Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Every year, one in three Americans 65 and older falls. 30 percent of the falls cause injuries requiring medical attention caused by a bump or blow to the head. Traumatic brain injuries may be missed or misdiagnosed among older adults.

Traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Brain injuries accounted for half of these deaths.

“Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but research shows that traumatic brain injuries also can have serious consequences”, said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

While falls are not an inevitable consequence of aging, they do occur more frequently among older adults whose health and aging conditions are associated risk factors. To help prevent these injuries, the CDC developed the “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” initiative for seniors, their caregivers and healthcare providers. It features easy-to-use materials in a concise question-and-answer format to help prevent, recognize and respond to traumatic brain injuries. The materials are available at www.cdc.gov/BrainInjuryInSeniors.

Millions of people in this country provide care for an older adult, a parent, grandparent, other family member, professional caregiver, or a close friend. For most caregivers, the older adult’s health is the overriding concern. One way to help older adults live, better lives and stay independent is by learning about traumatic brain injury, or TBI and how to prevent it.

Home Care Pasadena provides home care for the elderly, aging, and seniors in Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Eagle Rock, La Canada, South Pasadena, Los Angeles area. Call us today at 626-486-0800.

Positive Outlook Reduces Chances of Dementia

Sociable people who don’t sweat the small stuff may be more likely to remember the small stuff as they age, new research exploring the link between personality and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease suggests.

“Older people who are active, outgoing and relaxed may be less likely to develop dementia,” said study author Hui-Xin Wang with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Researchers questioned 506 older people about their personality traits and lifestyle to measure their sociability and disposition to stress, HealthDay reports. After six years, 144 had developed some form of dementia. Researchers discovered that calm, more relaxed people, whether they had active social lives or not, were 50 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who had higher levels of neuroticism.

People who were both calm and outgoing, with active social lives, also were 50 percent less likely to develop dementia.

“Strategies to change lifestyle, such as having an active lifestyle engagement in different leisure activities, i.e. mental, social and physical activities, or having a rich social network, may protect against dementia,” said Wang.