It’s an unfortunate reality that, when it comes to viruses, seniors face more serious health consequences than younger adults. In a typical flu season, for example, older adults account for 70% to 90% of flu-related deaths and up to 70% of flu-related hospital admissions. 

Making sure you have an annual flu shot and stay current with the pneumonia vaccine can help. But there are additional steps you can take to lower your risk of falling victim to a virus. Here are a few of the best ways to protect yourself.

Adopt good handwashing techniques: Washing your hands frequently, especially when you’ve been out in public or around large crowds, lowers your risk for catching most viruses. Scrub your hands and fingers carefully with hot, soapy water. The experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it takes 20 seconds to thoroughly wash your hands. It might help to silently sing two choruses of the “Happy Birthday” song or a full chorus of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Both take about 20 seconds. 

Keep hand sanitizer nearby: For times you won’t have access to soap and water, keep a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your purse or pocket. The CDC recommends purchasing hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. While it should never replace handwashing when soap and water are available, it can be beneficial when you are on the go. Apply the product to the palm of one hand and then rub both hands together. Continue rubbing all areas of hands and fingers until they are dry.

Practice healthy self-care: A strong immune system is one of the best ways to keep viruses at bay. While it’s important to take good care of yourself at any age, seniors should make it a high priority. Routine exercise, good hydration, a well-balanced diet, and quality sleep are necessities. Since chronic stress can be a drain on the immune system, learning how to better manage it is also essential. Chair yoga, bird watching, nature walks, gardening, and swimming all help beat stress.

Limit close contact: Most viruses are highly contagious. Being near someone who is sick, even if they aren’t symptomatic, can drastically increase your risk for catching the illness. During peak flu seasons, try to limit close contact with others. Avoiding large crowds and reducing the number of trips you make to the mall or other public places may also help. In addition, opt for a quick wave or an elbow bump instead of a handshake or hug at family gatherings or parties.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth: Most of us don’t realize how many times a day we touch our face. In doing so, you risk transferring any viruses you’ve been exposed to from your hand to your eyes, mouth, or nose. By making a conscious effort not to touch your face, you may reduce your risk of contracting the flu.

We encourage you to use these tips all year long and to share them with the older adults in your life. 

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Virus protection for older adults is essential and involves more than just vaccines. Use these tips to protect yourself and the seniors you know.

Mother’s Day gives us a chance to recognize and thank the mothers and grandmothers in our lives. The holiday occurs every year on the second Sunday in May.

You may be struggling, like many children and grandchildren, to find just the right gift for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day. If you want to express your love and appreciation with something more meaningful than the usual flowers and chocolate, consider what are known as experience gifts. These are presents that encourage families to spend time making memories together.

Experience Gifts to Honor a Senior on Mother’s Day

Schedule a regular gathering: A great present from the grandkids, or even the great-grandchildren, is to designate a time each month to gather together. When life is busy, time can slip away before you realize it. Unless you commit to a plan, weeks could go by without families getting together. This Mother’s Day, make a plan to spend one afternoon or evening a month with your senior loved one. You can make a craft, take in a movie, or even have the kids teach the senior how to play a video game.

Create a family cookbook together: Another meaningful activity your loved one might enjoy is creating a family cookbook. Fill it with everyone’s favorites. It can be as simple or as detailed as your tech skills will allow. The end result can be a great keepsake for everyone in the family. If you want to take it a step further, make some of the recipes together throughout the years, and document the time together.

Read stories by video chat: iPads and other tablets make it easier to connect with loved ones, no matter where they live. If your children or grandchildren are younger, they might enjoy showing off their reading skills. Choose an easy-to-use platform, such as Skype or Zoom, and have the kids read to their grandparent, or have the grandparent read to the children. To cut costs, you can borrow books from the local library.

Organize project parties: Another experience gift to consider for Mother’s Day is to organize monthly craft nights. They could be at your home or the senior’s. Arts-and-crafts projects are a great way to bond and build memories. And you don’t have to be particularly artsy to enjoy this activity. Family members can each bring their own projects or craft kits to the gatherings. Another option is to pick a different project every month from a site like Domestika that you can do together.

Enjoy a spa day: What woman doesn’t enjoy a little pampering? Maybe this could be the start of a new Mother’s Day tradition for several generations of your family. You could host a spa day at your home or book time at a local salon. If you opt for a day at home, foot spas are inexpensive purchases and make home pedicures a little easier. You could ask everyone to bring a bottle or two of nail polish and their favorite lotions and scrubs. Should you decide an afternoon at a salon is better, narrow down the choices so people can pick from one or two services. For example, they could have a manicure and facial or a pedicure and massage.

One more gift option to consider for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day is a mobile monitoring unit. This emergency response system allows the user to call for help with the simple press of a button. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn how to get started!

Experience gifts might be a good option for a senior loved one this Mother’s Day. Learn more about them and get some ideas here.

Outpatient therapy is a great way to rehabilitate after an injury, a planned surgery, or an illness. People often utilize these services after a fall or sports-related injury, or just to recover strength and stamina following a serious bout with a virus. It’s a great solution for helping you get back to an active lifestyle, whatever that means for you, with minimal disruption to your schedule.

What Is Available at an Outpatient Rehabilitation Center?

Outpatient rehabilitation centers typically focus on physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. Under the guidance of these professionals, patients receive care identical or similar to what they would receive in a hospital or skilled nursing and rehab center.

A few of the many examples of what therapists in an outpatient setting might do, depending on the severity of a patient’s injury or illness, include:

Create a care plan that focuses on targeted exercises, such as those designed to regain fine motor skills, or stretching to improve flexibility

Help find ways to safely enter a vehicle, slide behind the wheel to drive, and then exit the car again

Work with patients to learn or relearn how to perform activities of daily living, such as getting dressed, using the bathroom, and taking a shower

Teach patients how to use assistive devices, such as a cane, walker, shower chair, or raised toilet seat

What Are the Benefits of Outpatient Therapy?

If you are wondering why a patient would opt for outpatient therapy versus a short-term stay at a skilled nursing and rehab center, here are a few of the reasons:

Reduce pain and improve flexibility: When you are finding your way back from a serious illness or recovering from a surgery or an injury, you might be struggling with pain. A physical therapist can help you explore ways to manage that pain while also improving flexibility.

Lower risk of repeat injury: One of the primary goals of continuing rehabilitation after being discharged from the hospital is to avoid experiencing another injury. For example, if a patient had a serious fall, they might be fearful of falling again. And that’s a legitimate concern. Once a senior takes a tumble, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says their risk of doing so again doubles.

Minimize stress by recovering at home: If you’ve spent time in a hospital or outpatient rehab center, it will come as no surprise that it’s difficult to rest there. By opting for outpatient therapy, a patient can continue to recover in the comfort and privacy of their own home. That’s where most people say they prefer to be, anyway.

Lessen daily disruption: Outpatient therapy often makes it easier to continue to lead your normal life. Patients can schedule appointments at times that are convenient for them, such as on weekends or evenings to navigate around their work schedule.

Limit costs: Depending on the type of insurance a patient has, outpatient therapy may be more cost effective. There may be fewer and lower deductibles and co-pays than for an inpatient stay.

During the course of outpatient therapy, safety will be a frequent topic. Both physical and occupational therapists will focus on ways to stay safe and avoid another injury. They may also suggest investing in an emergency call alert device for added peace of mind.

This is where a mobile monitoring unit can be a solution. This discreet device gives the user an easy way to summon help in the event of an emergency. With a simple press of a button, the person can be connected with someone who can help. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn more!

Outpatient therapy has many benefits, ranging from allowing a patient to recover at home to making it easy to maintain a more normal schedule. Learn more here.

Tending a garden, whether it’s vegetables or flowers, can bring about many mental and physical health benefits. The hobby is known to boost the spirit, reduce stress, improve core strength, and more. But for seniors with mobility struggles, it’s a pastime that can present challenges. For example, getting up and down to weed flower beds and dragging hoses around the yard become more difficult with age.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make this beneficial hobby safer for many older adults. Here are a few suggestions you may find useful.

Ways to Make Gardening Safer and More Accessible for Seniors

The first tip we have is to carefully plan the design of your garden. Think through how you can incorporate the flowers and vegetables you like, but in a way that minimizes the work needed to care for them. For example, group similar plants together. Locate plants that require frequent watering closest to a water spigot. That will mean less pulling hoses around the yard.

Other examples are to cluster together plants that need deadheading so you don’t have to get up and down from the ground multiple times. And locate herbs, veggies, and flowers you want to cut for indoor arrangements nearer to the door.

Growing your gardens in raised beds and containers eliminates the need to get up and down from the ground, which lowers the risk of a fall. Seniors with mobility problems or back pain will especially appreciate this. When herbs, flowers, and vegetables are planted at waist level, watering, weeding, and harvesting are all easier.

Another advantage is that raised beds and containers can be placed anywhere in the garden, from the patio to the front porch. That makes it even easier for people with disabilities or aging-related health issues to continue to garden.

Another way to minimize the work associated with gardening is to primarily choose plants that are native to your area. They usually require less frequent watering and fertilizing. If you aren’t sure what those are, talk with local growers at nearby greenhouses and nurseries. Another option is to search online databases like Native Plant Finder. Also, look for pest-resistant plants. That will help cut down on maintenance.

Before you dismiss this suggestion because it sounds too expensive, know that these systems come at a variety of price points. Talk with garden experts at your local home improvement store to explore your options. They may even have contractors who can help with the installation.

While many gardeners think a wheelbarrow is an ideal way to move heavy supplies around, a four-wheeled garden cart is usually a better choice. It can be pushed or pulled with less physical effort than a wheelbarrow, which often requires some lifting. Some carts are even designed with a dumping feature that makes unloading easier.

One more tip is to use a slow-release fertilizer. Fertilizer pellets that are inserted into the soil are often a good option. They allow you to simply “set and forget.” That’s not only more convenient but also much safer than fertilizers that attach to the end of a hose.

If you are looking for more ways to reduce the risk for experiencing a health problem during the warmer days ahead, Tips to Have a Safe Summer has good information.

Our final suggestion is to invest in a mobile monitoring device. In the event you experience an emergency while working in the garden, a simple press of a button on the unit can connect you with help. Call 1-844-203-5617 today to learn more!

Wondering how to make your garden safer and more senior friendly? These tips will be of interest.

Tips for Planning an Accessible Garden for Seniors

There’s no denying that online shopping is here to stay. It’s easy and convenient, especially for older adults who have mobility struggles or no longer do much driving. There is, however, a downside to sharing financial information digitally. For seniors who may not be very tech savvy, the risk is higher than for younger people.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), older adults lose an estimated $3 billion a year to what is known as elder fraud. The FBI says seniors are often targeted because they tend to be more trusting and less knowledgeable about technology. And many older adults are in strong financial positions, such as owning a home and having greater savings and investments.

So, what can you do to shop more safely online or to help older members of your family do so? Here are a few steps you can take to avoid online fraud and scams.

Use only credit cards, not debit cards, when shopping online

While many people like the convenience of a debit card, using one when you’re shopping online is not a good idea. If you pay with a debit card and fall victim to a scam, a thief can empty your financial account before you even know something is wrong. But when the vendor you buy from isn’t legitimate, or someone uses your card for online purchases, a credit card company will usually take quick action to protect you. Your bank likely will, as well, but it will take much longer. In the meantime, your accounts may be frozen until the investigation is complete.

Stick to shopping from stores you know and trust offline

Unfortunately, social media has become a popular way for unscrupulous people to target older adults for fraud. They buy ads featuring attractive clothing and household items for low prices. People click on the links, not realizing they’re scams. Shoppers’ products never arrive, or their credit card numbers are stolen, or both. One way to avoid that is to buy online only from stores you’ve visited in person. Also, go directly to the store’s website using a Google search. Never follow links you receive in an email or on a social media platform, no matter how legitimate they look.

Check the site’s security before shopping

Before you shop, it’s important to ensure the site is secure. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. You can do that by verifying the site’s web address begins with “https” and has a tiny icon of a lock next to it. That combination signals a site is secure. If you don’t see that lock or the “s” after “http,” it’s best to avoid shopping on the site. Doing so might put you at risk for identity theft or other types of financial scams.

Finally, don’t set up your accounts to pay bills automatically and skip reviewing them on a regular basis. You could overlook fraudulent activity for months. This applies to your credit cards, investment accounts, and banking. It’s also a good idea to set up alerts so you are notified when a major charge is made, an account balance reaches a certain amount, or there is a login from a new device.

Learn More About Financial Scams Against Seniors

If you’d like to learn more about scams that target older adults, Financial Scams That Target Seniors is a good article to read. It offers more insight into the ways seniors fall victim to crime, from fake fundraisers to fraudulent contractors.

Older adults lose an estimated $3 billion a year due to crimes referred to as elder fraud. One of these is online shopping scams. Use these tips to stay safer.

How Seniors Can Stay Safe While Shopping Online

The statistics on falls among older adults are a real eye-opener: one in four seniors falls every year. That translates to one senior experiencing a fall every second of every day in the U.S. It is the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults. Equally troubling is that once a senior has had a fall, they are two to three times more likely to fall again.

Contrary to what many people believe, falls are not a normal part of the aging process. There are steps older adults can take to avoid becoming one of those statistics. And it all starts with learning the most likely reasons why seniors might take a tumble.

If you are trying to lower your fall risk or that of a senior loved one, we have some suggestions you will find useful:

Unidentified hazards in the house: Older homes often weren’t built with senior safety in mind. While some hazards, such as steep stairs or the lack of a standalone shower, are easy to spot, others aren’t. Poor lighting is a good example, as are worn carpeting and throw rugs. By conducting a risk assessment of a loved one’s house, you might be able to identify and remedy potential hazards. This fall prevention checklist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a good resource for evaluating a home’s safety.

Side effects from medication: This fall risk is sometimes overlooked. Medications frequently have side effects or create adverse reactions that include dizziness. They may cause an older adult to be unsteady on their feet, which may lead to a fall. The pharmacist or your primary care physician can help identify concerns. This list from Harvard Medical School will also help you learn more.

Poor hydration: Dehydration can also result in falls. And often people don’t even realize when they’re dehydrated. Unlike many younger adults, seniors didn’t grow up carrying water bottles with them everywhere. Some chronic health conditions, such as kidney disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, and ulcerative colitis, can also increase risk. Medications can play a role, too. Blood pressure medicine, chemotherapy, laxatives, and diabetes drugs are just a few that can cause dehydration.

Too much sitting: A sedentary lifestyle also puts people of all ages at higher risk of falling. Sitting too much and getting too little exercise can cause muscles to deteriorate. The loss of core strength can lead to balance problems that ultimately result in a fall. Unfortunately, once a senior has fallen, they may become fearful of doing so again. That may cause them to become even more sedentary. A senior who has had a fall might need physical or occupational therapy to help them regain confidence on their feet.

Unbalanced diet: Poor nutrition is another risk factor. For seniors who’ve given up driving, not wanting to ask friends and family for transportation to the grocery store can be the underlying reason. They rely for most of their meals on easy-to-prepare foods, such as frozen dinners and foods with a long shelf-life. While convenient, many are high in fat and sodium and low in nutritional value. Home-delivered meals, such as Hello Fresh or Home Chef, might be good solutions.

Vision problems: Conditions like cataracts and glaucoma become more common with age, as does a loss of depth perception. An older adult’s glasses might be outdated, causing them not to see well. All of these types of vision issues can lead to falls, especially in a house with uneven flooring, poor lighting, or a lot of stairs. It’s just one more reason why a home safety evaluation is helpful.

Finally, if you or a senior family member feels unsteady walking or rising from a chair, it’s probably a good idea to schedule a physical. A primary care physician will likely be able to determine the cause and create a plan for treating it.

Experiencing a fall when you are home alone can be frightening, especially if you aren’t able to reach the phone to call for assistance. That’s where a mobile monitoring device can come in handy. With a simple press of a button, the user will be connected with someone who can help. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn more!

Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury-related deaths among seniors. Learn the most common risks and how to avoid them.

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