September 18th - 24th, 2022
 
Join the National Council on Aging in observing Falls Prevention Awareness Week, September 18-24, 2022. The week is a national health campaign observed on the first day of fall to increase awareness around falls health and injury prevention.
 
The NCOA has created Falls Free Check-Up, an online screening tool that can serve as a first step for older adults to learn more about falls risk and steps to prevent falls and accidents. To take the Check-Up, click the button below.

• Refrigerated or frozen foods may not be safe to eat after the loss of power.
• During power outages, keep your fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep the cold in.
• Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and any leftovers) after 4 hours without power. A freezer can stay cold for up to 48 hours, but any frozen perishable foods should be thrown away if they thawed. Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment. Unplugging your medical devices, appliances, computers and other sensitive electronics can protect them from damage when the power returns.
• If you use a generator during the public safety power shutoff, never use it inside your home, basement or garage.
• Run your generator more than 20 feet from any window, door or vent. Generators can produce carbon monoxide. When carbon monoxide builds up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, it can be lethal to people and animals.
• When using a generator, use a battery-powered or battery backup CO detector in your home, especially in sleeping areas.

Click the button below for more information from the CDC.

Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on weather. Check current conditions on the Oregon Smoke Information Blog (oregonsmoke.org).
Remember that cloth, dust and surgical masks do NOT protect from the harmful particles in smoke.
N95 or P100 respirators approved by NIOSH may offer protection, but they must be properly fitted and worn. They won’t work for everyone, especially children.
Here's how you can protect yourself and your family when smoke levels are high:

• Stay inside if possible.
• Follow your breathing plan if you have one. Wildfires and pollution contain small particles that can make asthma and other chronic diseases worse.
• Make sure you have enough medication and monitor your health. Call your health care provider if your asthma gets worse or you’re exposed to smoke.
• If you can, create a cleaner air space.
  • Keep windows and doors closed.
  • Avoid strenuous outdoor activity.
  • If available, use high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in indoor ventilation systems or portable air purifiers.
  • You can also create a DIY box fan filter.
    
• If you are unable to create a cleaner air space, many communities open cleaner air spaces during severe smoke events. In partnership with local officials and organizations, 211Info maintains a list of public cleaner air spaces. You can learn more about cleaner air spaces:
  
• Dial 2-1-1 or 1-866-698-6155- available 24 hours a day.
  • Text your zip code to 898211 (TXT211) – available M-F from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
  • Check www.211info.org

• Click the button below for more information on protecting your health during wildfires.
  

For many people in Oregon, dealing with the wildfires has been especially difficult.
For those directly affected by the fires and evacuations, these traumatic events can bring feelings of stress, anxiety, grief, worry and anger. Even those who were not directly affected by fires and evacuations this year but have experienced them in the past may feel these emotions again. Seeing news reports or images of current fires or hearing about fires affecting loved ones can drive feelings like anxiety and stress.
Click the number below to be connected with the Safe + Strong Helpline; someone to talk to or find mental health resources.

You do not need a pricey gym membership or fancy equipment to get regular exercise. With a little creativity, you can find many ways to exercise for little or no money.
If you have heart disease or diabetes, be sure you check with your health care provider before starting to exercise.
Get the specifics here...

Being a primary caregiver, particularly for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other health conditions, isn’t an easy job. For many, the role can be emotionally, physically and financially taxing, which can lead to caregiver fatigue or burnout. 
Knowing how demanding caregiver roles can be, a recent study published in the scientific journal Nature highlights the importance of why caregivers need respite care, or a short-term break from their duties, which can be arranged for several days or weeks. 
Read the full synopsis by Alyssa Hui, a freelance journalist and a former TV reporter and radio host, by clicking the button below.

A new film promises to open the conversation about family caregiving in America by focusing on a topic traditionally spoken of in whispers: mental health.
In the documentary "Hidden Wounds," writer and director Richard Lui introduces viewers to three families, including his own, to reveal the tightrope family caregivers walk, balancing their daily lives with caregiving duties.

Rachel Nagler, 39, has worked part time since she was 22, but she will never be financially independent, according to her father. She is legally blind with a seizure disorder and mild cognitive impairment, the result of birth trauma.
For her parents, Sam and Debra Nagler of Concord, Mass., planning for retirement required them to focus on Rachel's future as well as their own. 

Caring for an older family member often requires teamwork. A primary caregiver — especially a parent — may be hesitant to ask for help or a break. A few ways you can help are:

• Provide emotional and moral support. Acknowledge how important the caregiver has been and discuss the physical and emotional effects of caregiving. Just listening may not sound like much help, but often it is.
• Offer to arrange for respite care. Respite care will give your parent a break from caregiving responsibilities and an opportunity to care for themselves.
• Help coordinate a move to assisted living or a nursing home. In time, the person receiving care may have to move to a residential facility. If that happens, you can help your parent by selecting a facility that fits everybody’s needs.
  

Click the button below to learn more about supporting a parent with caregiving responsibilities.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. Common symptoms include:

• Tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head
• Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time
• Slowness of movement
• Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls

 
While the exact cause of the disease remains unknown, many researchers believe that Parkinson’s results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There is no cure for Parkinson’s, but there are medicines, surgical treatments, and other therapies that can relieve some of the symptoms associated with the disease.
 
To learn more about Parkinson's disease, click the button below.

Some people perform incredible feats of strength and endurance well into their retirement years. The great news is: You don’t have to bench press 300 pounds or run a marathon to benefit from strength training.

NIA-funded researchers have been studying the effects of strength training for more than 40 years and have identified multiple ways it can benefit older adults, including maintaining muscle mass, improving mobility, and increasing the healthy years of life.

Click below to learn more about the findings, along with tips for maintaining strength or becoming stronger as you age.

The room transformed as an older woman danced around the skilled nursing care unit to rock ’n’ roll hits from her youth. Her husband later took her hands and joined her in a two-step tour of the space. First-year Penn State College of Medicine medical student John Bufalini watched in awe as the couple’s joy filled the room at the assisted living facility. 

Between 2015 and 2020, the number of unpaid caregivers in the United States increased from 43.5 million to 53 million, and one in five of those care for family members. According to a Pew Research Center study, the most significant percentage, 44%, provides care for aging parents. Of that percentage, there’s little information regarding siblings that share the responsibility of caring for parents.

I didn’t volunteer to become a caregiver to my elderly parents. Instead, I was slowly initiated into the role. It started by doing little things to help. Even though they were in their mid-eighties, they insisted on staying in Pensacola, Fla., their home of 50 years. Since I lived in Virginia, I called twice a week to check on them and shopped for them online. With each visit, I tried to notice things that would tell me if they were doing all right.

Your skin changes as you age. It becomes thinner, loses fat, and no longer looks as plump and smooth as it once did. Your veins and bones can be seen more easily, and scratches, cuts, or bumps can take longer to heal. A few things you can do to keep your skin healthy and protected this summer are:

• Limit your time in the sun. Try to avoid being in the sun during peak times when the sun’s rays are strongest.
• Use sunscreen. Look for sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) number of 15 or higher. It’s best to choose sunscreens with “broad spectrum” on the label.
• Wear protective clothing. Choosing the proper clothing can help protect your skin. For example, consider wearing loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts.

As a caregiver, you may worry about the health of older family members or other loved ones as they age. The good news is that adopting and maintaining a few key behaviors can help older adults live longer, healthier lives — and it’s never too late to start! Consider these tips to boost healthy habits:

• Promote physical activity. Exercise can help reduce levels of stress and anxiety, improve balance and lower risk of falls, enhance sleep, and reduce feelings of depression.
  
• Encourage healthy eating. Having a healthy diet can support muscles and strengthen bones, which can help with balance and independence.
• Schedule regular check-ups with a doctor. Staying on top of doctor visits may help reduce risk factors for disease such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Find more ways you can support healthy aging in older adults.

Oslo neurosurgeon Christer Mjåset, vice president of the Norwegian Medical Association, suggests 4 questions that we should pose to our doctors the next time they recommend a medication, procedure, test, treatment or surgery.

• Is this really necessary?
• What are the risks?
• Are there other options?
  
• What happens if I don’t do anything?

Respite care provides short-term relief for primary caregivers. It can be arranged for just an afternoon or for several days or weeks. Care can be provided at home, in a healthcare facility, or at an adult day center.

Caring for an older family member often requires teamwork. While one sibling might be local and take on most of the everyday caregiving responsibilities, a long-distance caregiver can also have an important role.
 
As a long-distance caregiver, you can provide important respite to the primary caregiver and support to the aging family member.

It’s important to understand what is and isn’t a normal part of aging. Many people make assumptions about what it’s like to grow “old” and how older age will affect them. Research has shown that you can help preserve your health and mobility as you age by adopting or continuing healthy habits and lifestyle choices. A few common myths about aging are:

• The older I get, the less sleep I need. Older adults need the same amount of sleep as all adults — seven to nine hours each night.
• Only women need to worry about osteoporosis. Although osteoporosis is more common in women, this disease still affects many men and could be underdiagnosed.
• It’s inevitable that older people will get dementia. Dementia isn’t a normal part of aging. Although the risk of dementia grows as people get older, it’s not inevitable, and many people live into their 90s and beyond without the significant declines in thinking and behavior that characterize dementia.