Locally, Senior Helpers is raising awareness to help seniors avoid the medical problems and hospitalizations that are a direct result of dehydration. These cases continue to make headlines every year, but they don’t have to.

Seniors are bombarded with lists of things they can do to decrease their risk of health issues like heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer’s, but dehydration is among the most common, most serious dangers that’s easily forgotten. Seniors are particularly susceptible to dehydration because they don’t drink or eat as much as younger people and their bodies don’t retain as much water to begin with. This means that elderly individuals typically take in less fluid over the course of the day and lose it more quickly, which is a dangerous combination, particularly in the summer.

A recent study by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research found that seniors are far more likely to experience adverse health effects related to dehydration than younger people. The report shows the average adult loses more than ten cups of water per day and states that thirst isn’t always a reliable gauge of the body’s need for water, especially among older adults who have less acute senses.

Most times, dehydration can be easily prevented by paying attention to simple dietary measures and looking out for early warning signs. According to the Mayo Foundation, some of the most telling signs of dehydration include:

• Dizziness
• Blurred Vision
• Dry, sticky mouth
• Unusual sleepiness or tired feelings
• Decreased urine output
• Muscle weakness
• Sudden or persistent headaches

The hottest days of summer may still be to come. Our professional caregivers are helping seniors living on their own every day to make sure they are properly hydrated and doing all they can to stay healthy and happy through these long, hot summer days. If you have an aging loved one in the area, make sure they have the help and the resources they need to beat the heat.”

About Senior Helpers:

Senior Helpers provides many in- home, caregiving services for the elderly. We offer extensive in-home care services for seniors who embrace their independence and the personal dignity that goes with it. Our in-home care services are provided by bonded and insured caregivers all of whom pass a national background check.

If a senior family member needs in-home care services we are an excellent choice with exemplary references. In home health care is the compassionate choice for your elderly loved ones’ continued independent living. We promise we will do our best to make it a positive experience for them and you. For more information, please visit: http://seniorhelpers.com.

May is Older Americans Month—a tradition dating back to 1963 to honor the legacies and ongoing contributions of older Americans and support them as they enter the next stage in life. Senior Helpers, a national and local leading provider of in-home senior care,  is joining communities nationwide in celebrating this month.

This year’s Older Americans Month theme—Age Strong! Live Long!—recognizes the diversity and vitality of today’s older Americans who span three generations. They have lived through wars and hard times, as well as periods of unprecedented prosperity. They pioneered new technologies in medicine, communications, and industry while spearheading a cultural revolution that won equal rights for minorities, women, and disabled Americans.

These remarkable achievements demonstrate the strength and character of older Americans, and underscore the debt of gratitude we owe to the generations that have given our society so much. But the contributions of older Americans are not only in the past.

Older Americans are living longer and are more active than ever before. And with the aging of the baby boomer generation—the largest in our nation’s history—America’s senior population is expected to number 71.5 million by 2030.

While keeping the growing population of older Americans healthy and active will increase the demand for senior services, what is remarkable is the extent to which older Americans themselves are supporting each other. As the new generations of seniors become better educated and more financially secure than their predecessors, they are spending more time making significant contributions in their communities through civic and volunteer opportunities.

In fact, older Americans are a core component of service delivery to seniors—embodying and modeling the drive to Age Strong! Live Long! They volunteer at group meal sites and deliver food to homebound seniors; they act as escorts and provide transportation for older adults who cannot drive; they help seniors with home repair, shopping and errands; and they provide vital counseling, information and referral services. Their energy and commitment reminds all Americans—not just senior citizens and their caregivers—to do their part to enhance the quality of life for older generations.

The annual commemoration of Older Americans Month is our opportunity to recognize the contributions of older citizens and join them in providing services and support that empower the elderly. Americans of all ages and backgrounds can volunteer with programs that improve health literacy, increase access to quality health services, offer food and nutrition services, provide financial and housing counseling, sponsor social activities and community engagement, and more. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging by visiting http://www.eldercare.gov or calling 1-800-677-1116 to find out what you can do to strengthen services for older Americans, this month and all year round.

When asked what they fear most, senior citizens ranked losing their independence (26%) and  moving into a nursing home (13%) higher than fear of death (only 3%), according to a commissioned study, “Aging in Place in America,” conducted by independent research company Prince Market Research. An overwhelming majority of seniors want to grow older in their own homes, yet over half are concerned about their ability to do so.

It may or may not become evident over time that you (or your loved ones) need assistance to continue living in your own home. Often, a major event will cause you to recognize such a need. It might be death of a spouse, a stroke, a broken limb from a fall, or concern from a relative or neighbor following a visit during which they recognize things are just not right.

It is important to take steps today to help ensure that you can “age in place” tomorrow. Some of the easiest things that can be done include simply organizing documents and creating reference sheets.

Organize Documents. The following documents should be assembled in one place so they are available when needed:

·  Medicare, Social Security, and health insurance cards
·  Copy of birth certificate
·  Names, phone numbers, and addresses of doctor(s)
·  List of health conditions
·  List of current medications with contact information for pharmacy and prescribing physician
·  Allergies to food or medications
·  Will, living will, and powers of attorney
·  Copies of insurance policies, including life insurance and long-term care insurance
·  Financial information, including contact information for tax preparer or accountant

Create a Laminated Reference Sheet. Create a complete list of emergency telephone numbers and information. Laminate the list and put it in an obvious place so it will be available for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or others who may need it. The sheet should contain the following:
·  Name, address, telephone number, birth date, social security number, and medical insurance information.
·  Primary and specialist physicians’ names and contact information.
·  A list of medications and dosages.
·  Name and phone number of your pharmacy.
·  Names and contact information for caregivers, relatives, and close neighbors.
·  Whether you have a living will and/or a durable power of attorney that allows another person(s) to make financial and/or medical decisions if you are unable to do so (include contact information).

Develop a Plan for Help. Recognize when you need help and list needs in the following areas: ·  Housekeeping-laundry, shopping, and household paperwork.
·  Nutrition-meal planning, cooking, and meal delivery
·  Health care-nursing, social work, physical and rehabilitative therapy, and medication monitoring
·  Personal care-assistance with personal hygiene, medical equipment, dressing, bathing, and exercise
·  Other-transportation, companionship, and daily telephone checks
Once you have compiled the list, decide if a friend or family member can assist you or if you need outside help.

Make Your Home Safe(r). According to The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), one in every three seniors fall each year. Falls cause many seniors to lose their independence, requiring a change in living arrangements such as moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Although falls can happen to anybody, anytime, and anyplace, you can prevent many falls by recognizing and correcting common hazards in the home. Senior Helpers has developed a “Home Safety Checklist” that provides tips for fall-proofing each room in the house.
·  Use good lighting. Put light switches at the top and bottom of every staircase.
·  Use grip bars and install handrails in bathtub and toilet areas.
·  Use a bed that is easy to get in to and out of
without injury.
·  Secure throw rugs and fasten loose area rugs with double-sided tape or slip-resistant backing.
·  Clean up spills, dropped food, etc. from floors
immediately.

Exercise. Regular, moderate physical activity is very important. Physical activity can reduce pain in joints and muscles and improve mobility and balance. The benefits of exercise help reduce the risk of falling. Talk with your doctor about starting an exercise program that fits your level of ability and meets your needs.

Sources: www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/, www.metlife.com

Local Company Helps Seniors’ Families Detect Parkinson’s Early

Leading in-home care provider promotes understanding around National Parkinson’s Awareness Month

It can start with a simple stumble, or a slight tremor in a hand or foot. What seems like a small misstep or an isolated incident for an elderly loved one could be a serious warning sign of Parkinson’s disease – and early detection is the key for effective treatment. April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month and Senior Helpers, a national and local leading provider of in-home senior care, is helping families to better understand the disease and recognize some of its characteristic first subtle signs.

“More than a million elderly Americans are already living with Parkinson’s disease, and the lives of millions more have been affected,” said Peter Ross CEO of Senior Helpers. “When a close family member develops Parkinson’s, it often has a profound impact on the lives of those charged with caring for them. Recognizing the symptoms early is the key to managing Parkinson’s, coping with the disease and helping loved ones maintaining a high quality of life.”

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects motor skills, speech, mobility and other functions. It is almost exclusively a health threat for seniors, as the vast majority of cases occur in individuals over 65 years of age.

More than one million American’s are already diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and experts predict that number to almost double within the next 20 years as 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and the population continues to age. As of yet, there is no cure for Parkinson’s, but treatment options are available if the disease is recognized early.

According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, the disease affects both men and women in almost equal numbers and shows no social, ethnic, economic, or geographic boundaries. Because the first stages are so subtle, it is often friends and family who notice initial changes in people who are eventually diagnosed. The earliest symptoms of Parkinson’s are commonly misinterpreted as typical signs of aging or indications of other common medical conditions – but when warning signs appear, quick action is a necessity.

Some of the earliest warning signs that friends and family should watch for include:  tremors or slight shaking of hands, feet, head or limbs; muscle rigidity or unusual stiffness; trouble with balance and unsure movement; muffled speech; and uncharacteristic depression.

“Lots of serious medical conditions facing seniors are difficult for individuals to recognize on their own, and Parkinson’s disease is no exception,” said Ross. “Families with aging loved ones need to make sure seniors have the care and attention they deserve. With jobs, kids and other responsibilities, family members often don’t have the time to care for an elderly person as well.  If the situation doesn’t allow for people to provide the kind of care and support seniors need on their own, professional caregivers may be the answer.”

About Senior Helpers:

Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 283 franchises in 39 states and one in Canada offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

Medical deductions can include dental treatments, the cost of transportation needed to get to a medical appointment, health insurance premiums and qualified long-term care services. For a full list of allowable medical expenses, see Publication 502 (2009) at the IRS web site . Some key rules to remember are -

• You can only deduct medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

• To qualify for a dependency deduction, you must pay for more than 50% of your qualifying relative’s support costs. The relative only qualifies as a dependent if he or she meets the gross income and the joint return test.  If your relative doesn’t qualify as a dependent because of these tests, you cannot claim a dependency deduction, but you can still claim his or her medical expenses. Click here: Dependency Deduction for gross income and joint return tests.

• If a group of people are sharing costs for a qualifying relative, a multiple support declaration (IRS Form 2120) can be filed to grant one family member the exemption.

• Long-term care medical expenses including diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, curing, treating, mitigating, rehabilitative, and maintenance and personal care services are deductible if the services are required by a chronically ill individual and a licensed health care practitioner prescribes the care. An individual is chronically ill if unable to perform at least two of six activities of daily living, which are eating, toileting, transferring, bathing, dressing, and continence. An individual who is cognitively impaired and requires substantial supervision is also considered chronically ill.

• Nursing services performed in a nursing home, an assisted-living facility, or similar care facilities are also deductible expenses if the person is principally receiving care for medical reasons. However, if a person is staying at a nursing home, an assisted-living facility, or similar care facility only for custodial reasons, only medical expenses are deductible; in this instance, room charges and meals are not deductible. Nursing services performed at home are deductible expenses. If the patient is chronically ill, certain maintenance and personal care services are also deductible.

Senior citizens and caregivers should be aware that premiums paid for qualified long-term care insurance contracts are also deductible medical expenses. According to the IRS, the contract must be guaranteed renewable; not provide a cash surrender value; not pay costs that are covered by Medicare; provide that refunds, other than refunds upon death, surrender, or cancellation of the contract, and dividends are used only to reduce future premiums or increase medical benefits.  For 2009, long-term care premiums are deductible up to the following dollar amounts: for individuals age 61 to 70 the limit is $3,180, for individuals 71 and older the limit is $3,980.

Many state governments also offer tax credits and deductions for caregivers on state income tax forms, so it pays to know your individual state’s rules.

By nature, tax rules are complex. It’s important to consult a tax attorney or accountant versed in eldercare tax issues about your specific situation before finalizing your taxes. The AARP also offers free assistance and tax tips for seniors through its Tax-Aide program.

More Resources:

Tips for Seniors in Preparing their Taxes

Money and Taxes for Seniors

AARP Tax Aide Program

Local senior care provider advises loved ones to consider awareness, risks for seniors

Diabetes is a serious issue affecting 24 million Americans. It’s a major health concern and mounting problem for the country as a whole – especially for the rapidly expanding senior population. In recognition of American Diabetes Day, which will be recognized around the United States on March 23, Senior Helpers, the nation’s fastest growing provider of senior in-home care services, is asking families to think about ways to reduce the impact of the disease on the local senior community.

“The population as a whole is aging and the number of seniors dealing with diabetes continues to climb,” said Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers. “The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases dramatically with age.  It’s important for seniors and their families to realize that there are ways to reduce the potential impact of diabetes on quality of life.”

The facts about diabetes and seniors are staggering. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 percent of Americans age 60 and older have diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association. Also, an estimated 50 percent of type 2 diabetes, otherwise known as adult onset diabetes, occurs in those over 55 years of age.

Research has repeatedly shown that physical activity is one of the best ways seniors can prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and complications from the disease in those already diagnosed. Seniors are far more likely to have complicating conditions stem from diabetes, including kidney problems, blindness, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. As people get older, exercise becomes even more important in keeping the body healthy and able to fight debilitating diseases like diabetes.

For seniors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise at moderate intensity, five or more times per week. Exercise helps the body’s use of insulin, burns fat, lowers LDL cholesterol levels and increases blood flow. All of these benefits help individuals, particularly seniors, control weight and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. They also decrease the likelihood that complications related to the disease will cause chronic problems.

“Families should consider diabetes as it relates to care and arrangements for elderly loved ones,” said Ross. “Small things like making sure transportation is available, encouraging exercise and preventing isolation can really make all the difference. Professional caregivers can help by providing these services and motivating seniors to remain physically active, healthy and sustain a high quality of life.”

For more information about Senior Helpers, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

# # #

About Senior Helpers:

Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 283 franchises in 39 states and one in Canada offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

Peter Ross, CEO Senior Helpers

professional in-home senior care company provides a number of services to help seniors and their caregivers.

LoveToKnow Seniors spoke with Senior Helper’s CEO Peter Ross about the concerns of seniors, and how in-home care can be a benefit to the family.

Senior Helper Interview

• What are seniors’ biggest concerns regarding independent living?

Safety is far and away the biggest issue facing seniors living independently, and it’s also one of the main concerns for families in charge of caring for or providing care for their elderly loved ones.

More of our clients want a professional caregiver around simply because they want someone there in case something happens. Quality of life and the ability to live well without being a burden are concerns a lot of seniors living on their own worry about as well. As they get older, parents don’t want to be thought of as extra work for their children, but they also don’t want to leave the home and the community they are comfortable in.

• How does an organization such as Senior Helpers address those concerns?

We understand the situations facing seniors from their perspective, and also from the point of view of their family members.

We do an in-home assessment of each new client to develop a customized care plan for each senior based on the type of assistance and care needed. This helps to identify the main concerns of both seniors and families, and the type of personal care we provide ensures that these concerns are covered and alleviated as well as they can be.

The goal is to provide enough help and assistance so seniors and families are both confident and comfortable that our clients can remain living independently with a safe, healthy and high quality of life.

As seniors age, they tend to do less and less of commonplace activities that we do everyday, like self-care, yard work, homemaking, etc…. The ability to do these so-called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) is what allows us to live on our own. When these things start to become a challenge, seniors need someone to lend a helping hand – which is exactly what Senior Helpers can do.

Senior Helper Services

• What are some of the services Senior Helpers provides?

We offer both personal and companion care services to our clients. Both are non-medical in nature. Personal care consists of bathing and hygiene, grooming, incontinence care and ambulatory services. Companion care provides meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, transportation, and companionship.

• Another interesting service is the Peace of Mind visit. Can you tell us more about that?

The Peace of Mind visit service was developed to provide families the comfort of knowing someone will be stopping by to talk with and check on a senior living on his or her own each day. The service calls for a caregiver to stop in and spend an hour with the client, just to make sure everything is okay and lend a light hand where necessary.

While some families only need the Peace of Mind visit, the vast majority of our clients opt for a more normal home care schedule which consists of at least four hours a day of either personal care or companion care. It’s not feasible to provide in-home care service for just an hour per day, but sometimes just knowing that a trained professional is stopping by to make sure everything is okay is all a family needs to know.

• How does your company help family members who are the primary caregivers for loved ones?

According to the Gallup Poll, almost one in five employed adults in the U.S. is a primary caregiver for a senior loved one. There are more than 65 million adults serving as caregivers for elderly family members throughout the country–and these numbers are increasing each year.

A Senior Helper staffer with clients.

Many of these caregivers are part of the “Sandwich Generation” in America, where they have elderly parents that need them and children at home as well. Add in a career on top of that, and it’s impossible for most people to give senior family members the kind of care and support they need to continue living independently.

This can cause an enormous amount of stress, making balancing a daily life extremely difficult for people in this situation. It’s also not uncommon for people playing this primary caregiver role on their own to develop illnesses and health issues themselves trying to juggle so many responsibilities, and when this happens, the situation can get substantially worse.

Senior Helpers provides relief for these primary caregivers as a professional third party to supply in-home care needs. Our staff allows people to relax, knowing that professional care is there with their loved one when they can’t be.

Selecting the Professionals

• Choosing an experienced and reliable care giving staff is a formidable challenge. What steps does your company take to select the right individuals?

Selecting a staff is one of the most important aspects of the Senior Helper’s solution – and one of the main reasons people choose Senior Helpers over other in-home care providers.

We incorporate personality testing, strong interview guidelines, a complete criminal background, reference checks, and motor vehicle checks to ensure that our clients have the best caregiver possible for their specific situation.

We match our clients and caregivers through personality profiling, alleviating any worries about the integrity of the people taking care of their loved ones. All of our caregivers attend the Senior Helpers University to keep their care giving skills at the highest level at all times.

Also, all of our caregivers are employees of Senior Helpers, not independent contractors, so they are bonded and provide the best possible level of compassionate care for each our clients.

Professionals help caregivers look out for loved ones.

Affording In-Home Senior Care

• How can an individual or family on fixed income afford a service such as Senior Helpers?

There are several programs available to seniors and families that many people don’t even know about.

For one, each state offers Medicaid services that can help pay for non-medical senior care for individuals who fall below the specified Medicaid poverty line. Specific programs for veterans are available too, like those through the Veterans Administration, which can provide home care reimbursement for veterans, surviving spouses and even some dependents of veterans if they qualify.

Most states, counties, and local governments also have programs that can help families who don’t have the resources to apply for other types of funding. Programs vary by location, so we encourage all people interested in in-home care to look around and research their own area, because there is usually some type of financial help or assistance available. Planning ahead is the best idea, though. Some of our clients took out long term care policies when they were younger, and we accept those as payment in most cases as well.

More Information on Senior Helpers

• Anything else you’d like to add?

We certainly appreciate the opportunity to be interviewed by LoveToKnow Seniors and share some information about Senior Helpers and senior in-home care in general. Please let your readers know that they should feel comfortable contacting Senior Helpers for any situation, no matter what their personal situation may be, because we’re here to help.

We will also be introducing the Senior Helpers “Navigator®” program soon, which will provide a list of comprehensive services and partners to answer any need related to senior care. Be on the lookout for more information on this in the months ahead.

• Review Senior Helpers list of services.
• Read over the F.A.Q. page.

For more information visit our website at www.seniorhelpers.com.

Low vision is a term commonly used among eye care professionals to mean partial sight, or sight that isn’t fully correctable with surgery, medications, contact lenses, or glasses. Low vision is defined as a level of vision that is 20/70 or worse and that cannot be fully corrected by wearing conventional glasses. Although people who have low vision have useful sight, the quality of their vision interferes with their ability to perform everyday activities, such as driving, reading, and watching television. Low vision can make it difficult for people to recognize faces and images at a distance or to distinguish colors of similar tones.

Are people identified with low vision diagnosed with tunnel vision, blind spots, or possibly legally blind?

Low vision typically indicates that vision is reduced. People can have visual field loss associated with that as well. They can have tunnel vision; they can have significant blind spots, not just floaters in their vision. Legal blindness is a definition we use in the U.S., a vision of less than 2100 or a visual field of less than 20 degrees.  Low vision is not a natural part of getting older and it can happen to people of any age. One reason why it occurs most often in older adults is that they are the ones most likely to contract the diseases that cause low vision, including macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Macular degeneration alone affects 1.6 million Americans age 50 and older. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation website, an estimated 4 million Americans have glaucoma although only half of them know it. The eye disease also is responsible for 9 to 12 percent of all cases of blindness in the United States. Diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed in about 65,000 diabetics each year and, according to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, is responsible for 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year.

What causes low vision?

The foremost common causes of low vision in the U.S. are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. But you can also have conditions such as albinism or optic nerve damage that people can be born with. For the most part, these conditions mentioned are things that come with age.

Symptoms of Low Vision

If you experience any of the following symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have a low vision problem. However, it is recommended that you contact an eye doctor for a complete examination. An experienced physician can distinguish between normal eye changes and those caused by eye disease. Symptoms of low vision may include but are not limited to difficulty recognizing objects at a distance (as when driving), difficulty seeing well up close (reading), trouble distinguishing colors (especially green-blue-violet range), double or blurry vision, pain or pressure in one or both eyes, and difficulty with peripheral vision.

If there is no medical treatment available (no surgery, medications, or glasses), how is low vision treated?

We treat low vision the same way that we would treat somebody who has experienced some other loss of function. For instance after a stroke, or an amputation, they would be sent for rehabilitation, where they would be fit with devices and learn alternate or new techniques to do things. In the same way, we do that with vision loss. We use magnification devices, electronic devices, computer-assistance devices, to help people maximize their remaining vision or learn alternate ways to do things; using their sense of touch or their sense of hearing. Nutritional supplements may provide some help as well. The National Eye Institute’s Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) found that taking certain antioxidants and zinc significantly reduces the risk of advanced AMD and vision loss. The antioxidants include vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene.

Are there tips given to people with low vision to help throughout their day?

The first thing is to make sure that they have the best glasses. Even though their vision is reduced, glasses can still help them see better in the distance, and possibly up close. We want to make sure they have appropriate task lighting for different things they want to do each day because lighting is critical for all of us to do our best. We want to make sure they have the necessary devices to enhance their distance, intermediate and near vision, for the various tasks they want to do.

Are there new or existing products on the market for people with low vision diagnoses?

Fortunately, we’ve got some great new medical treatments that are coming out, particularly for treating the wet form of macular degeneration. There are some injections that not only stabilize vision, but enhance vision. There’s a great deal at work on genetic therapy, as well as gene-directed therapy, to help people function better. There’s a variety of new electronic magnification devices and computer software programs that can help people function better despite reduced vision—so many new things on the market.

If you have an aging loved one who is suffering from low-vision but wishes to continue enjoying their independence in their own home, Senior Helpers can help. Senior Helpers in-home care services are designed so our clients get as much or as little help as they require to enjoy living independently at home.

We assist our clients with everything from companionship to bathing (where applicable) to Alzheimer’s and dementia care. We employ a proven process that includes an in-home assessment to help determine the type and level of care needed. Our services are available anytime – during the day, night, weekends, and holidays, or for short or long term duration. For more information visit www.seniorhelpers.com.

Resources

You can read about many common eye conditions in more detail at the National Eye Institute Web site ( www.nei.nih.gov/ index.asp). If you feel that you cannot afford to go to an eye doctor, you can find information about financial assistance at www.preventblindness. org/vlc/resources.htm and www.nei.nih.gov/health/ financialaid.asp.

Low-Vision Rehab May Improve Macular Disease
Health and Wellness
Medicare Starts Paying for Visual Rehabilitation Services, Eye and …
Five Eye and Vision Topics Added to NIHSeniorHealth Web Site, Eye …
New Device May Improve Vision and Mobility for People With Tunnel …

Sources:
Glaucoma Research Foundation
National Eye Institute
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Prevent Blindness America
University of Iowa Health Care

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/96/35358/increase-your-awareness-low-vision.html

This is a victory for individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and is a direct result of the hard work done by Alzheimer’s Association advocates. Since 2003, the Alzheimer’s Association has been working on behalf of individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease to improve the Social Security disability process.

Many people with early-onset Alzheimer’s or other dementias have faced challenges when applying for Social Security benefits. Individuals are often initially denied but usually win benefits on appeal, a process which can take several years.

Last summer SSA hosted a hearing in Chicago to examine access to social security disability benefits for people with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through its Compassionate Allowances Initiative.

Over 70 advocates with Alzheimer’s disease, their families and caregivers attended the hearing to hear testimony from people living with Alzheimer’s as well as medical experts. Since that hearing, over 600 advocates from across the country submitted written testimony and personal stories of their experiences and challenges

Alzheimer’s Association advocates helped SSA understand the impact of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease on individuals and their families and helped influence their decision to add early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to their list of Compassionate Allowances.

Please join us in thanking the SSA for their decision.