Crisis for US Elderly

Economic bad times are hitting senior citizens especially hard, reports AARP. Americans age 55 years and over are struggling with medical bills along with mortgage, credit card payments and rising gas and food prices. The bankruptcy rate for seniors age 75 to 84 years went up over 400% over the past 16 years. People who had saved lost money in the stock market. Now many are struggling to go back to work, even in their 80's.

AARP warns of the rising risk of financial failure with advanced age, as social safety nets erode. Corporations are not able to meet their health care and pension obligations to their former employees. Services from NGO's are down due to rising gas prices. Experts warn that people should be debt-free when they retire - including being mortgage free. Our health care system, with expensive co-pays for seniors covered by Medicare, just aggravates the problem. Widows in their 80's are among the those in serious crisis.



Thank you pingnews for use of Images of Aging.

Labels: bankruptcy, elderly, retirement

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Pulmonary Emboli - A Serious Post-op Complication

Pulmonary emboli - or clots in the lungs are very much on my mind these days. In the space of one month, two friends of mine, both young women (30's) who suffered large bone fractures ended up in ICU post-operatively due to life-threatening pulmonary emboli. This troubles me because it's a post-op complication that should be preventable in most cases.

Facts about pulmonary emboli (PE):

• Pulmonary embolism is the lodging of a thrombus from a distant site in the pulmonary circulation
• 650,000 cases occur in each year 50,000 resulting in death
• more lethal in women and the elderly
  
• 5 symptoms of (PE):
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting
• Cough, coughing up blood
• Rapid breathing and heart rate
• 5 Risk Factors
• Trauma to the lower extremities
• Post-operative state
• Prolonged immobilization (including air travel)
• Use of estrogen containing BCP
• Obesity

The take away from this post is that if you have had a fracture or surgery and have any of the above symptoms, don't wait. This is a life-threatening emergency for which you must seek immediate treatment.

Prevention is key - walking and getting active as soon as medically possible following illness or injury is imperative. Get the blood in your legs circulating. Talk to your doctor about prophylactic use of blood thinners.

Thank you brykmantra for use of photo Lubbock Heart Hospital.

Labels: pulmonary embolism

Permalink | 2 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

It's EveryBody Deserves a Good Massage Week

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals celebrates International Massage Week with their message EveryBody Deserves a Good Massage. Massage has many health benefits besides just making you feel good. There are more than 250 types of massage and body work and some therapies are covered by insurance.

Although considered "alternative therapy", massage has been around a long time. Give yourself or someone you love the gift of therapeutic touch this week.


Thank you kruain J&B for use of photo Ayurveda treatment.

Labels: massage

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Get Out & Enjoy Our National Parks: July 13-19 is National Therapeutic Recreation Week

National Therapeutic Recreation Week is to enhance promotes public awareness of therapeutic recreation programs and services, and expands recreation and leisure opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help with illnesses, disabilities, and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, functional abilities, independence, and quality of life.

The National Sports Center for the Disabled promotes outdoor recreational activities for people with all types of disabilities. Don't let a disability or illness deter you from enjoying the great outdoors and the thrill of adventures. Join up with one of the groups and get outside.













Thank you looking4poetry for use of photo Marathon de Paris 2008.

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

33rd National Wellness Conference - Stevens Point Wisconsin

The National Wellness Institute is hosting its annual Wellness Conference although the theme this year may be a bit arcane for most of us. A Visionary Turning: Well Earth, Well People is the title and I think the translation is that for us to be healthy our environment has to be healthy and vice versa. I'm all about wellness and a healthy environment but I'm getting a little cranky with the lack of outreach to communities who would benefit most from the message.

Ethnic minorities and the poor are the folks who have limited access to tools for wellness. I guess that's why I am such a fan of Canyon Ranch Institute. CRI does active outreach to underserved communities to improve disparities in access to care and prevention, improve health literacy and promote healthy lifestyles. It's time for the rest of the wellness community to stop preaching to the converted and get out into communities to reach people who need them.


Thank you Gypsyrock for use of photo Plan Bee.

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Travel Abroad - Watch the Road

The greatest threat to Americans traveling abroad isn't an exotic tropical disease like malaria. According to US State Department data, the number one cause of death of US citizens traveling internationally is motor vehicle accidents (MVA). Infectious diseases account for only a 2% of deaths while traveling. Road traffic accidents accounted for 34% of all deaths while traveling, followed by homicide (17%) and drowning (13%).

Men die in far greater numbers than women do while traveling. Men account for almost 75% of deaths in US citizens traveling abroad. Injuries and violence are a greater threat to travelers than infectious diseases. Some tips for safe travel:

• Use safety belts and helmets while riding in cars and motorbikes
• Minimize alcohol intake - alcohol is a risk factor for injuries
  
• Be alert when crossing streets
• When planning adventure travel in low-income countries, be aware that trauma facilities comparable to US trauma centers may not exist
• Use larger vehicles and larger aircraft for travel

Homicide was the leading cause of death for US tourists in low-income nations like Haiti, Columbia, Honduras and Guatemala. Be aware of your surroundings and again, avoid intoxication. Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death while traveling and may be due to social isolation, substance abuse and culture shock.


Thank you joiseyshowaa for use of photo US tourists in Belize.

Labels: safety abroad, travel safety

Permalink | 2 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Thank You Dr. Tam for The Seinfeld Edition of Grand Rounds

The show may have been about nothing, but Grand Rounds 4:42 The Seinfeld Edition, by Dr. Tam of The Blog that Ate Manhattan, is about something - and manages to be both funny and informative. He connected my Watermelon post with the award winning Master of Their Domain episode. Read him to find out why he is one of my top 3 favorite medical bloggers. Don't miss his opinions about the HPV controversies...

Labels: Dr. Tam, Seinfeld

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

5 Tips for Bicycle Safety & Summer Fun

One of the mother's who shares my commute told me her family's Fourth of July weekend was ruined by an unfortunate accident. Her 13 year old was riding her bicycle - in flip flops - and fell into a picket fence, catching her toe in one of the wooden slats and breaking off the bone.

The toe had to be surgically reattached and the daughter spent the weekend with her leg elevated and on pain meds. There goes the rest of the summer - no sailing, no soccer, no biking, no hiking.

• Here are some safety tips for bicycle safety this summer:
1. Use helmets and proper safety gear including protective foot wear.
   
2. Make sure the bike is equipped with reflectors and wear reflective patches on clothing in low light.
3. Be aware of your surroundings and changing terrain.
4. Bicyclists are subject to the same laws as motorists. Yield right of way and obey traffic signals.
5. Bicycle safety is not just for kids - 70% of bike fatalities are adults and 90% of those are males. Most deaths occur in the summer months between 3 - 9 PM.
   

Thank you mindcaster's photostream for use of photo City Cycle Chic. What is wrong with this picture?

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Watermelon - Relaxes the Blood Vessels & May Increase Libido

Watermelon & the Fourth of July just go together. The lowly watermelon may have a lot to do with our sense of well-being this holiday weekend - so eat up & enjoy! This lovely vine-growing fruit is rich in phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotenes, lycopene and citrulline. Citrulline is converted to arginine in the body. Arginine is an amino acid with beneficial effects on the heart, circulation and immune system.

Arginine enhances the production of nitric oxide a blood vessel dilator that works much like Viagra, according to researchers at Texas A & M. The great thing about watermelon is no side effects~ Watermelon also helps the kidneys detoxify the body.

Keep your watermelon at room temperature to store it. Refrigerate after cutting. Enjoy! Have a happy & safe July 4th Weekend from your friends at Healthline.






Thank you Foreversouls for use of photo Watermelons.

Labels: lycopenes, watermelon

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

This 4th of July - Leave Fireworks to the Pro's

We all love fireworks displays. Fireworks are low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for entertainment and aesthetic purposes. The Chinese invented fireworks in the 12th century BC as an aesthetic use of their invention of gunpowder, and fireworks displays became anticipated events at major celebrations. Today, China remains the largest manufacturer of fireworks in the world. Most fireworks consist of paper tubes filled with combustible material which is launched and exploded.

The beauty and magic of exploding light seems synonymous with summer fun and excitement. It seems unpatriotic not to participate in watching a display of light against the night sky. Consumer use of fireworks - even sparklers which can heat up to 1800 degrees F - is extremely dangerous. Eye and hand injuries are common, especially in young children who are bystanders. Burns from embers or clothing which ignites can also be a hazard.

Bottle rockets are extremely unstable and can cause blindness. Even minor injuries should be treated in the emergency room. Each state in the USA has different laws governing the use and sale of consumer fireworks. Know the laws in your state. Tribal laws on reservations differ from state laws. Enjoy the sights and sounds, but be safe.








Thank you Creativity + Timothy K Hamilton for use of photo St. Louis Fireworks - July 4th, 2005.

Labels: fireworks safety

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment