Growing old is, sadly, an inevitable natural process that comes with great changes in our physiology and body composition. The changes to your body that can’t be avoided are compounded by other factors such as: lifestyle, socio-economic situation, medical conditions, and the local environment. What you eat is probably the single most important factor to the elderly, all of the other factors have some bearing on diet as well.

An elderly person should be encouraged to eat foods that are highly nutritious. Fresh fruit and salads are important foods for an elderly person to eat with their daily meals. For most people, with the amount of junk foods and processed foods that we eat, our caloric intake is usually higher than needed. In old age this is even more of a problem because of a reduced caloric requirement. This may be a small decrease, but the effects of excess calorie intake at this stage are also a lot more severe. Ideally, an elderly person should be eating smaller and more frequent meals with highly nutritious and low calorie foods. Digestive ailments and eating disorders that set in with age can easily be averted with a healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin and mineral supplements and pills are no substitute if you’re not eating correctly and it’s best to derive these nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Whole breads and whole cereals are also an important food group, as are fish and meats consumed in moderation. Meats here would refer to lean meats. Fish are however extremely healthy. Elderly vegetarians may want to swap meats with pulses and other foods, but would still need some multivitamin or more specific nutritional supplements to avoid any deficiencies. Milk and dairy products are the last food group that also needs to be included.

This should make it quite obvious that the key to a healthy diet for an elderly person would be to eat a varied and wholesome diet, and to always exercise moderation. The healthy diet is not very different for an old or young person, but the consequences of deficiencies and excesses can be a lot more severe.

Experts predict that Kaatsu could become the fitness technique of choice for elderly over the next year. The training technique is less stressful on joints, ligaments and muscles, which makes it likely to become a weight-training hit for older people and athletes.

Kaatsu is an exercise method involving compressing the vasculature proximal to the exercising muscles to reduce blood flow to the limb. There is mounting evidence that this training modality serves as a stimulator of muscle growth even when performed at relatively low intensities.

According to the International Journal of Kaatsu Training Research, the fitness method can be used for a wide variety of conditions including orthopaedic diseases, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and respiratory ailments.

You can find out more on the Kaatsu website: http://kaatsu.jp/english/

Green fingered enthusiasts in Edinburgh are able to take action on the shortage of allotments in the city by using a new scheme that matches up people with gardens who can’t cope with gardeners. The scheme, thought to be a first for Scotland, is ideal for those elderly residents who would otherwise have to pay for a gardener or even have to move because they can’t manage the extra work involved.

There are over 1400 names on the list for allotments in Edinburgh with only 90 given land every year.

The non-profit organisation, based on Queen Street, helps hundreds of elderly and disabled people every year across the city with repairs to their properties. Staff came up with the idea for Edinburgh Garden Share last year, and have just secured funding for it to be run as a pilot project in the EH12 area of the city.

For more on Edinburgh Garden Share visit www.careandrepairedinburgh.org.uk or contact 0131 220 7630.

A new guide to enable older people with sensory loss to get the support and help they need launched by Counsel and Care.

Around a million older people in the UK are affected by sight loss and many also have hearing loss and many need help to find resources that may help them, according to Counsel and Care.

To ensure that all older people who experience sensory loss can get the services, support and equipment they are entitled to, Counsel and Care has joined forces with Thomas Pocklington Trust and Sense to produce a new guide for older people with hearing, sight and dual-sensory loss. The guide is launched today (28 October 2008) by Counsel and Care, the national charity getting the best care and support for older people, their families and carers.

Stephen Burke, the charity’s chief executive said: ‘This new guide is a significant addition to Counsel and Care’s comprehensive range of information for older people, their families and carers.

‘It is crucial that older people experiencing sensory loss, their families and carers have access to the right information and advice at the right time so that they know what their options are and can manage their changing needs and its impact on their lives.

‘This guide provides advice and tips on how to make the most of a person’s sight and hearing so that they can continue to lead as fulfilling and enjoyable a life as possible whatever their age.’

Counsel and Care is a national charity getting the best care and support for older people, their families and carers. Advice on issues affecting older people can be obtained by calling 0845 300 7585 or emailing advice@counselandcare.org.uk.

Find out more at the Counsel and Care website

Giving elderly people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The higher dose of vaccine generally resulted in approximately 30 percent to 80 percent more antibodies against flu, long considered a good measure of protection.

The immune system generally weakens as we get older, not only leaving people more vulnerable to infection but also reducing their ability to respond to vaccination. While some studies have questioned the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in older adults, the nation’s leading public health experts stress that it’s a worthwhile, even life-saving, measure. About 90 percent of the estimated 36,000 people who die from flu-related causes in the United States each year are 65 and older.

The conventional flu vaccine is a combination of three circulating strains of flu, with each component consisting of 15 micrograms of material designed to evoke an immune response to protect a person against a particular type of flu. In the study headed by Falsey and conducted at 30 sites around the country in fall 2006, physicians compared the immune response brought about from a traditional flu vaccine compared to that from a vaccine shot containing four times as much material – 60 micrograms of material known as hemagglutinin for each of the three components.

In the study of people age 65 and older, the larger dose was given to 2,575 participants, while 1,262 subjects received the standard dose. Scientists checked the level of antibodies in the blood of the participants one month later. Generally, the large-dose vaccine increased the number of flu antibodies in study participants on average from about 30 to 80 percent. The level of such antibodies in the blood has long been considered a good gauge of how protected people are against the flu.

A greater percentage of people who received the high-dose vaccine had the typical side effects associated with the flu shot, including redness, swelling, and pain at the site of the injection, but the symptoms generally did not last longer than three days.

“These are the people at the highest risk for becoming very sick from influenza, and we saw significant improvement in the immune response in many of these people,” said Falsey. “This is very encouraging.”

Read the full article here

Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPPs) was launched in 2006 with the aim of helping older people to remain independent and prevent or delay the need for more intense care. Since then over £60 milllion has been spent on the scheme helping almost 100,000 people.

The projects can help older people by doing their shopping or gardening, giving help to collect prescriptions and advice on taking the correct medicines and specifically checking on those at risk from hospital admission.

Speaking at the National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) conference, Phil Hope said: “In 20 years’ time a quarter of the entire adult population in England will be over 65 and the number of people over 85 will have doubled.”

With these sort of figures, the success of POPPs has hada great impact on the lives of many older people and could provide respite for many more. From the pilot project, the interim report found that:

• 99,988 people had received or were receiving a service as part of POPP in 29 pilot sites.
• Elderly people using the service found their quality of life (mobility, washing/dressing, pain, anxiety) improved.
• For every £1 spent on POPP interventions, 73p will be saved on the cost of emergency hospital bed-days.
• Because POPP services have led to fewer days in hospital, the overall cost of care has been reduced by £410 per person.

POPP Case Study

One woman who was helped through the POPP project in Poole, was 82-year-old Freda who fell and injured her leg. The leg needed regular dressing, however, Freda suffers from short term memory loss and as a result was missing appointments at the surgery. As her leg was not getting the correct and regular treatment it deteriorated so much that it was being considered for a skin graft. The Practice Nurse referred Freda to POPP, and with the assistance of a Help and Care Volunteer Driver Freda was able to keep her appointments at the surgery and her leg has now healed. Had POPP not been involved and found a means for her to keep her appointments, she would have been admitted to hospital for a skin graft.

Find out more at the Department of Health POPPs website

With everyone living longer and better medical facilities and practices available, it seems that getting old doesn’t mean the same as it did just a few years ago.

And the first people to tell you that are the “elderly” themselves! Very few 60 year olds would describe themselves as elderly - that term is now left to their parents, the 90 - 100 year olds. The statistics and a cultural shift in attitudes towards growing old back up this view. The large numbers from the Baby Boomer generation who are living longer and healthier lives and tending to keep healthy and take notice of diet and the idea of keeping the body and mind active.

For many people hitting 60 the outlook is rosy. They’re retiring at just the right time: the house is paid for, the pension is coming in and they have the time to devote to their hobbies and past-times that they haven’t had for the last 40 years due to work.

So if 60 is the new 40 - what’s the new 60? and what can we now class as elderly?

When travelling abroad with your medication there are some sensible precautions to take and with the current high level of security checks around the world you can’t be too careful!

If you have a lot of prescribed medication you will have to start thinking quite far in advance. In the UK you may need to get a special prescription from your doctor to get more than one month’s supply of your drugs.

From the NHS Direct site:

First, visit your GP and discuss your travel plans, they will be able to inform you of any special arrangements you need to make. It is also a good idea to ask your GP to write a statement explaining your medication and what it is for - this could come in very useful if you experience any problems with customs. It might even be worth having the statement translated into the language of your destination country, to avoid any further confusion.

Depending on the length of stay you may need a larger supply of medication than normal. In Europe there is an agreement that a person may carry up to three months supply of drugs but for a longer time you will need a special licence. To find out if you need a licence, contact the Home Office, Drugs Branch or visit their website.

Outside of Europe things can get quite complicated. Many countries, including India, Pakistan, Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries, for instance, have lists of medicines that are not allowed to be brought into the country. It may be wise to contact the relevant embassy well before you leave. Then you can be sure that there will be no problems taking the medicine you need.

From personal experience I would always carry about double the drugs I expect to need - half in my hand luggage, half in my main baggage. Although this might not be feasible for trips more than a couple of weeks!

For more information check out the NHS Direct website - Travelling with Medicines

You might also find a tablet organiser helpful for the journey and when you arrive, this one is probably one of the best and it has enough space for a week:

• Simple to use with seven clearly marked boxes for each day of the week.
• Each box contains four adjustable, labelled compartments.
• The blue velcro fastening case is discreet.
• It includes a patient record card and a sleeve to house one day’s supply.

Price £9.44

You can buy this here: Medidos Tablet Dispenser

View the complete inventory of tablet dispensers at Medisave.co.uk

You’ve probably heard about how effective massage therapy for elderlies is by now, but you probably don’t know why it is considered so beneficial. Well, although massage therapy has been practiced for a long time, the general public has only recently started to open their minds and hearts to this technique in recent years. It is now known, and proven, that touch therapy and massage helps reduce stress in elderlies - someone who is given the massage and touch therapy sleeps deeper and longer.

Massage therapy provides elderlies with a very nurturing feeling and it is especially helpful for adults with medical or physical problems. The more times they experience your touch, the calmer they will become. The calmer they are, the better they are able to deal with the medical interventions that they have to go through at their old age!

Massage therapy and touch therapy have a lot in common because they have a lot to do with motion of the hands over various parts of the body. The technique involves a lot of touching, stroking, and massaging of body parts. Massage therapy might even be a little bit on the painful side - but for elderlies, this is not the case.

Some nursing professionals offer massage therapy services to elderlies they deliver. Professional nurses who offer these services will provide the technique to critically or seriously ill elderlies. These nurses work closely with the elderly’s doctor and other nurses to ensure that the persons health is in no way endangered at all.

Elderlies who are not medically challenged will also benefit from massage therapy. It has been shown that elderlies who are given massage therapy from an early age tend to age more alert, smarter, and healthier in general.

From The Guardian:

Mobility scooters, capable of hitting speeds up 8mph, are being kept in check by a new highway code, warning users of the dangers of speeding and drink driving.

A booklet created by Herefordshire Council is trying to enforce the strict 4mph rule for mobility scooters and warn of the dangers that elderly and disabled face while using the vehicles.

More from The Guardian:

Herefordshire Council has spent hundreds of pounds drawing up the booklet, which features cartoon characters in various scenarios, such as one man who has got his scarf caught under his wheel, and a granny caught up in traffic.

The guidelines helpfully advise users: “Do not use your scooter if you have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs”.

It warns users: “Make sure that you know what all the switches and levers on your scooter do, and that you can control it properly before you go out on it.”

It points out the potential pitfalls scooter users face, telling them to plan their journey accordingly and make sure they have enough battery power as “steep hills, high kerbs or other obstructions may make it impossible to tackle certain routes”.

The new code also forbid extra passengers from hitching a ride - including pets which may prove a distraction.

Find out more