Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Caregiver Communication Advice

Many older adults are the caregivers for older family members. If you are a caregiver, you may be interested in an article by Jessica Merritt called “50 Communication Tips and Techniques for Caregivers”. This article gives advice about how to communicate effectively, both verbally and nonverbally. For example, she recommends talking to your patient about only one thing at a time and giving that person time to respond. She also discusses how to communicate well with health care providers, health insurance providers, and other family members, since the caregiver may have to act as the mediator for the patient. The full article is here.

Monday, June 23, 2008

New Study about Internet Use

A new study from the AARP and the Center for the Digital Future has shown some interesting new trends in internet use by older adults (50+). A news release from AARP summarized some of the results of this study:
  • Older adult internet users access news information online more often than do internet users under 20 years of age.
  • 18% of older adult internet users play online games at least once per day.
  • 68% browse and buy items online.
  • 46% use the internet to maintain social relationships
  • Of those 50+ who are involved in online communities, 70% state that these communities are very important to them.
This news release quoted Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for communication, as saying "In specific areas, there is often little difference in use of online technology between older users and some of the youngest users."

More highlights of this study can be found here.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

New Nutrition Website for Older Adults

The National Institute of Health has a website called NIHSeniorHealth. This website provides information on many topics - such as arthritis, cataract, COPD, diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, and osteoporosis. The newest addition to this website is a section called “Eating well when you get older”, which includes advice about healthy foods, food safety, and how to shop wisely. The U. S National Library of Medicine also has a webpage called “Nutrition for Seniors”.

Also, if you want to track your nutrition and calories, the MyPyramid.gov website provides tools to assess your food intake and to assess your physical activity level.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Discounts and Free Items for Older Adults



Linda and Bob Kalian have published a new 2008 edition of "The Best Free Things for Seniors". This book is for people over 50. It gives a wealth of information about free and discounted products and services. This book tells you how to get:
  • free cookbooks
  • discounted movie tickets
  • free medical care and health information
  • free legal help
  • free health and beauty aids
  • free or low cost college aid
  • free financial information
  • low cost travel opportunities
  • free consumer protection information
You can check out this book from the Pasco County Library System.