Introduction:

Only the Lonely

Loneliness is something that just about everyone feels on occasion. Retired individuals and those who are nearing retirement may feel the pangs of loneliness more than someone who is in his or her forties or fifties.

Once you start to delve into the reasons why this is the case, it makes sense that older seniors are going to be lonelier.

The Loneliness of Aging

As seniors age, they start to lose many of those who were close to them. Friends and acquaintances of a similar age may be passing away, limiting the number of people with whom the senior is able to spend time. The loss of a spouse can be one of the most devastating events in a person’s life.

In fact, you will find many different reasons that loneliness can start to settle into the elderly, from fear to boredom, and we will go over them in the coming chapters.

Loneliness can lead to depression as well as a variety of other health problems. It is important that those who are experiencing the loneliness realize they are not alone, and that they seek the help and treatment that they might need.

Who Should Read This Book?

Friends and family members that are younger will want to make sure that they read the material in this book, as should seniors who are feeling the weight of loneliness settling in around them.

The book will offer tips and techniques for dealing with the loneliness, as well as insight into the various problems linked with elder loneliness.

While it might not be possible for someone who is younger to understand fully the emotional pain that loneliness can cause, it’s important to understand the reality of loneliness and depression in the elderly.

With this book, we will try to do just that.

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Age may just be a number, but when the numbers start adding up, so do the stereotypes. One geriatrician is on a mission to dispel the negative mindset that getting older means getting worse.

At 92 and 88, Roland and Lucienne Lee are so comfortable together; you’d think they’d be celebrating a 50 year anniversary. But they’ve only been married for 10 years.

Roland said “We dated for about a year, didn’t we?”

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Lucienne responded, “We were married after a month!”

“A month? Was it that fast? You work pretty fast,” Roland replied.

“It was your idea. I wanted to live in sin; he wanted to get married,” Lucienne explained.

All kidding aside, both Ronald and Lucienne have a keen understanding about their advancing years.

Bill Thomas, MD, Geriatrician said, “It’s not about how fast you can run or how high you can jump.  It’s about how much you understand and how much you’re able to give back to the world, that’s aging.”

Dr. Thomas is a geriatrician who now travels the country performing what he calls “Non-fiction Theater.” When it comes to aging, he focuses on three simple ideas. The first: move well.

“People who move best in old age are the people who keep moving,” Dr. Thomas explained.

Next, sleep well. Dr. Thomas said, “Older people can have greater sleep fragmentation, and are awake more during the night, its normal, no problem.”

Last, but not least: eat well, and he’s not talking about counting carbs.

“It turns out that eating and sharing meals together is a really important part of our health. If you only ever eat alone, you’re missing something vital,” he said

It is a small converted storeroom behind a shop selling rehabilitation aids. But for hundreds of people around Shropshire, these tidy but most modest surroundings are a lifeline.

“We’re a drop-in centre for anybody that’s affected by cancer,” says Jess Brindley, who runs the new Macmillan Cancer Support information centre at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital.

“That might be patients, someone who has got someone in the family with cancer, or friends.”

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The centre opened last year following the success of a similar operation at Shrewsbury. It is staffed five days a week, and the charity takes pride in the fact that no subjects relating to the disease are off limits.

Today the charity declared it a huge success – but also emphasised the need for donations to keep it going.

“We provide a listening ear,” says Jess. “People are able to come in and have a chat to somebody about what’s going on with them.

“Sometimes we can help signpost them towards other services that might be available, or refer them to somebody who might be able to give them some specialist advice.”

The 32-year-old, from Shrewsbury, started work with Macmillan shortly before the centre opened in July last year, having previously worked helping people with addiction problems. She says the centre at Shrewsbury receives about 60 visitors a month, and many patients had been asking for a similar service in Telford.

“We have information here on everything from chemotherapy and radiotherapy, to getting travel insurance, there are booklets for children and young people,” she says.

Of course, providing this type of service does not come cheap, and the charity invested £59,000 fitting out the centre.

It falls to dedicated volunteers like Jayney Davies to raise the funds to keep the charity runnin

. When her grandmother Irene Gray was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1991, the charity was a major support.

g“She had a Macmillan nurse come to the house, which was rearranged so she could sleep downstairs,” she recalls. “This meant she could stay at home.”

Will Emergency Response Service Bring Hospital Care To Older People?

A pioneering grassroots emergency service targeting frail older people who have fallen takes the hospital to the home in a money-saving solution that could help slash A&E admissions and offer a new model of community care.

“It’s almost like bringing to the home, services that patients would typically get in hospital,” explains Lea Agambar, a nurse practitioner for the new project in east London.

The service, a joint project between the London Ambulance Service(LAS) and North East London NHS foundation trust (NELFT), goes out to nearly 30 people each week and keeps most of them – an average of 77% – out of emergency departments. And according to NELFT, in the 12 months following its launch in October 2014 the scheme saved the health service £188,000.

After starting as a pilot scheme, it is now an ongoing service funded by Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge clinical commissioning group which, like other commissioners, is under pressure to cut A&E admissions. The target was set at a 15% reduction by the coalition government.

This is not one of NHS England’s vanguard models, but a relatively small-scale grassroots project conceived by staff from the two organisations.

“Our local emergency department was known to have some challenges and we were looking at the patients who come to A&E, what they present with, how they are conveyed and whether their admission was avoidable,” says NELFT service manager Caroline O’Haire.

A dedicated space for healthcare professionals to come together. We bring the latest news, analysis and comment on policy and practice in healthcare, focusing on innovation, workforce issues and implementation of NHS reforms.

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“We’d already started some work with the LAS through our community treatment team, which works with people who are experiencing a health crisis in their own homes. So this was a further step.”

Agambar talks about how the idea emerged from a “frailty academy”, a forum for representatives from a range of services to meet and discuss the challenges that they and patients face, as well as possible solutions.

“We were asked to come up with an idea to help improve services for frail and elderly people within our boroughs,” she says. “So that’s when we decided about the emergency response scheme.”

The service uses a standard LAS emergency response car. But what’s different is, first, that it is equipped with devices for elderly people, such as walking aids and commodes. And, second, a paramedic is paired with a community nurse experienced in wound closure, urinalysis, blood sampling and more, and who attend to and assess the patients. People who have fallen receive a full falls assessment.

“We had basic and advanced life-support training, training from a geriatrician around falls and in physiotherapy and occupational therapy, as well as moving and handling techniques,” says Agambar.

At the outset of the service, the age criteria was 75 years and older, but that was reduced to 70 and now it is available for people aged upwards of 60. The patient profile has changed in other ways, too, as nurse practitioner Joanne Webb explains: “Initially it was for elderly fallers, but it was opened up to other elderly people who we can try and keep at home. So now we go to people who may have a chest or urinary infection, for example.”

Debbie Richmond, group station manager at the LAS, says staff working on the local dispatch desk in the emergency operations centre have been briefed about the type of people the car should, and should not, be dispatched to

“For example, if you’re going out to an older faller, there is realistically no reason to send this car if a patient is complaining of hip pain, because that patient will need to go to an emergency department for an x-ray,” she explains

“Also the dispatch staff have a contact number for the car, so if they’re not sure, they can contact the clinicians and decide what’s appropriate. The car has access to incoming calls via a computer. So the paramedic and the nurse can scan the calls themselves and if they feel a call is appropriate for them, they can self-dispatch.”

The King’s Fund has reported that people aged over 65 account for nearly 70% of emergency bed days in England (pdf) and, as O’Haire says: “The type of patients we are dealing with here are usually frail and have potentially a level of cognitive impairment.

“What we know is that when those patients hit an A&E department they become more confused, their presentation will worsen very quickly. If they get to A&E it’s highly likely they’ll be there for a very long time.

“Something as simple as going around, picking someone up, making sure they’re safe, will make them recover much quicker.”

In Conclusion

So is it feasible for this service to be replicated? Carol White, a deputy director for integrated care at NELFT, says the service has been underpinned by a broader shift from a bed-based model to community care which has been taking place across the trust over the past three years.

She says: “I guess fundamental to this is a sea change in the whole system, and an understanding within this health economy that community health services had not been invested in sufficiently.”

She says the service could not operate without NELFT’s community treatment team, which provides follow-up care if that’s needed. And she believes it benefits from regular adjustments: “They are changing it all the time based on patient, carer or professional feedback, and I think that’s one of the keys to this success.”

Discover Mobility Scooters That Are Designed For Safety And Stability

Most mobility scooters travel at a speed of around 7 kmh and are designed to be safe and stable medical devices for the elderly and people with disabilities, distributors here say.

Agis Mobility director James Lee said: “Before we sell it to customers, we would advise them on safety precautions, such as slowing down at a kerb.” If a kerb is more than 5cm above ground, users should avoid crossing it.

Customers are also encouraged to try scooters before buying them, according to Falcon Mobility managing director Warren Chew.

“If we see them panicking, or if they appear unsuitable, we would turn them away,” he said.

Both companies said the number of mobility scooter users here has been doubling year-on-year for some time. Mr Chew estimates that there are currently 4,000 users

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Occupational therapists stress the need for proper assessment prior to buying a mobility scooter.

Typically, they would look out for a client’s motor functions, cognitive ability and eyesight before prescribing such devices, said Ms Tay Hwee Lin, principal occupational therapist at SPD, formerly known as the Society for the Physically Disabled.

“There are many models out there that fit different needs,” she said. “It’s important to get the right equipment for you.”

Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists president Florence Cheong said: “Besides doing trials to test their ability to operate it, we look at their home environment and their daily routine.”

A one-day orientation course to familiarize users is also being offered by the Handicaps Welfare Association.

Users are guided by social workers through a training track and taught the skills and limitations of operating mobility scooters.

In Conclusion

With proper knowledge and training, many believe that these devices provide many benefits. “It gives users a sense of independence,” said Mr Chew. “Having the freedom is important to their dignity and helps in their well-being.”

12 Myths About Hearing Loss – AARP News False. This may have been true many years ago for some conditions, but with today’s advances, nearly 95 percent of people with hearing loss caused by problems with the inner ear can be helped with hearing aids, according to the Better Hearing Institute.

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With Father’s Day around the corner and Mother’s Day last week, this is the season to celebrate our parents and all they’ve done for us over the years. Now it’s time to start giving back.

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Cards and flowers are lovely, but as the baby boomers begin to evolve into the golden agers, perhaps the most welcome gift of all will be helping elderly parents maintain their independence. Step up to the plate and make sure that these basic 7 safety measures are in place, so that the older generation will be safer and more comfortable in their home.

This is my very first time that I am visiting here and I’m truly pleasurable to see everything at one place.fitness and nutrition tips

Whenever possible they should stay in their homes. Regarding my parents I decided to move to their house to take care of them since home care here in Portugal is very expensive and in their particular case almost nonexistent since it is a rural place. The same applies to nursing homes: very expensive and no vacancy.

They should be able to stay as long as they wish in their own homes with all the home care we get here in Australia. Thank you for caring and sharing.

They are working hard in Australia to keep the elderly in their own homes. Thank you for caring and sharing

1. Work from the outside in. If you’ll be in charge of sprucing up Mom and Dad’s front stairs this spring, ensure that there is a good, sturdy handrail in place. Minimize the possibility of slips and falls by adding clean sand to the paint which will be used on the steps. It might even be time to replace the stairway with a universal access ramp.
2. Smarten up their house. Grandma and Gramps don’t have to come anywhere near their millennial grand- or great-grandchildren’s ability in terms of tech savvy, but just a few smart home features can go a long way. Several that we particularly like for independent senior living are: personal emergency response systems, robotic vacuum cleaners, and smart doorbells that screen potential visitors.
3. Don’t ignore the obvious. Write up a “honey-do list” of easy-to-fix safety hazards in your parents’ home, and then put your handywoman/man skills to work … or hire someone to tackle these chores. For example, you should secure all scatter rugs firmly in place with non-slip tape or rubber shelf liners, repair non-functional locks on doors and windows, and replace any frayed or damaged electrical cords.
4. Pay close attention to lighting. As eyes grow older, they may benefit from more powerful overhead light fixtures, as well as task lights carefully placed near work surfaces such as kitchen counters. Make sure that the ambient lighting is glare-free and at a consistent level from one room to the next, to avoid eyestrain due to macular degeneration.
5. Check the bathroom. The area around the bath and toilet can be an especially dangerous one for seniors. Install grab bars in the shower stall and next to the toilet. Or invest in an elevated toilet seat with its own padded arms attached. A bath bench will make it easier for Mother or Father to get into the tub, as well as providing a comfortable, secure place to sit while washing. A handheld shower head will simplify personal hygiene.
6. Stay connected. I have a mother and I am a mother myself. These two attributes make me particularly qualified to offer this piece of advice: give Mom (and Dad) a call more often. Keeping in touch via Skype or FaceTime is not only sociable, it will also allow you to see how well (or the opposite!) your parent looks.
7. Consider installing a home sensor system. If your folks are frail or forgetful, you will be able to monitor their wellbeing with your smartphone, even if you live thousands of miles away. Check that they aren’t neglecting such important aspects of health maintenance as taking necessary medication and eating regularly, as well as being informed of an emergency situation — for instance, a fall. Of course, you will want to talk this option over with your parent beforehand to ensure that he or she will be comfortable with it.

How To Kiss Those Commodes Goodbye

(AP) — A Montana county plans to dispose of more than three dozen Cold War-era sanitation kits meant to provide makeshift bathroom facilities for fallout shelters.

Forty-two fiberboard drums labeled “SK IV Sanitation Kit” were shipped to Gallatin County in January 1964, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

The kits contain a toilet seat, commode liner, 10 rolls of toilet paper that people were cautioned to “USE SPARINGLY,” along with commode chemical.

The seat fits on top of the lined drum.

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The kits are a reminder of “the subtle but real fear of a nuclear World War III,” said Shane Hope, an archaeologist in the county’s Historic Preservation Board.

After county officials determined they didn’t need the kits any more, they found out the Department of Defense didn’t want them back.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had no use for them, either.

The county has offered some of the kits to museums. The rest may be sold at auction. A value and date haven’t been set.

The kits include instructions for setting up and using the commodes.

When the waste reaches “the level of the sanitary fill line on the drum,” users are instructed to put on the included rubber gloves, use the included wire tie to close up the liner and put the lid back on the drum.

“DO NOT REMOVE THE FILLED BAGS FROM THE DRUM,” the instructions caution.

In Conclusion

And if you need to move the drum, it is preferable to slide it across the floor instead of tilting or lifting.

The drums, which were furnished by the Office of Civil Defense, also included drinking cups and a can opener to open metal cans of food or to pry lids from water-storage.

Marne and Hans Iwand went to Lincoln Southeast High School in the late 70’s.

They started dating when they were both attending UNL and they eventually moved to Omaha.

That’s where Marne has devoted her entire career to helping people… especially children with disabilities.

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Over the years, she started to notice how hard it was for families with children of special needs to get the right mobility equipment

She took it upon herself to help challenged children put their dreams into motion.

Marne has been a physical therapist for 20 years and her husband Hans is a mechanical engineer.

When Hans has finished the day at his full-time job, he returns to his workshop where Marne gives him specific instructions. Marne explains, “I’ve used Hans to adapt equipment over the years. Sometimes just weld parts back together.”

Hans adds, “We work together collaboratively, finding components from other existing equipment.”

The Iwand’s have donated the large amount of their free-time to a non-profit organization they call “Mobility Equipment Restoration.’

Let’s see the facts …

Mobility aids and transportation equipment are devices which are designed and used to assist the people with mobility impairment. These devices are mainly used to increase independent mobility for the injured or elderly population. There are many products or we can say options available in the market that help disabled person to stay active forever.

Rapid technological advancement and research and development in healthcare sector has guide to introduce innovative products that have enhanced the quality of life of the disabled people and made it possible for disabled people to move according to his own desire by  the help of mobility aids and transportation equipment.

Mobility Aids and Transportation Equipment Market: Drivers and Restraints

Presently, mobility aids and transportation equipment global market is driven by the aging population which led to rise in the prevalence of cases with knee disorders, bone disorders and disabilities in mobility.

Mobility aids and transportation equipment global market is drives by the technological advancement in healthcare sector across the globe, increase in the prevalence of people suffering from disability, rise in the number of hospitals, high adaptation rates of these devices, new technology innovations, also growing awareness for different types of equipment available and government initiatives in the field are driving the mobility aids and transportation equipment global market. However, high cost involvement and large number of substitutes for this type of equipment in the market act as a major barrier for mobility aids and transportation equipment global market.

Mobility Aids and Transportation Equipment Market: Segmentation

Mobility aids and transportation equipment global market is segmented into following types:

Due to rapid technological advancement, large number of aging population, increase in the prevalence of people suffering from disability, increase in the number of hospitals across the globe, and increase in the prevalence of cases with knee disorders, bone disorders and disabilities in mobility, the mobility aids and transportation equipment global market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR in the forecast period (2015-2025).

Mobility Aids and Transportation Equipment Market: Region-wise Outlook

Depending on geographic regions, the mobility aids and transportation equipment global market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.

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In Conclusion

North America is the leading market for mobility aids and transportation equipment market followed by Europe. Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at a substantial growth, China and India are expected to be the fastest growing mobility aids & transportation equipment markets in Asian region due to the large pool of patients, rising government funding and improvement in the healthcare facilities and will contribute to the global mobility aids and transportation equipment market value exhibiting a robust CAGR during the forecast period, 2015-2025.

The vast majority of people living on a wheelchair don’t know how to exercise. This has become a problem since we need to move to maintain proper health. In this article, we will show some interesting ways in which how to exercise using your wheelchair.

I must say it is challenging to train with MS, but it is even more of an effort when you are in a wheelchair with MS. I am here to tell those of you in wheelchairs… you can do it!

There are many upper body workouts that can be done from a wheelchair with weights and exercise bands. I’m going to outline just one of these using bands that will allow you to be involved in a fitness regimen and help keep you in shape. This is a beginner routine and more exercises can be added once you are comfortable.

Exercise Bands can be purchased with different levels of resistance and typically come in a package that allows you to increase the resistance as your strength increases. Each movement will be performed for 3-4 sets. For muscle building, keep the repetitions from 8-10 and for toning from 12-15. Exhale on exertion and inhale at release. Always sit tall in your chair, and keep your abdominals tight.

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CHEST PRESS

Loop the band around the back of the wheelchair and grasp the handles of the band in each hand at chest level. Grasp the band handles back far enough so that you are able to feel the resistance. Next, press the bands forward until the arms are straight out in front of you. Do not lock the arms. You want to keep the tension throughout the movement and not relax in a locked position. Slowly return to the starting position.

CHEST PULL

Fold your resistance band in half and grip each end in front of your chest, arms away from your body and elbows bent. Pull the band apart, bringing it closer to your chest and straightening your arms, and then slowly release it back to the start position.

SHOULDER PRESS

Secure the band, looping under the wheel chair wheels. Grasp the band handles and position them around the shoulder area. Keep your forearms straight and your hands at ear level. Next, press the bands over your head. The arms should extend just short of locking the elbows. Slowly lower the bands back to the starting position and repeat the movement.

BICEP CURL

With the band in the same secured position as shoulder press and arms down at sides, grab the resistance band handles. Keeping elbows at the side, palms facing outward, slowly raise hands toward the shoulder and slowly return to starting position. Make sure to keep your wrists in line with the forearms, not bent.

With a slight variation of turning the palms in towards your legs, the bicep curl now becomes a seated hammer curl.  This movement is used to target primarily the biceps, however because the wrist remains perpendicular to the ground rather than parallel, the forearm also gets a workout.

OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSIONS

Again, with the band secured under the wheels grasp both handles of the bands and pull the arms close to the sides of your head, elbows pointing forward. Extend the arms up, lifting that handle toward the ceiling and slowly release back down to the start position.

The only movement should be the elbows bending and straightening. Keep the elbows pointed forward, not out to the sides.