Reminder: Check on your elderly neighbors!

For New Englanders and many others around the nation, it has been an incredibly hot week. Temperatures have been soaring, and today it is expected to reach 100 degrees. This heat poses a serious safety risk for all individuals, and it is especially dangerous for the elderly.

The elderly are more susceptible to heat related illness for several reasons. According to the CDC, their bodies do not adjust as well as younger individuals to heat, and they aren’t able to regulate abrupt changes in temperature. Secondly, the elderly are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses and are more likely to be on prescription medications. Both of these will affect their level of hydration and their ability to cope with soaring temperatures.

Fortunately, there are ways to help your elderly loved ones and neighbors cope with the heat. Here are some suggestions:

Check on them. This is perhaps the most important piece of advice that we can give you. Take some time to visit your elderly loved ones and neighbors. It’s important to go and visit them in person because signs of heat related illness are not always recognizable over the phone.

Check to see if they have air conditioning.

If they don’t, you can bring them to a public area. Schools and libraries are a few places that offer air conditioning. Talk to your elderly loved one or neighbor and establish a designated “cool down” spot.

Talk to them about what medications they are on. Some medications will increase the risk for dehydration. If they are on a lot of medications or have a chronic illness, encourage them to talk to their physician about how heat could affect them. Provide them with your phone number. Make sure they know that they can contact you, especially if they live alone.

Know how to recognize heat related illness and seek help immediately. You can refer to our previous blog post on recognizing heat related illness by clicking here.

 Stay cool this summer!

Low Impact Workout for Seniors: Stretching

Finding appropriate low impact workouts for your elderly loved ones can be a daunting task for a caregiver. It is important that all physical activities have minimal risk of injury. Walking, while relatively safe is not the only possible low impact workout- stretching is a good way to activate muscles, limber joints and increase blood flow safely.

Some important benefits of stretching are decreased risk of injury and the ability to stretch sitting, standing or lying down. Stretching will improve flexibility, increase your range of motion, and increase overall joint health. This is important for seniors because falls and other accidents are possible if stability is compromised. Having optimal joint health coupled with increased flexibility can help to decrease injuries.

Here is a great piece from About.com about stretching for seniors.

Elder Appreciation

Today I typed "Elder Appreciation" into Google, hoping I would find some interesting articles about great things communities are doing for their elders, or a nice story on how a school has dedicated lots of time visiting an assisted living facility.  Instead, I found stories dedicated to various Elder Appreciation Days.  While celebrating elders for a day is fantastic, it raises a pertinent question: How do we treat elders on the other 364 days of the year? 

Speaking with others about this topic, I have encountered several different answers.  The best responses I hear always come from people who speak about their parents, and how taking care of them has been such a joy.  A friend of mine, who has three children, told me that every day it gives her so much joy to speak about her children with her own parents.  When her oldest got accepted into college, the first person she called was her mother, and they were both ecstatic at the news.  For me, stories like this were always among the favorites that I shared with my mother and father.  First steps, first words, and any exciting news were always quickly followed by a phone call.  While taking care of my parents often proved difficult and stressful, the joy of speaking with my parents about almost anything as they got older far outweighed the negatives.  They always gave me great wisdom, and I always enjoyed sharing new and old memories with them.

Fall Prevention

For people over the age of 65, numbers show that the leading cause of unintentional injury is falling.  Falling is a highly preventable injury, and this article in the Boston Globe gives some great tips on fall prevention, including the need for balance and coordination exercises, as well as how to make your or your loved one's home a safer environment.  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/07/04/tips_to_keep_from_falling/

Mary Maxwell Gives a Very Funny Speech on Aging

Mary Maxwell gives a very funny speech about the humor inherent in something all of us will inevitably go through - aging.