Atlanta Seniors & High Blood Pressure

5 Star Homecare provides home care in Atlanta, Fulton, Dekalb, cobb, and Gwinett counties. Please call us direct at – 404-250-3248

Seniors living in Atlanta, Fulton, Dekalb, cobb, and Gwinett counties – here are helpful tips when choosing to lower your blood pressure. Relaxation is key. Try listening to soft music and relaxation tapes or even try listening to classical music by Mozart. Studies show this might reduce your blood pressure, if you listen for three times a week or more.

A study revealed – 41 seniors living in retirement communities, researchers found that regularly listening to relaxation tapes did reduced average systolic (the top number) blood pressure readings by 9 mm/Hg, while those who regularly listened to Mozart saw a 7 mm/Hg reduction in their blood pressure.

Reducing high blood pressure can be difficult for some seniors. We try exercising, eating healthy foods, and worrying less but still can find it difficult to reduce our blood pressure. Most of us must resort to prescription medications.

“This is a simple program that’s very easy to do, and blood pressure did decrease,” said the study’s lead author, Jean Tang, an assistant professor at the College of Nursing at Seattle University in Washington. But, she added, “It won’t replace medicine. It can only reduce blood pressure to a certain point — it’s like making lifestyle changes.”

What the researchers couldn’t investigate was if the drop in blood pressure was enough to make a significant difference in the study volunteers’ health.

“High blood pressure is clearly a very significant and common problem. Approximately one in four people have hypertension, and about two-thirds of people with hypertension aren’t adequately controlled,” said cardiologist Dr. Robert Ostfeld, of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Please read the full story – Relaxation Tapes!

Keeping Your Aging Loved One Safe at Home

5 STAR HOMECARE– Caregivers in Atlanta, give family members tips on helping yourself be a better family caregiver. If you need help caring for an elder or senior in your family, please call us at 404-719-4118. 

Tips for Making the Aging Relative Safe

Checklist to Make the Home More Comfortable and Safe

Many simple changes can be made to your home to make it a safer and more comfortable
place for your loved one. Most of the products needed for these modifications can be
purchased at your local hardwear store. Notable alterations include:

1. Install handrails on both sides of all steps inside and out

2. Secure all carpets and area rugs with double-sided tape

3. Install easy-to-grasp handles for all drawers and cabinet doors

4. Use brighter bulbs in all settings

5. Install nightlights anywhere night activity takes place

6. Add reflective, non-slip tape on all non-carpeted stairs

7. Install lever handles for all doors

8. Place a bench near entrances for setting materials and resting

9. Install closet lights along with adjustable rods and shelves

10. Install rocker light switches. The illuminated versions may be very helpful in
certain areas.

These small investments could not only make life easier for those involved but could
potentially save lives as well.

Aging Parents Help in Atlanta

Senior Home Care & Home Health for Elders living in Fulton, Dekalb, Gwinett, or Cobb counties,  call 5 Star Homecare at 404-719-4118. 

When is a good time to talk with mom and dad about their aging concerns?

Our answer: there may be no good time to bring up this hard conversation. We do suggest that it’s done as soon as possible. Now that we have the new year upon us, try to resolve to discuss critical issues with aging parents in Fulton, Dekalb, Gwinett, or Cobb counties in the new year.

Making our New Year’s resolutions is just upon us so, add one more to your list for 2009. Resolve to talk with your aging parents and family members about critical aging issues in this new year.

There’s a good reason to make this resolution. A 2006 survey by the Roper Public Affairs and Media Group of 1,000 seniors nationwide indicates that Baby Boomers are not communicating with their parents as often or as well as they think. In fact, the study found a real disconnect between the issues adult children perceived as important and seniors’ actual concerns.

For starters, adult children think their parents are more concerned about aging issues than they actually are (53 percent vs. 33 percent). That’s a pretty big gap.

The difference in wavelength may be because seniors and children don’t talk often enough. Baby Boomers claim to talk frequently with their parents about important health and other matters (60 percent). However, only 32 percent of seniors agree.