Exercise is ideal for maintaining good health, losing weight, and staying in shape. But as we age, our body begin to lose muscle mass. Sarcopenia or the loss of muscle, is the responsible for fractures, falls, low bone mineral density and insulin resistance. For seniors, strength training is not only key to fighting these deficiencies, but it’s also an effective way to build muscle, burn calories, and increase stamina and agility. In one study, a group of people in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s developed a strength training routine. Soon after, they noticed improvement in bone density, faster metabolism, greater
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Archives for weight loss
How new parents can care for infants affected by jaundice
Although jaundice is a common condition found in babies born before 38 weeks of gestation and in babies who are breast-fed, new parents must be aware that severe cases can come with long-term complications, such as brain damage, if not tended to properly. Infant jaundice, which is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby's skin and eyes, happens when a baby's blood contains an excess amount of bilirubin, a yellow-colored pigment of red blood cells. According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, it occurs because a baby's liver isn't mature enough to get rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream.
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Video spotlight: Meals On Wheels
This week, we here at Freedom Home Care have focused on helping the elderly loved ones in our lives maintain a healthy weight. Therefore, we thought it was only natural for us to stop for a moment to sing the praises of the Meals On Wheels Association of America. The organization has been working hard to keep the needy senior population healthy and happy since 1954. What began in Philadelphia more than 50 years ago has grown to be America’s largest national organization, which represents about 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the States as well as the U.S. territories.
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Tips for how to maintain a healthy weight later in life
Yesterday, we here at Freedom Home Care took a closer look at why older individuals are prone to lose weight. And we learned that a certain amount of weight loss can be considered normal. As it turns out, the actual decrease in pounds isn’t always attributed to a loss in body fat. Some of it can be due to a decrease in bone density, as well. Therefore, observing weight loss in your elderly loved one might not be something to lose sleep over. However, it’s also not something to ignore. In some cases, weight loss can cross the line from
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Understanding weight loss in older individuals
Weight loss in the older population is a common issue. As functions in the body begin to slow down – alongside activity levels – appetite also decreases. This, of course, is a simplistic explanation of why some of the aging individuals in our lives may look skinnier and skinnier as years pass. To truly understand weight loss later in life, however Livestrong.com, a website dedicated to healthy living, laid out the changes that take place in the body from a medical standpoint. As most know, the human body is composed primarily of bone tissue, lean muscle and organ tissue, fat tissue,
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Consider a sundae this Sunday for your aging loved one
Often times, we here at Freedom Home Care focus our blogging efforts on ways for elderly individuals to stay safe and healthy while living at home. A lot can change as we grow older, and with that change comes the need to adopt new habits. Adjustments to diet and nutrition might not have to come with quite as many sacrifices, however, as far as frail elderly are concerned. According to AgingCare.com, “there is a misperception that frail elderly peo diflucan ple should adhere to the same low-fat, low-calorie diet that is recommended for the general population.” Dr. Amy Ehrlich, associate
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Getting health benefits from video games
It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, and chances are that a lot of Chicagoland kids are inside playing video games. As adults, whether it be a parent or a grandparent, it should be our responsibility to get those kids off the couch and outside. And then once Chicago’s youth have taken a deep breath of fresh air, we adults, should then feel it our responsibility to pick up those controllers and start playing video games where the kids left off. Although it might sound a bit odd, a recent Wall Street Journal post titled “How Video Games Keep Seniors Fit,” discussed
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Reminding patients that there's no place like home
When a person hears the terms home health care, in-home care or home health aide services, often times the first thing that comes to mind is caring for the elderly. This, however, is a bit of a misnomer, considering that home health care can run the gamut – from post-surgery care to speech therapy. “Home health care is a wide range of health care services that can be given in your home,” Medicare.gov explains. “Home health care is usually less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as care you get in a hospital or skilled nursing facility.” Just as it
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Paving a road to hip replacement recovery
According to an article on AARP.com, total hip replacements are on the rise – to the tune of 285,000 each year in the United States alone. The figure equates to a 25 percent increase in just five years. “Total hip replacement surgery has some of the best results of all major surgeries,” Paul King, M.D., director of the Joint Center at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md. said in the article. Luckily, insurance will typically cover the bill, minus co-pays of course. Patients, too, will get their money’s worth, considering the implants typically last 20 to 25 years. Regardless
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Are Your Foods Super? My top “superfood” selections
Long ago, I learned that we really are what we eat and that the fuel we use for our bodies should possess the utmost quality and highest standards. To that end, it has been my mission to consume the best foods for my body and assist my family, friends and clients to do the same. Here are my top picks for feeling your best with the help of the most effective superfoods available in markets today. Wheatgrass Wheatgrass is immensely nutritious and full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Its juice has a high concentration of chlorophyll, which has purification
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