Many people suffer un-necessary pain from foot problems such as Hammertoes (where the toe is pulled down, creating what resembles a hammer and is generally caused by hereditary factors), and Bunions. These conditions can be treated effectively by our board certified podiatrists. They are trained in minimal incision surgeries (MIS) as well as conventional, state-of-the-art surgeries.In most of these cases, pain is caused by the shoe rubbing the sensitive areas on the tops and tips of these toes. Part of this is because those suffering from these conditions are forced to walk on the very tips of the toes, causing painful corns and even thickening and pain in the toenails.Flexible hammertoes are treated easily and painlessly in the office under a local anesthetic when the tight flexor tendon is stretched until the toe is straight. Most often the patient has only a day or two of down time.Rigid hammertoes are when the bump sticking up prevents the toe from straightening even shaved down. These generally need more involved surgery on an outpatient basis, using local anesthesia alone, or in combination with sedation. These procedures are designed to give better shoe fitting, more comfortable standing and walking, and the ability to wear the shoes without pain.Regular check-ups at The Podiatry Center allows for treatment or prevention of many conditions before they become serious.Editors Note: This article was written by Dr. Howard Immanuel, The Podiatry Center.

For more information on the author Comfort Keepers Fort Myers, CLICK HERE.Maintaining our physical health as we age is an important part of overall wellbeing. Making activity part of our daily routine becomes more vital as we age but can also be more difficult.*Only 35-44% of adults over 75 are physically active.Seniors should always discuss their physical activity level and ability with their physician. For most, engaging in 30 minutes of moderate activity each day can have numerous long-term benefits.There are a variety of low-impact exercises and activities that can be beneficial for seniors. Low-impact exercise can elevate the heart rate, which in turn has physical health benefits.While it is typically easier to participate in these less rigorous types of exercise, older adults should always talk to their doctor before starting a new program.Types of low-impact exercise can include:Walking: One of the benefits of walking is that, unlike running, its easier on the joints. Plus, it doesn't require any special equipment or a gym membership. With a comfortable pair of tennis shoes and a smooth pathway, someone can start this right away. For the most benefit, keeping a brisk pace for at least 15-20 minutes is important.Swimming: What's better than minimal stress on the joints? No stress at all. Swimming provides a number of benefits, including strengthened shoulders and increased lung capacity. Seniors can also take part in water aerobics or walk on underwater treadmills.Yoga: From improving flexibility and coordination to strengthening your core, there's very little that yoga doesn't do. Additionally, yoga has been shown to improve mood, focus, and overall mental well-being.Pilates: This exercise allows for very slow and concise movements, designed to improve posture and flexibility. Like yoga, Pilates are known to improve mental well-being.Cycling: With the proper safety measure in place (including a helmet, shin pads, and appropriate configurations), cycling can do wonders for not only the cardiovascular system but also the joints and various muscle groups.Weight training: Weight training can be done at home, with small free weights or even moderately heavy objects that you can grip easily, or at a fitness center. Consistent repetition is key, as is advancing to heavier weights over time.Leg Raises: These can be done at home with no equipment. Simply stand behind a chair, and while holding on to the back of the chair, move one leg to the side and then back. Repeating this, with different variations, can help strengthen lower back and thigh muscles.Dancing: In recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of dance class enrollment and for good reason. The constant movement in dancing classes can help circulation and flexibility. Attended these classes can also provide great opportunities to socialize and connect with others.Comfort Keepers Can HelpAt Comfort Keepers, we create individual care plans for every client. These plans include wellness goals that consider physical, mental and emotional health. Our caregivers can help your aging loved one establish a daily routine that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Whether that's taking daily walks or providing transportation to the local gym, well work to provide care that is unique to your loved one. OurComfort Keepersprovide the essentials our clients need to live a healthy, active, and independent life.To find out more about our other in-home care services, contact us today.References:Department of Health & Human Services. Facts and Statistics: Physical Activity. Web. 2017. NIH Senior Health. Exercise: Benefits of Exercise. Web. 2017.Everyday Health. 10 Surprises About Heart-Healthy Exercise by Beth W. Orenstein. Web. 2014.American Senior Communities. The Best Low Impact Exercises for Seniors. Web. 2017.AZ Central. Low Impact Exercises for Seniors by Kathryn Rateliff Barr. Web. 2017.

For more information on Home Instead Venice, CLICK HERE.While arthritis is common among older adults, it is not a normal part of aging. Arthritis impacts 54 million adults today, and that number is expected to grow to 78 million by 2040.Over 100 different types of arthritis might affect an aging adult, with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being the two most common ones. Any type of arthritis can affect a persons quality of life and ability to live independently, so it pays to talk to your loved ones healthcare provider about possible treatments to improve your relatives health and wellbeing.Common Types of ArthritisOsteoarthritis is very common and results from wear-and-tear on the joints. OA can occur in any joint, but it most often affects the hands and weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip and spinal joints. OA symptoms often develop slowly and worsen over time.Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks tissue in the joints, causing inflammation.Any type of arthritis causes pain, stiffness and inflammation of the joints. These effects can make it difficult to move around or perform activities of daily living, such as showering and dressing. Severe arthritis even can contribute to falling.Arthritis of any kind benefits from early diagnosis and treatment. Your loved ones healthcare provider may manage this care themselves or may refer you to a specialist.As a caregiver, you also can take steps to help your loved one live with arthritis.Tips for Family caregivers to help manage an older adults arthritis:Listen and be empathetic.Take their concerns seriously and communicate with them to their healthcare provider, especially if there hasnt been a diagnosis and symptoms are present.Keep a journal of symptoms.Family caregivers can help track when and where pain occurs. They can also help to track medications taken, foods eaten and activity or movement. This information can help identify patterns and provide valuable information to healthcare professionals. The Arthritis Foundation has an app that helps track symptoms and patterns.Communicate with healthcare providers.Often multiple healthcare providers care for older adults. The family caregiver can help keep communication consistent among all of them, which helps ensure everyone is on the same page and the person with arthritis is getting the medical care needed.Encourage movement and regular exercise.Seek out exercise or movement classes. The Arthritis Foundation has several great tools to help with this including the Walk with Ease Program and Your Exercise Solution. Even small amounts of movement throughout the day can add up and significantly improve a persons symptoms. Some ideas include laps around the house (indoors and outdoors), chair exercises and stretching. Be sure to consult the older adults healthcare provider before introducing exercise into the routine.Assist with medication and treatment management.Arthritis is often treatable with medication and other remedies. Family caregivers can help ensure the treatment plans are being followed. Below are additional tips for medication management:Ask the pharmacist for an upside-down cap.Use a pill popper device for over-the-counter medications that come in foil packaging.Look into a prepackaged medication management system that has easy to open packaging such as Simple Meds.Assist with a well-balanced diet.For some people, the food they eat can impact their arthritis. Caregivers can prepare arthritis-friendly foods for their aging loved one and encourage them to eat a well-balanced diet. Learn more about arthritis diets.Encourage weight loss if needed.Family caregivers can assist their loved one in managing their weight. Excess weight can cause additional strain on weight-bearing joints such as hips and knees. Reduce body weight if needed and consult with a doctor about weight loss. Even a ten percent reduction can be helpful.Hire professional help.It is important for family caregivers to help their loved one maintain as much independence as possible. For some, it can be helpful to enlist the assistance of a professional. An Occupational Therapist can offer ideas to remain independent and keep as much functionality as possible. Professional home care can assist with tasks that are more challenging due to arthritis such as meal preparation, light housekeeping and medication management.Remain positive.Arthritis symptoms can sometimes cause an older adult to be discouraged by what they can no longer do. Family caregivers should remain positive and keep the focus on what their loved one can still do.Find creative solutions. There are many arthritis-friendly products that can make life easier. Below are some examples of creative solutions for various parts of the daily routine:CookingFoam handles and arthritis-friendly utensils.Sit while chopping and preparing foods to reduce fatigue.Use adaptive cutting boards to stabilize foods.Utilize a crockpot for easy one pot meals.Hire a home care company to assist with advanced meal preparation.For boiling foods, utilize portion control strainers that can be left in the pot while cooking and that drain the water when the strainer is lifted out. This eliminates the need to carry a boiling pot of water to the sink.Dressing and groomingInstall grab bars in shower, bathtub and around the toilet.Toilet seat risers can help reduce the effort needed to sit down and stand up.Automatic dispensers or pumps for grooming products help reduce the need to squeeze bottles.Seek out adaptive grooming products with special grips and handles.Button hooks can help with small buttons or velcro can be used to replace buttons all together.Sock aids and long-handled shoehorns can help with footwear.RecreationCard and game holders can help reduce fatigue while playing.Gripping tools on small items (ex: tennis ball on paint brush) can help maintain independence.Adaptive gardening tools can help make gardening more accessible.Family caregivers play a vital role in helping their aging loved ones cope with the effects of arthritis and maintain their independence at home. Coordinating the older adults medical care, encouraging physical activity and helping with household tasks can help your relative stay safe and well at home despite the challenges of arthritis.

Its never been more important to improve your health and well-beingThe idea of going to a gym after spending months of social distancing and staying at home may feel odd. But atthe Healthy Life Centers, safety and disinfecting protocols are our top priority.The Healthy Life Centers stay up to date with the latest guidelines from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)to protect you so that you can continue to improve your health and wellness during these unique times.COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future, saysDr. Alex Daneshmand, Chief Patient and Safety Officer at Lee Health. As we continue to talk about respiratory hygiene, such as covering your cough, washing your hands and masking, we need to remind our staff, providers and community about healthy hygiene.This kind of hygiene includes eating right, exercising and taking care of your mental health. COVID-19 has reminded all of us to take care of ourselves especially since the virus can disproportionality affect people who are obese or have uncontrolled hypertension.Safety is our priorityThe Healthy Life Centers continue to prioritize your health and safety:We perform temperature checks of all staff and HLC members at check-in.All Healthy Life Center team members are required to wear facial coverings.Front desks feature protective Plexiglas barriers that protect both members and staff.Healthy Life Center employees consistently clean and disinfect all surfaces, areas and spaces.Our dedicated cleaning staff part of Lee Healths Environmental Services Team performs additional sanitation.Weve limited the number of spaces in our group fitness classes to meet social distancing precautions.Weve limited our pool lap lanes to one person at a time.Because were all part of the same equation to ensure everyones health and safety, members are asked to disinfect equipment before and after each use. Sanitizing stations located throughout the facility make it a simple and convenient task.Because keeping you safe, healthy, and comfortable is our priority, the following services are unavailable until further notice:Organized team sports (such asbasketball and pickleball)Steam roomsSwim lessonsMassageCafe YouWe can support you in-person or at-homeThe Healthy Life Centers offer a wide range of amenitiesincluding cardio and strength equipment, a pool, group fitness and yoga classes, physical therapy, and educational seminars.Weare alsoproviding members with options for wellness support that they can use from anywhere. Members can meet one-on-one through video chat with a health and nutrition coachand a personal trainer can come up with a plan that works for them with their comfort level, personal goals, and resources they have available.Our coaches provide support with at-home nutrition strategies, stress management, sleep support, and exercise planning to meet members wherever they are on their personal health journey.The Healthy Life Centers can help you stay happy and healthy during these challenging times:Whether youre a longtime member or a new one, you receive a yearly health assessment and custom plan that addresses exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle based on your specific goals, included in your membership.Our fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle experts take a team approach to your care. Were confident we can help you along your health journey, and we back it up byoffering new members a 30-day money back guarantee.Join the Healthy Life Center today!To get started on your complimentary new member package that includes a custom health plan, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, stop by for a tour or call to learn more:Healthy Life Center - Cape Coral609 S.E. 13th Court Cape Coral, FL 33990(239) 424-3220Healthy Life Center - Babcock Ranch42880 Crescent Loop Babcock Ranch, FL 33982(239) 343-3540