Stretching to Help Balance

Keeping muscles flexible and in good working condition is important for balance, especially as we age and become more at risk for falls. The Mayo Clinic article, Stretching: Focus on Flexibility examines the benefits of a good stretching routine. Stretching may help improve your performance in physical activities and may help you avoid injuries.

They recommend routine stretching and to not consider it an afterthought. Stretching helps stimulate circulation and keep muscles flexible. One of their recommendations is to stretch when muscles are warmed up or after an exercise routine to avoid pulling a tight muscle.

A few tips to stretch correctly are: no bouncing, hold for 30- 60 seconds while breathing, don't stretch until you feel pain, and aim for the major muscle groups. If you participate in a sport then concentrate on stretching the muscles you use in that activity.

Heat will also help warm a muscle and improve blood circulation. A microwave heating pad may be just the
thing to use before a workout or stretching a tight muscle.

Maine Warmers'  Knee Pack can be used on knees, elbows, and more. Back Warmers and Neck Wraps are also versatile and can be microwaved for heat or frozen for gentle cold.

Tips for communicating with elderly parents

Talking with an elderly parent about their needs, fears, and frustrations can go a long way in helping to care for them. Communication and understanding is key to helping them through the aging process. Allowing parents to do as much as they can for themselves, for as long as possible, helps them emotionally and may save the caretaker extra work.

When you talk with your elderly parents, even though some of the issues are serious, try to keep the tone of the conversation light. Ask what they want as they continue their journey through their later years. Let him or her talk about the experiences they've had that influenced the way they do things or want their lives to be. Listen more than you talk.

Discussing finances with them is critical. Respecting their wishes and decisions, as long as they are reasonable and safe, is important to their well being. As long as parents are mentally capable of making decisions, then they need to be included.

Teaching parents about not giving out financial information to solicitors on the phone or at the door, no matter how nice the person seems, is vitally important. Even if phone solicitors claim to represent a utility company or a reputable organization, it is important for elderly parents to know to not give credit card or other personal information to them.

Resources
 
1.  OnlineOrganizing.com offers tips on organization in an article, Caring for Elderly Parents by Ramona Creel.
 
2.  Elder Care
 
3.  GRAND!times.com
 
If your elderly parent feels cold – even in the middle of summer – it may have to do with poor blood circulation and lack of physical activity. It’s worth a check with his or her physician (if the condition has not already been checked out). A microwave heating pad from Maine Warmers helps relax stiff muscles, stimulates blood circulation, improves flexibility.. A Cozy Sheep or Black Bear provides comforting companionship along with nurturing warmth.

Rehab for shoulder surgery or injury

After shoulder surgery my mom was given exercises to gradually increase flexibility. When the exercises didn't seem to be working she made an appointment with a physical therapist who discovered that she was not doing the exercises correctly. The therapist helped her gain flexibility and mobility in her arm so that she could drive and car as well as a golf ball again.

The therapist recommended using heat before exercising to help improve flexibility in the surrounding muscles. Taking over-the-counter pain medication was also recommended to help with the discomfort of moving those tight muscles and disturbing the scar tissue.

The Amercian Academy or Orthopedic Surgeons has a list of exercises for shoulder surgery patients. After surgery it is best to consult with your physician before attempting exercises, and it is especially helpful to have a physical therapist guide you through them for several sessions until you are sure you are doing the exercises correctly.

If you need a heating pad to help with flexibility check out Maine Warmers' microwave heating pads. They are easy to use, portable, reusable, and high quality. They are filled with whole corn which smells a bit like a bowl of pop corn and will not take on a peculiar odor as rice socks often do. They do not have any added perfumes or fragrances. A variety of traditional and animal shaped heating pads can be used on shoulders. Check out these Back Warmers and Neck Warmers to help relax tight muscles, improve circulation and flexibility.

What information is necessary to have in emergencies for elderly parents

If you are the person who cares for an aging parent it is important for you to have some basic information regarding his or her medical records. In an emergency, if he/she can't answer questions can you? It may make a huge difference regarding medical decisions.

The Mayo Clinic Web site has a list of things a caretaker should know in an emergency. This list is taken directly from that page.

• Names, addresses, and phone numbers of their doctors
• Birth dates
• List of Major Medical problems
• List of medications and supplements
• List of allergies
• Insurance cards
• Power of Attorney statement
• Advance directives (such as do not resuscitate orders, living wills, & where are they located)
• Religious beliefs
• Lifestyle information

Regarding privacy issues

The article states that in an emergency, when a parent is unable to give medical information the doctor may discuss your parent's health with you if "it is the best interest of your parent."

Before an emergency happens it is helpful to have your parent's basic medical information with you. You may download an emergency medical form from the Mayo Clinic web site on the page link above.

If you have an aging parent who needs a little warmth, even on warm days, give him or her a Maine Warmer to take the chill off. Stroke victims often have cold hands and feet. A Cozy Sheep, Bear, or Moose might be just the thing to help bring a smile. Maine Warmers microwave heating pads are portable, safe, washable, reusable, and made of high quality fabrics that have lasting value.

On May, 2009, MedLine Plus (part of the NIH) announced the results of a recent study, "Volunteering may increase retirees lifespan."

They sited reasons such as more social interaction, increased exposure to information, and feelings of self-worth as reasons for the lowered chance of death.

When I volunteered I learned new skills, met interesting people, solved problems, and felt appreciated for the work I did. Retirees can choose a field that interests them and can leave it when they feel like it. Volunteering often offers flexibility in schedule too.

If you know someone who is retired and a bit cranky staying at home, you might suggest a volunteer activity. Sometimes crankiness can be due to aches and pains. Outside interaction may refocus the attention on other things helping to forget about those physical discomforts.

If you know an older person with sore muscles or arthritis pain, you might give them a gift of warmth and comfort -- a Maine Warmer. It can be microwaved for heat to help relax sore muscles, and increase blood flow and flexibility. It can be frozen and used as an ice pack to reduce swelling and pain for those who have had surgery or a mild injury from a fall. Check out Back Warmers, Neck Warmers, and Ice Packs for the knees.

Cold or Flu?

What's the difference between a cold and a flu? Both may include stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, cough, and fever. The flu includes body aches, chills, often a high fever, and comes on suddenly. With a cold there may be a fever, usually of no more than 102 degrees.

The National Institutes of Health has two articles showing the differences between colds and flu, with in depth expalanations of prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments.

Complications from both cold and flu may include bacterial infections which can have serious effects on elderly people. Keeping one's immune system up and running well is important in preventing these complications. Taking care of oneself during a cold or flu is important also.

According to the NIH, Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) and Relenza® (zanamivir) are two drugs approved by the Understanding Flu.

CDC that are used to treat flu symptoms within the first two days of infection. Check out their explanations in the article,

If you experience chills due to a flu you may want to use a microwave heating pad to help provide comfort and relaxation. Maine Warmers' Back Warmers and Neck Wrap can be microwaved and taken to bed without the fear of overheating while falling asleep. There aren't any electrical wires and extension cords or hot water bottles to fill. This Cozy Penguin provides warmth and comforting companionship for children and elderly people who are experiencing the chill of a flu or inactivity due to illness or surgery.

Age-Related Increased Bruising

A bruise is caused when small blood vessels called capillaries are broken and blood seeps out into the surrounding tissue. With time the blood is reabsorbed into the body and the bruise disappears.

According to the Mayo Clinic in an article, Easy bruising: Common as you age, the following are a few causes.

As we age the supporting tissues surrounding capillaries weaken thus increasing the tendency to break. The skin also becomes thinner and loses some of the protective fat layer around surface blood vessels. What seems like a minor bump may produce a large bruise.

Blood thinning medications reduce the ability of blood clotting and increase the amount of blood that spills out of vessels when broken. Corticosteroids (cortisone, hydrocortisone, and prednisone) and diet supplements such as garlic, ginger, fish oil, and ginkgo may also increase one's proneness toward bruising.

The article recommends contacting your physician if there is pain associated with a bruise, if you are bleeding from the nose, intestines, or gums. If you suddenly experience large bruises for no reason, or if you start bruising when taking a new medication please contact a medical professional.

Time will help heal the bruise. If swelling occurs with the bruise the Mayo Clinic article suggests using a cold
compress and elevating the affected area to reduce swelling. Twenty minutes at a time is the recommended time to ice an injury. After swelling has gone down a warm compress might help "speed the removal of blood." Wearing long sleeves can help protect the skin and will hide a bruise.

To prevent bumps try clearing clutter and objects that block passage or free motion.

Maine Warmers' microwave heating pads can be frozen and used as cold compresses. The corn filling is not harsh like ice cubes. Mainely Ice, a knee pack, will also strap onto a leg or arm. Back Warmers and Neck Warmers can also be used on bruises. Maine Warmers animal designs like their sheep, bears, and Dachshund dog, and others, make excellent gifts for someone who is prone to bruising.