Community Board Extravaganza

LEARN ABOUT THE PARMENTER COMMUNITY BOARD AND HOW IT HELPS WAYLAND
Parmenter Board of Trustees invites both current Community Board members and the curious to join us at an interesting and fun evening at Sandy Burr on Nov. 13th, from 6:00pm until 7:30pm. Refreshments will be served.  This evening is an opportunity for local adult residents, who are interested in learning more about Parmenter Community Health Care and to discover more about local volunteerism through Parmenter,to meet Agency staff leadership, Trustees ,and Community Board Members.  To learn more and to RSVP, call Gail at 508-358-3000 x260. Hope to see you there.

Wayland Stand Tall Don t Fall

Falls are not inevitable.  They are not an inevitable result of aging.  Falls are preventable. Parmenter Community Health Care, the Wayland COA Council on Aging, the Wayland Fire Department, and the Wayland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with Traditions of Wayland have joined forces to host a free Fall Prevention Forum for Wayland.  The “Stand Tall, Don t Fall” forum will include fall prevention strategies and demonstrations such as: medication and falls, proven benefits of Tai Chi, importance of balance including balance aids and equipment.
This program will be held at  Parmenter located at 266 Cochituate Road RT 27  from 8:30 am until noon. There is limited seating, so please call Parmenter and R.S.V.P. to Anne at 508-358-3000, extension 252.  Delicious morning refreshments will be served. Registration and materials will be available at 8:30 am. 
The program framework will begin with 8:30 registration and refreshments. The day will kick off with a discussion of Tai Chi and its role in fall prevention.  Attendees will be invited to participate in a mini  session. Next we will go more in depth on the role of exercise and why most falls are preventable. Then the Wayland Fire Department’s Deputy Chief will relay “Stories From the Front”, explaining what happens when you dial 911.  Next we’ll learn about the surprising relationship of medication and falls.  The day will close with a presentation about the types of equipment and aids that are available to help make your home safe and assist you in avoiding falls. Refreshments are provided by Traditions of Wayland.  Each workshop will be approximately 30 minutes with breaks for getting up and stretching, along with refreshments.
Transportation to the event will be available through the COA 508 358 2990. Please make van reservations on or before Thursday, Nov. 1.  Remember to R.S.V.P.  Hope to see you there.

A bit better walking

Research indicates more Americans are walking. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicates we have miles to go. The review of national survey data found about 62 percent of adults walked at least once for 10 minutes or more in the previous week in 2010. That’s up from about 56 percent in 2005.
But people need to do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity to get health benefits. Researcher Dianna Carroll:
“In our study, we found less than half of adults get the 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week. And this can be improved by doing activity as simple as brisk walking.”
The study is in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Daily HealthBeat Tip for U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.

PLEASE JOIN US

Please join the Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition for our 6th Annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day:

Standing Together to Prevent Falls

When:Monday, September 24, 2012 Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Where:Massachusetts State House,Boston Great Hall

Why you should attend: Each year in the United States, one out of three people, age 65 or older falls, and as a result, many experience injuries that threaten their independence and quality of life.

Join legislators and other state officials, community-based organizations including Councils on Aging, members of the Coalition and the general public, to learn how  falls can be prevented with our state’s falls prevention activities, and to celebrate some champions who are helping to reduce the risk for falls. The event will include an interesting array of speakers, information booths and light refreshments.

The mission of the MA Falls Prevention Coalition is: to increase awareness that falls are preventable; to support family/caregivers, healthcare providers, and the community at large about falls prevention; and to reduce the incidence and severity of falls and fall related injuries across the lifespan in Massachusetts.

For more information about the event, please contact Alissa Weintraub:

617 558-0202: aweintraub@maseniorcare.org

www.maseniorcarefoundation.org/Initiatives/Falls_Prevention/Massachusetts_Falls_Prevention_Coalition.aspx For information on visiting the State House, go to: www.malegislature.gov/Engage/Directions

or call: 617 722-2000

The building is wheelchair accessible via the Ashburton Park entrance on Bowdoin Street.                                                                                                           Special thanks to Senator Richard T. Moore for sponsoring this annual State House event.

Asleep?

Eight hours is supposed to be the sleep magic number. But researchers say there really is no magic number – that your body knows when it has enough sleep. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Daniel Chapman: “It’s actually quite serious. Drowsy driving was implicated in about 16 percent of fatal crashes and about 13 percent of crashes resulting in hospitalization.” (10 seconds) Chapman says sleep is as important to health as eating right and getting enough physical activity. And research has been finding that lack of sleep – like poor diet and lack of physical activity – has been associated with weight gain and diabetes. Chapman also notes insufficient sleep’s special risks, like falling asleep at the wheel.

Daily HealthBeat Tip for U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

Seniors vaccinations

Things that wear down as we get older include our vaccinations. But Dr. Andrew Kroger of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says many older people dont realize this: “Adult immunizations are an excellent way to prevent many diseases that can be deadly. Vaccines aren’t just for kids. Some of the protection you got from childhood vaccines may have worn off.” Consider the chickenpox vaccination you got as a kid. Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus, but shingles is more common among people over 60. If you’re over 60, you may need a shingles vaccination. And you might want the vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis – known as Tdap.  The parts about diphtheria and pertussis could keep you from infecting the grandkids.

Source: Daily HealthBeat Tip for U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

National Womens Health Week

Starting with Mothers Day, May 13, we are observing National Womens Health Week; the theme this year is Its Your Time. We can all celebrate the women in our lives during National Womens Health Week by encouraging them to make the time to address their own health. Healthy, strong women are essential to having healthy strong children and communities, but too often women place the needs of others before their own needs.  Full Story: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on National Women’s Health Week

You are what you eat

Think about what you eat. Think about how much of it you eat, and how often. Twenty-thousand participants did just that, and researchers were able to make food patterns of it, based on demographics. Suzanne Judd is at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “The first pattern, we called it traditional in the abstract. It’s made of people that have mixed meals – Chinese food, Mexican food, pizza, pasta. And if you look at the mean age, it tends to be younger.” Some diet patterns can give us bad habits; for instance, a sweet tooth, or a craving for take-out, or the more than occasional happy hour drink. “Consuming that much processed and sweet food is a little bit alarming. One would think that’s probably not going to be a good thing.” The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Daily HealthBeat Tip for U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

Older Americans Month

We encourage older Americans to stay active and be involved in their communities, and to take care of their own health. The health care law provides free preventive services to people with Medicare, including the Annual Wellness Visit.

click here to read: Statement from Secretary Sebelius on Older Americans Month

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month and Stroke Awareness Month.

It makes sense to observe both in the same month because when you control your blood pressure, you reduce your risk of stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Unfortunately, 1 in 3 U.S. adults, an estimated 68 million of us, have high blood pressure, also called hypertension.

to read more click here: HHS Secretary Sebelius statement on National High Blood Pressure Education Month