These Resources Can Help Seniors From Falling

You’ve seen the commercials so much now that it’s almost cliche – “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” By now, everyone knows how serious a fall can be to a senior. According to the CDC, 36 million falls are reported among seniors each year. One in five falls causes an injury, and over 32,000 seniors die annually as the result of a fall. And as great as services are that assist seniors after they fall, it would obviously be much better if the fall never happened.

Well, there is help. In Ohio, two organizations have a specific goal of preventing falls for seniors. A statewide program, SteadyU, is a program run by the Ohio Department of Aging. They emphasize reducing falls by paying attention to the “Three H’s” – your home, your health and your habits. They offer tips and assistance in avoiding falls. They also offer a Falls Risk Assessment, an anonymous questionnaire designed to determine your risk of having a fall.

In Southwest Ohio, the Falls Prevention Taskforce seeks to “reduce falls and fall-related injuries in older adults though community collaboration, awareness, education and effective interventions.” Over 20 groups and organizations throughout Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana help find ways to keep seniors safe from falls in their homes. They offer screening tools, news, classes – such as Tai Chi and yoga – that help with balance, and much more.

Though both resources are based in Ohio, the information and tools provided can help anyone!

In addition to these state resource, the CDC also publishes a Stay Independent Brochure with helpful tips and a risk assessment.

All of these resources are free, and could help prevent a fall. So be sure to check them out!

Phone Tips for Seniors

With telemarketing and phone scams becoming more and more prevalent every day, phone safety is of the utmost importance for seniors. Additionally, it is important for seniors living alone to keep in contact with friends and relatives in case or a fall or health emergency. Here are some tips for seniors when dealing with unwanted calls, as well as ways to look out for each other.

• Start a buddy system. You and a friend or relative can set a special time when you call each other every day. It’s an easy way to keep track of each other and make sure you’re safe.

• People who live alone, especially women, have the ability list only first and middle initials in the telephone directory to avoid calls from people making harassing calls.

• Use answering machines for your land line to keep potential burglars guessing about who’s home and who’s not. Women living alone may ask a male friend or relative to make the recording using your telephone number only.

Stop telephone scams by keeping these tips in mind:

Never give our any personal information to anyone who calls you. If they do, ask for their phone number and tell them you will call them back. If they hang up you know they are scammers. If they give you a phone number, verify it (either online or look at a former statement from the company that claims to be calling you). Only after verifying the number should you feel safe giving any personal information over the phone.

• Hang up if a telemarketer or someone you don’t know calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

• If you suspect a scam, call your State Attorney General. If you have been the victim of a scam, call the National Fraud Information Center at: 1-800-876-7060.

• Resist high pressure sales. True businesses will respect the word “no.”

• If you tell the seller not to call back and he does, hang up. That’s against the law!

• Be sure to get written information before you commit to anything.

When you’re out:

• Make sure someone knows where you’re going and when you expect to return.

• Carry change for emergency telephone and transportation use.

• Carry a shriek alarm.

• When using a bus or public transportation, sit as near the driver as possible.

Sources: Federal Trade Commission, Bellsouth, Senior Citizens Against Crime

Want to Avoid Probate? This Simple Little Tool Can Be a Big Help

Last Will and testament document on wooden table close up

Most of us, when we die, would like to make sure our assets are distributed in the manner we would like. With that in mind, we draft a will to ensure our wishes are carried out. When you die with a will (or even without one), your estate is referred to Probate Court, which is entrusted to make sure your assets are distributed in the way you intended. Probate Courts do a great job at this, but there can be drawbacks. A will can be contested if someone feels it was written under duress or mental impairment. Courts can also be very particular, so if every penny is not accounted for the distribution of assets may not be approved. It can be a long process, and you will most likely incur attorney’s fees. It is also public record, meaning anyone can view your will and any Probate Court filings.

However, there are methods to avoid probate. The most popular involve setting up a trust (which can be costly and will involve an attorney) or dual ownership of an asset (such as a home or bank account). One often overlook tool, though, is what is referred to as a Transfer on Death (TOD) designation.

A TOD typically works in the same manner as an insurance policy, which has a named beneficiary, except the TOD is used for investment or bank accounts. Say, for instance, that you have $50,000 in an investment account. Normally, when you die, that $50,000 would be called a “Probatable Asset” meaning the $50,000 would be part of the assets that would go into probate. However, with a TOD, there is no need for probate since you already have a designated beneficiary. In this case, your assets will transfer directly to your beneficiary (or beneficiaries) instead of being tied up in Probate Court. Another advantage of a TOD is that you can easily change your beneficiary by simply filling out a new form. With a will, you will need to draft a codicil explaining your wishes, or draft an entirely new will.

While a TOD may not solve all your problems if you wish to avoid probate, this little known tool is useful to keep certain assets out of probate, giving you the ability to ensure your assets are transferred quickly to your beneficiaries.

5 Myths About Exercise and Older Adults

The following comes courtesy of www.helpguide.org

Myth 1: There’s no point to exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.

Fact: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Myth 2: Elderly people shouldn’t exercise. They should save their strength and rest.

Fact: Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy for the elderly. Period. Inactivity often causes seniors to lose the ability to do things on their own and can lead to more hospitalizations, doctor visits, and use of medicines for illnesses.

Myth 3: Exercise puts me at risk of falling down.

Fact: Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling.

Myth 4: It’s too late. I’m already too old, to start exercising

Fact: You’re never too old to exercise! If you’ve never exercised before, or it’s been a while, start with light walking and other gentle activities.

Myth 5: I’m disabled. I can’t exercise sitting down.

Fact: Chair-bound people face special challenges but can lift light weights, stretch, and do chair aerobics to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone, and promote cardiovascular health.

Can a Diabetes Drug be the Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease?

It sounds too good to be true, but researchers at Lancaster University in England may have stumbled upon a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. The findings were published in Brain Research, and were also explained in an article published by the University.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of Dementia, and it affects nearly 44 million people – 5.3 million of whom reside in the U.S. – according to Alzheimer’s Disease International.

Lead researcher Professor Christian Holscher said the treatment “holds clear promise of being developed into a new treatment for chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.”

In exploring drugs that treat other maladies, researchers decided to test the growth factors GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, also referred to as “triple agonist” drugs. The reasoning behind the approach is that growth factor signaling is impaired in the brains of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s, according to a statement from the university.

Researchers applied the drugs to mice that had the same mutated genes that cause Alzheimer’s in humans. Mice that underwent the treatment were tested in a maze. The findings indicated that the drug increased memory and learning function, reduced the amount of Amyloid plaque in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer’s, slowed down the rate of nerve cell loss in the brain, and reduced inflammation.

Although other drugs used to treat diabetes have shown limited success in reducing Amyloid plaque – you may have seen commercials for the drug Victoza – none has shown a difference in cognitive levels. And this new treatment is yet to be tested in humans.

Still, this new “triple receptor” treatment shows promise “as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s but further dose-response tests and direct comparisons with other drugs have to be conducted in order to evaluate if this new drugs is superior to previous ones,” according to Professor Holscher. It is certainly hoped that the promise this treatment has shown in mice will carry over to humans.

Falls Prevention

Hamilton County, Ohio (which is basically Cincinnati) has for years commissioned a task force to study the cause of falls and to help seniors reduce their risk of falls. As I’m sure many of you know, taking appropriate steps to helps seniors prevent falls is an important issue, and one which really deserves more attention.

The Fall Prevention Task Force web site has a vast database of information for seniors and caregivers to help prevent falling. Many are practical tips that everyone can employ. Some things they recommend are:

Use Caution on Slippery or Uneven Surfaces

Don’t Rush! Take your time, especially when getting out of bed or standing up if you have been lying down or sitting for an extended period of time.

See a Physical or Occupational Therapist if you are afraid of falling. These visits are covered by Medicaid and Medicare if you are referred by a physician.

Wear proper clothing and footwear. This includes shorter pants, skirts and bathrobes, supportive rubber soled, low heels. Thick rubber soles increase the risk of falling because it is harder to feel the ground below your feet.

There are many, many more helpful articles and tips. I encourage anyone who is a senior or may be caring for an older adult to visit their website.

Welcome to Our New Site!

It’s been a long time coming! Not you can not only view our guides online, but you can search for specific services in specific locations. We will be continually adding content, whether it’s updated listings from the cities where we print guides, information for new cities, blog entries, essential forms, local news and events, and much more. All of these new features should make for an easier and more user-friendly experience. We hope you are excited about our changes as we are!

Brain deterioration in seniors is the exception, not the rule

You know those “senior moments” people like to claim they have?  Well, according to a study quoted in USA Today, these moments are more rare than thought.  According to research performed at Duke University, most older adults – almost 2/3 – only experience a small amount of cognitive decline.  The study accumulated data for over a century.

To read more on the study, click here.