Rehab Select Blog

Caring for a family member or friend who has become disabled due to illness or injury is often a very rewarding experience. However, stepping into the role of caregiver for a loved one isn't easy. It takes a lot of time, hard work, and patience, and no matter how dedicated you are, it can become overwhelming at times. Caregiver depression often becomes an issue under these circumstances, so it is very important to be aware of this common form of depression and how to reduce your risk of suffering its symptoms.

One of the most important realizations for someone providing a friend or loved one assistance for their physical disabilities is that the ability to live and function as independently as possible is an important quality of life issue. Two of the most pertinent aspects of daily life that challenge this independence are meal preparation and clean-up. However, with a few adaptations, a bit of planning and foresight, and perhaps some specialized tools and equipment, navigating the kitchen can be made easier and safer for individuals living with disabilities.

Many of us, especially as we reach middle age and beyond, begin to become more forgetful than we once were. For most, this problem is fairly mild, and can be attributed to simple age-related memory loss. For others, the issue may be related to health problems, medications or excessive stress.

According to a survey done by the Investor Protection Trust back in 2010, one out of every five seniors has been taken advantage of financially – many times by scam artists.

The number of scams that target senior citizens seems to increase every year. Older people are particularly vulnerable to these sorts of scams. They tend to have access to cash. They are also more trusting, often somewhat gullible, and more likely to live alone. Many elders are lonely and want to talk to anyone who calls or contacts them.

Arthritis is a progressively painful condition that often eventually requires joint replacement surgery, especially when the disease impacts the hip or knee joints. Over one million Americans have hip or knee replacements each year.

The kidneys are remarkable multi-function organs that play a critical role in regulating blood glucose levels. However, when glucose levels are too high, the kidneys can sustain damage, reducing their ability to filter glucose out of the blood stream. The relationship between diabetes and your kidneys can either be really good, or really bad... resulting in a love-hate kind of connection.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects how the body produces and uses insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas – which is vital to normal absorption of glucose (sugar) into the body's cells to be used as energy. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your body may be producing too little insulin, may not be able to use insulin efficiently, or may be affected by some combination of both issues, which lead to abnormally high levels of glucose in the bloodstream.

Ulcers are areas in which the skin has eroded, creating an open wound. They are often round and crater-like, may leak fluid or blood, and the skin around the ulcer may be red, inflamed, tender to the touch, and in some cases, very painful. Ulcers may affect just the surface layers of skin, or they can extend deep into the underlying dermal layers or even into the fat layer beneath the skin. The most common types of skin ulcers are stasis ulcers and pressure ulcers.

If you have had surgery, good surgical wound care is important to ensure proper healing and recovery, prevention of excess scarring, and protection against infections and other complications. Once you are discharged from the hospital, the responsibility for that care will rest primarily on your shoulders and will include caring for the incision, cleaning the wound, changing dressings, applying any prescribed topical treatments, taking antibiotics or other medications as directed, and monitoring the wound for signs of infection.

Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs that can be caused by a variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These infections are characterized by inflammation and/or a buildup of fluid and pus in the alveoli – the tiny air sacs of the lungs. Pneumonia can, in many cases, become very serious, resulting in extreme sickness or even death. While anyone can be affected by pneumonia, the condition is most dangerous in people over age 65, children under the age of 5, and individuals who are affected by underlying health problems or have weakened immune systems.