April 1, 2019 —
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a time to encourage patients to express their wishes regarding health care, and to encourage families and doctors to know and respect those wishes. Have you created health care directives? If you haven’t, or you aren’t sure your documents are up to date, here some questions you might... Read More
March 26, 2019 —
After a long, cold winter, spring is finally here! Who doesn’t enjoy getting outdoors and enjoying the beautiful flowering trees and shrubs that signal the season? However, those flowers aren’t really growing for our aesthetic pleasure. Their job is to attract bees and other creatures to their pollen — and though the lovely blooms please... Read More
March 19, 2019 —
March is National Kidney Month. During February, we celebrated National Heart Month, and this month we’re focusing on kidney health. It’s appropriate that these two recognition events are close together, because kidney health and heart health are closely related! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that damaged kidneys can put extra stress... Read More
March 11, 2019 —
March 10-16, 2019 Is National Sleep Awareness Week It’s harder to get a good night’s sleep as we grow older. We might find ourselves in bed for hours, unable to drift off. Or, we might fall asleep right away, only to experience a period wakefulness in the middle of the night. Maybe we wake up... Read More
March 4, 2019 —
March is National Nutrition Month—a great time to think about improving our dietary habits. Here’s a great way to start. For years, cardiovascular experts have endorsed the now well-known Mediterranean diet. Speaking for the Society for Vascular Surgery, Dr. C. Keith Ozaki notes, “There are components of the Mediterranean diet that are good for the... Read More
February 18, 2019 —
Most of us know that exercise is a top factor in keeping us healthy as we grow older. Yet many well-intentioned, health-conscious older adults are unaware that even if they work out regularly, their health can still be harmed if they spend the rest of the day sitting around, whether it’s surfing the web while... Read More
February 11, 2019 —
In the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a senior and their family may be in denial, chalking up memory lapses and personality changes to “just getting older.” A recent study from Johns Hopkins Medicine revealed that over half of people with dementia have never been diagnosed, or told about their diagnosis! But we shouldn’t bury... Read More
February 4, 2019 —
By now, most people are aware that air pollution is very bad for our health. The carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and ozone from motor vehicles, power plants and factories all damage our hearts, lungs and brains. Yet we might be unaware of another danger lurking in the air around us: noise pollution.... Read More
January 28, 2019 —
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking. A month into 2019, a certain percentage of smokers who resolved to become former smokers are still sticking with it. But some report that during January, they seem to have gained a few pounds. This is a common but frustrating turn of events... Read More
January 21, 2019 —
Today it seems like we are all a little more “tuned in” to crime in our neighborhoods. Our local Facebook group, Nextdoor other local blogs alert neighbors to every car prowl, break-in and porch package theft that happens. Older adults can be the most vulnerable to these crimes, and are often also the most fearful.... Read More
