Today I wanted to write about strokes. My grandmother had a mini-stroke a year ago, and it brought about some changes in the household.
First I want to write about Transient Ischemic Attack is also is known as a TIA or "Mini-stroke." This is what my grandmother had.
When a stroke occurs there is A temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain which causes the following symptoms:

• Dizziness
• visual changes
• weakness, numbness in one or more limbs
• difficulty swallowing

The TIA only lasts a few minutes to a few hours

A Cerebral Vascular Accident or a CVA  is a Stroke that is caused by a clot in a blood vessel or bleeding inside a blood vessel in the brain.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures and its also known as a bleed.
After a stroke there may be Behavioral changes which are:

• Depression
• Tearfulness
• personality shifts
• apathy

Sources: 

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20350113
2. http://www.stroke.org/understand-stroke/what-stroke
3. https://www.medicinenet.com/stroke_symptoms_and_treatment/article.htm
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7624.php

Quick Facts About: Aging and the Elderly

Today's post is a rundown of aging and the elderly. This post is in a study guide style, and its made as a starting point to help you with your research on aging and the elderly. When I turned 21 I became my grandmothers (adoptive mothers) caregiver, and when I turned 30, I became her full-time caregiver.  I was lost, I knew nothing about what I was going to get myself into so I hope this quick guide helps out somewhat.

Let’s start with the stages of grief, and if you're a caregiver it's essential to know this for your own knowledge. Death is unfortunate, but it happens to everyone. It's critical to be open-minded about death and dying as it's been dubbed a negative thing. So, below they are listed:

• Denial
• Anger
• Depression
• Acceptance

Next, is the different senior age groups:

• Young Old/ 65-74
• Middle Old/ 75-84
• Old/ 85+

Gerontology is the scientific study of aging and the elderly.

There are four critical dimensions of gerontology and they are:

•  Biology and physiological aging
•  Population aging
• Psychological aging
• Social aging

Centenarians are individuals who are over 100 years old
The world’s oldest countries ( in millions)

1. China (106.1)
2. India ( 59.6)
3. United States (38.7)
4. Japan (27.5)
5. Russia (19.9)

Some more tips on finding information on aging and elderly:

1. Check out blogs that are written by those who are caregivers
2. There are Facebook groups that have many caregivers in them. I am a member of two groups, and it's comforting to be in a group with people who are experiencing life the same way you are. Just type in “caregivers” or “sandwich generation” in the top search bar on Facebook, then choose the group's tab, and there are hundreds of different groups to join.
3. Research on YouTube, there are many content creators on YouTube that are informative, and its a great value to learn a new thing every day.

Changes As We Get Older

Today I wanted to write about changes that come about with age.  Let’s first begin with the  Demographics of Aging:

Americans are getting older and living longer
life expectancy varies by gender and race
excess cost growth with increasing population aging
Unfortunately, we all will get older, and as we do, the risks for some issues get higher as well, and that brings me to the next section

The Leading Causes of Death in Older Adults are:

• Heart Diseases
• Malignant Neoplasms
• Cerebrovascular diseases
• COPD
• Alzheimer's
• Diabetes

As we get older, there are cardiovascular changes that occur in our bodies. We often get increased blood pressure, slower heart recovery rate, and a diminished response to stress. Respiratory changes also occur, with an increased residual volume, a decrease in muscle strength, vital capacity, and endurance. There is also a decreased gas exchange, which diffuses capacity.

The Integumentary System changes that occur are a decreased intestinal fluid, muscle tone, sensory reception and glandular activity. There is a diminished secretion of natural oils and perspiration. The Reproductive System Changes in  Females is narrowing of the vagina, decreased elasticity, decreased vaginal secretions and slower sexual response. In males, the changes in the reproductive system are testes that are no longer firm, decreased sperm production and slower sexual response.

Musculature System Changes include loss of bone density, loss of muscle strength, and degenerated joint cartilage.

Listed below are some more changes that occur as we get older:

1. detrusor instability (urge incontinence)
2. urethral dysfunction (stress urinary incontinence)
3. decreased sense of thirst,  smell, and taste
4. decreased salivation
5. difficulty swallowing food
6. reduced cerebral circulation (faint, loses balance)
7. cant focus on close objects
8. inability to tolerate glare
9. difficulty adjusting to light intensity changes
10. high-frequency hearing difficulty
11. Presbycusis which is the decreased ability to hear high-pitched tones that naturally begins in midlife as result of irreversible inner ear change

Sources:

1. https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/winter07/articles/winter07pg10-13.html
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-art-and-science-aging-well/201705/how-does-our-body-change-we-age-part-1
3. https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/healthy-aging-normal-aging#1
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070

The Sandwich Generation at 21: Club Sandwich

I am a part of the “sandwich generation.” The  “sandwich generation” is a group of people who care for aging parents while supporting their children.

The Pew Research Center states that one of each eight Americans who are between the age of  40 to 60 is raising a child and also caring for a parent

Some more stats (via the US Census Bureau)

• 7-10 million adults care for their relatives from a long distance.
• Americans who are 65 years old or older will double by the year 2030, to over 70 million.
• There are diverse variations, and they are listed below, but I wanted first to say that I am part of the club sandwich. I am 30 years old, taking care of two small children and my 93-year-old grandmother.

Kinds of sandwiches:

• Traditional sandwich generation refers to those sandwiched between aging parents who need care as well as helping their children.
• Club Sandwich refers to those in their 50’s or 60’s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children, and grandchildren. On the opposite end; it is where I fall in the mix, and it can also refer to those in their 30s and 40s, who have young children, aging parents, as well as grandparents.
• Open faced sandwich refers to anyone who is involved in the elder care.
• Sandwich generation was originally coined by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody in the year 1981 when they began their research.

It is some pretty thought-provoking stuff to look into if you are interested.

Sources:

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation

http://www.sandwichgeneration.com