Senior Legal Considerations

(ARA) – Baby boomers rocked Woodstock, protested wars, rallied for civil rights and today have a solid reputation as professionals who work hard and play harder. But as record numbers of boomers continue to age, their health problems rise in direct proportion. If you’re a member of this generation and haven’t yet made decisions about your late-in-life health care, someone else could make them for you.

Without explicit, documented directions about how you want your health care and end-of-life issues handled, decisions about your care will fall to someone else if you become ill and are unable to make your wishes known. Having an advance care plan will give you peace of mind, secure in the knowledge that your health care choices will be respected, even if you can’t communicate them.

An advance care plan ensures your care is customized to reflect your personal preferences and health needs, as well as any social, cultural or religious requirements. The Heart Failure Society of America has compiled information to explain the benefits of advance care planning that is helpful not only for those with a chronic condition, such as heart failure, but for anyone planning ahead for the future.

Important terms to know when beginning advance care planning include:

Advance care directive:
This document provides clear evidence of your wishes regarding treatment and can include a living will, a durable health care power of attorney and a statement about organ donation.

Do-not-resuscitate order:
This directive made by you (or your family, in consultation with the doctor) tells doctors, nurses and rescue personnel what they should or should not do when a person stops breathing or when their heart stops. A DNR order can also include instructions on whether or not to use different methods to revive a person.

Living will:
This legal document allows a person who is unable to participate in decisions about their medical care to express their wishes about life-sustaining treatment. A living will is typically used during a terminal illness when a person is unable to communicate. Through it, you can set limits on what medical treatments — such as CPR, blood transfusions, surgery, kidney dialysis or other invasive measures — you will allow.

Health care power of attorney:
This document allows someone you designate to make all health care decisions for you in the event you’re unable to make them for yourself. This includes the decision to refuse life-sustaining treatment. You can give someone a general power of attorney or limit their decision making to certain issues by including instructions about your care.

Financial plan:
If you and your family have concerns about paying for medical care or hospital bills, a financial plan can help you work out the issues and provide for your family in the event of your death.

Talk to a health care professional about where to find further information about advance care planning as well as to discuss various health care options. You may also wish to consult a lawyer to help ensure your plan meets state legal requirements and your individual wishes. While it may be a difficult discussion, be sure your family knows and understands your wishes for care. Discussing the issues in advance will make implementing them easier should it become necessary.  This advice is even more important if your have parents or older relatives who have not yet taken these steps. Please share these ideas with those you love.

For more information on advance care planning, visit the Heart Failure Society of America’s patient education Web site at www.AboutHF.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Battle Joint Pain

(ARA) – If you are one of the 27 million Americans who suffer with joint pain from osteoarthritis (OA), you are not alone.

Eighty-four percent of OA sufferers report joint pain as an intrusive part of their daily lives, which prevents them from participating in activities including yard work, driving and household chores. Additionally, over half haven’t been able to participate in sports as much as they’d like, according to a new independent study funded by Elations, a fruit-flavored glucosamine and chondroitin drink.  

These daily experiences of aches and pains can be attributed to “Boomeritis,” an increase of joint aches, pains, injuries and ailments experienced by older active adults as they reach their 40s, 50s and beyond. The term Boomeritis was coined in 1999 by Dr. Nicholas A. DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

“This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Boomeritis, and it’s time to take action,” says Andrea Metcalf, nationally recognized baby boomer fitness expert and trainer. “Overcoming OA and battling the effects of Boomeritis means making the effort to exercise, supplement and practice small steps daily to help your body slow down the deterioration of joint and bone strength that naturally comes with aging.”

To win the battle over Boomeritis, Metcalf recommends six steps:

* Practice anti-inflammatory living. Reduce joint inflammation and discomfort by eating a diet that includes lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and highly absorbable glucosamine and chondroitin supplements such as Elations. When taken daily it can help relieve joint discomfort in just six days. Learn more at www.elations.com.

* Do two yoga poses. Tree pose and downward dog really help balance your body. Yoga in general helps calm the body. The tree pose (standing on one leg, place left foot on the inside of the right leg with hands in a prayer position at chest) helps strengthen the lower body and core while the downward dog (hands on ground out in front with hips high and heels down) helps stretch the hamstrings and lower back.

* Get moving. Try to move your body at least 10 minutes after each meal or three times a day. Everyone needs regular exercise, which helps keep your muscles toned and joints flexible.

* Stretch on all fours. The “pointer” is a move done on hands and knees involving one arm reaching forward and the opposite leg reaching back. Hold for at least four counts and repeat on the other side. This move helps strengthen the core and the back for better posture.

* Get your five-a-day. Make sure you are getting your five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  They contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases and help you maintain your weight. Go to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov for helpful tips on how you can get your daily servings.

* Get at least six hours of sleep per night. Proper rest and recovery aids the body’s ability to rebuild and rejuvenate. Studies have shown that adults who sleep six to seven hours a night live longer. 

Courtesy of ARAcontent