An Understanding of Type 2 Diabetes
Published April 5, 2011Barton Home Care – providing premium home care, Castle Rock, CO
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is a lifelong disease that is marked by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It impacts the way the body metabolizes sugar, which is the body’s primary source of fuel.
Type 2 diabetes can be managed or, better yet, prevented. Exercising, eating healthy foods and weight management can often help with management. If diet and exercise are not enough, diabetes medications or insulin therapy may be needed.
Barton Home Care – premium home care, Castle Rock, CO
Common symptoms can include increased thirst and frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss, increased hunger, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, frequent infections and patches of darkened skin. In addition to weight and inactivity, other risk factors may include age, particularly after the age of 45, and family history. Though it is unclear why, certain races including Hispanics, Asian-Americans and Blacks are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes exists when your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2. If untreated, prediabetes can lead to type 2. Gestational diabetes, which can develop during a pregnancy, can increase risk for developing type 2 later in life.
If ignored, diabetes can impact major organs including your kidneys, eyes, blood vessels, nerves and heart. That is why controlling blood sugar levels is so important.
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care – Castle Rock, CO
A New Twist to Longevity Truths and Myths
Published April 4, 2011“Fact or fiction?” asks Castle Rock home care company, Barton Home Care, regarding recent longevity studies.
Recent studies by Drs. Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin on longevity have found some character traits they have associated with long life. About 1500 people were studied at Stanford University as far back as 1921. These people, who were born about 1910, were selected by Dr. Lewis Terman, a psychologist employed by Stanford. The study encompassed eight decades and one of its basic precepts involved investigating why some individuals thrive well into old age while others miss this mark, fall ill and die prematurely.
Many old adages were proven to be incorrect. The secret of life, according to these studies, does not lie in the consumption of broccoli and vitamins, jogging or having numerous medical tests. Much more relevant were certain related habits and living patterns. Social lives, personalities, and career paths proved to be of much more importance to long-term health than previously expected.
Researchers attempt to be as accurate as possible, but there are always limits in complex studies of human health. Emerging statistics can be interpreted in many ways. By following people for their entire lives and determining which characteristics influence subsequent behaviors, outcomes and qualities, it is possible to avoid research traps and biases. Drs. Friedman and Martin have used this step-by-step procedure to find exactly what causes individuals with similar backgrounds to diverge in terms of overall well-being and health. They have established through their research that much common advice like the following examples are not supported by good science:
Get married early and you will live longer.
Think happy thoughts to reduce stress and live longer.
Worrying is bad for your health.
Retire early and play more golf; you will stay healthy and live longer.
Religious people live longer.
Vigorous exercise is better than hobbies like walking and gardening for extending life.
The doctors are not diminishing the value of exercise, diet, stress and weight to overall good health, but additionally say that these things vary from person to person.
Many more interesting facts about Dr. Terman’s research on living longer and the interpretation of this research can be found in Drs. Friedman and Martin’s book, “The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study.”
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care – Castle Rock home care
Boomers – Contrasts and Comparisons
Published November 21, 2010Denver Senior Caregivers give clarity to the differences among the Boomer generation
The following contrasts and comparisons are based on 2009 figures. They include three groups: older boomers, middle boomers, and younger boomers.
Older boomers represent 7% of the total population. They are ages 58 to 63 and were born between 1946 and 1951. Whites comprise 76% of the total; Blacks 10%; Asian 4%; Hispanic 8%; other races 2%. Older boomers represent 5-8% of the population of every state in the U.S.
Middle boomers represent 10% of the total population or about 1 out of 10 people. They are ages 51 to 57 and were born between 1952 and 1958. Whites comprise 73% of the total; Blacks 11%; Asian 4%; Hispanic 10%; other races 2%. Middle boomers represent more than 10% of the state population in 7 states: Alaska, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Younger boomers represent 9% of the total population or about 1 in 11 people. They are ages 45 to 50 and were born between 1959 and 1964. Whites comprise 69% of the total; Blacks 12%; Asian 4%; Hispanic 13%; other races 2%. Younger boomers represent 10% or more of the state population in 9 states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin.
There are many significant historic, social and cultural influences that helped shape the values and opinions of the three boomer groups. Obviously, there are crossovers among the groups.
Older boomers were influenced by the war in Vietnam, space exploration, Motown, the Beatles, the Civil Rights movement, Woodstock, and the assassinations of JFK, MLK and Robert Kennedy. Famous older boomers include Tom Clancy, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Buffett, David Letterman, Bruce Springsteen and Cher.
Middle boomers were influenced by President Nixon and his involvement in Watergate, the Kent State shootings, the premiers of SNL and Star Wars, the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration and the end of the Vietnam war. Famous middle boomers include Denzel Washington, Maria Shriver, Joe Montana, Katie Couric, Steve Jobs, and Bill Walton.
Younger boomers were influenced by the assassination attempt of President Reagan, John Lennon’s murder, technological advances including the founding of Microsoft, the first Apple computer, the Sony Walkman and cell phones. Famous younger boomers include Barack Obama, Jon Bon Jovi, Brian Williams, Wayne Gretzky, Garth Brooks, and Michael Jordan.
Do you have other insights you’d like to add?
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care – Denver senior caregivers
