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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How does the aging process affect driving ability?

by Julia Layton

The fact is, human beings age at different rates. Some drivers are as safe at 80 as they were at 40, while others probably should give up driving at 65. There are countless factors affecting an older person’s safety behind the wheel. Driving is a complex task, and it involves many systems, both physical and mental, all of which need to be in top form in order to handle the quickly changing environment of the road.

One of most drastic physical changes that occurs with age is vision deterioration. Light reception is what enables us to see, and as we age, our eyes become less sensitive to light. Also, refocusing from one object to the next takes longer, so the “simple” task of checking the speedometer and then moving our attention back to the car ahead of us becomes a lot less simple. Older eyes are also more susceptible to glare because the lenses of the eyes thicken and the pupils shrink as we get older. According to the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, someone who is 55 takes eight times longer to regain normal vision after exposure to bright light than someone who is 16. Other visual systems affected by aging include peripheral vision, depth perception and color perception. An older person may have trouble distinguishing red lights from yellow lights or brake lights from running lights. Also, many seniors suffer from vision disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration.

All of this makes it more difficult to read road signs, react quickly to busy road conditions and accurately determine distance and speed.

Another function affected by the aging process is hearing. Hearing is an important part of safe driving — it allows us to react properly to ambulance and police sirens and the honking horns of people trying to warn us of danger or mistakes. Thirty-three percent of people over the age of 65 have some degree of hearing loss. Over the age of 75, that number goes up to 75 percent. Motor skills also suffer with age. Muscles weaken, reflexes slow down and flexibility decreases. This all makes it harder to do things like turn your head to make sure it’s safe to change lanes and quickly turn the steering wheel to avoid a collision. Also, arthritis is very common among senior citizens, making quick and fluid motion and maneuverability even more difficult.

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20 Warning Signs Your Parent Needs Help at Home

The burden often falls on the family to recognize the signs that an aging parent might need help with daily living tasks.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that your loved one has to go to assisted living or a nursing home, but they may need some extra help in their home. If they’re not willing to admit it, how do you know if your elderly parent needs home care? Here are some warning signs to look for:

• Spoiled food that doesn’t get thrown away
• Missing important appointments
• Unexplained bruising
• Trouble getting up from a seated position
• Difficulty with walking, balance and mobility
• Uncertainty and confusion when performing once-familiar tasks
• Forgetfulness
• Unpleasant body odor
• Infrequent showering and bathing
• Strong smell of urine in the house
• Noticeable decline in grooming habits and personal care
• Dirty house, extreme clutter and dirty laundry piling up
• Stacks of unopened mail or an overflowing mailbox
• Late payment notices, bounced checks and calls from bill collectors
• Poor diet or weight loss
• Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
• Changes in mood or extreme mood swings
• Forgetting to take medications – or taking more than the prescribed dosage
• Diagnosis of dementia or early onset Alzheimer’s
• Unexplained dents and scratches on a car

Once you know that there is a problem, how do you know if home care is right for your parent?

Home care is generally defined as non-medical support services delivered at the home of the senior. “The aim of home care is to allow seniors to remain at home longer rather than enter an assisted living community, nursing home or other type of senior care. Home care may be appropriate if a senior prefers to stay at home but needs minor assistance with activities of daily living…

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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….

Please follow this link to read the full article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Acknowledging-Caregiver-Burnout&id=6724186

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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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