Barrier Free Architecturals
November 28, 2011

Age-Friendly Cities

Pillars of Age Friendly Cities. Image Credit: World Health Organisation.

As more older adults and people with disabilities meet accidents on the sidewalks, curbs, and roads each year, city planners across Canada have finally teamed up with health researchers in a symposium that could finally turn things for the better. The symposium addressed how the physical and social environment affects mobility. Among the attendees were civic planners, elected officials, senior citizens, civic planners, and experts from varying disciplines (ranging from the social sciences to physiotherapy).

The city planners won’t have to start from scratch. After all, the World Health Organization has already devised the Age-Friendly Cities project—a large-scale development project that provides perspectives and suggestions that aim to improve healthy aging in communities. Another guide has been created by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The guide contains a checklist and several pieces of advice of healthy-aging essentials for buildings, housing, transportation, and mobility.

A research team is already planning to conduct a telephone survey to provide information on the current states of age-friendly structures in Canada. Hopefully, the impressions and data gathered from the 350 households to be surveyed will jumpstart the goal of providing better structures for older adults and people with disabilities.

The first important step is to improve the sidewalks. After all, sidewalks that are smooth, crack-free, and clear of dried leaves and snow will ensure that older adults can walk freely without the danger of falls. People in wheelchairs can also benefit from sidewalks that are smooth and stable.

The quality of lighting and curb ramps is another thing that city planners should look into. Benches should also be strategically placed between intervals in the sidewalks. Older adults will have an easier time finding a way to rest during their walks.

Finding user-friendly washrooms in public places, and providing maximum security are also two essential features that will definitely make cities across Canada better to live in.

By finally making changes in these aspects and more, living in Canada will definitely be better for older adults and people with disabilities.

Filed under Mobility Issues and News
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November 22, 2011

10 Ways to Prevent Falls in the Home

Home Safety Council Logo. Image Credit: Home Safety Council.

In 2004, the Home Safety Council published The State of Home Safety in America. The study discussed the causes of unintentional injuries and deaths in homes across the US. It states that falls are the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the home, especially among older adults.

An average of 5.1 million injuries and around 6,000 deaths each year are caused by preventable falls. Falls are essentially preventable, and although we’ve written about the causes of preventable falls before, it’s essential to make a more comprehensive list of tips on falls prevention.

  1. Having handrails on both sides of the stairs all the way from the top to bottom is important for adults to have something to grab on to as they go up and down the stairs.
  2. Bright lighting is important, especially at the staircase and at corners of the house.
  3. Tripping on rugs is a common cause of falls that can be fixed by removing the rug altogether or taping them to the floor.
  4. Grab bars and non-slip strips in the tub are a few essentials in the bathroom. Aside from the stairway, the bathroom should especially be carefully equipped with safety equipment. After all, falls usually occur both in the staircase and the bathroom.
  5. A non skid mat (and all the other places, if you can help it) should always be placed in the bathroom. Without a mat, the probability of slipping in the bathroom is exponentially increased.
  6. Chipped steps and broken brick pathways in the porch and garden should be fixed as soon as possible. They should also be kept clear of items that can be obtrusive.
  7. Bright lights should be installed in the porch and walkway, especially since the outdoors often have poor lighting.
  8. Handrails on the stairs leading to the porch should be sturdy and stable.
  9. Spills should be wiped up immediately, as they can go unnoticed and cause slips.
  10. Conducting a check on the safety of the home from time to time will give both security and maximum falls prevention.
Filed under Home safety tips for the elderly
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November 15, 2011

Memory Performance Among Older Adults Self-Deterministic

Memory performance among older adults is self-deterministic

A stereotype among older adults is that they have weaker memory and tend to be forgetful. A recent research aimed to assess and investigate how such negative stereotypes affect the memory performance of adults.

Published online in the Association for Psychological Science last October 26, the study showed how such stereotypes influence the memory errors and memory performance among seniors. The researchers were Ayanna Thomas (the director of the Cognitive Aging and Memory Lab and an assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University) and Stacey Dubois, a former graduate student.

In the first phase of their study, older adults and younger adults were shown a list of semantically related words. For example, the participants were presented with words that were related to “sleep”, such as “tired”, “night”, “bed”, and “rest”. However, the word “sleep” itself does not appear in the list.

When the participants, both the younger and older ones, were asked to recall the words, both groups recalled the word “sleep”, despite the fact that it didn’t appear in the list. It was also noted by the researchers that the older adults were more prone to falsely recall the word than younger adults were.

The theory behind the research is that older adults may believe that their impaired memory is caused by their age. Thomas and Dubois then set out to reduce this minds among older adults themselves.

In testing the theory, one group of participants that had both younger and older adults were told that they were to identify the same set of words previously presented. They were told that the test is more language-based, without emphasizing the memory part. Another group of participants comprising both younger and older adults were subject to the same test, but were told that older adults tend to do more poorly when it comes to memory tests than younger adults do.

The study showed than older adults who were told that the test is language-based and that they would perform as well as younger adults when recalling words were less likely to commit memory errors than older adults who were told beforehand that they would perform more poorly than younger adults.

The study shows how the biological and psychological effects of aging intertwine and affect cognitive deficits. It seems that the first step to memory improvement among older adults is for them to stop thinking that their age has anything to do with their memory.

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November 10, 2011

Online Gaming Community Geared for Older Adults

Puzzles. Image Source: Public domain.

Looking for a pleasant way to spend leisure time on the Internet? Maybe you should try Winster.com, a social gaming community that’s especially geared for middle-aged or older adults.

Unlike most online games, Winster.com’s games are designed for players to help each other to cooperate rather than compete with each other. Aside from fostering a friendly community of players, Winster.com also rewards players with small prizes, such as Wal-Mart and Amazon gift certificates. There are a slew of games featured in Winster.com, including slot games, Poker, and puzzles. By playing with each other, participants can create strategies to win the game—and along the way form social ties, strengthen their memory and mental muscles.

Winster.com recently conducted a survey among its community of seniors and baby boomers, with the goal of detecting the lifestyle and gaming behavior of their over 3 million registered users. Unsurprisingly, the survey confirmed that majority of its users are older adults who are looking for a way to socialize and connect with other people their age, all in the name of good fun.

According to the 8,000 respondents, 70% of registered users are 45 years old and above. 57% are between 45 to 64 years old. About 80% are women, and 83% of players have found a friend on the site. 18% have made at least 50 friends on the site.

As for the frequency of usage, 77% play for around 1 hour a week, while 37% play for around 5 hours or more a week. The survey further shows that 87% of players play from their home.

Topping the list of reasons in the survey are the fun games, the opportunity to meet new friends, the social interaction, and mental stimulation.

Studies that show that seniors and retirees who engage themselves in the Internet live happier lives and reduce the risk of memory loss, there’s definitely every reason for older adults to try online social gaming sites like Winster.com.

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November 2, 2011

Important Physical Activity Tips for Older adults

Yoga. Image Source: Public Domain.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has just released information on how much physical activity older adults need in order to prevent health problems. By engaging in physical activity, the muscles of older adults can grow stronger and will help accomplish their daily activities without need of assistance.

According to CDC, the guidelines apply for those who are 65 years or older, as long as you have no limiting health conditions and are generally fit.

There are three possible options suggested by CDC:

1. A Moderate-intensity aerobic activity for 2 hours and 30 minutes (or 150 minutes) every week. A moderate intensity aerobic activity is a 5 or 6 on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 involves a sedentary activity such as sitting and 10 involves a strenuous activity. An example of a moderate intensity aerobic activity is brisk walking.

On top of the moderate-intensity aerobic activity, seniors also need muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week, or more. The muscle-strengthening activities must be able to work all your major muscle groups, such as your legs, hips, chest, abdomen, shoulders, back, and abdomen. A few examples are yoga, gardening activities (digging, shoveling), push ups, sit ups, lifting weights, and working with resistance bands.

2. A one hour and 15 minutes (or 75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week. A vigorous-intensity activity is harder and more challenging than a moderate-intensity activity and is pegged at around 7 or 8 on the scale. The usual effect of this type of activity is hard breathing and not being able to say a couple of words without catching your breath.

Muscle-strengthening activities for at least two days a week is also required as a supplement to the aerobic activity.

3. A third option is to engage in an equal dose of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week, coupled with muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week, working on your major muscle groups.

Of course, you don’t need to put all of your required 150 minutes or 75 minutes in one session. In fact, you can spread them throughout the week or even break them in smaller sessions throughout the day. Whatever works for you is fine, as long as you accomplish the required dosage in whichever option you choose.

Take note that an aerobic activity differs from muscle strengthening activities in that the former strengthens the heart and builds endurance among other essential qualities, while the latter builds muscle strength.

Filed under Home safety tips for the elderly
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