What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson Disease is a degenerative brain disorder affecting movement. Symptoms are caused by the deficiency of a chemical in the brain called Dopamine; why it happens, nobody knows. It is not fatal but progressive and incurable and with time, severely affects quality of life. Currently there is no one specific test to diagnose Parkinson’s Disease. Diagnosis is a combination of symptoms exhibited and eliminating other possible causes.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

• Tremor- (shaking usually starts on one side of the body, often in the hand or finger)
• Rigidity- (stiffness where the limbs feel like lead)
• Akinesia- (difficulty in initiating movement and slowness of movement)
• Problems with balance

Facts about Parkinson’s Disease

• Medicines effective for only a limited period. They then become less effective or cause disabling side-effects.
• Stress intensifies symptoms and counteracts the benefit of medicines.
• People also often suffer from depression, severe anxiety and emotional turmoil.
• Even with severe symptoms, there is little impairment to the intellect.
• Environmental and genetic factors may play a part in the development of Parkinson’s Disease.

Myths about Parkinson’s Disease

• Only old people get Parkinson’s disease.
• The only thing that people with Parkinson’s have is shaking.
• People with Parkinson’s are unemotional and not in touch with their feelings.
• Only the person with Parkinson’s is affected by the disease.

Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

• Medicines – Medicines can control symptoms effectively for 5 to 10 years in most people before disabling side-effects appear and control then   becomes less effective.
• Surgery – Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an alternative to earlier forms of surgery where lesions are cut in the area of the brain that   controls fine movement of the limbs to stop shaking. Even if surgery is successful, it only relieves symptoms for a period of time but does not stop progression of the disease.

Nutrition and the Elderly

Calorie needs change due to more body fat and less lean muscle. The challenge for the elderly is to meet the same nutrient needs as when they were younger, yet consume fewer calories. Need to choose foods high in nutrients. Many seniors aren’t eating as much as they should so the food they do eat must be as nutritious as possible.

Pick whole unprocessed foods that are high in calories and nutrients for their size.

• Healthy fats, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, protein-rich beans, legumes, meat, and dairy products should make up a large part of the diet of the older adult.

The absorption of nutrients tends to be lower in older adults because of age related changes in the digestive tract. Their liver may be less effective at breaking down toxic substances. Some older adults have difficulty digesting fatty foods, so these should be avoided when possible.

Foods high in dietary fiber and adequate liquids are key in preventing constipation.

The elderly often lack Vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, Vitamin E, and Folate

• A lack of Vitamin B12 may lead to:

1. Anemia,
2. fatigue,
3. nervous system damage,
4. sore tongue

• A lack of Calcium may lead to :

1. bone mineral loss
2. urinary stones

• A lack of Vitamin E may lead to :

1. Red Blood cell breakage and anemia
2. weakness, neurological problems
3. muscle cramps

• A lack of Folate may lead to:

1. Anemia,
2. Weakness
3. Fatigue
4. Irritability
5. shortness of breath
6. swollen tongue

• A lack of Zinc may lead to:

1. loss of appetite
2. impaired taste acuity
3. skin rash
4. impaired immune function
5. poor wound healing

 

Why are the elderly at risk for malnutrition

Sensory Changes

• Change in taste, smell
• Nutrition recommendations
• Ensure adequate intake of zinc
• Try and variety of new flavors, experiment with different types of low sodium seasonings
• Don’t overcook food

 

Structural changes

• Loss of lean mass
• Too many calories for decreased RMR results in increased fat
• This extra fat contributes to a rise in LDL cholesterol and a fall in HDL cholesterol
• Nutrition recommendations:
• Protein needs 0.8g/kg depending on disease state
• Activity
• Heart healthy diet low in saturated fat and trans fat and with nutrient dense foods to prevent weight gain

Depression and Exercise

If I were to ask what the number one cause for morbidity in older adults was, you would all intelligently answer hypertension or diabetes, cardiovascular disease or dementia, but unfortunately you would all be wrong. Studies have shown that the number one cause for morbidity in older adults is depression.

Let us start by exploring the definition of depression.

Depression is: ‘severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy.’

Feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy can increase the rate at which older adults get sick, aka their morbidity.

Older adults can experience depression due to various reasons:

1. They are no longer able to successfully complete activities of daily living, such as washing themselves, walking long distances, changing their own clothing, etc
2. They can no longer work on a paid or volunteer basis
3. They can no longer help out their families as they used to
4. They become immobile
5. They experience injury due to falls
6. They become isolated and are no longer to partake in social activities

…And the list goes on.

A number of things can be done to help ward off depression from older adults and at the top of that list is exercise. Exercise, not drug intake, is the most effective way to assist older adults in dealing with depression.

Exercise helps to:

1. Manage stress and improve mood: exercise releases endorphins into the blood stream that is used to improve mood and lower stress levels
2. Strengthens weak muscles: repeated strength training activities will enable the older adult to get stronger
3. Prevent osteoporosis: exercise also helps to strengthen the bones which helps to prevent the weakening and deterioration that occurs during osteoporosis
4. Lowers the risk of adverse health conditions: exercise helps to ward off conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Heart disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity
5. Builds endurance and stamina: consistent cardiovascular exercise improves the functioning capacity of the heart and lungs, which increases ones endurance
6. Improves sleep: the body will be able to relax and fall into a deeper more relax sleep
7. Boosts confidence: with increase muscular strength and increase cardiovascular ability, an older adult will be more confident partaking in activities of daily living
8. Reduces the risk of mental illness: rates of depression will be greatly decreased
9. Improves blood circulation: with improves heart capacity, blood will therefore be moved throughout the system more readily for the older adult, this will improve immune function, healing and oxygen delivery.

It is important to ensure that the older adult in your life is participating in regular exercise every day, be it through walking, strength training, yoga, tai chi, or any other organized or unorganized activity. This will ensure that they will live a full and healthy life, with reduced chance of ailments and less or no depression.

If you are looking for ideas of how to keep the older adult in your life active and simple exercise that you can do with them, follow Liberty Nursing and Support Services blog and Facebook. We will be posting exercise ideas once a month. And if you have any questions or are in need of the service that we provide please contact us or comment below.

What activities are the older adults in your life taking part in? Comment below.

Reducing Healthcare Work Related Injuries

Since healthcare work related injuries are among the highest of all professions worldwide, LNSI has taken the initiative to provide safe client and material handling techniques to reduce staff and client injuries. Not only are they trained to provide safe client care, they are also trained to work safely themselves. It is our belief when staff is trained to work safely, the patient/client will be cared for more safely and staff injuries will decrease.

 

LNSI staff are being trained in safe patient/client handling, proper body mechanics, and lifting techniques to do their tasks more safely to minimize risk to patient and staff.

Equipment such as transfer belts and slider sheets are made available to assist staff to reduce force requirements to transfer and reposition.

In a situation where specialized equipment is not available problem solving through resourcefulness is encouraged such as a towel for a transfer belt or plastic sheet for slider sheet.

Statistics show as these techniques are implemented and become part of daily activities, injuries are substantially decreased. This results in staff working more confidently and patients/clients feeling safer.

Ageism in Health Care

Ageism, or age discrimination is ‘stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination.’

As we mature, develop new ideas, thought-patterns and understanding of the world around us, it becomes easy to shun those that do not fit into the neat ‘mental habitat’ that we create for ourselves. It is even easier when the ones that we are discriminating against seem to be slower physically and mentally, more timid, more experienced in ‘useless’ things of the past and less knowledgeable about things of today. Ageism exists in all facets of society including the Health Care Industry. This is sort of ironic considering that the elderly need the health care industry more than ever as they go through age related changes, diseases and disorders. It is important that we are aware of ageism so that we can make the necessary changes to deter it.

The elderly can experience ageism from:

1. Family doctors: the number of geriatric focused doctors today is inadequate to fulfill the need of our aging population. Family doctors often believe that care for the elderly can be time-consuming due to their plethora of aliments and therefore choose not to take them on as clients. This leaves a number of elderly individuals who need both minimal and constant health care, neglected and in a state of possible deterioration.
2. Research: research done on medications for the elderly are often times completed on younger Caucasian males. These males undoubtedly perform better under the research conditions which lead to the approval of ‘said drugs’. These drugs are then issued to older women and men of various ethnicities without further consideration.
3. Procedures/Treatment: due to the risk and time commitment of some procedures for the elderly and aging populations, some medical professionals choose not to offer some needed treatments. Instead they choose the option that will lessen the symptoms in order to move on to the next person/client.
4.  Medical errors: due to the nonchalant treatment that some older adults receive they are often prescribed the wrong medications or medications that would cause a negative reaction in their current prescription cascade. Also many older adults are not being monitored while they are taking medication. Many of them take the wrong dosage and this can lead to further illness and even death.
5. Heart Disease: some older adults may be denied heart care because of perceived poor recovery. Some doctors do not take the time to evaluate clients on a personal basis.
6. Joint Replacement: many older adults who are able to have joint replacement surgery need adequate rehab and home care after surgery. Some may be considered to be frailer and left with less activity due to the perception from family members This leads to poor recovery, stiffening of the joint and undue pain.

Discrimination of any group should be frowned upon. Although we are thwarted with images of the frail elderly by the media, we need to understand that in most cases this is the minority. Many older people are able to show more vitality and gumption, and are assets to their family life and society. Efforts should be made to accommodate, care for, and learn from the wisdom of those with the earned grey crown instead of making them feel inadequate, useless and unimportant.

Retirement Adjustment

Wake up, get the kids ready for school, pack lunches, make breakfast, get ready for work, send kids to school, head off to work, leave work, pick up kids, have dinner, get ready for bed, sleep and repeat. This routine, of course with a few changes here and there, is familiar to many adults up to the age of retirement. Then…silence and questions start to kick in: what do we do now?, where do we go?, when is our next doctor’s appointment?

Retirement does take some adjustments and getting used to. Many scholars and researcher have come up with different theories about Retirement Adjustment and the various stages older adults go through during their retirement years.

Atchely’s Theory of Retirement Adjustment

1. Pre-retirement:

This is the period of time when an individual prepares his/herself for retirement. Some may opt to go to counselling, look over their financial situation, prepare a monthly schedule of things to do, look into workshops or activities to keep their minds occupied etc.

2. Honeymoon:

This is the time for the retirement party; acknowledgement from well wishers, smiling faces, and balloons. The retiree may even choose to go on a trip to officially culminate one stage of life as they move into the next stage.

3. Retirement Routine:

At this stage the individual has set into their daily routine. No longer do they have to clock in for work every day. They may however choose to volunteer their time helping out their community and/or taking part in fitness classes such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Aqua Fitness, attending lunch dates, spending time with grandchildren and so on.

4. Rest and Relaxation:

The new retiree may choose to spend their days doing as minimal as possible. They may take the time to enjoy the switch from their once hectic lifestyle to one that they are now in total control of.

5. Disenchantment:

With or without a clear schedule the individual may get bored with their current routine. They may no longer see the need to plan activities daily or become bored of the schedule that they have made for themselves. They no longer are interested in spending money or going on trips.

6. Re-orientation:

In this stage an individual will seek to make changes to their current routine. They are disenchanted, bored and tired and will look for something else to do in which they can achieve true joy.

7. Routine or Stability:

There will come a point in any retiree’s life when they will find a routine that they are completely content with. They will happily do those activities daily or weekly, along with their scheduled doctor’s appointments and checkups. They will happily stick to this routine until they are physically or mentally unable to do it on their own.

As with any aspects of life, retirement takes some adjusting too. Older adults need to take the time to plan accordingly for their years of retirement. Family members, younger and older, can be of great assistance to those approaching or in their retirement years. They can find activities for the older adult to do, or simply be available for lunch or dinner dates. The focus for the retirement years should always be happiness and contentment. If these needs are met the individual will be able to make the necessary adjustments successfully.

Inspirational. Insanely Fit 66 year old!

Brian Wallace is 66 years and insanely Fit. Weight training for over 40 years he is an inspiration to many and is proof that age is no barrier when keeping fit and strong.

Alzheimer’s and Notable Warning Signs

We can garner wisdom from George Burns (1896-1996) in his quote “By the time you’re eighty years old you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.”

This is poignantly true. Researchers have suggested that one of the challenges to memory that older adults face is the ability to retrieve the information they have already acquired. This becomes increasing difficult when the memory loss is due to a disease or disorder. Older adults are at a much higher risk of age related Nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Tremors and Alzheimer’s Disease, just to name a few.

The Alzhieimer’s Foundation for Caregiving in Canada defined Alzheimer’s disease as  ‘a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes.’

It is extremely important that we, as family members and caregivers, are able to recognize the warning signs of Alzheimers Disease.

The 10 most notable warning signs are:

1. Memory loss that affect daily function
2. Problems with language
3. Difficulty performing tasks that were previously performed
4. Disorientation of time and place
5. Problems with abstract thinking
6. Loss of initiative
7. Personality changes
8. Changes in mood and behaviour
9. Poor and decreased judgement
10. Misplacing of things

If these warning signs are detected early an individual in the process of developing Alzheimer’s would be able to get the necessary help that he/she needs. Effective care can be put into place depending on what stage an individual is in. Alzheimer’s progression can develop slowly or rapidly. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to detect the warning signs as soon as they become visible.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease, it’s various stages and caregiving, feel free to contact Liberty Nursing at info@libertynursingstlucia.com or call 758-452-8845.

 

 

HIRING: NIGHT Personal Support Worker/ Health Care Aid

Liberty Nursing is seeking qualified, enthusiastic and hard working Personal Support Workers to care for our growing clientele.  The positions are available for Night Shifts with a minimum 24 hours (3 shifts) guaranteed per week. Applicants must be willing to work night shifts during the week and every other weekend. Rotating shifts are assigned by Liberty Nursing.

Compensation: based on experience

REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be PSW Certificate
• Current CPR and First Aid Certificate
• Availability to work evenings and weekends
• Personal interaction with Client
• Infection Control
• Knowledge of household management skills which includes: Cleaning, laundry and maintenance of a sanitary health care environment
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbal/written) and exercise good judgment
• Access to the vehicle would be an asset, but not required

Start Date: Immediately
Please submit your resume via email to info@libertynursingstlucia.com
http://libertynursingstlucia.com/home.html

WANTED: Medical Office Assistant (part-time)

Liberty Nursing is seeking a hard-working customer service oriented Office Assistant to join our medical office team! This candidate will be assisting with a variety of clerical duties, as well as being the main point of contact for patients and physicians. This position requires you to be WELL ORGANIZED and proficient.
The main duties include (but not limited to):

• Scheduling patients on the computer system
• Filing charts
• Answering phone calls
• Distributing patient forms
• Registering new patients
• Other duties to be determined

Job Requirements:

• Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel and able to learn new programs quickly.
• Must have a high school diploma.
• Team-oriented.
• The ability to follow orders and tasks are a must.
• Outgoing personality.
• Good English written and verbal communication skills.
• Previous experience as a receptionist or office assistant
• Experience working in the health care field is a definite asset

Compensation: based on experience
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Start Date: ASAP
Please submit your resume with hours available via email to info@libertynursingstlucia.com
http://libertynursingstlucia.com/home.html