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Learn How Aging Muscles Can Benefit from High-Intensity Training

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aging musclesIt’s so easy to fall into a more sedentary lifestyle in our later years, especially if aches and pains from aging muscles and chronic conditions such as arthritis are a factor. But new research shows that even short bursts of high-intensity exercise – less than 15-minute intervals – can make a significant difference on the health and wellbeing of older adults.

Case in point: a recent study of adults over age 55 involved briskly walking for three minutes, followed by slower walking for another three, resulting in better blood pressure and stronger endurance levels than walking at a steady, moderate pace for the same duration.

Testing on frail, sedentary laboratory mice equivalent in age to 65-year-old humans showed that a program of high-intensity interval exercise on a treadmill, three times weekly over a period of four months (equivalent to eight human years) were stronger, had greater muscle mass and endurance, and were more active than their sedentary counterparts.

Dr. Bruce Troen, professor of medicine and head of the division of geriatrics at the University of Buffalo and conductor of the study, found most impressive that “the animals had tolerated the high-intensity training very well, despite their advanced ages.”

Responsive Home Care’s Florida senior care services team urges seniors to check with their physicians for approval to begin a high-intensity exercise program, or other activities to enhance health and wellbeing and improve the condition of aging muscles. And our care team is happy to help implement and provide the encouragement to enable seniors to stay on track and reap the rewards. Contact us at 954-486-6440 for assistance!

4 Home Safety Tips for When Your Loved One Has Memory Issues

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Whether your loved one is in the beginning stages of dementia or has memory issues for another reason, home safety can be challenging. Try some of these tips to make the home safer for your loved one with the help of your home health care providers.

Child-proof Doors and Cabinets
If your loved one tends to wander or there are cabinets that may contain something you don’t want your loved one to have unfettered access to, there are child-proof door knob covers and cabinet locks that you can install. You may only want to use them during certain times of the day or when your loved one is more likely to wander. In that case, they’re easy to remove and put back in place when you need them.

Lock Away Household Chemicals
Household chemicals should always be stored somewhere that your loved one can’t access them. This is especially true for any containers that look like something that’s similar but harmless. Cleaning supplies, painting supplies, insecticides, and other chemicals can all be kept in the garage in a locked cabinet. If you need to keep them in the house, try keeping them in a closet or cabinet that you can secure with a lock.

Clean Out the Refrigerator Weekly
If your loved one has significant memory issues, sometimes that can extend to not realizing that food isn’t safe to eat. To keep this problem from becoming a serious one, make it a point to clean out the refrigerator every week without fail. You can also start to label leftover containers with the date they were refrigerated so that you can keep better tabs on what should stay and what should go.

Do Regular Safety Checks
Doing a regular safety sweep of the entire house can help you to spot problems before they become too big. Clutter or overloaded outlets are two problems that can crop up quickly without you realizing it unless you start to look for them. Set a regular time to go through the house and to make sure that there isn’t anything dangerous lurking anywhere.

If you need extra help figuring out how to make your loved one’s home safer, try talking to your loved one’s home health care providers. They’re skilled at spotting dangerous situations for loved ones with memory issues.

If you or an aging loved one are considering in-home Home Health Care Services in Plantation FL to provide companionship, compassion and motivation, please contact the caring staff at Responsive Home Care. Call today 954-486-6440.

CAN INJECTIONS OF YOUNG BLOOD REVERSE AGING?

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It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie: injecting blood from a young person into an aging, Alzheimer’s patient, and watching as renewed youth is awakened. But that’s exactly the outcome realized in studies of mice, which showed astounding brain cell growth in the area of the brain critical to memory and learning—the hippocampus. Perhaps just as incredible was the effect on the brains of the younger mice who received injections of older mouse blood, resulting in stunted neuron growth.

The first human trial is already underway on Alzheimer’s patients, led by Tony Wyss-Coray, neurology professor at the Stanford School of Medicine, with results expected by the end of the year. But what will the impact be if the study proves that young blood does reverse aging in humans? Practical applications may involve short periods of infusions to help older patients heal faster after a surgery, but there are many fears about the unknown impact of interfering with the body’s natural aging process.

Learn more by listening to Wyss-Coray at a recent TED conference.

THIS ONE SIMPLE TEST COULD PREDICT BREAST CANCER RELAPSE

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Cancer survivors whose disease has gone into remission have so much to celebrate and be thankful for, and many are celebrating this October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But there may always remain a concern in the back of their minds: could the cancer return? For women who have survived breast cancer, there may at last be a way to put this fear to rest once and for all.

A simple blood test is showing great promise in predicting a relapse of breast cancer—as much as eight months in advance of it being detected by current imaging methods. And although the initial testing group was small, the prediction was accurate in an astounding 12 out of 15 women.

According to Dr. Nicholas Turner of the Institute of Cancer Research, lead author of the study, “We have shown how a simple blood test has the potential to accurately predict which patients will relapse from breast cancer, much earlier than we can currently.”

Although the test is not yet available to those outside of the study, the goal is to one day utilize this method to be able to individually tailor treatments, and hopefully bring us one step closer to eliminating breast cancer altogether.

IS JOINT REPLACEMENT THE BEST OPTION FOR ARTHRITIS?

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With nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffering from arthritis (and more than 21 million with osteoarthritis), joint pain and restricted mobility are prominent concerns.

Joint replacement is one option for relief, but it’s not without risks. Pros and cons of this invasive surgery need to be weighed carefully. According to Vijay Rasquinha, MD, a North Shore-LIJ Orthopaedic Institute orthopedic surgeon, “You should try everything else first, including medication, physical therapy, swimming, ice, heat—the whole gamut. But if nothing is working, you have to ask yourself if pain and disability are ruining your qualify of life. If the answer is yes, it’s time to talk about surgery.”

Review the risks and benefits and discuss with your doctor whether joint replacement is the best option for you:

RISKS:

  • Heart attack (the risk is 31 times higher after joint replacement)
  • Bleeding
  • Infection
  • Nerve or blood vessel injury
  • Loosening of the new joint over time

BENEFITS:

Reduced long-term risk in those with osteoarthritis who received a full hip replacement for:

  • Death
  • Heart failure
  • Depression
  • Diabetes

If you and your doctor determine that joint replacement is an appropriate option, risks can be reduced by losing weight (if overweight), stopping smoking, curbing alcohol use and adding in muscle-strengthening exercises.

Learn more about joint replacement risks and benefits from Everyday Health, and contact Responsive Home Care, the home of top-rated caregivers in Fort Lauderdale, FL and surrounding areas, for additional helpful resources and customized in-home care services for seniors.