All Posts in "The Senior Scene"

Living in small spaces: Cozy or cramped?

When it comes to the home, bigger doesn’t always mean better.

A new survey from Duck, a brand of products that provide simple, imaginative and helpful solutions for a variety of tasks around the home, discovers that more than half of Americans living in a small space say they feel cozy and comfortable as opposed to cramped.

“We often assume that a larger home is the most desirable, but that’s not always the case,” says Chaffy Assad, product manager at Shurtape Technologies, LLC, the company that markets the Duck brand. “In fact, nearly half of the survey respondents enjoy living in a small space, which most defined as a two-bedroom home or smaller.”

A more intimate space offers many benefits: 61 percent say it’s easier to clean, 54 percent say it costs less and helps save money, and 52 percent say it’s easier to maintain. Additionally, 57 percent plan to continue living in their home for the foreseeable future.

While there are many benefits to tinier homes, there are some challenges to living with less space. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say the biggest downside is the lack of storage, with 48 percent of people feeling it’s harder to keep small spaces clean and organized compared to larger spaces.

Which areas prove to create the biggest cleaning conundrums? The kitchen ranks number one as the hardest room to keep neat and tidy, with the living room a close second, followed by the bedroom in third. The belongings that are the most difficult to make space for are cookware, bags, shoes and gym equipment.

That being said, Americans are good at finding ways to make the most of their home by keeping clutter to a minimum and getting creative with organizing, the survey finds. Duck brand offers a variety of organizing ideas and solutions that help people tidy up, from the EasyMounts Mounting System that can transform a disorganized entryway, closet or garage, to the versatile EasyLiner Brand Shelf Liner that can make surfaces stylish and mess-free.

“No matter how limited your space is, there is always a way to maximize it,” Assad adds. “Making minor and affordable changes, like mounting removable hooks on the wall, easily adds extra storage to hang such items as cooking utensils or a purse, while installing shelf liner on kitchen shelves or in bathroom drawers protects surfaces and makes it simple to wipe up spills or messes.”

Source: StatePoint Media

The Senior Scene by — March 20, 2024 in Lifestyle, Home, Adventures

By Jack Huber

A recent study found that the risk of dementia was higher and associated with adults in their 50s and 60s with a sleep duration of less than six hours. This emphasizes the importance for older adults to not only be screened for sleep disorders, but also to maintain and improve their sleep quality.

Between 40 percent and 70 percent of older adults have chronic sleep issues, but up to half go undiagnosed. Sleep disordered breathing, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, affects 22 million Americans; and 80 percent of the cases of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea, the repeated collapse or partial collapse of the upper airway, go undiagnosed.

Airway stents may be the answer for healthcare providers seeking to not only help optimize sleep for older patients, but also shift away from treating sleep issues with sedatives due to their addictive nature and side-effects, such as impaired memory and focus. 

Aging increases body fat and reduces total body water and plasma proteins, resulting in increased drug elimination half-life and the potential risk of adverse effects. For this reason, older adults should be treated first with non-pharmacological options before using pharmacological options.

Non-pharmacological approaches include relaxation techniques, improving sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioral therapy. These options can be effective even for older adults with cognitive impairment. For proper sleep hygiene, individuals should avoid daytime naps, maintain a regular sleep schedule, limit substances such as caffeinated beverages, nicotine and alcohol, and exercise at least six hours before bedtime.

Common among older people, sleep disorder breathing (SDB) can lead to cognitive impairment, mood changes, compromised quality of life (often attributed to reduced social functioning and vitality), higher risk of stroke and comorbidities, with up to 50 percent of patients with mild symptomatic chronic heart failure having SDB.

One study found that older adults with untreated severe SDB had increased all-cause mortality. Additional outcomes of particular interest in older people may include glaucoma, falls with fractures, impaired quality of life, decreased pain tolerance, frailty, and mortality.

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can lead to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. This disorder is also associated with Type 2 diabetes and depression, and is a factor in a large number of traffic accidents due to persistent drowsiness.

Treatments

Treatments for breathing issues include weight loss, smoking cessation and increased cardiovascular exercise, enhanced sleep opportunity and environment, optimized medical management of comorbidities, and reduction in caffeine, alcohol and sedatives.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for OSA. CPAP pushes air into the airways to keep them open with a pump that controls airflow, a tube carrying air from the machine to the user, and a mask that goes over the mouth, nose or both. Typical problems with CPAP, however, include discomfort, leaky mask, trouble falling asleep, stuffy nose, and a dry mouth. Other treatments include oral appliances, surgery and sleep aid devices.

The most effective sleep-aid devices support natural nasal breathing, which is essential for optimal health because they filter, warm and humidify inhaled air. This protects the lungs, leads to better oxygen supply to the body, stimulates the calming nervous system, and reduces snoring and SDB. All of these factors contribute to a stronger immune system and improve quality of life.

Among the most promising sleep-aid devices, innovative stent-based therapies not only support healthy, natural nasal breathing, but also enhance physical performance, mitigate symptoms of chronic sinusitis and other quality-of-life conditions such as allergies, rhinitis, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and many autoimmune diseases.

Stents can be worn comfortably for up to 18 hours at a time for optimal breathing, transform unhealthy sleep patterns, improve nasal breathing to increase oxygen supply, and result in more relaxing sleep.

Healthcare providers should look for airway stents that have been clinically tested for treatment of patients struggling with OSA and snoring and designed to support healthy, natural nasal breathing at night and during the day.

Jack Huber is president of Alaxo Airway Stents.

The Senior Scene by — March 20, 2024 in Health & Fitness
Rural areas getting more help with wildfires

People living in certain rural parts of Pierce County, including Key Peninsula and Orting, will soon have more government-funded resources to prepare for wildfires thanks to a $1 million grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. 

The EPA awarded the money to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department for a three-year period to protect against wildfires, wildfire smoke, and the health effects associated with both.

“Climate change is linked to longer, warmer, and drier summers that lead to an increase in wildfires,” said Cindy Haverkamp, a coordinator of the project. “This new problem might be a lasting one. We must do all we can to help prepare our communities.” 

The federal funding will support the community-led Wildfire Preparedness Initiative. Officials said the Health Department will work with Pierce Conservation District and community partners on outreach and education, and develop relationships to form coalitions in what are considered underserved rural areas that include Lakebay, Orting, and Eatonville, among other communities. The areas were chosen because they have more people than other areas in Pierce County who are 65 or older, live alone, are disabled, have lower birthweights and life expectancies at birth, and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Residents will participate in public dialogues about wildfire issues, finishing with a countywide summit meeting.

The Senior Scene by — March 20, 2024 in News
Surplus of dogs, so no adoption fee

The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County has so many dogs in its shelter, it’s begging the public to adopt them. For free, temporarily.

The agency is waiving adoption fees for adult dogs from March 12-17. As of March 11, the shelter in Tacoma was caring for about 120 canines, plus another 39 in foster homes.

“As one of the few open-admission animal shelters in the state, we take in animals no matter their age, breed, or behavioral and medical needs. Just last week, we tended to a dog that had been shot three times and was among 10 rescued in a mere 72 hours, pushing our capacity to the limits,” said Leslie Dalzell, chief executive officer of the local Humane Society. “We are now needing to double or even triple kennel occupancy to provide care for our community’s most vulnerable animals.”

Every adoptable dog has had a wellness exam from shelter staff, been spayed or neutered, received their initial vaccines, and is microchipped with national registration. Their pictures and information are available at www.thehumanesociety.org/adopt. 

Adoption fees, when in effect, can range from $175 to $250. They help pay for services that the dogs receive before being adopted. Spay or neuter surgery alone can cost about $400 at a veterinary hospital, officials said.

Creating space in the shelter through adoptions “enables us to extend our care to countless more animals in dire need,” said Dalzell.

She said another way the public can help lighten the shelter’s load is by helping reunite an apparently lost pet with its owner. They can provide the animal with a temporary home, if possible, and take the following steps:

1. Walk the dog around the area in hope of finding its owner. Most dogs don’t wander far from home, officials said.

2. Have the pet scanned for a microchip at your local veterinary clinic.

3. Post online and put up signs to help locate the owners.

4. Call the shelter to give a description of the pet for it to be included in its found-pet records.

More information is at www.thehumanesociety.org/lost-pets.

The Senior Scene by — March 13, 2024 in News