Video Series Could Help Seniors Strengthen Balance

Falls are certainly a legitimate concern. Despite increased cautions to seniors about these dangers the number of people age 65 and older who are falling is increasing.

Study results show that among all adults 65 years or older, the prevalence of self-reported falls increased from 28.2 percent in 1998 to 36.3 percent in 2010, according to a recent research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

“Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed an increase in fall prevalence among older adults that exceeds what would be expected owing to the increasing age of the population,” said lead author Christine Cigolle, M.D., M.P.H. from the University of Michigan, who is a research scientist at the Ann Arbor Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), a VA Medical Center.

But there is good news and some indication that all of the warnings extended to seniors may be helping them to reap some rewards despite these falls. The researchers did not find an increase in injuries from falling.

A new video series offered by the Home Instead Senior Care^® network, Prevent Senior Falls: Balance and Assessment Exercises, could help you assess your older loved one’s potential risk of falls. The series also offers balancing and strengthening exercises that could help your older loved one to decrease this potential risk.

Most experts agree that falls should be avoided since they typically put seniors in the hospital. To check out these videos and learn more suggestions for keeping seniors safe, go to PreventSeniorHospitalizations.com.

 
For more information about the research, visit http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/prevalence-of-self-reported-falls-increases-since-1998-in-adults-over-65/

Report: Seniors Generally Safe Drivers, Open to Scrutiny

It appears that seniors want tougher driving laws, including everything from bans on the use of wireless devices to ignition interlocks for DUI offenders. And the oldest drivers are also less likely than their younger “senior” counterparts to use a cell phone on the road, according to the new study. 

What may surprise some, however, is that an overwhelming majority of seniors favor greater scrutiny in the license-renewal process for themselves and their peers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s latest report on aging Americans.

More than seven of 10 drivers age 65 and older favor policies that require drivers age 75 and older to renew their license in person and support requirements that seniors pass a medical screening to remain licensed.

The AAA Foundation’s report Older American Drivers and Traffic Safety Culture also found:

• Nearly 80 percent of drivers over age 75 favor medical screenings for drivers ages 75 and older    
• Nearly 90 percent of older drivers (65 and older) reported no crashes in the last two years 
• Similarly, 90 percent of older drivers reported no moving violations   
• 65 percent of drivers age 75 and older reported never using a cell phone while driving compared to only 48 percent of the younger “older” drivers (those age 65-69) who never use a phone when behind the wheel

“Even though public perception tends to unfairly characterize seniors as a menace on the road, these findings indicate that older Americans tend to support policies to keep themselves safer behind the wheel, making them key allies in their mission to keep driving smarter and longer,” says Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

If seniors need to eventually give up driving, there are options. Contact your Area Agency on Aging to learn about driving services available in your community.

To learn more about the report, visit https://www.aaafoundation.org/older-american-drivers-and-traffic-safety-culture-longroad-study

Research: Many Seniors with Memory Loss Skip Assessment

General studies have revealed that developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is the top fear among older adults. In spite of that – and the fact that dementia screening is now available through Medicare – the majority of seniors  have not been to a doctor for evaluation, according to a University of Michigan study.

Researchers say their study suggests that as many as 1.8 million Americans over the age of 70 with dementia are not evaluated for cognitive symptoms by a medical provider, which in some patients, unfortunately, can lead to a failure to uncover treatable causes of thinking or memory impairment.

The study, published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, documents a clear lack of clinical testing for seniors with signs of cognitive problems. The study included people with mild cognitive impairment through severe dementia, from all causes.  “Early evaluation and identification of people with dementia may help them receive care earlier,” says study author Vikas Kotagal, M.D., M.S., an assistant professor in the U-M Medical School’s Department of Neurology. 

The data in the study precede the start of Medicare’s free annual wellness exams for seniors, which began in 2011 under the Affordable Care Act and are required to include a cognitive evaluation.

Please encourage your mother to see her health care professional. Tell her that would put your mind at ease and remind her that a doctor could actually help find ways to improve her memory.

To learn more about this study, visit http://home.isr.umich.edu/releases/seniors-memory-loss-dementia-study/