Tag Archives: Home Health Care Palo Alto

Seniors and Sleep: Tips For Getting a Good Night’s Rest

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You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” While the wealthy part is still up for debate, numerous studies have confirmed that getting a good night’s rest is essential for older adults who want to stay healthy and wise. Lack of sleep has been linked to a number of health problems including obesity and diabetes, while quality sleep has been shown to enhance cognitive function. That’s why at Palo Alto Home Care Assistance, we’re dedicated to making sure our clients are not among the millions of seniors who say they don’t get enough sleep.

So, what should seniors who are struggling with insomnia do? The Palo Alto Medical Foundation has a number of helpful recommendations. First, set a sleep schedule, where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Next, don’t eat or drink (especially drinks with caffeine) too close to bedtime. Help yourself relax and get in the sleeping mood by engaging in some transitional activities, such as reading or meditating. Do these for about 30-60 minutes before you’re ready for bed. Once you do go to bed, make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Finally, resist the urge to look at the clock. Knowing how late it is will only increase anxiety and make it harder to get that much needed rest.

Still having trouble getting to sleep? Well, you’re in luck. Right here in Palo Alto, we have one of the world’s foremost sleep centers, The Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. You can schedule an appointment and speak with one of their sleep physicians. You can even arrange to participate in an overnight sleep study, where doctors will watch how you do (or don’t) sleep in order to develop an effective treatment plan. They can help with insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and more.

And of course, we’re here to help too! For more information about Palo Alto home care and how our professional Palo Alto caregivers can address the specific needs of seniors with sleep troubles, call us today.

Are You at Risk for Lewy Body Dementia?

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The most promising dementia research focuses on interventions to prevent or slow the progression of the disease rather than reverse it. In order to assess the efficacy of these interventions, we must first be able to identify individuals on the course for developing dementia. As we’ve seen with many of our Palo Alto dementia care clients, there are many forms of this disease which makes early detection even more challenging. It is particularly difficult to discriminate between Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia, the first and second most common forms of dementia respectively, especially in the early stages. With this in mind, new research from the Mayo Clinic has researchers, clinicians and us at Palo Alto Home Care Assistance buzzing and hopeful.

According to the recent study, one of the strongest indicators of whether someone is developing Lewy body dementia is whether he or she acts out dreams while sleeping, a condition known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. Researchers examined MRI, magnetic resonance imaging, brain scans and diagnostic histories of 75 patients diagnosed with probable Lewy body dementia. The correlation is strongest in men who are five times more likely to have Lewy body dementia if they experience the sleep disorder than if they have one of the risk factors currently used in diagnosis (e.g. loss of brain volume, hallucinations).

These findings are promising in the context of early detection and interventions since the sleep disorder can appear three decades or more before the dementia diagnosis in males. In addition, because only 2-3% of patients with Alzheimer’s have this sleep disorder, we can discriminate between the two forms of dementia with greater certainty and assign therapies accordingly.

For more information about our Palo Alto home care and how our professional Palo Alto caregivers can address the specific needs of those with dementia, call us today.

 

Stressed About Stress?

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At Palo Alto Home Care Assistance we dedicate every March and April to raising awareness about caregiver burnout. Both our professional Palo Alto caregivers and community members providing Palo Alto home care for their loved ones must balance multiple responsibilities, often leaving little time for them to care for their own health. Recognizing the health risks of chronic stress is an important first step in preventing burnout. Here we address some of the ways in which burnout can impact your physical and mental wellbeing:

  • Hindered immune system. Chronic stress weakens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to infections and disease.
  • Increased risk of hypertension. When you are stressed, your body is at a heightened level of activity and blood pressure can spike—prolonged stress leads to prolonged high blood pressure.
  • Memory loss. Chronic stress can result in confusion, difficulty concentrating and memory loss.
  • Weight gain. When you are stressed, the body reacts in a self-preservation manner, hanging on to fat.

It’s important to take steps to create a more relaxing lifestyle—if you are healthy, you will be able to provide optimal care for your loved one or client. Some tips include:

  • Seek and maintain social ties. Having a strong social network has been linked with mental and physical wellbeing and longevity. Our relationships provide emotional support, make us feel connected, and help reduce stress and depression. Caregiver support groups are also great resources as you can share concerns and seek advice from those with similar experiences.
  • Take care of your body. Maintain a healthy diet and exercise for at least 20 minutes, two or three times a week—a quick walk around the neighborhood is enough.
  • Include “me” time. Make time in your schedule for activities you enjoy. Go to the movies or dinner with friends and you’ll have the added benefit of socialization.

Some Things Get Better with Age

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An unfortunately large percentage of people tend to think of aging as a progressive process of loss—of loved ones, memory, flexibility, etc. However, although age may bring challenges to the body and brain, it also brings a number of noteworthy benefits—benefits Home Care Assistance Palo Alto wants to emphasize for our Palo Alto home care clients and the community. As you age you can expect to see improvements in:

  • ·         Mental health. As we age, we generally become selectively attentive to the positive (a “positivity bias”) and better at regulating our emotional health—we stop “sweating the small stuff” and start cherishing simple pleasures. In addition, as time becomes more finite, we begin to focus on what is most important and meaningful, tailoring our experiences to increase well-being, a phenomenon Stanford psychologist Laura Carstensen termed “socioemotional selectivity theory”.
  • ·         Happiness. More effective emotion regulation strategies and a positivity bias naturally result in a decrease in the frequency and duration of negative emotions and an increase in the positive. A longitudinal study conducted by Carstensen followed participants aged 18-94 for 10 years and found that those in their 70s and early 80s were happiest. Additional studies have replicated these findings.
  • ·         Wisdom. Experience affords an abundance of social and emotional knowledge that allow older people to make more sound life decisions. According to a study led by social psychologist Igor Grossman, older people tend to demonstrate more “wisdom-related thinking,” as evaluated by six categories including allowing for compromise, seeking multiple perspectives, and admitting uncertainty.
  • ·         Migraines. According to a study by the Headache Center of Atlanta, those age 50 and over get less severe migraine attacks and symptoms than younger counterparts.

Don’t let frailty or chronic illness stop you from experiencing these benefits. Our professionally trained Palo Alto caregivers can help you live independently and healthfully.

Facebook for the Brain?

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Most, if not all, Palo Alto residents have heard of Facebook, the social networking site that built its empire from an office on University Avenue (not too far from our Palo Alto Home Care Assistance office), but many think its single benefit is in facilitating communication between young people. Preliminary research presented at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting, however, suggests that Facebook may have a pertinent benefit for seniors in boosting cognitive performance—and many of our Palo Alto home care clients use Facebook to keep in touch with grandkids.

The study looked at seniors ages 68 to 91, a demographic whose social media behavior has not been largely investigated though according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project 1 in 3 online seniors use a social networking site. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 14: the first group learned how to use Facebook and posted daily, the second group learned how to use an online diary site where daily entries were kept private, and the third group was told they were on a waiting list for Facebook training.

A series of questionnaires assessed levels of loneliness, social support and cognitive abilities at the beginning of the study and again eight weeks later. Those in the Facebook group showed a 25% increase in cognitive performance while the other participants showed no significant change. Further analysis will determine the impact of the social aspect of Facebook (compared to the non-social diary group) and the relationship, if any, between number of posts and performance.

At Home Care Assistance Palo Alto we know how important mental stimulation and social ties are to healthy longevity—they are part of our Balanced Care Method, a unique approach to care based on scientific research of the longest-living people on Earth, in which all of our Palo Alto caregivers are trained.

Keep It Off!

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Losing weight can be hard, but keeping lost weight off can be even harder.  While obviously undesirable, this phenomenon may also be harmful. New research suggests that the cycle of losing and regaining weight can increase one’s risk of cardiovascular problems. In observance of heart month, Home Care Assistance Palo Alto would like to share this research with you so that you can take preventative measures to protect your heart.

Researchers at Wake Forest conducted a 17-month study of 80 postmenopausal obese and overweight women. After five months of controlled dieting, the women lost an average of 25 pounds. The researchers evaluated the women’s health six months and then one year after the experimental diet period was completed.

After a year, 70% of the women had regained some portion of the weight they had lost. Notably, they had mostly regained fat and lost lean muscle mass. Most importantly, however, researchers found that many of the women who regained weight ended up with higher risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes than their baseline risk factors—meaning they were now less healthy than before they lost the weight.

Experts say this study shows that people should not focus on diet fads, or quick weight loss programs. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are important, but we should be aware of the healthy ways in which we can accomplish these goals.

At Palo Alto Home Care Assistance, we know that healthy diet and regular exercise are important in weight management. Our professional Palo Alto caregivers are trained in our exclusive Balanced Care Method, which uses scientifically proven lifestyle behaviors like smart eating and physical activity to promote healthy longevity. They prepare healthy and delicious meals for all our Palo Alto home care clients as well as assist with exercises.

Stress-fighting Snacks

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Palo Alto home care clients, what do you do when you’re stressed? We’ve all seen movies and read books where stressed or upset characters turn to food to squelch their unpleasant feelings—most often a personal pint (or quart) of ice. While a number of these fat-laden, high-calorie foods do increase production of serotonin, the “feel good” hormone, their effects are only temporarily and can be strongly outweighed by resulting weight gain and associated health risks. In an effort to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, Home Care Assistance Palo Alto would like to share some foods that have stress-reducing capabilities but are also nutritious:

  • Tea—Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid which has been shown to boost mood, reduce anxiety and promote restful sleep. Similarly, WebMD reported on 2006 findings that black tea promotes relaxation and boosts our ability to respond to and recover from stress. Chamomile tea contains antioxidant flavonoids which have been shown to possess mood-enhancing properties.
  • Dark chocolate—This is one treat you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in daily! Chocolate contains many of the same relaxation-promoting flavonoids found in tea and the darker the chocolate, the more flavonoids present. Results of a clinical trial published in 2009 found a correlation between dark chocolate consumption, namely 1.4 ounces per day, and reduced levels of stress hormones.
  • Citrus fruits—Results of a 2002 German study suggested that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) helped people recover more easily from stress; blood pressure, cortisol levels, and subjective experience of stress were lower in people given the vitamin C supplement than in those given the placebo.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste. Our Palo Alto caregivers are trained in healthy meal preparation and often make healthy adaptations of our Palo Alto home care clients’ favorite meals using our Comfort Foods Cookbook.

Siri, Do I Have Parkinson’s?

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Palo Alto Parkinson’s care clients, new research suggests that we may soon be able to monitor Parkinson’s disease using our cell phones!

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system. As the disease progresses, it results in tremors and trouble with movement and coordination. More than four million people around the globe currently suffer from the disease, the majority aged 50 and older.

Just a few months ago Dr. Max Little and the Parkinson’s Voice Initiative announced that they had developed a computer program that could detect voice disorders—one of the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is dysphonia, or impairment in the ability to produce vocal sounds. When initial tests indicated an 86% accuracy rate in disease detection, Dr. Little and his team decided to extend research to voice recordings taken over the telephone. The group is now analyzing over 10,000 recordings to test the potential use of telephone monitoring to detect and monitor progression of Parkinson’s.

Palo Alto Parkinson’s care patients know the current test for Parkinson’s is expensive, slow, and not always reliable. Thus, the ability to detect the disease with an object we use every day is invaluable. Little believes that if his test does work, they could inexpensively test almost ¾ of the world’s population. This breakthrough would especially benefit poorer areas where having adequate healthcare to perform various tests may be unlikely. While not a cure, the ability to efficiently detect the disease will allow early intervention to slow disease progression.

If you or a loved one suffers from Parkinson’s, consider contacted a reputable Palo Alto home care agency like Home Care Assistance. Our  Palo Alto caregivers are trained to address the specific needs of those suffering from Parkinson’s disease and other neurological and mobility disorders.

Four Safety Tips for Senior Drivers

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One of the most difficult changes associated with aging is loss of the ability to drive, as driving is a large contributor to independence. Everyone ages differently so there is no set age at which seniors should stop driving. Reducing risk factors and incorporating safe practices can help you continue driving safely far into your 70′s and beyond.  Here is our list of four safety tips for senior drivers:

  1. Schedule regular appointments for eye and hearing exams. Hearing and vision clarity are vitally important for tracking other vehicles and avoiding accidents.  Consult with your doctor about how often you should schedule check-ups.   
  2. Be mindful of medications. Certain medications and medication combinations can cause drowsiness or dizziness and impair your ability to drive safely. Always check the label and consult your doctor or pharmacist about side effects and drug interactions. Never drive right after taking a new medication for the first time. 
  3. Understand physical limitations. Neck stiffness could make it harder to turn and check your blind spot. A lack of arm or hand strength can impair your ability to turn the wheel. Leg pain can make it difficult to move your foot from the gas to the brake pedal. Understand what limitations you may have and adjust your driving practices accordingly.
  4. Drive in ideal conditions. Try to avoid driving at night as much as possible as aging eyes have a tougher time adjusting to varying levels of light and perceiving depth and distance. Use extreme caution when driving in heavy rain. When driving somewhere unfamiliar, make sure to study the directions in advance.

If you find that you need to reduce your driving time or give it up completely, remember that you do not have to give up your independence. Alternative modes of transportation can not only offer health benefits (cycling, walking) but also social benefits. At Home Care Assistance Palo Alto, our professional Palo Alto caregivers can assist with transportation to doctor’s appointments, grocery stores, the pharmacy, social gatherings and much more. Our caregivers can even pick up friends of our Palo Alto home care clients for a lunch or other social activity.

The Health Benefits of Chocolate

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With holiday season in full swing, many of us—including our Home Care Assistance Palo Alto family—have indulged in tons of sweets and other empty-calorie treats at all our holiday parties and gatherings with loved ones. But if there’s one guilty pleasure you no longer have to feel guilty about enjoying, it’s chocolate. Chocolate has actually been linked to a number of health benefits and is equally sweet enough to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. Dark chocolate is the best option as it contains more cocoa (the source of the health benefits) and less sugar than milk chocolate. Some of the benefits include:

  • Promotes heart health and decreases stroke risk. Rich in flavonoids, chocolate has antioxidant properties that help reduce levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and thereby reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Chocolate also boasts blood pressure-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties, promoting cardiovascular health.
  • Protects skin. The flavonoids in dark chocolate offer protection from UV damage (but you should still always wear sunscreen!).
  • Makes you feel fuller, longer. Similar to an apple, dark chocolate is rich in fiber and thus, can actually help you maintain a diet!
  • Improves blood flow. With anti-clotting and blood-thinning properties, chocolate helps improve circulation.
  • Relieves coughs. An ingredient in chocolate called theobromine has been linked to cough relief in those suffering from chronic coughs.

Remember though that everything is best in moderation—chocolate is high in calories, fat and sugar so having too much can actually negate the benefits you would see. Home Care Assistance Palo Alto wishes all of our Palo Alto home care clients, their families, our Palo Alto caregivers and the Palo Alto community at large a very happy, healthy, and a moderately chocolate-filled holiday season!