SYNERGYHomeCare.com Summer 2016
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ake no ifs, ands, or butts about it (pun intended), sitting is bad for your health! A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that sitting more than six hours in a day will greatly increase your risk of an early death.
In fact, the research suggests inactivity now kills more people than smoking. As a result, SYNERGY HomeCare has launched “Quit the Sit”, a campaign to encourage people to move their bodies more, improve their health, and hopefully lengthen their life span. We’ve created pledge cards to help people stick to their goals. Pledge cards can be cut from the magazine, or download a copy from our latest blog on the SYNERGY Homecare website. For those who haven’t been active in a while, it’s best to take it slow to start. Talk to your health care provider before beginning any exercise program.
WAYS TO QUIT THE SIT L
ooking for ideas on how to Quit the Sit? Just put one foot in front of the other. By simply walking, seniors can improve their health and lengthen their life span. The National Institute on Aging suggests that walking can do wonders for seniors. Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day will improve circulation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, alleviate arthritis symptoms, decrease anxiety and depression, and promote weight loss.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that older Americans engage in moderate to mild aerobic exercise for at least 2.5 hours per week. Don’t overdo it in the beginning. The secret to a successful walking program is making a plan and sticking to it. The benefits of walking come over time. Tailor your time and energy output to an
appropriate level for your age and health status. If you have balance issues, you may want to use a walking stick to help stabilize your steps, or engage a SYNERGY HomeCare caregiver to help support your fitness goals. An American Heart Association study revealed that American adults are 76 percent more likely to take a walk if another person is counting on them, so grab a partner and get going!
Fill out the pledge card below, and put it on your fridge, so you are reminded of the commitment you made to create a healthier and happier you.
I will take a stand - this is my goal. Goal:
SYNERGY HOMECARE COMMITMENT We are very proud to announce our commitment to the Alzheimer’s Association ® , as we have joined the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s ® National Team Program with a goal to raise $50,000. We’re dedicated to caring for and improving the quality of life for the families and clients living with Alzheimer’s. SYNERGY HomeCare staff sees first-hand the enormous impact this disease makes and, because of this, we are passionately committed to supporting the Alzheimer’s Association ® .
2 WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Donate Every donation makes a difference, regardless of the size. Every dollar donated will help to advance the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Visit alz.org/synergyhomecare and select the SYNERGY HomeCare - Home Office button to make a donation. Walk Walk to End Alzheimer’s is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide. Find a walk near you at alz.org/walk. There is no registration fee to walk. However, participants are asked to make a personal donation and commit to raising funds to support the fight against Alzheimer’s. Walk to End Alzheimer’s is an all-ages, all-abilities event lasting 2 to 3 miles. Contact your local Association office to learn the specifics of the event in your area.
USE OF FUNDS
Alzheimer’s care, support, research, awareness and advocacy Fundraising Administrative The Alzheimer’s Association exceeds the rigorous standards of America’s most experienced charity evaluator, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. The Association also holds a National Charity Seal from the Alliance.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
The Alzheimer’s Association is a global organization, working to advance care, support, and research across the world. From face-to-face support, to online education programs, and promising worldwide research initiatives, the money you raise makes a difference in the lives of those facing Alzheimer’s.
Provides care and support to all those facing Alzheimer’s. • Online message boards through ALZConnected®. • In-person support groups, connecting those facing the disease with a network of help in their community.
• A free nationwide 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900) offering information and referrals. Drives research toward treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure. • Provides more than $350 million to over 2,300 scientific proposals, creating critical advancements. • Brings the global research community together to tackle common challenges, such as the first new diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer’s in 27 years. • Drives support for transformational projects such as the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU). Speaks up for the needs and rights of people affected by Alzheimer’s. • Helps to pass landmark legislation such as the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which mandated a national plan to fight Alzheimer’s. • Works to ensure that federal policy reflects the urgency of the Alzheimer’s epidemic, resulting in unprecedented funding increases, including a historic $350 million increase. • Recruits and trains hundreds of thousands of advocates to ensure that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be ignored.
Summer 2016 | SYNERGYHomeCare.com
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& SUN SENIORS,
SKIN CANCER
As the days get longer, and the weather gets warmer, we will all be spending more time outside. But before we head out into the sunshine, we need to consider our skin cancer risk.
S
kin cancer is the most common type of cancer; more skin cancers are diagnosed in America each year than all other types of cancer combined.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS:
The odds of developing skin cancer rise as you age; according to the Skin Cancer Foundation,
● Wear protective clothing. You can buy clothes with built-in SPF (Sun Protection Factor) or use a laundry additive like Sun Guard™ to add SPF to the clothes you already own.
between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have at least one skin cancer episode. Many older adults think that there’s no point in continuing to protect themselves since the damage has been done, but it’s never too late to help prevent further damage and lower the risk of skin cancer.
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SYNERGYHomeCare.com | Summer 2016
● Stay out of the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
● Wear a broad-brimmed hat to shade your face and sunglasses to protect your eyes. ● Avoid tanning beds—they are just as damaging as the sun. ● Wear sunscreen daily, even if it’s cloudy or you are going to be in the car. Harmful rays can penetrate clouds and glass.
Additionally, it is important to choose the right sunscreen and use plenty of it. Look for a broadspectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. The American Cancer Society recommends the sunscreen you use should have an SPF of at least 30. Reapply it every two hours— more often if you are swimming or sweating. Apply generously, you should use an ounce (about a palm-full) to cover your arms, legs, neck, and face. While anyone can get skin cancer, the risk is higher if you have fair skin, freckles, a family history of skin cancer, have had a lot of sunburns, or take medications that increase your sensitivity to light.
SENIOR LIFE HACKS
ARE YOU READY TO GET HACKED
These hacks have nothing to do with a computer security issue. This is all about creating shortcuts for your life.
A
ccording to Wikipedia, a life hack is a term for “any trick, shortcut, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life.” Seniors need these shortcuts more than anyone, especially when it comes to staying safe. According to recent statistics, more than 31 million people were rushed to the ER last year for unintentional injuries. Many of those people were seniors. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an older adult trips every 13 seconds. While it is SYNERGY HomeCare’s mission to keep seniors safe all year round, we’re putting a fun twist on teaching people how to take care this summer with some helpful life hacks. SYNERGY HomeCare has compiled a list of the best senior life hacks used by caregivers to ensure a safer, more enjoyable summer. We’re excited to share it with you!
EMPOWERED IN THE SHOWER Place a bar of soap in the leg of pantyhose. Tie the open end to a towel bar in the shower or the shower head. Seniors can still use the soap through the stocking. Best of all—no dropping the soap, or slipping and falling trying to pick it up.
STOP THE SLIP Place a strip of colorful duct tape on the edges of stair steps to make it easier for seniors to judge depth and distance, and keep them from tripping and falling. Place strips of puffy plastic shelf liner on stair handrails to increase grip and reduce slip risk.
• Wrap rubber bands around a glass to prevent it from slipping out of hands and breaking. This reduces the risk of cuts. • Use rubber-coated gardening gloves to help open jars or bottles. Puffy Plastic shelf liner works, too!
Now that we’ve covered the safety side of things, here are some other helpful hacks for seniors.
GET A GRIP
ZIP IT
Arthritis and other conditions can impact how well a senior can grip, hold, or open items. A poor grip can lead to injury while using simple items around the house. • Slip a foam hair roller over the end of silverware to improve hold—especially with knives.
Attach round key rings or bobby pins to zipper pulls to make getting dressed easier.
CANNED DO Use canned goods as weights during exercise. Grab those peas and get pumping!
RECIPE RESCUE Attach a cookbook or recipe page to a pants hanger and hang from a kitchen cabinet doorknob for handsfree recipe reading.
ICE, ICE BABY Use an upside-down ice cube tray to hold playing cards.
HAVE A BALL Think about this. Even before life hacks were a “thing”, seniors have been employing one of the oldest tricks in the book—putting tennis balls on the bottom of a walker to help it slide better. Do you have a senior life hack to share? Go to the SYNERGY HomeCare Facebook page and upload a picture and the description of your helpful hack.
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MULTI GEN VACATIONS T hese days, families are spread out across the country. This is particularly the case for the Brockman clan, with family in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Florida. Every year, Lydia Brockman plans the annual family vacation that spans three generations— ranging in age from eight to eighty.
Finding something that suits everyone can be daunting, especially when there are different interests and physical abilities at play. But, Lydia says, with enough planning (and patience), it can be done.
The Brockman’s are part of a growing trend of family vacations that include three or more generations. According to a recent poll from the Automobile Association of America, 36 percent of families planned to take a multi-
generational trip within the next year. A new Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts survey revealed one in five grandparents have been on a Disney vacation that included their grandchildren.
Some of the most popular picks include cruises and all-inclusive resorts and tours. Travel agents, such as Enrique Brener, owner of KC Travel in Miami, point to the variety in these options which give families the flexibility to do things together as well as apart. It also helps to keep costs under control. Brener says there are several things you need to keep in mind to pull off a successful vacation for family members with decades of differences between them:
PLAN AHEAD Try to start planning a year in advance. You’ll need to work around school, sports, and work schedules.
ATTENTION TO ACTIVITY When choosing the destination, keep in mind what everyone likes (or is able) to do. Pick a place where older people can be comfortable, and young kids can be active. For example, if the kids want to go skiing, make sure the older family members are enjoying a trip to a museum or a guided tour.
CONSIDER A TRAVEL AGENT By putting the travel arrangements in the hands of an expert, you can avoid a lot of headaches. Travel agents have experience and knowledge about what types of trips will work for your family’s needs. If something goes wrong during the vacation, your travel agent can navigate you through the issues. They can also take the sensitive subject of payment off your plate, by sharing pricing options with the group. Have you gone on a vacation with several generations of your family? We’d love to hear about it on our Facebook page! Please #famvaca on facebook. com/synergyhomecare/.
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uly is National Sandwich Generation Month. For those not familiar with the term, it’s the name given to the population of adults “sandwiched” between taking care of their children and their aging parents.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child. Paula Wojciechowski of Milwaukee spent much of the past decade dealing with this issue. Paula’s father’s health was declining. Around the same time, her mom was diagnosed with dementia. The challenges of taking care of her parents, her own children, and a home business mounted. It wasn’t very long before Paula recognized that she couldn’t do it all, or do it alone. Paula ended up hiring a caregiver from SYNERGY HomeCare. “Looking back, I couldn’t have gotten through that time without them.” said Paula. Unlike Paula, many people try to shoulder the responsibility alone and they end up feeling the effects physically and financially.
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL CENTER ON CAREGIVING: • Between 20 and 50 percent of sandwich generation caregivers report symptoms of depression, especially by those caring for people with dementia. • Stressors for family members include financial concerns, marriage and family conflicts, place caregivers at greater risk of experiencing depression. • Research shows family members who care for elderly loved ones are at higher risk of developing serious health problems as they ignore their own health needs.
If you are part of the sandwich generation, here are four helpful tips to make everything a little more manageable. Find Good Care – Research whether a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility, or home care is best for your loved one. SYNERGY HomeCare’s Guide to Elder Caregiving is a great resource, synergyhomecare.com. Delegate – Ask other family members to pitch in with household chores or take your aging loved one to a doctor’s appointment. Hire a professional caregiver through SYNERGY HomeCare for some respite care.
Take Care of Yourself – Find time to get away, even if it is just for coffee with friends. Also, know when to say no. Get Flexible – If you have a job outside of your family caregiver duties, approach your employer about switching to a more flexible schedule or temporarily reduced hours. You can also discuss working from home, if that is an option.
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