CAREGIVER HEALTH
In related news, more than 2.5 million home-based family caregivers experience depression, stress and declines in their health, according to a study released on Wednesday by the National Alliance for Caregiving, USA Today reports. The study, funded by Evercare and conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, included an online survey of 528 family caregivers between July 21 and July 28, as well as in-depth phone interviews and discussion groups with caregivers. About 91% of respondents said that they had experienced depression, and 72% said they had not visited their physicians as often as needed since they began to provide care for elderly relatives. Gail Hunt, president of the National Alliance, said that family caregivers "are out there without anybody helping them." She added, "They could get to the point where they can't be a caregiver anymore." John Crews, a senior health scientist at CDC, said, "People need help. They need respite. They need a break. They need somebody who has knowledge" (Kornblum, USA Today, 9/25).

Keeping Seniors Healthy

Wash Your Hands to Prevent Infections

By Fred Cicetti
Q. I’ve been told that handwashing is highly effective way to prevent the spread of infections at any age, and I’ve been impressing this on my aging father. But what is the best way to wash your hands?
A. Handwashing is the best and simplest way to prevent infection and illness, but it must be done properly and often to be effective. Below are some tips I’ve collected from several reliable sources.
Washing your hands with soap and water works well. Here are the correct techniques:

• Wet your hands with warm, running water.
• Rub on soap and make a thick lather.
• Scrub vigorously over every surface of your hands and wrists for about 20 seconds.
• Use a scrub brush to get under your fingernails.
• Rinse completely.
• Dry your hands with a disposable paper towel or air dryer.
• Use the paper towel to shut the faucet.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizing gels are better than soap-and-water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. If you clean your hands with one of these sanitizers, apply the gel to one palm. Then rub your hands together and spread the sanitizer on all surfaces until dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.
Not all hand sanitizers are the same. You should use only sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol.
Antibacterial soaps, which are different from alcohol-based sanitizers, are no better at killing germs than regular soap. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap -- antibacterial or not -- and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.
When should you wash your hands? Here’s a list of some important befores and afters:

• Before and after preparing food.
• Before eating
• After going to the bathroom
• After changing a diaper
• After touching animals
• Before and after treating wounds
• After blowing your nose
• After coughing or sneezing into your hands
• Before and after touching a sick or injured person
• After handling garbage
• Before inserting or removing contact lenses

It’s important to wash frequently because we collect germs on our hands during the entire day from most objects we touch. We can infect ourselves by touching our eyes, noses or mouths with infected hands. We can infect others by touching them or objects they touch.
Infectious diseases that are commonly spread by our hands include colds, flu and gastrointestinal disorders.

Fred Cicetti is a freelance writer who specializes in health. He has been writing professionally since 1963. Before he began freelancing, he was a reporter and columnist for three daily newspapers in New Jersey. He has written two published novels: Saltwater Taffy, and Local Angles. You can send your health-related questions to Fred at fred@healthygeezer.com.

Creating a Safer Home for the Osteoarthritis Patient

Loose carpeting, heavy cookware, exposed electrical cords — all can spell trouble for someone with osteoarthritis. Here's how to eliminate home hazards.

By Chris Iliades, MD
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MP

Whether you're a caregiver for someone with osteoarthritis or you're coping with the condition yourself, you should know that the home environment can be a dangerous place. Because of pain, muscle weakness, and joint stiffness, osteoarthritis may cause trouble with balance. And as osteoarthritis progresses, tasks like climbing stairs, getting into the tub, and even walking across the room can become a challenge, leading to a real risk of falling. Falls are the leading cause of trauma hospital admissions for people over the age of 65, and a recent study found that postmenopausal women with knee arthritis have a 27 percent greater risk of falls than women of the same age without arthritis.

Oseoarthritis Care: Making the Home Safer
Carpets that aren’t perfectly flush to the floor can be a real hazard. Studies show that 6,800 seniors injure themselves by tripping on carpets every year. "Watch out for carpet edges that can trip someone up. Think of [putting] gripper pads under loose carpets and on the floor of a bathtub," says Jonathan Edwards, MD, a professor of connective tissue medicine at the University College London, in England. Here are other tips you can use to make daily activities safer for someone with osteoarthritis:

• Lighting. Make sure there is adequate lighting throughout the house and that light switches are easy to get to. Keep working flashlights around the house in case of a power outage.

• Stairways and doorways. There should be a light switch at the top and bottom of all stairways as well as handrails on both sides of the stairs. Keep the stairway free of all objects. Put a nonskid strip on the edge of each bare-wood step and make sure carpeting on stairs is not loose. Never place loose area rugs at the top or bottom of a stairway or doorway.

• Bathroom. In addition to nonskid mats and grab bars, think about liquid soap dispensers to reduce the need to bend down in the shower to retrieve a dropped bar of soap. A shower bench can also be placed in the tub to make bathing easier on arthritic joints. Replace glass shower enclosures with a curtain that cannot shatter in the event of a fall. A special toilet seat with arm bars, which can be purchased at most pharmacies, can also help someone with osteoarthritis to get up and down.

• Bedroom. Rails can be installed to make getting in and out of bed easier for someone with osteoarthritis. You should also make sure a flashlight and a phone are within easy reach from the bed in case they're needed.

• Living room. Besides looking out for loose rugs, watch out for low tables, exposed electric cords, and clutter, which all increase the chances of falling. Make sure there are clear walking paths throughout the house. Low soft chairs are harder to manage, especially for someone with knee osteoarthritis.

• Kitchen. Studies show that one of the most common causes of serious injuries in seniors results from standing on a chair. Store essential kitchen items in easy-to-reach places. Because many people with osteoarthritis also have problems with balance, cooking can sometimes be a danger. "Think of ways to avoid carrying boiling water" or other liquids, says Edwards. "A microwave is safer than a boiling kettle."

• Car. Osteoarthritis pain and stiffness can make the movements required to get in and out of a car and to drive safely more difficult. Install a seat that swivels to make getting in and out easier, or have the person back into the car, and swing his or her legs towards the front of the car. A beaded seat cover can also help with sliding into and out of the seat more easily. Another addition that could help: running boards, an accessory car part that lies beneath the door and can make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle. You can purchase running boards in a car parts and accessories store; some cars come with factory built running boards. Putting grab handles on the steering wheel can also help maintain balance while getting in or out of the car.

Consult an Expert
What else can you do to increase home safety for you or a loved one with osteoarthritis? Because people have different levels of osteoarthritis disability, Edwards suggests speaking with an occupational therapist, who can provide an expert assessment of needs. An AARP study found that 95 percent of people over the age of 75 prefer to stay in their own homes as they grow older. Creating a safe environment can go a long way toward making that desire a possibility.