Professional Health Care Services, Inc.

If you think Wii is just for kids, think again. Don’t be shock if you see your grandparents going to gadget store and ask for Nintendo Wii. At these days, bingo cards and crossword puzzles are put aside and they were replaced by more hip and healthier alternative, the Wii games.

According to study conducted in 2008, 26 percent of aging individuals over the age of 50 played video games. This is an increase of 9 percent from 1999, according to release of data from the Entertainment Software Association.
Nursing homes and senior centers all over the country are purchasing Wii games and teaching aging seniors on how to play tennis, boxing, bowling and golf on Wii console. The Wii games have both mental and physical health benefits to elderly. The aging seniors are not only improving their physical fitness status, but they are flexing their mental muscles, socializing and having fun. With the Wii games, the aging seniors taking turn with the hand-held controls and compete with one another in various games. All these are components of a good brain fitness program.

As they aged, most of our elders have lost their ability to run around the tennis court, or hit a punching bag or pickup a bowling ball. These limitations can cause depression and limits their healthy lifestyle, thus it also limits the life of an aging senior. The Wii has changed that.

Being physically fit is one major element of being mentally fit. The games like WiiFit are purposely designed to be exercise games. The WiiFit is much more low impact than the “real” fitness program, making them more suitable elderly who need to build their strength and flexibility more slowly than younger people. The game also allows the players for track progress from the day they created the profile so they can see how far they’ve come since the first day played.

The best part of using the Wii as part of a healthy aging program is the laughter and excitement you see in the faces of the elders. They allow them to regain some of their youth and vitality. It makes them feel young and hip. For most of them, it seems like the old times. The Wii games have brought back feelings of being young again as they flex their mental muscles and improve their physical fitness.

The Nintendo Wii is a great gaming console for people of all ages. It can be a tool used for the elderly to help them live healthier and happier. Wii games promote healthy aging.

- Professional Health Care Services, Inc.

Pains, difficulty in breathing and in some cases, death are the ill effects of osteoporosis. It progressively develops without noticing and is found mainly in spines, hips and wrists. The fractures occur without pain but when develop and reach in acute stage are found to be difficult and painful.

The word osteoporosis simply means” porous “bones. It is the condition in which the bones become brittle, weak and easy to break resulting to fracture. It is the major public health threat among those persons aging from 50 and beyond. The changes in aging such as menstruation and the sudden fluctuation of body hormones may result to this disease. The inability of the produces bone cells in the old age may contribute to the factor of developing osteoporosis.
Since this disease is not normal in the stage of aging, therefore, we can say that osteoporosis is preventable.

What are the chances of having Osteoporosis?

There enumerable risks of having the disease like being a female; a slender and thin body figure; family history or genetically acquired; low intake of calcium vitamin D and exercise; inactive lifestyle like fond of watching TV and computers; having a Caucasian and Asian race; using of medicines in treating asthma, seizure, gastrointestinal problems and hypothyroidism; smoking; alcoholism and increasing age.

How to protect yourself from osteoporosis?

An ounce of prevention is said to be better than a pound of cure.
Since osteoporosis is preventable, there are several ways on keeping away yourself from such disease. In early stage, one should have a plenty of exercise to build strong bones. Another way is to develop a good habit and eating plenty of calcium. Know the food the foods that are rich in such nutrients like dairy products, milk and eggs and other similar foods.

It has also to be point out that being in the sun without the sunscreen for fifteen (15) minutes can help in the reduction of the risk of having osteoporosis. This essential vitamin can be also acquired through eating egg yolk, saltwater fish, liver and fortified milk.
Maintaining the ideal weight and being physically active in the early 30’s of one’s life is also recommendable. Quit in smoking and over intake of alcohol may help in building a healthy lifestyle and good bones. Maintaining a good posture and prevention of injuries and fall are advised.

How Osteoporosis is being treated?

Science has been conquering every dimension men could think. Medicines and treatment for osteoporosis is available. Some of them are Calcotinin (Actonel, a brand name for example), bisphosponates , Estrogen Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Replacement Therapy, and other medicines and treatments.

- Professional Health Care Services, Inc.

Older folks requires more care than a busy family or relatives can provide. In due time their will be considerations that needs to be taken into notice. Such considerations should well be very practical and beneficial to both the old folk and the family in general. Hence, when service and care is needed a nursing home might just well be the answer. It is very important in having this consideration that one should ensure to choose a trustworthy, reputable reasonably priced nursing home. The choice to transfer a loved one to this new home is very positive.

Even though that moving them into a nursing home would decrease your time spent together and contact, the time that you will have when visiting them will be of a better quality and well spent. Every day jobs related to cleaning, feeding, and tending your loved one will be administered by professional caregivers, your visits can be dedicated exclusively to spending quality time together.

The most noticeable benefit of moving a loved one in a nursing home is that there is continual care available around- the- clock. This one-of-a kind service catered to every patient is virtually unfeasible for family members to provide at home. Although one’s familiar ability and skill in managing a household with a older folk can never be underestimated. Commonly monitoring the loved one via an FM listening devices or cameras may not suffice the total and all round care.

And since you can be certain that your loved one is secure at a decent nursing home and that he is also being fed and given medications on time, your family can return to a more regular life.. When the facility is close enough to your home, the opportunity will also allow you to regularly visit and at the same time you can make the most of your availability to the whole family.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease which is characterized by progressive loss of bone mass throughout the body. Osteoporosis may strikes at any age but is more common among older people. If an elderly need a special care, then an elderly with osteoporosis need an “extra” special care and precautions. If you are caring for an elderly, especially if that person is female, there’s a high percentage that they have osteoporosis. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the condition affects as many as 55 percent of Americans age 50 years or older and about 80 percent of its victims are women.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. Osteoporosis has no cure, but there are treatments that can slow its progression and steps caregivers can take to help the elderly with osteoporosis manage day-to-day life.
Caring for someone with osteoporosis is a difficult task. As a caregiver you must constantly be on your guard against anything that could contribute to a fracture, the worst-case scenario for the osteoporosis patient. Here are some tips on how to take care of elderly with osteoporosis:

1. Facilitate doctor’s visitation. It is important to learn about the specifics of the elder’s condition. Take lots of notes and jot down your questions before heading to doctor for appointment. Ask about things such as medications, diet, physical activity and warning signs. Your doctor is also your first resource in dealing with any other medical conditions or questions that may arise as a result of living with osteoporosis.
2. Be attentive to elder’s medication. Encourage elderly osteoporosis patients to stay on their medication, and not just those prescribed to treat the osteoporosis. Make sure that they are taking the correct medications, and also make sure that medications are taken as prescribed.
3. Watch out for side effects. Be wary of the side effects that caused by medications, not only the medication for osteoporosis but even to over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements. They may pose risks. Side effects that impair vision or balance are particularly important to note since they can contribute to falls—a key concern with osteoporosis since bones break easily. Talk with the doctor about any drugs the elderly takes and stay on top of prescribed treatments.
4. Provide an elderly proof home. A home for an elderly with osteoporosis should be “fall-proof.” Statistics have shown that 30% of those who are above the age of 65 have experienced a fall before, and those beyond 80 years of age may have fallen once or more in a year. This is significant as an elderly who has fallen may suffer from injuries like fractures, bruises, contusions and other injuries. To prevent this clear any clutter from hallways, stairs or other walkways. Make sure living space is well lighted. Install handrails in bathrooms and textured mats in tubs and showers. Cover hard floors with rugs—with rubber mats beneath them if they are not already slip-proof.
5. Take care of yourself. Taking care of an elderly, especially one with osteoporosis is quite tasking. You have to take good care of yourself in order for you to be able to take good care of your ward. Take some time to recharge you batteries, by asking help of family members, friend or home health care professionals who can step in to let you take an occasional break. If you are too stressed out, you could no longer provide the care and services needed by elders especially the one with osteoporosis.