September 2010

Lowering Your Cholesterol

September is National Cholesterol Education Month. The CDC reports that more than 102 million American adults (20 years or older) have total cholesterol levels at or above 200 mg/dL, which is above healthy levels. Now is a great time to get your blood cholesterol checked, and take steps to lower it if it’s high. Below are some [...]

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Cold & Flu Season: What to Know

The Villages Seniors! Be on Guard This Cold and Flu Season! Fall is officially here, and with that comes another Cold and Flu Season. You’ve probably noticed signs at your local drug store, advertising flu shots, or perhaps you’ve gotten a letter from your doctor’s office about when they will have the flu vaccine available. [...]

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Interactive Caregiving: The Comfort Keepers Philosophy

Comfort Keepers® Helps Seniors Enhance Their Quality Of Life One of the most difficult parts of growing older is losing long-time friends. Life can get lonely as we age. In-home care providers, however, can offer companionship as they assist seniors with the tasks of daily living. While they help with homemaking and personal care, in-home [...]

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Prostate Cancer: Prevention

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and we will be looking at how this disease affects seniors — from detection to treatment to the search for a cure. With over 200,000 estimated new cases in the U.S. in 2010, chances are you know someone affected by prostate cancer. In our last post, we discussed [...]

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National Grandparents Day!

National Grandparents Day was founded by Marian McQuade, a housewife and mother of 15 in Fayette County, West Virginia. She served on the West Virginia Commission on Aging and the Nursing Home Licensing Board, and was a champion of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to encourage grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and experience of [...]

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Helping Seniors Prevent Return Trips to the ER

Seniors and Hospital Readmission A study at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, published in Gerontology in 2008, found that seniors who live alone have a 50 percent greater chance of early hospital readmission (within 60 days of discharge) and those with unmet functional needs, a 48 percent greater chance. Comfort Keepers® works to reduce odds like [...]

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Local Everyday Hero Iva Floyd Named Regional Comfort Keeper of the Year!

Comfort Keepers®, Central Florida’s leading provider of non-medical, in-home care, recently awarded Iva Floyd the “Comfort Keeper of the Year” designation for 2009. Each year, each of Comfort Keepers’® 600 independently owned offices may nominate one Comfort Keeper of the Year. To qualify, this person must treat their clients as though they are members of [...]

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Prescription Drug Interaction: Things YOU Can Do

One in 25 older Americans (about 2.2 million) take drugs in potentially harmful combinations. Don’t be one of them! Know the Ingredients The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) recommends knowing the active ingredients in the medicines you take. For instance, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers commonly contain one or more of four different [...]

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Prescription Drug Interactions: Things to Know

Prescription Medications Are Not the Only Cause of Drug Interactions As seniors, you are at a greater risk of drug interactions than the general population because you typically take more medications. Taken in certain combinations, drugs can interfere or interact with one another, altering their effectiveness in controlling symptoms and improving health. In some cases [...]

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Prostate Cancer: Awareness & Risk Factors

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and we will be looking at how this disease affects Central Florida seniors and seniors in general– from detection to treatment to the search for a cure. With over 200,000 estimated new cases in the U.S. in 2010, chances are you know someone affected by prostate cancer. Below [...]

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