How many times have you had to tap on your horn to get a senior driver in front of you to go a little faster? And have you ever felt the urge to help out an elderly woman with her shopping at a local grocery store? If your response was positive for both questions, then you have positively contributed to some of the problems facing the senior folk in the society.
Problems that come with age
Aging comes with numerous challenges. Oftentimes, the seniors struggle to get by all sorts of stereotypes every day. You, for instance, may have felt the empathy to help an old woman get her shopping to a parked car nearby because it appeared she was unable to do it. The slow driver on the road was apparently guilty of excessive old age caution according to you.
Certainly, one of the most common challenges faced by the elderly is diminished physical ability. As you grow older you begin to realize you can no longer keep up with some of the activities that used to be mere pieces of cake only a few years ago.
Even worse is the age discrimination and stereotypes levelled against the elderly. Sometimes people assume so much about the aged. While in the past they would be consulted and given high regard as being vastly knowledgeable and full of experience, today’s societies often stress more on the insomnia that is characteristic of old age and regard the old folk as less capable.
Loss of memory is a real challenge affecting people as they grow old and as such they need help. In such conditions, these people lose their independence.
This is ordinarily the process or condition of deterioration that comes with age. The body cells generally lose their power of division and associated growth. As a result, the body begins to experience diminishing conditions. Senescence includes biological, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social changes associated with age.
This is perhaps one of the most inescapable of old age challenges. It is the medical condition characterized by the bones becoming brittle and fragile as they lose tissue. It results from hormonal changes in the body. Calcium or vitamin D deficiency are the other typical causes of osteoporosis.
Patients with osteoporosis usually suffer from reduced mobility and inability to perform certain basic tasks that do not ordinarily require the help of another person. As patients of osteoporosis grow older, they become not only less mobile but also potentially disabled particularly if they get fractured from a fall or if their vertebral bodies collapse.
In the US, it is estimated by the National Osteoporosis Foundation that 54 million Americans above 50 years of age are affected by the problem of low bone mass. This puts them at the risk of fracturing or breaking from simple accidents.
There’s Light at The End of the Tunnel
It is these kinds of challenges faced by people on a daily basis that have inspired the creation of Sockee, a revolutionary solution that helps everyone with mobility issues. With it, the elderly do not need anyone to help them out with the simple tasks such as putting on their socks particularly in the morning when the back is unusually stiff and sore.
The feeling of having a newborn baby can be both euphoric and overwhelming. For a mommy who has delivered her baby through caesarean operation, it is apparent that you will be recovering from a major abdominal surgery. At the same time, you will be handling typical postnatal issues like mood swings, engorged breasts, and vaginal discharge.
You should also be prepared for the baby blues. These are a mild form of depression that affects as many as 70 to 80 percent of new mums. The blues usually begins on the third or the fourth day after birth. They are as a result of hormonal change reactions the body experiences following the birth.
The period after a caesarean surgery requires a certain level of care to experience a quick and smooth recovery process.
Just like in any surgery, you are likely to experience some physical pain. You may feel for instance that you cannot do anything by yourself. Even small movements may become difficult and cause throbbing spasms. At this time, you may find it hard to shift on bed and moving up may require something hold on to, or someone to help out.
It will hurt when you laugh, and you may feel scissoring sensations when you cough. Some simple acts will make the laugh and cough experience a little more bearable, such as supporting your wound with a pillow or your hands.
What you can do to ease the discomfort and aid your recovery
Wear cotton underwear and loose clothes. Wearing knickers of a size bigger than your normal one will be a good idea. Boxer shorts or special knickers prepared from stretchy gauze that allow quality space over your scar will help ease the pain. The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) have some designed for this purpose.
You will also need a proper, well-balanced diet. A recovering body needs vitamins and enhanced immunity. Eat as soon as you feel hungry and drink immediately you feel thirsty.
Take plenty of water and supply your diet with a lot of fiber-rich foods to help prevent constipation. Be sure to get peppermint water from your nurses to soothe the pain caused by trapped wind associated with surgery.
Monitor your wound for any suspicious signs of infection. Watch out for discharge, extra soreness or redness. Alert your doctor or midwife as soon as you spot any of these signs.
Keep your wound clean by washing and drying as directed daily. You can shower or take a bath and use soap on it as long as you rinse it off. Gently pat dry your wound with a clean towel.
Correct your posture by avoiding hunching or bending as these may cause backache. Try to observe an upright posture when sitting and when standing. Look for help on any incidences that could force you to bend. You may consider wearing slip-ons that do not require a lot of effort to put on the feet. Also, if you want to wear socks, use Sockee to wear and remove them. This revolutionary new solution will enable you to wear your socks with your back in its recommended upright posture.
Hip replacement surgery is a life changing step. And as with any major surgery, you will need adequate preparation both physically and psychologically. You will need the moral and material support of your family.
Such procedures impact not just the person undergoing them but the people around as well. Your friends and family must be concerned about how it will be after you are operated on. They need to be prepared as well before you undergo the actual procedure. They will also be in a better position to support you if they have sufficient preparation.
Most of all, the physical condition of your house and the entire homestead may determine just how fast you recuperate. Hip replacement surgery is hardly ever an emergency. So you will often have adequate time to contemplate the situation as it is to be after your surgery. Keep in mind that you will not be as briskly in motion as you currently are, at least not for a while after the surgery.
Take the time to prepare your house to its optimum before you undertake the procedure. These preparations may help speed your recovery after your surgery. A suitable environment will also reduce your stress levels during your recovery.
Examine the surrounding by taking a walk around the house, looking for potential problems. Be sure to identify risky areas.
Hip replacement operation
The hip replacement surgery is a procedure that involves surgically removing a painful hip joint affected by arthritis and replacing it with an artificial joint. The artificial hip joint is often made from plastic and metal components. The procedure is usually done as a last resort when all other options of treatment have failed to provide sufficient relief from pain.
The surgery can be performed in two different approaches. The doctor can follow the traditional approach or use a minimally-invasive technique. The key difference between these two procedures is the extent of the incision.
Pre-surgery steps to take for safety and convenience after surgery
You will be taking the hip replacement surgery to enjoy a pain-free experience that comes after acquiring your new arthritis free hip.
Begin by the simple things: remove any rugs and small items from the floor. You will need free movement around as you recover. Also, ensure you tape down any electrical cords and wires that might cause injury.
Rearrange your furniture to leave wider pathways that will conveniently accommodate crutches, a wheelchair or walker. Set up your bedroom on the ground floor for stress-free access. You may have to learn the art of climbing up and down any stairs afresh.
Ensure you have all the things you frequently use on lower shelves and within arm’s reach.
Buy and install an elevated toilet seat if you don’t already have one.
Prepare a place where you will spend most of your time. Allocate an appropriate chair with a phone, remote control, TV and reading materials in place.
The idea is to reduce any movements that might expose you to the risk of hurting your recuperating hip. Minimize all movements that involve bending. Find alternatives to necessities that may force you to bend, such as wearing shoes and socks. Buy Sockee to use when putting on taking off your socks without any help. This revolutionary solution is designed to improve the lives of everyone with motion problems.
Our lifestyles today expose us to a number of problems. One common lifestyle related problem today is low back pain. When such pain on the lumbar region is experienced for long, it is then considered chronic. The problem can appear as bone pain, pain in the nerves or muscle pain.
Back pain is prevalent in various continents with the United States stats indicating that at least 31 million Americans experience low back pain at any particular time. And is a major cause of absenteeism from in many countries.
Causes of Chronic back pain
Several factors may cause chronic low back pain. Injuries from sports are a major culprit. But this only affects a small group of people, the sports community across the world. Ironically, this group is only affected during the period of injury, after which they recover perfectly and keep on with their sporting life.
There are however millions of people who are not involved in strenuous physical tasks that are serious victims of chronic back pain. The sedentary life that people live today is a primary cause of the pain. While the human body structure is designed to shift from one thing to another, remaining stationary for a long time at the same position puts a lot of pressure on the back and eventually makes it start to ache.
People who spend their professional lives on the computer are at a greater danger. They are more disposed to slouch over the machines and may not realize that the posture is hurting their spine. With time, they may start complaining of back issues that gradually become serious back pain.
Other factors that increase the risk of chronic back pain include obesity, emotional and psychological stress, inactivity and poor physical conditioning. Hidden diseases such as osteoporosis have also been identified as serious causes of back pain. This problem becomes one way through which the silent diseases become noticeable.
Relief from chronic back pain
The fortunate thing about back pain is that it can always disappear in a couple of days or weeks and may not stay for long. But when it takes longer- say three months or more to heal by itself then it cannot be taken lightly. Prescription drugs are normally administered for such patients of chronic back pain.
These drugs have however received their share of criticisms. They are said to be saddled with severe side effects that may be life-threatening. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are argued to put the patient at risk of stroke, heart attack and a good many other dangers, yet they are some of the most commonly prescribed painkillers in the market.
There are a lot of safe and utterly effective alternatives to prescription drugs that you should consider. You may need a little patience with some of them, but they pay off as the results are lasting and dependable.
These alternatives include massage, chiropractic care, yoga, Neuro-Structural Integration Technique (NST). And physical exercises for back pain.
Some healthcare providers will often recommend bed rest as therapy for back pain. But most of the chronic cases are majorly caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The best solution should be one that counters that lifestyle and keeps you on the move.
While at it, ensure you take all precaution and avoid any circumstances and activities that may exert pressure on your back. There are obviously some basics activities that are dependent on the same aching back. A major example is wearing and taking off your socks. There’s just no way to do it without bending over. Not anymore…you can now avoid that too. Just get yourself the new innovative solution, Sockee, and avoid bending while wearing your socks.