Senior Health
Midnight Sun Home Care’s collection of articles about Senior Health.
Is It Just a Case of Senior Blues? Or Could It Be an Elderly Mental Health Concern?
For many, there’s a stigma linked with admitting to and pursuing help for mental and emotional concerns.
They’re common concerns in older years: fatigue, sleeping problems, lack of appetite. And often, they’re written off as just that. Yet for nearly 8 million elders over age 65, these signs and symptoms are indicative of something significantly more than normal aging – they’re signs and symptoms of elderly mental health problems. And only a small number are obtaining the available treatment that could substantially boost their overall quality of life. Continue reading
Solo Agers: Do You Have a Designated Senior Planner?
Baby boomers without children, or solo agers, have to consider different options for their later years than those with children.
If you are a baby boomer without children, the new term “solo ager” applies to you. This strong and self-reliant group faces some distinct concerns in aging, chiefly who to designate as guardian and decision-maker in the event that they become unable to do so themselves. Inside her book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers, author Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D. defines several senior planner options to consider: Continue reading
Know the Risks Before Trying Alternative Supplements for Alzheimer’s Disease
Always get the doctor’s approval before trying anything new.
As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That could very well pertain to the recent influx of corporations touting alternative supplements, dietary programs, and herbal concoctions in order to cure, or at the very least minimize, the ramifications of Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Association would like to advise us, however, to go forward with caution when looking into treatment ideas for a loved one with dementia – and always get the doctor’s approval before trying anything new. Continue reading
Can Surgeries Lead to Cognitive Impairment in Seniors?
POCD takes place in more than 25% of seniors in the days and even weeks just after non-cardiac surgery.
Undergoing surgery for seniors always involves some inherent risks, but there is a little-known effect impacting a significant number of seniors following surgery that we all must be aware of: POCD (postoperative cognitive dysfunction). POCD takes place in more than 25% of seniors in the days and even weeks just after non-cardiac surgery, and may present with a variety of symptoms, several of which can be almost indiscernible: forgetfulness, loss in concentration and focus, along with other kinds of cognitive impairment that affect quality of life. Continue reading
Making sure your important papers are in order
Get Your Important Papers in Order
What happens after you die, and end of life care conversations are never fun to have, but they’re very important. It doesn’t matter how old you are – there are certain documents you need to have in place. Without these documents, your family may not carry out your wishes… Continue reading
How to Spot Senior Abuse and What to Do
Over 28 million Americans become victims of fraud annually, and 30 percent are seniors. Criminals target seniors for many reasons including they may be more trusting, have savings and weren’t raised in an era of cyber scams. According to the National Adult Protective Services Association, “financial exploitation is a fast-growing form of abuse of seniors… Continue reading
Sleep awareness week – the health benefits, how to do it
Your Day Begins With Sleep
A cup of coffee, a hot shower or a morning workout – most people have something that helps jumpstart the day. However, your day really begins with sleep. That’s the focus of the National Sleep Foundation’s 2018 Sleep Awareness Week.
Sleep is one of the most important things you can… Continue reading
Be Heart Healthy This Month
February is the month of love. In addition to showing some love for the people in your life, consider showing your heart some love this month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the U.S. The American Heart Association suggests these four tips for improving your heart health:
Eat… Continue reading
Earthquake Safety for Seniors | Anchorage, Alaska
On January 23, 2018, thousands of Alaskans were shaking in their beds when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of Alaska. The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings, sending people to higher ground and shelters. Luckily, there were no reports of damage from the earthquake and the tsunami warning was cancelled without incident. However, cases… Continue reading
Improving Senior Financial Literacy
In 2004, the American Society on Aging sponsored a study to evaluate the financial knowledge of Americans age 50 and older, which included a survey of three simple yes/no questions that assessed the knowledge of the respondents on concepts such as inflation, risk diversification and interest rates.* A
t that time only one third of… Continue reading
Glaucoma Awareness Month
January marks Glaucoma Awareness Month, a sight-stealing disease affecting more than 3 million people. Glaucoma damages the eye’s optic nerve and for the millions of people sufferi
ng from glaucoma, its effects often sneak up on them. As much as 40 percent of a person’s vision can be lost without
a person noticing, giving the… Continue reading
Have a Flu-Free Holiday Season, Anchorage, Alaska
By now the flu season is well underway and hopefully you are lucky enough to have avoided it, so far. The flu season traditionally begins to pick up in October and peaks between December and March. However, this year the flu season started early in Alaska and it’s been a rough one for many Alaskans… Continue reading
Honoring our Veterans with Care
Every November we celebrate Veterans Day a day meant to honor the men and women who have served in our military. With our neighbors Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, there are many active military professionals and veterans living in our community. These men and women signed up to serve and we believe the least we can do… Continue reading
November is National Diabetes Month
One in 11 Americans suffer from diabetes. November marks National Diabetes Month an event aimed at spreading awareness about the risks, symptoms, complications, prevention and management of diabetes.
The 2017 National Diabetes Month theme is “You Are the Center of Your Diabetes Care Team.” You can check out the theme video here. The goal is… Continue reading
Don’t Get Caught in the Cold – Winterize with Midnight Sun Home Care
Winter is rough on seniors. Let the staff at Midnight Sun Home Care (MSHC) help get your home winter-ready.
Seal Gaps: Installing weather strips around doors and caulking cracks will keep the cold air out and reduce heating bills.
Program the Thermostat: By using a programmable thermostat you can save big bucks. We’ll help… Continue reading