Could medication be causing your elderly parent’s hearing loss?

According to a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, there are more than 200 medications that can cause hearing loss. These drugs are known as ototoxic and can cause tinnitus, temporary hearing loss and even permanent hearing loss.

What is ototoxicity?

The definition of ototoxic offered at Medscape Reference is that an ototoxic drug is one with the potential to “cause toxic reactions to structures of the inner ear, including the cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals, and otoliths.” Drug-induced damage to these structures of the auditory and balance system can result in hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness. The hearing damage caused can be temporary or permanent.

According to Mayo Clinic neurologist Jerry Swanson, about 200 drugs are considered potentially ototoxic. For instance, an antibiotic called Gentamicin is attributed by the American Hearing Research Foundation as causing 15 to 50 percent of cases of a certain type of hearing loss known as Bilateral Vestibulopathy.

You might not be warned if taking ototoxic drugs

And patients may not always be alerted by doctors or pharmacists that the drugs they are taking are ototoxic. Even some over the counter drugs like ibuprofen can cause hearing loss. Ibuprofen, which is the active ingredient in Advil can lead to hearing loss if taken in high doses or for a prolonged period time. Luckily, this hearing loss is often temporary and disappears when the ibuprofen is no longer taken, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Know your medications

For those already experiencing hearing loss or tinnitus, even if not caused by ototoxic medications, it is even more important to be aware of the medications that you take. Talk with your pharmacist about any ototoxic potential of your medications.

If you’re elderly loved one already has hearing loss or tinnitus, whether the cause is from ototoxic medications or other causes, it is especially important to be aware of the medications that you are taking. It can be helpful to speak with your pharmacist about any ototoxic potential of your medications.

Preventing hearing loss when taking ototoxic medications

Hearing loss might be a minor risk if the ototoxic medication you are taking is for a life-threatening illness such as cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, recent studies are finding that certain minerals and vitamins may prove helpful in reducing the likelihood of hearing loss when taking ototoxic medications. There is also always the chance that there is a non-ototoxic alternative to the ototoxic medications that your parent is taking that can be just as beneficial.

Medications don’t always interact well with one another. For this reason, it’s important to let the doctor and pharmacist know all of the medications that your loved one is taking, even over the counter. It’s a given that those at risk should avoid loud noise to prevent hearing loss, but it’s even more important when taking ototoxic medication. If you are around loud noises wear ear plugs.

Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts.Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.”

Heart health as we age is more important than ever

Heart disease remains the leading killer in the U.S., claiming 600,000 lives every year, according to SeniorLiving.org. With more than 84 percent of those deaths coming from people 65 years or older, as your elderly parent ages, caring for their heart becomes even more important.

There are factors that can’t be mitigated such as gender — men have twice as many heart attacks as women — race and/or heredity traits. But there are factors that you can control. It’s always wise to seek the advice of your doctor, but here are some ways to cut back on controllable risk factors.

Smoking

Your elderly parent smokes, it increases risk of coronary heart disease two to four times over nonsmokers. It can be hard to break an ingrained habit, especially one that has been present in their life for many years, but if they’re serious about preventing heart disease, quitting is a necessity. Pipe and cigar smokers also increase their risk, but not as much as cigarette smokers.

High cholesterol

The higher the amounts of cholesterol — a fatty substance found in the blood — the greater the risk of heart attack. There are two kinds of cholesterol: Low-density lipoporoteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL is often referred to as bad cholesterol because it deposits fat (plague) on the walls of the heart’s arteries, increasing risk of heart disease. HDL is often referred to as good cholesterol because it helps remove cholesterol from arteries.

The key to controlling cholesterol is what you eat. Reducing total fat consumed is a start. Then focusing on eating foods high in fiber such as fruits and vegetables will reduce bad cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids–found in fish can reduce blood pressure according to SeniorLiving.org. They suggest trying herring, halibut, salmon and mackerel. In addition, they advise eating nuts like almonds and walnuts to keep your blood vessels healthy.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure can increase the hearts workload and cause the heart to thicken, increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.

Being physically inactive doubles the risk of heart disease, and even moderate physical activity can help prevent heart and blood vessel disease. The added benefits of regular exercise include helping to control high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.

Obesity

When you’re heavier it causes your heart to work that much harder. Even losing 10 lbs. can help. A healthy diet and regular exercise can both affect your weight positively.

Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is contributed to by being overweight. Again,weight loss and regular exercise can have a positive impact.

Physicians Choice Private Duty can help

Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the options with facing an elderly person at risk for heart disease. Our professional staff can help properly implement the necessary lifestyle changes that will ensure the best quality of life for your aging parent.

All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts.

Contact us today for your family’s elder care needs.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.“

Hearing aids can improve your elderly parent’s quality of life

According to an article published on SeniorLiving.org, 31 million people in the United States develop hearing loss of some severity or another. Nearly 60 percent of those with hearing loss are over age 65. More than 6 million Americans use hearing aids, but that leaves 24 million who do not. If you suspect your elderly parent is experiencing hearing loss, having them get a hearing aid will improve their quality of life as well as make your life easier.

Fitting a hearing aid is easy with an open-fit digital hearing aid. In the past, an audiologist would make a silicon mold of your ear for a custom fit. Todays open-fit and speaker-in-the-ear models require no molds and only minor tweaks for a custom fit.

Most performance adjustments used to require a visit to an audiologists office where adjustments would be made and you’d be on your way. But adjusting in an office for real world hearing loss was rarely perfect. Although still common today, oftentimes you’d have to make another trip back for a readjustment. Now, using computer software, you can program your hearing aid from home. With some software, you can type a problem like Conversations are muffled. Then the software automatically adjusts the hearing aid for you. Other times, the hearing aid vendor can make the adjustments and email you the adjustment file.

The Mayo Clinic goes in-depth about the differences between various hearing aids. Here is some of their information summarized:

Completely in the canal — These hearing aids are molded to individual ear canals to improve mild to moderate hearing loss. Generally, the smaller a hearing aid is, the less powerful it is, the shorter its battery life and the more it’ll cost. These are least noticeable in the ear, and less likely to pick up wind noise. They are easy to use with phones and use smaller batteries that don’t typically last as long. These hearing aids often don’t contain added features like volume control or directional microphones.

In the canal — Like in completely in the canal hearing aids, these are custom molded to fit in the ear canal, but not as deeply. These improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. In the canal hearing aids are less visible, easy to use with the phone, but also include features that won’t fit on completely in the canal aids. However, the small size can make these features difficult to adjust and they may not fit well in smaller ears.

Half-shell — An even smaller version of the in the canal hearing aid. These are custom molded and fill the lower portion of the bowl-shaped area of the outer ear. This will counteract mild to moderately severe hearing loss. This hearing aid is slightly easier to handle than smaller hearing aids. It includes additional features like directional microphones and volume control.

In the ear (full-shell) — An in-the-ear (full-shell) hearing will be custom made to fill most of the bowl-shaped area of the outer ear. It is useful for those with mild to severe hearing loss. This model will be more visible to others and may pick up wind noise. It does contain helpful features like volume control and the features are easier to adjust. These are typically easy to insert and use larger batteries which normally last longer than their smaller counterparts.

Behind the ear — Behind-the-ear hearing aids hook over the top of your ear and rest behind the ear. They pick up sound, amplify it and carry the sound back to an ear mold that fits inside your ear canal. This is useful for all types of hearing loss. It is also the largest, most visible type of hearing aid, though newer versions may be smaller and barely visible.

Open fit — These are usually a very small behind-the-ear-style device. Sound travels from the instrument through a small tube to a tiny dome or speaker in the ear canal. These leave the ear canal open and are best for mild to moderate high-frequency loss where low frequencies are still heard near normal. These often lack manual adjustments because of the small size.

Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/“

Physicians’ Choice Private Duty helps lift the burden of caregiver stress

Alzheimer’s or other dementia: Should I move my loved one into long-term care?

Maybe you have just learned about the devastating diagnosis or have been living with it for years. Regardless of the situation, caregiver burnout becomes a reality.

Your options

• Care for your loved one at home. Some caregivers also may want to think about part-time care at home with a health aide or nurse or in an adult day care — to lessen the stress and burden of 24-hour-a-day care.
• Move your relative into a nursing home or other long-term care facility.

Key points to remember

• People with Alzheimer’s or other dementia need a safe, consistent, structured environment. You may be able to provide this at home. In other cases, long-term care in a center is an option.
• People with dementia usually need more and more care as time goes by. At some point, your relative will most likely need constant 24-hour care — either in your home or at a long-term care center.
• A care center may offer your loved one some people to talk to, as well as activities and outings. Social contacts may keep him or her active for as long as possible.
• Caring at home for someone who has dementia takes a lot of time and work. It also costs money if you hire part-time help. Caring for a loved one at home also may take time away from other areas of your life. Every family has different needs and limits to think about.
• By using adult day care programs and part-time help, you may be able to keep your loved one at home longer.
• Remember that your own health, both physical and emotional, is as important as that of the person you’re caring for.
• Deciding to move your relative into long-term care is not a sign of failure in your role as caregiver.
• Any move, whether to a facility or even a stay at the hospital, will set back your loved one. Increasing memory loss and behavioral changes should be anticipated.

“Physicians’ Choice Private Duty Assisted Living solves the challenges families face in caring for aging parents, with a focus on strategies that keep them in their homes. To learn more about our solutions, visit http://www.private-duty.pchhc.com.”

Real Stories: Keeping couples together

Todays post features real-life stories of how Physicians Choice Private Duty helped an elderly person and their loved ones through a tough decision-making process that ensured each persons individual care needs were met. Names have been changed to respect privacy.

Ron and Laura

Ron and his younger wife Laura have a 28 year age difference between them. Ron suffers from dementia and Laura, who is busy with work, worries about him during the day. She contacted Physicians Choice Private Duty and after our assessment of Ron and Laura’s situation, we were able have Ron voluntarily attend a local adult day care center and start him on dementia medications. Through his new friendships at the care center, Ron now feels valued and is tired in the evenings, which allows the Laura to come home from a hard day’s work and relax. Thanks to Physicians Choice Private Duty, the couple is able to remain safe and together.

Mabel and Graham

Mabel is completely independent, while her husband Graham needs skilled level care. With help from Physicians Choice Private Duty, the couple was able to find an assisted living facility that accommodates their different levels of care requirements. Today, both Mabel and Graham are doing great in their new environment and have been able to stay together.

Bob and Peggy

Bob and Peggy’s family all live out of town and became worried about the elderly couple when they kept going to the ER for various medical complications. The family initially wanted Physicians Choice Private Dutyto come in and move Bob and Peggy to a higher level of care, but through our assessment process, we were able to give them a safe plan to stay at home. To ensure their safety, they need medication management, meal preparation and assistance with some of their ADLs, but Bob and Peggy are still living at home independently and happily.

Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Physicians Choice Private Duty services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit https://private-duty.pchhc.com/services/.”