OUR SERVICES
by Dr. Leslie Libow, MD
Scientific and medical advances, along with an increase in the country’s senior population have led to a greater understanding of the aging process. The current field of geriatric care is vastly different than it was just a few short decades ago. Today, people require senior care services at a much later age, and seniors are living longer, healthier lives than in the past, remaining independent at the ages of seventy-five, eighty and beyond.
However, the natural process of aging is inevitable. Some of the most common changes that occur with aging include a decrease in hearing (30% of people), vision (100% of people) or in strength and speed of reaction; changes in gait, posture, taste and appetite, as well as memory and emotional changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
About The Author
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an appropriate time to seek senior care services?
Once an individual develops impairments in functional areas and requires rehabilitative treatments, senior care services are in order. Some individuals can maintain a care regimen that allows them to remain in the home, while others require a life-long residential setting to meet the challenges that accompany the aging process.
Is there anything that can be done to help slow or prevent the natural changes?
One key element to slowing age-related changes is prevention. Critical elements of prevention include:
- Proper nutrition with a special emphasis on calcium and elimination of fatty foods
- Exercise 20 to 30 minutes, three to seven times per week
- Moderation of alcohol intake
- Discontinuance of cigarette smoking and
- A general review of medications
The key point is to seek help early so that a disability or dysfunction may be monitored, moderated, treated or even reversed before it has progressed unchecked.
Beyond these initial preventive steps, The Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System’s senior care health system offers a full spectrum of programs and services.
About the Author
Dr. Leslie Libow, MD, has served as the Jewish Home’s Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs since 1982. He oversees a medical staff of both full-time, in-house staff and attending physicians in all major specialties. Dr. Libow is a hands-on physician and teacher and also serves as the Anna A. Greenwall Professor and Vice Chairman for Long-Term Care in the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at The Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. He established the COPE Center for Pharmacology/Pharmacy for the elderly and served as Co-Principal Investigator of the national “Restraint Minimization Program” supported by the Commonwealth Fund.
Resources
Other online resource that can help us as we age include:
U.S. Administration on Aging
http://www.aoa.gov/
330 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
(202) 619-7501
(800) 677-1116 (Eldercare Locator)
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association
http://www.alz.org/
919 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611-1676
(800) 272-3900 (in NY City (212) 983-0700)
American Geriatrics Society
http://www.americangeriatrics.org/
and for their list of helpful links, visit
www.americangeriatrics.org/links/
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave, Ste. 801
New York, NY 10118
npatel@americangeriatrics.org
(AGS also supports The Foundation for Health in Aging
www.healthinaging.org/)
American Parkinson’s Disease Association
http://www.apdaparkinson.com/
1250 Hylan Blvd. Suite 4-B
Staten Island, NY 10305-1946
(718) 981-8001
(800) 223-2732
Family Caregiver Alliance
http://www.caregiver.org/
690 Market St.
Ste 600
San Francisco, CA 94104
National Family Caregivers Association
http://www.nfcacares.org/
10400 Connecticut Ave. #500
Kensington, MD 20895-3944
(800) 896-3650
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
BRAIN (Brain Resource and Information Network)
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
PO Box 13050
Silver Spring, MD 20911
(301) 796-5751
(800) 352-9424
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
http://www.msaa.com/
706 Haddonfield Rd
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(800) Learn-MS (532-7667)
The National Council on the Aging “Benefits Checkup”
409 3rd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 479-1200
info@ncoa.org
The National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org/
1021 Prince St
Alexandria, VA 22314-2971
(703) 684-7722
(800) 969-NMHA (6642)
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
http://www.nmss.org/
733 3rd Ave.
New York, NY 10017
(800) FIGHT-MS (344-4867)
New York City’s Department for the Aging
www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dfta/home.html
Health Promotion Services Unit
2 Lafayette St
16th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 442-1000
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Caregiver’s and Professionals Partnership
www.mssm.edu/capp/
Mt. Sinai Hospital
1425 Madison Avenue (East Building)
4th Floor
New York, NY 10029
(212) 659-8989
QuickCheck
www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/bqc_jump.html
DFTA’s online service that identifies Federal, State and City benefit programs that can improve the quality of life for residents of New York State and New York City.
The U.S. Government Resource for Medicare Information
http://www.medicare.gov/
1-800-633-4227