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When Your Parents Get Older

February 16th, 2011 No comments

Everyone of us should be able to recognize the improvement of the health care department and even the extension of the lives compared to the recent years in this area.

This would be great for everyone because we all want longer life so that we could enjoy all the things from it. Although there are certain things that you have to think about like the efforts of taking care of the person that you care about.

There are different views in terms of taking care of our elderly. Some people wanted to take care of them manually and personally because they think that they should spend their time with their loved ones and serve them with their needs. Other people would want to put them in hospices or home for the ageds although there is a discernment that those people that leave their elderly in this kind of institutions does not care for those people and leave them there.

However, that kind of notion is not totally true because some individuals who decide to leave their parents to the care of others are just what we may call victims of circumstances. By this, it means that even though people have the will and intention to take care of their older parents themselves, they can’t really do it because maybe they have to spend time working so as to provide food on the table, to be able to buy medicines and vitamins for their older parents, etc.

So stop being irrational and giving judgments to others because we do not really know what is happening to them. There could be million reasons why they opt to do that.

As it was said earlier, there are definitely different sides of the story so that you should be able to know both sides and be rational about it. Because there are certain realities in life that we need to know about.

You may be asking yourself – what’s the fuss in taking care of older parents when the act of taking care of the elderly has been practiced since time immemorial? It just became an issue when people started to get too busy and too involved in their work and career in order to prosper and earn money.

So now comes the question: have people evolved into selfless and materialistic ogres? What happened to the tender, loving care that’s supposed to be given personally and wholeheartedly to older people? As mentioned earlier, we really can’t judge peoples way of taking care of their older parents because in one way or another, their decision depends on a lot of factors (socio-economical, physical, psychological, etc.).

There are also different assumptions in the case of taking care of elder parent, some think that it is very difficult for them to handle the situation so they depend on this kinds of institutions.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of taking care of older parents personally is having a feeling of fulfillment and inner happiness. Aside from the fact that older people will feel really happy that their own children are taking care of them personally, they will also feel that they are indeed loved and important. Older people usually go through a stage when they feel that they are unloved and unimportant. There will be times that they need to be affirmed and assured that they are loved and that they are not considered as a burden to the family. In a way, making your parents happy can bring joy, contentment and peace of mind not only to them but to the one giving care as well.

In the end, it does not really matter if you leave your parents in the home for the aged or take care of them by yourself, the intention is the thing that is important. You should be focused with the intention of taking care of them the best that you could. Whatever you decide to do would still be the important thing to do because it would still be appreciated by your parents.

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Categories: Elderly Tags: , , , ,

Safer Stairs For The Elderly:

April 6th, 2010 No comments

Elderly people (over 65 year olds) are the age group that is most affected by falls, with one third of the over 65 year olds falling at least once a year and 5 to 6% of these falls resulting in fractures. A vast majority of these fractures accure whilst losing balance going down the stairs. The main factors that put the elderly at risk of falling down the stairs are impaired vision, reduced strength and poor balance.

However, contrary to popular belief, falling is not a normal part of ageing and it can be prevented. Most falls are due to medical conditions such as osteoporosis, lack of physical activity, impaired vision and environmental hazards.

Osteoporosis is a condition wherein bones become porus, less resistant to stress and more prone to fractures. Osteoporosis is caused by hormonal changes as well as calcium and vitamin D defficiency. It is the main cause of fractures in older adults. Ways to prevent osteoporosis include consumming calcium rich food (postmenopausal women need 1,500 mg of calcium/day), get sufficient intake of vitamin D to enhance the absorption of calcium in the bloodstream, and regularly carry out weight-bearing exercises.

Lack of physical activity can lead to poor muscle tone, decreased muscle strength and loss of bone mass and flexibility. All these factors contribute to increasing the risk of a fall along with the seriousness of the injury that will result from the fall. It is therefore recommended to undertake regular physical exercise (at least 15 minutes a day) and wear proper fitting supportive soles.

Impaired vision such as glaucoma and cataracts alter older people’s vision and increase their suspectibility to glare. These limitations hinder their ability to evolve in a safe environment and may lead to falls down the stairs. It is advised to have regular eye-checks and use contrasting colours to define balancing objects.

At least one third of falls in the elderly involve environmental hazards in the home. The most common hazard is tripping over an object that was lying on the floor. Other factors include the lack of grab bars along staircases and loose rugs. The risk of falling because of an environmental hazard in the home can be reduced by installing handrails on stairs and steps and keeping staircases clutter free. In this case having a stairlift fitted will also contribute to reduce the risk of falling down the stairs, as it will effortless bring you up and down the stairs.

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