CELEBRATE NATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH MONTH

Friday, 07 March 2025 by Christopher McMullan

Maintaining Women’s Health

During The Senior Years

57% of seniors over 65 years of age in the US are women. The number increases with age because women tend to live longer than men. For women to continue to thrive into their senior years, it’s important to know about women’s health issues. (Institute on Aging)

Some of the common conditions that affect seniors – including stroke, heart disease, and depression – affect more women than men each year. This is one of several reasons why women should be aware of their health as they age. (NICHD)

Key Aspects of Women’s Health

Unfortunately, aging can take its toll on women’s health. That is why senior women need to pay attention to symptoms of problems in these categories, and be sure to visit their doctor for regular exams.

Cardiovascular Health

Watch for signs of problems in the following areas, as they are common issues for older women:

Blood pressure
Cholesterol
Blood sugar
Circulation

Reproductive Health

Cancer, cysts, and other health problems can strike after menopause. Women over 65 should continue to get mammograms and see a gynecologist.

Dental Health

Besides maintaining healthy teeth and gums, regular dental visits can alert senior women to health problems that commonly include oral symptoms.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH MONTH

Top Tips for Staying Healthy

Women can make choices that will support their health through the aging process. It is essential for senior women to:

Stay up to date on vaccinations
Attend regular medical checkups
Get screened for conditions common to seniors
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Be educated about medications and take them properly
Exercise regularly
Keep up with loved ones and social activities
Manage existing health conditions

(FDA)

Screenings and Tests

Women over 65 should have the following screenings and tests:

Blood pressure and sugar tests
Breast and pelvic exams
Colorectal screenings
Eye screening
Hearing test
Bone density test
Cholesterol screening
Dental exam
Skin screening

(WebMD)

Take Preventive Steps!

If you have risk factors of certain diseases (hereditary conditions, being a smoker or overweight, etc.) take preventive steps against those specific risks. Often, a change in diet or lifestyle can make a difference in preventing or delaying conditions you are prone to!

Home Care Tip

Many hospitals and senior centers offer free classes, resources, and other forms of support for healthy living. The social and educational nature of these offerings can empower women to age well, so encourage them to participate.

Sensory Health

Eye and ear exams help seniors stay safe and independent.

Digestive Health

Although talking about digestive health and experiencing exams like a colonoscopy can be uncomfortable, the risk of digestive problems increases as women age and such conditions can be serious.

Mental Health

It’s common for seniors to experience isolation, depression, anxiety, memory loss, and other mental health issues. Women are more prone than men to many of these conditions. (Medline Plus)

References & Resources

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What Is Home Health Care For Seniors?

Friday, 10 June 2022 by Christopher McMullan

What Is Home Health Care?

Home health care is professional assistance to the senior or extremely ill persons at your home. Older persons lack physical and mental health to complete their daily tasks. So, they need constant assistance. But, you may not have enough time to take care of them. In that case, you can hire in-home health care services.

A home health care service offers professionally trained caregivers. Hence, they can take care of your near and dear ones perfectly.

If you live around Durham, then you can search for home health care in Durham. Hire trained and experienced caregivers and keep your loved ones safe.

Importance of In-Home Health Care

1) Saves Your Precious Time

Nowadays, everybody is busy. You may have to go to your job or you may have a busy schedule. As a result, it might be impossible for you to take care of an ailing senior person.

When you hire in-home health care services, they can take care of your senior family members. This means you can live your busy life without being worried about your helpless loved ones.

2) Helps To Live An Independent Life

Seniors may need bathing or feeding assistance. Apart from that, they may require help for incontinence or dressing. So, they have to call for assistance every time they want help.

But, in-home health care professionals would be always with your old family member. The caregivers would be ready to assist him/her in every moment. Thus, a senior person can live an independent life.

3) Keeps Your Loved One Mentally Happy

Older persons want to share their stories and they too want to talk to a person. But, young family members often don’t have time to listen to them. This creates mental loneliness in them. A caregiver can talk to your loved ones and they can become a good companion. Thus, a senior person can be mentally happy with a professional caregiver.

4) Helps To Live A Peaceful Life

A surprising number of Americans don’t want to spend their time away from home. They love their homes and they want to stay there.

By hiring an in-home health care assistant, you would be helping your parents to live a peaceful life. The health care professionals would visit your house daily and they can also support seniors for 24-hours. So, help your loved ones to live a peaceful homely life by hiring in-home health care professionals.

5) Enhances Safety

When you are not at home. seniors can meet accidents or they can fall. Even, a senior person can experience sudden health problems. But, if you have a reliable caregiver at your home, then you should not be worried. A healthcare professional can help your loved ones in an emergency and they can keep your senior family members safe.

Services Offered By Senior Home Health Care Companies (In General)

In-Home Care
Respite Care
Dementia Care
Alzheimer’s Care
Parkinson’s Care
Post Surgery Care
Personal Care
End-Of-Life Support Care

So, you can search for home health care in Durham and you can hire reliable in-home health care services. But, you should always hire trained and experienced professionals. Because only properly trained health caregivers can take care of your loved ones perfectly.

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24 Hour Senior Care

Tuesday, 31 May 2022 by Christopher McMullan

Published in IN HOME CARE

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CREATING AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE

Saturday, 03 July 2021 by Christopher McMullan

CREATING AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE

HEALTH

It is a good idea to speak with your loved one’s doctor about any potential future health risks. Including their physician also ensures that everyone is on the same page for long-term care decisions. It is worth noting that talking with the doctor about advance care planning during a wellness visit is covered by Medicare.

The most important things to take into consideration before making any specific decisions are your loved one’s personal values.

How do we want to be treated when we get to the end of our lives? What decisions would we like made on our behalf if we are unable to make them? Life is uncertain. It’s important to have a plan in place.

An Advance Directive is a document to let family and medical professionals know your desires should something happen. Work with your loved one to get these documents drafted while they are still able to speak clearly about their choices. Work together, instead of assigning it to them as a task, to ensure that you understand clearly what they want.

As a part of the Advance Directive, your loved one will often appoint someone as their healthcare proxy. This is the person that, if your older adult cannot make a medical decision themselves, will make the decision in accordance with their wishes. If you do not feel like you agree with the decisions that they are making in the Advance Directive, steer them to choose someone who might be more in line with their values. If there is a trusted medical professional in your family, perhaps this person might be better suited for this role.

Source: Death with Dignity

Where to Draft Your Advance Directive

The laws governing how a state will honor your Advance Directive vary from state to state. Often, one state will not honor an Advance Directive created in another state. If your loved one travels or resides in several states, it is recommended that you create an Advance Directive in each location.

Source: Death with Dignity

Some questions to consider:

Is it important to them to be able to be mobile, so paralysis or coma may not be acceptable?
Do they need the ability to speak to their loved ones or do they feel they could communicate in other ways should speech be impaired?
Would they want pain medications at the end of life if it meant that they were drowsy and lethargic all the time?
If in a facility, is it important to them that their pets and grandchildren can visit or be with them?

Source: National Institute on Aging and The Conversation Project – Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Additional Resources:
https://www.clearcareonline.com
https://deathwithdignity.org/learn/end-of-life-resources/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning-health-care-directives
https://theconversationproject.org/

Some of the Many Things to Think About for an Advance Directive:

Are they open to the use of CPR?
Are they willing to be put on a ventilator or other life sustaining mechanical apparatus? If so, for how long?
What level of feeding/hydration is acceptable?
What level of comfort care and pain medications are acceptable?
Have they filled out an organ donation card?
Do they want to live their last days in a hospital, in hospice, or at home?
What if they require blood transfusions or organ transplants?

Many organizations offer online templates for Advance Care Directives that can be used as a starting point. Many hospitals will require the directives to be notarized.

Source: National Institute on Aging and The Conversation Project – Institute for Healthcare Improvement

What is a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Order?

A DNR order is a document that indicates to emergency and medical responders that the person does not want CPR or other life-restoring measures should their heart or breathing stop. In the moment, it may be hard to honor this wish. It is easier to have a clear directive and a healthcare proxy willing to make this decision on their behalf.

If your senior has indicated that they would like to donate their organs, they will need to note that the desire to donate supersedes the DNR since there may be a need to keep the heart beating until the organs can be taken for donation.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Additional Resources:
https://www.clearcareonline.com
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning-health-care-directives
https://theconversationproject.org/

Adapted from the original PDF document: “0721-MM-AdvanceDirective.pdf”