Category: February – March 2019

  • Having Help Close at Hand if You Fall

    Every 13 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. Lower-body weakness, difficulties with walking and balance, and vision problems can make a person more likely to fall. Other causes include home hazards and clutter. Having a medical alert system can reduce a person’s risk of not being able…

  • MemorC: A Free Memory Aid

    One of the challenges for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is finding ways to engage their loved one or patient in tasks that strengthen the ability to recall who people are and what their relationship with them is. Dr. Warren Wong, a local geriatrician with decades of experience working with…

  • A Decade of Service to Veterans

    The only state veterans home in Hawai‘i, Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home, celebrated its 10th anniversary of serving veterans from across our nation in 2018. From celebrating our seniors’ accomplishments to bringing the community to our residents, we know the importance of ‘ohana.

  • Dementia and Vision Changes

    Human beings use five ways to take in data: sight, touch, smell, taste and sound. From the time we are born, we prefer to take in data first by what we see, then hear and finally through touch. Vision, our primary source for processing new information, is controlled by an area in the back of…

  • Don’t Take Breathing for Granted

    Breathing is something most of us take for granted. But for those folks with respiratory issues like asthma, breathing can be a struggle. Studies show that a healthy adult will take an average of 12–15 breaths per minute. For those with respiratory issues like asthma, it may be higher. Breathing issues can happen at any…

  • Memory Loss & Aging

    At some point we’ve all had times of forgetfulness or misplacing things. Our keys get lost or we draw a blank trying to remember where the car is parked or what we just ate for breakfast. We can usually sort it out and remember things with some time and patience. But when is forgetfulness or…

  • Well-being Starts with a Healthy Kitchen

    Kitchens are awesome places as great food is cooked and eaten there! But they can also be home to dangerous microbes. Did you know that kitchens are more heavily contaminated than bathrooms? Ordinary cleaning practices do little to reduce the microbial load, so kitchen sanitizing is a higher and more frequently needed level of cleanliness.

  • Benefits of Exercise for Our Kūpuna

    Regular exercise and physical activity can help to prevent disease, improve mental health, increase energy, reduce the risk of falling and much more. Here’s how!

  • Aging and the Impact of Hearing Loss

    By age 75, approximately fifty percent of us will have a significant degree of correctable hearing loss. Fortunately, most hearing loss can be treated and is correctable. New technology enables us to hear and understand at or near normal levels. It is always a good idea not to procrastinate and seek professional help sooner rather…

  • A Pain-Free New Year

    With a new year comes new goals to better ourselves. Whether you have been exercising for years or are just starting out, be especially careful to avoid injury. Loss of flexibility and of bone and muscle mass increases the risk of injury and slows down recovery.