNet locator here. Our Detroit area followers can find classes at The Troy Community Center in Troy, Michigan. The coordinator is Lee Watkins. Lee can be contacted at 248.524.3484.
How to Find a Wheelchair Accessible Hotel
The last trip my mother and I took together, she needed the assistance of a wheelchair. As her travel companion and the girl in charge of the chair, I was concerned about finding wheelchair accessible accommodations.
Since then, I have found a couple of sites that provide assistance in this area. Please keep in mind that I did not use the sites and/or their advice myself so I am not comfortable rating them but I do think it is worthwhile to pass their hints/online tools along in hopes that some of you might find them helpful. If you do use the sites, we would love to hear from you. Please let us know if they were helpful and whether you yourself would recommend them.
Mobility-Advisor.com recommends that you start narrowing your hotel choices and once you have a list you are comfortable with call the hotel directly. They report that “asking the following questions can quickly determine if the hotel is disability friendly and right for you.
- ‘Do you provide special disability services?’ This should be the first question you ask. The answer you receive will immediately indicate the property’s experience and desire in assisting disabled travelers.
- ‘Which floors are disable rooms located?’ It is important to be on or near the ground floor in case of emergency, especially when elevators are not in service.
- ‘Are the disabled rooms ADA compliant?’ If the answer is yes (and it should be), ask for specifics on how the room is equipped to accommodate ADA guidelines.
- ‘Can the beds and other furniture be moved in order to make the room more comfortable and accessble?’ Depending on the room size and configuration, you may not need to make any adjustments. Yet, it is a good question to ask if you are unfamiliar with the hotel brand.
- ‘Does the hotel provide a wheel chair accessible shuttle to nearby tourist attractions and public transportation?’
- ‘Is disabled or handicap parking available”‘ You may want to follow-up asking how many spaces are allocated per wheelchair accessible room.”
Please access the article online for full details and their other valuable information.
Mobility-Advisor.com referred me to www.whenwetravel.com who provides a list of worldwide destinations with links to wheelchair accessible hotels. Many are well known American chains (e.g., Hyatt, etc.) but some are brands I would not have known to try myself.
One Time Economic Stimulus Checks
The Social Security Administration has published a document entitled, “One -Time Economic Recovery Payment 2009.” According to the document, “On February 17, 2009 President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This law provides a one-time economic recovery payment of $250 to people who get certain types of Federal Benefits.”
The document is available online and provides answers to commonly asked questions about the program.
Eligible parties should have received their checks before the end of May, 2009.
India Cares for Seniors
Knowing that my mother’s care is very expensive here in the United States, a couple of friends have shared information with me on caring for the elderly abroad. My mother’s home is in the United States and I wouldn’t think of taking her away from her family and close friends for care abroad.
However, I think many of you might enjoy reading the article entitled, “In India they Really Like Older People.” It is about a man who moved to India with his elderly parents. Both of his parents were ailing. One parent was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and the other had Altzheimer’s Disease. The care he found for them in India was outstanding and much, much more affordable than it is here in the United States.
Special “thanks” to Barbra Wells for sharing this article with me this morning.
Avoiding the Moving Blues
Relocating can be difficult for people at any age. For seniors it can be extra challenging, or even life threatening depending upon the situation. This post will focus on moves whose catalyst was to provide a little more support for someone currently living independently. This could mean moving from a home to an independent living community, or from one community to another, in order to be closer to family who can help with the chores of daily living. There is an often more serious move situation, where a senior needs to move into a nursing home. In these situations, the move is often abrupt and less considered. These situations often result in “relocation stress syndrome” (RSS), or sometimes “transfer trauma”. We’ll cover that in a later post.
No matter how you cut it, helping a senior transition from one home to another will take a lot of your time. If you’re working, you’ll need to take vacation time during and after the move. If you can enlist other family members to help in a tag-team approach, it’ll take stress off of a single individual.
Before the Move
If you can help remember all of the things that need to be done in advance of the move, you’ll minimize the stress that comes from discovering the forgotten detail. Make sure all of the “turn offs” and “turn ons” are scheduled. File a change-of-address form with the post office. They should notify everyone they have an account with, utility, including credit cards, insurance, and so on, as the statements come in the month before. The post office has a “Movers Guide” here. Check out our seniors moving post here for ways to notify Medicare, the IRS and more. The more things that you can have go like clockwork, the better. After that, don’t sweat the small stuff.
During the Move
Of course you and the movers, be they professional or family, will want to be as efficient as possible. But, if you’re all business, you’ll be missing an opportunity to attend to needs of the person moving. Take time for conversation. Reminisce about family events. Talk about friends and family, or what’s going on in the world. Good breaks for food and conversation will be good breaks from the uncertainty that goes along with moving to a new location.
Moving In
It would be easy to be all business while moving it. It’s a lot of work. Moving-in time is an opportunity to help your senior to get to know their neighbors. There’s a lot of time spent in public places–in the halls and in front of the building–that gives you the opportunity to introduce your senior to their new neighbors. This is where you have to be a little more gregarious than normal. Get their name. Ask them about the neighborhood. Ask them a question that your senior genuinely wants to know, because they’ve been in the same situation before and most people will recognize how disorienting things can be at first and will want to help. Get the lowdown on how things work, or what we like at SHF are some good tips to make life a little better.
After the Move
Now that you’ve showered them with attention before and during the move, you have to go back to work. Suddenly there’s a big void. Assuming that they’ve moved to a location near you, consider setting aside certain evenings and weekend days for the next few months where you can run errands, stop by to help out, or just go out to eat. Don’t focus all of your time on the chores.
If there are other family members in the area, enlist their aid. Assisted living communities have activities coordinator. Talk to her and see what she suggests that your parent may like to do to get involve in their new neighborhood. But don’t push it. It takes time to become comfortable in the new surroundings.
After all this advice, the final tip is to keep an eye on your own mental health. Clearly removing the stress from a loved one can put it on your own shoulders. You may be better prepared to take it than a senior, but you have your limits too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and find some time for yourself.