According to caregiver.org "there are an estimated 44 million Americans age 18 and older providing unpaid assistance to older people and adults with disabilities who live in the community." With the massive baby boomer generation at or entering the golden years the aforementioned numbers will only increase. As a result the importance of care givers in our society will increase.

Unfortunately many caregivers are untrained, uninformed and have limited resources to turn to. In most situations little thought is put forth and caregivers just act. It is a life changing decision to care for someone else. Health problems for caregivers have been noted to arise emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Tips for caregivers:

• One of the most important things caregivers must do is remember to take care of themselves as well.
• Look out for signs of depression and anxiety and seek professional help if necessary.
• Activities such as Yoga can placate some emotional, mental, and physical hardships.
• Education and knowledge, know what disabilities and or conditions you are dealing with.
• Then be proactive in order to prevent problems and issues before they occur. Learn to effectively communicate with doctors and therapists, effective communication can go a long way.
• Seek help from other caregivers and be open to help when it comes. Be open to new technologies that can improve both of your lives.
• Get involved in the community, be an activist. Keep up on proposed laws and know your rights.

Labels: caregivers, disability, seniors

With so many websites on the internet it is increasingly difficult to find legitimate medical, disability and senior releated information. Orbit Medical has put together a Resource Directory that has categorized listings of quality websites that provide information, services, or products. A few more quality websites that cater to the health of older Americans are below.

The National Institute of Health is a great resource for information. Along with health information you can find research, the latest health news, information on grants, and a directory of other health related institutes. Within this directory I came across the National Institute of Aging. It specializes in research on the biomedical, social, and behavioral aspects of the aging process. Along with the prevention of age related diseases and the promotion of better quality of life for older Americans.

The National Institute of Aging has developed a website called NIH Senior Health. The site has information on many senior health related issues. However, I really appreciate the site because it is very user friendly. The site also incorporates many videos with credible sources giving valid information. Anybody looking for health related information that appreciates simple website navigation and along with quality information will be happy to have found this site.

Labels: disability, health, senior websites, seniors

The increase of elderly citizens has caused an increased awareness of elderly mobility. The United States has had a dramatic increase of the elderly population over the past few decades. There are around 40 million seniors over the age of 65 in the United States. It is expected that by the year 2030 this number will expand to over 70 million senior citizens.

As the elderly population increases there is an increased concern over the mobility of the elderly. Mobility is one of the most important factors in the quality of life of seniors. As seniors age there is a greater chance of mobility impairments because of age, injury or disease. These mobility impairments reduce the amount of individual mobility, independence and quality of life.

Mobility aids can be used to help increase the mobility of seniors and can be adapted for the individual and situation. Mobility aids to assist elderly mobility consists of canes, walkers, walking aids, wheelchairs, motorized wheelchairs, hand rails, stair lifts or other mobility equipment.

Mobility aids, disability aids and assistive technology all promote the independent living of the elderly. Mobility aids encourage the elderly to regain personal mobility and get out of the house and be active again.

Labels: disability, mobility, seniors

The amount of disabilities among US senior citizens has decreased over the past two decades. Seniors are becoming healthier and has thus caused a continued decline in disability. A study from the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS), found in the National Academy of Sciences, reported that disability among seniors age 65 and older fell from 26 percent in 1982 to 19 percent in 2005. The study also showed that chronic disability among American seniors with both severe and less severe impairments has decreased. Researchers have noted that assistive technology and other mobility and medical advances may be factors in these declines. This is good news to seniors and shows that we are headed in the right direction of getting healthier and avoiding physical disabilities in our later years.
source: thematuremarket.com, by K.S. Date 02-02-2007

Labels: disability, seniors

Many of us are living with special needs or are sometimes labeled as disabled. Even though we may be a little different than what is considered normal, we are still people - just like everyone else. A person could be deaf, or have a learning disability, or physical disability, but that is not the important thing to look at. It is important not to focus on what is different than other people but to focus on our strengths. Focus on our abilities not our disabilities. Everyone has disabilities and abilities in some way or the other.

There is adaptive equipment to help solve the problems of the disability. The world is becoming more accessible and technology is rapidly advancing. There are wheelchair sports, assistive technology, stair lifts, research, education and groups of people advocating rights for the disabled. Try to use your disability as an ability. If it is impossible to manage a disability alone some sort of assistive technology may be the answer. For more information and links on disabilities please visit the Orbit Medical resource directory.

Labels: assistive technology, disability