PATIENT POWER Health Insights for Seniors, Loved Ones and Caregivers
Defeat Diabetes Month While the feature focuses on African-Americans, ALL older Americans need to watch out: stats keep indicating one quarter of adults age 65+ have diabetes (and not all are diagnosed). Take the same CDC test noted in the feature to see if you're at risk.
Getting Full Knee Replacement? Check out the hospital carefully…for the staff, not just technology. A small study found that solid info from staff and other support gave joy & relief afterwards, despite the pain and challenges of rehab.
Try the Tramp No, not Chaplin: trampolines. A NASA study showed these workouts improve muscles, lungs, motor skills, etc. Yes, it’s recommended for seniors. Of course first get clearance, second, find the right place and third, take it slow!
Patient Power
photo: CDC
Empowering Black Women 4 Health Did you know April is National African-American Women’s Fitness month? If not, glad to enlighten you. I once helped Long Island College Hospital develop magazine articles on Black health issues and learned that, for reasons not totally known, many problems are more prevalent in this race. Check out Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) and you’ll see that 1 in 4 Black women, ages 55+, develop adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes. Their quote: “Diabetes is…more prevalent among Black women than other ethnic groups.” How much of African-American risk of not only diabetes, but heart disease and high blood pressure (HBP), is due to genes vs. how much culture, we still don’t totally know. But one reason the media and health pros keep updating this portion of our population on their food intake: they have extensive recipes for WM Medical Communications
April 2017/ Page 1