5 Surprising Killers Lurking in Your Bathroom

Nobody’s thinking about danger while relaxing in a warm shower. Yet potential danger, even the fatal kind, is all around you in a bathroom. According to a 2007 research report by the Home Safety Council, preventable home injuries are the fifth largest cause of death in the U.S. And safety researchers point to the bathroom, along with the kitchen and stairs, as the most dangerous zones in the house.

Here are five threats that often trip up (sometimes literally) the unwary:

1. Water, water everywhere

The most basic part of the “water closet” — the water in the sink, tub, and shower — is probably its number-one danger. More people are injured, even fatally, in bathroom falls than in any other room in the house. Trouble is, water doesn’t always stay where it should. Poorly fitting shower curtains and simple wet feet are two of the biggest causes of water winding up on the bathroom floor.

A better way: The ideal shower has a shatterproof glass door, rather than a curtain. Failing that, you can minimize leaks by hanging a curtain liner that falls inside the tub and a second, decorative curtain that falls outside. To stop slips, try tiles in the shower with a slightly uneven surface (such as bumpy smaller tiles, rather than large, smooth squares) that feet can grip onto. A cheaper alternative: strips of adhesive nonslip decals on the shower or bathtub floor.

Keep a nonskid rug on the floor next to the shower/bath exit and in front of the sink. Basic scatter rugs are themselves a tripping hazard; look for one made to absorb moisture and stay in place on the floor. And if you’re renovating, be sure to use nonslip tiles on the floor.

2. Bathroom danger: Slick tub or shower bed

Modern Americans use lots of products in the shower and bath. Trouble is, all that shampoo, conditioner, body wash, exfoliant, bath gel, shaving cream, and bubble bath collects as residue on the sides and floor, making them slippery.

A better way: Soapy buildup should be cleaned off regularly. Giving the shower or tub a quick wipe down with a washcloth after each use helps minimize slickness. A strong adult may be able to withstand the residue, but someone with balance problems, such as a frail older adult, can slip just enough to lead to a fall.

Be sure, too, to install well-anchored grab bars wherever slips are likely.

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What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

If you think your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse, it is important to take action at once to ensure your loved one’s safety moving forward. If possible, try to move your loved one to a different facility where he or she may receive higher quality care.

Unfortunately, it may not always be possible to move your loved one to a different facility. In these cases, it is important to visit regularly to make sure your loved one’s health and safety are not in danger. When you visit, take notes about the warning signs you see. This will help you build your case against the negligent nursing home.

Always record the time and date of your visit along with any other relevant information regarding the potential abuse. This may include:

• Photos of bruises, cuts, or other injuries
• Dressings that have not been changed when necessary
• Dirty undergarments or clothes
• Evidence of physical trauma
• Poor hygiene
• Evidence of unusual behavior

You should also ask the nursing home for copies of your loved one’s medical records. By law, you are entitled to receive this information.

Once you have sufficient evidence, report your suspicions to your local ombudsman as well as the head of the nursing home. You may want to contact the police as well. Most importantly, consult an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer who can help ensure your loved one’s rights are protected…

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Acknowledging Caregiver Burnout

Acknowledging Caregiver Burnout is the first step in preventing it happening  to you. In your busy life or business who do you care for? Ok, let’s face it, a  woman of the new millennium wears a multitude of hats and goes about her day  taking one-off to put another on without batting an eyelash. It becomes so much  a part of her routine she does it like brushing her teeth.

Before understanding the concept of burnout you must first examine who you  actually have to care for. The list is endless with caring for children,  possibly parents and/or grandparents, friends, your spouse or partner,  co-workers, staff, your pets, sibling, a business partner and oh yeah yourself  just to name a few. Now buckle up as we explore your other roles even deeper.  Most women perform daily tasks that put them in other care giving roles such as  – teachers, nurses, chauffeurs, cosmeticians, housekeepers, chefs, negotiators,  bookkeepers, financial planners and advisors, peace-keepers, labourers,  developers, designers, professional dieters, counsellor, babysitter, and I could  go on but you know where this is going!

I am exhausted just thinking about the fact that all of these hats are  probably worn by you in one day and we didn’t even talk about any professional  roles yet! Now take a look at what happens when your job list becomes too  heavy….

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New Way to Smuggle Drugs Into Brain May Lead to Better Alzheimer’s Treatments

 

by Valerie Ross in Health & Medicine, Mind & Brain |

What’s the News: A modified antibody can make its way into the brain and target the development of Alzheimer’s-inducing plaques, researchers reported today in two animal studies in Science Translational Medicine. The blood-brain barrier usually keeps drugs and other compounds from entering the brain in large enough quantities to be effective, but these studies show a way to trick the body’s own defenses into letting the drug in, demonstrating that this obstacle to treating Alzheimer’s could potentially be overcome.

How the Heck:

• Antibodies—immune proteins that attack disease-causers like viruses and bacteria—are far too big to fit through the blood-brain barrier under normal circumstances. But because of the brain’s need for iron, one protein is routinely ferried across the barrier: transferrin, which binds to iron in the blood.
• So, the researchers added a molecular structure to the antibody that essentially fooled receptors in the blood-brain barrier into treating the antibody as though it were transferrin, picking it up from the bloodstream and releasing it on the other side, into the brain. Ten times as much of the modified antibody made it past the barrier, compared to a version of the antibody without the add-on.
• The researchers tailored the antibody to bind to BACE1, an enzyme that contributes to the formation of Alzheimer’s-triggering plaques. The antibody successfully bound to BACE1, interfering with the formation of the plaques.
• The antibody reduced amyloid-beta levels in the brain by about 20% in some animal types and about 50% in others, the researchers found.

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How to Help Retirees Stay in Their Homes

By Philip Moeller

Posted: April 4, 2011

Helping people stay in their homes as they age has been a formal, if poorly understood, goal of U.S. aging policy for some time. Experts say it’s far cheaper than housing seniors in nursing homes and other institutions. And public surveys find that it’s also the overwhelming preference of 9 out of 10 seniors.

As much as we want to age in our own homes, however, the network of government, volunteer, and family caregiving resources needed to support older Americans is able to meet only a fraction of the elder population’s needs. And with soaring numbers of older Americans, coupled with stressed government and philanthropic budgets, the scale of unmet needs is likely to rise sharply.

America’s resources for home-based seniors are coordinated chiefly by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Support services are defined and delivered through a network of state offices, some 630 local areas on aging districts, and thousands of connected local government and volunteer programs.

Still, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), there is no definitive picture of the home-based services America’s seniors are receiving or of their unmet needs.

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