- How to Prevent Vision Loss in your Aging Parent
Sent Sunday, June 6, 2010
Transition
Aging Parents
Your source of insight and
information to help your aging
parents "thrive and find joy" in every stage of their life!
Bi-Weekly
Ezine
Issue June 4, 2010 Volume
2 Issue 10
A Note from Dale - Summer, upcoming webinar, preview my book
Featured Article - How to Prevent Vision Loss in your Aging Parent
BlogTalkRadio Interviews - 4 new shows and guests
Where's Dale - Presentations and Interviews
Preview my Book
(This Ezine
is published bi-weekly on Sundays. You are on our list because you
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ààà To get your
F.R.E.E.
5-Part E-Course, "5 Essential Strategies for Helping Your Aging Parent
Face
Change", visit my website at http://www.transitionagingparents.com
Hello! We just returned from the deep south, visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Arkansas. Loved seeing all the flowers in bloom. The corn there is ready for harvest! We enjoyed some southern dishes, catfish, fried green tomatoes... Like I told my friend last week, let's fill our summer with special memories! That is my wish for you.
There's lot to share this week, so here goes:
I'm honored to be featured in a blog and Facebook article by "Seniors For Living". Want to find out more about why I do what I do? To read, "Transition Aging Parents: Tools of the Trade", click here.
Don't miss my new presentation on "Elder Abuse, How Can I Help?" on June 18th. I'm presenting on AgeTech's webinar, but everyone is invited. For more info, click here.
Want to help raise awareness about aging and eldercare issues? Then check out my friend's audition video for Oprah's network. For more information about her "All About Aging" show and vote, click here.
Other news: I've lined up 4 wonderful interviews in June with experts and new authors on my BlogTalkRadio show. And, I'm already starting to book July! Details below.
Our featured article is all about how to prevent vision loss in your aging parent. Much of vision loss is preventable if caught early. This short article will help you recognize symptoms and get the right help for your parent.
I am very excited to share that my book is published and now available (click here). I hope you will find my new ADAPT framework a helpful tool as you guide your parent through the many changes inherent in their later years. A team of 15 colleagues from around the country helped tremendously with their feedback during the edit process to ensure the book is complete and accurate. I look forward to hearing from you after reading it!
As always, my
best wishes to
you and your parent(s) as you journey together,
Dale
Carter...
PS:Welcome to all my new
subscribers!
I am so very grateful to have you as part of our Transition Aging
Parents
community.I think you'll love the
information, tips, and inspiration you'll be receiving!
"Yesterday
is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us
begin." ~Mother Teresa
(Note:If there is a topic, resource or person
that
you would like me to highlight in future issues, please write to me at dale.carter@transitionagingparents.com)
Featured Article
"How to Prevent Vision Loss in Your Aging Parent"
I recently attended a seminar featuring a physician and researcher from the Center for Disease Control (CDC.) It was all about preventing vision loss in our aging parents. Vision Loss is a huge issue for the elderly. I want to share what I learned with you.
What impact does vision loss have on our aging parents?
Loss of independence
Increased risk of depression
Increased risk of falls and hip fractures
Increased mortality
How prevalent is vision loss in the elderly?
People 65+ make up 12.8% of the US population, but account for 30% of all those visually impaired
People 80+ make up 8% of the US population, but account for 69% of people who are blind
What are the top 3 age-related eye diseases?
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). It's the leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly, affecting 25% of those 70+. Symptoms include blurred vision, distorted vision, faded colors, difficulty reading and distinguishing faces, blind spot in the center of the visual field.
Glaucoma. 8% of non-institutional elderly have this. 50% are unaware of the condition. Sometimes called the "silent thief of sight", glaucoma can damage vision so gradually, there won't be any perceived loss of vision until the disease is quite advanced.
Cataracts. Cataract surgery has become one of the most common surgeries performed in the US today. Symptoms include blurry or dim vision, glare from bright lights, double vision, distorted images, increasing nearsightedness, and declining night vision.
What can you do to help your aging parent preserve their vision? Encourage your parent to:
Have a annual comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Quit smoking or never start
Eat healthy
Maintain a healthy weight
Stay active
Avoid exposure to UV light
Wear protective eyewear
Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, greatly increase the risk of vision loss. I hope this information will help raise your awareness of the risk of vision loss and ways in which you can help your parent, by identifying their symptoms early and ensuring they follow recommended medical guidelines for good vision health.
If you have any other vision-related information to share, please email me at dale.carter@transitionagingparents.com
To view an excellent slide show by Mayo Clinic, "Vision Problems as You Age", click here.
BlogTalkRadio Show Interviews (June)
Archived recordings of previous interviews and the live show can be found at:
June 8th: Memory Chip & Memory Journal - Tools for the Alzheimer's Caregiver
Join me and Lori La Bey, Speaker, Trainer, Consultant, Author, and now an 'Advocate on Steroids' for Alzheimer's disease. Lori will share her own personal story, the insights she gained and two wonderful tools that help adult children examine their inner journey and strengthen/enrich the relationship with their parent with Alzheimer's. Click here.
June 15th: The Caregiver's Path to Compassionate Decision Making - an Author Speaks
Author Viki Kind joins me to discuss how her new book will help family members/caregivers dealing with those who have Alzheimer's, dementia, strokes, brain injuries, mental illness, developmental delays or other mental limitations. Click here.
June 22nd: The Daughter Trap - An Author Speaks Out about Eldercare
Join me and Laurel Kennedy, author and authority on multi-generational issues. Laurel experienced the "daughter trap" firsthand. Through extensive research and her new book, she is going to tell us what we can do about the "daughter trap. Click here.
June 29th:Elder Mediation - How It Can Help Your Family
Shon Ingram, founder and owner of Eldercare Life Solutions, joins me to discuss how elder mediation can help your aging parent and your family. Click here.
Where's Dale?
May 20th - "Age of Excellence" in South Bend, Indiana. 'Transition Aging Parents' was honored to be a nominee in the category of "Best Eldercare Business".
June 3rd- Chaired the "Women of Hope" Victory Luncheon, South Bend, Indiana. For more info about Bridge of Hope non-profit, click here.
June 17th - I am the presenter on AgeTek's weekly webinar. My topic is "Elder Abuse, How Can I Help?" For info, click here.
June 18th - I am the featured guest on Viki Kind's KindEthics radio show. More info, click here.
"Transitioning Your Aging Parent: A 5 Step Guide Through Crisis & Change" (my new book)
"Transitioning Your Aging Parent: A 5 Step Guide Through Crisis & Change" is published and now available.
I wrote this book to help adult children and families navigate the many changes their aging parents will face. In the book, I share a new framework, ADAPT, developed from my personal experience, my background as an educator and project manager, and a sincere desire to help families and their aging parents. In reading this book, you will learn how to use the framework, apply specific strategies, and seek out appropriate resources that are right for your their situation. Personal stories are woven throughout to illustrate the concepts.
Join me as I share what I learned in helping my own mother navigate crisis and change to renewed health and happiness.
Discover how to approach any change or crisis in your parent's life with clarity and confidence.
Discover how this new framework will guide you in making the right decisions for your parent while balancing your own personal needs and family responsibilities.
Advance Praise
It's
almost as though you took all my years of training and managed to put order to
it. The ADAPT method of caregiving will decrease stress and give great
comfort to families in the eldercare world. My fear is that we can't
get it out to people fast enough.
~ P.K. Beville,
M.S.
Founder, Second
Wind Dreams & Geriatric Specialists
Author, Virtual Dementia Tour Series
This deceptively small book is one that every adult
with a parent should read. It skillfully guides you step by step through the
process of helping your parent's transition. It's full of helpful resources for
you and your parent. It will be a lifesaver in a time of crisis, but I
recommend you don't wait until then. Get the book now and follow Dale Carter's
ADAPT method to prepare you and your parent for the inevitable changes ahead.
~ Debra Joy, CEO, Bcelebrated
For those entering the
unchartered waters as a caregiver, Transitioning Your Aging Parent: A 5 Step
Guide Through Crisis & Change is an
invaluable life raft. Dale Carter provides readers with a framework to help
create solutions for the most complex family challenges. The book outlines
countless resources and creative ideas to help the most frazzled caregiver
reduce guilt and offer the freedom to help spend more quality time with their
loved ones.
~ Steve Gurney, Publisher,
Guide to
Retirement Living SourceBook
Whether you are a business
professional trying to help your aging parents, a long distance caregiver or a
stay-at-home caregiver, you need Transitioning Your Aging Parent:
A 5 Step Guide Through Crisis & Change. Dale's
ADAPT Method provides a step-by-step plan which changes overwhelming situations
into manageable ones. My favorite part of the ADAPT Method is that
it balances respecting our aging parent while understanding the needs of the
caregiver. Thank you Dale for creating a straightforward, quick-to-read
guidebook for helping our parents transition through the aging process.
~ Viki Kind, MA
Author, The Caregiver's Path to
Compassionate Decision Making -
Making Choices for Those Who Can't
To preview the book or purchase your copy, click here.
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Note
about Dale
Dale
Carter is
wife, mother of 3 grown children, and long-distance caregiver to her
elderly
mother. She is a former educator and university IT consultant. In
the spring of 2008, a major life experience (helping her elderly mother
through
a major health/life crisis) changed the course of Dale's life work.
Dale
created
"Transition Aging Parents" as a way to share her experience and reach
out to other adult children of aging parents. She provides insight and
shares information to help adult daughters and sons ensure their aging
parents
"thrive and find joy" in every stage of life.
Her
goal is
two-fold: to serve as a resource for adult children as they help their
aging
parents through the many transitions in aging AND to highlight this time
in
their journey together as one of joy, renewed bonds and reflection of
lives
well-lived.
If you wish to use this
article on
your website or in your own ezine, you must include the following: Dale Carter, founder of Transition Aging Parents, is dedicated to
providing
insight and information to adult children of aging parents so their
parents may
"thrive and find joy" in every stage of life. To get your
F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and
receive her bi-weekly articles on resources, options, and new
innovations for
aging parents, visit http://www.transitionagingparents.com
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