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15 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, November 5, 2009 OAKVILLE · MILTON · BURLINGTON SCOTT JOHNSON Managing Director 905.847.8433 www.homeinstead.ca/3014 By Scott Johnson from the Home Instead Senior Care office in Oakville. Stroke Symptoms May Be Subtle in Women Q: What Makes a Great Basement? A: In a word, design. Design is truly what makes or breaks the basement you will either choose to spend time in or not. The design of the basement should be an extension of the rest of the home. Thus providing a continuous flow from the main floor carrying it right through to your unfinished storage space in the basement. 905-338-6179 Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Inc. Office: 905.257.3452 Website: www.nursenextdoor.com Lori Paton RN, RRT Nurse Next Door's services range from a 3 hour a week concierge service to an onsite 24 hr per day Registered Nurse. Q. My 82-year-old mother has a history of stroke in her family. Since she lives alone I worry about her. What are the symptons of stroke? You may be familiar with the traditional stroke symptoms: numbness or weakness on one side of the body, trouble talking, loss of vision or coordination problems. However, women may be susceptible to less common symptoms based on recent study results by the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Health System. The non-traditional symptom that stood out was altered mental status, meaning confusion, disorientation or a loss of consciousness. Symptoms such as sudden numbness of the face, arm or leg are a warning sign of what's happening in the body during a stroke, which is a loss of blood supply to the brain because of a blocked or ruptured artery. While larger scale studies focusing on stroke in women are warranted, the gender differences researchers identified may contribute to delay in treatment for women and could signal a need to change public health campaigns. Researchers also examined the cases of 461 men and women and classified their symptoms as either traditional or non-traditional. Altered mental status was the most common non-traditional symptom and it was more likely to be reported in women, the study showed. Researchers do not know why women's symptoms were different. But the differences in symptoms may have consequences if slow recognition of stroke signs causes a delay in treatment, the researcher says. "If you notice any of the above symptoms you need to get your mother to the hospital quickly as possible to receive proper treatment. If you're worried that your mother is at risk, please ask her to see her doctor. Then, why not arrange for a caregiving companion to assist her at home and serve as a second set of eyes for you. For instance, Home Instead Senior Care hires CAREGivers to make sure seniors are safe and comfortable in their homes. The process begins with the expertise of a professional structural engineer who will aid you in the elimination of some, if not all of those annoying jack posts, or load bearing walls. It is from this point that the great room of the house begins to unfold. Open concept basements, that begin at the foot of the stairs, allows for multiple uses in one large space. Home theatres, bars, gyms and spas are just some of the ways people are utilizing their new found living space. Basements are no longer the cold un-inviting storage spaces they used to be. The basement has become a new dynamic living space in its own right. NOVEMBER IS FALL PREVENTION MONTH AT NURSE NEXT DOOR The statistics regarding seniors' falls are alarming: 33% of older adults living at home fall each year 85% of injury related hospital admissions in seniors are the result of falls 90% of hip fractures are the result of falls Nurse Next Door is giving back to the community it serves through its annual Fall Prevention Week, offering free home safety inspections to local seniors. We are making the lives of local seniors safer by checking their homes for typical fall hazards. The majority of senior falls are preventable. Here are some additional tips to minimize your risk. · Eat well and stay active to maintain strong muscles and bones · Have regular checkups to ensure vision and hearing have not deteriorated · Use nightlights to brighten dark hallways and stairwells · Secure rugs and remove clutter, especially in high traffic areas · Have sturdy handrails on both sides of stairways & ensure steps are in good condition · Use walking aids correctly and don't rush; take your time · Keep emergency numbers by all phones for easy access · Use medications safely as even some over the counter medications can make you dizzy or drowsy Nurse Next Door's local Fall Prevention Week is part of a national program that will be running in communities across Canada. The program, now in its third year, has already reached hundreds of seniors across the country. Making Lives Better One Visit At A TimeTM For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, contact Tom Chuchmach or Scott Johnson at 905.847.8433 or visit www.hominstead.ca/3014 The Basement Space.com would be more than happy to assist you in planning your basement renovation. Please contact Ashley Trapman at 905-338-6179 TRAFALGAR RIDGE OPT0METRY 2387 Trafalgar Rd. Oakville (HomeSense/Winners Plaza) Dr. Errol Noronha 88 Lakeshore Road West Oakville, ON www.flowerworks.ca Dr. Rosenblat D.D.S. Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street Suite 220, 2nd Floor 905-827-0301 www.OakdaleDental.ca 905-338-0377 905-829-9400 Question: What is "lazy eye" or amblyopia Q: A: What are some tips for holiday decorating with fresh flowers. Holiday flowers and greenery are so beautiful it can be tempting to put them everywhere. Here are some design rules to keep in mind so your flowers have maximum impact. Q: A: Why is there a black line at the gumline of my crown? Patients often enquire about dark lines that appear at the gumline of crowns. It usually related to what a crown is made of and how the light you see bounces off the tooth and around the inside your tooth. Today crowns are made to mimic the natural characteristics of a tooth by using porcelain like the natural layers of enamel and dentine in teeth. Porcelain is fragile and needs support. Traditionally a thin layer of a gold alloy is used to support and strengthen the porcelain. A thin layer of gold at the edge or a crown will show if the crown edge is not below the gumline. As mentioned above, light also bounces around inside the tooth and obviously metal won't allow light to enter the tooth so any tooth root exposed by receding gums will look darker too. Newer technologies allowing all porcelain crowns can solve a lot of these problems of light "illuminating" the tooth. If the tooth has had "root canal treatment" if often becomes darker and receded gums may show this below a crown as well For a little more information on this and other dental topics, try visiting my new dental blog. Go to OakdaleDental.ca and click on the BLOG link. Answer: Lazy eye or amblyopia refers to the eye that cannot see well but there is not any apparent disease. This may result from strabismus (which means the eyes don't align properly), farsightedness, extreme nearsightedness or infantile cataracts. The brain's visual circuitry is not completely formed until the age of 7, therefore amblyopia should be detected and treated early to prevent the condition from becoming permanent. Book and appointment with your optometrist to ensure your child has been screened for this. Keep it simple. Don't put flowers in every room. Do the area that greets you ­ front door and foyer, the area you relax in ­ family room/living room, the bathrooms and powder rooms. You need to have visual relief from holiday decor so it isn't overwhelming. Keep it light. Find the spot in each area that grabs your eye and place your florals there as a focal point. Don't spread bits here and there. As well, heavily scented flowers like oriental lilies and paperwhites can create sensory overload. Keep them in large, open rooms and never in eating areas. Keep it elegant. Group masses of flowers or greenery for maximum impact. Try long lasting amaryllis, orchids and coloured branches for their simple elegance. Monochromatic centerpieces for tables can be as simple as red roses in silver julep cups or as extravagant as white spray orchids in tall, clear stem vases. Cut flowers and greenery love cooler rooms and most potted plants love the warmer ones ­ so you can use that to help you locate your holiday florals for maximum impact. Have you had your eyes check lately? For a full oculovisual assessment call us at 905-338-0377 NEW PATIENTS & WALK-INS WELCOME Great things star t with a warm healthy smile. info@oakdaledental.ca If you have any questions these professionals can answer, please write to: "Ask the Professionals" c/o The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville L6K 3S4 or fax to: 905-337-5568