Elder Care Cafe

Many caregivers fall into their role when a family member or close friend becomes ill or too old to care for themselves. Most of the time no training in how to give care has been provided, and caregivers are learning on-the-job so to speak. One area that may not come to mind for new or untrained [...]

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With the numerous studies currently going on regarding diabetes prevention, it’s no wonder information regarding how to prevent diabetes appears on the landscape as often as it does. A 10-year study followed 3,000 high-risk patients with the aim to prevent rather than control diabetes has just released their findings. This study is one of the longest [...]

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The older we get, the greater importance we must place on wearing the right shoes to help prevent falls. Increasing problems maintaining balance, and health issues such as diabetes, dictate we wear the right shoes to help keep our feet healthy and our walk steady. Shoes make a difference in whether we stay safe and [...]

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Numerous studies have shown the connection between what you eat and how you feel. Eat the right foods and you will feel happy and full of energy. Eat the wrong foods and you will feel down in the dumps, cranky, and struggle trying to get a good night’s sleep.

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Whether you are a caregiver to a loved one in your home twenty-four hours a day or you take care of someone daily or nightly in his or her home, at some point in time you will need to address the stress that comes along with being a caregiver.

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Knee pain has taken on a completely new importance in my life as I have aged. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how important it was to take care of my body when I was younger and much more athletic. For many years I was active in sports such as softball and tennis, I jogged, bowled, and [...]

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As someone who grew up on farms, I have had a love/hate relationship with meat and vegetables. We almost always had as much beef, mutton, pork, and chicken as we wanted. For a number of years, we also had large vegetable gardens – for a long time we had one garden on one side of [...]

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Recent studies show those who use statins such as Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, among others may experience muscle pain after long-term use. Of more concern is the possibility those who experience pain may also end up with muscle damage. When someone does feel muscle pain, a simple blood test can usually tell whether someone is also [...]

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For several years, the Mediterranean style diet has been in the news as a way of eating that promotes better health, longevity, and less risk of chronic disease. Although several studies have shown this diet as advantageous to seniors who might be at risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia, the most recent study published in the [...]

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A growing trend in recent years is to choose natural, or green, funerals and burial sites. Many cemeteries are running out of room, people are growing more aware of the impact on the environment that the typical modern funeral yields, and as funeral and burial costs rise, natural funerals and burials are becoming more attractive [...]

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What in the world is Progressive Resistance Training (PRT) you might ask. Well, for one thing it is what us senior citizens need to consider adding to our exercise regimen. For good physical health, PRT should be performed two or three times a week, and can be done with free weights, exercise machines, or elastic [...]

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Most of us know we should live a healthy lifestyle. After all, we are bombarded with information from a variety of directions such as print media, health-related television shows, radio advertising, in-store promos. We are surrounded by health care information. Even my local Pharmacy provides complementary pamphlets and newsletters encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

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According to a recent Swedish study, many older adults are not meeting their nutritional needs. Nearly 15 percent of adults between 75 and 80 years are at risk for malnutrition based on such factors as their diet, weight, and physical and mental well being. Women were at greater risk than men at 19 percent (women) [...]

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For many years we have heard the health benefit of walking. Benefits include increased lung capacity, weight loss, and muscle strengthening just to name a few. Numerous studies have shown that walking thirty minutes a day three times a week at a minimum not only helps build physical strength, but builds self-esteem and the feeling [...]

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The American Heart Association (AHA) has declared April 8 as National Start! Walking Day. They encourage everyone to grab their sneakers and walk 30 minutes today and every day. In fact, the AHA has started a Start! Walking movement from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. Their website has numerous aids and ideas to help [...]

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