National survey indicates physicians believe addressing patients’ social needs is as important as addressing medical conditions.

According to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the social needs of patients are as important to address as their medical conditions. In a national survey of primary care providers and pediatricians, 85 percent believe that unmet social needs — things like access to nutritious food, reliable transportation and adequate housing — are leading directly to worse health for all Americans. Furthermore, 4 in 5 physicians do not feel confident in their capacity to meet their patients’ social needs, and they believe this impedes their ability to provide quality care.

The conditions we face day in, day out, where we live, learn, work and play, have a greater impact on our health and life expectancy than our medical conditions and the health care we receive.

It’s important that patients be connected to services that address their social needs. Services like fitness programs, nutritional food and transportation assistance are at top of list. Physicians say that those living in the urban and low-income bracket also need help with employment assistance, adult education and housing assistance.

If your loved one needs help fulfilling their social needs in the Torrance CA area, please call Home Instead Senior Care – we can help with needs like transportation, nutritious cooking, and helping your loved one keep moving in order to stay fit and active. Call us at 310-542-0563.

Source: Physicians Highlight Overlooked Connection Between Social Needs and Health

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

According to recent research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care® network, nearly all senior volunteers surveyed (98 percent) gain a sense of purpose, stay active and feel better physically, mentally and emotionally as a result of their service. Nearly three-fourths are able to overcome feeling isolated (74 percent) and feeling depressed (70 percent).

What’s the secret to keeping older adults from whiling away their days in a rocker? That’s the million dollar question for any senior care professional who has encouraged, cajoled and begged a senior to keep moving.

Inactivity, as many of those who work with seniors know, is one of the biggest obstacles to healthy aging. It appears, though, that a significant motivation to get older adults up and at ’em may come from an unlikely source: helping others.

Other benefits that the senior volunteer survey respondents identified include:

I want to help others — 99 percent

I want to make a difference in my community — 99 percent

I want to provide assistance to causes I care about — 99 percent

I feel like my volunteer contributions are appreciated — 98 percent

I enjoy volunteering with my friends — 93 percent

I want to socialize and meet new people — 92 percent

I want to share my talents, skills and experience — 90 percent

I enjoy learning new skills — 89 percent

I have more time now — 86 percent

I want to occupy my free time — 84 percent

Torrance CA CAREGivers are available to help your senior loved ones continue to pursue their passions by providing non-medical assistance at home – call us for more information 310-542-0563.

Learn more about how one volunteer is making a difference in his community: Salute to Seniors.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.1 million people 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease. They likely will lose one of their most treasured possessions: memories. The “I Will Remember for You Family Reunion Giveaway” contest recently launched by the Home Instead Senor Care® network can help those families keep their memories alive.

Submit a story in either written or video format about your experience with a family member living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias for a chance to win a family reunion – go to Remember for Alzheimer’s.

Essays and videos need to:

Share how Alzheimer’s has impacted your life.

Talk about the role that memories and remembering have played in your family, especially with regard to your family member who now has or had Alzheimer’s.

Share specific stories or examples of how you and your family members cope or coped with challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.

Tell why you deserve to win this family reunion.

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 31, 2012. Three finalists will be notified by a judge’s panel by Feb. 15, 2012. Online voting to select the grand prize winner will occur from March 28 through June 30, 2012.

Torrance local Home Instead Senior Care office can provide valuable information about Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and support to seniors – call us at 310-542-0563.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance (more…)

Research reveals that there’s no end in sight to the volunteering efforts for a majority of senior volunteers surveyed, who say they’ll go on “forever.” The Home Instead Senior Care® network has announced the Salute to Senior Service program to honor these older adults who go the extra mile to make a difference for charities and community service projects throughout North America. For those seniors who haven’t volunteered but are considering it, here are some suggestions:

Find a passion. Some people live their passion through jobs and careers, but that isn’t always the case. Retirement is the time to save the whales, feed the homeless and brighten up the neighborhood. Find something that fulfills.

Look for a need. That won’t be difficult these days. A 2009 survey, conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, found that 80 percent of nonprofit and AmeriCorps organizations surveyed reported some level of fiscal stress. To find out where volunteers are needed, contact the local Area Agency on Aging office, church or synagogue, or Senior Corps <<www.seniorcorps.gov>>.

Avoid perfectionism. It’s easy to want that special church event to be perfect or that remodeling project to look like it belongs in the nation’s leading home improvement magazine. Chill out! Perfectionism can ruin the project for everyone on the team.

Home Instead CAREGiver can help your senior loved ones stay on course with their volunteering by receiving support such as food preparation, light housekeeping and medication reminders – call us at 310-542-0563.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

For a vast majority of seniors who volunteer, their community service helps define who they are. According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network, nearly 100 percent of North American senior volunteers say that, when compared to other things they do in their lives, volunteering is important. One in five senior volunteers says it is the most important thing they do.

Help us recognize outstanding senior volunteers who make a difference in our Torrance area. Nominees have a chance to win $5,000 for their favorite volunteer organization. Please share volunteer stories from your community and nominate a senior for Salute to Senior Service.

• As seniors’ lifestyles and longevity have evolved over time so, too, is the desire for new kinds of volunteer activities, Dr. Tan said. In a highly technological world, the “new senior” has different interests than those of the past. Seniors are being encouraged to volunteer for a cause or an activity in which they are interested or for which they feel passionate.

• According to Home Instead Senior Care network research, 95 percent of senior volunteers feel that seniors who volunteer are healthier and happier than those seniors who do not.

• Check out more benefits from volunteering opportunities as well as information about how to make a deserving senior 65 and older who volunteers at least 15 hours a month a Senior Hero – SalutetoSeniorService.com.

• State and Canadian provincial (except Quebec) winners will receive plaques and their story on the SalutetoSeniorService.com website. A gift of $5,000 will be donated to the national winner’s favorite nonprofit charity.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

Seniors and middle-aged men who are physically active but do not lose weight might be in better shape than they think, according to a recent study. There is less worry about body mass index being a little high if the men are physically fit, researchers have said. Read the full study at Livelonger.

If the men maintain or improve their fitness level – even if their body weight has not changed or increased – they can reduce the risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The study was only of men but the researchers say it is likely to apply to women, too.

This is good news for people who are physically active but can’t seem to lose weight, said Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and physical activity epidemiologist in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

Results of the study underscore the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for death from heart disease and stroke, researchers said.

Researchers also found no association between changes in body fat percentage or body weight and death risk.

It’s unclear whether these results would apply to severely obese people, Lee said.

Our CAREGivers at Home Instead Senior Care in the Torrance CA area can be there to walk with your senior loved ones on a regular basis. A CAREGiver, of course, can provide plenty of other support, such as food preparation, light housekeeping and medication reminders. Call our Torrance office at 310-542-0563.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

How Stroke Affects People – Effects on the Body, Mind, and Feelings

Each stroke is different depending on the part of the brain injured, how bad the injury is, and the person’s general health. Some of the effects of stroke are:

Weakness (hemiparesis–hem-ee-par-EE-sis) or paralysis (hemiplegia–hemee-PLEE-ja) on one side of the body. This may affect the whole side or just the arm or the leg. The weakness or paralysis is on the side of the body opposite the side of the brain injured by the stroke. For example, if the stroke injured the left side of the brain, the weakness or paralysis will be on the right side of the body.

Problems with balance or coordination. These can make it hard for the person to sit, stand, or walk, even if muscles are strong enough.

Problems using language (aphasia and dysarthria). A person with aphasia (a-FAY-zha) may have trouble understanding speech or writing. Or, the person may understand but may not be able to think of the words to speak or write. A person with dysarthria (dis-AR-three-a) knows the right words but has trouble saying them clearly.

Being unaware of or ignoring things on one side of the body (bodily neglect or inattention). Often, the person will not turn to look toward the weaker side or even eat food from the half of the plate on that side.

Pain, numbness, or odd sensations. These can make it hard for the person to relax and feel comfortable.

Problems with memory, thinking, attention, or learning (cognitive problems). A person may have trouble with many mental activities or just a few. For example, the person may have trouble following directions, may get confused if something in a room is moved, or may not be able to keep track of the date or time.

**If you are seeking home care services for loved ones who have had a slight stroke call 310-542-0563.

Get Free Stroke Information.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

Stroke survivors and family members may find the hospital experience confusing. Hospital staff are there to help, and it is important to ask questions and talk about concerns.

What Happens During Acute Care

• The main purposes of acute care are to:

• Make sure the patient’s condition is caused by a stroke and not by some other medical problem.

• Determine the type and location of the stroke and how serious it is.

• Prevent or treat complications such as bowel or bladder problems or pressure ulcers (bed sores).

• Prevent another stroke.

• Encourage the patient to move and perform self-care tasks, such as eating and getting out of bed, as early as medically possible. This is the first step in rehabilitation.

Before acute care ends, the patient and family with the hospital staff decide what the next step will be. For many patients, the next step will be to continue rehabilitation.

The last stage in stroke recovery begins with the person’s return to community living after acute care or rehabilitation. This stage can last for a lifetime as the stroke survivor and family learn to live with the effects of the stroke. This may include doing common tasks in new ways or making up for damage to or limits of one part of the body by greater activity of another.

Recovering After a Stroke: A Patient and Family Guide

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

There will come a time when many Torrance seniors will need some additional care while they are living at home. Unfortunately, many seniors do not have family members that can take on this role and they are forced to hire a caregiver. When this is the case, it is important to go through an agency instead of hiring someone from the outside. Agencies will ensure that all caregivers are competent, honest and reliable.

1.  The most common form of senior abuse is financial abuse. Many caregivers, and others who provide services to seniors, will financially take advantage of the individual. Many seniors are very trusting and do not even realize this is happening.

2.  Seniors who are in need of a caregiver will benefit from using a senior home care agency. All of the caregivers employed will have passed a background check.

3.  Many people believe it is easier and cheaper to hire their own caregiver. While this may seem true at first, it usually ends up costing more. There will also be issues of quality care. When not using an agency, it is possible to hire someone who does not have a genuine interest in the well being of the senior.

4.  Being a good caregiver involves trust and respect. Caregivers should have a passion for helping the elderly and not be looking for personal gain in any way. Aside from a check from the agency, caregivers should not be paid for the services they provide.

Keeping Aging Relatives in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, safe and independent at home. We provide senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Torrance 310-542-0563.

Q – I don’t know about you, but I struggle in particular in shopping for elderly relatives. After so many years of gift exchanges, it seems to become harder to know what to buy, especially when there’s nothing they’ll admit that they need. Can you make some suggestions?

A – Think about practical items rather than extravagant ones:

• Items that allow them to pamper themselves – seniors on a budget are not likely to splurge on things they consider non-essentials. Buy them candles, soaps and body lotions that allow them to feel pampered at home. Gift cards to restaurants or spas are added luxuries

• Gift baskets – gift baskets with a combination of items, including some of the above, as well as seasonal foods, books, and craft supplies that they will enjoy and make use of are all great things to include! Gift baskets can be bought pre-fabricated or can be created at home

• The gift of companionship – seniors will most appreciate the company of their loved ones. If this is not possible, senior care services can be gifted for companionship and assistance at home

• Take an elderly loved one out for the day – a trip out for lunch around the holidays to see a movie or a musical event can be a very enjoyable way for them to spend a day and it will be memorable!

Home Care Torrance in El Segundo, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Palos Verdes Estates, Playa del Rey, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Torrance. Senior home care for Torrance Seniors and Elders. Call  310-542-0563.