Month: September 2015

Exercise and getting out and about into the community are so important for senior well-being. But, with physical activity comes a risk of injury from falls and other accidents. The majority of fall injuries take place in a senior’s own home.

Unfortunately, when seniors experience a broken bone or other trauma, they recover more slowly than younger people. Though they hope to recover fully and regain their abilities and independence, this often does not happen. What can our healthcare system do to raise the odds of a successful recovery? Given the skyrocketing cost of long-term care, this is an important question!

A study from University of Michigan found one vital ingredient of the fight against injury-related disability: geriatricians. A research team led by University of Michigan Medical School professor Dr. Lillian Min looked at the outcomes of a group of elder patients who had suffered traumatic injuries. The patients had been injured in falls, or in automobile accidents, as the driver, a passenger or a pedestrian.

Dr. Min and her team found that patients who had received care from a geriatrician were two-thirds more likely to be able to return to independence in regular daily activities, such as walking, bathing, housework, managing finances and shopping for items they needed.
“Trauma surgeons have long struggled with the fragility of their older trauma patients, who have much greater health risks for the same injuries experienced by younger patients,” said Dr. Min. “We’ve come a long way in improving the survival rates of these patients but what we didn’t know was whether we were returning them to their homes and communities sicker than they were before. What we found was that geriatric interventions helped older patients take better care of themselves and be more independent.”

Why did adding a geriatrician to the care team make such a difference? According to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery, geriatrics specialists helped the patients avoid unnecessary medications, as well as drugs that aren’t appropriate for seniors. The geriatricians also were able to prescribe an appropriate physical rehabilitation program. They helped patients avoid hospital delirium, a temporary condition causing hallucinations and confusion that also can cause permanent cognitive damage. And the geriatricians were savvy about the importance of a patient’s home environment and access to caregiving help after discharge.

“This information compels us to do more to help our older patients get back to normal life,” said Dr. Min. “Our findings suggest that even small changes in care can lead to decreased complications and improve health outcomes for a vulnerable group. We have a responsibility to do what we can to strengthen collaborations between surgery and geriatric medicine doctors.”

Despite the rapid growth of our senior population, not enough medical students are choosing to specialize in the needs of older adults, says the American Geriatrics Society. Yet according to the University of Michigan experts, 40 percent of trauma patients are older than age 65—underscoring the importance of making the recruitment of new geriatrics specialists a top goal of our nation’s healthcare system.

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise reporting on a study from University of Michigan Health System.

Read more about the study here.

CayCare Provides Brain Health Tips in Preparation for World Alzheimer’s Day

September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. It’s a day to bring awareness to a disease that nearly 44 million people worldwide are living with. In America, about 5.3 million people and living with the disease and someone develops the disease every 67 seconds.

“Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and with the aging population, the number afflicted will continue to increase,” says Lisa Doyle, Registered Nurse at CayCare. “That’s why we’re offering these tips to people. While there is no magic formula that will cure or prevent Alzheimer’s, studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle may mitigate some of its symptoms, as well as those of other forms of memory loss or dementia.”

To help maintain a healthy brain throughout the aging process, follow these guidelines:

• Keep your brain active.Stimulating the brain – through puzzles, reading or learning a new skill – builds dendritic growth in the brain, which may delay some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
• Staying physically active benefits the body and mind. In one study of seniors, those who reported that they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week, reduced their risk of vascular-related dementia by 40 percent and cognitive impairment due to any reason by 60 percent.
• Eat a healthful diet.This includes drinking lots of water, and eating a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (particularly wild salmon, herring and sardines), walnuts and flaxseed.
• Maintain a healthy weight.One study found that the brains of obese seniors had about eight percent less brain volume than people of normal weight. Lower brain volume is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
• Make friends.Socializing is a great way to protect the brain. Several studies have shown that people who engaged in a lot of social activity had slower rates of memory loss than those who are more isolated.
• Reduce your stress.Stress is an underlying cause of many diseases and one recent study showed that people who have lived a particularly stressful life have significantly higher rates of dementia. One way to reduce stress is through meditation. Laughter is also a great stress reducer and has shown to improve short-term memory.

“CayCare is committed to supporting people who are living with Alzheimer’s and the people who care for them,” says Doyle. “We also hope that one day there will be a cure for this devastating illness. Until that time, we encourage everyone to do all they can to maintain a brain-healthy lifestyle.”

# # #

CayCare is available to help you help ensure your loved one’s well-being. CayCare is a referral agency, offering placement services, in-home care coordination, and care management services in Pierce, King, Kitsap, and Thurston counties. Since 2005, they have helped thousands of seniors – and their families – navigate the challenges of aging, assisting them in leading fulfilling and purposeful lives. If you have questions about these services please call us at 253-777-3804 or toll free 1-844-582-7767. You can also visit online at www.caycare.com.

You need three ingredients for a recipe, so you dash to the grocery store—but once you’re there, you can’t remember one of the items you came for.

You go to a wedding reception, and even though you’ve met the bride’s mother before, you can’t remember her name.

You say aloud, “Where are my glasses, I’ve looked everywhere!” and your spouse points out that you’ve rested them on top of your head.

Memory lapses like these can worry us, especially as we grow older. But for the most part, these little slips are the result of perfectly normal changes of aging. Neurologists tell us that some thinking and memory skills drop off even by middle age, so we probably won’t beat a college student at, say, a game where we have to remember long strings of numbers. On the other hand, some of the qualities that are collectively known as “wisdom” continue to develop and flourish as we enter our seventh, eighth, even ninth and tenth decades.

It is true that certain conditions that become more common with age affect our memory and thinking. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia resulting from a stroke or series of strokes. It’s important that these conditions be diagnosed early to allow for the best possible treatment, and so patients and their families can plan for the changes to follow.

Worrying about our memory can even, itself, affect our memory! Stress is a notorious memory inhibitor. And if we have a parent or other family member who has Alzheimer’s disease or another form of memory loss, this might make us even more sensitized to any lapses in our own memory.

To help consumers sort out the difference between ordinary mild forgetfulness and signs that should be reported to the doctor, the National Institutes of Health recently shared some information:

What is mild forgetfulness?

Some of us do get more forgetful as we age. It may take longer to learn new things, call up certain words, or find our glasses. These are often signs of mild forgetfulness, not serious memory problems.

If you’re worried about being forgetful, see your doctor and describe what’s bothering you. Be sure to make a follow-up appointment to check your memory in the next six months or year. If you’re afraid you’ll forget, ask a family member, friend, or the doctor’s office to remind you.

What can I do about mild forgetfulness?

You can do many things to help keep your memory sharp and stay alert. Here are some helpful ideas:

• Learn a new skill.
• Volunteer in your community, at a school, or at your place of worship.
• Spend time with friends and family.
• Use memory tools—to-do lists, reminder notes, big calendars.
• Put your wallet or purse, keys and glasses in the same place each day.
• Get lots of rest.
• Exercise and eat well.
• Don’t drink a lot of alcohol.
• Get help if you feel depressed for weeks at a time.

What is a serious memory problem?

Serious memory problems make everyday things hard to do. You may find it hard to drive, shop, or even talk with a friend. Signs of serious memory problems may include:

• Asking the same questions over and over again
• Getting lost in places you know well
• Not being able to follow directions
• Becoming increasingly confused about time, people, and places
• Not taking care of yourself—eating poorly, not bathing, or being unsafe

What can I do if I’m worried about my memory?

See your doctor. If your doctor thinks your memory problems are serious, you may need a complete health checkup. The doctor will review your medicines and may test your blood and urine, as well as checking your memory, problem solving, counting, and language skills.

The doctor also may suggest a brain scan to show the normal and problem areas in the brain. Once the cause of the problem is discovered, you can ask what treatment might be best for you.

See your doctor if you are worried about your memory. It’s important to find out what is causing your memory problems.

Source: IlluminAge AgeWise with materials from MedlinePlus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, read “Read Forgetfulness: Knowing When to Ask for Help” https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/forgetfulness to learn more about the causes of memory loss, including treatable conditions.

As we grow older, deciding where to live is a very important decision. There are so many options from which to choose—ranging from active retirement communities, to assisted living and long-term care facilities offering health care and help with the activities of daily living.

Of course, many older adults would prefer to stay right in their own homes, where things are familiar and they have neighborhood ties. Our changing needs may require our homes to change as well, and we may need some extra help remaining as independent as possible.

This month’s puzzle  contains 20 words all having to do with support services that are available to help keep older adults safe and comfortable at home, wherever home may be.

Need some help? Click here for the solution .

Flu season is upon us! The flu can be a short-term annoyance—but it can cause serious complications and even death, and as we grow older, the risk grows as well.

Influenza is just one of the many infectious diseases that can lead to serious complications in older adults, and in people of every age. Increased attention is being paid to the issue of infection control, because today we are dealing with an increasing number of germs that no longer respond to the drugs that formerly killed them. During August 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new awareness campaign, calling for cooperation between healthcare facilities and public health officials in preventing the spread of antibiotic resistant germs. (You can read about it here.)

There’s plenty we all can do on the individual level, as well. Here’s the CDC’s brochure for consumers,“An Ounce of Prevention Keeps the Germs Away.”  Once you’ve reviewed the information, take a coffee break (wash your hands before you eat that muffin) and give your brain a workout with this month’s puzzle , which contains 20 words you might hear when talking about infection control.

Need a little help? Find the solution here.