Eat More Chocolate, Weigh Less?

 

Whoa! Not so fast. Despite what you might have heard, use your common sense

 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

Sit up straight! You may have heard this refrain. How can you keep from looking like a hunched-over grandma or grandpa, before your time? Here are some facts and tips, courtesy of your doctor of chiropractic.

- Take frequent breaks from sitting; and consider rotating your work or leisure activities, if that’s an option for you.

- Control your weight. If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, consider making changes. Your doctor of chiropractic may have some great tips, if you’ve got a willing ear.

- If postural changes are due to pregnancy, chiropractic care can help your body adapt to the temporary stress – with added benefits of decreasing incidence of pregnancy back pain and back labor.

- Build core muscles to counter the merciless effects of gravity. Your doctor of chiropractic can help guide you to core strength; and may also choose to connect you with more extensive resources.

- Mirror image exercises are precisely what you might think they are: taking the postural ‘distortion,’ and practicing its opposite. If your head tends to drift in front of your shoulders, practice ‘retracting’ your head to counter that drift. If your pelvis tends to tip forward, learn to activate the muscles that counter that rotation.

Jumping into an exercise or stretching program is not recommended. Ease in; ask questions; and be sure you’re structurally balanced, so your efforts pay off with minimal injuries.

DO you see a chiropractor?  So many people do & say it has relevived much of their pain & discomfort. I  went to Dr. Pierce’s  Chiropractic Group Inc.  (  www.piercechirogroup.com )and WOW! I  was amazed !  He offers eduational pieces like what’s written above to help “remind” us all what Mom always said & alternatives  to how you can help heal yourself  with a great Chirporacter Like Dr. Pierce!

I hate hearing about these scams directed right at the elderly! A family members Grandfather in his 90s told me on Thanksgiving of a call he got claiming to be his grandson & that he was stuck out of the country & needed money to come back home ~ Luckily Grandpa heard of a friend who told HIM he fell for it & then found out it was a scam after sending -what he thought to be his grandson $3000-. These predators go after the senior grandparents knowing they are hard of hearing & some have not sharp cognitive skills & prey on them! This is so wrong on so many levels! ANd that is number 10 on teh top 10 scams on seniors list!!!

 Talk to the seniors in your lives & warn them of just these types of predators!

 Financial scams targeting seniors have become so prevalent that they’re now considered “the crime of the 21st century.”

Why? Because seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts.

Financial scams also often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they’re devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses.

It’s not just wealthy seniors who are targeted. Low-income older adults are also at risk of financial abuse.

And it’s not always strangers who perpetrate these crimes. Over 90% of all reported elder abuse is committed by an older person’s own family members, most often their adult children, followed by grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and others.

Review our list below, so you can identify a potential scam.

1. Health Care/Medicare/Health Insurance Fraud

Every U.S. citizen or permanent resident over age 65 qualifies for Medicare, so there is rarely any need for a scam artist to research what private health insurance company older people have in order to scam them out of some money.

In these types of scams, perpetrators may pose as a Medicare representative to get older people to give them their personal information, or they will provide bogus services for elderly people at makeshift mobile clinics, then use the personal information they provide to bill Medicare and pocket the money.

2. Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Most commonly, counterfeit drug scams operate on the Internet, where seniors increasingly go to find better prices on specialized medications.

This scam is growing in popularity—since 2000, the FDA has investigated an average of 20 such cases per year, up from five a year in the 1990s.

The danger is that besides paying money for something that will not help a person’s medical condition, victims may purchase unsafe substances that can inflict even more harm. This scam can be as hard on the body as it is on the wallet.

3. Funeral & Cemetery Scams

The FBI warns about two types of funeral and cemetery fraud perpetrated on seniors.

In one approach, scammers read obituaries and call or attend the funeral service of a complete stranger to take advantage of the grieving widow or widower. Claiming the deceased had an outstanding debt with them, scammers will try to extort money from relatives to settle the fake debts.

Another tactic of disreputable funeral homes is to capitalize on family members’ unfamiliarity with the considerable cost of funeral services to add unnecessary charges to the bill.

In one common scam of this type, funeral directors will insist that a casket, usually one of the most expensive parts of funeral services, is necessary even when performing a direct cremation, which can be accomplished with a cardboard casket rather than an expensive display or burial casket.

4. Fraudulent Anti-Aging Products

In a society bombarded with images of the young and beautiful, it’s not surprising that some older people feel the need to conceal their age in order to participate more fully in social circles and the workplace. After all, 60 is the new 40, right?

It is in this spirit that many older Americans seek out new treatments and medications to maintain a youthful appearance, putting them at risk of scammers.

Whether it’s fake Botox like the one in Arizona that netted its distributors (who were convicted and jailed in 2006) $1.5 million in barely a year, or completely bogus homeopathic remedies that do absolutely nothing, there is money in the anti-aging business.

Botox scams are particularly unsettling, as renegade labs creating versions of the real thing may still be working with the root ingredient, botulism neurotoxin, which is one of the most toxic substances known to science. A bad batch can have health consequences far beyond wrinkles or drooping neck muscles.

5. Telemarketing

Perhaps the most common scheme is when scammers use fake telemarketing calls to prey on older people, who as a group make twice as many purchases over the phone than the national average.

While the image of the lonely senior citizen with nobody to talk to may have something to do with this, it is far more likely that older people are more familiar with shopping over the phone, and therefore might not be fully aware of the risk.

With no face-to-face interaction, and no paper trail, these scams are incredibly hard to trace. Also, once a successful deal has been made, the buyer’s name is then shared with similar schemers looking for easy targets, sometimes defrauding the same person repeatedly.

Examples of telemarketing fraud include:

“The Pigeon Drop”

The con artist tells the individual that he/she has found a large sum of money and is willing to split it if the person will make a “good faith” payment by withdrawing funds from his/her bank account. Often, a second con artist is involved, posing as a lawyer, banker, or some other trustworthy stranger.

“The Fake Accident Ploy”

The con artist gets the victim to wire or send money on the pretext that the person’s child or another relative is in the hospital and needs the money.

“Charity Scams”

Money is solicited for fake charities. This often occurs after natural disasters.

6. Internet Fraud

While using the Internet is a great skill at any age, the slower speed of adoption among some older people makes them easier targets for automated Internet scams that are ubiquitous on the web and email programs.

Pop-up browser windows simulating virus-scanning software will fool victims into either downloading a fake anti-virus program (at a substantial cost) or an actual virus that will open up whatever information is on the user’s computer to scammers.

Their unfamiliarity with the less visible aspects of browsing the web (firewalls and built-in virus protection, for example) make seniors especially susceptible to such traps.

One example includes:

Email/Phishing Scams

A senior receives email messages that appear to be from a legitimate company or institution, asking them to “update” or “verify” their personal information. A senior receives emails that appear to be from the IRS about a tax refund.

7. Investment Schemes

Because many seniors find themselves planning for retirement and managing their savings once they finish working, a number of investment schemes have been targeted at seniors looking to safeguard their cash for their later years.

From pyramid schemes like Bernie Madoff’s (which counted a number of senior citizens among its victims) to fables of a Nigerian prince looking for a partner to claim inheritance money to complex financial products that many economists don’t even understand, investment schemes have long been a successful way to take advantage of older people.

8. Homeowner/Reverse Mortgage Scams

Scammers like to take advantage of the fact that many people above a certain age own their homes, a valuable asset that increases the potential dollar value of a certain scam.

A particularly elaborate property tax scam in San Diego saw fraudsters sending personalized letters to different properties apparently on behalf of the County Assessor’s Office. The letter, made to look official but displaying only public information, would identify the property’s assessed value and offer the homeowner, for a fee of course, to arrange for a reassessment of the property’s value and therefore the tax burden associated with it.

Closely related, the reverse mortgage scam has mushroomed in recent years. With legitimate reverse mortgages increasing in frequency more than 1,300% between 1999 and 2008, scammers are taking advantage of this new popularity.

As opposed to official refinancing schemes, however, unsecured reverse mortgages can lead property owners to lose their homes when the perpetrators offer money or a free house somewhere else in exchange for the title to the property.

9. Sweepstakes & Lottery Scams

This simple scam is one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Here, scammers inform their mark that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes of some kind and need to make some sort of payment to unlock the supposed prize. Often, seniors will be sent a check that they can deposit in their bank account, knowing that while it shows up in their account immediately, it will take a few days before the (fake) check is rejected.

During that time, the criminals will quickly collect money for supposed fees or taxes on the prize, which they pocket while the victim has the “prize money” removed from his or her account as soon as the check bounces.

10. The Grandparent Scam

The Grandparent Scam is so simple and so devious because it uses one of older adults’ most reliable assets, their hearts.

Scammers will place a call to an older person and when the mark picks up, they will say something along the lines of: “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer most sounds like, the scammer has established a fake identity without having done a lick of background research.

Once “in,” the fake grandchild will usually ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem (overdue rent, payment for car repairs, etc.), to be paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, which don’t always require identification to collect.

At the same time, the scam artist will beg the grandparent “please don’t tell my parents, they would kill me.”

While the sums from such a scam are likely to be in the hundreds, the very fact that no research is needed makes this a scam that can be perpetrated over and over at very little cost to the scammer.
 

 Talk to the  Seniors in your life . Make them aware of these dangers! Thee scamers arnt going anywhere, just getting more craetive in their approach! You need to be aware!

 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.

The American Cancer Society* recommends eating a variety of plant-based, fiber-filled foods as one way to help prevent diseases such as colon cancer. We recommend that men get 38 grams of fiber per day and women get 25 grams. Find out which foods are high in fiber:

Why is fiber important?

Eating a high-fiber diet is thought to help prevent development of pouches (diverticula) in the colon. It may lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and help control blood sugar levels. And it may help with reaching and staying at a healthy weight.

What is the recommended daily amount of fiber?

The daily adequate intake amount for fiber has been calculated by the Institute of Medicine. Men 19 and older should strive for 38 grams a day and women 19 and older should aim for 25 grams a day.

How can you get more fiber?

Fiber is in many foods, including beans, peas, other vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products. You can figure out how much fiber is in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label. If a food has fiber, it will be listed under the total carbohydrate on the label. The food label assumes the daily value (DV) of fiber is 25 grams a day (g/day) for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Be sure to increase the amount of fiber in your diet slowly so that your stomach can adjust to the change. Adding too much fiber too quickly may cause stomach upset and gas.

Some doctors recommend adding bran to your diet to help boost the fiber content. If you do this, start slowly with 1 teaspoon a day. Gradually increase the amount to several teaspoons a day.

Are there any risks from fiber?

Some people who have diverticulitis avoid nuts, seeds, berries, and popcorn (because of the hulls). They believe that the seeds and nuts may get trapped in the diverticula and cause pain. But there is no evidence that seeds, nuts, and berries cause diverticulitis or make it worse.³

Does fiber help digestion?

If your diet is high enough in fiber, your stools should become softer, larger, and easier to pass.

• Changing your diet may relieve constipation, but it may not help relieve abdominal pain.
• If you don’t have any improvement within a week or two, talk to your doctor about your diet.
• Talk to your doctor if constipation continues or gets worse. Another medical problem or a medicine may be causing constipation.

Drink lots of fluids every day to help keep your stool soft. High-fiber diets need lots of fluid in the body to work properly.

Estate Plans Help Seniors Keep Control Share this article: More than 70 percent of adult Americans do not have any form of an estate plan legally filed, according to Good Morning America financial contributor, Mellody Hobson. Yet, the process of setting up an estate plan is actually less complicated than one may think. Seniors come from a generation where it was inappropriate to discuss money and death, and therefore, many adult children may find that their parents do not have the appropriate paperwork in place to manage their estates. Or, the senior may not have formal paperwork because they feel that they will just hand down their belongings to their children so there is no need for it. Passing along a legacy of personal values and family stories Source: Intergenerational Transmission Follow these tips to extract and preserve information that will document any senior loved one’s – individual stories and family heritage:

 1. Preserve your memories forward in time, and be aware of changing digital formats. To minimize the risk of losing your memories, perform frequent backups on an external hard drive and double backups on DVD-RAM storage disks. Use acid-free archival products that will stand the test of time.

 2. Ask the right questions. Move beyond fact-based reporting to evoke sensory narrative. Ask open-ended questions such as, ”What did you feel like after accomplishing that huge goal in your life? What was your favorite song from that time period? What are/were your dreams for the future?”

 3. Tell the story. Try to keep the original voice of the author and do minimal modifications to the narrative.

 4. Use technology to make it easier. Use an Internet site that, in addition to letting you upload photos, will let you preserve your memories in different ways, including long-term archiving and acid-free hard copies.

What happens to an estate without an estate plan Without an estate plan, decisions about an individual’s property, medical, and final arrangements will be made without input from the individual. Attending doctors or the hospital will make medical decisions, family members will decide on burial arrangements, and state law will dictate the distribution of assets. These considerations alone may be enough to convince a senior that now is the time to formally organize their wishes for the treatment of their medical care and property.

Becoming proactive toward estate planning Getting started may feel overwhelming, but keeping it simple and enlisting professionals can help streamline the process and bring peace of mind for the whole family. The conversation about estate planning can be a tough one to start with a loved one, but one that is well worth it in the end because of the time and money it will save the estate and the family members who must sort out the details. Caring.com suggests these initial considerations for anyone who is looking at his or her estate:

 • What are my assets and what is their approximate value?

 • Which people or organizations do I want to have these assets, and do I wish to give them up during my lifetime or after my death?

 • Who should manage these assets during my lifetime if I become unable to do so or after my death if management is needed?

 • Who should make decisions about my medical care and finances if I cannot make them?

 • After I die, do I want my remains to be donated, cremated, scattered, or buried?

These questions all guide an individual to begin to set up an estate plan. Estate planning is a process where an individual indicates in writing how his or her money and other property should be managed while he or she is alive and after death, and what should happen in the event that an individual becomes mentally incapable of making financial or health-related decisions. The basic documents that experts recommend that an individual have in an estate plan are a will or a living trust, a durable power of attorney for finances and health care, and advanced medical directives. Depending on the complexity of the estate, other documents may be necessary. Ask professionals, such as an estate attorney, an elder law attorney, a financial planner, and a physician, for guidance with these documents if you are not sure.

 A will and a living trust A will is the most basic estate planning tool and may be all the planning that someone needs. It is a document that names one or more people to manage a person’s estate and declares specific transfer of property. It could be made public and go through probate. A living trust is a more common estate planning document these days. It allows people to control their own assets during their lifetimes and then change ownership of the property in the trust to a named trustee at the time of death. The property is not processed through probate or made public. Family Education cites three basic reasons why people write wills or create trusts.

They want to: • Pass their assets on to their family members rather than let the government take over their assets.

 • Keep peace in the family by identifying who gets what.

 • Plan ahead for the costs of incapacity, including the care of their spouse.

Each state has laws regarding setting up wills and living trusts. MetLife has a booklet that helps guide people in creating a will. Download a copy of MetLife’s free booklet on “Estate Planning: understanding distribution of assets and estate taxes.” Starting a conversation with a parent: Opening up the conversation with parents about a will or a living trust can be difficult. Express appreciation for the lifetime of saving they have accomplished, and try these approaches: (sources: Family Education, MetLife):

◦ “You have saved wisely over the years and have many beautiful possessions. I really want to carry out your wishes for the future of all that you have accomplished, but I need to better understand them.

 Do you want to pass down property to the family?

 Do you want to be able to draw down money from your assets to help care for you and Mom?”

◦ Acknowledge that you fully understand that this is their money. Emphasize that advanced planning on their part means that they can keep control over what happens to the possessions they have spent a lifetime collecting. Your goal is to help them keep control – not relinquish it to the government or strangers in a courtroom.

 ◦ Stay focused on your parents’ concerns. This is about them, not your needs and wants. They may be worried that they will outlive their resources or that the kids will fight over the estate. They may be struggling with finding a fair way of dividing up what they’ll leave behind without causing problems between family members. Listen to what they are really concerned about and help them find resolution.

 ◦ If you feel they’re uncomfortable talking with you, ask them to see a financial planner who is an objective third party. Power of attorney for finances With power of attorney document, an individual names a trusted person to handle their financial matters if they become unable to handle them on their own. In the event that this document is not on file when a person becomes mentally incompetent, a judge will then appoint someone to manage the finances for them, even if the person appointed is unfamiliar with the individual or their money matters.

 If your parent wants to appoint you as their power of attorney, they should inform you of their decision and share with you their financial situation and specific wishes. Starting a conversation with a parent: Protecting assets is the main focus here. Given the gravity of the topic – money – emotions can run high. Encourage your parent that it is in his or her best interest to appoint a person whose actions have shown that he or she can be trusted to manage your parent’s finances should something happen. This is an opportunity to assure that the money your parent has spent a lifetime accruing is in the best possible hands.

Advance medical care directives and power of attorney for health care These documents are crucial when the individual is no longer capable of making decisions about life-prolonging treatments and medical care in a hospital, whether because of a lengthy illness or a sudden unexpected accident. Advance medical directives specify your treatment wishes, such as a “do not resuscitate order”, tests, surgery, medication, and organ donation. This document clearly indicates which course of action the doctor, hospital and your appointed power of attorney for health care should take with regards to your health if you are unable to communicate that yourself.

 The power of attorney for health care, or health care proxy, is someone that is named by the individual who is trusted by the individual to carry out the advance medical directives and to make medical related decisions that would align with the individual’s wishes should the advance medical directives not specifically cover that issue. The person who is appointed as the power of attorney for health care should be very familiar with the wishes, any religious and cultural beliefs of the individual that could affect health care decisions. It is best to talk at length about all aspects of a potential medical crisis and the types of decisions that the individual would favor. Starting a conversation with a parent: Health care and medical conversations of this type are never easy because they focus on the realities of end-of-life. Assure your parent that you want them to be as comfortable as possible in the event of an illness or accident and that you have their best interest at heart. Communicate your willingness to abide by their wishes in the event that you are all faced with this situation. General rules of thumb apply as an adult child approaches estate planning conversations with parents. Always include as many of your siblings or other appropriate family members as you can, so no one feels like they are being left out of the process.

The family may appoint one person to discuss all these estate planning documents with the parents or decide that w Estate Plans Help Seniors Keep Control Share this article: More than 70 percent of adult Americans do not have any form of an estate plan legally filed, according to Good Morning America financial contributor, Mellody Hobson. Yet, the process of setting up an estate plan is actually less complicated than one may think. Seniors come from a generation where it was inappropriate to discuss money and death, and therefore, many adult children may find that their parents do not have the appropriate paperwork in place to manage their estates. Or, the senior may not have formal paperwork because they feel that they will just hand down their belongings to their children so there is no need for it. Passing along a legacy of personal values and family stories Source: Intergenerational Transmission Follow these tips to extract and preserve information that will document any senior loved one’s – individual stories and family heritage:

last word, take action Now!

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