Health
3 signs your aging loved one may be ready for assisted living
As Mom and Dad grow older, the big question might be looming in the background: When is the right time to provide living support?
Dr. Macie P. Smith, a licensed social worker and gerontologist based in South Carolina, shared with Fox News Digital that there may be a few telltale signs that it’s time to make a move, whether it’s hiring an at-home aide or seeking out a living facility.
1. They’re at risk of harming themselves
Most importantly, Smith noted that if a senior is at risk of hurting themselves or getting into dangerous situations, it’s most likely time to call in help.
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Smith, who specializes in seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment, recommended starting with enlisting at-home aid before pulling a loved one out of their home.
Memory loss can cause dangerous environments and behaviors for aging adults, experts warn. (iStock)
“The last thing anybody wants to lose is their independence,” she said. “The last thing anybody wants is to live in a space with 50 other strangers.”
At-home support can help lower the risk of self-inflicted danger from incidents like leaving the stove on, or mobility issues that could lead to falls.
2. The person is having memory issues
As people age, their capacity to remember things begins to naturally slow down.
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Sometimes, this presents in the form of diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia. The severity of memory loss in seniors dictates whether living support is necessary, according to experts.
Smith mentioned how forgetting familiar tasks and activities, like eating, can pose a danger to someone’s health.
“Respect them enough to have the conversation, because they still have the ability to make decisions about their life.” (iStock)
“If their nutrition is poor, it may be because they are dealing with some pain that they are not expressing to anyone else,” she said. “They may be dealing with some depression and, frankly, they just don’t have the motivation.”
“Respect them enough to have the conversation, because they still have the ability to make decisions about their life.”
The expert advised watching out for signs of spoiled food in the refrigerator.
The person may also forget how to do simple tasks like making a bed, doing laundry, washing the dishes or following cooking instructions.
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“If they’re having trouble cognitively, they’re having trouble making decisions, and that’s going to ultimately impact … how they live independently,” Smith said.
3. They repeat themselves
Repetition of thoughts is also common in individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
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Smith noted that if your loved one is repeating themselves more frequently, it’s a good idea to bring in some support not only for help with day-to-day living, but also for attention and friendship.
The repetition of thoughts is common in individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. (iStock)
“In some cases, it’s because they’re lonely,” she said. “It’s because they’re living by themselves, and they don’t have any type of engagement or motivation.”
‘Very difficult’ decision
Smith emphasized how difficult it can be to make the decision to place a loved one into care, especially if it means removing them from their home.
The senior should “always be a part of the conversation” when it comes to deciding the next steps, she urged.
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“The last thing you want to do is come in and uproot them from the place where they feel the most comfortable and safe, just because you feel they shouldn’t be there,” Smith said.
“Always include them in the conversation, even if they’re in the early stages of dementia,” she encouraged. “They still have a lucidity … to be able to participate in the decision-making process.”
Taking away your loved one’s control and independence can cause issues, the expert warned. Instead, “we need to be there to support them and wrap services around them.” (iStock)
Whether the decision is to bring in care or move somewhere new, Smith said the senior should never be made to feel unsafe or unfamiliar, as this can increase dangerous behaviors, cause agitation and lead to health decline.
The conversation also should not start with the assumption that the senior will not accommodate your request or suggestion.
“Don’t assume they’re not going to remember,” Smith said. “Don’t assume they’re going to be irritable and combative.”
“Respect them enough to have the conversation, because they still have the ability to make decisions about their life.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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