One Important Keepsake As You Age: Your Teeth

(NAPSI)-With each passing decade, it's easy to get nostalgic and remember the "good old days." Maybe it was when the kids still lived at home (or when the kids moved out), when the first grandchild arrived or when you still had all your teeth. . .

As the first wave of baby boomers begins to turn 60, the good news is the promise of a longer, fuller life than any other generation, with many boomers committed to maintaining optimal health. As part of this increased focus, experts want to ensure that good oral hygiene is not just a thing of the past.

Research has shown that there is a strong link between oral health and overall health. For baby boomers, this means maintaining proper care of their natural teeth, since one of the biggest detriments to oral health and potentially overall health is tooth loss. If a tooth becomes infected and is not treated with a root canal, it typically must be extracted.

Endodontists, the root canal specialists, can help. Root canals save more than 17 million teeth a year.

"I remember my parents needing dentures," says Teresa Cyrwus of Park Ridge, Ill., who will turn 56 this year. "Instead, I've had two root canals to help preserve my natural teeth."

Untreated, infected teeth can lead to other oral complications, including gum disease. Several studies have demonstrated that gum-or periodontal-disease can lead to a variety of health complications, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A root canal removes the infected tissue inside the tooth and helps to reduce the risk of periodontal disease.

An additional study from the January 2007 Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in individuals who had experienced tooth loss.

"Given the connection between oral health and overall health, taking care of their teeth should become just as important to baby boomers as eating well and regular exercise," says Dr. Shepard Goldstein, president of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) and an endodontist in Framingham, Mass. "When a tooth is infected, a root canal is the best way to save the natural tooth, preserving tooth function and avoiding health complications."

According to Dr. Goldstein, endodontists are prepared to help baby boomers achieve their best possible dental health. "Thanks to advances in dental care, most baby boomers will keep their natural teeth for life, unlike their parents, many of whom ended up wearing dentures. Maintaining your natural teeth is another vital step in achieving optimal overall health, and root canal procedures are essential for preserving natural teeth."

For more information, visit www.rootcanalspecialists.org.

 

Role Reversal - When Parents Resist
By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson

Your parents are getting older.  You see things slipping.  The house is not as clean as it once was, your mother is increasingly forgetful, your father has lost weight, and you are concerned about their safety when they drive.  So as a responsible child you bring up the subject.  How do your parents react?  They are angry.  They feel like you are trying to tell them what to do.  Maybe they feel like you want to move them out of their home and place them in a retirement facility.

Sometimes your mother complains about the burdens of caring for your father.  Other times she tells you everything is fine.  You spend as much time helping as possible, however it is never enough.  You talk to your parents about retaining outside help, they hedge and refuse.  What do you do?  What can you do?

Sometimes it takes a bit of tough love.  Your parents refuse outside assistance because they still have you to depend upon.  So you become unavailable.  You decide that you cannot be everything to everyone.  You have your own family to care for, your own children.  When they call for help, you are busy and remind them about the suggestion to obtain outside assistance.

So, the situation continues.  Your parent or parents continue to make poor decisions in spite of the fact that you have stopped helping and they still refuse to hire paid assistance.  One option is to hire a private mediator to discuss the situation.  A second option, depending on the severity of the self neglect is to contact the local county social services department.  By getting an adult protective service worker involved, an outside party can serve as a mediator and the children can remain somewhat out of the line of direct conflict.

This is usually a good step to opening a serious conversation about the need for care.  Many children feel that doing this can cause more animosity.  However, if all previous options have been exhausted this is usually a practical and reasonable step especially if the situation is serious.  After a meeting with an adult protective service worker, results and a plan is usually expected and the worker will check to make sure progress has been made. 

Accepting care one day at a time, even it if is only one day a week to start is a beginning.  Often a parent will find that having care is not as threatening or as negative as they previously thought.  They may even find it helpful and may enjoy the company.

The key is to be persistent but not threatening.  Admittedly sometimes it does take a threat with an extremely resistant parent.  For example, accept help or move to a facility or involve an outside individual to mediate.

In the case where parents refuse and children are unable to convince the parents to act, the situation usually escalates to guardianship or conservatorship.  This can be a family project, or outside individuals can take over.  Cases escalate to this when the degree of neglect is causing calls to 911 or emergency response or if there are multiple trips to the emergency room for health issues or if other safety issues exist.

Supporting resistant parents is difficult and can be extremely frustrating.  Fortunately most parents will eventually accept assistance when children decide to opt out of day to day assistance.  Managing this type of situation with parents is somewhat similar to raising children.  Discussing the situation, reviewing options and setting boundaries; do you remember what it was like when your parents did this with you?  The roles have reversed. Be a good parent to your parents.

About the Author
Pamela D. Wilson owner of In Home and Family Services, Inc., inhomeandfamily.com a company serving mature adults and their family members and Pamela D. Wilson, Inc., pameladwilson.com a care navigation company for families and mature adults.

Article Source: myarticlesdirectory.com