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JANUARY 5 – 11, 2022
CARING FOR YOUR AGING PARENTS
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2A JANUARY 5 - 11, 2022 • HEALTHY LIVING
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HEALTHY LIVING • JANUARY 5 - 11, 2022
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Caring For Your Parents Health Starts At Home BY ANTON MEDIA STAFF specialsections@antonmdediagroup.com
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illions of adult children recently spent time with their families, visiting home for the holidays. For some, this may have been their first time home in a while, and they could have been surprised to see just how much their elderly parents have aged. Health experts all agree that it’s important that adult children take time to consider their aging parents’ health needs at home. “Long Island has a rapidly Anti-slip rugs and growing senior population, but mats in the kitchen very few have homes that are and bathrooms safe for them to live in,” said can reduce fall Daniel Elliot, a certified aging-inaccidents. place professional and licensed occupational therapist with Jukebox Health, a leading tri-state healthcare company that works with families and seniors to develop home solutions for optimal independent living. “Knowing that most seniors want to remain living in their own homes as they age, it’s important that their homes be safe for them to live in. Caring for your parents’ health needs to start at home.” Was mom recently hospitalized and now feeling somewhat weaker? Did dad have a recent fall? Some simple smart These are some of the questions home technology to ask yourself, according to features are Elliot. “Take a walk around the convenient. house to see how the lighting is in each room, especially those without windows like a basement, a stairwell or a closet. Are grab bars now needed in the bathroom or beside the bed to help dad stand up?” “In addition to considering assisted living communities and nursing homes, families should also consider aging in place at home as a viable option for their senior family members,” continued Elliot. “Thankfully many products and services exist today to help seniors live safely at home, without compromising their home aesthetic.” Adult children should seek personalized home safety assessments by certified aging in place professionals that will provide clinically driven home safety recommendaA well-lit home makes it safer to tions that will make home a safer move around the place for mom and dad. Families house can then work with companies like Jukebox to design and install the modifications, working with local licensed contractors.
Examples of modifications recommended in an assessment might include:
• Improved lighting • Smart technology • Grab bars • Anti-slip mats • Wheelchair accessible tabletops and countertops • Accessible entries, exits and stairwells with handrails • Zero step entries into showers • Extra tall or powered toilet seats • Bed rails Adult children should also take note of other behaviors, such as the use of the various rooms in the house. Daniel Elliot explains, “Many times we see an avoidance of certain rooms used at home which usually signals an issue but can easily be remedied, restoring their freedom and full use of the house.” “There is a large emotional dimension to aging in place. Seniors want choices about how and where they age” continued Elliot. “Remaining in their homes provides independence and familiarity, which many times, leads to living a longer, happier life.” Visit www.jukeboxhealth.com for more information about Jukebox Health.
Michael Dowling: Most Influential Northwell Health President and CEO Michael J. Dowling, who leads the largest health care provider and private employer in New York, has been named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare,” ranking third overall. Visit www.ModernHealthcare. com/100MostInfluential to see the complete list of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. Visit www.longislandweekly.com/modernhealthcare-dowling-2021 to read more about Dowling’s ranking.
4A JANUARY 5 - 11, 2022 • HEALTHY LIVING
2021 Has Ended In My Opinion It was a year filled with ups and downs and one can only hope that 2022 will be a better one. I am happy to see it put into the record books. It was an interesting year for the liver and I’d like to highlight what we have seen. The number of cases of alcohol related liver disease continued to soar, even surpassing the meteoric rise seen in 2020, with hospitalizations up by 200 to 300 percent in all parts of the country. In addition to these numbers, which are alarming, the number of people in their 20s and 30s admitted with alcoholic hepatitis and decompensated cirrhosis from alcohol has increased more than in any other age group. Much of this is directly related to the COVID pandemic and is felt to be due to various combinations of depression, loneliness and the lack of the ability to go out and socialize as well as an increase in people working from home and not having to be concerned about drinking and commuting. Caring for this population is challenging due to the lack of resources available to most to get the addiction and psychosocial counseling needed to combat this illness, stop drinking and get on the road to recovery. Many of these young people will eventually need
improve a fatty liver. Despite many new medications being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of this condition, none were approved in 2021 and none THE of these studies have presented any SPECIALIST truly encouraging early results to date. The 2022 resolution to kick a fatty liver David Bernstein, MD remains diet, exercise and weight loss. 2021 saw a rise in the number of newly diagnosed cases of primary liver cancer as screening has become more mainstream. Primary liver a liver transplant, some of them within cancer is the solid organ cancer whose the next year or two. The other liver condition that saw an prevalence in rising at the greatest rate in the USA. This is due to the increasincrease in diagnosis in 2021 is non-aling number of cases of alcoholic coholic fatty liver disease. This is likely cirrhosis, the increasing prevalence of due to two factors. The first is greater fatty liver as liver cancer can form in a awareness of the potential severity of fatty liver that does not have cirrhosis, the condition by medical professionals who are now routinely evaluating for the as well as the finding of liver cancer in patients with other forms of chronic presence of clinically significant fatty liver disease that naturally progress to liver disease. The second factor is tied cancer. 2021 saw it become more difto the COVID pandemic. A significant ficult for primary liver cancer patients percentage of our local population has to undergo liver transplantation due gained weight during the COVID years to changes in the allotment regulaand this is causing both new fatty liver disease and a progression of underlying tions. During 2021, newer therapies, especially immunotherapies, were fatty liver disease. The mainstay of approved for treatment. Hopefully therapy remains diet and exercise as there are currently no approved medical these therapies will improve the survival and quality of life. treatments for fatty liver. Weight loss 2021 saw an overall increase in the surgery, however, will significantly
number of all transplants in the U.S. This trend was seen throughout New York as well, likely due to newly placed allocation rules allowing New York transplant centers to obtain donor organs from a wider catchment area. Hopefully this increased transplant availability will continue into 2022, especially for those on Long Island in need of this liver saving operation. I purposely did not include the effects of COVID on the liver as we are still learning. What is now known is that COVID can cause chronic liver disease, even to the point of needing a liver transplant for post-COVID liver effects. Chronic liver disease from COVID can occur even when the COVID was mild. COVID can cause liver failure and death in patients with underlying liver disease, especially cirrhosis. The best way to keep the liver healthy is to avoid COVID. The best way to avoid COVID is to get vaccinated, get boosted, social distance and wear a mask when appropriate. David Bernstein, MD, FAASLD,FACG, AGAF, FACP is the vice chair of medicine for clinical trials and chief of hepatology at Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Diseases. He is a professor of medicine and education.
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6A JANUARY 5 - 11, 2022 • HEALTHY LIVING
January Is Thyroid Awareness Month BY ANTON MEDIA STAFF
specialsections@antonmediagroup.com
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anuary is Thyroid Awareness Month. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body. These include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. All of these activities are your body’s metabolism. Thyroid problems include: • Goiter—enlargement of the thyroid gland • Hyperthyroidism—when your thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs • Hypothyroidism—when your thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones • Thyroid cancer • Thyroid nodules—lumps in the thyroid gland • Thyroiditis—swelling of the thyroid Who is at risk? Thyroid dysfunction is very common throughout the world, especially in women. Why women are more at risk than men is not fully understood, but they are not only more likely to have thyroid problems, but also develop them earlier in life. Certain times in a woman’s life make her more vulnerable to thyroid problems, including during puberty, at first menstruation, during pregnancy, within six months of giving birth and during menopause. Regardless of your gender, you are at risk of thyroid dysfunctions if you: • Have a family history of thyroid problems • Have an autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes • Are over the age of 50 • Have had thyroid surgery • Have Down or Turner’s syndrome Nearly 59 million Americans suffer from thyroid problems, but the majority do not even know they are affected. People who have had radiation treatments or whose necks have been exposed to x-rays are also more likely to suffer from thyroid problems. Interestingly Caucasian and Asian people are three times more at risk if compared to other populations. Visit the American Thyroid Association (www.thyroid.org) or the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (www.thyroidawareness.org) for more information.
January is thyroid month awareness
Thyroid Symptoms Checklist The National Academy of Hypothyroidism (NAH) has put together a detailed checklist of thyroid symptoms, grouped by category. The following is a partial list of symptoms that often indicate an overactive or underactive thyroid. Multiple self-assessed symptoms should be addressed with your doctor. ___ My thyroid/neck is enlarged or there is a lump in my neck ___ Sometimes it’s hard to swallow ___ I feel thirsty much of the time ___ I’m a diabetic, and having symptoms of poor blood sugar control (hunger, shakiness when hungry) ___ I am gaining /losing weight without a change in diet or exercise ___ I have recently been diagnosed as anorexic ___ I am very intolerant of any temperature extremes—hot or cold ___ I feel cold, especially in the hands and/or feet. ___ I’m sweating excessively, or much less than normal
___ My movements or speech are slower than normal ___ I feel heart palpitations, flutters, skipped beats, strange patterns or rhythms ___ I have more frequent bowel movements or unusual constipation ___ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears). ___ I feel fatigued /unusual increase in energy, more than normal. ___ I feel like I can’t get enough sleep, or do not need very much sleep ___ My muscles feel weak ___ I have worsening acne, breakouts ___ My mucous membranes (i.e. mouth, eyes) are especially dry ___ I have puffiness around my eyes ___ My skin is rough, coarse, dry, scaly, itchy, and thick. ___ My nails are dry, more brittle, break more easily ___ My hair is falling out or rapidly thinning, more than usual ___ I’m losing hair from the outer edge of my eyebrows ___ I have significantly calloused heels
___ My eyeballs are bulging or protruding ___ I’m feeling confused and my thinking is disorganized ___ My menstrual periods have become unusually light, or unusually heavy ___ My sex drive is low or nonexistent ___ I have chronic yeast infections ___ I’m unable to get pregnant ___ I’ve had a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages ___ I’m feeling unusually depressed ___ I’m having brain fog, memory lapses, and difficulty concentrating ___ My breasts are leaking milk, but I’m not lactating or breastfeeding ___ My menopause symptoms have gotten worse Visit the National Academy of Hypothyroidism’s website (www. nahypothyroidism.org) for the complete checklist or to take the NAH interactive questionnaire. —Compiled by Christy Hinko
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JANUARY 5 - 11, 2022 • HEALTHY LIVING
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