Get a plan. Think of the things you always wanted to do but never had the time to do when you were working, when your children were growing up, or when you were too busy with life’s many obligations. Take a class, read a book, start something new. Carolyn suggests you start following your post-retirement interests before you retire, so that your transition into retirement years will flow smoothly. “You don’t want to spend time sitting around wondering what to do,” says Carolyn.

Both Carolyn and Oliver offer these tips in selecting a hobby and getting started:

• Choose something that you’ve always liked or enjoyed.
• Do something that you can do with limited physical abilities. Getting older, you’ll slow down physically so pick up an interest that doesn’t have as many physical limitations such as bike-riding versus running.
• Learning a new language is not only exciting, but keeps you mentally sharp. It is a brain activity that helps preserve mental acuity.
• As you get older, your metabolism slows down, so consider learning new cooking techniques/new recipes that maintain a healthy metabolism.

Your local organizations, libraries or community colleges can offer a world of opportunity for getting started. It’s NEVER too late to begin. Happy retirement!

By Lisa Y. Barry
Community Liaison
Lbarry@allheartfamily.com
All Heart Home Care

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According to Dr. S. Todd Freeman, Physical Therapist of All Heart Home Care, “There are 4 main factors that lead to impaired balance. Recognizing which factors affect balance and addressing the problem is the first step toward a corrective action. Then, implementing preventive measures to avoid falls becomes the most important part of the solution.”

The 4 factors that contribute to people falling:

• Sensory
• Strength
• Vision
• Vestibular

Each of these 4 factors has several elements. For instance, with the visual factor there could be several contributors to instability such as poor lighting, hazardous thresholds or unclear, cluttered pathways. The biggest balance challenge for individuals is the sensation factor, which involves a lack of feeling in the feet. This can be related to diabetes or neuropathy. To compensate for the lack of sensation, individuals will rely more heavily on their sense of vision to enable them to gauge their movements. For this reason, it is so important to have clear pathways and visual clarity throughout the home. The vestibular factor is a person’s sense of balance where issues can be related to inner ear problems. Physical therapists can assist patients with vestibular issues. It is important for a patient to work on strength and vision when there is a vestibular problem so he/she can compensate for a loss of balance. Strength factors such as weakness in the knees, hips or ankles can affect a person’s walking a well. Exercises offered through a physical therapist can help strengthen those weaknesses to avoid a fall.

Corrective measures for the 4 balance factors:

• For strength/weakness factors, get an evaluation from a physical therapist. He or she can determine what to do to fix your problem. Sometimes, it’s as simple as prescribing simple exercises to regain strength.
• For visual factors, set up your home to be free from obstacles – rid pathways of coffee tables, rugs, clutter or anything that could hinder walking.
• Create clear and easy access to bathrooms – especially for during the night.
• Purchase night lights and install handrails in bathrooms and shower areas.
• Hardwood and tile flooring are always better than carpet for sensory factors.
• Use a cane or walker if needed.

By following these simple steps, you can help you or a loved one prevent a potential fall. Talk to your physician about a referral to All Heart Home Care if you have any questions regarding physical therapy in your home. We’d love to walk beside you.

By Lisa Y. Barry
Community Liaison
Lbarry@allheartfamily.com
All Heart Home Care

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Dr. Noreen Gibbens of Middle Tennessee Audiology recommends some of the following techniques when navigating your loved one’s hearing loss:

• Since many individuals are sensitive about their hearing loss, suggest that both of you see an audiologist for a regular check-up — this can be less confrontational and feel less directed at the individual.
• Make it known to your loved one that it is difficult to communicate with him/her. This can help the individual understand that there is a communication barrier. By nature, most people want to communicate with their friends and family and is willing to take steps to make that happen.
• Taking care of the individual’s primary care physician referral to see an audiologist is helpful. It takes some of the burden off of the family members to handle the logistics for setting up an appointment.

Gibbens stated, “It is very tiring to have hearing loss. However, it is also very tiring for loved ones to try to communicate with the person who suffers from hearing loss. Not only can it be physically exhausting, but misinterpretations due to impaired hearing can lead to disagreements and arguments between the individual and their family members.”

There is a large selection of hearing aids available on the market today that can help with various hearing needs. There are also various settings inside hearing aids so an individual can customize their hearing aids to their specific needs.

“I had a patient who was in his 80s. His family was at their wit’s end with his hearing loss. He was physically healthy and strong, but he wasn’t communicating with his grandchildren as much, he seemed depressed and he was isolating himself from his family. It was causing major roadblocks in his communication. After he tested different hearing aids, he could hear the difference for himself. He realized what he had been missing and he was eager to wear his new hearing aids and feel like a part of his family again,” Gibbens continued.

“The fitting of the hearing aids must be verified. The best testing is called speech-mapping. This involves measuring speech sounds in the ear canal and comparing the results to a prescriptive formula. Keep in mind that hearing aids are just one part of helping with hearing loss. Cochlear implants have also improved dramatically and many more people can benefit from them compared to previous years. In fact, people with moderate to severe losses can now be candidates. Health insurance plans typically cover a great part of the costs of these devices. Amplified and captioned phones along with other devices are also of great benefit. While surgery is done by an ENT specialist, the bulk of care is provided by audiologists,” Gibbens explained.

Because hearing loss can cause fatigue, depression, isolation and high levels of anxiety, practicing strategies to cope with hearing loss can lessen some of these symptoms.

If you know someone suffering with hearing loss, share these helpful strategies:

• Don’t try to hide your hearing loss.
• Improve lines of communication. If you can’t hear a person, ask them to face you when they speak, ask them to slow down when they speak, verify what you think you heard, ask that only one person speak at a time when you’re in a group with them.
• Anticipate difficult situations and make adjustments such as dining in a quiet restaurant or in a quiet corner of a restaurant. Suggest speaking to someone in a private room to eliminate background noise.
• Politely and respectfully let people know what you need – don’t be ashamed to ask people to repeat themselves. Don’t worry about making provisions so you can hear and communicate more clearly.

According to Dr. Gibbens, encouraging someone to schedule a hearing assessment should involve the loved ones and family members. In many cases, the process takes tact, patience and education, but the benefits outweigh the challenges. A patient can test various hearing aids and then participate in a needs assessment to determine which hearing aids will meet their needs. And sometimes that difference feels life-changing.

Dr. Noreen Gibbens office, Middle TN Audiology is located in Hendersonville, TN. If you or a family member needs a hearing assessment you may call 615-447-5660 to schedule an appointment.

It is important to know the difference in various hearing healthcare professionals when seeking a professional to meet your hearing loss needs. An audiologist has a master’s degree or doctorate degree in audiology while a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) may have a college degree or may only be required to have a license to practice (depending on the state). A HIS evaluates patients for the purpose of fitting hearing aids while an audiologist is trained in the auditory system from the outer ear to the brain. Audiologist work with figuring out the root cause of hearing loss.

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