Hospice and Palliative Care
Dame Cicely Saunders (founder of the first modern hospice in London in 1968) summed up the hospice philosophy best when she told her patients:“You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but to live until...Gum Disease In Seniors
Periodontitis is a serious gum disease that damages soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports the teeth. Periodontitis is the primary cause of tooth loss in seniors, often leading to a need for dentures. It also increases a person’s risk for heart attack or...Cataracts
Cataract is clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. It is extremely common among seniors. In a normal eye, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina. Once it reaches the retina, light is changed into nerve signals that...Listen to Your Heart
One in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If pressure stays high over time it will damage the body. Hypertension is the persistent elevation of...Emphysema
Emphysema is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. Emphysema, along with chronic bronchitis are referred to as Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD). COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema....Mind & Body: Sober Seniors
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2012, nearly 41 percent of adults 65 years of age or older drink alcohol. Most of them don’t have a drinking problem, but some of them drink too much. Men are more likely than women to have...Caregiver Survival Tips
Caregivers often are so busy caring for others that they tend to neglect their own emotional, physical and spiritual health. Caregiver stress can be particularly damaging since it is a long-term challenge. Caregiving can be overwhelming at times and if this stress is...Shingles
Shingles also known as Herpes Zoster causes a painful rash that usually is located on one side of the body. Shingles is caused by the varicellazoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus can enter the nervous...Heart Failure
Approximately 5.8 million people in the United States have heart failure. Heart failure is a very common condition in seniors and is also known as congestive health failure. This is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. In...Your Mind & Body: Seniors Raising Grandchildren
According to the U.S. 2010 Census, there were more than 2.7 million households with grandparents raising their grandchildren … and growing. As grandparents age, raising children can sometimes be challenging. Grandparents need to take care of themselves mentally,...Your Mind & Body: Disease of the Kings
An estimated 6 million people in the United States have experienced gout at some point in their lives. Known as “the disease of kings and the king of diseases,” gout has been studied by physicians and has caused suffering in many people for centuries. Gout is a type...Serious Consequences for Elderly Falls
Falls are the leading cause of injuries among seniors in Hawai‘i. The risk and frequency of falling increase with age. Every 5 hours a senior in Hawai‘i suffers a fall that results in the senior being hospitalized. One in three adults 65 years or older in the US...The Flu & You
The flu shot is a vaccine that helps to prevent the flu, an illness caused by infection with the influenza virus. Viruses are very small germs that cause illnesses. Flu is a contagious disease, with symptoms such as fever, cough, headaches, body aches, sore throat and...Your Mind & Body: Controlling Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of fat which occurs naturally in the body. It has both good and bad effects on the body. The body uses cholesterol to make hormones and to build and maintain nerve cells. However, when the body has too much cholesterol deposits of fat called...Your Mind & Body: Sleepless Seniors
Insomnia is defined as having trouble falling or staying asleep. Insomnia affects 1 in 3 adults every year in the United States. Fifty percent of people over 65 years have various sleeping disorders. It can be transient, acute or chronic. Acute insomnia is brought on...Your Mind & Body – Protect Your Athletes from Dementia
Watching your kids or grandchildren play hard in a team sport can be a lot of fun. It’s great to be involved and to be a source of encouragement. It’s equally important to keep them safe while playing high-contact sports and to know when they should take a break. A...Your Mind & Body
Signs of Stroke Each year in the United States, there are more than 700,000 strokes. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the country. A stroke is a medical emergency. It occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is reduced or interrupted. Nearly...Your Mind & Body Diabetes: Are You Too Sweet?
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high levels of blood sugar. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 8.3% of the population, have diabetes. Of this number, 7 million are...Your Mind & Body: Diabetes
Diabetes: Are You Too Sweet? by Dr. Ritabelle Fernandes, MD from the December-January 2012 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life