In April and August, the committee hosted webinars on various aspects of caregiving for our loved ones and has partnered with the Wellness@NIH, WorkLife@NIH and other groups at NIH to work toward the common goal of supporting the NIH workforce in all aspects of life. Be sure to follow these groups on social media to learn about the available programs and webinars. There is always something new and exciting in the works! Click on the icons below to connect.
This fall the AADCC will be looking for new members to join our committee. If you are interested in joining the AADCC you can find the membership application here. Applications are due by November 4, 2022. This is a great way to help support the caregivers of NIH.
Fall Observances
September is Healthy Aging and National Yoga Month. The number of adults aged 65 and up is expected to double by the year 2060 to 95 million. Yoga is a great strategy to strengthen your muscles, improve your balance, reduce stress, improve sleep, and improve your attention to age healthy. There are virtual yoga classes through NIH Fitness and in-person classes at yoga centers. Additionally, many of our local counties have services aimed at aging adults, such as those provided by Fairfax county. Having improved balance will reduce your risk of falling which happens to one out of every four people over the age of 65 yearly.
Fall Prevention Awareness Week is September 20-24. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injury in individuals over the age of 65. People with mild hearing loss are nearly three times as likely to fall and 60% of falls happen in the home. Preventive fall measures to reduce your risk include minimizing tripping hazards like clutter in walkways, replacing throw rugs with ones with nonskid backing, keeping electrical cords near the walls or tethered, and not leaning when on small stools or ladders.
September is also National Preparedness Month. As people age, the chance of chronic illness goes up and if a natural disaster occurs, it may have direct and/or indirect effects on health as we all experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic. 85% of older adults have one chronic health condition. If you are on oxygen and there is a natural disaster, there is a program in place to keep the electricity on in your home as well as to identify evacuation needs. The emPOWER Map is a publicly available interactive map through HHS that identifies at-risk, electricity-dependent Medicare beneficiaries at the ZIP code level. Another way to be prepared is to keep up with vaccinations based on the CDC immunization schedule. Increase your awareness of community resources, i.e. DC has senior technology courses at no cost and Montgomery County has outreach services for seniors with Spanish and Farsi speaking providers.
This is where the Elder Coach resource through the NIH Resource and Referral Service is a lovely NIH perk. The trained staff member can be contacted at 1-800-777-1720 or by email at NIHeldercoach@adventisthealthcare.com. You can ask them to identify resources for you or your loved ones throughout the continental US and they will give you an emailed report of a variety of resources like those previously discussed. The AADCC website has a variety of NIH resources available on their website. Here's to being healthy and prepared for an autumn without falls!
Additional Resources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga
https://www.ncoa.org/article/get-the-facts-on-falls-prevention
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20191126.373930/full/
