8 Tips to Beat the Summer Heat It’s an unfortunate but true fact: Floridians depend highly upon air-conditioning. But the significance of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) also shows up in our bill: on average, 60% or more of our electric costs go to HVAC. Residents here at Shell Point Retirement Community often ask [...]
Welcome to the Alliance Retirement for Community Living's Senior healthcare blog. We will be bringing you relevant health-related information that we have collected over our many years of experience in senior care. If you have any questions or comments please contact us by phone at (800) 334-4133 or by Email.
By Brenda Mango According to statistics, one in every three adults over the age of 65 experiences a fall each year, even when in an assisted living or retirement community. The fear of falling is a major concern for seniors, and can deter seniors from engaging in physical activity, which actually increases the risk of [...]
By Stacey Daniels, RN Do allergies cause asthma? The answer to this question is: yes and no. Asthma and allergiesoften go hand-in-hand. People who have certain kinds of allergies may be more prone to asthma. The types of allergies that are often linked to asthma are usually those that affect your nose and eyes, causing [...]
Is Snoring Normal?
Mar 9
Over the last couple of years, researchers have discovered a wealth of information about snoring and its potential consequences and complications. Snoring is caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is now known to be the most common culprit behind daytime sleepiness, or somnolence. “Often people will come into my office complaining of loud snoring. [...]
What Did You Say? 6 Tips for Better Communication with the Hard of Hearing (Round Two) Hearing loss is a natural part of the aging process. Here are a few easy tips that will troubleshoot your communication style and help you better meet the needs of a listener with hearing loss. Lower the pitch of your [...]
Managing Anxiety
Feb 24
Worry Much? Anxiety is one of the most common emotional challenges of aging and is often associated with depression according to Dr. Chris Votolato. Anxiety induces a physiological state that is very similar to fear, and affects one’s entire wellbeing; however, it does not have a specific, concrete, external object as does fear. For example, [...]
Aching Joints
Feb 23
Degenerative joint disease, medically known as osteoarthritis, is the most common form of joint disease, and spares no age, race or geographic area. By the age of 40, ninety percent of all adults have radiographic findings of osteoarthritis in their weight-bearing joints – which is about 20 million adults in the United States at any [...]
Feeling Fatigued?
Feb 9
Fatigue is a common physical complaint and accounts for roughly 55 percent of all visits to primary care physicians according to Dr. Roger Hirchak. “Almost everyone feels fatigue at some time during their life. Some of the more common causes of fatigue are stress, over activity, poor physical conditioning, or inadequate sleep.” When fatigue lasts [...]
When you hear the phrase, “hospice care,” you generally think of end-of-life services; however, hospice care also includes palliative care, which is centered on pain management and symptom relief. Palliative care versus curative care is important to understand: the hospice philosophy focuses more on the palliative or comfort care, while traditional curative care focuses on [...]
Caring for the terminally ill requires accepting and planning for the eventuality of death, while creating an atmosphere that provides comfort and compassion to both the patient and their family. Hospice care recognizes the patient’s right to self-determination and decision-making. Hospice program goals are: (1) Self-determined life closure — anticipating death, mentally competent residents will [...]