Columbia Aged Care

Parkinson’s disease is an illness that usually affects people between 50 and 75 years old. However, there have been many cases were people have developed the disease earlier in life.

Parkinson’s disease is caused when certain nerve cells in the brain become impaired or die.

These cells normally produce a vital chemical called dopamine, which helps coordinated the body’s muscles and movement. When these cells are damaged they stop producing the vital chemical and your muscles lose their ability to function effectively.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease develop gradually over many years and the rate of this deterioration can vary between each person.

Parkinson’s Australia has listed the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that you should look out for.

• Shaking and trembling: The first sign of Parkinson’s disease usually occurs when your hand begins to shake continuously. This shaking can then spread to one of your legs and then to the other side of your body. You can notice the shaking when you are sitting still or resting and it can be harder to detect while you’re moving.
• Stiffness of your muscles: Your muscles may start to feel tight and you will find it difficult to relax your muscles, even when you’re resting. Your muscles may no longer move the way you want them to.
• Your movement slows down: You may begin to lose the ability to make spontaneous movements. Your muscles may even freeze up at times and stop you from moving. Your coordination between your hands and your eyes may also become impaired.
• Speech is impaired: In the later stages of Parkinson’s disease, your speech will be affected. Sometimes your speech will slow down or you will lose the ability to move your mouth correctly.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be treated with medication to help stimulate the movement of your muscles. However, sadly there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease at this stage.

Treatment for Parkinson’s disease will be different for every individual and you should consult with your doctor for the best approach.

Read the full article here.

A stroke is a serious medical issue that can affect your brain and disrupt the normal functioning of your body.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to your brain is suddenly disrupted. Blood is carried to your brain by blood vessels called arteries. When these arteries are blocked blood is unable to reach your brain.

When the blood flow to your brain stops your brain does not get enough oxygen, which can cause serious damage to your brain cells. If you do not receive medical assistance quickly then parts of your brain will be damaged beyond repair.

The effects of a stroke can vary depending on your body and the size of the stroke. Small strokes may result in minor effects. Larger strokes can cause a coma, paralysis to the body or sometimes even death.

If a stroke occurs it is important to know the warning signs and to seek medical assistance urgently.

The Stroke Foundation has some great advice about the signs and prevention strategies for a stroke. They recommend the F.A.S.T detection method to help you determine if someone is experiencing a stroke.

Here is the F.A.S.T warning signs of a stroke:

1. Face: Check a person’s face to see if part of it has dropped down. For example, the side of their mouth may have drooped.
2. Arms: Check if they have mobility in both their arms.
3. Speech: Check if their speech is slurred. Determine if they can still understand you.
4. Time: If any of these signs occur call 000 immediately. Calling for medical assistance quickly can mean the difference between experiencing a good recovery or a severe disability.

Your chance of getting a stroke is increased if you suffer from an irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure. A stroke can be prevented if these risk factors are managed correctly by consulting with your doctor to receive the right treatment

You can start taking simple steps to reduce your risk of stroke, such as:

• Quit smoking
• Reduce your alcohol consumption
• Eat healthy meals
• Being physically active

By taking these active steps to prevent your risk of a stroke, and by knowing the warning signs, you can greatly reduce the severity and long term damage of a stroke.

For more information and to view the F.A.S.T warning signs visit the Stroke Foundation website.

Diabetes is a chronic condition where your body is unable to produce or respond to insulin resulting in high blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that allows the sugar in your blood to enter the cells of your body to be used for energy.

Without this hormone your body does not receive enough sugar which can result in hypoglycaemic shock, however, too much of this hormone means your body absorbs too much sugar which can produce the same reaction.

There are two types of diabetes; type one diabetes is usually diagnosed during childhood while type two diabetes is diagnosed in adults. If you are over the age of 45 then you could be at risk of developing type two diabetes. 

MyDr has provided some helpful tips on the risk factors and symptoms of diabetes.

Diabetes can occur if you are:

• Over 45 years old and have high blood pressure
• Over 45 years old and are overweight
• Over 45 and have one or more family members with diabetes
• Over 55 years old
• Have heart disease
• Have had a heart attack in the past
• Have had high blood sugar levels during pregnancy

Some symptoms of type two diabetes:

• Excessive urination
• Feeling thirsty all the time
• Tired and lethargic

These symptoms are difficult to detect in elderly people because they are often misinterpreted as normal signs of aging. This means that many elderly people remain undiagnosed which can lead to serious health problems such as kidney damage, eye damage and increased risk of a stroke or heart attack.

However, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes you can manage your condition effectively by consulting with your doctor. You can also help manage your condition by not smoking, losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.

Read the full article here.

Contrary to popular belief asthma is not just a childhood disease. It has been known to develop for the first time later in life. It is believed that 30% of seniors have undiagnosed asthma as many elderly people tend to ignore the signs of breathing problems.

The Asthma Foundation has provided some tips about how to know if you have asthma and what to do if you are diagnosed.

How to know if you have asthma

Breathlessness, feeling like your chest is very tight, a dry continual cough and wheezing are the main symptoms of asthma. If you are experiencing any of these on a regular basis visit your doctor to be tested and diagnosed properly.

In Australia, 10% of adults are living with asthma. Some were diagnosed as children and others develop it later in life. Unfortunately, the older a person is, the higher the risk of asthma becoming fatal. It’s best to practice good asthma control.

Tips for seniors with asthma

• Make sure you are using your inhaler correctly – ask your doctor to show you how.
• Ask about your other medications as some, such as heart medication, may interfere with the way asthma medications or your lungs work.
• Be sure to get regular exercise.
• Visit your doctor regularly to maintain good asthma management.
• Have an Asthma Action Plan.
• Get you and your family to learn asthma first aid so if you need help they will be able to assist you. You will feel more comfortable knowing what to do as well.  

For more tips, click here.

Encouraging your loved one to talk to their doctor about their health is extremely important. Many people, especially seniors, may find it difficult to communicate with their doctor. But by asking questions, bringing up problems even if the doctor doesn't ask and letting the doctor know when a treatment isn't working, your loved one is taking an active role in their own health. 

HealthierYou.com shares some good communication topics you should encourage your loved one to talk about.

Sharing Symptoms:
It is important to be very clear and concise when explaining and describing symptoms. Although medical tests can determine what is wrong, it is your loved one’s symptoms that point the doctor in the right direction. Be sure to stress to your loved one that being concerned about symptoms is not a sign of weakness and it is definitely not complaining.

Learning more about medical tests:
If it has been decided that your loved one will need a medical test be sure they ask questions. Before the test encourage them to ask the doctor to explain why it is important, what it will cost, what the procedure is, how long the test will take and how long it will be before results are received.

When the results are ready, get your loved one to ask the doctor to explain what they are and what they mean. Also encourage them to ask for a copy and if the results are from a specialist, your loved one should ask them to send the results to their primary doctor.

Making the most of medications:
Sometimes medications can affect older people differently to younger people. Encourage your loved one to notify their doctor if their medication is not working for them and communicate exactly what the side effects are. Make sure your loved one doesn’t stop taking their medication without consulting their doctor first.

Read the full article here.

Admitting your loved one requires more help than you can provide them with is difficult to do. eHow's Jennifer S. Wright's article 'Reasons for putting elderly parents in nursing home' explores five reasons that lead to putting your loved one in a nursing home.

There are a number of things you can do to make your loved one feel more at home at the nursing home. An article on eHow talks about one thing you can do and offers tips on 'How to Decorate the Nursing Home Room of a Loved One'. 

Just because your loved one has to live in a nursing home doesn't mean they cannot have some of the comforts of home. Adding personal touches around the room will remind your loved one of home.

Step one: Bring in family photos. Collage frames, which hold multiple photos are a perfect way to display family photos. Grandchildren, children, photos from when your loved one was young and raising a family are all great reminders of the love that surrounds them.

Step two: Display favorite collectibles. Shelves and curios work great to display family treasures. Shelves can also house wedding photos still in the original photo frame.

To read full article CLICK HERE 

 

It is important to take care of our feet. There are many pressure points in the foot that some say can affect our whole well being. 

Does your loved one have dry and painful cracked heels? There are a number of remedies about at the moment to help soothe dry heels. Treating your loved ones heels could improve their comfort and quality of life.

 The Aged Carer website's 'How to treat dry cracked heels' offers a number of tips to assist in preventing and treating dry, cracked heels.

Treating dry cracked heels

Fortunately there's lots you can to prevent dry cracked heels. People who suffer from diabetes, peripheal vascular disease or the frail aged should have their feet checked regularly by a podiatrist.
 

Foot care tips for dry cracked heels:

• Wash and dry the feet thoroughly every day, paying close attention to between the toes.
   
• Keep skin soft and supple by using a specialised heel balm. Normal moisturisers generally do not penetrate thick dry skin.
   
• See a podiatrist for treatment of calluses, corns and deep cracks.

• Wear protective shoes that cover the feet and prevent skin damage.

• Keep an eye out for small ulcers and cuts that could lead to infection.
   
• See your doctor if the skin on the feet or heels appear red, is hot to touch, swollen or painful. 

 To read full article CLICK HERE

 

The Australian Brain Foundation says that 40 000 Australians have strokes annually. Of this number 28 000 survive, of these 14 000 make a complete recovery, and 14 000 are left with some form of disability. A stroke is terrifying for both victims and their families.

The Australian Brain Foundation has written an article about what a stroke is, what the symptoms are, what the effects are and what can be done in some instances to prevent it.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks and interrupts blood flow and bleeding occurs into an area of the brain.

Every stroke is different. The symptoms and effects vary according to the type of stroke, the part of the brain affected and the size of the damaged area. For some people the effects are severe, for some mild.  Usually the symptoms come on suddenly but they may come on during sleep. 

Risk Factors:

- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Old age
- High alcohol consumption
- Overweight
- High cholesterol
- Family history of strokes

Symptoms of a stroke include:

- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, often one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness loss of balance or co-ordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
- Nausea and vomiting
- Epileptic seizures
- Drowsiness or unconsciousness

Effects of a stroke:

- Weakness or lack of movement (paralysis) in legs and/or arms
- Shoulder pain
- Trouble swallowing
- Changes to way things are seen or felt (perceptual problems)
- Changes to the way things are felt when touched (sensory problems)
- Problems thinking or remembering (cognitive problems)
- Trouble speaking, reading or writing
- Incontinence
- Feeling depressed
- Problems controlling feelings
- Tiredness

Treatment of a stroke:

- Regular medical supervision
- Medication
- Changes to lifestyle

How to avoid a second stroke:

- Regular checks by your doctor
- Don't smoke
- Reduce stress levels
- Limit your alcohol intake
- Manage your weight
- Exercise regulalry
- Eat a balanced diet, avoid food high in salt and fat
- Enjoy work play
- Follow medical advice faithfully

To read the full indepth article (which includes a stroke risk assessment chart) CLICK HERE