General Health Articles

In the News: Deciphering Dementia

One of the dreaded words that many elderly people fear hearing is dementia. And unfortunately, it is increasingly more common as the years go by. Although dementia is a progressive disease, there are currently no cures for dementia.

As with many diseases, early detection is key to giving doctors the chance to slow the progression and extend the quality of life.

According to experts, “Dementia is the term for many disorders that cause changes to memory, thinking, and personality. These interfere with a person’s ability to function. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia; at least 5 million Americans are affected. About 50 million people are living with dementia worldwide. That number is expected to triple by 2050, as the population ages and people live longer.”

But how do you know if you or a loved one are suffering from dementia? Memory problems are the first sign of dementia. And the most common memory problem… someone with dementia may forget where they left certain objects.

Sure, all of us lose objects from time to time, but for people suffering from dementia, they lose the ability to retrace their steps to find the item that they misplaced.

Other signs of dementia include language difficulties, such as trouble finding the right words or communicating generally; visual/spatial problems, such as getting lost while driving; trouble solving problems and completing mental tasks; difficulty organizing and planning; problems with coordination or walking; general confusion, including poor orientation to time or place.

Health 101: The Importance of Knowing Your Family Health History

As we begin a new year, this is the perfect time to gather with your family and work on or update your family health history. A family health history is a record of the medical conditions that have affected your family – from siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents – over several generations. But why should you work on a family health history? Here are 4 great reasons why you should:

It can determine your risk for certain diseases.

You can start early treatment for diseases that run in your family.

It can determine whether you should get certain genetic tests or not.

It can let you know if you are at risk of passing a disease onto your children.

Healthy Living: Ways to Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

It’s the most germiest time of the year! Isn’t that how the song goes? Oh, wonderful, that’s right! Well, it may be the most wonderful time of the year if you and your family can remain healthy throughout the flu and holiday season.

Here are a few ways that you can make your health and safety a priority this year and keep you healthy well into 2022.

• Wash your hands often to help prevent the spread of germs. Make sure that you are washing them for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
• Bundle up when you are headed outdoors in the cold. Wear light, warm layers, hat, gloves, and scarf. And waterproof boots, too!
• Don’t drink and drive or let others drink and drive. This is an all-year deal and not just for the holidays.
• Be smoke-free. Avoid smoking and second-hand smoke whenever possible. If you are a smoker, consider making that early resolution to quit.
• Get your yearly exams and screenings. Just because you are busy enjoying the season shouldn’t mean that you should put off those important health appointments.
• Keep an eye on children. Keep hazardous or potentially hazardous items, foods, drinks, and objects away from children. Protect them from potential accidents.
• Practice fire safety and know your family plan. Most residential fires occur during the winter months, so be prepared in the event of an emergency.
• Prepare food safely. Wash hands, avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to the proper temperature and refrigerate foods after eating.

Holidays 101: Handling Holiday Stress

Thanksgiving may be behind us, but we are still entering the major holiday season… or the major stress season for some. The holidays are stressful for many during a normal year, but couple that with a global pandemic, shipping delays, shortages, and inflation, many people may be finding it hard to cope this year.

So how can you better deal with your holiday stress?

Experts suggest the following:

• Talk with your family and find out what holiday traditions mean the most to them and focus on those activities and not ALL of the holiday activities.
• Make a holiday schedule and invite your family members to help you keep on that schedule.
• Make it a proactive event to find out what worked and what didn’t from year to year.

Healthy Living: Health Issues That Could Be Causing Your Bad Sleep

More than one third of all adults say that they get less than the recommended seven-to-nine hours of sleep each night. While each person is different in the amount of sleep their body requires, experts say that everyone would be healthy and happier if they just got 60 to 90 more minutes of sleep each night.

But why aren’t you sleeping more? Experts say that there are quite a few reasons and health issues that could be causing you to get less sleep.

Experts also say that even people who get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep may be troubled by daytime fatigue and excessive sleepiness because of a variety of conditions that cause sleep problems.

Here are some of those issues that may be causing your sleep problems.

• Anxiety – sleep problems are just one of the physical symptoms of anxiety disorder.
• Arthritis – it is common for people with musculoskeletal disorders to have sleep issues.
• Cancer – studies show about half the people with Cancer experience sleep disturbances, typically insomnia due to tumor pain, nausea, and trouble breathing.
• Dementia – disturbed sleep may be the earliest sign of dementia.
• Diabetes – about half the people with type 2 Diabetes experience sleep issues.
• Epilepsy – about 55% of people with epilepsy also have insomnia.
• Heart disease – chest pain and discomfort caused by heart disease can make it hard to relax and fall asleep.
• Kidney disease - sleep disorders such as insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and sleep apnea are common among people living with chronic kidney disease.