Senior health care and eye care
An important factor we should know: certain drugs or combinations of drugs can impair visual abilities and affect results of diagnostic tests. It's very important to tell our optometrist or elder care physician the names of ALL prescription or non-prescription medications we take.
Preventative senior health care
The consumption of alcohol or alcohol-containing products (cough syrup, etc.) may be hazardous when combined with our prescription medications. Be sure to consult your senior health care physician if you are consuming or planning to consume alcohol.
Senior health and dealing with pain
Senior care physicians recommend taking pain medications when pain first starts or on a regular schedule to prevent pain from occuring. Once pain begins to take hold, it is much harder to ease the pain. NEVER attempt to drive a car, mow the yard, walk a tight-rope :o)...when taking strong pain medications...our reflexes just don't work so well in these times. If pains persist, never 'overdose' with medications, but call your doctor or the nurse for advice immediately.
Senior care and hearing loss
Before buying a hearing aid, find out from the audiologist if: 1.Could my hearing loss be treated by a senior health care physician? 2.Which design of the aid is best for me? 3.What is the total cost of a hearing aid? 4.How long is the warranty and can it be extended? 5.If repairs are needed, will a 'loaner' be available to me? 6.Who makes adjustments and minor repairs? 7.Are there special instructions and training I will need and be provided to me?
Senior care and cataracts
Thanks to my senior care physician, my cateract surgery went just fine. But within 7-8 months I was having blurred eyesight. I mean, I couldn't read a 12 font size e-mail, or a book...nuttin'! And it kept getting worse. I finally made an appointment with my optometrist...thinking I would need stronger lenses. Surprise! She found I had a 'membrane' growth over my implanted lense, and sent me back to my eye surgeon. What a simple procedure - laser 'zapping' to burn off the membrane (one eye at a time). I immediately could see so much better! Not one bit of pain or strain...just gain! This doesn't happen to everyone after cataract surgery....but if you begin seeing everything blurred, get to your surgeon ASAP!
Senior health care: Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an important senior health care issue. Glaucoma usually occurs when fluid pressure inside the eye rises above normal and damages the optic nerve. Though glaucoma affects only 3% of the population, it's more prevalent in over-40 and black people. There is rarely any early warning signs, so it is very important to have thorough annual eye exams that test for glaucoma; untreated, glaucoma can cause complete blindness.
Senior home care and medications
Oft-times, common medications (over-the-counter and prescribed) are ascribed as a cause of hearing loss or aggravation to an existing condition. Watch for any drugs that are considered 'ototoxic' (poisonous to the ear). Discontinuing usage of these drugs (IF advisable by your senior health care physician) could reverse the condition.
Senior health care at home
Most importantly, we should discuss our pains, in depth, with our senior health care physicians. Talk about what has worked well for us in the past; discuss medications that may be new on the market, BUT remember to ask about side effects from these. Oft-times, some good exercises, therapies (massages, heat/cold packs) can be recommended. Remember to discuss allergies you may have to some types of pain medications...they come by so many new names, now! Senior home care does not mean we should 'treat' ourselves with over-the-counter medications without discussing with our doctors - too many times I've heard of problems worsening because of 'o-t-c' meds causing bad interaction with other meds being taken. We know our bodies; doctors and pharmacists know medications!
Senior home care
Leg cramps can be caused by many factors. The obvious is over-exercising of the leg muscles, causing soreness and spasms of those muscles. These types of cramps can be lessened by easing up on exercises. Night cramps are different and can be very painful; they can awaken you from sleep for no apparent reason. These latter type are often symptomatic cramps; a lack of vitamins, or worse, a possible warning of peripheral arterial desease. If ANY cramping of the leg occurs, day or night, for no apparent reason, you should consult your senior health care physician soon. These warnings could save your life, or your leg.
Senior health care: testing for colon cancer
Your senior health care physician will want to check you for polyps in your colon. The procedure to remove polyps during a colonoscopy is simple: a thin snare wire passes through the colonoscope, encircling the polyp. The snare is then tightened and an electric current is passed through the wire that cuts off the polyp. The poly is removed from the colon and sent to a pathologist for further examination. Most all polyps are benign. The removal of polyps does not cause pain.