PATIENT POWER Health Insights for Seniors, Loved Ones and Caregivers
American Heart Month Women in their 20s! Did you know that IF women know there’s a family history of heart disease, they should start having screenings in their 20s? That’s the info from the American Heart Assoc. (AHA), who notes even knowingly atrisk females don’t start ’til their 30s. Remind younger loved ones to see here: http://bit.ly/ 2jVWGI2
Remember ‘Bout Kids, Diabetes I wrote for Heart Insights about heart disease overall, including with diabetes, at-risk kids. See one edition here: http://bit.ly/ 2jaNJpY
Go Red 4 Women! Help raise recognition on heart disease in women (1 in 4). Women AND Men: don the color red for Nat’l Wear Red Day: Feb. 3. Macy’s been nat’l sponsor since ’04. https:// www.goredforwomen.org/ sponsors/macys/
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photo: AssistedSeniorLiving.net
Keep “An Eye” on Your Health February’s always noted as Heart month (and sure, see info at left) but it’s also AMD/Low Vision Month. (AMD = Age-Related Macular Degeneration.) Among adults age 50+, it is estimated over one-and-a-half million have AMD. This and other vision issues—like cataracts, glaucoma and general nearsightedness—can create difficulties doing basic chores, like bathing, dressing, cooking, and paying bills. These vision problems also put people at greater risk of falls and fractures. As I started this issue, BrightFocus.org held one of its great online chats and Dr. Joshua Dunaief of University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine noted a new clinical trial. An Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is being tested in a new light. Introduced in 2010, IMT replaces your eye’s natural lens with this mini-telescope to make things you see even bigger. WM Medical Communications, Inc.
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Famous Birthdays Still Going Strong Whether they are still here, or their messages live on: • Rosa Parks: February 4, 1913. Congress called her “First Lady of Civil Rights.” • Tom Brokaw: February 6, 1940, American TV journalist. • Robert Wagner: February 10, 1930. U.S. actor. • Thomas Edison: February 11, 1847. Genius inventor, including light bulb (of course). • Tim Kaine: February 26, 1958. Senator (D-VA), VP Candidate 2016. ……………………………………….
Dr. Dunaief noted two things re this trial: 1.It should only be done in one eye, because the device affects your side (peripheral) vision. So at least the non-implanted eye will see that. 2. There’s a new clinical trial, announced Jan. 17, 2017. Previously, only those who’d never had cataract surgery could get IMT. Now a trial will evaluate swapping an artificial lens implanted already, to replace cataracts, for the IMT. For more details, check VisionAware.org Meantime, if you’re finding your vision blurry, constantly seeing strange spots, or even losing partial sections of your vision, see an eye doctor ASAP. And don’t panic: there are ways to handle low-vision issues. Here are quick ideas…and ask family, friends, health pros and others: • Screen Magnifiers—Tools for magnifying your computer screen. Also remember most software has a “Zoom” tool. Ex: While I wrote this, I had it enlarged up to 150%. • Dictation Tools—Can’t type that well anymore? Dictate. “Dragon Dictate” is one tool with a good recommendation, at least on Windows. • Color Identifier—Amazing to me: Run this battery-operated device of clothes and other items and it will tell you its color (from the 150+ it can ID) in a lady’s voice. • Talking Kitchen Scale—Lord, some can be hard to read! So while you’re still cooking, let the scale tell you how much you’ve just put on. • Specialized Games—There are all sorts of options for playing cards, dominoes, dice and more.
Wendy Meyeroff is president of WM Medical Communications, based in Baltimore, MD, but serving clients throughout the U.S., Canada and overseas, for over 20 years. Her specialty: writing for and about America’s aging population in print and then one of the first called online. See her at www.wmmedcomm.com
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• Medical Devices—From your pill organizer to your blood glucose monitor to blood pressure cuff and beyond there are options for those with visual impairments. Also check the Products and Technology section (download into Word) of the Nat’l Federation of the Blind catalog on “Literature, Resources and Blindness Products” (ed. 2015-16).
WM Medical Communications, Inc.
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