Distributing Swine Flu Prevention Packets

at The Round Rock Senior Center Today. And talking about prevention methods and precautions for the upcoming flu season. We want to make sure that every senior gets the word to take extra precautions as we enter a 'predicted' violent flu season.

14 Signs That an Aging Parent May Need Your Help

From: MyOptimumHealth

Children of aging parents should trust their instincts. If you think a parent needs help, take action before the situation gets worse.

Nancy knew that her parents were not getting around as well as they used to. Her mother was becoming forgetful and needed to be reminded to take her medication. Her father had recently fallen on the steps. Whenever she suggested getting a home health aide to assist them since she lived far away, they insisted they were fine.

But when Nancy got a call from her parents' long-time neighbor that their lawn hadn't been mowed in weeks and her mother was acting confused, she knew it was time to step in.

An older person's health can change without warning. Your 77-year-old dad who has never had a traffic ticket drives through a stop sign. Your highly organized mother neglects to pay the phone bill or feed the cat. Professionals in elder care advise children of aging parents to trust their instincts when they see danger signs and take action before the situation gets worse.


Signs that your parents might need help
The prospect of losing one's independence can be terrifying. Older adults can be proud and reject that they need help, despite appearances. Concerned adult children may need to look beyond what their parents are saying...and to clues that their caring attention is needed.

Your parents may need your help if...

1. They are not taking medication as prescribed.
2. Their driving skills have slipped.
3. They are neglecting bills or not depositing checks.
4. They fall prey to a financial scam or high-pressure sale.
5. Their clothes are not clean.
6. They are not brushing their teeth or shaving.
7. They have dropped their hobbies and friends.
8. They are eating poorly.
9. Their house and yard are not being tended to.
10. They are not taking proper care of pets.
11. They have limited contact with the outside world.
12. They seem confused or depressed.
13. They have lost bowel or bladder control.
14. They trip often or have trouble with stairs.

What to do?
If one of your parents appears to need help, make an appointment with a health care professional who is trained in evaluating the medical, emotional and lifestyle needs of the elderly. This expert could be a physician, home care professional, nurse or geriatric social worker.

A comprehensive assessment should include your parent's mental and physical health, living space and daily lifestyle. The purpose is to identify risks and determine what assistance or preventive measures could improve the parent's quality of life. The recommendations could include medication; home health care; home safety modifications; strategies for managing loss of bladder or bowel control; vision loss; or treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Involve your parent in any decisions that need to be made. By addressing age-related problems early, there is a much greater chance that an older parent can continue to live independently for more years than would be possible otherwise.

Flow by Author & Speaker Dan Thurmon

I recently listened to a superb motivational speech by Dan Thurmon. Here is an article on "Flow" that is very motivating too:

Don’t you just love it when things go smoothly? At such times, events, tasks, and conversations seem to happen naturally, and in a way that flows with perfect timing and seamless execution? We have all enjoyed these wonderful occasions. But we are also familiar (perhaps, more so) with the opposite experience, when obtaining progress seems to require supreme effort.

The concept of “flow”—this elusive and wonderful mode of operation—fascinates me, and I have always been drawn to questions surrounding the subject, such as:

• What is the state of flow, and how does it relate to human performance?
• Does flow happen accidentally or intentionally?
• How can we recapture or reproduce this state when it matters most?

When Elder Care Problems Escalate, You Can Hire an Expert

A great article from the NY Times:

CARING for an elderly parent is emotionally and mentally draining. There are diagnoses to decipher, housing issues to consider, health aides to vet and a raft of legal documents to complete. It can seem overwhelming, even when families are in complete agreement on how to care for an elderly relative. And often they are not.

Read the rest of the article.

Swine Flu Prevention Tips

At Senior Helpers we care about every senior and their well-being. Here are some tips we have to help seniors better understand what the swine flu is and how to prevent infection to you and your loved ones.

Q: What is swine flu?
A: It's a common respiratory disease in pigs that doesn't usually spread to people. When pigs catch this flu, many get quite sick, and 1% to 4% die, according to the World Health Organization. In the past, people have sometimes caught swine flu if they worked directly with pigs.

Q: How is this swine flu virus different?
A: This strain appears to be a subtype not seen before in humans or pigs, with genetic material from pigs, bird and humans, according to experts. Unlike most cases of swine flu, this one can spread from person to person. One of the confirmed cases in the USA caught swine flu from a spouse, who had been to Mexico.

Q: Were pigs the carriers of this virus?
A: It's closer to say that pigs were the mixing bowl for this virus. Birds can't pass bird flu to people. But pigs are uniquely susceptible to getting flu viruses that infect birds. Experts have long worried that a pig would catch a bird strain of the flu and then the virus would mutate inside the pig to a form that could also infect other mammals. That may be what happened in this case. Pigs can also be infected with more than one influenza virus at a time, allowing the viruses to share genes, called "genetic re-assortment," creating new and potentially much more virulent viruses.

Q: Can you catch swine flu from eating pork?
A: No, according to experts. Pigs coming in to slaughter facilities are monitored for flu symptoms, and those that are ill are not allowed to enter the food supply. Cooking also kills the virus. People who work with pigs, however, can catch the virus. The Department of Agriculture is conducting tests to confirm that the food supply is safe.

Q:Is there a vaccine against swine flu?
A:No, but government scientists could try to create one. They've identified the virus, should they decide to create a vaccine they can work toward that goal very quickly. CDC scientists don't know if this year's flu vaccine offers any protection.

Q:What about anti-virals? Can they prevent swine flu?
A:This strain of swine flu does appear sensitive to the antiviral drugs Relenza and Tamiflu, but not to amantadine, or Symmetrel, and rimantadine, or Flumadine, Besser said. With normal seasonal flus, if taken within the first 48 hours after symptoms appear, anti-virals can help people recover a day or two sooner. Doctors sometimes prescribe anti-virals to household members of people with the flu to prevent them from getting sick.

Q:What are the symptoms?
A:The most common symptoms are fever, fatigue, lack of appetite and coughing, although some people also develop a runny nose, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea, according to the official diagnosis.

Q:What should you do if you have these symptoms?
A:Stay home from work or school, to avoid spreading your illness to other people. Don't get on an airplane. People should call their doctors to ask about the best treatment, but should not simply show up at a clinic or hospital that is unprepared for their arrival.

Q:How can people protect themselves?
A:As always, people should wash their hands frequently. In the past, there isn't conclusive evidence to support using face masks. Surgical masks are designed to prevent the wearer from spreading germs, but may also catch large respiratory droplets if someone sneezes nearby.

All seniors should be constantly aware of any sickness that is spreading around them since they are the most prone to becoming more ill than most. Senior Helpers can provide clean and efficient services to sharply reduce the chance of you or your loved ones attaining the swine flu virus.

Give a Senior Swine Flu Prevention Package

Let's all take care of our Senior family members and friends during this flu season:

Experts urge families to protect elderly after seniors left off vaccination priority list. Almost 10% of U.S. Swine Flu deaths occurred in people over age 65.

Holly Springs, NC, September 17, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Remember all those care packages your parents sent you to heal a broken heart, feed you at college or make your birthday memorable? Now children/grandchildren can send aging relatives a care package of their own with the Senior Swine Flu Prevention Package. Some senior groups complain senior citizens did not make the government's priority list for Swine-Flu vaccinations. So senior care experts warn relatives it's their job to keep elderly loved ones safe.

"This season's flu outbreak is a constantly changing dynamic situation and families must be vigilant, especially with seniors," says Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers. "If you have aging out-of-town relatives, send them a prevention care package and/or hire a caregiver to go into their home and help them take precautions. In- home caregivers are trained to spot symptoms and get seniors immediate help."

This year, The White House advised Swine Flu could infect half the U.S. population, hospitalize 1.8 million people and lead to as many as 90,000 deaths. The government's vaccination priority list that left off seniors did include pregnant women, health care workers, people caring for infants, children and young adults from 6 months to 24 years and people age 25 - 64 with underlying medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes. Seniors are not as likely to get Swine Flu because they have some immunity, having been exposed to multiple flu outbreaks. Still, since April, the CDC reports more than 9 thousand U.S. hospitalizations from Swine Flu (not broken down by age). Swine Flu has killed 593 people - 171 deaths in adults age 50-64 and 57 deaths in adults ages 65 and older. So Senior Helpers, the fastest growing provider of in-home care for seniors, says families should not take chances.

"In this massive outbreak, we don't want families to get lackadaisical about looking out for elderly loved ones," says Ross. "If your aging relative gets really sick from Swine Flu, you'll wish you had done something. The kit is one way to help protect seniors from Swine Flu and even seasonal flu, especially if you live apart from your aging relatives."

You can assemble the Senior Swine Flu Prevention Package for less than $20. For other prevention suggestions, go to www.Flu.gov.

The Senior Swine Flu Prevention Package includes:

• Senior Swine Flu Tip Sheet (available to download at www.seniorhelpers.com)
• Latex gloves - to wear when opening doors, shopping, etc. to avoid picking up germs.
• Vitamins
• Hand Sanitizer - Pocket size bottles can easily be kept in purses, cars, briefcases and desks.
• Baby Wipes - Seniors should wipe down hands, door knobs, car doors, pens, etc..