There’s potentially good news to share with readers in the fight against an incurable disease that affects as many as 5.4 million Americans. A new drug candidate may be the first capable of halting the devastating mental decline of Alzheimer’s disease, based on the findings of by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif.

When given to mice with Alzheimer’s, the drug – known as J147 – improved memory and prevented brain damage caused by the incurable disease. The new compound could be tested for treatment of the disease in humans in the near future, according to researchers.

Because of the broad ability of J147 to protect nerve cells, the researchers believe that it also may be effective for treating other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease, as well as stroke.

 Home Instead Senior Care has several web resources to help.www.HelpforAlzheimersFamilies.com we also offer specialized training for our CAREGivers called CARE. ( Changing Aging Through Research and Education) This program also includes free Family CAregiver Training!

For more on “Potential Alzheimer’s Drug,” check out the April 2012 Senior Advisor.

According to the 2012 edition of Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, published annually by the Alzheimer’s Association, at present, “5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease”; that’s one out of every eight seniors in the U.S.

  In addition, “Payments for care are estimated to be $200 billion in 2012”—a cost that would be even higher were it not for the 15 million Americans providing unpaid care to Alzheimer’s/dementia patients at an estimated annual value of $210 billion.  This report also indicates that, “An estimated 800,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s (or one in seven) live alone…Of those who have Alzheimer’s and live alone, up to half of them do not have an identifiable caregiver.”  Also of potential interest is the section of this report that offers state-level data on Alzheimer’s and other dementias.  

 Link (to “Quick Facts” report overview; this page also offers access to the full report): http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp#quickfacts

 STRESS – How Stressed Are You?

Rate yourself as to how you typically react in each of the situations listed below. There are no right or wrong answers.

4 = Always
3 = Frequently
2 = Sometimes
1 = Never

Enter a number for each question. When you complete the questionnaire, add up you total number of points and type it in the box. An answer key is provided below.

____ Do you try to do as much as possible in the least amount of time?
____ Do you become impatient with delays or interruptions?
____ Do you always have to win at games to enjoy yourself?
____ Do you find yourself speeding up the car to beat the red light?
____ Are you unlikely to ask for or indicate you need help with a problem?
____ Do you constantly seek the respect and admiration of others?
____ Are you overly critical of the way other do their work?
____ Do you have the habit of looking at your watch or clock often?
____ Do you constantly strive to better your position and achievements?
____ Do you spread yourself “too thin” in terms of your time?
____ Do you have the habit of doing more than one thing at a time?
____ Do you frequently get angry or irritable?

____ Do you have little time for hobbies on time by yourself?
____ Do you have a tendency to talk quickly or hasten conversations?
____ Do you consider yourself hard-driving?

____ Do your friends or relatives consider you hard-driving?
____ Do you have a tendency to get involved in multiple projects?
____ Do you have a lot of deadlines?

____ Do you feel vaguely guilty if you relax and do nothing during leisure?
____ Do you take on too many responsibilities?

 ___ TOTAL Bottom of Form

If your score is between 20 and 30, chances are you are non-productive or your life lacks stimulation.  A score between 31 and 50 designates a good balance in your ability to handle and control stress.  If you tallied up a score ranging between 51 and 60, your stress level is marginal and you are bordering on being excessively tense.  If your total number of points exceeds 60, you may be a candidate for heart disease.

6-Second Relaxation

The “quieting reflex” is a six-second mini-relaxation technique that is designed to counteract emergency stress reactions. It relieves muscle tightening, jaw clenching, breath holding, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

To be effective, it should be practiced frequently throughout the day, and at the moment a stressful situation arises. It can be done with your eyes opened or closed.

• Step 1: Become aware of what is annoying you: a ringing phone, a sarcastic comment, the urge to smoke, a worrisome thought—whatever. This becomes the cue to start the quieting reflex.
• Step 2: Repeat the phrase, “alert mind, calm body” to yourself.
• Step 3: Smile inwardly with your eyes and your mouth.
• This stops facial muscles from making a fearful or angry expression. The inward smile is more a feeling than something obvious to anyone observing you.
• Step 4: Inhale slowly to the count of three, imagining that the breath comes in through the bottom of your feet. Then exhale slowly. Feel your breath move back down your legs and out through your feet. Let your jaw, tongue, and shoulder muscles go limp.

With several months’ practice the quieting reflex becomes an automatic skill.

I am excited to announce Elder Rage the book, has been accepted by Audible Books for download exclusively at Amazon http://tinyurl.com/74479pq and Audible http://tinyurl.com/7seo4fm. the Author is honored it is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection receiving 50 endorsements http://www.ElderRage.com/Review.asp, 300+ Five-Star Amazon reviews, is required reading at numerous universities, and considered for a film.

‘Elder Rage’ is the authors true story of caring for her parents, written with LOL humor, to help caregivers cope with and manage their elderly loved ones medically, behaviorally, socially, legally, financially and emotionally. Includes an extensive self-help section and chapter by renowned dementia specialist, Rodman Shankle, MD. Also available in Print and Kindle/Nook eBook formats. Perhaps you know people who could be helped by it. http://www.ElderRage.com

Blood pressure is something that people should strive to control throughout their lives, but it’s particularly important for seniors and senior health. High blood pressure is a common problem, affecting  more than 50 percent of all Americans who are 60 years old or older.

What is High Blood Pressure?

When your heart beats and pumps blood throughout the body, a pressure is exerted against the walls of those arteries by the blood being pumped. That pressure is called blood pressure–and the higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of developing a serious health condition. The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.  High blood pressure is a reading of 140/90 or higher. A good blood pressure reading is 120/80 or lower.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Years of living an unhealthy lifestyle can cause high blood pressure. Being overweight, having diabetes, smoking and eating a high-salt diet can all cause high blood pressure. Health conditions that can cause it include kidney disease, chronic pain, stress and Cushing’s syndrome.

What are the Symptoms?

High blood pressure very rarely causes symptoms. To know that you have it, you need to get your blood pressure checked and find out the reading.

Sometimes, severe high blood pressure can lead to fatigue, affected vision, abnormal heartbeat or pains in the chest.

What Does this Mean for Seniors?

Although high blood pressure is extremely common in seniors, it isn’t a natural part of normal, healthy aging. Seniors who don’t get high blood pressure under control run the risk of serious heart problems such as heart attack, congestive heart failure, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. Damage to the kidneys or kidney failure, blindness and stroke are also possible complications of high blood pressure.

Lifestyle Changes

Treating high blood pressure in seniors isn’t just about taking a medication–lifestyle changes are necessary to keep it under control. A regular exercise routine and a healthy diet–low in salt, fat and cholesterol and rich in whole grains, fruit and vegetables–are an essential part of high blood pressure treatment.

 Omaha Business Hall of Fame

Depression is not a normal part of aging, but when older adults do have depression, it may be overlooked, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Seniors may show different, less obvious symptoms and may be less inclined to experience or acknowledge feelings of sadness or grief. The winter months can be especially challenging because some seniors experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depressive illness triggered when there is less natural sunlight.

The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation says that an elderly person who may be depressed should see a medical professional. Talk to a client’s family or doctor if you suspect a senior is depressed.

For others, keep the winter blues at bay by using these ideas to inspire ways you can cater to each client’s interests with your personal spin:  

• Eat something new – Tackle a new recipe or re-invent a traditional one. Invite family and friends once a week for dinner and take turns preparing meals. Host a potluck dinner or an evening with international cuisine.
• Exercise the mind – Try a jigsaw puzzle or solve riddles. Discuss our question of the week
• Indulge – Enjoy a healthy dessert or sip a hot drink.
• Go for a walk – Invite family members and friends for an evening stroll. During bad weather, complete laps inside a local mall or community center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TurkeyNoodle Soup

• 5 quarts water
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 7 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup fresh peas or 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup carrot, sliced
• 1 cup cut green beans, fresh or frozen
• 4 cups fine egg noodles (8 Oz)
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup flour
• turkey carcass, from a 15-20 pound turkey

Directions:

In an eight quart kettle or Dutch oven place turkey bones, water — down through to and including the bay leaf.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove the bones to a platter and let cool.

Add the parsley through to green beans.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, scrape meat from carcass and return meat to soup pot. Add liquid if required.  Heat to boiling; add noodles and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Melt butter in a small frying pan; stir in flour.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the flour browns.  Stir into boiling soup.  When the soup returns to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve hot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holiday Card Project

Pressed Flowers/Leaves –

Pick fresh flowers or leaves from a walk. Remove any wilted petals and leaves. Try not to let flower parts overlap. Leaves should lay flat. Choose a heavy book and line the inside pages with 2 or 3 sheets of paper to protect the book. (Using paper towels might turn the whole thing to mush). Carefully lay the flowers/leaves on the paper, and cover with another 2 sheets. After closing the book I stack another couple of books on top. Or you can also place the book in your microwave and “cook” it for 30 seconds. You’ll have to repeat it a few times, checking to see if the flowers/leaves are almost dried. Then I let the book sit for at least another two weeks before opening.

Use the dried flowers and leaves to make holiday greetings for family and loved ones. Take a moment to arrange the flowers on your card, taking note of how and where you want to position them.  The pressed flowers can be mounted directly on the card itself, or you may want to adhere a background of fabric, or handmade paper to the card stock first before gluing the flowers down.  Hold the pressed flower, apply a very small amount of glue to the back of the flower, position it on the card, and gently press down.  Do the same with the stems and leaves.  Once you’ve finished adhering your pressed flowers/foliage, it’s a good idea to place the card under a heavy book for a few minutes.  The firm pressure will ensure that your pressed flowers will dry flat.

Hope you enjoy our holiday kick off of fun things to enjoy this  time of year!

November is National Family Caregivers Month

Every day, more than 65 million family caregivers in the United States fulfill a vital role on the care team. November is National Family Caregivers Month, a great time to honor the family caregivers who devote their lives to caring for senior loved ones.

Family caregivers need support, which is why the Home Instead Senior Care^® network launched Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver^SM. This family caregiver support series addresses senior resistance to care and features a variety of topics such as choosing an in-home care provider, the signs of aging, long distance caregiving and communicating with aging parents. Materials and videos are available at www.caregiverstress.com.  Tell a family Caregiver about this valuable resource.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2011) — A large proportion of Medicare expenditures for nursing home residents with advanced dementia, a terminal illness, is spent on aggressive treatments that may be avoidable and of limited clinical benefit, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, published in the online version of the Archives of Internal Medicine on Jan. 10, 2011.

The study examined Medicare expenditures for 323 nursing home residents with advanced dementia in 22 facilities in the Greater Boston area as part of the Choices, Attitudes, and Strategies for Care of Advanced Dementia, or CASCADE, study. According to the findings, the largest proportion of Medicare expenditures was for hospitalizations (30.2%) and hospice (45.6%). Medicare expenditures rose by 65 percent in each of the last four quarters before death, primarily due to an increase in both acute care and hospice services. Acute care costs were lower among residents who had either a Do Not Hospitalize (DNH) order, lived on a special care dementia unit, or did not have a feeding tube.

“Our study demonstrates that a large proportion of Medicare expenditures in advanced dementia are attributable to acute and sub-acute services that may be avoidable and may not improve clinical outcomes,” says senior author Susan L. Mitchell, M.D., M.P.H., a senior scientist at the Institute for Aging Research.

An additional 10 percent of Medicare expenditures were for care in a rehabilitation facility after hospitalization. Dr. Mitchell calls the benefits of skilled nursing or rehabilitative care for these patients “questionable,” given that most of them are totally physically functionally and cognitively impaired.

Strategies that promote high-quality palliative care may shift expenditures away from aggressive treatments for dementia patients at the end of life and more toward a comfort care approach, say the researchers.

“The strong association between the lack of a DNH order and higher acute care expenditures supports the notion that advance care planning may be a key step toward preventing aggressive end-of-life care,” says Dr. Mitchell, an associate professor of medicine atHarvardMedicalSchool. Among cancer patients, advance planning lowers costs in the last week of life, and lower costs are associated with a higher quality of dying experience.

Both hospice and palliative care focus on quality of life or “comfort care,” including the active management of pain and other symptoms, as well as the psychological, social and spiritual issues often experienced at the end of life. Unlike hospice, however, palliative care services do not depend on life expectancy and may be used in conjunction with curative treatments.

Estimates peg 2010 total health-care expenditures for dementia at $172 billion, which will continue to rise as the number of people experiencing the end stages of this disease increases. Currently, more than 5 million Americans suffer from dementia, a number that is expected to increase to almost 13 million in the next 40 years. Total Medicare and Medicaid payments (nursing home care is generally paid for by Medicaid after individuals have exhausted their savings) for patients with dementia are roughly three times higher than they are for those without dementia.

Dr. Mitchell’s team looked at Medicare health services used by the nursing home residents over 18 months, culling data from hospital admissions, emergency department visits, primary care provider visits, and hospice enrollment. Roughly one-third of all Medicare costs for dementia were for hospitalizations, which Dr. Mitchell says are burdensome for many of these patients because, among other reasons, they involve a physical transfer and dementia patients often become even more confused and agitated in an unfamiliar environment. Previous studies by Dr. Mitchell and others have shown that most hospitalizations for patients with end-stage dementia are for conditions such as pneumonia that could be treated as effectively and at less cost in a nursing home setting.

Hospice payments accounted for close to half of all Medicare expenditures even though only 22 percent of the nursing home residents received hospice care. Hospice has been shown to benefit residents dying with dementia, but it is greatly underutilized with this population.

Dementia is a group of symptoms severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, including memory loss, difficulty communicating, personality changes, and an inability to reason. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

A 2009 study by Dr. Mitchell in the New England Journal of Medicine was the first to rigorously describe the clinical course of advanced dementia and to label the disease a terminal illness similar to other incurable diseases, such as cancer.

Alzheimer’s Wine Country Memory Walk 2011!.

Hey Check out our video from this years 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer’s!

Did you walk? IF so which walk did you do?