Exposure to Light Promotes Sleep for People with Alzheimer’s
For many people, sleep is a given — until it’s not. An uninterrupted night of sound sleep often eludes people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The resulting sleep disruptions can have a detrimental effect on their mood and behavior. That’s because sleep is so essential to our well-being that we literally cannot survive without […]
Tricky to Treat Blockage in Left Main Coronary Artery
One of the most dangerous places to have a coronary blockage is in the left main coronary artery. Why is a blockage there so precarious? To answer that, let’s start with some basic cardiac anatomy. The two major coronary arteries — the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart — are the left and […]
Recognizing and Treating Depression May Help Improve Heart Health
Depression affects about 20% of Americans in their lifetime and is one of the leading causes of disability. The rates of depression are even higher in those with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Depression affects 38% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and the risk of depression is three times as high in patients who […]
Older Adults Can Get the Covid-19 Vaccine Now – If They Find Elusive Doses
When Illinois began rolling out Covid-19 vaccines to healthcare workers on December 15, many – especially the state’s seniors — were hopeful that they could soon get the vaccine, too. A month and a half later, that date is finally here. The state moved from phase 1a to 1b of Covid-19 vaccinations January 25. Those […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Treating Hypertension Reduces Risk of Damage to Blood Vessels
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: At my last few visits to the doctor my blood pressure was high. What causes resistant hypertension, and how is it treated if medications aren’t working? ANSWER: The benefits of treating high blood pressure are well-known. Keeping your blood pressure at optimal levels reduces the risk of damage to your blood vessels, […]
The Ups and Downs of Managing Your Cholesterol
High cholesterol levels put individuals at an increased risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in U.S. adults. It’s important for older adults to manage their cholesterol levels to reduce their chance of heart disease. The trick to managing blood cholesterol levels is not necessarily to reduce the cholesterol you eat […]
9 Tips When Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s
When a loved one receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, family caregivers may feel at a loss, but there are concrete steps they can take to ease this phase of life. The statistics about Alzheimer’s disease can be staggering. More than 5 million Americans are currently living with the disease according to the Alzheimer’s Association. […]
Will a Good Night’s Sleep Help my Heart?
It is estimated that over 50 million Americans report difficulty sleeping. With our busy American lifestyle, where we are overcommitted in both our work schedules and personal lives, it may seem that sleep is indeed a luxury. But a good night’s sleep is increasingly recognized as an important factor in maintaining good health overall, and […]
The Power of Intergenerational Connections
Among the many lessons that 2020 has taught us is that human happiness goes hand-in-hand with human connectedness. That counts doubly so for intergenerational relationships between older adults and younger individuals, according to a 2019 AARP study. Researchers found that 93% of people on both sides of a close intergenerational friendship felt it came with […]
I Found My Secret to Feeling Younger and Stronger. The Pandemic Stole It Away.
Back in early January, before Covid-19 was as familiar as the furniture, I went in for my annual physical. My doctor looked at my test results and shook his head. Virtually everything was perfect. My cholesterol was down. So was my weight. My blood pressure was that of a swimmer. A barrage of blood tests […]