Elder Care in Mission Viejo CA

Empowering your aging loved ones to understand their bodies, take control of their health, and take steps to preserve their well-being throughout their aging years is one of the most important Elder Care in Mission Viejo CAthings you can do within your elder care plan. This can be particularly challenging, however, when you are dedicated to caring for your aging father. Men tend to be less vocal about their health needs and less willing to pursue healthcare or treatments, which often means their family caregivers, elderly health care services providers, and medical team are not aware of potential issues and can overlook serious problems.

This September, encourage your father to step up, acknowledge that seeking help for medical needs does not mean he is weak, and be strong for his own health by observing Prostate Health Awareness Month. This month-long observance is the perfect opportunity for you to learn everything you can about prostate health, educate yourself about the risks your aging father faces, and empower yourself as his caregiver to create an elder care plan that protects his health and helps him manage any issues that may arise.

  • During Prostate Health Awareness Month, a primary focus of your education efforts should be prostate cancer. Some of the things you should know about prostate cancer include:
  • Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in American men second only to skin cancer;
  • The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be nearly 221,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in 2015;
  • Approximately 27,540 men die from prostate cancer each year;
  • Approximately 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer;
  • Unlike many other forms of cancer, prostate cancer occurs predominately in older men;
  • 60 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over the age of 65, with the average age of diagnosis being 66;
  • Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it.

 

Like other forms of cancer, there are several risk factors for the development of prostate cancer. Some of these are beyond your control, while others can be controlled with lifestyle changes. Risk factors associated with prostate cancer include:

• Race/ethnicity. Prostate cancer is more prevalent among African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and Caribbean men than whites.

• Family history. Men with a brother or father who were affected by prostate cancer are more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer than men without such family links. The risk increases further if there are several relatives who have faced this diagnosis, especially if the men were diagnoses at relatively young ages.

• Weight. Studies show that obese men are more likely to develop the more aggressive, more frequently fatal form of prostate cancer than those with a healthy body weight.

• Environmental factors. Men with careers that put them at frequent exposure to toxic combustion products are more likely to get prostate cancer.

 

Get in touch with the elder care agency in your area to find out about support groups, elderly health care services providers, and others who can help you and your aging parents cope with a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care services in Mission Viejo, CA or the surrounding Orange County areas, please call us at 949-535-2211.  We provide senior care services in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo and surrounding areas of Orange County California.  Contact us today to learn more.