The Aging Suite

March is National Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month. Kidney disease may impact an individual’s ability to age in place, as the disease can affect safety, independence and ability level. While small in size, the kidneys play an important role. The role of the Kidneys include: Controlling blood pressure Removing the body’s waste products Stimulating bone marrow to make red blood cells Helping the body maintain calcium for the bones When someone has kidney disease, the kidneys aren’t working properly, resulting in a buildup of waste materials in the blood. Kidney disease is most often ...

The Importance of Socialization for Senior Citizens

Editors Note: This week, we will be featuring a guest writer, Shannon Wills. Shannon is a writer who likes to write on the topics of Health, Physical Therapy and Diagnosis. She currently writes for the website, Physical Therapy Assistant Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com It’s true that no man is an island; we thrive on relationships, with our friends, coworkers, acquaintances and family members. We all need a sense of belonging, of oneness other human beings, and this is why we socialize. And although we tend to interact with others during our teenage and early ...

Glaucoma

Picture Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health Glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Someone with glaucoma has increased fluid pressure in their eyes. This pressure in the eye builds, and can damage the optic nerve. Types of Glaucoma Normally, fluid leaves the eye chamber at the open angle, where the cornea and iris meet. The fluid flows like a drain leaving the eye. However, this is not the case for people with glaucoma. Along the way, the fluid pressure builds, resulting in increased eye pressure. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. With Open-angle ...

Cataracts

Picture Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health Low vision deficits can impact an individual’s ability to age in place. Low vision can negatively affect daily life activities such as putting on makeup, shaving, doing laundry, reading the newspaper, and watching TV. February is low vision awareness month and this week, we will be discussing cataracts. The lens is the part of the eye that helps focus an image or light on the retina. For the retina to receive a sharp image, the lens should be clear. In the case of cataracts, the lens is clouded, resulting in blurred vision. With ...

Age related macular degeneration

Picture Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, painless, eye disease where there is deterioration of the macula. The macula, part of the retina, is the part of the eye that has the sharpest central vision and allows us to see precise details. Someone with AMD has central vision loss. This vision loss can impact performance of daily activities such as: Reading Driving Cooking Watching TV Ironing Symptoms of AMD include: Blurred Vision A blurred/blind spot in the center of vision Straight lines appear wavy during activities like reading AMD is ...