Geriatric Care - Care of the Aged

" Merry Christmas " - Its Christmas once again, the time to celebrate. As we decorate the Christmas Tree, let us remind ourselves. The tree is a symbol of humanity. The trunk is when we were all united in one religion of peace, love and truth. We then divided into branches of different religions and then each religion divided into twigs. The leaves of the tree represents each soul of humanity. The Shining Star on top, is God who is now giving us the message to unite once again. As we decorate the tree, let us decorate the soul with virtues of compassion, forgiveness and trust. Santa Claus, symbolises The Supreme God Father, who comes in these times of darkness, into the dirty old world (chimney), to give us gifts of Purity, Power and Peace. - - - Quote by Brahmakumari Sent from my HTC

वृद्धावस्था में मधुमेह क़ी समस्या ! आजकल एक आम व्यक्ति ज्यादा अवधी के लिए जीवित रहने लगा है और इसी लिए मधुमेह भी उनमे ज्यादा पाया जाने लगा है!  वृद्धजानो में मधुमेह एक ज्वलंत समस्या बनता जा रहा है ! आजकल जितने भी मधुमेह के नये मरीज़ मिलते है, उनमे से अधिकांश बुज़ुर्ग होते है ! वृद्धजानो में मधुमेह क़ी पहचान करना और उसका निदान करना आम तरीकों से भिन्न होता है ! इसके लिए एक लचीलापन और हर मरीज़ के साथ एक नई पधात्ति अपनानी पड़ती है ! प्रश्न :  वृद्धजानो  में मधुमेह क़ी पहचान करना आम / युवा लोगों के मुकाबले किस प्रकार से अलग / भिन्न है ? उत्तर : उम्र के बढ़ने के साथ ही व्यक्ति में कई प्रकार के शारीरिक बदलाव आ जाते है  और उनके शारीर क़ी कार्यप्रणाली भी इस बदलाव के अनुरूप परिवर्तित होने लगती है ! ये बदलाव ही बुजुर्गों को युवा लोगों से अलग करते है ! इस लिए,  वृद्धजान जिन्हें मधुमेह क़ी शिकायत हो जाती है, या होने क़ी संभावना प्रबल होती है, कई बार सामान्य लक्षण नहीं प्रदर्शित करते है जो क़ी एक सामान्य / युवा व्यक्ति प्रदर्शित करता है !  उम्र के साथ होने वाले बदलाव मधुमेह के कई

1) DRINK MORE FLUIDS : Drink atleast 12 glasses of water in a day at regular intervals. Reduce fluid intake aboit 2 hours before going to sleep so that you dont have to wake up at night. 2) LIMIT SALT INTAKE : Do not add extra salt to your food. Also reduce salt in diet. Avoid salty snacks like monaco biscuit, pappad, pickles, etc. 3) CONSUME ADEQUATE CALCIUM : Eat adequate amount of milk ans milk products like cheese and dahi. 4) LIMIT PROTEIN INTAKE : Reduce the intake of animal food rich in proteins like red meat, chicken and fish. 5) LIMIT OXALATE CONTAINING FOODS : Oxalate is a chemical naturally present in urine and leads to stone formation ic in excess. Foodz rich in oxalate are spinach, dark chocolate, cocoa, black tea, cashew nuts, sweet potato, etc. Urinary stones are of various types. These are only indicative recommendations. Always consult your Geriatrician if in trouble and consult immediately. Sent from my HTC HD2. Dr. Atulya Saurabh Geriatrician, Vardan Hospital, Bhopal

Foodborne Illness Peaks in Summer! "I have very recently come across a very informative article on food safety during the summer months. I reproduce the same in toto for everyone's benefit." Year after year, we hear and read the same advice: Handle food carefully in the summer because foodborne illness — also known as "food poisoning" — is more prevalent in warmer weather. Do foodborne illnesses increase during the summer months? If so, why? Yes, foodborne illnesses do increase during the summer, and the answer appears to be twofold. First, there are the natural causes. Bacteria are present throughout the environment in soil, air, water, and in the bodies of people and animals. These microorganisms grow faster in the warm summer months. Most foodborne bacteria grow fastest at temperatures from 90 to 110 °F. Bacteria also need moisture to flourish, and summer weather is often hot and humid. Given the right circumstances, harmful bacteria can quickly multiply o

HOW TO DETECT OSTEOPOROSIS AND OTHER BONE PROBLEMS EARLY? As osteoporosis has NO obvious symptoms other than a fracture, it is important to go to the Doctor if any of the risk factors mentioned below apply to you. You may have Osteopenia (low bone mass) or Osteoporosis at a much younger age, especially if you are a woman. Best way to find out and confirm bone mineral loss is by blood tests & Bone mineral densitometry test. RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS Following are the main risk factors associated with Osteoporosis : 01. A close family member diagnosed with osteoporosis 02. A family history of fractures resulting from minor bumps and falls 03. Frequent falls 04. A previous fracture 05. Bedridden for a prolonged period 06. Little or no physical activity 07. Low body weight 08. Small height 09. Periods stopped for more than 12 months 10. A diet low in Calcium & Vitamin D 11.

HOW TO DETECT OSTEOPOROSIS AND OTHER BONE PROBLEMS EARLY? As osteoporosis has NO obvious symptoms other than a fracture, it is important to go to the Doctor if any of the risk factors mentioned below apply to you. You may have Osteopenia (low bone mass) or Osteoporosis at a much younger age, especially if you are a woman. Best way to find out and confirm bone mineral loss is by blood tests & Bone mineral densitometry test. RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS Following are the main risk factors associated with Osteoporosis : 01. A close family member diagnosed with osteoporosis 02. A family history of fractures resulting from minor bumps and falls 03. Frequent falls 04. A previous fracture 05. Bedridden for a prolonged period 06. Little or no physical activity 07. Low body weight 08. Small height 09. Periods stopped for more than 12 months 10. A diet low in Calcium & Vitamin D 11. High Alcohol intake 12. SMOKING

Staying active in old age helps in more ways than one. It - 1. Keeps and improves your strength so you can stay independent; 2. Have more energy to do the things you want to do; 3. Improve your balance; 4. Prevent or delay some diseases like heart disease, diabetes, breast and colon cancer and osteoporosis; 5. Perk up your mood and reduce depression. Being active does not require any special clothes or joining a gymnasium. Physical activities should be a part of your everyday life. Do any activity that you like. Go for - brisk walk, ride a bike, dance, swim, yoga, power yoga, tai-chi, gardening, etc. Try various activities that keep you moving and interested. Look for new ways to build physical activity into your daily routine. To get all the benefits of physical activity, one should try all the four types of exercises viz. Endurance, Strength, Balance & Flexibility. 1) Endurance exercises build up energy and stamina. You should try to build up to at least 30 minutes of activity th

The major risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) are : 1] Family history of premature CAD (family members who first developed clinical CAD at age younger than 45 - 55 yrs for male & 55 - 60 for females. 2] hypercholesterolemia, (high cholesterol) 3] hypertension, (high blood pressure) 4] cigarette smoking, 5] diabetes mellitus, 6] tobacco chewing in any form, 7] stressful life style & 8] lack of physical activity Sent from my HTC HD2 Dr. Atulya Saurabh; Geriatrician; Geriatric Care Centre, Vardan Hospital, Bhopal-08.

Osteoporosis affects every third woman and every eight man over the age of 50. In research conducted over about 129 women of middle and old age (35 - 70), it was found that 51.7% women suffered from osteopenia & 30.8% suffered from osteoporosis. Only 17.5% women were with normal BMD. It was also found that none of the women above 55 years had normal BMD. Among women above 55 yrs of age, 60% suffered from osteoporosis. Sent from my HTC HD2

Hypertension treatment is a lifelong commitment regardless of the recommended treatment modality. Thus, compliance to treatment is critically important in achieving the expected clinical benefits of treatment. Hypertensive patients should be appropriately educated about the natural history & complications of hypertension. Non Pharmacological measures are also called as LIFE STYLE CHANGES aimed at bringing the blood pressure levels to optimal levels. Therapeutic life style changes - so called to emphasize the proven benefits - are : 1) weight loss 2) reduced intake of fats 3) reduction in intake of Salt 4) reduced dietary calorie intake 5) regular exercise 6) consumption of adequate amounts of calcium & potassium 7) adequate consumption of fibres in diet 8) smoking cessation Sent from my HTC HD2

A very informative article on relationship between Calcium Supplements and heart disease. I am reproducing the whole article for all to read. Could too much calcium cause heart disease? POSTED AUGUST 12, 2010, 10:53 AM P.J. Skerrett , Editor, Harvard Heart Letter Don’t throw out those calcium supplements just yet. Oh, the ruckus a single study can raise. A report about calcium and cardiovascular disease had people from San Diego to Caribou, Maine worriedly calling their doctors or throwing away the calcium supplements they were taking to keep their bones strong. Here’s what prompted the concern: New Zealand researchers pooled the results of 11 randomized, controlled trials—the so-called gold standard of medical research—comparing the effects of calcium supplements and placebo on preventing osteoporosis or colon cancer. All the trials also had information on the volunteers’ cardiovascular health. As reported online in the BMJ , more of the volunteers taking calcium had heart attacks, s