Doctor visit or trip to the hospital been part of your agenda? If so, you’ve undoubtedly been given a paper to sign stating your health information is protected. The privacy of individually identifiable health information has been protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which affects health insurance and healthcare providers. You… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Senior Health
Let’s Get Senior Loved Ones Walking – and Their Communities Walkable
US Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin has officially launched a new campaign called Every Body Walk! The goal of this initiative is to get all of us, our senior loved ones included, moving. A major objective of getting everyone walking is to manage to our weight for better health, but in the case of our… Continue Reading
Stroke: What Family Caregivers Should Know for Self and Senior Care
Stroke – one of the more feared words in healthcare, though now more treatable and preventable than ever. As a family caregiver, you may already be experiencing helping a family member recover from a stroke or are trying to help your senior loved one avoid a stroke. We know how prevalent stroke is in the… Continue Reading
Nutrition Care for Alzheimer’s Seniors – Creativity and Patience Needed
We are told frequently that managing our health, preventing chronic disease and reducing our potential risk factors can help us age more successfully. Nutrition is one area where lifestyle changes can and have been proven to benefit us, especially combating chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Improved nutrition in those already afflicted with… Continue Reading
Understanding Seniors’ Drug Labels and Why It’s Important to Read Them
Millions of seniors, more than likely your loved ones included, take prescription drugs every day. According to the latest information available from the Centers for Disease Control, there are 2.6 billion prescription drugs ordered each year. 73% of adults over 60 years use tw0 or more prescription drugs while 37% use more than five. The… Continue Reading
Drug Take Back Day: Safe Disposal of Unneeded and Expired Medications
Flush them, mix them with coffee grounds, just throw them out – – what ARE we supposed to do with medications that are expired or we just don’t need any more? Disposing of old prescription drugs improperly can be, as we have learned of late, hazardous to the environment. Keeping drugs that are no longer… Continue Reading
Yoga Benefits for Seniors Found In Study – But Also Cautions
Physical activity is important for us at any age but especially through our older years. We need to keep our bodies in motion to stay healthy. Yoga is a great way to stay active, keep joints fluid and stretch those muscles! We, as well as others, have encouraged our seniors to participate in yoga. Recently… Continue Reading
TeleHealth Covered by Medicare: A Fit for Your Senior’s Needs?
Technological evolution — and sometimes revolution — for the benefit of our senior loved ones is one of our favorite topics here at Senior Care Corner. We are strong supporters of the role technology can play in the well-being, both physically and mentally, for all of us as we age. Especially exciting is the thought… Continue Reading
Medicare Coverage of Durable Medical Equipment for Seniors
In a recent Senior Care Corner Radio Show, we reported a news story about a durable medical equipment (sometimes referred to as DME) provider being fined for fraudulent Medicare claims for power scooters. While many who this provider gave no- or low-cost scooters paid for by Medicare that were not deemed eligible, there are many… Continue Reading
Lactose Intolerance & Seniors: Dairy Still on the Menu
Lactose intolerance affects an estimated 12% of Americans. Are your senior loved ones among them? You say you’ve heard of lactose intolerance but aren’t really sure what it means? We’ll fill in the blanks. First, it’s important to understand the difference between an allergy and intolerance to a particular food so that we are not… Continue Reading
Accessible Gardens Seniors Can Enjoy Safely & Comfortably
Spring is coming (yes, we hear some of you saying “finally”)! We see daffodils popping to meet the sunshine and crocuses sticking their little heads up to say hello! Many seniors have shared their joy of gardening with their children and grandchildren over the years. Having learned from our elders, we carry on the love… Continue Reading
Seniors’ Best Friends: Are Pets an Answer for Successful Aging?
Seniors’ best friends? Maybe. The way pets can make us feel is legend. When we see our family pet jumping for joy, get a sloppy kiss from our furry friend or have a warm, snuggly cat sit in our laps it can simply give us a good feeling. Our heart rate drops, our face breaks… Continue Reading
Seeing is Essential for Safe Driving by Senior Loved Ones
Ahhh, the American love affair with driving – it seems to be ageless! We love the independence that being at the wheel of a car brings and that includes our senior loved ones. Giving up that freedom comes hard and often sooner than desired for many elders. Low vision is one of the major safety… Continue Reading
Organ Donation: Sharing the Gift of Life
The concept of donating your organs at the end of your life make you uneasy? Did you know that there are more than 117,000 people in the U.S. in need of organ donation? Or that 4,000 people are added to the national waiting list each day? Or that 18 people each day die while waiting… Continue Reading
Dietitian’s Tips for Keeping Your Senior Loved One’s System Regular
Let’s not be squeamish…it’s time to deal with irregularity. It’s not all about eating yogurt every day! Even though it happens in every person, seniors are most often affected by irregularity and many seem to focus their attention on their bowel movements more than they realize. While an occasional bout of constipation is probably natural,… Continue Reading
Medicaid: Is It What Your Senior Loved One Needs?
FACT: there are more than 40 million people in the United States who are 65 years old or older. Over one third of these elders have household incomes below 200% of the poverty threshold — $20,916 for individuals and $26,388 for couples. In excess of 5 million of these seniors need long term care assistance… Continue Reading
Seniors Tracking Their Health – There’s an App for That
Medical tracking using the latest technology is growing stronger every day. We believe that your senior loved ones, while beginning to adopt technology, probably haven’t yet gotten familiar with some great technology apps that can help them track and improve their health and wellness. Many of our seniors are using smartphones in a variety of… Continue Reading
Complementary Medicine: Will it Benefit Your Senior Loved One?
Chronic diseases are taking hold of our senior loved ones as they age and have many of us looking for alternate strategies to help them improve their health. If that’s you, know that you’re not alone in the quest. Many people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (also called CAM). Yes, alternative medicine. Before… Continue Reading
Mobile Health: Are We Ready For It? Senior Care Corner Show Discussion
Mobile health is acclaimed by many as what will save the US healthcare system by crushing the cost of providing care – – if anything can, that is. Will we be ready for mobile and it’s impact on the care we receive when it gets here? Even more crucial for us, will our senior loved… Continue Reading
Get Moving: Health Benefits of Exercise at Any Age
Get moving – or have you heard that before? We all know it’s important to exercise and most of us wish we did more of it. There are many reasons to get started, even if it’s just a little. Numerous lifestyle changes have been shown to make a great difference in our health and aging.… Continue Reading
