Tips for aging well - part 1
Councilman Andy King and his wife, Neva Shillingford-King, recently
attended the inaugural ball of Albert Bryan Jr., Governor of
the United States Virgin Islands. While there, they chatted with the
governor’s wife, Yolanda Bryan, and learned she was from their
home town – the Bronx.
Don’t blindly accept vision loss: your guide to glaucoma
Donations needed
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F BTR EBRUARY 1-7, 2019 73
BY KELLIANN SCHILLING,
REGISTERED NURSE WITH THE
VISITING NURSE SERVICE OF
NEW YORK
Glaucoma is one of the leading
causes of blindness in the
United States if left untreated.
According to Glaucoma Research
Foundation, about 3
million Americans have the
disease, but only half know
they have it. One of the most
common forms of glaucoma is
known as the “sneak thief of
sight” because only after the
disease has advanced quite a
bit do symptoms such as vision
loss become apparent.
Knowing that there are very
few “warning signs” can cause
individuals and their families
to have feelings of worry, fear,
and helplessness about how to
handle the disease. Yet it’s important
to remember that you
are not alone and help and resources
are available when
the need arises.
As a registered nurse with
the Visiting Nurse Service of
New York (VNSNY) my patient
roster includes many patients
over the age of 65, which
is often when people begin to
notice changes in their vision
and start asking questions
about how to prevent glaucoma.
Unfortunately, glaucoma
is not preventable and
vision loss from the disease is
not reversible. Early detection
however, does provide ways
to protect your eyesight and
prevent complete vision loss.
Here are a few tips our VNSNY
teams share with our patients
to help catch glaucoma
early:
• Knowledge is Power: It is
extremely important to understand
the facts about the disease
and ask your doctor the
right questions. For example,
make sure your ophthalmologist
looks at the eye nerve and
not just the more common diagnoses
of high eye pressure.
Also, know your risk factors
for the disease. Among people
who are at an increased
risk for glaucoma are African
Americans, Latinos and those
with diabetes or cardiovascular
disease.
• Get Screened: It is important
to complete regularly
scheduled eye exams every six
to 12 months for those patients
over the age of 65. Additionally,
make sure to get any kind
of eye irritation checked out
immediately.
• Symptoms: While glaucoma
symptoms develop
slowly, and sometimes not at
all, some symptoms to look out
for can include:
• Blurred or hazy vision
• Eye pain, swelling or redness
• Trouble reading
• Peripheral Vision Loss
• Sudden sight loss
• Loss of contrast sensitivity
(the ability to see shades of
the same color)
• Problems with glare
• Light sensitivity
Once diagnosed, it is extremely
important to make
some lifestyle changes to help
you stay safe at home and on
track with your treatment.
• Make a Schedule: Write
down the name, dosage, and
number of times your medications
should be taken each
day. It’s also important to
space out treatments. Develop
a regimen to make your medications
part of your daily routine,
administering them in
the morning, at night, or during
meals.
• Learn Eye-Drop Installation:
It is extremely important
to put eye drops in correctly,
as they are usually the main
form of treatment for glaucoma.
It can be extremely diffi
cult to apply drops properly,
especially if living alone. Due
to these challenges, it can be
helpful to have the assistance
of home health aides, such as
those at Partners in Care, a licensed
home care agency that
is a part of VNSNY. A home
health aide or family caregiver
can help ensure that correct
drops dosages are administered,
and that both the eye
lids and lashes are kept clean.
It is also benefi cial to keep
your eyes closed for two minutes
after receiving the drops,
to ensure effectiveness of the
medication.
• Living with Impairment:
While life with glaucoma may
be an adjustment, there are a
variety of tools and resources
that can help you cope and
maintain a comfortable level
of vision. I usually recommend
patients get magnifi ers
or computer text enlargers to
reduce stress caused from frequent
squinting and straining
to read. Additionally, if you
happen to have one, iPads and
other large-screen tablets have
been known to enhance visual
clarity as they allow for a high
contrast, crisp display.
• Healthy Lifestyle Modifi
cations: Anyone with glaucoma
should do their best to
maintain a healthy weight and
keep blood pressure at normal
levels. Caffeine can increase
eye pressure, so it is important
to be mindful and modify
intake if needed. Eating
lots of fruits and vegetables
with vitamins C, E, A, D and
Zinc supports ocular health,
and always remember to wear
sunglasses outdoors to protect
the eyes.
While there is no cure yet
for glaucoma and vision loss
cannot be regained, there are
treatment options that can
help preserve visual function.
It is important to remember
to always communicate with
your entire care team if something
seems amiss with your
vision. We recommend that
all our patients over the age of
65 make regularly scheduled
visits to the ophthalmologist
a regular part of their routine
healthcare maintenance.
To learn more about how
home care can help support
older individuals living with
glaucoma, visit www.VNSNY.
org or call 1-800-675-0391.
We all want to stay as
healthy as possible. Research
suggests that how well we
age depends largely on what
we do in our daily lives. The
research also shows that it’s
never too late to make changes
that can help you live a longer
and healthier life. Here is the
fi rst of two articles with some
tips for aging well.
Eat A Rainbow
You need fewer calories
when you get older, so choose
nutrient-rich foods like
brightly colored fruits and
vegetables. Eat a range of colors—
the more varied, the
wider the range of nutrients
you’re likely to get. Try to eat
salmon, sardines, or other fi sh
rich in heart healthy omega-3
fatty acids twice a week.
Limit red meat and whole- fat
dairy products. Choose whole
grains over the refi ned stuff.
Sidestep Falls
Walking for even 30 min-
utes three times a week
can help you stay physically
fi t and mentally sharp,
strengthen your bones, lift
your spirits, and lower your
risk of falls. Check with your
doctor before starting a more
strenuous exercise such as
bicycling. In addition to exercising,
get plenty of bonehealthy
calcium and vitamin
D daily.
Toast With A Smaller
Glass
Drinking a moderate
amount of alcohol may lower
your risks of heart disease
and some other illnesses. As
you get older, “moderate”
means just 1 drink a day for
men and ½ a drink daily for
women. A “drink” is 1 oz. of
hard liquor, 6 oz. of wine or
12 oz. of beer. Remember that
alcohol can interact with certain
drugs so ask your healthcare
professional whether
any alcohol is safe for you.
Sleep Like A Baby
Older people need more
sleep than younger adults.
The National Sleep Foundation
suggests 7 to 8 hours of
sleep a night for older adults.
If you’re getting that much
and are still sleepy during
the day, see your healthcare
professional. You may have
a sleep disorder called sleep
apnea.
Keep Sharp
Beating a complex computer
game, joining a discussion
club, learning a new language
and engaging in social
activities with other people
can all help keep your brain
sharp, studies suggest.
*Be sure to check back next
week for some more tips.
Brought to you by Montefi
ore Medical Group, R.A.I.N.
and the Hartford Institute for
Geriatric Nursing @ NYU,
based on American Geriatric
Society materials.
KING GREETS GOVERNOR OF VIRGIN ISLAND
(Above, l-r) Governor Albert Bryan and his wife, Yolanda Bryan, a
former Bronxite; Neva Shillingford-King and husband, Councilman
Andy King. Photo courtesy of Councilman King’s offi ce
Consider donating new gift
items to Jeanne Jugan Residence,
2999 Schurz Avenue.
These items will be sold annually
in their gift shop and
Christmas Bazaar. They need
new toys. Other items include
costume jewelry, gift sets, electronic
items specialty items,
new tagged clothing, accessories
and collectibles. They
are unable to take VHS, used
dish sets, loose glassware/
vases, and books. If you have
a question about a donation
call Joanne at (347) 329-1800.
Drop off week days if possible.
Make sure packages are
securely wrapped and labeled
Gift Shop/Joanne.
/www.VNSNY
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