Oct
31
When I first registered the name “60 in 3″ it was all about losing 60lbs in 3 years. I thought this was a great symbol for my fitness philosophy, slow and gradual. However, someone pointed out to me that it may be interpreted as “60 years old in another 3 years.” In fact, I have had a few people make that mistake, which is why I occasionally get questions and inquiries about senior health care. Unfortunately, I can’t always answer those, so it’s a good thing that someone like Emmy Pei has come along with her guest post.
This post is especially important to me as I have a grandparent in this exact situation. It’s difficult to tell someone who has been independent all of their lives that they may need someone else to take care of them. So it’s nice to hear that there may be alternative solutions.
Without further ado, here’s Emmy’s post. If you have any further questions for her, please post them in the comments.
Assistive Technology to the Rescue: Helping Seniors Stay Home
Due to advancements in medicine, technology, and our increased knowledge of fitness and nutrition, people are living much longer, healthier lives. In 1900, the average North American life span was roughly 47 years. Today that number is closer to 80, and according to Jeanette Takamura, dean of Columbia University’s School of Social Work and former assistant secretary for aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, by the year 2030, the number of Americans over 65 will have increased to 72 million.
For most this is wonderful news, but for seniors with disabilities this number can be worrisome. In the face of an ageing population, fewer and fewer workers are willing to take care of them in hospitals and nursing homes. Low wages and tough working conditions are making it difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff. On the other side of the coin, fewer and fewer seniors want to be looked after by nursing home workers. So the big question remains: Who will take care of them? Well, thanks to technology, it looks like seniors will be able to take care of themselves.
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology has been defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system…that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” So if we are to accommodate the increasing number of disabled seniors who wish to remain at home, as well as those who are forced to stay home due to limited nursing staff, we need to focus our attention on smartening their homes with assistive technologies. This can be a little tricky, as each individual has a unique set of needs requiring a unique set of solutions. The following systems are a great start, and offer a wide variety of elderly care.
For those who are perfectly capable of living at home alone but who have medical conditions, are at risk of falling and injuring themselves, and who could benefit from the peace of mind knowing that help is easily accessible in case of emergency, personal response systems like Direct Alert provides valuable assistance. In the form of a watch, a bracelet or a necklace, help is only the push of a button away. Once pushed, you will access an emergency response team who can assess the situation and respond accordingly. A notification is also sent to your emergency contact, as well as a neighbour, so that help will arrive as quickly as possible. 70% of North American women over 85 live alone, but with Direct alert technology they don’t have to feel alone.
For seniors whose well being requires a more vigilant watch from the outside, there are home systems like QuietCare. Home monitoring assistive technology helps loved ones and professionals keep track of specific activities. Sensors are placed all over the home, near the medication, on top of the fridge, in the bathroom where most falls and accidents occur, and they essentially “report” back in the form of computer data. Sleeping habits, medication schedules, what temperature the home is kept at, is all information analyzed by a central computer, and should any significant changes occur, a notification is sent to a family, a doctor, or a neighbor by phone, email, or text message. You can even track their movement patters on a website. This may seem intrusive and seniors might not like the idea of Big Brother always watching, but sometimes a caring eye needs to be kept on them for their own good. Complicated medication schedules can be easily forgotten, high home temperatures might go unnoticed and falls can happen at any time.
Everything from walkers to magnifying glasses, from enlarged touch tone telephone numbers to computer software, all fall under the category of assistive technology. And, as these technologies advance, smart homes equipped with emergency response systems and motion tracking sensors will help to keep seniors healthy and at home for many years to come, making the number 72 million without enough workers, a little less scary.
EDIT - Please note that it seems like Emmy Pei does indeed work for Direct Alert, something I was unaware of when I chose to post this article. I have gone ahead and removed the links from the article since I refuse to have 60 in 3 used this way, but I have kept the text of the article since it does have some useful information. Thank you to the readers who pointed all this out to me in comments and emails.
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Hope you enjoyed this guest post from Emmy. Next week, we’ll be back to our regular 60 in 3 articles. Have a happy halloween or (if you’re not a halloween fan) enjoy your weekend!
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Aug
6
Debunking The Diet Myths
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Guest Post, Weight Loss | 3 Comments
Today’s post was guest written by Heather Johnson, from Nursing Degree.
Debunking the Diet Myths
You’ve heard everyone from your mother to next-door neighbor tell you how to keep the weight off after you’ve successfully reached your weight-loss goal. Some of these tips certainly have their credence but many are devoid of any value. It boils down to you knowing your body and what your body can handle as you try to keep the body you worked so hard to attain. Take any advice with a grain of salt. Just know that some of what you hear is complete nonsense. Here are a few of the myths that are just not true and ones you should avoid:
- Cut your meals down. The idea that you have to starve yourself to keep the weight off is not only ludicrous but dangerous. Low-calorie diets are completely unhealthy and should only be adhered to when ordered by a physician. The only acceptable reason for such a diet is if losing weight is mandated by a serious medical condition.
- The fad diet is just that – a fad. All fads pass. Remember bell-bottoms, afros and the pet rock? Yeah, they’re all gone and this is what will happen to the fad diet. Lose 30 pounds in a month? If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you go on a crash diet and see immediate results it’s probably due to water loss. This won’t last as the true way to lose weight is to lose the fat.
- Eat everything and still lose weight. Once again, common sense needs to be applied here. If you intake more calories than you burn you’re not going to lose weight. Putting anything in your body besides water is going to add calories to your mass. You lose the calories by performing cardiovascular activities. It’s simple math, just make sure you pay attention to it.
- Try a bunch of different diets. Jumping around from one diet to another is not the answer. If you keep fluctuating what your diet is then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Sticking to one dietary program is much healthier in the long run than trying all the different diets you hear and read about.
- Just because it worked him doesn’t mean it will work for you. Hey, you get lots of great ideas from your friends. Just remember that because a diet worked for one person doesn’t equate into success for you. We’re all built differently and we have different needs when it comes to dieting. Stick to what works for you and applaud your friends and family when they achieve success.
By-line:
This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of nursing schools in Georgia. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
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