Elected “Better Sleep Month” by the Better Sleep Council, this May is the official month to improve all areas of our sleeping lives. Though many don’t realize it, getting a good night’s sleep is vital to our ability to function properly throughout the day. Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep can eventually lead to deterioration of the body and mind. Children, teenagers, adults, and seniors can all suffer the consequences of a poor sleeping pattern. Therefore, it’s important to assess your sleep on a regular basis, and take the right steps toward consistently obtaining better rest.

As we grow older our schedules change and our sleep patterns modify along with them. Because of this reason, seniors are very susceptible to sleep disorders. Since May is “Better Sleep Month”, many senior service groups are promoting senior health care and better sleep by doing their part to inform seniors about the intrinsic risks of deprived sleep, and how to develop an effective sleep plan. (more…)

Depression disproportionately affects the elderly. Unfortunately many times the signs of depression can be confused with signs of aging.  In order to properly diagnose and treat depression in the elderly, individuals, their care takers and health care providers need to be vigilant in looking for the signs and symptoms. Depression in the elderly can be debilitating and effect other areas of health. Determining if depression is involved is an important part of the health screening process.

Warning Signs of Depression

When dealing with the elderly and depression, some detective work is often needed.  It is important that the elderly and their caretakers know the signs and symptoms of depression. As the elderly tend to have a lot of confounding factors coming into play at the same time which affect their health, symptoms of depression are easily masked as signs of aging. Symptoms of depression vary from person to person.  Some common signs are:

• Tiredness and lack of energy
• Difficulty focusing, remembering and staying on task
• Irritability
• Feelings of guilt, emptiness or helplessness
• Sleeping too much or insomnia
• Eating more or less than normal
• Loss of interest in activities that were enjoyed before
• Crying for long periods of time
• Thoughts of suicide (more…)

You went out the front yard to fix the fence. Well, it is an easy task; you just get the new wood planks to replace the decayed ones. With a half a dozen nails, a hammer, a paint and brush, you figured the job will be over in a few minutes. There is just one problem, the last time you did the fixing of your fence was a good thirty years ago; and this time, you are going to need more than just your tools to manage your fence.

The pains in your joints due to years of lifting, flexing, and the overall wear and tear of connective tissues have made things more difficult for you. Now that you belong to the senior citizen age bracket, you have to factor bone or joint problems like arthritis and osteoporosis in everything that you do. Here are a few tips on how to take care and avoid complications on your aging joints and bone structures. (more…)

Old age may begin much earlier than thought if you believe age is defined by mental functions. According to new research conducted at the University of Virginia and published in the Neurobiology of Aging many cognitive functions demonstrate peak performance at age 22. By age 27 some cognitive functioning begins to decline while others such as memory decline around 37.

This study was conducted using standardized cognitive tests on 2,000 men and women aged 18-60 years of age and covered nearly seven years. Participants were in good health and well educated. (more…)

Depression disproportionately affects the elderly. Unfortunately many times the signs of depression can be confused with signs of aging.  In order to properly diagnose and treat depression in the elderly, individuals, their care takers and health care providers need to be vigilant in looking for the signs and symptoms. Depression in the elderly can be debilitating and effect other areas of health. Determining if depression is involved is an important part of the health screening process.

Warning Signs of Depression

When dealing with the elderly and depression, some detective work is often needed.  It is important that the elderly and their caretakers know the signs and symptoms of depression. As the elderly tend to have a lot of confounding factors coming into play at the same time which affect their health, symptoms of depression are easily masked as signs of aging. Symptoms of depression vary from person to person.  Some common signs are: (more…)