Avoiding Meds Is Risky For Seniors 

Non-adherence to medications increases seniors’ risk for falls: study

Seniors who neglect to take their medications as directed can significantly increase their risk of falls, according to new research.

A recent study of Boston-area seniors found that those who occasionally neglected their medications were 50% more likely to fall than those who took their medications as directed. Researchers at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston surveyed 246 men and 408 women with an average age of 78 for the study. Of the seniors in this group, 376 reported experiencing a combined total of 1,052 falls.

Low adherence to medication schedules is easy to screen for, according to researchers. The seniors surveyed for the study answered simple questions such as, “Do you ever forget to take your medications?” and “Are you careless at times about taking your medications?” Nearly half—48%–did not fully adhere to their medication schedule, according to the report. The article appears in the latest edition of the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences.

Read More…

If you or a loved one need care and assistance in the Seattle WA area, visit www.andelcare.com.
 

Treatment Eases Involuntary Laughing, Crying Tied to Alzheimer’s, MS
Calming the condition can greatly improve patients’ quality of life, experts note

Involuntary crying or laughing can be a common symptom in patients with certain neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

However, a combination of drugs could be the first effective long-term treatment for the problem, researchers say.

The new treatment for curbing these unwanted crying/laughing episodes — known to doctors as "pseudobulbar affect" or PBA — uses two drugs, dextromethorphan and low-dose quinidine.

"There’s no FDA-approved therapy for pseudobulbar affect," noted study lead author Dr. Erik P. Pioro, director of the section for ALS and related disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). "The off-label medications that are being used have their own set of side effects and problems. So from a medical and patient care point of view, it would be very worthwhile to have an approved medication that is both safe and effective," he said.

Read more…

Please visit www.andelcare.com for information about care for your aging loved one in the Seattle WA area.

What’s it Like To Have Dementia?

By Frena Gray-Davidson

If you have a parent or a spouse with dementia, you probably wonder what people inside the disease feel. One thing that’s always okay is to ask them.

Dementia can be a very isolating condition. It can really affect how well people can communicate. Of course, as we all know, it certainly affects memory. It can be hard for people to even find the words or hold the thoughts they have. It makes it very hard to follow through a whole explanation about anything.

You won’t hurt a person with dementia by asking what you want to know. In fact, it might help them feel less lonely. Because of their condition, they might not be able to find you the answer you want. But that’s okay. Trying is good enough for both of you feel closer.

Five Questions People Ask About Dementia:

Read more…

Visit www.andelcare.com for information in the Seattle area about homecare for your aging loved one.

Hospice Patients Aid in Research
By GINA KOLATA
 

About 11 a.m. on May 19, Dr. Thomas Beach, a pathologist at Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Ariz., stood in front of a long metal table, wearing gloves and an apron, and held up the brain of Patient 36 in an Avid Radiopharmaceuticals study.
He was about to perform a brain autopsy as part of a study asking if Avid’s new scans were accurately showing Alzheimer plaque.

Avid’s study required results from 35 patients and the company enrolled 145 hospice patients. They agreed to be scanned before they died and then have their brains examined after death to see if the Avid system worked.

Dr. Beach knew nothing of Patient 36 except his age, 90, and his sex. He began by putting the brain in a plexiglass holder, slicing it like a loaf of bread. (A brain has the consistency of tofu, he said.) Then he spent more than an hour dissecting more than 100 tiny pieces out of specific areas of the slices — far more than would be done for an ordinary autopsy that asks only if plaque is present.
Those pieces went to pathologists in Montreal, who made slices 6 microns thick — thinner than a human hair — and stained them with an antibody that attaches to plaque. They used a computer to analyze the amount of plaque in those thin slices. The brain pieces were then sent to Rush Medical College in Chicago, where they were analyzed in the traditional way, by a pathologist looking under a microscope and counting plaque.

The two types of pathology reports were then compared with each other and with the results from the same areas of patients’ brain scans, done when they were alive.

Read more….

For information about care and assistance in the Seattle area, visit www.andelcare.com.

Keeping Mom and Dad Safe at Home

Generally, elderly parents want to remain living in their own home. However, remaining in the home becomes a concern when children see their parents slowing down, perhaps even having trouble with handling stairs and doing general daily activities. Yet, with parents’ mental and physical health currently not creating problems, there seems to be no imminent need to search out support services or other accommodations for aging parents.

This is now the time to evaluate the home to make it safe and secure for your loved ones — now and in the near future — in anticipation of aging disabilities that may occur. Help and support are available. The nation as a whole is more aware of elderly needs and services and products are becoming available at an outstanding pace.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states,

“Employment of personal and home care aides is projected to grow by 51 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The expected growth is due, in large part, to the projected rise in the number of elderly people, an age group that often has mounting health problems and that needs some assistance with daily activities.” Bureau of labor Statistics-Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition

This growing need for aides and services also encompasses

·        home remodeling services — making a home more serviceable to the elderly;
·        safety alert systems and technology;
·        motion sensors to monitor movement;
·        telehealth services — using home-based computer systems for the doctors office or a nurse to     monitor vital signs
·         a pill dispenser that notifies when it is time to take medication.

Where do you begin to make sure your elderly family member is safe and managing well in his or her home?

Visit often and at different times of the day and night. Make note of daily activities that appear challenging and where changes might be made to add safety and convenience. Remove rugs that slide — causing a fall — and move furniture with sharp edges. Set the water heater at a lower temperature. This will protect their older sensitive skin from scalds and burns. Be sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in place.

Bathrooms are a hazard area for the elderly. Grab bars by the toilet and shower are a must to help prevent falls. There are easy to install bars at your local hardware store if you want to do the work yourself. Another item that is good to have is a shower stool or chair.

If you are not sure of what needs to be done, consider hiring a professional. There are companies that specialize in home remodeling and accommodation for seniors. Michelle Graham of Accessible Design by Studio G4 says about senior home remodel projects, 

“The main thing we incorporate in all of our projects is a careful study of needs and potential needs that may develop throughout a client’s lifespan.”

Keep in mind what future home adjustments might be needed for your parents to “age in place” in their home.

Home safety or medical alert companies provide GPS-based bracelets or pendants to track the elderly at home who tend to wander. Or the companies may provide alarm devices such as pendants or bracelets which allow the elderly to alert someone if there has been a fall or a sudden health-related attack. In the event an alarm has been triggered, a 24 hour monitoring service will alert the family or medical emergency services or call a neighbor depending on previous instructions. In addition there are companies that will install motion sensors in the home to monitor the elderly on a 24 hour basis.

Don’t forget your parents’ community as a valuable resource for helping them stay in their home. Take Margaret Muller as an example. At 82 years of age, Margaret lives alone in her small home. She manages very well with the help of her local Senior Center. The Center’s “Senior Companion” program sees that Margaret is taken to the store for groceries and other needs and checks in with her often to see how she is doing. Once a day, the Senior Center delivers a hot healthy meal to her door. Having these services and visits gives Margaret the help she needs and peace of mind that she is not alone.

Neighbors, local church groups, senior centers and city centers are some places to look for assistance. Most of the time there is little or no cost for these services.

Your state aging services unit is a valuable community resource. The National Area on Aging website www.aoa.gov states:

“AoA, through the Older Americans Act and other legislation, supports programs that help older adults maintain their independence and dignity in their homes and communities. In addition AoA provides funding for a range of supports to family caregivers.”

Some of the programs the site lists are:  Supportive Services and Senior Centers, Nutrition Services,
National Family Caregiver Support Program, Grants for Native Americans, Nursing Home Diversion Grants,
Aging & Disability Resource Centers, Evidence-Based Disease Prevention, Long-Term Care Planning,
Alzheimer’s Disease Grants, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities

A few thoughts on hiring home care aides or live-in care givers.

The classifieds are filled with people looking for work as aides to the elderly. Many of these aides are well-qualified, honest people who will do a good job; but, of course, there will be some not so reputable. If you are looking to hire someone, be sure you interview and check references and qualifications. You will be responsible for scheduling that person and doing payroll and taxes as well. Be very sure you hire someone trustworthy, as the elderly seem to trust these helpers more than they should and therefore can easily be taken advantage of.

A professional home care service will eliminate your employment concerns. Professionally-provided aides are usually bonded and service is guaranteed. Home care companies take care of the scheduling and payment of their employees. Home care companies cater to the elderly in their homes by offering a variety of services. The National Care Planning Council lists many of these companies throughout the country on its website www.longtermcarelink.net .

These providers represent a rapidly growing trend to allow people needing help with long term care to remain in their home or in the community instead of going to a care facility. The services offered may include:

·        companionship
·        grooming and dressing
·        recreational activities
·        incontinent care
·        handyman services
·        teeth brushing
·        medication reminders
·        bathing or showering
·        light housekeeping
·        meal preparation
·        respite for family caregivers
·        errands and shopping
·        reading email or letters
·        overseeing home deliveries
·        dealing with vendors
·        transportation services
·        changing linens
·        laundry and ironing
·        organizing closets
·        care of house plants
·        24-hour emergency response
·        family counseling
·        phone call checks
·        and much more.

Thomas Day, Director of the National Care Planning Council states,

“Care in the home provided by a spouse or a child is the most common form of long-term care in this country. About 73% of all long term care is provided in the home environment typically by family caregivers.”

As their caregiver, you can make the difference in the quality of life for your aging parents and if staying in their home is a possibility, you have the resources to make it happen.

If you need care and assistance for a loved one in the Bellevue WA area, visit www.andelcare.com for more information.
 

10 super foods to fight diabetes

They’re great for diabetics — and for everyone else. People with (or without) diabetes should sample these 10 super foods

What are you eating? Choosing the right foods really does make a difference, especially if you are one of nearly 24 million Americans who have diabetes.

Research shows that “eating a healthy diet,” coupled with exercise and maintaining normal body weight, can “prevent type 2 diabetes in people who are predisposed” to develop the disease, says Christine Tobin, a certified diabetes educator and president of Healthcare and Education for the American Diabetes Association.

Tobin notes there are lots of lists of so-called super foods, but the American Diabetes Association chose its 10 best super foods for both type 1 and 2 diabetics because they contain nutrients that are especially important to people with diabetes, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E. They are high in fiber, which helps you feel full longer and keeps your glycemic index low so they don’t spike blood sugar (thus increasing hunger). And, Tobin says, they help maintain healthy levels of blood pressure and blood fats (like cholesterol), which are important for all of us but especially so for diabetics.

Read more about the TOP 10 (DIABETES) SUPER FOODS here…

Visit www.andelcare.com for help with your loved one in the Bellevue WA area.
 

Two Parents With Dementia: How Do Caregivers Cope?
Carol Bradley Bursack

My mom and dad both have dementia. I am all alone taking care of them since my sister passed away I have no one to help me. I get sad and frustrated with them both. How do I deal with my feelings?

These are powerful words from one Agingcare.com forum participant. It’s a “cry from the wild” which will touch the heart of most caregivers. Many of us feel alone when we are trying to care for our aging parents and there are no siblings to help, or if there are siblings, they can’t or won’t help. When we have one parent who has dementia, it is hard. When we have two, it is often nearly unbearable.

My dad had dementia from surgery. Mom developed a more subtle type of dementia, the type they used to call “senile dementia.” Now it’s called “organic brain disease.” Whatever the type – Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Pick’s disease, dementia due to Parkinson’s or just plain “organic brain disease,” which sort of applies to them all – it’s painful for the caregiver. Sometimes the pain is so raw and isolating that the caregivers become more ill than those they are caring for.

Statistics vary, but upward of thirty percent of caregivers die before those they are caring for. Some of those are adult children, lonely and depressed, isolated and frustrated, often torn by guilt. These caregivers can develop cancer, commit suicide, or have heart problems and other ill health that can likely be traced to the stress of caring for their loved ones.

Read more…

Visit www.andelcare.com for more information about care for your loved one in the Bellevue WA area.

Illness in the family? How to reduce caregiver stress
 
(ARA) – Who would ever imagine a healthy college senior might suffer a stroke? But that’s exactly what happened to Nancy Worthen’s daughter, Maggie, at the end of her senior year at Smith College in Massachusetts.

When Maggie fell into a coma after experiencing a brain stem stroke, one of the many stressful challenges Worthen faced was keeping family and friends from around the world updated on her daughter’s condition. "You just have so many people who want information and are trying to reach you," she says. "We wanted to make it simple for people to find out what was happening."

Worthen turned to a resource that’s becoming increasingly popular among families and caregivers of patients who’ve experienced a serious health event like Maggie’s stroke – free, personalized Web pages where they can post information about their loved one’s progress.

"Caregivers face many stresses when dealing with a loved one’s injury or illness, including the need to provide consistent updates to an extended network of family and friends who want to know how the patient is doing," says Sona Mehring, founder of CaringBridge.org, a nonprofit organization that helps caregivers create Web sites for health updates. "Putting information online can be a big stress reliever for caregivers because it allows them to communicate important, and sometimes difficult, information quickly and effectively to a large number of people, without having to repeat the same news over and over again."

Having a Web site "allowed us to tell the story we could never have told to people personally," says Michael Dunn, whose identical twin daughters were diagnosed with neuroblastoma when they were just two months old. "It would have been a much more difficult and lonely time without it."

"It’s important for caregivers to take care of themselves, as well," Mehring says. In addition to using the Internet to stay connected with family and friends, she suggests, caregivers should:

* Talk about it – Don’t avoid telling friends and family; it’s not good for your mental well-being to keep such stressful news to yourself.

* Ask questions – You’ll hear a lot of medical terminology and treatment options. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek second opinions and even gather information online from credible Web sites. The more you understand the situation, the more you will feel able to cope with it.

* Try therapeutic journaling – "Many people who use CaringBridge say it is beneficial to write their thoughts and feelings down," Mehring says. "Journaling can bring relief and allow people to focus their thoughts on other important matters. Sometimes it’s easier to write down what you’re feeling rather than speak it out loud."

* Accept help – People truly care and truly want to help; let them. Post on your personalized Web page what you need and let family and friends in your online community decide how and when they can help. One person might offer to help with transportation to appointments. Another may be able to help with babysitting or cooking meals. "View help as a useful expression of that person’s caring, not as a favor," Mehring suggests.

* Relax – This is a stressful situation. Patients and caregivers need to take time for themselves. Meditate, do yoga, go for a walk, take time off from work, turn off your phone for a few hours or get a massage.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

If you need help with the care of a loved one in the Bellevue WA area, visit www.andelcare.com.
 

Remembering the Good Times Is Secret to Happiness for Oldest American Seniors

Iowa State researchers find loss of cognitive ability is major source of depression for centenarians and older senior citizens

April 9, 2010 – A new study of senior citizens has found that past satisfaction with life – even if it’s simply recalling isolated career accomplishments – is the key to happiness in our oldest years. Researchers from Iowa State University’s gerontology program have helped identify what predicts happiness and long life in centenarians, as well as what causes depression in 80-somethings and above.

The Ames, Iowa researchers studied 158 Georgia centenarians.

"The past is the best predictor of the future, so you’re not going to turn your life around at 85 or 90," said Peter Martin, director of Iowa State’s gerontology program and a professor of human development and family studies (HDFS), who collaborated on both studies.

"But it’s also good to know that past accomplishments and the happiness that you had — looking back at your past — carries you through these very last years."

Read more…

For information about care and assistance in Bellevue WA, visit www.andelcare.com.

Dehydration Prevention

Excerpted from The Comfort of Home for Alzheimer’s
By Maria M. Meyer, Mary S. Mittelman, Cynthia Epstein, and Paula Derr, Contributing writers

As a person ages, he feels less thirsty, so a special effort should be made to provide enough fluids. A person’s fluid balance can be affected by medication, emotional stress, exercise, nourishment, general health, and the weather. Dehydration, especially in the elderly, can increase confusion and muscle weakness and cause nausea. Nausea, in turn, will prevent the person from wanting to eat, thereby causing more dehydration.

Preventive measures include:

* encouraging 6-8 cups of liquid every day (or an amount determined by the doctor)
* serving beverages at room temperature
* providing foods high in liquid (for example, watermelon)
* avoiding caffeine, which causes frequent urination and dehydration

Original content

Please visit www.andelcare.com for more information about care and assistance in the Seattle WA area.