Support at Home Another Tool for Pain Sufferers

Acetaminophen is a common over-the-counter pain killer as well as a component used in some prescription pain killers. Now there is new research out about this popular pain killer. Researchers studying acetaminophen found it has a previously unknown side effect: It blunts positive emotions.

Previous research had shown that acetaminophen works not only on physical pain, but also on psychological pain. This study takes those results one step further by showing that it also reduces how much users actually feel positive emotions, said Geoffrey Durso, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in social psychology at Ohio State University.

“Rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever,” he said.

Research revealed that people who took acetaminophen didn’t feel the same highs or lows as did the people who took placebos.

Be sure to give your doctor a clear picture of how you’re feeling, physically, mentally and emotionally. And discuss ways that you could better manage your pain, such as with the help of a physical therapist, until you can have the surgery on your hand.

In the meantime, why not contact your local Home Instead Senior Care^® office to learn how a CAREGiver^SM could assist with personal care as well as with tasks around the house and transportation. CAREGivers – both men and women – are screened, trained, bonded and insured to offer the best in companionship services for seniors like you. Support at home could help you feel less overwhelmed.

To learn more about this study, visit http://news.osu.edu/news/2015/04/13/emotion-reliever/. 

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated

Study: Loneliness Could Drive Doctors’ Visits

Experiences of loneliness and social isolation can lead to increased health care use among seniors, according to research from the University of Georgia College of Public Health and published online in the American Journal of Public Health. The study found that the frequency of physician visits was particularly influenced by chronic loneliness, and suggests that the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.
 

“We often assume that if a person has enough friends and relatives they are doing OK,” noted study co-author Kerstin Gerst Emerson, an assistant professor of health policy and management.

“But loneliness is not the same as being alone. You can be lonely in a crowded room. It's very much about how you feel about your actual social relationships.”

If you get an idea that you or an aging loved one could, in fact, benefit from companionship, why not encourage her to become more active by taking up a hobby or joining a book or card club. Or, if getting out or health doesn’t permit that, perhaps try  inviting friends over for coffee or tea, or hosting a book or other hobby club. How about a movie night?

For more information about the research, visit http://ugaresearch.uga.edu/research-news/hidden-costs-of-loneliness/.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.

The Best Therapy? A Clean House

 Seniors who keep a clean and orderly home tend to feel emotionally and physically better after tackling house chores. The reason for this attitude appears to be the exercise it takes to get the job done, according to new findings by a Case Western Reserve University school of nursing researcher.

“House cleaning kept them up and moving,” said Kathy D. Wright, PhD, RN, CNS, a school of nursing researcher. “A clean environment is therapeutic."

Wright and a research team set out to test a theory called House's Conceptual Framework for Understanding Social Inequalities in Health and Aging. It's considered a blueprint for understanding how factors such as income, education, environment and health behaviors, like smoking and exercise, influence an older person's health.

The study's 337 participants, from 65 to 94 years old, had to have at least one chronic illness, be enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, have physical restrictions that prevented them from doing at least one basic daily task, such as bathing and dressing, and be unable to manage such responsibilities as taking medicines, handling finances or accessing transportation.

Wright said she was surprised to learn that housework and maintaining their property affected the participants’ physical and mental well-being more than such factors as neighborhood or income.

One way to support your mother’s interest in staying in her home might be to encourage her to seek out additional assistance. For example, a CAREGiver^SM from your local Home Instead Senior^® Care office could provide help in a variety of areas such as light housekeeping as well as meal preparation, shopping and errands.

An extra set of hands could be just the ticket to keep your mother fit and her house sparkling clean!

For more about the study, visit http://blog.case.edu/think/2015/04/16/housework_keeps_older_adults_more_physically_and_emotionally_fit_according_to_new_study_by_case_western_reserve_nursing_school_researcher.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.