Hip Replacements and How to Prevent Them

Modern medicine is amazing these days, we can repair parts of our bodies that fail, or even gain prosthetics that react to our own muscle movements for our lost limbs.  One modern marvel is the Hip replacement, a ceramic or metal ball and socket used to replace our own hip joint should the bone degenerate or break.  This procedure is fairly common in people over the ages of 65 (370,000 Americans each year replace their hip) and it helps correct the joint pain of a bad hip.  Unfortunately medicine isn't perfect, and at least 10% of all people who get a hip replacement have to have a 2nd procedure to repair the new joint because of mechanical failure, dislocation, or infection.  So what can we do to avoid getting a hip replacement? Exercise of course, keeping your body in peak condition is the best thing you can do to keep yourself healthy!

Below are various hip exercises you can do to build muscle strength and reduce your risk of having to replace that hip!

The Good Morning, stand with your feet spread apart slightly, then bow as far as you can or until your torso is parallel with the floor.  Keep your core braced, don't want to injure your back while you're protecting your hips!

The Glute Bridge, lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, clench your glutes as you raise your hips til you form a slope.  Hold the position for a bit, then lower.

Hip Abduction, put a resistance band around the leg of heavy furniture or a pole, and around your ankle facing that object. Spread your legs, shoulder width apart and bring the banded leg in until your ankles touch. you can also do this by putting the band around both legs, and spreading your legs.

Keep your body healthy and strong, and you shouldn't need a hip replacement, but if you are noticing significant joint pain, go see your doctor and discuss options!!

Spring Activities

Is everyone enjoying spring so far? The sun is shining, the days are getting warmer, flowers are blooming and birds are chirping!

Keeping a healthy body keeps your mind healthy, and can reduce your chances of developing dementia.  So, lets take advantage of this lovely weather!  Jog for a bit, get your blood pumping.  Make sure to stay hydrated, especially in Alabama, where it's been in the 90s these last few days.  If it's too hot, go for a swim, the water offers great resistance training that is very low impact on your body, while keeping you cooled and refreshed, meaning you can exercise more for longer and it wont feel nearly as draining on your body and joints!  There are many great spring activities that can count for exercise, like biking, roller blading, frisbee, soccer, and even golf (if you use a hand caddie).  What ever you you prefer to do outside, it's leagues better for your health than sitting at home and watching TV all day! Just be safe on hot days and stay hydrated!

Here are some graphics from Ontario Parks showing some of the health benefits of some activities!

It's May!

Happy May everybody! Enjoying that lovely spring weather?  It's getting hot here in Alabama, reminds me of a late summer in New York. It's Lupus awareness month!

Lupus is a long term Autoimmune disease where your immune system becomes overactive and starts attacking the body instead of just foreign particles (like viruses, and bacteria).  Your immune system could damage muscle cells, organ tissue, just about anything organic that your blood can reach is affected by Lupus.  If untreated it will cause organ failure and death, but thanks to modern medicine, 90% of people treated for Lupus can live a normal lifespan.  Unfortunately that isn't the case for everyone, so researchers need help with funding to better research and understand what exactly is Lupus and how to cure/prevent it.  We had a guest speaker for our Tuesday Tea meetings, who is with Hats and Heels non profit to talk to us and raise awareness for Lupus.  Watch the video below to hear from Andreannia Bush!

Prepping for the Hurricane Season

It's no secret that storms are getting worse and storm seasons are coming earlier and earlier.  The Atlantic Hurricane Season, which is supposed to start June 1st, has started early for 4 years in a row now.  With the weather being as unpredictable as it is, it cant hurt to prepare!

Make sure you store up on enough water and non perishable food should anything happen, this includes water bottles, canned food, ramen, pretty much anything edible that doesn't require a fridge to keep safe for consumption.  You never know if you'll lose power for extended periods of time so you wont be able to rely on your cold foods in the event of an emergency.

Get some back-up power supplies, batteries for flashlights, portable phone chargers, maybe even a gas powered generator if you can afford it! In the event of a power outage, you'll want to keep lightsources, radios, and phones powered so you can hear the news and see in the dark.  Additionally, pack some long lasting emergency candles and matches in the event your flashlights break or run out of power.

Make sure your house (or your loved in a hurricane area) is in a house built to stand up to the weather, and if the house has storm shudders.  If not, get some plywood slats to reinforce the windows, and learn the area's evacuation routes should you still need to find shelter!

Pay close attention to the weather reports, sometimes meteorologists are wrong in their initial predictions of the weather and will announce any changes as they happen.  The storm could get worse than initially predicted, and you may have to prepare to evacuate or hunker down and wait it out.

When in the storm, stay indoors at all times, and make sure the storm is gone if you notice the weather stop.  You could be in the eye of the storm and that means it will resume very soon as it passes over you. Once you are certain the storm has passed be wary of any debris outside, report any damaged power lines and avoid touching them at all costs.
Hurricane season will be starting soon, so everyone please be safe and plan accordingly!!

If you need further tips on how to prepare, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes to read more about what you can do during this weather!

Easter Weekend and Dementia

Easter is right around the corner!  I hope everyone will have a nice Sunday with their families and enjoy a nice Easter Dinner. If you're visiting elderly family, keep an eye on any changes no matter how subtle.  Dementia is not part of normal aging and is becoming more and more common as the years go on.  Dementia can be very subtle at first, and knowing what to key in on is very important in identifying whether or not your loved one has it, that way you can look for the help your family needs!

Memory Loss

Obviously one of the biggest indicators of dementia is memory loss.  However, don't be worried if it's mall details here and there, everyone gets a little forgetful as we get older.  If you are noticing major memories being forgotten or many minor memories being forgotten.

Difficulty Performing Tasks

Dementia not only affects your memory, but affects how your brain works in general, including motor functions and reasoning. You may notice someone developing dementia if they lose the ability to perform normal tasks they could do with ease. It's especially concerning if its a long time hobby or daily routine task that they cannot do anymore.

Problems with Language

People with dementia have difficulties with basic language, from both spelling and speaking.  Common issues range from writing the wrong letters, speaking the wrong words, or even forgetting the terms entirely.

Disorientation to Time or Place

As dementia progresses, the person may forget what day it is, or thing they're in another year entirely! This can be a very confusing time for the individual because their own home could be seen as a stranger's home because dementia is preventing them from remembering where or when they are.

Poor Judgement

Dementia impacts our reasoning drastically, so someone affected may do things like not dress appropriately, or might say things one wouldn't normally say in certain situations.

Misplacing Things

We have all left our keys in the wrong spot, left our keys in the car, misplaced the TV remote, but people with dementia can misplace things in troubling locations.  Like storing raw meats in a clothes dresser, or putting the iron in the fridge.  It may be more subtle than that, so make note of all the misplaced things and how frequently these events happen.

Changes in Mood

While we all experience mood swings from time to time, Dementia can make mood swings drastic and rapid.  Something slightly distressing could make them incredibly irate, but as soon as it's resolved, they would be fine.

Loss of Initiative

We can all get depressed or lose motivation some times, and it'll eventually come to pass.  Dementia can make this depression worse and last much longer.  You may see your loved one sleep more and more, doing less each day, becoming even more passive.

Pay special attention to your loved one's behaviors.  If you notice one or more of these changes please seek out a neuro-specialist and see if its normal ageing or the early stages of dementia.

Whats new with THSC?

Happy Friday everybody! It's been a while since we've had a little recap on all the exciting things that has happened.  So let's take a moment and take a look, shall we?

TOUCHING HEARTS AT RIBBON CUTTING

Were you near Fowl River? The Mobile Chamber was holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new Ace Hardware!  We are members of the chamber and came by to commemorate the new store, and welcoming them to our community.  Best of luck to the new Ace Hardware Store, I hope the owners are successful in their newest endeavor!












FIT MINDS PROGRAM

As you may have heard, we just recently launched our Fit Minds program.  We now offer one on one cognitive coaching to help your elderly family members train their brain and help reduce the effects of dementia!

Through a variety of exercises, our coaches will create a custom course for your loved one, that will help train their brain without being too difficult for them to achieve.  Thanks to this one on one method, our coaches can give your loved one the time they need to learn and improve with each session!  Fit minds only has 10 coaches across the country, and Touching hearts has 2 of them! If you are interested, call us at 251-445-4204 and we'll get you a personalized training session as soon as possible!



HITTING THE RUNWAY FOR OUR VETERANS

Touching Hearts Senior Care had attended a charity fashion show to help support our returning Veterans Reintegrate to society!  Even though many soldiers leave the front lines, the battle still rages on for them in other ways.  Burdened hearts, Shell shock, Disfiguring injuries, each soldier that returns has a challenge that they must fight to overcome.  Veterans Recovery Resource is a non profit with the goal to help suffering soldiers get the aid they need to move on and live a comfortable life.  Visit https://veteransrecoveryresources.org/ for more info!  We had donated many purses to this charity show for their purse raffle, and we made a video, come see!

Parkinson's Disease

It's April and today we are taking a look at Parkinson's Disease since it is Parkinson's Awareness Month!  What is Parkinson's? It's a degenerative disease in the nervous system, which basically means, the cells of the nervous system are failing and the nervous system is one of our most important bodily organs.  Nerves are all over your bodies, it's how your brain sends signals to your body to function properly.  Which is why people affected with Parkinson's can have trouble with just about any function in their body, like tremors (shaking) or sluggish movement, difficulties speaking and breathing, and even stiffness of the joints and poor balance.  Unfortunately there is no cure, but we have treatments available to limit the problems Parkinson's causes.  You may not realize it but the brain is made up entirely of nerve cells, and as the cells degenerate, you become more prone to anxiety and depression as well as losing bodily functions.  Because of this, treatments for Parkinson's also includes anti-depressants.  Don't panic though, just because you may have depression, it doesn't mean you have Parkinson's.  See a doctor if you fear you might be developing it as it does affect roughly 200,000 Americans per year.  The sooner you take treatments, the longer you can enjoy a better quality of life before the disease progresses.  If you can, please donate to a charity fund of your choice and help fund the research needed to find a cure!

Also Nuris Sanchez is our Employee of the month for April 2019! She's very dedicated to her clients and has made Touching Hearts proud to have her as a member of our Team and Family.  Thank you Nuris, and keep up that hard work!