Older drivers make mistakes, even when healthy

Older drivers make mistakes, even when healthy

Decline in brain functioning ability could affect driving skills for healthy, older population, study finds
By Amanda Chan
Aging is associated with an increase in crucial driving mistakes, even among healthy people with safe driving records, according to a new study.

The oldest people in the study, who were between ages 85 and 89, made four times as many critical errors in a driving test than the youngest people in the study, who were between ages 70 and 74, the study said.

Overall, 17 percent of the elderly drivers in the study made mistakes such as veering or failing to use check blind spots that caused the professional driving instructor accompanying them to hit the emergency brake or grab onto the steering wheel.

Aging causes declines in brain functioning ability, which could affect driving skills and the ability to ignore distractions while on the road, said researchers from Australian National University.
The study was published online this week in the journal Neuropsychology.
Testing driving skills
Researchers had 266 volunteers between the ages of 70 and 88 take some tests measuring how well their brain functions. None of the volunteers had any signs of dementia, they all lived independently and they all drove at least once a week

Then, the volunteers were taken out for a 12-mile drive. A professional driving instructor rode in the car with them and had access to a brake on the passenger's side of the vehicle, while an occupational therapist rode in the backseat to note critical errors, including speeding, veering, tailgating, sudden braking without cause and failing to check blind spots.
Among those who made the driving mistakes, the adults ages 70 to 74 made, on average, less than one critical error. But adults ages 85 to 89 made, on average, nearly four critical errors, according to the study. And the volunteers who had had an accident in the last five years were also the most likely to make a critical driving error.
Men and women made the same number of mistakes in the study. The most common mistake was failing to check blind spots, followed by veering across lanes of traffic and failing to use turn signals, the study said.
The finding shows that older drivers may need extra training or screening tests to ensure they can be safe on the road, said study researcher Kaarin J. Anstey, a psychologist who directs the Aging Research Unit at Australian National University.
Tips for elderly drivers
Elderly drivers ages 75 and older made up 7.5 percent of fatal car crashes and 3.1 percent of all car accidents in the United States in 2008. There were 30 fatal accidents for every 100,000 licensed drivers for people ages 75 and older, while there were only 20 fatal accidents for every 100,000 licensed drivers for people between ages 65 and 74, and 19 fatal accidents for every 100,000 licensed drivers for people between 55 and 64, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As the Baby Boom generation grows older, the more elderly drivers there will be on the roads. In 2009, there were 33 million people age 65 and older with a driver's license, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC has some tips for older drivers to make sure everyone has a safe driving experience :

• Review medications with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure there are no side effects that can impair your driving ability.
• Get your eyes checked at least once a year, and always wear glasses or contact lenses while driving, if needed.
• Plan your driving route before you start driving.
• Don't tailgate; leave a large distance between you and the car in front of you.
• Avoid distractions such as cellphones, loud radios and eating.
• Consider public transportation if you don't feel safe driving.

Pass it on: Aging's effect on brain functioning could impact the ability of elderly people to drive.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43065601/ns/health-aging/

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas Senior Helpers Provides Many services in the Austin, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company. "

When to Treat Prostate Cancer?

How to treat, or not treat, early prostate cancer is a question that has long bedeviled older men and their doctors.

If patients opt for surgery or radiation, they may face long years of impotence or incontinence, not to mention the risks inherent in these procedures — all to attack a slow-growing cancer that may never cause any symptoms. But if they opt for regular monitoring, a.k.a. “watchful waiting,” they face a small chance that their particular cancer is one of the more aggressive ones and could kill them.

On the blog called GeriPal, written by a group of geriatricians and palliative care specialists at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Ken Covinsky just posted a clear and useful summary of a prostate cancer study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. After following almost 700 patients for 15 years, the researchers reported that age is a crucial factor: Among men under age 65, surgery extends survival, but men over age 65 (or in worse health generally) see no survival benefit. They die at the same rate whether they’ve undergone the surgery (and suffered its aftermath) or not.

Another case, then, in which older bodies respond differently — to procedures, medications, cocktail hours, lots of things — than younger ones. That’s important to know.

Credit: NY Times

Senior Fall Prevention Presentation: Please Share!

Senior Fall Prevention

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SENIOR HELPERS CAUTIONS FAMILIES TO LOOK OUT FOR ELDERLY FOR HOME SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

SENIOR HELPERS CAUTIONS FAMILIES TO LOOK OUT FOR ELDERLY

FOR HOME SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

The home is the second most common location of accidental, fatal injuries

(Round Rock, TX – June 2011) – One third of all injuries in the United States happen accidentally, at home.  Seniors over the age of 70 are among the highest risk group of unintentional home injury, both fatal and non-fatal.  Senior Helpers of Central Texas, one of the leading in-home providers of senior care is promoting June as Home Safety Awareness Month. 

“Seniors over the age of 80 are twenty times more likely (than the younger generation) to have an accident at home turn deadly,” says Frank Hayes, President of Senior Helpers of Central Texas.  “Just like you baby proof your home for an infant, you must take extra steps to provide a save home environment for your elderly loved one.  This isn’t difficult but often times it takes a trained eye to recognize danger zones for the elderly; that’s how our caregivers can help.”

Top Five Leading Causes of Senior, Accidental Home Injury Death:

1.       Falls

2.       Fire/Burn

3.       Poisoning

4.       Natural/Environmental (such as extreme heat/cold or a natural disaster)

5.       Choking/Suffocation

Fall Prevention:Falls alone account for 52.5% of all home injury deaths for adults age 65-74.  That percentage spikes by more than 25% for seniors age 85 and older.Below are some vital tips to follow to prevent your senior from taking a fall in or around the home:

·         Have handrails on BOTH sides of stairs and grab bars in bathrooms.

o   1/3 of households in America with stairs DO NOT have banisters or handrails.

o   Only 19% of households in America have grab bars in tubs/showers.

·         Have a lot of light at the top and bottom of stairs.  Also, keep hallways well lit.

·         Paint the bottom basement step white to make it more visible.

·         Secure rugs to the floor to prevent tripping.

·         Outside – be sure to check steps and walkways for loose bricks, cement or stone.

Fire/Burn Prevention:

·         Always stay in the kitchen while cooking.  And, roll up your sleeves when cooking/baking.

·         Keep things that can burn, such as dishtowels or curtains, at least three feet from the range. 

·         Test fire alarms monthly.  Install fire alarms on every level of your home, specifically near or inside all bedrooms.

·         Consider having a fire sprinkler system installed in your home.

·         Keep outside grills at least 10 feet away from the house and any bushes.

·         Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn.

·         Have chimneys, fireplaces, stoves and central furnaces inspected once a year.  Clean as needed.  Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace.

·         Keep your water heater set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remember, seniors have thinner skin than middle-aged adults and can burn more easily. 

“Studies show that seniors would much rather live at home versus in a nursing home, so home safety is the key to accident prevention,” says Moire Hayes, CEO of Senior Helpers of Central Texas.  “Sometimes seniors may take offense if family members try to safety proof their home. That’s why it often makes sense to bring in a third party, like a professional caregiver, to make changes so there are no hard feelings in the family.”

This story affects all seniors and their families in the Central Texas area. Help us spread the word about Home Safety Awareness month and our tips to keep seniors safe. We are happy to set-up interviews and provide photos/video to move this story forward for your readers/viewers.

###

Sources:  Home Safety Council, State of Home Safety Report, D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation.

About Senior Helpers of Central Texas 

Senior Helpers Provides Senior In Home Care Services in the Central, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check.
If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company. Learn more about Senior Helpers at www.HomeHealthCareAustin.com or www.SeniorHelpers.com/RoundRock

Senior Helpers Client Referral Form

Need to refer a Senior to Senior Helpers? Fill out as much information as you know and fax or email the Referral Form (below) to Senior Helpers of Central Texas.Fax: 512-597-3109  Senior Helpers Client Referral Form

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How to Retire When You Have Limited or No Retirement Savings

Hook Up!


Unless you're Rip van Winkle and have been asleep for the past 20 years, you know about the paucity of Americans' retirement savings and their resulting lack of confidence in their ability to retire. So if you're one of the millions of boomers approaching retirement age with low to no retirement savings, should you just wring your hands in despair and give up?

No way! You'll just have to be resourceful, and make the best use of the assets you have. Let me offer an example of how you can be creative to have a good retirement.

Suppose you're part of a married couple, both age 60, you're earning about $75,000 per year, and you've earned a similar amount throughout your career, adjusted for average growth in wages. Also suppose your spouse had sporadic earnings and will be relying on the Social Security spouse's benefit based on your earnings record.

In this case, your Social Security income at age 66, which is your Full Retirement Age (FRA), will be roughly $2,000 per month. Your spouse would receive an additional $1,000 per month at his or her FRA for a combined income of $3,000 per month, or $36,000 per year. Now consider a move that may sound radical, but is also quite practical: consider hooking up with another like-minded couple in a similar situation, finding a nice three-bedroom house, and living together. Your combined income will be $72,000 per year.

Beating the Averages
This $72,000 income amount is higher than the national average annual income of $62,857 for household units in 2009, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, or the median household income for all American family units of $50,221, as reported for 2009 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It's also higher than the average annual expenditures of $49,067 as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2009 for all U.S. household units.

So if an average American family can live on less than $72,000 per year, I'm betting that two resourceful married couples can do the same. And remember that all this Social Security income will be increased for inflation, and that retirees pay less income taxes on Social Security income than taxes paid on wages earned by working Americans.

And there are a number of ways your situation can get better. First, if you delay taking your Social Security income until age 70, your monthly income would increase to $2,640 per month. There's no reason for your spouse to delay taking benefits beyond age 66, since there's no delayed retirement credit that increases the spouse's income. In this case, you'd want to file and suspend your Social Security income at age 66, so your spouse can start the $1,000 monthly spousal benefit income at age 66. When you reach age 70 and you begin taking your Social Security benefits, your combined income will be $3,640 per month, or $43,680 per year. If both married couples did this, their combined income would be $87,360 per year.

It can get even better if both couples start saving like crazy now, and between them save $2,000 per month. If they do that for 10 years, they will have accumulated a little over $150,000 (assuming they earn 5 percent annually on their savings). If they decide to start drawing on that savings for additional income, it could generate $6,000 per year if they withdraw just 4 percent of their savings, and $7,500 per year if they withdraw 5 percent.

Don't Spend it All in One Place
However, I'd suggest they keep this savings invested for the inevitable day when one or more of them die and they lose the resulting Social Security income. In the example above, if either the wage earner or the spouse dies, then the spousal benefit of $1,000 per month stops, and the wage-earner's income continues for the remaining life of the surviving spouse. This amount was $2,000 per month if the wage-earner started benefits at age 66 and $2,640 per month if the benefit started at age 70.

I'd also suggest that this pair of couples make every attempt to spend less than their combined Social Security income and save as much as possible, because it's inevitable that one or more of them will need some form of long-term care. They may be able to take care of the first person needing care, but eventually they won't be able to do this on their own and they'll need to pay for additional help of some kind.

I also recommend they make a pact to be as healthy as possible, to reduce the money they'll spend on medical and long-term care bills. All of them can encourage each other to get daily exercise, such as walking together after dinner. They can share meal responsibilities, making healthy food they can all share. They might band together to grow their own food in a vegetable garden. They could share resources, such as appliances, cars, furniture, etc. They could start their retirement with a giant yard sale to get rid of the furniture and appliances they don't need -- that would garner even more savings. In short, they've formed a commune!
Finally, if one or both of the couples own homes that can be rented, they should do so in order to generate additional income. And the home equity could be tapped if and when one or more of these retirees needs long-term care.

I realize that there are many challenges that need to be addressed with such an arrangement, such as compatibility, discretionary spending, sharing of savings, estate issues, and deciding where visiting children or grandchildren will stay. And there will be significant challenges when one person needs long-term care or dies; they will need to plan carefully for this eventuality. But in the meantime, they'll have had many good years of retirement.

This is just one example of how you can be resourceful to make your retirement work. I realize that your circumstances might not fit the above example, but I hope this will inspire you to get creative in order to make the best of your retirement years.

About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas Senior Helpers Provides Senior In Home Care Services in the Central, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company.  Learn more about Senior Helpers at www.HomeHealthCareAustin.com

Mean old girls: Seniors who bully

Bullying doesn't always end in high school — it also happens in retirement communities

By Diane Mapes
When Nancy Murphy moved into a retirement community near Portland, Ore., she didn't realize she'd actually traveled back in time.

"I came into breakfast one morning and this woman sitting at a nearby table sees me and says, 'Well, would you look at the new girl? She has WET HAIR!'" says Murphy, a 75-year-old retired schoolteacher. "She did this three mornings in a row. Then I found a flyer in my mailbox with a copy of the house dress rules. I know she tucked it in there."

Murphy, who's lived at the facility just under two months, says she ignores the woman's jabs — "I refer to her as Harriet High School" — but others at the nursing home have confided they're afraid of her.

"I had dinner with two gentlemen the other night and they said she terrifies them," she says. "That she's dictatorial, demanding, critical — classic bully behavior."

While much scrutiny and study has been devoted to bullying in grade school and high school these last few years, less attention has been paid to another category of bullies: those with gray hair, false teeth, hearing aids and canes. But according to experts, gray-haired bullies do exist and, as with their younger counterparts, their behavior can run the gamut from verbal intimidation to physical violence.

"It's kind of an institutional thing," says gerontology expert Robin Bonifas, an assistant professor at Arizona State University School of Social Work, who's currently researching senior-to-senior bullying. "It tends to take place in senior centers or nursing homes or assisted living facilities, places where they're spending a lot of time and need to share resources, whether it's chairs or tables or TV stations or staff attention."

Mary Noriega, a 64-year-old from Phoenix, says she has had run-ins with a group of "mean girls" at the senior complex where she and her husband moved a year and a half ago.
"I've endured a lot of bullying," she says. "There's a clique here of probably 20 women and they feel they control the property. I'm their kicking stone."

Story: Mickey Rooney gets order against bullying stepson

Do You Know your Parent's Stay-At-Home Score?

NEW! 8-question quiz to help you find out how independent is your loved one.

Take the Stay At Home Quiz  HERE

Developed by senior care expert Dr. John Bowling, the quiz will help determine whether your parent can live independently in his or her own home.

The questions address a variety of factors that are critical to your parent's safety and well-being, including family support, mobility, memory, social interactions, and personal hygiene.

Each question can be answered on a sliding scale from "ALWAYS" to "NEVER." Simply move the slider to indicate your response.

Upon completion of the quiz, you will receive a quantifiable score that will indicate your parent's level of at-home independence and self-sufficiency.  

 www.stayathomescore.com  

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US !!!!

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang.

Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, Herman , I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on Interstate 77.

Please be careful!'

'Heck,' said Herman , 'It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!'