Seniors Can Beat Injury This Winter

(HealthDay News) -- What many people regard as a winter wonderland can be a minefield of safety hazards for older adults, with snow and ice a major cause of debilitating falls. Cold weather, lack of exercise and isolation can take their toll, too.

To help seniors stay safe this winter, experts at the University of Indianapolis offer up these tips:

· Put your best foot forward. Wear appropriate footwear with good traction when outdoors.
· Clear the way. Spread road salt, sand or kitty litter on sidewalks and driveways.
· Don't do too much. If public sidewalks haven't been cleared, ask friends or neighbors for help with grocery shopping and other errands. Find someone else to handle snow shoveling and other strenuous and potentially dangerous outdoor chores.
· Exercise indoors. This could mean walking in place, riding a stationary bicycle or working out with a fitness video. Daily stretching exercises help maintain flexibility. Before you start any exercise program, consult with your doctor.
· Dress for the weather. Cold temperatures are a serious threat to seniors, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
· Inadequate warm clothing can result in frostbite and hypothermia.
· Stay warm inside. Keep houses heated to above 65 degrees F and dress in layers to maintain body heat. Individuals who have difficulty paying the heating bill should contact their heating supplier for ways to continue service through the winter.
· Watch out for a silent killer. If you have a fireplace, gas furnace or gas-powered heater, install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
· Stay in touch. Make an effort to socialize with family, friends and neighbors. Depression is more common in the winter and bad weather can mean social isolation for older adults. If you can't visit in person, have a telephone chat.

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more winter safety tips.

Retirees Could Use Workplace Wellness Programs

(HealthDay News) -- Telephone nurse counseling and regular mailings are among the methods that could persuade the many retired employees who drop out of workplace wellness programs to return to the programs, says a University of Michigan (U-M) study.
The researchers looked at a workplace wellness program offered by the United Auto Workers and General Motors, and found that retirees dropped out of the more comprehensive parts of the program, such as health screenings, doctor's visit vouchers, and counseling for risky health behaviors.
The workers probably abandoned these services because they were mainly offered at the workplace, said study author Louis Yen of U-M's Health Management Research Center. However, Yen and his colleagues found the GM retirees were more likely than current GM employees to use communication-based wellness services offered through newsletters and telephone calls.
"Retirees frequently move and are not located in the same community as the employer. Therefore, mail, telephone and Internet programs may be the most successful in reaching this important group," Yen said in a prepared statement.
The study appears in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.
Boosting retiree participation in workplace wellness programs could save companies a great deal of money in terms of health benefits.
"The vast majority of these programs are available only to active employees. Retired employees are often excluded from the health promotion program, even though many employers pay a large part of their health-care costs," Yen said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about healthy aging for older adults.

Elderly Alcoholics Get Equal Heart Attack Care

(HealthDay News) -- Elderly alcoholics who are hospitalized for heart attacks receive treatment equal to those elderly patients who are sober.
That's the conclusion of a recent study of Medicare patients across the United States by Yale University School of Medicine.
The study was undertaken out of concern that elderly patients diagnosed with alcohol abuse problems could be a vulnerable population that might receive substandard treatment in hospitals.
"I think the concern was that, as we know, patients who have mental health diagnoses can experience some level of stigma when they enter the health-care system," study co-author Dr. David Fiellin said in a prepared statement. Previous work had shown that patients with mental disorders, including substance abuse, were less likely to get lifesaving heart procedures such as bypass and angioplasty surgery.
Earlier research had also shown that elderly patients are often discriminated against in treatments that require organ transplants.
Fiellin and his colleagues analyzed data on 155,000 patients aged 65 and older admitted to hospitals with heart attacks. Of those, about 1,300 also had alcohol-related diagnoses on their charts.
Compared to other patients, the alcoholics were as likely to receive ACE inhibitor drugs, aspirin, angioplasty and advice to quite smoking. They were somewhat less likely, however, to receive beta blocker drugs.
The study appears in the latest issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
More information
The National Institutes of Health has more about alcoholism among the elderly.