Home Instead Senior Care Greater Phoenix welcomes Ms. Margaret Anne Coles, Program Manager at The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center (MAPC). Margaret Anne gives us insight into the Parkinson Center, and the programs and education classes they offer to those living with Parkinson’s disease in the Phoenix area. MAPC is a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, and a wonderful resource for people with Parkinson’s and their families.

The staff of MAPC is committed to providing excellence in diagnosis, treatment, research and education for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders. They extend an open invitation to you to participate by attending their support groups, educational classes, research studies, assistance programs, conferences, recreational programs and other services.

How many people living with Parkinson’s disease participate in your classes and programs here in the Phoenix area?

Margaret Anne: Last year we had 4320 attendances at our recreation classes.  About 500 people attended the education programs; 520 for our annual educational symposium (combined number for English and Spanish symposia), about 1100 people attend Support Groups.

Do doctors and hospitals refer clients to you?

Margaret Anne: Certainly physicians refer patients to us but I would say most of the people we see at the Center for the programs are self-referrals.  People do not need a physician referral to attend programs – all they need is a diagnosis of Parinson’s Disease.

In your years of experience working with people living with PD, do you find that exercise can improve their flexibility, strength, posture, and balance?

Margaret Anne: The current research tells us that exercise has a very positive benefit on the quality of life for people with PD.  There is some discussion about whether the effects are neuroprotective having the ability to slow down disease progression.  At the very least we know that exercise has a disease modifying effect.  People feel better, have more energy and with the right exercise regime they can improve flexibility, strength, posture and balance.

Which class is best for someone with early diagnosis?

Margaret Anne: It is important for people early in their diagnosis to keep active.  If they are exercising, as long as they can continue to do the activity safely, we encourage them to continue.  All of the classes we offer are adapted to accommodate the challenges presented by Parkinson’s Disease and there are people at varying levels in every class.  Maybe rather than focusing on which class is the best, because that is a personal choice based on what kind of activities people like to do, we should be focusing on keeping active and socially engaged.  This looks different for different people.

How does a support group help them cope?

Margaret Anne: Support groups allow people to come together and share their experiences about living day to day with Parkinson’s Disease – everybody is in the same boat  and it is an opportunity be yourself without any explanation  needed, discuss challenges and learn how others manage these challenges as well as learn new information about treatment and managing day to day.

Tell me about the Walk-a-thon in February. Is this a large event primarily to raise awareness of the disease?

Margaret Anne: The Walk is certainly to raise awareness but it is also an opportunity for the Parkinson’s Disease community to come together.  There is a Health fair, live music, face painting and it is heart warming to see three generations in a family walking together and enjoying the event.  Proceeds from the event support the community outreach and education activities of the MAPC

How does Parkinson’s disease effect family members? And does your Caregiving class help them care for the patient/client?

Margaret Anne: Parkinson’s Disease does not just affect the person with the disease.  Because it is a chronic progressive disease it has affects on peoples’ families and on their friends.  Often the spouse goes through the same grieving process that the person with PD does as it changes their life as well.   Accommodations are often necessary in ADL (activities of daily living) as well as some role adjustment on everyone’s part As the disease progresses with many people there are physical caregiving issues to contend with as well.

Thank you, Margaret Anne Coles for sharing information with us. We hope to increase awareness on help that is available in Phoenix for those living with illness.

For more information, please go to:

www.maprc.com

Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center
Barrow Neurological Institute
500 W. Thomas Road,
Suite 720
Phoenix, AZ 85013
602-406-4931
info@maprc.com

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Home Instead Senior Care found this study by Dr. Valerie C. Crooks, a researcher at the Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California. The research and study followed 2,200 women ages 78 and older for four years. Dr. Crooks found the women with large social networks reduced their risk of getting dementia by 26 percent. She tells us the key to a healthy mind in old age may be an active social life… a new study suggests.

Crooks adds, “Aging seniors with daily contact or more had a lower risk of dementia.” The daily connections and contact didn’t have to be face to face. E-mail and telephone interaction counted. The study and its findings make sense neurologically, as the more interaction a person has, the more his or her brain is challenged. They also examined whether social networks had a protective association with incidence of dementia among elderly women.

The 2249 members of a health maintenance organization who were 78 years or older, were classified as free of dementia in 2001, and had completed at least 1 follow-up interview in 2002 through 2005 were involved in the research.  Results are in;  268 incident cases of dementia during follow up.

The study concludes and suggest that larger social networks have a protective influence on cognitive function among elderly women. Future studies should explore which aspects of social networks are associated with dementia risk and maintenance of cognitive health.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Regular walking helps elderly in Phoenix remain independent 

Older adults who participate in a walking exercise program can decrease their risk of disability and increase their likelihood of maintaining independence by 41 percent, a University of Georgia study found. Establishing a walking routine with your aging relative is an easy way to help them stay independent longer. 

“In the past decade, researchers have focused on the benefits of strength training in maintaining independence, but until now we didn’t have good evidence using an objective performance measure that a walking program would improve physical functioning,” said study co-author M. Elaine Cress, Professor of Kinesiology and Researcher in the UGA Institute of Gerontology. “Our study found that walking offers tremendous health benefits that can help older adults stay independent.”

Study participants were assigned to either of two groups – a walking group that met three times a week for four months or a nutrition education control group. Researchers measured the aerobic capacity of participants using a treadmill test. While the control group saw a 9 percent decline in aerobic capacity over the four-month period, the walking group’s aerobic capacity increased by 19 percent. Physical function increased by 25 percent in the walking group, compared with a decline of 1 percent in the control group.

“We know that walking is good for you, but too many people still aren’t doing it,” said Trudy Moore-Harrison, lead study author. “This study shows that just walking on a regular basis can make a huge impact on quality of life.The study appears in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

With the conversion to an all-digital TV market just around the corner, the government’s $1.34 billion coupon program for digital converter boxes is out of money. Anybody requesting a $40 coupon to offset the cost of buying a converter box for digital TV will now be placed on a waiting list, USA Today reports.

Meredith Baker, acting head of the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, attributed the cash shortfall, in part, to a late surge in coupon requests.

Baker says consumers can still request a coupon, but it may not show up before Feb. 17 when the conversion takes place. Another option is to buy a box without a coupon. Converter boxes cost $40 to $70 on average. When this switch occurs, more than 70 million TVs that use an antenna to receive over-the-air signals will need a converter box to turn digital signals into analog. Cable and satellite TV customers are not affected.

In December, consumers requested 7.2 million coupons, more than double the level in October. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the House Telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee, is working on a plan that would allow NTIA to start re-issuing coupons that have been sent to consumers but not redeemed. NTIA currently waits for coupons to expire — that takes 90 days — before reissuing them. The average redemption rate is just 52 percent now, so such a change could free up millions of dollars.

CAREGivers may want to make sure their clients are aware of the change and help them obtain a converter box, if needed.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Every year, one in three Americans 65 and older falls. 30 percent of the falls cause injuries requiring medical attention caused by a bump or blow to the head. Traumatic brain injuries may be missed or misdiagnosed among older adults.

Traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Brain injuries accounted for half of these deaths.

“Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but research shows that traumatic brain injuries also can have serious consequences”, said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

While falls are not an inevitable consequence of aging, they do occur more frequently among older adults whose health and aging conditions are associated risk factors. To help prevent these injuries, the CDC developed the “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” initiative for seniors, their caregivers and healthcare providers. It features easy-to-use materials in a concise question-and-answer format to help prevent, recognize and respond to traumatic brain injuries. The materials are available at www.cdc.gov/BrainInjuryInSeniors.

Millions of people in this country provide care for an older adult, a parent, grandparent, other family member, professional caregiver, or a close friend. For most caregivers, the older adult’s health is the overriding concern. One way to help older adults live, better lives and stay independent is by learning about traumatic brain injury, or TBI and how to prevent it.

The Facts:

Falls are the leading cause of TBI.
People 75 years of age and older have the highest rates of TBI-related hospitalizations and death.

We suggest that Phoenix seniors and families follow these tips when questioning whether they or an aging family member should continue to drive. Family members ask us frequently, “When should my dad stop driving?”, or “How do I know if it’s safe for mom to drive?”

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

We know that caregiving may have negative impacts on your wellbeing unless you learn to recognize and address important issues. It’s estimated that half of all Alzheimer’s family caregivers experience depression. Family caregivers also experience personal health issues, complications in the workplace, fatigue, and stress with other family members that result in conflicts and less leisure time.

On the positive side, some family caregivers find that providing care in the home is beneficial because it gives them a new purpose in their lives, strengthens family relationships, or fulfills commitments to their loved one.

Providing around-the-clock care requires a great deal of time and energy mixed with financial cost. These factors can take a significant physical and emotional toll. As a family caregiver, you must learn to nurture your own needs.

Home Instead Senior Care in Phoenix can provide you with some coping strategies for these daunting challenges:

• Look for support – Many family caregivers withdraw from family and friends because they feel no one understands. It is very helpful and in many cases, therapeutic, for you to join a support group where you can learn from others through sharing your experiences.

• Let go of guilt – Let go of “the guilt trip” by realizing a need to temporarily set aside caregiving responsibilities for a respite.

• Nurture the body – Be sure to get enough sleep and eat properly.

• Nurture the mind and spirit – Schedule family sessions and discuss any conflicts that relate to the care of your loved one. Take breaks from caregiving as often as possible by asking other family members to help. Be sure to acknowledge your feeling of loss and grief.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

With less than two weeks remaining to choose a Medicare prescription drug plan for 2009, AARP is urging older Americans to beware of extra charges they may face with some plans. Under a rule implemented this year called “reference-based pricing,” plans in Medicare’s prescription drug program — known as Part D — may add additional penalties when beneficiaries choose brand name drugs over generics. However, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder Web site at Medicare.gov does not include these charges when estimating a person’s total drug costs for the year.

Last week AARP called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to immediately update the Prescription Drug Plan Finder to reflect all of the costs consumers may face for their prescription drugs. AARP is asking for a special enrollment period to allow those in plans with reference-based pricing to make a more informed decision about their prescription drug coverage. The association is also asking CMS to eliminate the use of reference-based pricing in Part D plans.

“The Medicare Plan Finder is an important tool for beneficiaries as they shop for and compare prescription drug plans,” said Cheryl Matheis, AARP senior vice president for health strategy. “Medicare has failed to inform consumers about all the increased costs they may face next year. We all have a right to know what we are paying for our health care.”

AARP is also urging older Americans and their families to review their plan options before Dec. 31 to get the most value from their Part D plan. “Now is the only chance for people in Medicare to choose a new prescription drug plan for next year, and it’s important for everyone to do their homework,” Matheis said. “In this economic crunch, Americans are looking for value in everything they buy — health care should be at the top of that list.”

AARP has resources available at www.aarp.org/medicare to provide more information on choosing Medicare prescription drug coverage, including information on which plans use reference-based pricing.

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living helps elders and seniors in Phoenix live full and active lives in the Phoenix area. Call us today at 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

Phoenix Seniors and Elders may be looking for ways to save money during this recession.  One way is by reducing their lighting bills.  Here are some tips that you can consider: 

• Use linear fluorescent and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps in fixtures throughout your home. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last six to 10 times longer.

• Turn off the lights in any room you’re not using.

• Use task lighting: instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. Three-way lamps make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.

• Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains or shades.

• Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a timer so they will turn off during the day.

Source:  Ideas for Intergenerational Living, Penn State Extension, Vol. 7, No. 4, Fall 2007; http://www.redintergeneracional.es/contenidos/Ideas%20for%20IG%20living.pdf

(Reference: family-info.info., North Carolina Cooperative Extension.)

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Q1 - What is glaucoma?
A1 – Glaucoma is a serious eye disease caused by damage to the optic nerve.

Q2 – Are seniors more susceptible to contracting glaucoma?
A2 – Seniors are typically more prone to contracting eye diseases such as glaucoma.

Q3 – What causes glaucoma?
A3 – Glaucoma occurs when there is damage to the eye due to excessive intraocular pressure (IOP) due to ineffective draining of aqueous fluid in the anterior chamber (the space between the cornea and iris).

Q4 – How is glaucoma detected?
A4 – Seniors should have routine eye tests to detect any problems with their eyes that could lead to serious problems like glaucoma. Home care providers should encourage seniors to have these examinations completed regularly.

Q5 – What happens if glaucoma isn’t treated?
A5 – Unfortunately out of the 2.2 million Americans over 40 who have glaucoma, 120,000 are blind as a result. Eyesight can be seriously compromised of glaucoma is left untreated.

Q6 – Is there a cure for glaucoma?
A6 – Currently there is no cure, and the damaging effects of glaucoma cannot be reversed once they have occurred. The best method is to prevent glaucoma through education and awareness.

 Sources: http://www.ahaf.org/glaucoma/about/
               http://www.stlukeseye.com/conditions/Glaucoma.asp

Greater Phoenix Senior Living & Central Phoenix Senior Living provides home care for elders and seniors . Call us! 623-583-5868, 480-991-3959 or 602-265-8228.

Mending Family Estrangement

Conflicts happen, and are a normal, healthy part of any relationship; but dealing with them constructively is what helps families prevent estrangement when they do occur. Young or old, family members need to make sure they maintain their important family relationships and remain in each other’s lives by using the following tips.

• Apologize – whether or not you feel you were wrong, apologize for the role you played in the conflict

• Be Sympathetic – let your relative provide their perspective, and remain objective and sympathetic to their feelings

• Put Yourself in Their Shoes – discussions will go more cordially if you treat them the way you, yourself would like to be treated. Listen to what they have to say, and be respectful

• Forgive – often people say they forgive each other, only to bring up the conflict again later down the road; once you say you’ve forgiven your loved one, really make the effort to let it go

• Seek Help – if you really can’t get past the problem, consider using a professional mediator to help you work through the problem with your family

• Stay in Touch – even after the conflict has been resolved, make the effort to remain in each other’s lives. Call each other, if not regularly, at least on holidays and special occasions; send photos of yourself with your family; and keep them informed about the important milestones and events taking place in your life