Baby boomers will spend up to $100 monthly for technology if it helps them stay independent and keeps them healthy.

That is what the focus groups with people age 50 to 65 responded when asked if they would pay for such technologies as electronic monitoring and medication reminders. They were also interested in owning a device that kept their medical records and provided them with control over the information.

The focus group was sponsored by the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and were reported at a Healthcare Unbound conference. Some of the other key findings include:

• Boomers believed it is important to maintain personal and financial independence, remain healthy, and not be a burden to their children.

• The need for more and better visual and audio technologies to help visual and hearing deficits.

• The need for more improvements in technology for the aging so that have options regarding access to medical and health and social information.

Do any of these findings sound like something you might say?  What would you hope for in technology that might make life easier for you as you age? Send me your thoughts. Let’s take our own survey.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan

Heart failure is a confusing and frightening term for many people.

I bring up this topic because a neighbor’s husband was diagnosed with heart failure. During a conversation about his condition, his wife thought that her husband’s heart had stopped beating when the doctor told her the diagnosis was heart failure.

At that moment I took a deep breath not knowing whether or not it was my place to help her understand the term, but I did explain that heart failure really means that the heart isn’t working as effectively as it should.

In other words the pump is broken. Either the heart isn’t able to fill up with enough blood or pump with enough force, or both. If the heart is not pumping as efficiently as it should, then your need for oxygen and nutrients is also not being met. When the heart does not pump powerfully as it should, fluid backs up into the lungs and builds up in the feet, ankles and legs. That means the organs are also not getting enough blood and oxygen.

On the other hand, heart failure does not mean the situation is hopeless. It is true that heart failure cannot be cured, but patients can take steps to manage their heart failure so it does not get worse.

Medications such as diuretics, ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure, beta-blockers to slow heart rate, and Digoxin to strengthen the heart beat may be prescribed to help alleviate the symptoms and make the heart function more efficiently. When patients experience severe heart failure they may have a pacemaker, heart pump or even a heart transplant.

There are warning signs that you or someone you know may be experiencing heart failure. They include:

• Feeling unusually tired especially during an activity.

• Shortness of breath

• Difficult breathing when lying down

• Swelling in the feet, ankles and legs

• Coughing while exercising or when lying down

• Abdominal pain and loss of appetite

• Weight gain from fluid buildup

• Frequent urination

All of the above are possible signs that fluid is building up in your body. Contact your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Remember early detection, regardless of the disease or condition, means early treatment, which is likely to equate to a more quality lifestyle.

To your healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky