Local Elders’ Elves Help Seniors Through Holiday Havoc  

Caregivers can help make that list and check it twice!

 

(December  - From hanging the mistletoe to searching for gift ideas on the internet, Elders’ Elves from SYNERGY HomeCare will be hard at work helping local seniors tackle their holiday to-do lists. 

These Elders’ Elves aren’t from the North Pole. They’re from the local SYNERGY HomeCare agency and they make the lives of local seniors merry and bright during the holidays. If a senior’s family can’t step in, Elders’ Elves are ready to step up.

“The holidays can be a challenging time for seniors, and many seniors can feel stressed and unhappy because they can’t get around like they used to,” says Rick Basch, President of SYNERGY HomeCare. “Their families may not live close enough to help them decorate the house or shop for gifts. Our caregivers pick up the slack for our aging friends who can’t do it on their own anymore.”

SYNERGY HomeCare is a national in-home care provider with caregivers (elves) in your area and from coast-to-coast. The company cares for seniors in their own homes year-round but recognizes the need for extra help around the holidays. SYNERGY HomeCare Elders’ Elves will help seniors shop for gifts, wrap presents, write cards and even trim the trees.

Elders’ Elves help seniors tackle many jolly jobs such as:

• Shopping for gifts in stores and online
• Wrapping gifts
• Decorating the home
• Cooking holiday meals
• Writing and sending holiday cards
• And much more!

SYNERGY HomeCare Elders’ Elves can also help seniors become more cyber savvy by helping them shop for gifts online or connect with family through Skype, Facebook and other social media platforms. 54 percent of people over age 65 used the Internet last year to communicate with loved ones – a digital milestone according to the Pew Research Center – and it’s expected to increase. 

"With more and more services being offered online, it is important that seniors feel plugged in and connected. Our qualified caregivers can help them feel more comfortable and safe when shopping on the Internet,” adds Basch. “Whether it’s help around the house for the holidays or help year-round, SYNERGY HomeCare is always ready to provide solutions for seniors in need.”

This is a great holiday story that affects a huge portion of the population.  We can help set up interviews with seniors, senior care experts and SYNERGY HomeCare Elders’ Elves as they decorate for the holidays. 

 

Local In-Home Care Company Keeps Seniors “Grounded” This Fall
Senior Helpers Raises Fall Prevention Awareness

(October 2011) – The first day of fall traditionally marks Fall Prevention Awareness.  One out of three adults age 65 and older falls each year, but less than half of those seniors talk with their healthcare providers about it.  Falls have become a nationwide health problem - a problem that is largely preventable. That’s why Senior Helpers, one of the leading in-home care providers for seniors in the nation, has highly trained caregivers who can help spot danger zones in and around seniors’ homes and can help seniors move around their environment more carefully.

“Up to 30 percent of those who fall suffer injuries such as hip fractures or head traumas,” says Peter Ross, CEO and co-founder of Senior Helpers.  “Those types of injuries not only make it hard for seniors to live independently, but those injuries can sometimes be fatal.  Our caregivers are there to provide families with the comfort that someone is watching over their senior loved one and helping make sure they’re living in a safe environment.”

Fall Prevention with Senior Helpers’ Caregivers:

• Exercise Regularly – caregivers help choose activities that increase leg strength and improve balance in seniors, such as Tai Chi.
• Eye Check-ups – caregivers make sure senior loved ones have their eyes checked by a doctor at least once a year and have their eyeglasses updated as needed.  A good tip: consider getting a pair with single vision distance lenses for activities such as walking outside.
• Safety Proof the Home – caregivers reduce tripping hazards in the home, make sure grab bars are installed in the tub/shower and next to the toilet, ensure stair railings are installed, and improve lighting throughout the home.
• Review Medications – caregivers have a doctor or pharmacist review medications/prescriptions to let them know what may cause side effects, such as dizziness or drowsiness.

“When seniors fall, they usually develop a fear of falling, even if they’re not injured,” says Ross.  “That fear can easily turn into a senior choosing to limit their physical activity which in turn increases their risk of falling again.  That’s where our caregivers come in; they help to prevent falls and help seniors cope with fall-related fears they may already have.”  

Did You Know?

• In 2008, 82% of fall deaths were among people 65 and older.
• In 2008, more than 19,700 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.
• Fall-related fractures occur more than twice the rate for older women than for older men.
• More than 90% of hip fractures are caused by falls.  And white women have significantly higher hip fracture rates than black women.
• Direct medical costs of falls equaled $28.2 billion last year alone.

This story affects all seniors and their families in your area.  Help us spread the word about Fall Prevention Awareness and our tips to keep seniors safe.  We are happy to set-up local interviews and provide photos/video to move this story forward for your readers/viewers.

Sources:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 300 franchises in 39 states and one in Canada offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care.  For more information, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

 

NIH Launches Unique Effort to Advance Study of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Disorders The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces awards to eight academic research centers to conduct collaborative studies of urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders by looking for clues outside the bladder and prostate. The total research investment for the five-year project is estimated to be up to $37.5 million. "The launch of this novel research effort is an excellent example of NIH’s commitment to encouraging translational research," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. "It also illustrates NIH’s leadership in furthering innovative approaches to discovering effective new therapies to help our patients." The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network includes six Discovery Sites that will conduct the studies and two Core Sites that will coordinate data collection, analyze tissue samples, and provide technical support. The Discovery Sites are at: Northwestern University, Chicago; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Iowa, Iowa City; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the University of Washington, Seattle; and Washington University, St. Louis. Core Sites are at the University of Colorado, Denver and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The MAPP initiative is unusual in requiring investigators to conduct highly collaborative research of the most common urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes from a broadened systemic perspective. This is a major shift from earlier organ-specific research on the two most prominent urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders, interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. "The MAPP Network’s expanded scientific approach will address many persistent questions about urologic chronic pelvic pain," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. "Knowing whether there are risk factors common to all the disorders and whether clinical profiles can be identified for each will provide invaluable, fundamental information for developing treatment strategies." The innovative shift in research focus represented by the MAPP initiative is supported by recent epidemiological studies showing that interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome are frequently associated with other chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia (chronic pain of unknown origin), chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. These latest findings suggest the possibility of common underlying disease processes in these chronic disorders. "The bladder was assumed to be the origin of the interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome symptoms and the prostate was assumed to be the source of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms," explained Leroy M. Nyberg Jr., M.D., Ph.D., the NIDDK urologist heading the program. "However, in spite of intense study funded by NIDDK, no organ-specific cause has been identified for either disorder." The MAPP research effort is expected to lead to critical new insights into the underlying causes of urologic chronic pelvic pain. Widening the scope of research will be bolstered by the perspectives of project leaders not normally involved in urologic pelvic pain studies, but who have expertise in relevant scientific disciplines. This will expand the context in which research into interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome occurs and will encourage a more comprehensive approach to understanding chronic pelvic pain. Scientists at Discovery Sites will conduct individual and collaborative multi-site research projects, supported by each Core Site. An important first step in these studies will be the careful and extensive phenotyping (clinical characterization) of the men and women participating in the studies. The Data Coordination Core (University of Pennsylvania) will provide overall administration and coordination of multi-site research studies and perform data analyses. The Tissue Analysis and Technology Core (University of Colorado) will bank, analyze, and distribute biopsy, serum and urine samples. Tissue analyses will help in the search for biomarkers, important in screening for diseases and for monitoring treatment outcomes. The Colorado Core Site also will perform genomic and proteomic tissue expression analyses which may lead to new treatment approaches and help predict which patients may respond to these treatments. In addition to initial collaborative projects by the Network, MAPP investigators will be invited to propose ancillary research projects to further the goals of the collaborative study group. Proposals will be reviewed for scientific merit and feasibility by an external Scientific Advisory Committee. For more information on the MAPP Research Network, visit http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Research/ScientificAreas/Urology/MAPP. NIDDK conducts and supports research in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe, and disabling conditions affecting Americans. For more information about NIDDK and its programs, see www.niddk.nih.gov. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

According to the study report below eat the following fruits and vegetables for good health: Broccoli, spinach, yellow onion, red pepper, carrot, cabbage, potato, lettuce, celery, and cucumber.

Mom always told us to eat our vegetables and she is always right!

National Institute of Health website www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Department of Food Science and Institute of Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.

Epidemiological studies have shown that consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables containing high levels of phytochemicals has been recommended to prevent chronic diseases related to oxidative stress in the human body. In this study, 10 common vegetables were selected on the basis of consumption per capita data in the United States. A more complete profile of phenolic distributions, including both free and bound phenolics in these vegetables, is reported here using new and modified methods. Broccoli possessed the highest total phenolic content, followed by spinach, yellow onion, red pepper, carrot, cabbage, potato, lettuce, celery, and cucumber. Red pepper had the highest total antioxidant activity, followed by broccoli, carrot, spinach, cabbage, yellow onion, celery, potato, lettuce, and cucumber. The phenolics antioxidant index (PAI) was proposed to evaluate the quality/quantity of phenolic contents in these vegetables and was calculated from the corrected total antioxidant activities by eliminating vitamin C contributions. Antiproliferative activities were also studied in vitro using HepG(2) human liver cancer cells. Spinach showed the highest inhibitory effect, followed by cabbage, red pepper, onion, and broccoli. On the basis of these results, the bioactivity index (BI) for dietary cancer prevention is proposed to provide a simple reference for consumers to choose vegetables in accordance with their beneficial activities. The BI could be a new alternative biomarker for future epidemiological studies in dietary cancer prevention and health promotion.