AARP Says Trade Your Eye Doctor for an E-Book
According to AARP, citing a Robert Wood Johnson study, for people with eye diseases like macular degeneration, digital tablets increased reading speed by as much as 42 words per minute, compared with that of print books or newspapers.
The illuminated screens of the tablet offer sharper resolution than printed materials and help readers discern words more easily. Researchers suggest setting the brightness to maximum, avoid places with background glare and increase the font size.
Spinal Posture Indicator for Nursing Home Admission So Sit Up Straight! (VIDEO)
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Medicare’s "BLUE BUTTON" Can Help You Track Care (VIDEO)
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Spinal Posture Indicator for Nursing Home Admission So Sit Up Straight!
The shape of an individualÛªs spinal column may predict his or her risk for nursing home admission or need of home assistance in old age, according to a new article published online in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.
A team of researchers based in Japan discovered that the trunk angle of inclination ÛÓ the angle between the true vertical and a straight line from the first thoracic vertebra to the first sacral vertebra (view image) ÛÓ is associated with becoming dependent on help for activities of daily living (ADL). These activities include such basic self-care tasks as bathing, feeding, toileting, maintaining continence, dressing, and transferring in or out of a bed or chair.
ÛÏSpinal posture changes with age, but accumulated evidence shows that good spinal posture is important in allowed the aged to maintain independent lives,Û the authors state.åÊ
The research teamÛªs data were sourced from 804 participants in the Kurabuchi Study, a community-based prospective cohort study of residents aged 65 years or older in Kurabuchi Town, approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
The test subjectsÛª spinal posture was measured with a spinal mouse, which is a computer-assisted noninvasive device for measuring spinal shape. The device is guided along the midline of the spine, starting at the spinous process and finishing at the top of the anal crease.
Of the four spinal measurements taken by the device, only trunk angle of inclination was associated with future dependence in ADL ÛÓ defined by the researchers as either admission to a nursing home or need of home assistance after a 4.5 year follow-up period. At that time, 15.7 percent became dependent in ADL, 7.6 percent died, and 0.7 percent moved out of the town. The group was 58 percent female.
The subjects in the highest quartiles, who had the greatest angle of spinal inclination, were 3.47 times more likely to become dependent in ADL than those in the lowest quartiles (the group with the least spinal inclination), even after adjusting covariates such as age, sex, back pain, and stiffness.
Spine-Health offers these tips:
The main factors affecting posture and ergonomics are completely within oneÛªs ability to control and are not difficult to change. The following guidelines suggest several ways to improve posture and ergonomics, especially for people who work sitting in an office chair for most of the day.
- Know the warning signs of back pain caused by poor ergonomics and posture.
- Get up and move.
- Keep the body in alignment while sitting in an office chair and while standing.
- Use posture-friendly props and ergonomic office chairs when sitting.
- Increase awareness of posture and ergonomics in everyday settings.
- Use exercise to help prevent injury and promote good posture.
- Wear supportive footwear when standing.
- Remember good posture and ergonomics when in motion.
- Create ergonomic physical environments and workspaces, such as for sitting in an office chair at a computer.
- Avoid overprotecting posture.åÊ
Read the detail at the link above.
Medicare’s "BLUE BUTTON" Can Help You Track Care
Medicare’s Blue Button provides you an easy way to download your personal health information to a file. You can download the file of your personal data and save the file on your own personal computer. After you have saved it, you can import that same file into other computer-based personal health management tools. The Blue Button is safe, secure, reliable, and easy to use.
How to download & save your health information:
- Select the Blue Button to create a downloadable file with your MyMedicare.gov information.
- Select the information you wish to download, and select submit.
- Save the file as either a PDF or a TXT file to your computer.
- Upload or import this Excel data file into a personal health record application that can accept it.
Downloading your information gives you control over your health information and makes it easy to share with your doctors, caregivers, or anyone else you choose.
Since you control access to your downloaded health information, it’s your responsibility to protect it. You should treat your personal and health information just like you would your banking or other confidential information. Here are some important things to remember:
- Download your data to a secure location. You may want to download your information to a CD or flash drive. Consider purchasing an encrypted flash drive for your information. You may also encrypt or require a password to access a CD.
- If you want to send your information via email, you should encrypt the message.
- Keep paper copies in a safe and secure place that you can control.
- If you think your information may have been downloaded by someone else, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
