Home Sweet Home Care May 2011 Newsletter

Home Sweet Home Care - San Francisco, CA

Home Sweet Home Care Newsletter - May 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

An easily overlooked, but fascinating, new study that we tweeted about a few weeks ago, is the one from Rush Medical Center researchers in Chicago, (which appears immediately below) that describes how social interactions affects cognition in seniors in a positive way. The study's findings present the conclusion that social inactivity hastens cognitive decline, not the other way around.

Why is that you ask? According to Dr. Brian James, the lead researcher, from the Rush Alzheimer Center, one possibility is that "social activity challenges older adults to participate in complex interpersonal exchanges, which could promote or maintain efficient neural networks in a case of 'use it or lose it.'"

Who knew that visiting friends, going to picnics and parties, and even attending church could be so good for your brain? Now that you do know this, you'll have to make a bigger effort to attend as many social functions as you can. And if you or a senior are not getting any invitations lately, why not consider creating some special events and meetings yourself? After all, it's not that hard to call a few people that you know to arrange, weather permitting, a picnic in the park, a tea party, or a birthday event. Especially now that you know how good it is for you, you owe it to yourself to get out there and have fun with friends, family and/or people you'd like to get to know better.

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner. Why not start with planning some nice outings or a barbecue for the weekend?

Speaking of this special weekend, we'd like to salute the men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Our prayers and thoughts will be with all these fine patriots and the people who love them. Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Shirley Cohen

Founder & CEO

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Let's Get Social with Social Media

Don't forget to check out our Twitter feed (see icon below). I think you'll be amazed by how many quality articles we find and publish on all kinds of things that affect the lives of seniors. We're very pleased and proud to offer our readers this wonderful resource library and want to invite you to check it out and sign up for our RSS feed so that you can get the latest posts on your desktop.

We'd also like to invite those readers who work directly with the eldercare community to join us on LinkedIn and Facebook (see icons below) where we can all discuss issues of concern and interest to seniors and their families. While you're on the Facebook page don't hesitate to click the "Like" option to help bring our articles to the attention of more readers.

Also, feel free to call us directly by phone at 415.776.7337 if you have any input about our newsletter, want to let us know about special community events or, if you want to inquire about our home care aide services.

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Home Sweet Home Care, is a full-service home care aide agency serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1990.

Higher Levels of Social Activity Decrease the Risk of Cognitive Decline

If you want to keep your brain healthy, it turns out that Elder Friends 1

visiting friends, attending parties, and even going to church might be just as good for you as crossword puzzles.

According to research conducted at Rush University Medical Center, frequent social

activity may help to prevent or delay cognitive

decline in old age.

Seniors, Slow Down on the Colonoscopies

Many older Americans get repeat colon cancer tests SurgicalGloves

they don't need and Medicare is paying for it, suggests a study that spotlights unnecessary risks to the elderly and a waste of money.

Almost half of the Medicare patients in the study had had a colonoscopy less than seven years after getting normal results from an earlier test. The test is recommended just every 10 years, starting at age 50, for people at average risk whose initial test is normal.

Men, Drink Up: Coffee Cuts Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer

More is better when it comes to drinking coffee to ward off the risk of deadly prostate cancer, according to a major U.S. study released by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Men who drank six or more cups per day had a 60 percent lower risk of developing the most lethal type of prostate cancer and a 20 percent lower risk of forming any type of prostate cancer compared to men who did

not drink coffee, the study said.

Americans are Clueless About Retirement Healthcare Costs

Nine in 10 American workers either have no idea retired on beach

what their healthcare costs are likely to be in retirement or underestimate those costs, says a new consumer survey from Sun Life Financial.

In addition, 40 percent of those polled claim to have

"no idea" what their retirement healthcare costs would reach, and only 8 percent estimate their costs will

reach $200,000 or more.

The 7 Deadly Emotions of Caregiving

Nobody would ever choose a smiley face as the

perfect symbolic emoticon for a caregiver. Caregiving for an ailing loved one is just too stressful -- often triggering damaging emotions that can not only undermine your good work but harm your health, as well. Here's how to cope:

In Local News

Hats off to the Peninsula Stroke Association (PSA) who

recently hosted their 11^th Annual Victory Over Stroke conference in Millbrae, Palo Alto and San Jose. And special thanks to our Operations Manager, Greg Yu, who volunteered to assist the supporters of this important awareness effort. PSA wants the public to know the critical importance of getting medical attention within 4 hours of a suspected stroke. According to clinicians in the field, if this narrow window is missed, it will likely lead to death in 20% of the cases or permanent damage or disability in 50%.

PSA urges everyone to know the key symptoms and call 911

when you or someone you know suddenly experiences any of

the following symptoms:

Difficulty in talking or understanding words

Loss of feeling or strange sensations on one side

Weakness on one side of the face, arm or leg

A severe, unexplainable headache

Decreased or blurred vision

Unexplained dizziness or loss of balance

Visit www.psastroke.org for more information.

Register Today for a FREE consumer/family caregiver educational web conference, Creating a Senior Friendly Home to Help Parents Age in Place.

Please visit www.privatedutyhomecare.org to register for the FREE 45-minute web conference on June 16, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET. The 45-minute web conference
topics include:

· designing a home for senior safety and comfort
· addressing changing health needs
· appropriate furnishings
· ambient technology

Register today to learn great advice on creating a senior friendly home!

Home Sweet Home Care is a full-service home care aide agency which has been providing bonded and insured home care aide services in the San Francisco Bay area since 1990. We have a large pool of qualified and professional home care aides available to provide warm and caring services to seniors on a part-time, full-time, temporary or long-term basis. Our care providers are ready to assist seniors living with a wide range of conditions, including Alzheimer's, hip replacement recovery, post-op recovery, cardiac, cancer, stroke, Parkinson's, Hospice, to name a few. We also have live-ins. Call us today to find out how we can help at 1-800-286-2774 or visit our website at:homesweethomecare.com