Using Creativity to Combat Alzheimer's:Excellent Video

Webcast Transcript:

ANNOUNCER: Sarina was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1999. As the disease progressed, her husband John grew concerned about her behavior.

JOHN: She would sit there, become far more agitated and get up and walk around, and it was destructing in terms of my being able to do what I have to do and take care of her at the same time.

ANNOUNCER: In response, in 2004, a physician suggested re-introducing a once treasured activity, painting.

BARRY REISBERG, MD: She used to be a graphic designer. She had artistic skills. The kind of art that she's doing now is different. But she was able to take some of her prior skills and apply it to her very new situation in life.

JOHN: I had two books actually, Cézanne and Matisse, and took elements out of his still life paintings and enlarged them on a copy machine and embellished on them. We have like seven different subject matters that I put on larger boards. She'll be working on a painting and then she'll lift it up to me and say -- and I say, “Wonderful,” you know, and a little applause. And she gets a big smile on her face and has a great -- grand time.

ANNOUNCER: Once Sarina starting painting again, her behavior changed dramatically.

JOHN: So, you know, she's become far more social as a result of this and it's all really helped. The sense of dignity, of self esteem has come up tremendously.

ANNOUNCER: Sarina's treatment continues to include medications indicated for advanced Alzheimer's, donepezil and memantine. And continuing to utilize her artistic abilities may also contribute to slowing the disease.

BARRY REISBERG, MD: The medications are helping to slow the progression of her disease. I also believe that the care that's being provided to her and the opportunities that she's creating for herself in terms of her ability to take advantage of the care and to be creative are helping also, I think, to in some ways slow the progression of the disease.

JOHN: I mean this is the fascinating part. I mean what I've learned from this actually is the fact, you know, that there is that part of the brain that obviously has had tremendous training and is still functioning, so she's able to you know, bring it back. There are certain elements here, where even though it's a two-dimensional drawing, she manages to still comprehend a three-dimensional object. So the line drawing, you know, suddenly becomes three-dimensional, rather than just a flat color. And this is the thing that always amazes me because I keep watching to see, you know, is it going to go away, but it doesn't.

ANNOUNCER: Sarina's Alzheimer's continues to progress, but exercising her creativity has helped improve her overall quality of life.

JOHN: Now, you now, she's relaxed and she gets up, walks around, comes back. Sometimes she takes a painting into the living room, you know, and I find her in there doing it. But it's just helped you know, tremendously for both of us. So I become the beneficiary actually of what she's doing now.

See the Video:http://medicalnewstoday.healthology.com/hybrid/hybrid-autodetect.aspx?content_id=4544&focus_handle=alzheimers-disease&brand_name=medicalnewstoday

Courtesy:Healthology, Inc.

A Simple Balance Test May Detect Alzheimer's Early

The announcement of this article caught my attention. I have written several times about the very distinctive sound my mother's feet started making well before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia. The sound is difficult to describe, but I first heard it when she started scuffing her shoes on the ground as she walked. The sound was unique and it actually disconcerted me. When I mentioned this to my family and friends they all said the same thing, "she is getting old". I dismissed it for a long time, but looking back I now know it was a sign of mild cognitive impairment--often an early stage of dementia.

This new research about a simple balance test and the ability of this test to detect mild cognitive impairment is important. I suggest you try this one leg balance test. Then, if you have an elderly parent or grandparent you might have them try it from time to time.

This study was carried out in 16 university hospital departments of neurology, geriatrics or psychiatry in ten cities with 686 outpatients suffering from AD. This population is representative of the AD population seen by clinicians in daily practice. Patients were evaluated by a geriatrician every six months for up to two years, and their degree of cognitive impairment was measured using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). At the same time, a "one-leg balance" (OLB) test was given, where a participant was asked to stand on one leg for as long as possible. The OLB test was reported as abnormal when the participant was unable to stand on one leg for 5 seconds or more.

Participants with an abnormal OLB at baseline or/and during the follow-up showed significantly more cognitive decline at 12, 18 and 24 months than the participants with a OLB test normal at baseline and normal during the follow-up. The worst condition (having an abnormal OLB at baseline and during the follow-up= no improvement) was associated with a mean adjusted cognitive decline of 9.2 points. The best condition (having a normal OLB at baseline and during the follow-up = no worsening) was associated with a mean adjusted cognitive decline of 3.8 points.

Senior Investigator Yves Rolland, Inserm and the University of Toulouse, France, states, "Our results suggested that an abnormal OLB is a marker of more advanced dementia (worst baseline characteristic) and an independent predictor of cognitive decline in AD. Our results reinforce in an AD population, the growing evidence suggesting a link between physical performances and cognitive decline. If these results are confirmed by other data, the OLB test could be adopted in clinical practice to identify AD patients at high risk of rapid cognitive decline."

The article is "An Abnormal 'One-leg Balance' Test Predicts Cognitive Decline During Alzheimer's Disease" by Yves Rolland, Gabor Abellan van Kan, Fati Nourhashemi, Sandrine Andrieu, Christelle Cantet, Sophie Guyonnet-Gillette and Bruno Vellas It is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 16:3 (March 2009).


Courtsey: http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2009/03/simole-balance-test-may-detect.html

Negative Views of Old Age Translate to Poorer Health

It is often said that we are what we eat. In reality, we are what we think and feel, too. Add that to the fact that ageist mentalities are still very much prevalent today, with many holding stereotypical views of elderly persons being incompetent, helpless, or even burdens, and we have a situation whereby the vast majority of people would probably dread the thought of growing old. Now, a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science has suggested that there is a degree of self-fulfillment in such negative mindsets, having found that persons who hold negative views of older persons tend to have poorer health later on in life.

Details and Findings of Study

For the study, the researchers had looked at information on 440 men and women who had participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which ran for close to four decades. That aging study had commenced in 1968, at which time the study subjects were all healthy and aged between 18 and 49. As part of the study, various information on the subjects, including their health records as well as their views about the elderly, were collected.

The study team unveiled a strong association between ageism and poorer cardiovascular health later in life. Three decades after the commencement of the Baltimore study, 25% of the persons who held lowly views of old age, associating it with weakness or helplessness, had been struck by a heart condition or stroke. On the other hand, of those with positive views of old age, only 13% had been affected.

Mindsets When Young Impact Health Later On in Life

Previous research had already drawn a link between older persons who have negative ideas of old age and their tendency to meet them. Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at the Yale School of Public Health, was the leader of this latest study. She had previously also led studies which looked at negative attitudes on old age.

In one particular study she led, which was published in Journals of Gerontology in 2006, it was found that older persons who held negative stereotypes about elderly persons were more likely to suffer from hearing decline. But what is significant here is that even ageist attitudes early in life translate to poorer health as those who hold such views grow older. "We found that the age stereotypes, which tend to be acquired in childhood and young adulthood, and carried over into old age, seem to have far-reaching effects," said Levy.

Zooming in, the researchers looked at a group of study subjects who did not suffer any heart issues until they had passed 60 years old, which was at least 21 years after the start of the Baltimore study. The study team found that these persons were likely to have held negative views about old age from their younger years. There was no obvious explanation found for this increased risk of cardiovascular conditions, not even a host of other possible risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, family history, education levels or depression. According to the study team, the implication of this finding is that people begin internalizing stereotypes of old age from an early age, and these viewpoints come back to haunt them, so to speak, many years later.

Why would negative viewpoints about old age cause ill-health later in life? A couple of possible explanations are that such attitudes could raise stress as well as lower the chances that one will practice a healthy lifestyle, thus elevating the risk of poor health.

Negative Views of Old Age Impact Health in More Ways Than One

On a somewhat related note, research published last year found that speaking to older persons using "elderspeak", which is an overly intimate and simplified means of communication quite similar to "baby talk", can not only be insulting and exasperating to them, but can in fact negatively affect their health. Such talk is borne of the impression that the elderly are cognitively impaired and may thus need some "help". And it seems that older persons end up meeting these poor attitudes held about them. You can read more about that study at http://www.naturalnews.com/024884.html.

Added up, what all the above information tells us is that negative stereotypes of old folks can adversely affect their health, and the cause-and-effect is at least three-fold: how the elderly view themselves, how others view the elderly, and how young people's views of aging impact their own health later on as they age.

It is clear that optimism is crucial for healthy living and healthy aging, and being able to deal with the changes which come with aging is key to maintaining control over one's own life. With populations in developed countries rapidly graying, this is a potentially serious issue, not just socially, but also health-wise. It is thus paramount that society as a whole begins to alter our attitudes about aging and the elderly.

Courtesy:http://www.naturalnews.com/025843.html

7 Steps To Positive Thinking

I’ve said many times that we are pretty helpless when it comes to changing the passive aggressive, but what we can do is work on ourselves. We need to protect our own mental health to keep from getting totally sucked into being the victim in our relationships. A correct and positive attitude in whatever you do will make things easier, and even enjoyable.

Here are some tips to make it through the week even if you’re just sitting in your favorite couch. An idea takes time to form in your head and is always at work . Having a bit of positive thinking can help you realize things that you never thought possible.

1. Take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. Without it, passion is void.

This is a perfect example where dreams are made of where you start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands.

2. Commit to yourself as well as those you love to create powerfully a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.

3. Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme, why not give it a shot and see if it will work? You will be surprised to see of there are other ways to get the task done in time. If you are not pleased with the outcome, decide to use that moment to learn from and make the appropriate shift.

4. Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude.

5. Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based in increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. You would rather be richly passionate!

6. Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself when possible. To me, this is so important when you’re dealing with a passive aggressive. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I am yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as ‘old as great-grandma’. Life has too much to offer to allow you to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.

7. Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. No one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Create your life authentically. As long as there’s still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. The concept of thinking big is all about enjoying your life, which would lead to celebrate a discovery that is born within your mind and heart. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision.

It’s interesting how people get wallowed up in the day-to-day trivia of our lives. Not having any positive thinking in your life-you’ll just end up as a dim bulb in a dark corner. So instead of subjecting yourself to what you will be doomed for, make your path by taking the first step with a positive attitude. We cannot control those around us, but we can control how we react to them.

By ladybeams

Source:http://padontstandforpaloalto.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/7-steps-to-positive-thinking/

Senior Citizens Dance to Stay Active

Senior citizens in Monroe County have found a new, toe-tapping way to stay active.

The group of dancers, ages 50 through 80, performs throughout the pocono area and practices in East Stroudsburg. Jeanne Evers of swiftwater leads the group.

For decades, Evers has run dance studios in the poconos. She got her start with the rockettes at radio city music hall in new york city in the 1950's.

"They were very strict. You had to be there. If you were late three times, you were fired, no questions asked," she said.

Rather than retiring, Evers began her latest project - The Silver Tappers. She says more and more senior citizens are turning to dance as a way to stay active as they get older.

"It's very popular now, we have three classes going of older ladies. We wish we could get more men, but we don't!" she said.

97-year-old llda Jones was in the audience. She loved the tappers' routine.

"I think the show is great. I think they have a great feeling of merging together," said Llda Jones of Chestnuthill Township.

Even if the residents can't join in the dancing, care-givers say music can do wonders for the mind and body.

Anne Smith, an administrator at Chestnuthill Manor explained, "Just lifting their hands. It's a big thing. I don't want them to stay idle. So this is really important."

The Silver Tappers practice once a week at the Pocono Dance Center in East Stroudsburg.

See the video here: http://www.wnep.com/wnep-mon-dancing,0,5251510.story

Alzheimer's Disease: Nutrition

While there is no special diet required for people with Alzheimer's disease -- unless they have another condition, such as diabetes, that requires a particular diet -- eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet is extremely beneficial. With the proper diet, our bodies work more efficiently and we have more energy. This article addresses the basics of good nutrition.

The Basics

• Eat a variety of foods from each food category.
• Maintain your weight through a proper balance of exercise and food.
• Choose foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Try to limit sugars.
• Moderate your use of salt.
• Drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day (unless you are fluid restricted due to another medical condition, such as congestive heart failure).
• You may drink alcoholic beverages in moderation (but always consult your doctor).

Medications

Ask your doctor if any foods can interfere with the medicines you're taking.

Preventing Constipation

• Eat foods high in fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Fiber and water help the colon pass stool. Most of the fiber in fruits is found in the skins.
• Eat bran cereal or add bran cereal to other foods, like soup and yogurt.
• Drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water and other fluids a day (unless you are fluid restricted).
• Exercise
• Move your bowels when you feel the urge.

Tips to Relieve Constipation

• Drink 2-4 extra glasses of water a day.
• Add fruits and vegetables to your diet.
• Eat prunes and/or bran cereal.
• If needed, use a very mild stool softener or laxative. Do not use mineral oil or any other laxatives for more than two weeks without calling your doctor.

Dining Environment

• Minimize distractions in the area where you eat.
• Stay focused on the tasks of eating and drinking.

General Tips

• Eat slowly.
• Cut your food into small pieces, and chew it thoroughly.
• Do not try to eat more than 1/2 teaspoon of your food at a time.

What to Do If You Have a Dry Mouth

As we age, our bodies often signal us less when we are thirsty. In addition, some medications can dry you out, so it's important to keep drinking plenty of fluids.

• Drink 8 or more cups of liquid each day, 10 or more cups if you are feverish (unless you are fluid restricted).
• Dunk or moisten breads, toast, cookies, or crackers in milk, hot chocolate, or coffee to soften them.
• Take a drink after each bite of food to moisten your mouth and to help you swallow.
• Add sauces to foods to make them softer and moister. Try gravy, broth, sauce, or melted butter.
• Eat sour candy or fruit ice to help increase saliva and moisten your mouth.
• Don't use a commercial mouthwash. Commercial mouthwashes often contain alcohol that can dry your mouth. Ask your doctor or dentist about alternative mouthwash products.
• Ask your doctor about artificial saliva products. They are available over-the-counter or by prescription.

Maintaining Your Weight

Malnutrition and weight maintenance is often an issue for those with Alzheimer's disease.

• Eat smaller meals more frequently. Eating 5-6 times a day may be easier than eating the same amount of food in three meals.
• Take a daily vitamin/mineral supplement.

• Liquid diet supplements may be helpful.

Please consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Courtesy:http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/caregivers-09/nutrition?ecd=wnl_lbt_031109

Top 10 Tips For Traveling By Air With An Elderly Parent

This article gives ten ways to help achieve a safe and joyful air travel experience with your elderly parent. This is based on personal experience with my own 91-year-old mother. After having some rather stressful trips with my mother, I have made conscious efforts to create more joy in our travels. My goal was to reduce the frustration for my mother and for myself.


1. Include your parent in the planning stage of making reservations for rooms.

Some parents prefer having a separate room. Others like the security of sharing a room.

2. Review procedures for closing out their residence prior to leaving.
Stop paper, mail, etc. Make sure there are no appointments lined up for the time period of the trip.

3. Plan to travel on a day ahead of the main activities of the trip.

This time gives space for transition to the new environment and rest from the trip.

4. Arrange with the hotel/motel for adjoining rooms if you are in separate rooms.

This gives you the opportunity for easy connecting. Even keeping the key for your parent could be helpful. Doors are usually very heavy and are not easy to handle. Better to have your parent wait in the room until you are with them.

5. Go over the procedures for contacting the front desk so that the security of having help nearby is there.

Caution against opening the door thinking it could be family. Rely on the phone for connection if you don't have the key to their room.

6. If agreeable for your parent, arrange ahead of time for a wheelchair.

Distances in the airport are LONG and there is so much confusion everywhere. Being in the wheelchair takes away that stress for your parent.
AND you can zip through the security lines when you are with a wheelchair passenger!

7. Take along extra reading material for your parent to make the waiting time go faster.

Something you have may be more interesting since it is different from what your parent usually reads.

8. Take along a nightlight so that there is safety at night for going to the bathroom.

So many elderly people have falls which lead to inactivity which leads to degeneration of the body.
Having light at night is a great safety precaution against falls.

9. Be careful not to pack the schedule too tight.

Leave room for naps when necessary.
Take along plenty of reading for yourself so that you are not impatient waiting.

10. When returning home, check over their residence to make certain all is in shape for reentry.

Make certain lights are working. Check for any leaks in water lines. Ask if there is anything that you can do for them before you leave. Coming home after a trip is another important transition.


By Suzanne Holman

Source: http://www.articlerich.com/Article/Top-10-Tips-For-Traveling-By-Air-With-An-Elderly-Parent/15939