BRONX WEEKLY F www.BXTimes.com ebruary 3, 2019 14
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
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 first 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 fish rich in heart healthy
omega-3 fatty acids twice a week.
Limit red meat and whole- fat
dairy products. Choose whole
grains over the refined stuff.
Sidestep Falls
Walking for even 30 minutes
three times a week can help you
stay physically fit 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 bone-healthy 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 Montefiore
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
Donations needed
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.
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