Choosing Assisted Living In this episode, taken from our appearance on the Charlotte Today Show, we talk about the differences in long-term care living. Used to be what people called the home was a skilled nursing facility. Now when making the reference, it is more likely to be an assisted...
News You Can Use
Mediterranean Diet Good for Brain Health – Smilecast 100
Mediterranean Diet May Have Lasting Effects on Brain Health A new study shows that older people who followed a Mediterranean diet retained more brain volume over a three-year period than those who did not follow the diet as closely. The study was published in the online issue of Neurology, the...
Falling Safely – Here’s How To Do It – Smilecast 99
Try Martial Arts to Learn Falling Safely Researchers say seniors with osteoporosis can use martial arts training to learn to learn about falling more safely. Testing the force of impact of a variety of different martial arts fall exercises, research subjects performed sideways and forward martial arts falls, which involve...
MultiFocal Lenses Contribute to Falls – Smilecast 98
Reduce Risk by Switching from Multifocal Lenses to Single Focus Seniors who wear multifocal prescription glasses could reduce their risk of falling if they switch to a single-focus lens while walking outdoors. Researchers studied 606 seniors aged 65 and older who used such lenses while walking outdoors. Half the seniors...
Failure to Anticipate Distances Leads to Falls – Smilecast 97
Injuries from falls traced to decline in ability to mentally estimate and anticipate stepping and reaching distances. Professor Carl Gabbard, director of the Texas A&M Motor Development Laboratory, focused on “estimation of reachability” — whether an object is within or out of reach. Gabbard explains that before actions are performed...
Those Prone to Falls Fail to Adjust Walking Speed – Smilecast 96
Prone to Falls? Watch Your Environment Seniors prone to falling might do so because they fail to adjust their walking speed to their vision impairments. Irish investigators from Trinity College in Dublin divided 17 participants into three groups and made them complete a walking course, once while wearing goggles that...
Aging in Place – Charlotte Today Show – Smilecast 95
Aging in Place – Is it for Everyone? Often as people age their biggest desire is to remain in their homes. But is that realistic for everyone? To age in place requires planning. The goal of aging in place is to help seniors live in the residence of their choice, for...
Playing Catch Can Improve Balance and Prevent Falls – Smilecast 94
Playing Catch Good for Balance The simple training exercise of catching a weighted medicine ball can improve balance and may help prevent falls in the elderly, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. When someone is jostled by a bump or a stumble, the brain uses two...
Stress and Alzheimer’s – Not a Good Combo – Smilecast 93
Stress and Alzheimer’s – Stress Can Accelerate Symptoms Stress-induced hormones produced by the brain can increase an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s in individuals already suffering from the disease. When the brain is stressed, it produces steroids that can inhibit general brain activity....
Social Isolation – A Growing Epidemic Among Seniors – Smilecast 91
Social Isolation – A Growing Epidemic Among Seniors (reprinted from my HuffPost50 Blog) According to the AARP, 51 percent of people over 75 live alone. Twenty-six percent face an increased risk of death due to subjective feeling of loneliness. More than 8 million adults age 50 and older are affected...