Check Out the Top Reasons Why the Elderly Gets Injured

It is common knowledge that older people are far more prone to injury. They have less control over their bodies and they also have less strength. Those two things, control and strength are the two most important qualities needed by a person to stay away from being injured.

If you have a senior family member, then you know just how prone they are to injury and to accidents. We have compiled here a list of the most common reasons why seniors get injured. You might be able to use this information to prevent your family from falling into harm:

Falls- Here is an alarming fact: Falls are rated to be the highest leading cause of death for Americans who are 65 years and older. That means it kills more seniors than any kind of disease.

About 40% of all Americans who are 65 years old and older fall at least once each year. We all know the danger of that because their bodies are very vulnerable.

Abuse- Another sad fact connected with the elderly population of America is that they are the victims of abuse and neglect. A study conducted way back in 1996 showed that about half a million Americans who were 60 years old and older were the victims of physical abuse and neglect during a one year period. What's alarming is that the trend seems to indicate an increase rather than a decline with those numbers.

Since seniors have reduced capability in defending themselves, they are seen as easy targets for physical abuse by criminals and other undesirable elements. They can get hurt and sometimes they might not even report the incidents.

The same thing is true when it comes to neglect. Elders have lesser ability to demand the attention and care that they need. Sometimes they are just left alone.

Vehicular Accidents- The numbers of licensed drivers who are 65 years old and older are increasing every year. As a person gets older vision and motor skills are greatly reduced and so these senior drivers can be a potential risk on the road, not just to themselves but to other people as well.

Residential Fire- If you study the figures of those who die in residential fires each year, you would see that a greater portion of them are seniors. They are at risk in such emergency situations because they would have little of the strength needed in order to escape. They are also be less alert in situations where a split second might be crucial.

Suicides- Statistics show that the rate of suicide increase with age. That means seniors are the age group that is particularly prone to it.

Sexual Abuse- Even the elderly can be victimized by sexual abuse. This might include verbal and physical forms of abuse. Unfortunately, little is known about this fact with almost no studies being conducted.

These are some of the leading causes of injury and death among seniors. If you have an elderly family member then you ought to be aware about these facts in order to take care of them properly.

Recliner Chairs for the Elderly

In today's growing population of senior citizens, there is an urgent need to provide services and create innovative and affordable products that can allow them to be happy, healthy, remain social, and continue to contribute meaningfully to our society. Recliner chairs for the elderly specifically provide the mandatory comfort and help that most senior folks need for their everyday activities. For this reason assisted living services for the aged present such tools for use by their residents.

Elderly people require help and care that isn't always obtainable at home, which is why most of them opt to dwell in assisted living facilities, where they get their very own help to handle their daily needs. And the kinds of chairs they use are an essential part of their daily routines.

Advantages of Recliner Chairs:

- Comfort is imperative to improve the living conditions of elderly people. Since growing older comes with completely different issues, be it bodily or mental, seniors require extra things to achieve comfort. Recliner chairs are good for elderly folks, particularly since a whole lot of them have a hard time sitting on account of various musculoskeletal problems.

- Recliner chairs for the elderly present the mandatory help that aged people need. Since bones and joints are likely to deteriorate into weak and delicate ones as individuals age, it is advisable to offer the services that may make it easier for seniors to move around. Recliner chairs which can be designed particularly for seniors provide the mandatory heights and depths to enable them to sit down without having to crouch and to stand up without a lot struggle.

- Numerous recliner chairs could be adjusted with just a push of a button. There are additional controls to adjust the level of reclining and most varieties have assistance for the legs so that people are seated comfortably with their legs inclined, offering higher blood circulation.

- Some aged folks become rather immobile, so that they are not able to do much, not even get out of bed. Recliner chairs for the elderly provide comfy seating for them every time they take their meals or watch tv without having to subject their backbone, bones, and joints to much discomfort.

There are plenty of advantages to getting recliner chairs for seniors, particularly since they spend most of their time indoors. These chairs will permit them to read, watch television, play games such as chess, or entertain visitors without being limited to lying down in their beds.

Basic ACFI Training Guide to Follow

One can easily understand a teaching when he or she has an experience about it. Indeed, in every experience there's a lesson being learned. In every action, there's a principle behind it just like in providing medical care and support to the aged citizens. It is very important that you know and understand what you do. When you are assigned to take good care of a sick and old patient, you must possess the right skills and sufficient knowledge. You can only become a competitive care giver and service provider if you know how to follow the basic principles of your job. Comprehensive ACFI training is defined as Aged Care Funding Instrument and it must be taken up before you expose yourself in the actual field.

It is true that constant practice makes perfect results. This principle can be applied in taking up a health course. Of course, you must master your profession because your work is to improve patients' physical condition. You have to remember that the type of your work is seriously important. Although there are difficult things that you will encounter, you can still make it through with proper practice and extensive learning.

ACFI or Aged Care Funding Instrument is not just a program that supports patients financially but it has also other objectives aside from funding. This program also provides healthcare and aged care facilities, useful equipment and apparatuses to the nursing homes and health centers. Because of the broad vision, there are so many things to be learned and understood. Care givers must have enough training and complete comprehension regarding proper facility management. There are rules or policies that need for the staff to abide. It is the welfare of the elderly is the main concern in this kind of service. Healthcare centers, nursing homes, and hospitals should employ well-trained and adept employers in order to have error-free operations.

Moreover, Aged Care Funding Instrument program must be properly documented and monitored by the assigned staff. They must see to it that the funds allocation is correctly done. The elderly residents need not just financial support but an intensive care as well. In order for you to have a deeper understanding regarding ACFI, search for basic user guide over the web.

Managing an aged care facility is not as easy as you think. It needs a group of competent staff in order to successfully manage the facilities, funds, documentations, and many more. Though it seemed to be costly because of the facilities being used, everything is still working out positively. This is because the government and other private sectors help in funding for aged care services.

Alzheimer's Care Facilities Explained - What They Are, What to Expect, How to Pay For One

What They Are

Alzheimer's care facilities are live-in facilities that provide care for individuals with dementia who cannot live independently. Both nursing homes and assisted living facilities can provide residential care for Alzheimer's patients; however, the term Alzheimer's care facility typically is used to describe assisted living residences.

Sometimes Alzheimer's care facilities are a part of a larger assisted living community which also serves seniors who do not have dementia, but require some type of personal care or help. These types of facilities tend to have a separate dementia unit although dementia patients may socialize and interact with other residents during activities. Some assisted living facilities provide only for mild dementia care and require residents to move should their dementia become more pronounced. Make sure your loved one is thoroughly assessed before looking into Alzheimer's care units so you know exactly what kind of care your loved one needs now-and what level of care they will most likely require in the future. Ensure that your loved one isn't forced to move out of community by asking questions as to what kind of care is available and under what circumstances a person would be asked to leave the community.

What to Expect

Alzheimer's care facilities provide room and board, some housekeeping, social activities, supervision and assistance with basic activities like personal hygiene, dressing, eating and walking. A facility that specializes in Alzheimer's or dementia care should also have safety precautions in place to prevent wandering, such as personal monitoring systems or locked dementia units. Caregivers should be trained in handling behaviors associated with dementia, such as Sundowner's syndrome or combativeness.

Facility staff either provides or arranges transportation for residents. Most facilities offer three meals per day, as well as snacks in between meals.

These facilities are considered nonmedical facilities and are not required to have nurses, certified nursing assistants or doctors on staff, although many facilities do have medical staff either onsite or on call. Medications are usually stored and distributed to residents so that the dosage and timing is monitored.

How to Find the Facility That is Right for You

Facilities should be evaluated to ensure that the needs of the patient and family are met and exceeded. It is often vital for all parties involved to have the facility located near family members in order to allow for regular visits. Before making any decisions, prospective facilities should be toured and evaluated for:

* Care Capabilities. Figure out if the facility can manage your loved one's condition both now and in the future.

* Safety. Rooms and bathrooms should have emergency call systems. Staff should perform in-room checks on a regular basis. To prevent wandering, Wanderguard or other personal monitoring systems should be used or the dementia area should be secured.

* Cleanliness. Take a look at residents to determine the level of personal attention and care they are receiving-are they well-groomed and clean?

* Staff Attentiveness and Expertise. Make certain staff has specialized dementia training on top of being good care providers. This means caregivers understand the disease and how to communicate with individuals who are not always able to express themselves. They should know how to manage combativeness, recognize signs of pain and be able to create solutions for the challenges often associated with eating, bathing or toileting in dementia patients.

* Plans of Treatment. Ask management how often care plans are re-assessed. It should be on an as-needed basis and every few months.

* Activities. Check not only the amount of available activities, but also how appropriate they are for your loved one's cognitive abilities. Usually dementia programming mimics everyday activities, such as having a dementia-safe kitchen for cooking activities, has time set aside for art projects or reminiscence and incorporates some basic exercising.

* Menu Options. Keep in mind nutritional needs and also your loved one's personal preferences, which may become more limited in moderate to later stages of Alzheimer's.

* Planned Schedule. Individuals with dementia do better with a regulated schedule as such ask the administration about what the everyday routine is.

* Common Areas. Common areas should be free from clutter as dementia patients often have trouble seeing low-lying objects, such as coffee tables, or distinguishing objects from one another. Many good Alzheimer's care facilities have special areas, such as one for reminiscence, a quiet room or sometimes even a Snoezelen. A reminiscence area may have childhood toys or dolls, sports memorabilia or other items that help bring up memories and can aid in helping dementia patients talk about their lives, especially with visiting family members. Quiet rooms are places that often have low lighting and virtually no stimuli and can aid agitated dementia patients. A Snoezelen is a room with specialized lighting, tactile surfaces, calming music and sometimes pleasant odors; it works to stimulate the five sense and can be soothing for some dementia patients.

* Decor. Lighting should be bright, even and warm. Carpeting, drapery and furnishings should not have busy patterns as it can be mistaken for insects or other objects. Resident's rooms should be clearly marked and it is a good sign when the resident's artwork and family photos adorn the walls to personalize each room. Kitchens should not have microwaves or access to anything with which a person might hurt themselves such as knives, scissors or exposed burners. All taps should have well-marked hot water handles so that individuals do not accidentally burn themselves.

* Secure Outdoors Areas. Individuals with Alzheimer's often benefit from spending time outdoors; however, any patio or garden areas must be secured or fenced so as to keep residents safe. Some facilities even have special gardening areas or greenhouses which can be a very rewarding activity.

A facility's licenses and insurance documentation should be up to date and accurate. Check references from families who have had loved ones with similar diagnoses as your family member in order to measure actual experiences. Review the patient's and their families' rights to determine how any concerns that may arise will be handled.

Try to determine the overall "feel" of the facility and notice if it is generally calm and organized. The best facilities encourage family participation and strive to maintain the dignity and safety of those entrusted to their care. You should also take note of what the average cognitive levels of the population is and what the protocol is in place for patients should their dementia becoming progressively worse. Find Alzheimer's care facilities in your area and also check out our Assisted Living & Alzheimer's Care Facilities Learning Center to learn more about finding dementia care in your area.

Paying for Alzheimer's Care Facilities

Medicare, Medigap and Managed Care do not cover care in Alzheimer's care facilities. In some states, Medicaid will pay for Alzheimer's facilities; however, very few facilities accept Medicaid as reimbursement. Long-term care insurance policies (LTCI) and Veterans Benefits sometimes can cover the cost of Alzheimer's care facilities. Most Alzheimer's care facilities are private pay. Read a detailed description of all types of reimbursements.

LTCI

What It Covers

Facility Only and Comprehensive policies pay benefits in an Alzheimer's care facility, but the amount of coverage depends on the individual policy. For information on how to determine what kind of LTCI policy suits your needs, visit Duane Lipham's Expert Column on LTCI.

Veterans Benefits

What It Covers

Veterans Benefits refers to care in an Alzheimer's facility as Community Residential Care. The program provides health care supervision to eligible veterans who are unable to live independently and do not have anyone to provide the required supervision and care. The veteran must be able to function with minimal assistance.

Conditions and Limitations

* Veteran must meet eligibility criteria for VA benefits, and

* Demonstrate need for this type of care

Florida Children Being Stuck in Nursing Homes

It has recently come to the attention of the Justice Department that Florida has been institutionalizing hundreds of young children with disabilities by putting them in nursing home facilities that are designed for elderly patients. And the children are not just staying for a quick layover, some have been in a nursing home for years. These actions are in direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Justice Department believes that the reason behind having so many children in nursing homes is due to Florida failing to set aside enough money to cover in-home nursing care, therapy and other services that would enable parents to care for their own children in their own homes. Federal investigations show that the state has completely cut 24-hour in-home nursing and other home-based services for children who use ventilators, feeding tubes, and other complicated technology. Without any help from the state, parents are trying to find the funds to take care of their children at home, but many are falling short and are forced to let their children go to a nursing home.

Children by the hundreds are being put in these nursing homes all over Florida and they are growing up without their families. At least 50 children have been stuck in the same home for 5 years. Tom Perez, the Assistant Attorney General to Pamela Bondi, the Florida Attorney General, state that the children "live segregated lives" and are not given many chances to be around children or adults without disabilities. They are also not given opportunities to experience a majority of educational, social and recreational activities that are "critical to a child's development."

These children are surrounded by elderly nursing home patients and a few other children with disabilities. They spend the majority of their time in their beds or watching TV and federal authorities have said that their educational opportunities are limited to about 45 minutes per day. These kids are classified as "medically complex" or "medically fragile," and can be suffering from traumatic brain injuries or cerebral palsy. Some are on ventilators, many have tracheotomies, and most need medical apparatus or equipment to help them survive.

A 5 year old quadriplegic child, injured in a car accident, has been residing in a state facility for three years. Her mother has been trying in vain to bring her home, told that there is a waiting list for community and home-based services that is between 5 and 10 years. Another child is a 6 year old girl living in an institution who has to receive nutrition through a feeding tube. While under her mother's care, the feeding tube fell out several times and it was recommended that the girl should be released back to her mother, but to give the child brief daily visits from a nurse to maintain the tube. The state refused to pay for any amount of nursing care, and so the child remains in the facility.

It's estimated that to be cared for in a nursing home, each child costs about $500 per day, which is more than elderly patients cost. Nurses are working overtime, scurrying between patients, and desperately trying to take meet the needs of a wide range of patients. Federal investigators are threatening a lawsuit. Florida maintains that they were just following federal laws.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Moving the Elderly to a Home For the Elderly

The Basic Truth

We will all grow old some day and there is need for us to be mindfully prepared. The elderly are our loved ones and even as we had moved out earlier to live separately, there are times when we are faced with the option of bringing them back to live with us again or choosing to send them to places where they will dearly be cared for. While some may not welcome the idea of living with their elderly parents for some peculiar reasons, some on the other hand will readily take back their aged parent or parents with them. There are factors that many consider before thinking of taking back their aged parent to live with them.

Factors That Some People Consider Before Taking in Their Aged Parents or Not

If you are single, separated or divorced, there is a possibility that the company of your aged parent will be a very welcome idea especially if you have enough space to accommodate you all under one roof. This will also save you considerable costs and afford you opportunity to continue to spend more quality time with your elderly parent.

However, if you are married and with children, taking in your elderly parents to live with you under same roof may pose some space challenges depending on the type of accommodation you have. Even though your children may be excited by the idea of having their grand parents permanently in their house, you as the adult may have the emotionally crunch of having extra persons to carter for.

It is important to note that there are some beneficial aspects of letting your old dad or mom or both to move in with you. One of it is the fact that you will be saved the stress of frequenting the elderly people's home if you were to keep them there. Another benefit of having your elderly parent move into your home is that you will be handy to seek for the best medical help in case of any emergency as you may have known their medical history and know how best to attend to their medical needs.

Apart from the above, moving in your elderly parents may not go down well with your teenage kids who may not like to be subjected to grannies frequent questions and inquisitions.

Some Los Angeles elderly care experts have divergent opinions from all these. They reason that harboring a surviving elderly parent at home can cause friction between the elderly and the children because of some elders nosy attributes and some elderly parents habits of unnecessarily interfering with marital spats has also been given as some of the reasons they shouldn't be lived with at old age.

What Options Do You Have When You Don't Want to move the elderly into your Home?
The home for the elderly is a simple answer to that because there is need for the caregivers to be away from the care receivers sometimes for more effectiveness. You may not know it but your elderly parents may sometimes need to be left alone even if it is on a temporarily basis. This is one good reason you should consider before moving your elderly dad or mom into your home. Though moving your parents into home for the elderly has also been the most popular option.

Inside Mental Hospitals and Behavioral Units: A Bipolar Patient's Point-Of-View

Popular media portrayals of mental institutions often depict unflattering prison-like facilities staffed by stern attendants trying to manage patients as if they were small children in constant need of severe whippings and isolation. Except for government-run facilities for the indigent and criminally insane, today's hospital settings are much more benign and peaceful. This fact is not due to the oft-portrayed result of overmedication needed to keep patients from being too active and unmanageable as found in nursing homes; rather, it stems from today's empirical knowledge that a serene and comfortable environment is key to a patient's mental and emotional healing.

When an individual experiencing a mental disorder episode is either violent or not determines whether he or she is taken to either an emergency room (ER), a private mental hospital, or public hospital behavioral unit for assessment. The out-of-control ER patient typically receives a sedative medication upon admission to prepare him or her for transport to a mental health facility. Both they and non-violent individuals who enter a psychiatric unit are first assessed in order to discover their underlying condition(s). With the patient safely inside a secure facility, a psychiatrist prescribes an initial mix of psychotropic drugs to arrest and stabilize the patient's presenting condition and immediate symptoms' presentations. A lengthy hospital stay is often required because most psychiatric drugs require 2 to 4 weeks administration before behaviorally affecting the patient.

A violent or unruly patient is sometimes taken to a locked and padded isolation room for observation before his or her initial dosing of meds wears off. A psychiatrist, psychotherapist and case manager are assigned to the patient. The "in-control" patient in either a private hospital or general hospital behavioral unit is quickly assessed to determine the nature of the current episode. A patient history is also cobbled together. He or she is asked a battery of questions concerning moods, thoughts, actions and beliefs by a psychologist or trained psychiatric nurse, caseworker or licensed social worker (LSW). However, the patient is primarily scrutinized according to his or her "body language," as 65% of all human communication is non-verbal.

Medical care is often limited, constrained by government regulations, sub-standard facilities and medical professionals' unions found in state and federal (e.g., veteran) hospitals. There is even a lack of basic janitorial services at some of these locales. Additionally, "drug lists" used within these institutions are narrow and limit the physicians' use of the latest, most-efficacious and commonly prescribed psychotropic medications available in the marketplace.

Complicating adequate patient care in many of these facilities is the fact they are mandatory repositories for both criminally insane and indigent patients. As with prison facilities, dangerous contraband including drugs and sharp objects often find their way into the patient population and constitute an existential threat to all in-house staff and patients. Basic equipment, as can be found in most hospitals, is either non-existent or broken. A padded crutch or fully functional wheelchair may be non-existent or broken. A lone wheelchair may exhibit an undersized seat, loose armrest, pinch-points, missing footrests or broken brake lever. Group and individual counseling are pedestrian at best and absent at worst. Occupational and physical therapies often do not exist. Food is often substandard.

Standard procedure in all hospitals is having all items except for the textile portions of patients' clothing bagged and safely stowed to prevent theft and injury to the patient by items like pocket knives, belt-buckles and other items known as "sharps." Disposable slippers or cotton socks with non-slip rubber soles are issued in lieu of the patient's original footwear. Meal service is either smooth-edged metal spoons or plastic flatware accompanied by either unbreakable smooth-rimmed melamine or non-injurious paper or styrofoam plates. Styrofoam drink-ware is also used. Meals are of above-average quality and quantity. This stems from patient dietary needs due to disorder-caused eating issues that have deprived most patients of both nutritious and adequate amounts of food. Meals are served in either buffet lines or catered-style metal food warmers. The latter usually contain meals selected by patients the previous day from menus offering a choice of entrees, beverages and desserts. Much light-hearted trading of food takes place around the tables during mealtimes.

More women than men occupy a psychiatric unit at all times. Although an equal number of men and women are bipolar, women suffer depression twice as much as men do. Hence the patient census typically exhibits 15%-25% more women than men on any given day. With the wide variation of patients, their personalities, and manifold states of their drug therapies, arguments between and among them are not uncommon, as are physical confrontations. Psychiatric technicians and nurses are always on guard to immediately quash these encounters.

Psychiatric facilities focus on both mental (including emotional) and physical health for patients. Spiritual needs are not addressed except for an occasional, optional 15-minute non-denominational session on a Sunday morning, for example. The goal of a restored circadian rhythm in patients explains the strict observance of scheduled morning wake-up calls, meals, group therapy sessions, physical and occupational therapies, other activities and bedtimes. Occupational therapy consisting of small construction and art projects provide for patient relaxation, sense of accomplishment and success in meeting small goals. Sometimes batteries of mental and physical tests are administered to gauge the overall status or health of the patient. An Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test is but one of these exams.

Mood patient anxiety, mania and depression slowly subside in response to a varying drug "cocktail" in an attempt to discover the best course for the patient. Also, a physical, emotional and social activity regimen is instituted to achieve a patient's overall goal of mental stability. "Level" or "stable" moods, not joy or happiness, are the goal, as is commonly misunderstood by the layman, for achieving mental recovery. Outpatient therapies and counseling may be administered before ultimate patient release. When a lack progress is evidenced after treatment with various pharmaceutical therapies, bipolar I and severe cases of clinically depressed patients may undergo Electro-Convulsive-Therapy (ECT or "electroshock therapy") to relieve the pain and damage done during episodes of mania, deep depression and catatonia. Although these procedures produce tremendous restoration of patient moods, they are performed at the expense of varying degrees of either or both temporary and permanent loss of patient memory.

As in-patients, a holistic approach to healing takes place due to the coordinated efforts of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric technicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, case managers and social workers. This advantage to the patient is abruptly interrupted upon release and can cause varying levels of anxiety and perhaps a relapse. There may be only psychiatric visits after leaving hospital and perhaps some psychological counseling. Sadly, these two professionals, psychiatrist and psychologist, are usually not in communication with one another and the resultant disconnect results in a patient's issues being poorly addressed. While the psychiatrist is primarily concerned with drug therapies, the psychologist is more concerned with talk, thought, emotional, and behavioral therapies. This scenario often, when combined with the patient's continuing poor domestic environment and poor responses to life challenges, will often require another visit to his or her hospital alma mater, or result in injury or death.

Once stabilized to the satisfaction of one's psychiatrist and other staff, the patient is readied for release. A strange feeling creeps into the patient's psyche as his or her release date and time draw near. He or she has been "ready to leave" for days on end and cannot wait for release. Nonetheless, immediately prior to walking out the door, anxiety strikes the patient with full force. The realization of having been in a peaceful, nurturing environment contrasts with having to confront the stigma of having mental illness, their home environments, and former (sometimes toxic) relationships with others and having no outside help. Fortunately, for most patients, they are usually referred to a counselor or licensed social worker with whom they can continue their recovery back in the "real world." Either an out-patient program or support group meetings can provide other avenues for recovery and maintenance of their mental health.

Because mental healthcare is a specialization and therefore more costly than general medicine, medical insurance usually covers a relatively small portion of both in-patient and out-patient mental health expenses or none at all. Lifetime total in-patient hours are often limited despite high premiums. And, as with any medical hospitalization, the mental hospital facility and doctors each bill the patient separately.