for release June 28, 2002
The Sandwich Generation . . . Helping Your Aging Parents
by Carol Abaya, M.A.
Are you juggling doing errands for your aging parents, your children, yourself and working at the same time? Are you tired, stressed out and upset that your once vibrant parent is now frail and needy?
Do you feel alone? Rest assured you are not alone! The Sandwich Generation is dedicated to the 50 million Americans who may have elder/parent care concerns and/or responsibilities.
Food Illnesses Can Be Deadly To Seniors
Question: My parents (late 70s) have been sick lately with upset stomachs, nausea and vomiting. They love buffets in restaurants. Any connection?
Answer: Very possibly! Especially this time of year.
At room temperature, food can spoil quickly. And most buffets do not keep the food at a high enough temperature (140 degrees) to be safe. So if food has been sitting for a while bacteria can build up.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 76 million Americans experience food borne illness each year and over 300,000 require hospitalization.
Because they are frailer, seniors often suffer at the extreme.
TIPS for summer good eating:
* Use mayo sparingly and don't leave food out for more than an
hour.
* Make sure all food is out of the sun.
* Don't leave leftovers or food in the car, while you go into
another store to shop.
* Plan your chores so that food shopping is the last on your
list. Go directly home and refrigerate immediately.
* Put hot foods in shallow, rather than deep containers so it
all cools at the same rate when you put them in the refrigerator or freezer.
* Even refrigerated food can spoil. At least once a week,
check the food in your refrigerator and throw out what's been there for
several days. Look at the back of the shelves as everyone has a tendency
to push "old" food to the back when they put in "new" food.
* * *
Question: My father, 80, lives alone and has been hospitalized three times in recent months after fainting. After an hour or two in the ER, he's fine. The doctor says he's fine. He's not!
Answer: He is fine - and he isn't. He may be fine medically. However, this time of year, everyone, regardless of age, can become dehydrated from not drinking enough liquids. One of the top three reasons seniors end up in the ER is dehydration.
Your father (actually everyone) needs to drink plenty of liquids in the summer. Your father may also faint if he gets up too quickly. For some reason moving quickly can result in blood flowing faster to the lower part of the body and the brain doesn't have enough oxygen.
* * *
Question: My father, 72, has a fixed income, but insists on buying only "natural" or "organic" foods. These are much more expensive than regular foods. We're trying to get him to switch.
Answer: "Natural" foods are not guaranteed to be safer or less harmful than products not so labeled, according to the National Consumers League.
"Natural" is NOT synonymous with "better" or "safer."
According to the NCL, by law, products even with a "natural" label can contain non-natural ingredients. Non-natural ingredients do not have to be specified.
So, there really doesn't seem to be a valid reason to reach for those more expensive, so-called "natural" products.
* * *
Do you have a question? Send it in. Although letters cannot be answered individually, appropriate letters will be answered in this column whenever possible. Letters may be edited. Send letters to Ms. Carol Abaya, c/o Name\Address of YOUR newspaper (or mail direct to her at PO Box 132,Wickatunk, NJ 07765-0132) or contact her through her web site: thesandwichgeneration.com.
Carol Abaya is an international-award-winning journalist and creator of the unique magazine The Sandwich Generation: You & Your Aging Parents.
NOTES TO EDITORS: text = 490 words; other material = 160 words
We would appreciate it if you would include the "Globe Syndicate" bug at the end of the column.
©2002 by Globe Syndicate, all rights reserved.