Free and Unbiased Information Blog Focused on Helping The Aging

A clouding of the lens that can sometime occur as far back as birth, cataracts block or change the passage of light into the eye. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in the United States, and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. What’s more, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI), more than half of all Americans over age 80 are either living with this condition or have had surgery to remove cataracts. In the preponderance of age-related eye diseases that include glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration, cataracts are high on the list. If you are not currently dealing with cataracts, or even if you are, the following steps can be taken toward a preemptive approach, or to stem the tide of cataracts’ progression. But first, what are the risk factors? Risk Factors for Developing Cataracts as You Age In addition to normal aging, risk factors to develop cataracts may include: Inten...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72 million Americans will be 65 years of age by 2030. That number is expected to reach 83.7 million by 2050 . Within this group, the fastest growing demographic will be 85-year-olds, projected to reach 8.9 million by 2030 alone. While advances in medical science are clearly helping people live well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, longevity brings its own set of challenges that may result in a loss of independence. Among them are chronic disease, cognitive impairment, falls leading to broken bones , poor nutrition, and more. So in what ways do professional caregivers, home health aides and certified nursing assistants help ensure seniors maintain a lifestyle that allows them to stay independent, remaining in their own home for as long as possible? With June 16-22 designated as CNA Week for 2022, the following strategies can maintain and/or improve quality of life, keeping independence well within reach: Focusing on Se...

As more and more family members are coming to know, caring for an aging loved one with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia is challenging—and becomes more so as the disease progresses through various stages. When a senior loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the task can seem nearly impossible for even the best of caregivers. It’s difficult to know the person you are very close to may lose the ability to remember your name or worse recognize you. Susan Benedetto, the wife of 95-year-old music legend Tony Bennett, last year revealed that he has been living with Alzheimer’s since his 2017 diagnosis yet he doesn’t know that he has it. Ms. Benedetto shared that he still remembers her, his children and song lyrics, but last August he gave his final public performance in a concert at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga. This year, Ms. Benedetto and Mr. Bennett have stepped into the role of Alzheimer’s research advocates by participating in this month’s Go Purple and The Lo...

People are living longer today than ever before. Rapid improvements in healthcare technology have given many the opportunity to live well beyond a century while maintaining the ability to do things they never thought possible with their aging bodies. As exciting as this may sound, living a longer life comes with new challenges, including the threat of cognitive decline. For some, just saying the words “cognitive decline” is enough to create anxiety. No one wants to grow older with the constant fear that they are going to lose their mind. Some experts believe that contrary to popular thinking, however, a decline in brain health is not inevitable . Bur first, let’s dissect the brain’s function and define brain health. The brain is considered the most important and complex organ in the human body. It is responsible for all things that make us human, including coordinating actions and reactions, providing for thoughts and feelings, enabling us to have memories, vision, brea...

Lack of awareness and choosing to remain in denial are the main reasons why mental health issues in youth are allowed to linger without any intervention. The social stigma attached to mental health issues and the lingering hope that things will sort themselves out as the child grows up leads to an aggravation of issues to a point of no return. According to WHO reports one in every seven adolescents suffers from mental health issues . Unfortunately, 75 percent of young people who have mental health problems do not receive the necessary treatment. Focus on mental health is as important as the attention given to food and physical health in children. It is essential that the emotional well-being of adolescents is handled with care by parents. You might need a combination of patience and love to handle their concerns with care and help them grow up to be well-balanced adults who can deal with the curve balls life is ready to throw at them. What can help adolescents stay mentally healthy...

While May is officially designated as National Walking Month, taking a walk on any given day in any week and month of the year is the key to maintaining good health as we age. In fact, the more we walk, the better our chances are of improved mobility, adequate cardiovascular exercise, and reaching and staying at a healthy weight. What’s more, walking’s many benefits also include lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. A walking workout helps promote balance and coordination, strengthens bones, and can prevent osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Some sources posit that regular walking may even halve the number of people over age 45 who suffer a hip fracture . If you use a cane or walker, building up to as many minutes a day of walking as possible may take a little more time. However, health professionals believe it’s an achievable goal with results that are known to improve quality of life and even extend one’s lifetime. Social Benefits Go Hand-in-Hand with Walking Bene...

Psychiatric illnesses are believed to be caused by a variety of factors. The biopsychosocial model of illness focuses on three main factors- biological, psychological and social. It emphasizes that psychiatric illness is a result of the interplay among these factors. Let us understand how social factors contribute towards mental illness. Man is a social animal and cannot exist in isolation. Consequently, mental health and mental illness are also influenced by external factors like the social environment, attitudes and beliefs of people around. Expressed Emotion (EE) is a concept that emerged in the 1960s and has changed the way the role of family factors is viewed in mental illness. The term expressed emotion refers to the feelings that relatives display about a psychiatric client. In a series of studies conducted around the 1960s in London, researchers found that patients were more likely to experience a relapse of symptoms of schizophrenia if they returned to live with parents o...