AoA eNews is an electronic newsletter distributed by the AoA Office of Communications. Its contents are for informational purposes.
For information on AoA please visit our website at http://www.aoa.gov/.
Area on Aging Electronic Newsletter
Financial Crisis Survival Blog - and Money Saving Ideas
http://crisissite.info/blog/
Reduce Your Utility Bill
Click on the link to visit the blog -
http://utilitybillreduction.jansaz.com/
New Report Spotlights Elders Living in Poverty
In the report, Aging in Poverty: A Call to Action, researchers also note that 18% of Americans will have experienced poverty by the age of 70, 29% by the age of 80, and 41% by the age of 90.
To download a copy of the report, please go to http://www.familiesinsociety.org/new/SpecialIssue/AgingInPoverty/AgingInPoverty.pdf
Prescription Drug Interaction Checker - tool to help you avoid drug interactions
The Drug Interaction Checker explains the mechanism of each drug interaction, the level of significance of the interaction (major, moderate or minor), and in certain cases, can provide the recommended course of action to manage the interaction. The Drug Interaction Checker will also display any interactions between your chosen drug(s) and food.
Medication Dispensing Service by Phillips
With the complexity of medications many seniors take, it's no surprise: 1 in 10 hospital admissions for seniors are a result of medication errors.* Philips Lifeline now offers a simple, proven Medication Dispensing Service that can help.
Philips provides an easy-to-use solution that helps maintain the proper medication schedule. Hear a simple audio reminder and at the push of a button, get your medications at the pre-programmed times.
Sound easy? It is—and it's effective. Philips Medication Dispensing Service has been proven to deliver a 98.6% in-home dispensing adherence level among monitored subscribers.
Click here to learn more
Develop a Plan For Your Future to Live Independently
You value health, independence, and the comforts of home, but sometimes changes in mental and physical health challenge how well we can live independently. That's why it's important to think about your expectations and plan for the future with appropriate support along the way.
It can be difficult to develop a plan for the future, but researchers at Boston University have created an easy Independent Living Assessment to help you, right from the comfort of your own home. Philips Lifeline is sponsoring this free assessment to help you take control of your future and add to peace of mind for both you and your family.
Powered by Boston University Activity Measure for Post Acute Care (AM-PAC), the assessment will help you think about three areas of your life:
moving about freely
managing life skills
performing daily tasks
TAKE THE INDEPENDENT LIVING ASSESSMENT
https://www.theindependentlivingassessment.com/
Calling Medicare Help Line
Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP)
OSHIIP provides free health insurance information and services for people with Medicare. You can reach them at 1-800-686-1578 or by e-mailing oshiipmail@ins.state.oh.us.
Medicare
For general Medicare information, ordering Medicare booklets, and information about health plans, call 1-800-MEDICARE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for assistance. English and Spanish-speaking customer service representatives at this number can answer questions about the Original Medicare Plan and provide up-to-date information regarding the health plans available in your area. You can also visit www.medicare.gov.
Familywize - Immediate Savings on Prescription Drugs for Everyone
http://www.familywize.org/index.aspx
IT'S FREE: This is a free resource from the FamilyWize community service partnership. Use this FamilyWize card to start saving money on your prescription drugs today.
IT'S EASY: Simply present your card and prescription to a participating pharmacy to obtain the discounted price. You always receive the lower of the discounted price or pharmacy's retail price.
HOW MUCH YOU SAVE: This card can save you and your family an average of up to 30% or more on 8 out of 10 prescriptions. Click here to see the discounted price of medications using this card. (Note - that this says prices at CVS may be significantly higher, even for generic drugs) It pays to price shop.
NO RESTRICTIONS: Use your card as often as you need, for any prescription, for everyone in your family. There is no income limit, age requirement, eligibility or registration required.
$1 BILLION IN SAVINGS: The goal of this community partnership is to reduce the cost of medicine for children, families and individuals with no prescription drug coverage by $1 billion. FamilyWize cards are being distributed free of charge nationwide by participating United Ways, community and faith-based organizations, county agencies, doctors, businesses, some pharmacies, and individuals like you. The discounts and savings are provided voluntarily by the more than 55,000 participating pharmacies that have agreed to accept this card. Please remember to thank your pharmacy for its participation and those helping to give out the cards for the difference they are making for you, your family and your community.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Did you know that more than one out every five people in the United States has no prescription drug coverage? Please email, text and tell your friends, family members, co-workers, and members of groups you know a link to this website, place a link to this site on your websites and web pages, and print cards for the people you know that do not have Internet access. And please click on the Volunteer Center to get cards and flyers to distribute in your area. Together, we can make a difference! THANK YOU!
THIS IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE: Discounts are available only at paticipating pharmacies.
Happiness Increases After 50 - Gallup Poll Finds
For all who have dread "the golden years", a new Gallup poll suggests that happiness increases after 50!
Who knew?
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/06/01/2010-06-01_happiness_increases_after_age_50_gallup_poll_finds.html
A "Black Box" for Humans to Monitor Health
The day is coming - the technology that was developed to monitor the vital signs of the astronauts may soon be used in homes to monitor our heart and respirations! Thanks to technology, when this type of technology is used, the "black box" will help save lives (and money) by providing the data of what happened and when!
Stroke's No Joke. Time Lost is Brain Lost - Get Informed
Photo from -
Know the warning signs of stroke and teach others.
Every minute counts so being informed can help you save your life or that of others.
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you.
Also, check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. It's very important to take immediate action. If given within 3 hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) may reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.
tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset.
Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death (right behind heart disease and cancer) and the number one cause of adult disability in the United States. The more risks factors you have, the greater your risk.
Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that increase the risk of disease. Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of stroke. Most of them can be modified, treated or controlled. Some can’t.
This link includes a risk assessment tool, please use it.
http://www.powertoendstroke.org/strokesnojoke.html
Ohio StateUniversity Extension - Dining with Diabetes Program
techniques, and strategies for healthy meal planning.
Dining with Diabetes is both a cooking school and a nutrition education program for people with diabetes and their family members or caregivers. The three-class series includes discussion, tasting of healthy delicious foods, and demonstrations. Topics include carbohydrates and sweeteners,
fats and sodium, and vitamins and minerals. The classes are taught by a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian or Certified Diabetes Educator. A reunion class is held several months later as a follow-up to the series, and program participants are asked to share their
behavior changes through a program evaluation.
Dining with Diabetes reaches more than 2,000 Ohioans annually and has helped individuals lower their blood sugar levels, lose weight, and increase physical activity. Comments from participants include: “You take a complicated subject and make it easy,” “I always learn something new every time
I come to class,” and “There’s no one to tell new diabetics what they need to know. Dining with Diabetes is definitely needed—it fills that void.”
For additional information about Dining with Diabetes, contact your local OSU Extension office or Monadine Mattey at mattey.1@osu.edu
Adult Day Services
Some adults come for the social aspects of adult day care, others have family caregivers who work and must be gone during the day, still others come for a respite break or a change of scene.
Call today to schedule a tour and get more information.
937-547-7600
Adult Day Centers provide benefits for the participants as well as the family caregiver, often providing a respite break to allow the caregiver to run errands, visit the doctor, shop etc.
Adult Day Centers are very affordable - not only do they care for loved ones in a safe, secure environment, they also provide meals and snacks and help with hygiene, if needed. Transportation, if needed, can be arranged.
If you are not familiar with Adult Day Care Services, click here to access an article on Adult Day Services, published by Ohio State University.
Click here to access Brethren Retirement Community's web site
Food as Medicine for Older Adults
By Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Lorain County.
Increasingly, research is finding that specific foods—typically the more colorful, plant-based foods—have disease-fighting capabilities. Blue, purple, and red foods, such as berries, are rich in phytochemicals that may reduce risk for some cancers.
Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, may be beneficial in preventing or slowing the disease of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in aging adults.
Buying nutrient-dense foods means shopping with color in mind. Upon entering the grocery store, start with the produce section and select a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those in season. Buying produce in season is important for taste and nutrition, and it is economical. Spend as little time as possible in the aisles with processed or canned foods. Those generally contain ingredients like sugar, salt, and fat, which add calories but few or no micronutrients that are important for good health.
Start slowly and select one or two appealing vegetable items, then identify a variety of simple, tasty ways to prepare them. The options abound.
Even something less well known, such as kale (the curly-edged, dark green, leafy vegetable often used as garnish in restaurants), has tasty possibilities. Consider making “kale chips” by washing and thoroughly drying the kale and cutting it into chip-size pieces with kitchen shears. Be sure to remove the middle rib on each leaf of kale. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle the pieces with a little olive oil and sprinkle them with a seasoning (such as turmeric, nutmeg, or a salt-substitute). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Another approach might be to place cut-up, well washed, and dried kale leaves in a blender or food processor and turn them into flakes. Store those flakes in the freezer in a sealable bag. Regularly add a spoonful of kale flakes to soups or sprinkle on salads. Those are just a few of the type of ideas found on Oregon State University’s recipe web site http://healthyrecipes.oregonstate.edu/.
The question of food as medicine? Deliciously so.
Systems to Keep Track of Taking Medications
Some do it by using pill boxes with the day of the week.........others do it by using a box marked with the time of day the pill is to be taken - and the appropriate meds are in each box.
The Ohio State University and the Ohio Aging Network Professionals has a link to an article that lists several different systems.
Find one for you.
Make sure your spouse/children know which one you use.
Update it whenever you have new medications or stop taking a medication.
Keep a list of what you take, with the dosage, and why you take it - in your wallet.
Click here to access The Ohio State University article.
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