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Know
Thyself |
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Volume 4, Issue 12 |
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SAFE
Aging Newsletter |
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June
2008 |
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In This Issue:
- Quiz: Would You Make
a Lifestyle Change If...?
- Health Screenings Detect and
Protect
- Blood Pressure: Screening Can
Save Your Life
- What You Can Do To
Promote Personal Health
- Reminders
- Internet Resources
This month's SAFE Aging newsletter is about
detecting disease, illness or injury risks that could cause loss
of independence. We offer tips on what you can do to protect
your health and wellness! Read about health screenings, purposes,
and when to get them. Take a little quiz to learn about
yourself. Find out about numbers that can tell you about your
health.
1. QUIZ: Would You Make A
Lifestyle Change If…?
| 1. If you knew you could
prevent a disease that |
| |
Yes |
No |
| would kill you, would you want to prevent
it? |
□ |
□ |
| would harm you, would you want to prevent
it? |
□ |
□ |
| would limit your independence, would you
want to prevent it? |
□ |
□ |
| 2. If you knew you could prevent an action
(such as a fall) that |
| |
Yes |
No |
| would kill you, would you want to prevent
it? |
□ |
□ |
| would harm you, would you want to prevent
it? |
□ |
□ |
|
would limit your independence, would you
want to prevent it?
|
□ |
□ |
| 3. Would you make life style changes to |
| |
Yes |
No |
| save your life? |
□ |
□ |
| prevent a disabling disease? |
□ |
□ |
| reduce the ill effects of a disease? |
□ |
□ |
| prevent a serious life threatening injury
caused by a fall (such as a brain injury, broken hip, etc)? |
□ |
□ |
If you answered YES to any of these
questions, read on to learn how medical screenings are given to
protect you by detecting risk factors that can harm you!
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2. Health Screenings
Detect and Protect
Prevention is the first step in staying
healthy. Health screenings are opportunities to get to "Know
Thyself". Regular preventive health screenings detect
risk factors that could cause physical or mental harm.
If risk factors are identified in a health screening,
more medical tests will be ordered as a protective measure. When
a disease or illness is detected in the early stages, medical
treatment can often be started before the disease
or illness has taken control. Early medical treatment can save
lives, reduce the ill effects of a disease, and even prevent or
reduce the potential for other life threatening injuries.
Types of Health Screenings
Preventive health screenings can detect:
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balance disorders
-
birth defects
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bone density
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cancers
-
diabetes
-
genetic disorders
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gum disease
-
hearing problems
-
heart disease
-
high blood pressure
-
high cholesterol
-
thyroid disease
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vision problems
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many others, etc.
Health Screening
Timelines for Men and Women
These internet sites have
prepared charts for recommended health screening timelines, for
men and women, from the ages 18 to 65+ :
If you think you might be
in a higher health risk category, this is also a helpful link:
Medicare and Preventive Health Services
Medicare pays for many preventive health
services. Prevention is the first step in staying healthy and is
a vital step in learning about yourself. For more information
about Medicare payments for preventive health services, take a
look at this link:
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Do You Know Your Numbers?
To "Know Thyself" you really need
to pay attention to some numbers. Numbers provide
measures. Numbers can be easily seen and recorded. They
provide feedback. When you see a good number, you feel
confident you are doing good things for your health. When
you see a number out of line, you immediately know
something has to change, and you can take preventive
action! |
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3. Blood Pressure:
Screening Can Save Your Life
High blood pressure increases the risk for
heart disease and stroke. These are the leading causes of death
in the United States. Among people with high blood pressure,
31.6% don't even know they have it. That is just
about one person in every three! Are you one of those 3 people?
A great way to reduce health risks for
these life threatening conditions is to know your blood pressure
numbers. You won't know your blood pressure numbers unless you
get it measured regularly. Here are the numbers you need to
know.
| Blood Pressure Guidelines: Normal:
120/80 or less. |
Systolic: The top number is the
systolic number. This number measures the pressure when the
heart is beating.
Diastolic: The bottom number or
diastolic number, measures the pressure when the heart is
resting between beats.
Pre hypertension: Systolic 120
–139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80–89 mmHg. Persons
with pre-hypertension are at increased risk to progress
to high blood pressure.
High blood pressure: For adults:
BEWARE of systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, or a
diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher.
Tips to Lower Blood Pressure:
ü
Increase type and/or amount of physical activity
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Change diet
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Reduce salt intake
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Medications
ü
Weight loss
If you had your blood pressure tested by a
machine in a store, and the numbers were higher than the norm,
make an appointment to see your doctor for a preventive health
exam. Have your blood pressure numbers checked!
Resources:
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4. What You Can Do To
Promote Personal Health
ü
Be tobacco free.
ü
Be physically active.
ü
Eat a healthy diet.
ü
Know Your Numbers: 35 and 40
| WEIGHT: 35 and 40 are important
numbers to know about weight! |
Abdominal fat is a heart disease risk
factor. People who are overweight or obese also are at risk for
high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis-related disabilities,
and some cancers. There are some numbers you can use to stay out
of the health danger zone.
Use the following measures to protect your
health.
Women: Check your ABDOMEN
measurements. If your abdomen measures 35 inches or more,
it is time to take action to lose some weight.
Men: Check your ABDOMEN
measurements. If your abdomen measures
40 inches or more, it is time to take action to
lose some weight.
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR ABDOMEN
If you don't know your abdomen measurement,
here is how to measure it:
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Place a tape
measure around your bare abdomen just above your hip bone.
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Be sure that
the tape is snug, but does not compress your skin.
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The tape should
be kept parallel to the floor
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Relax, exhale,
and measure your abdomen.
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Read your
circumference measurement.
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5. Reminders
Hurricane Season, 2008 began June 1st. The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) wants residents living in hurricane
prone areas to get serious and be prepared now.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a
new link with Public Service Announcements:
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6. Internet Resources 
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Enjoy our newsletter?
Then get it
delivered to your inbox every month, for free!
Simply visit any page on our website (www.safeaging.com)
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your information with other companies--confidentiality is
assured. Refer your friends, families, and
associates too!
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 Wherever
You Go!
Carry Your
Medical & Emergency Info!
www.MedicTag911.com
MedicTag is a portable digital
medical alert device that plugs into a computer or laptop USB
port and provides instant access to vital emergency info when
needed the most.
ONLY $34.95
+ s/h
No annual
fees!
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SAFE AGING
LEARNING CENTER
This is a reminder to
take a look at the
SAFE AGING LEARNING CENTER. There is something for
everyone in our learning center. There are excellent
resources to learn about safety, health, injury prevention
and other useful resources and information. We add to this
list continually for your
learning pleasure.
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Article Submissions
We invite interested authors to submit
theme based articles for the SAFE Aging newsletter. Please send
submissions in either .doc or .rtf format, Arial 10pt. font, and
with a 300 word maximum. Articles should be written in an easy
to read format to meet the needs of a varied readership
including seniors, family members of seniors, caregivers and
other senior service providers.
Topics should in some way be related to
health, safety or injury prevention. Articles may not be an
advertisement for services and must be informative or helpful.
Author photo and contact information may be included.
There is no guarantee that submitted
articles will be published. Generally, articles will be held
until the appropriate monthly theme. All articles become the
property of SAFE Aging and are subject to editing.
We now have advertising opportunities
based on monthly, semi-annual or annual advertising rates.
Please contact
newsletter@safeaging.com for details.
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