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6 Ways to Get White Teeth

Date: November 5, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
What You Need to Know About Oral Health

There are a bunch of reasons why our teeth start to yellow. It can happen because of what we eat, what we drink, or lack of proper hygiene. It’s also a natural part of aging. The enamel on your teeth wears off as you age. Here are 6 ways to get white teeth again.

6 Ways to Get White Teeth

6 Ways to Get White Teeth

 

The yellow comes from the inner dentin in our teeth. Medications can also cause the yellowing. There are ways to battle the yellowing of your teeth.

1.  Changing Aspects of Your Lifestyle

Smoking and certain foods can stain your teeth. Things like red wine, dark sodas, berries, coffee, and tea are some of the biggest offenders.

You can reduce exposure to these things to help whiten your teeth. You can also try swishing with water after drinking or eating, or use a straw.

Of course, there is always properly brushing your teeth as well.

2. Stop Grinding Your Teeth

Grinding your teeth can cause them to yellow. The stress of the grinding causes your teeth to be discolored.

The motion of the grinding wears down the enamel and reveal your inner dentin.

3. The Right Way to Brush

The best way to prevent yellow teeth is taking good care of them. Keep up with brushing and flossing.

Use toothbrush that isn’t too harsh.

Brushing right also helps prevent cavities. Seniors are getting cavities 2 times more than teenagers are.

Whitening toothpaste is good at removing stains, but it’s not the best solution.

4. Over the Counter Products

These products can help lighten discolored teeth and are cheap compared to going to the dentist.

Though before using anything, you should check with your dentist to make sure you don’t mess up your mouth.

5. Bleaching

Bleaching done by your dentist is the least invasive way to whiten your teeth. Dentists use products that have hydrogen peroxide in concentrations ranging from 25 to 40%.

Dentists will protect your gums, tooth enamel, and the rest of your mouth, which is why it’s best to go with a professional.

The process lasts around an hour and can be very expensive.

6. Veneers

Veneers are a handy tool when it comes to teeth. It can change the shape or look of them. They are shells made of porcelain or resin that covers the teeth.

Your dentist can fix the shade of the veneer to match your other teeth or lighten a tooth.

Porcelain veneers are stain resistant and can last 5 to 10 years before they need to be replaced.

The process is irreversible.

Read more here.

Stevie the Robot Helps Seniors

Date: November 5, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Stevie the Robot Helps Seniors

Robotics engineers from Trinity College Dublin showed their prototype of Stevie the Robot. It’s a social robot designed to help seniors. They hope that Stevie can help the whole process of elder care with his smile.

Stevie the Robot Helps Seniors

Stevie the Robot Helps Seniors

 

Stevie the robot is a friendly robot with human features. He can do some tasks on his own and others are human controlled. His first task includes doing routine rounds in nursing homes and assisted care facilities.

This is good because nursing homes and assisted care facilities have trouble keeping staff. Plus, the number of seniors are outnumber the staff.

Stevie doing routine tasks will significantly help the staff. It will lower the stress of everyone.

The Trinity team talked with a variety of experts to help develop Stevie. The team wanted to create the best prototype they could.

More About Stevie

 

He has 2 arms and a head. He gives social feedback to people around him. Sounds, lights, facial expressions, and body language helps him communicate to people.

He’s mobile and uses cameras along with depth, tactile, inertial, and voltage sensors. This way he can navigate any area with ease.

He can also connect to WiFi and Bluetooth.

He is able to spend time with seniors and give the social interaction that they need. It will help them not be bored with their daily life.

He can hold conversations, play simple games, and other activities.

Read more here.

20 NH Nursing Homes Considered the Best

Date: November 5, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How to Care for Seniors During Covid-19

The U.S. News & World Report released its latest ratings picking out the country’s best nursing homes. 20 NH nursing homes made the list. Go us!

20 NH Nursing Homes Considered the Best

The Rating System

 

The different homes were rated in 2 different categories. The first is overall quality and the second is quality in short-stay rehabilitation.

The short-stay rating is about giving patients great care after suffering from an accident or illness.

20 NH Nursing Homes Considered the Best

2,975 nursing homes were on the rating list. More than 15,000 were checked out to possibly be on the list. Out of 74 NH nursing homes, these 20 were the best:

(The homes are listed by name, city, overall rating and short-stay rating)

  1. Havenwood—Heritage Heights
    Concord
    High Performing
    Average
  2. The Edgewood Centre
    Portsmouth
    High Performing
    High Performing
  3. Hackett Hill Healthcare Center
    Manchester
    High Performing
    Average
  4. Warde Health Center
    Windham
    High Performing
    Average
  5. Golden View Health Care Center
    Meredith
    Average
    High Performing
  6. Rockingham County Nursing Home
    Brentwood
    High Performing
    Average
  7. Riverwoods at Exeter
    Exeter
    High Performing
    High Performing
  8. Cheshire County Home
    Westmoreland
    High Performing
    Average
  9. Merrimack County Nursing Home
    Boscawen
    High Performing
    Average
  10. Westwood Center
    Keene
    High Performing
    Average
  11. Presidential Oaks
    Concord
    High Performing
    High Performing
  12. Saint Teresa Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
    Manchester
    High Performing
    High Performing
  13. Langdon Place of Keene
    Keene
    Better than Average
    High Performing
  14. Langdon Place of Dover
    Dover
    High Performing
    High Performing
  15. Morrison Nursing Home
    Whitefield
    High Performing
    Average
  16. Bel-Air Nursing and Rehab Center Inc
    Goffstown
    High Performing
    Average
  17. Webster at Rye
    Rye
    Better than Average
    High Performing
  18. Belknap County Nursing Home
    Laconia
    High Performing
    Average
  19. Glencliff Home for the Elderly
    Glencliff
    High Performing
    N/A
  20. Coos County Nursing Hospital
    West Stewartstown
    High Performing
    N/A

Read more here.

Elder Suicide: What to Look for

Date: October 27, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
7 Ways to Handle Anxiety During Covid-19

Suicide is a terrible thing, no matter how old you are. It may surprise people to know that elder suicide is a problem. As people get older, they start thinking about how their life turned out.

Sometimes this can cause dark thoughts. This can make them more vulnerable to bad decisions. Especially, if they aren’t happy with the answers that they come to.

Elder Suicide: What to Look for

Why is This a Problem?

 

Older men are at a higher risk of committing suicide than older women. 85 and older aged white men are at the most risk.

There are many reasons that seniors are vulnerable to suicide. They can become depressed and anxious due to the loss of loved ones, their body not working like they’re supposed to, and the general loss of independence.

What makes this all the harder is that mental illness in seniors is hard to spot. It’s often dismissed as a part of another problem.

Elder Suicide: What to Look for

 

There are some personality traits you can look for in your aging loved ones. This can include timidness, shyness, seclusiveness, a tendency toward hypochondriasis, hostility, or a rigid independent lifestyle.

Of course there is also frustration and anger as well.

You should keep an eye on how they are feeling physically. Pain can take a large toll on anyone, even more so when they are older.

Any sleeping problems like having too little or too much can be a sign. You should also see how much they eat too.

You can read more about this problem here.

NASA Tech Could Prevent Falls

Date: October 27, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
American Seniors are Dying From Falls

NASA scientists may have created tech that can help seniors. What was first a way to help astronauts get balance after long flights in zero gravity, is now tech could prevent falls.

NASA Tech Could Prevent Falls

NASA Tech Could Prevent Falls

 

It’s an iShoe insole that has sensors that read how well a person is balancing. It can gather information for doctors before they fall.

Erez Lieberman, a graduate student, developed it while working as an intern. He says that there will be a lot of warnings before a fall will happen. Like how high cholesterol is and elevated blood pressure points to a coming heart attack.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation guesses that around 300,000 people suffer hip fractures every year. 24% of hip fracture patients 50 and older die within a year of the fracture.

It has 6 sensors and isn’t an instant alarm, though it will set out a signal that the wearer fell. It’s more a data recorder that you can bring to a doctor.

Lieberman says that the iShoe insole will cost around $100. Though it will be a while before it hits the market. More testing has to be done.

Read more here.

5 Things Grandparents Should Bring Up to Parents

Date: October 27, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress in Seniors

There is no greater joy of being a grandparent than spending time with your grandkids. If you spend a lot of time with your grandkids, there may be a variety of things you want to bring up to their parents. You should be careful though.

5 Things Grandparents Should Bring Up to Parents

5 Things Grandparents Should Bring Up to Parents

 

It’s usually best to let the parents do the parenting. It can be tempting to share your decades of experience raising kids . But, each parent/child relationship is different.

Though, there are 5 things you should bring up to parents.

1. Respect

You need to set boundaries with your grandchild to make sure they respect you. If the child repeatedly ignores those boundaries, you should bring it up to the parents.

Let them do the punishing, but don’t be afraid to say, “That’s not how you talk to me.”

2. Developmental Concerns

You may notice something about your grandchild that the parents haven’t. If there are any speech delays, motor function problems, or lack of social skills, you should bring it up.

There’s nothing wrong with sharing your concern. Just make sure you do it respectfully.

3. Safety

It’s important to bring up any safety concerns to the parents. See how far they want to go with things like crossing the street or wearing a helmet.

See if you can set your own safety rules at your house if you don’t agree with what the parents want. Then you can say, “Everyone wears a helmet at Granny’s,” and that sort of thing.

4. Food

Everyone wants their kids to grow up happy and healthy, but you can’t control what they eat outside of your home. Feel free to serve all the veggies you want at your home, just make sure that the parents are okay with it.

If you really are concerned about your grandchild’s health, you should bring it up to the parents. Again, just be respectful.

5. The Important Stuff

You need to talk to the parents immediately if you notice any physical or sexual abuse, neglect, substance abuse by a parent, or any harm that could come to your grandchild.

Safety is the priority. If you have to, call your local police department or Child Protective Services.

Read more here.

Top 18 Countries to Live in When You’re Old

Date: October 22, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Top 18 Countries to Live in When You're Old

The entire world’s elderly population has been growing rapidly. By 2050, there will be 2 billion seniors living on the planet. It’s important to be in a place that will be comfortable for you as you age. Here are the top 18 countries to live in when you’re old.

Top 18 Countries to Live in When You're Old

Top 18 Countries to Live in When You’re Old

 

In August, a team of researchers and policy experts from the US and Singapore, ranked 28 countries on a scale called the Aging Society Index. It gives countries a score out of 100 based on different factors that show how well elderly are supported. Here are the top 18.

1. Norway— Score of 65

2. Sweden—Score of 62

3, United States—Score of 60

4. Netherlands—Score of 60

5. Japan—Score of 59

6. Ireland—Score of 58

7. Denmark—Score of 58

8. Germany—Score of 55

9. Finland—Score of 53

10. Spain—Score of 52

11. United Kingdom—Score of 50

12. Austria—Score of 43

13. Belgium—Score of 37

14. Italy—Score of 35

15. Slovenia—Score of 33

16. Estonia—Score of 31

17. Poland—Score of 31

18. Hungary—Score of 23

How These Countries Were Ranked

 

The team worked with 18 of the 35 countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The index scores are based on 5 factors that represent different parts of a person’s life.

Productivity and Engagement

How many opportunities are there for seniors to contribute to society? This was calculated by retirement age, employment over 65, volunteer hours over 65, and informal educational opportunities.

Well-Being

This is a measure of quality of life. This was calculated by life expectancy and surveys reporting life satisfaction over 50.

Equality

How fair is life to the elderly? This is calculated by the Gini index that looks at poverty risk, food security, education opportunities for both young and old.

Cohesion

How socially supported are elderly people? This is based on financial transactions between older and younger groups, the number of older people living with younger people, and surveys regarding younger people’s feelings towards older generations.

Security

A measure of the physical and financial security given to older people. This is based off income, pension wealth, physical safety, and external government debt.

The team asked a group of 14 specialists including geriatricians, sociologists, and economists to weigh each of the categories based on their importance.

Read more about the rankings here.

How Seniors Are Driving Safer and Longer

Date: October 22, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How Seniors Are Driving Safer and Longer

We all love to drive. More than 75% of adults carry a driver’s license. This includes 40 million people who are 65 and older. Studies show that giving up driving increases a person’s mortality risk. It also increases the chances that seniors will end up in a nursing community. The question is, how can we make sure that seniors are driving safer and longer?

How Seniors Are Driving Safer and Longer

Transportation is a Problem

 

The problem is that the average American man outlives his ability to drive by 6 years, and the American woman by 10 years.

It’s not surprising that many seniors don’t want to give up driving. It’s been shown that seniors will always say 10 years in the future when asked when they should stop driving. It doesn’t matter what age they are.

This isn’t to say that older adults can’t drive. In fact, 3.5 million Americans 85 and older still have a driver’s license.

Though, we can’t all hope for great genes that will allow us do that. So, the problem is that seniors don’t have a way to get around after their license is taken. Many seniors live in areas that offer few other transportation alternatives.

How Seniors Are Driving Safer and Longer

 

It may be surprising, but seniors don’t have the highest crash rates. That title belongs to early drivers, AKA teenagers. In fact, seniors can be the safest drivers sometimes. They don’t text, they wear seat belts, and obey speed limits.

Really the stereotype of older drivers being bad drivers comes from agism.

There is a new long term study called LongROAD that’s hoping to keep seniors on the road longer. The 5 to 10 year project is coordinated by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The study is following 3,000 seniors who submitted their full medical and driving records. They also allowed a tracking device to be installed in their cars.

Over time, the trip logs should give researchers insight on how well seniors drive. It will give them answers to questions like: What time of day do crashes occur, at what speeds, and on what types of roads? What medications were the drivers taking at the time?

What you can do for yourself though is exercise. Studies have found that cardiovascular exercise can slow cognitive decline and that strength and flexibility programs can improve your performance on aspects of driving like neck rotation and response speed.

You can also see a driver rehabilitation specialist, which is like an occupational therapist on wheels. They will put you through a variety of tests to see if you are still able to drive. Though these services are few and far between.

There is also the hope of better public transportation and self driving cars.

You can read more here.

5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

Date: October 15, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How to Protect Yourself from Pharmacists' Mistakes

It’s no secret that staying heathy in America is expensive. It effects everyone, but especially seniors. With a limited budget, getting sick could mean financial ruin. Here are 5 ways to lower health costs in America.

5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

5 Ways to Lower Health Care Costs in America

 

Experts are working together to figure out how to lower health care costs. Health care spending will grow an average of 5.5% every year through 2026.

At the West Health summit, experts came together to come up with a few different plans to challenge rising health care costs.

1. Give Patients and Health Care Consumers More Info

Different panelists talked about differences in price for the same medical treatment within the same city. Some places can be more expensive than others.

Patients don’t know about the different prices because they aren’t given information.

This doesn’t happen in other countries. Countries like France and Australia, there aren’t any price walls.

In America, we need to stop being afraid of talking about costs.

2. Give Patients and Health Care Patients More Power

Many people feel powerless when it comes to the system. You need to show the system you have power with who you give your money to. Look for high value plans and providers and others will follow.

3. Lower the Number of Medical Tests for Patients

There is a study showing that more than 1 million Medicare patients are getting 1 of 26 tests or treatments that were seen as having no benefits. Some could even cause harm.

42% of patients got unnecessary tests in a year.

4. Increase Competition Among Providers

Since practices have been merging, consumers have a limited amount of options. Because of this, prices increase up to 25%.

Plus, the 4 largest health insurers have 76% of the fully-funded market nationally. The largest 2 insurers have more than 70% of the market in half of the nation’s metro areas.

5. Let Medicare Negotiate Prescription Drug Costs for People

People want Medicare to negotiate prescription drugs costs for Americans 65 and older.

Read more here.

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

Date: October 15, 2018
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
10 Common Health Issues for Seniors

People over the age of 50 aren’t checking on their bones as much as they should. This means there are fewer treatments for osteoporosis. If people don’t learn more about osteoporosis, breaking bones will be on the rise.

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

Breaking Bones is One the Rise

 

A lot of people are at risk of breaking bones, and doctors aren’t talking about the pros and cons of bone preserving drugs.

One serious change has already happened. There’s been a reversal in a 15-year decline of hip fractures among postmenopausal women. The study showed a decrease in hip fractures in women 65 and older on Medicare to 730 for every 100,000 in 2015. This is compared to 931 for every 100,000 in 2002.

But in 2012, the rate suddenly leveled off. If the pattern of decline continues, around 11,464 fewer women would have broken their hips between 2012 and 2015.

Bone Medication

 

Bone medication has shown that it helps reduce the chance of a second hip fracture.

Though one study of 22,598 people found that those who used the drug went from an already bad 15% of breaking a bone in 2004, to an even worse 30% in 2013.

Even though there are proper medications out there, people are choosing not to take them or are not getting them prescribed to them.

Breaking Hips is Expensive

 

Depending on how a hip fracture is treated, it can get pricey fast. The average medical costs for the first six months can range from $34,509 to $54,054.

Every year more than 300,000 people over 65 are hospitalized due to a fractured hip. Three-quarters of these patients are women.

It’s not just a money costs that come a fractured hip. Around 20% to 30% of patients die within a year after having a fracture. Those who do survive are never able to get around the same way again.

How to Help Your Bones

 

There is one suitable bone medication called Fosamax that came out in 1995. It’s a bisphosphonate that slows or prevents the loss of bone density. This makes stronger bones.

It’s now available as a generic called Alendronate.

People are afraid to take it, though. There has been overly aggressive marketing, and doctors were overprescribing it. Reports began to appear to link the continued use of bisphosphonates with two uncommon bone problems.

One being a very rare fracture of the femur, and the other is an even more unusual condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw. Fear of these two conditions caused a 50% decline in taking these medications.

The best thing you can do though is to take medication when needed, a good intake of calcium and vitamin D, and trying not to fall.

Read more here.