With America’s aging population comes a new role for many, parent caregiver. Mahenaaz Haq, M.D., geriatric medicine physician on the Baylor Plano medical staff, answers a few frequently asked questions regarding caring for loved ones as they age.

A profile of America’s aging population Since 1970 the median age of the United States population has been rising and is expected to continue to rise into the mid-21st century. By the middle of the century, one in five Americans will be elderly.

Although only five percent of the elderly are in nursing homes at any particular time, one in four elderly persons will eventually need long-term care assistance. While most elderly are not severely disabled, many do require assistance because of their limitations.

How does it feel to be a caregiver? Many discover a sense of satisfaction and view caring for their parents as a significant role, allowing them to express their love and respect for their parents. Providing help to another can also enhance your life. When we use our gifts and talents to contribute to the lives of others, we gain a greater sense of purpose for our own lives. In addition, serving as a caregiver can lead to new friendships as you interact with others serving as caregivers. You may even build deeper relationships with your parents or other members of your family as you work together to meet the needs of your parents.

Caregiving is demanding, and not everyone views it in a positive light. Sometimes caregivers experience feelings of being overwhelmed, or weighed down during the caregiving process. Those who feel that they have been forced into the caregiving role may feel resentment or unprepared to administer the everyday jobs that go along with caregiving. If you feel pressured to serve as the primary caregiver but don’t have a desire to do so, then you need to set boundaries and consider finding someone to assist you in the caregiving role so that your parents can receive the quality care they need.

What will I do as a caregiver? Caregivers serve in a variety of roles, including coordinating and monitoring services. In addition, as a caregiver you may act as a home health aide, assisting your parents with meals, laundry, medications and possibly bathing. You may also manage your parents schedule, pay bills, serve as a legal aide, assist with housekeeping, and provide transportation.

You can have a great deal of influence on the lives of your parents as a caregiver. Creating an encouraging and positive environment for your parents to live in is a vital part of your role as a caregiver.

Another role you may take on is coordinating your parents’ healthcare and serving as a liaison between your parents and your parents’ health care team. This may include giving medications, managing side effects, reporting concerns to physicians, letting the

physician know which treatments are working well, and informing other family members of your parents’ health status. A good caregiver is not afraid to ask doctors questions and keeps a good record of doctor contact information and doctor visits.

How can I plan ahead as a caregiver? Many families don’t face caregiving decisions until they’re faced with an emergency, which can make the decision process even more stressful. But you can ease the tension by planning ahead, doing your research and talking about all possible care options with both your parents and other family members now. It may take more than one discussion to come to a conclusion, and if you need assistance you can seek the aid of a geriatric-care manager. You can also plan ahead by familiarizing yourself with community senior resources and making an emergency contact list that includes neighbors, caregivers, doctors, and friends.

What is the best way for siblings to share caregiving responsibilities? First, siblings should talk or email once a week to discuss the parents’ status. In addition, family members should take turns visiting their parents. Set up a schedule so that your parents can look forward to a daily or weekly visit but each sibling isn’t committed to visiting every day. Siblings can report to each other after each visit. In the same way the visit schedule was set up, a call and email schedule can be set up. If it’s necessary to take parents to the doctor, pick up groceries or run other errands then take turns doing these activities. The main goal is to give every family member the help they need while caregiving so that no one burns out.

How can I manage the costs of caregiving? Discuss the financial obligations of caregiving with your parents and other family members. Be sure to research which home-care or nursing-home expenses will be reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid as they have specific rules regarding what they’ll cover. You may also consider speaking to a financial adviser to determine if long-term care insurance is a practical option.

Your body-mass index (BMI), a ratio of height to weight, is more important than your weight alone because it tells you if your weight may put you at risk for health problems. Calculate your BMI online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Contrary to popular belief, research shows that bathroom door handles have less bacteria than any other surface in public restrooms. Office desks tend to be much dirtier than the average toilet bowl because they aren’t cleaned regularly.

Next time you’re stressed, take a break and breathe. Research shows that when we’re stressed we take quick, thin breaths that lower blood-oxygen levels. Focus on deeply inhaling and exhaling to the count of five to help increase blood-oxygen flow.

Mildred A. McAfee, M.D., internal medicine physician on the Baylor Plano medical staff discusses how controlling our anger helps us live a healthier life.

When we we’ve been offended, let down, aggravated, or annoyed, it is often easy to react with anger. It is a typical

human feeling that ranges from minor irritation to intense rage.

Failing to deal with anger, can lead to health problems and can lead to anxiety and depression. Anger can also disturb relationships, impair thinking, and also may lead to physical health problems such as high blood pressure, heart trouble, headaches, skin disorders and digestive disease.

TIPS FOR MANAGING ANGER:

•DeepBreathing: When you begin to feel angry, inhale from your diaphragm.

•HealthyExpression: Rather than keeping your feelings in, express them in an assertive but non-threatening way.

•GetSupport: Find friends who will listen to you and encourage you.

The Signs of Healthy Aging

Managing Anger For a Healthier Life Reversing Roles

NEWS YOU CAN USE!HealthQuicks

How Do Your Bones Stack Up?Although the majority of women have healthy bones, approximately 329,000 hip fractures occur each year in

the United States. So how do you know if you have strong and healthy bones? Dr. Alicia Starr, Medical

Director of the Women’s Imaging Center at Baylor Plano discusses bone density.

BoneDensityBasicsOur bodies build bone throughout childhood

and adolescence, but as we age bone growth begins to decline. After age 30, we begin to lose

bone mass faster than our bodies are able to replace it. The majority of women have enough bone density to begin with so losing bone density does not pose a major problem. However, for others the bone loss happens at such a fast rate that their bones become absorbent and their risk of suffering from a fracture increases.

Fracture Risk Factors

•Breakingaboneasanadult: If you break a bone after the age of 20, especially a wrist, ankle or hip, you may have weaker bones than you should.

•FamilyHistory: A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women with mothers who suffered from hip fractures were three times more likely to also experience a fracture.

•VisionChallenges: According to a New Zealand study of hip fracture risk, impaired vision nearly triples ones risk for suffering a fracture, and trouble with depth perception increases risk six times.

Bone density testing requires a physicians’ order. To have your bone density tested at the Women’s Imaging Center at Plano, have your physicians’ office call 469.814.5500.

Aging is a normal part of life, but what changes can you expect to experience as you get older? Linda Krisik, M.D., internal medicine physician on the Baylor Plano medical staff describes the normal signs of healthy aging.

•SlowingMetabolism:Your body begins to burn calories more slowly over time.

•DiminishedVision: Many people begin to need reading glasses after age 40.

•HearingLoss: You may develop hearing loss as you age.

Always visit your doctor if you have questions about whether your symptoms may be related to a health condition other than normal aging.

Is hormone therapy right for me?Daryl Greebon, M.D., gynecologist on the Baylor Plano medical staff discusses the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.

BenefitsEstrogen is helpful in easing some symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, burning, and pain with intercourse.

It’s no longer recommended that women use hormone therapy for an extended period, but women who use estrogen for temporary relief of menopausal symptoms might also decrease their risk for osteoporosis, and colorectal cancer.

RisksResearch from The Women’s Health Initiative study showed that women who took an estrogen-progestin combination developed an increased risk of developing some medical conditions. Specifically, the study reported the following cases in one year out of 10,000 women taking estrogen plus progestin:

•Eightmorecasesofbreastcancer

•Eightmorecasesofstroke

•18morecasesofbloodclots

However, the Women’s Health Initiative Study also showed that out of 10,000 women who had had a hysterectomy and were taking estrogen alone (no progestin):

•Sevenfewercasesofbreastcancer

•Thesameriskofstrokeandbloodclots

•Fewerhipfractures

•Fewercasesofcoloncancer

Should I consider hormone therapy?With all medical decisions, it’s important for you to discuss your situation with your doctor. But in spite of the reported health risks, estrogen is still the primary treatment for menopausal symptoms. If you experience modest to severe hot flashes or other symptoms, the benefits of temporary therapy offset the possible risks.

The websites referenced herein are provided solely for the convenience of the reader. Neither Baylor Health Care System, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, nor their subsidiaries, affiliates, or community medical centers own these websites or control their content or privacy, and the reference to these websites should not be construed as an endorsement of the entities that own the websites or of the information, products, or services offered by them. Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano or Baylor Health Care System. Photography may include models or actors and may not represent actual patients. ©2009 Baylor Health Care System. MOD-09-234. BRMCPL-302-FY2009. 8thED. 40,000. 03/09

April & May 2009 Events All programs held at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, in Plano Conference Room A/B, Garden Level, unless otherwise noted. For more information or to register for a program, please call 1.800.4BAYLOR (422.9567).

Saturday Mammography ClinicsSaturdays, April 4 & 25; May 9 & 30. Women’s Imaging Center at Plano, Medical Pavilion I, Suite 450. Appointments begin at 8:30 a.m.DiverticularDiseaseSeminarTuesday, April 7. 12 to 1 p.m. Shibu Oommen, M.D., gastroenter-ologist on the Baylor Plano medical staff, will discuss the symptoms and treatment options of diverticular disease. Lunch provided.Head and Neck Cancer Support Group Tuesday, April 7 & May 5. 6 to 8 p.m.Abdominal Bleeding Seminar Thursday, April 9. 12 to 1 p.m. Daryl Greebon, M.D., gynecologist on the Baylor Plano medical staff, will discuss the symptoms and treatment options of abdominal bleeding. Lunch provided.DiabetesSupportGroupThursday, April 9 & May 14. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Living Well With Cancer Information Session Monday, April 13 & May 11. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dinner provided.Weight Loss Surgery Informational SeminarApril 16 & 29; May 5 & 27. 6:30 p.m. Presented by Nick Nicholson, M.D., bariatric surgeon. Baylor Plano’s surgical weight loss program offers three options: gastric banding, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy to help you try to achieve a healthy weight.Your Health This Month Friday, April 17. 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Free breast cancer risk assessments, diabetes and skin cancer prevention education and asthma, blood pres-sure and scoliosis screenings will be provided. Cholesterol and glucose screening will be available for $15. Continental breakfast provided.Look Good Feel Better® Tuesday, April 21. 6 to 8 p.m. Light dinner provided. Us Too! Prostate Cancer Support GroupTuesdays, April 28 & May 26. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dinner provided.Chronic Stress SeminarWednesday, May 6. 12 to 1 p.m. Mildred McAfee, M.D., internal medicine physician on the Baylor Plano medical staff, will discuss prevention, symptoms and treatment options of chronic stress. Lunch provided.Preventative Health: Paving the Way for Life’s TransitionsFriday, May 8. 12 to 1 p.m. Murray Fox, M.D., gynecologist on the Baylor Plano medical staff, will discuss an array of preventative health topics, including BRCCA genetic testing for cancer, diet, exercise, cholesterol, triglycerides, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, bone metabolism, osteoporosis and supplements. Lunch provided.Your Health This MonthFriday, May 15. 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Free bone density and blood pressure screenings, sleep apnea disorder assessments and education, osteoporosis education, and breast cancer risk assessments and education will be provided. Cholesterol and glucose testing will be offered for $15. Continental breakfast provided.DiabetesSelfManagementProgramClasses are offered at various times. To register call (469)814-6896.

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