Learn the Facts about Blood Pressure

You can have high blood pressure, or hypertension, and still feel just fine. That’s because high blood pressure does not cause signs of illness that you can see or feel. But, high blood pressure, sometimes called “the silent killer,” is a major health problem. If high blood pressure isn’t controlled with lifestyle changes and medicine, it can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, or kidney failure.

What Is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries. When the doctor measures your blood pressure the results are given in two numbers. The first number, called systolic pressure, measures the pressure when your heart beats. The second number, called diastolic pressure, measures the pressure while your heart relaxes between beats. Normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80.

Do You Have High Blood Pressure?
One reason to have regular visits to the doctor is to have your blood pressure checked. The doctor will say your blood pressure is high when it measures 140/90 or higher at two or more checkups. He or she may ask you to check your blood pressure at home at different times of the day.  If the pressure stays high, the doctor may suggest medicine, changes in your diet, and exercise.

Download our fact sheets about blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Explained
Blood Pressure Fact Sheet

Keep track of your blood pressure with our Blood Pressure Log.

Women's Day Caregiving Survival Guide

I am so glad that Woman’s Day has decided to make caregiving an annual theme; with baby boomers turning 65 at the rate of 10,000/day, caregiving will be an acute need in the next 10 – 20 years. This is the time for seniors and their families to sit down, discuss and plan for aging.

This year’s Woman’s Day article was excellent in providing an overview of questions to ask and options to consider, but five pages only begins to address the issues involved. I was glad to see a list of organizations to contact for help, but they forgot to list the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. NAPGCM website can assist caregivers to locate a professional Care Manager near them. A professional Care Manager has assisted thousands of seniors and their families navigate the aging journey. They can accomplish in few hours what it would take the adult child several weeks or months to accomplish by anticipating potential roadblocks and connecting the senior with local resources.

The article also discusses the need to collect medical, financial and social history. The professional Care Managers of Partners in Senior Care can assist with this data collection as well as assess the current strengths and abilities of the senior and then formulate an aging plan based on the senior’s aging wishes. If a senior just wishes to start collecting the information an adult child would need in case of an emergency, our Care Connector binder is the perfect place to start and more information regarding the binder and the professional services we offer can be found at www.partnersinseniorcare.com.

Heart Disease Prevention

Heart disease and stroke are an epidemic in the United States today. Many of the people who are at high risk for heart attack or stroke don't know it. The good news is that many of the major risk factors for these conditions can be prevented and controlled. Talking to your doctor about your heart health and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked are important first steps to reduce your risk. Many other lifestyle choices—including eating healthy, exercising regularly, and following your doctor's instructions about your medications—can all help protect your heart and brain health.  Read More

Do you or a loved one have COPD or CHF who struggles with every day activities or needs help managing their disease? We can help.


Our COPD and CHF Care Plans focus on the individual needs of the client who is suffering from chronic bronchitis or emphysema which can include: light housekeeping, assistance with ADL’s, household management, shopping, meal preparation, proper nutrition, exercise, safety in the home, infection/air quality control maintenance, smoking cessation, medication reminders, pain/stress management techniques. 

Let us customize a care plan that fits you or your loved one’s needs.  Call for a free assessment at 847-548-1330.

10 Warning Signs Your Older Family Member May Need Help

 The Eldercare Locator has produced a guide of “10 Warning Signs” to help families and older Americans determine if help is needed. Any one of the behaviors listed may or may not indicate that an action should be taken and your family member’s physician should be kept informed of physical or psychological behavior changes.

Has your family member:

1. Changed eating habits within the last year resulting in weight loss, having no appetite, or missed meals? 
2. Neglected personal hygiene resulting in wearing dirty clothes, body odor, bad breath, neglected nails and teeth, sores on the skin?
3. Neglected their home so it is not as clean or sanitary as you remember growing up? 
4. Exhibited inappropriate behavior by being unusually loud or quiet, paranoid, agitated, and making phone calls at all hours? 
5. Changed relationship patterns such that friends and neighbors have expressed concerns? 
6. Had physical problems such as burns or injury marks resulting from general weakness, forgetfulness, or possible misuse of alcohol or prescribed medications? 
7. Decreased or stopped participating in activities that were previously important to them such as bridge or a book club, dining with friends, or attending religious services? 
8. Exhibited forgetfulness resulting in unopened mail, piling newspapers, not filling their prescriptions, or missed appointments? 
9. Mishandled finances such as not paying bills, losing money, paying bills twice or more, or hiding money? 
10. Made unusual purchases such as buying more than one magazine subscription of the same magazine, entered an unusual amount of contests, increased usage of purchasing from television advertisement?

source: Eldercare Locator web site at www.eldercare.gov

The Eldercare Locator is a public service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging and is administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging in cooperation with the National Association of State Units on Aging.

Download this Fact Sheet

Bringing Health Care Home

A colleague forwarded me this article about bringing health care home. That is exactly what Partners in Senior Care’s professional Geriatric Care Managers do! We know our client’s baseline mental status, their aging wishes and how to access services for them in their homes (or with only minimal hospital stays). Home care is a “win-win” for everyone—it costs less and the patient is happier!

7 Questions to Ask When Your Doctor Prescribes a New Medication

1. What is the name of the medication?
2. How often should I take it?
3. Why is it being prescribed?
4. Is it replacing a medication I am currently taking?
5. Will it interact or affect other medications I am taking?
6. When can I expect to see results?
7. What are the possible side effects & what should I do if they happen?

Would you like a free copy of these questions on a card for your purse or wallet?  Click here to request yours now!

Emergency Preparedness Tips

Take these important steps to keep an aging loved one safe and healthy during an emergency

With near record breaking heat this summer throughout much of the U.S., along with severe weather conditions including floods, fires, and earthquakes, being prepared for an emergency, especially a weather emergency, is crucial when caring for an aging loved one or adult.

Partners in Senior Care has several tips for emergency preparedness, including:

• Identify what kind of resources you use on a daily basis and what you might do if they are limited or not available. Make a checklist of these resources and try and have extra supplies on hand.
• Plan to make it on your own, at least for a period of time. It's possible that you will not have access to a medical facility or even a drugstore.
• If you must evacuate, take the senior’s pets with you, if possible. However, if you are going to a public shelter, it is important to understand that animals may not be allowed inside.
• Encourage electronic payments for federal benefit recipients. Keep in mind a disaster can disrupt mail service for days or even weeks. For those who depend on the mail for their Social Security benefits, a difficult situation can become worse if they are evacuated or lose their mail service. Switching to electronic payments is one simple, significant way people can protect themselves financially before disaster strikes. It also eliminates the risk of stolen checks. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recommends two safer ways to get federal benefits:
• Direct deposit to a checking or savings account is the best option for people with bank accounts. Federal benefit recipients can sign up by calling 800-333-1795 or at www.GoDirect.org.
• The Direct Express® prepaid debit card is designed as a safe and easy alternative to paper checks for people who don’t have a bank account. Sign up is easy. Call toll-free at 877-212-9991 or sign up online at www.USDirectExpress.com.
• Purchase or create an emergency supply kit (

  Tip: Partners in Senior Care’s Family Resources Page has an emergency supply kit checklist you can download for free.)

  that contains:

• Water.
• Food.
• First aid materials.
• Whistle to signal for help.
• Dust mask.
• Moist towelettes.
• Garbage bags.
• Can opener for food.
• Local maps.
• Cell phone with chargers or solar charges.

• During extreme heat conditions, remember the elderly do not adjust to the heat as well as younger people do. The elderly are also more likely to take medication that impairs the body’s ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibits perspiration. Heat stroke is one of the most serious heat-related conditions an aging person can experience. Warning signs include:
• A body temperature over 103 degrees.
• Red or dry skin that is not sweating.
• Throbbing headache.
• Dizziness.
• Nausea.

An elderly person can also experience heat exhaustion. Warning signs include:

• Heavy sweating.
• Weakness.
• Nausea.
• Headache.
• Fainting.
• Fast, shallow breathing.
• Cool, moist skin.
• Fast or weak pulse.

To protect the elderly against heat-related illnesses, make sure they drink plenty of water (no alcohol) regardless if they are being active or not, and that they remain indoors, if possible. If someone does experience a heat-related illness, you should:

• Get the person to a shade-covered area.
• Cool the person with cool water and/or wrap them in a cool, wet sheet.
• Get medical assistance as soon as possible.

For more geriatric care tips and advice, e-mail me at PMenoni@PartnersInSeniorCare.com or call me at 866-203-7290. I would love to hear from you.

Trisha