I came across an interesting article that I want to share with you. It comes from ww.medicalnewstoday.com, and I am using parts of it with the site’s permission. The article is titled  “Baby Boomers Face Down Aging: 10 Most Common Medical Challenges.” It offers a snapshot of the ten challenges that baby boomers will face in the coming years as more and more of them hit 65. And since the US Census Bureau estimates that nearly a quarter of the US population will be 65 or older by 2030 (today that group is around 13% of total), this means these are issues that will balloon in scope and impact in coming years.

Of course, these are also issues that today’s elderly population is dealing with. So whether you are caring for an elderly loved one right now, or looking toward your future as a senior citizen, I think this list provides some valuable information to keep in mind. It comes to use from researchers and clinicians in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

10 Most Common Medical Challenges Facing Baby Boomers

1. Functional decline: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the body loses one percent of muscle mass a year beginning at age 45, which can result in sarcopenia as skeletal muscle is eventually replaced with fat and the body becomes weaker. Some research has linked protein deficiency with sarcopenia. For every week spent in the hospital, it takes an aging body a month to recover muscle strength with daily rehabilitation, says geriatrician Liliana Andrade, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston. Exercise, including resistance and strength training, is absolutely essential for retaining muscle mass and strength. “For balance, tai chi is good,” she says. “We also encourage patients to rent ’sit and be fit’ videos that use hand and leg weights.”

2. Depression: Considered as prevalent as the common cold in the elderly, depression can be the result of major life changes, including retirement, losing loved ones and loss of mobility and independence. It can show up differently in older people, says geriatrician Nasiya Ahmed, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston. “There’s not as much of a tendency toward tearfulness or feelings of hopelessness,” she says. “Instead they have vague somatic complaints, increased pain, not sleeping or eating well or general apathy.”

3. Disease: Chronic diseases associated with the aging process, including high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypothyroidism, constipation, incontinence and arthritis, can take their toll. Preventive measures taken now such as quitting smoking, eating healthy food and exercising are all important steps toward a better quality of life. “Even quitting smoking at age 60 is better than not quitting at all,” Andrade says.

4. Polypharmacy: A term geriatricians are using for the number of prescription and over-the-counter medications that elderly people are taking in alarming numbers is polypharmacy. “People go to five different doctors and none of the others know what is going on,” Ahmed says. In some cases, seniors who wind up in the hospital may be prescribed a different medication for an existing condition such as high blood pressure because the hospital doesn’t stock the particular one they’ve been taking in the past. The patient returns home with a new prescription from the hospital physician and continues taking the other medication as well, which can be deadly. “I’ve had patients come in who are taking 20 different medications,” Andrade says. “A lot of them also take vitamins and herbal supplements that they don’t need and that can interfere with medications.” The solution, they say, is to have a written record of all prescriptions, supplements and vitamins that they can bring to their appointments and have a family practitioner or geriatrician who can be the lead physician in managing their care.

5. Falls: Low blood pressure, which can be a result of poorly managed hypertension or dehydration, can lead to dizziness. That dizziness, combined with a decreased ability of the vascular system to compensate for changes in position such as standing up, is the largest cause of falls, they say. “So many patients have told me that they take blood pressure medication when they feel like it’s high instead of taking it as it is prescribed,” Ahmed says. “I ask them how they know it’s high and they give vague signs such as their nose tingles or their tremor worsening.” Taking medications for sleep can also be dangerous. “Some take Benadryl to help them sleep and as people get older, that’s not such a good thing because it causes confusion and they can fall because they’re sleepy,” Andrade says.

6. Abuse and neglect: These two problems, including self-neglect, will continue to afflict the elderly, says Carmel B. Dyer, M.D., professor and director of the geriatric and palliative medicine division at the UT Medical School at Houston and co-author of the book, “Elder Abuse Detection and Intervention.”

7. Financial exploitation: Vulnerable elderly people can easily become victims of family members or caregivers. “We see cases where grown children have moved back in with them and are depending on them financially. They use their resources, borrow the car, rely on them to baby sit, and it upsets the senior’s ability to function,” Ahmed says. “I had one patient in her early 80s whose leg had just been amputated and she was still babysitting her 11- and 12-year-old grandchildren, who were taunting her.”

8. Dementia: Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a gradual decline in a person’s mental functioning, and is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans over age 65, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that Alzheimer’s disease and dementia triple healthcare costs for people over 65. But education about dementia and possible treatments including medications is lacking, Ahmed and Andrade say. “There are now more medications that are helpful. They can’t cure it, but they can help,” Andrade says. “Unfortunately, a lot of people are in denial. I had a 78-year-old patient who I knew was suffering from dementia because of the way he was managing his medications and health. But his son got upset when I started talking about it and they left the room.”

9. Caregiver burnout: As baby boomers age, many will also be taking care of their own aging parents. That brings caregiver burden, which can lead to a higher risk for depression and other stress-related illnesses. Ahmed says caregivers should solicit health resources, such as daycares for seniors, to help them shoulder the stress. They should take advantage of support groups and ask social workers regularly about available community resources. Special units for acute care for the elderly (ACE units), can help make hospitalizations less stressful for the patient and family.

10. Death and dying: Baby boomers will have to decide how they want to live out the end of their lives and how they want to die. Cultural and religious beliefs will impact these decisions and physicians will need to be sensitive to that, Ahmed says. As patients age, the physician begins to play a larger role in a patient’s life and strong physician-patient relationships will be important in determining a patient’s wishes. People should make those wishes known to family members and caregivers and put them in writing.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

GPS-fitted shoe by Aetrex & GTX

We hear about it far too often- an elderly person with Alzheimer’s or dementia who is missing. In the past few days, I’ve come across these news stories online:

• Virginia State Police are searching for a woman with early stage Alzheimer’s who wandered away from her Eastern Shore home overnight…
• Police are looking for a Georgia woman with Alzheimer’s disease who went missing Saturday afternoon in New Orleans…
• Authorities asked for the public’s help in locating an elderly Millard County man with Alzheimer’s Disease…
• Search is on for woman, 87, with mild dementia…

It’s a frightening situation for caregivers, and an unsafe and sometimes tragic one for the patient. But recently I heard about a new device that could truly be a lifesaver: a shoe outfitted with a GPS tracking system that can locate the wearer instantly.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, as many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s. Patients of Alzheimer’s, the leading cause of dementia, can easily become confused or disoriented, and it’s common for them to wander from their home or senior living facility and not be able to find their way back. The tracking device in this shoe is intended to be totally unobtrusive. In addition to providing real-time information on the elderly person’s location, caregivers will also have the option to subscribe to a GTX service that automatically alerts them when the wearer of the shoe leaves a designated boundary.

Of course one of the stumbling blocks here is whether your loved one is willing to wear such shoes. There are all sorts of issues of privacy and consent. No one is more stubborn than my elderly father. He still lives independently in a continuing care retirement community, but in recent years  I have noticed that he is more accepting of his limitations and maybe even a little scared at times. As I’ve written before, he suffered a terrible fall in his apartment last September and nearly 32 hours passed before he was found. He is now fully recovered, but that tragedy scared him into agreeing to wear an “alert” necklace that he can use to signal if he is ever incapacitated in the future. I’d like to think that if he started to develop dementia, he might be willing to wear a shoe such as this, if not out of concern for his own safety than maybe out of concern for my peace of mind.

Of course, my husband reads this and his first thought is, “Can’t we get those shoes for our daughters?” That’s a topic for a different blog!

The shoe is a collaboration between GTX Corp., a firm that specializes in miniaturized GPS tracking devices, and footwear company Aetrex. Details are still being worked out, but GTX expects the shoe to retail for around $200 to $300 and be available some time next year.

The latest research on dementia gives new meaning to the phrase “food for thought.” A study released yesterday indicates that individuals with even borderline to moderately high cholesterol levels in their 40s have a much greater chance of developing dementia later in life.

Researchers tracked nearly 10,000 people for four decades, starting when the participants were between 40 and 45. After controlling for weight, hypertension and diabetes, researchers discovered a significant link between borderline-high cholesterol and dementia, according to the study.Participants who had high cholesterol (240 or more) had a 66 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. People with borderline-high cholesterol (200-239) had a 25 percent spike in risk.

Although previous studies have linked heart and brain health, researchers said this study is the first to examine the association between borderline cholesterol levels and dementia. And although dementia does not typically strike until later in life, “it’s a disease of a lifetime,” said Rachel Whitmer, Ph.D., a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente and senior author of the study. “We need to think about it like we do for cardiovascular disease.”

Experts agree that a three-pronged approach of daily exercise, stress reduction and nutrition can naturally lower levels. A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, whole grains, fiber, fresh fruit, vegetables and a limited amount of red meat is best, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Our study shows that even moderately high cholesterol levels in your 40s puts people at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia decades later,” said Whitmer. “Considering that nearly 100 million Americans have either high or borderline cholesterol levels, this is a disturbing finding. The good news here is that what is good for the heart is also good for the mind, and this is an early risk factor for dementia that can be modified and managed by lowering cholesterol through healthy lifestyle changes.”

The study appears in the journal Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

The more I learn about Alzheimer’s disease, the more I realize that it is one of those conditions that you really can’t understand unless you’ve dealt with it personally, caring for a friend or loved one. But I think the talented folks at HBO may have found a way to give all of us a deeper understanding of this debilitating brain disorder through their new effort – THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, as many as 5.3 million people in the US are living with the disease; that’s one in every eight people over age 65. And those numbers will explode as baby boomers age. Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s, and it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the US. Yet a survey conducted as part of the HBO project found that a majority of Americans have a “poor understanding of the fatal and progressive brain disease and the extent of its impact on individuals and society.”

HBO’s THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT features a four-part documentary series, 15 short supplemental films, a comprehensive website and a nationwide community-based information and outreach campaign. Best of all, you can see the films even if you don’t subscribe to HBO. They will all stream free of charge on hbo.com.

The four feature films are: “The Memory Loss Tapes” – which provides an up-close and perosnal look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer’s, providing examples of the full spectrum of the progression of the disease. “Momentum in Science” is a two-part state-of-the-science film that takes viewers inside the labs and clinics of 25 leading scientists and physicians. “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am’ with Maria Shriver” shows what it is like to be a child or grandchild of someone with Alzheimer’s; and “Caregivers” highlights the sacrifices and successes of people who care for a loved one with the disease.

THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT website also provides a wealth of information, including links to a 24-hour helpline, message boards and information on how to connect with clinical trials.

Maria Shriver served as executive producer of the series. Shriver’s 93-year-old father, Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps and 1972 Democratic vice presidential nominee, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2003. THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT marks the third time HBO Documentary Films has made a focused attempt at public health education. In 2000, there was the Peabody Award-winning series “Cancer: Evolution to Revolution,” followed by the “Addiction” series in 2007.

It’s no surprise that elderly couples that have been together for decades can take on each other’s traits – developing similar political views, taste in food and music, sense of humor and even physical appearance. But a recent study suggests something remarkable – spouses of people with dementia are at substantially increased risk of developing dementia themselves.

No, dementia is not contagious. Rather, researchers say that the stress involved in caring for a person with this condition is huge and stress is a known risk factor for dementia. In addition, people who are stressed are less likely to eat a healthy diet and exercise, both of which are critical to brain health.

The study was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease.

Researchers followed more than 1,200 couples for 10 years. They found that wives who cared for husbands with dementia were nearly four times more likely to develop dementia than wives of men who didn’t have the condition. Husband caregivers were almost 12 times more likely to develop dementia than husbands of women who were cognitively healthy.

Why are male caregivers at greater risk of developing dementia than female? Researchers say it’s because elderly men tend to rely on their wives to keep up social ties with relatives and friends. Also, men often fail to go to the doctor without some nudging from their wives, according to the study. This places them at higher risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other conditions that may raise the risk of dementia.

Researchers offer this advice for adult children of people with dementia:

• Visit frequently and relieve the caregiving parent from his or her duties so he or she can get some rest.
• Make sure the healthy parent gets out and engages in social activities.
• Ensure both parents get to the doctor regularly.

These are good reminders for all senior citizens, not just those caring for someone with dementia.

Adult day care centers are an option for some families caring for a relative with dementia. These facilities offer a respite for caregivers. Most operate during normal business hours Monday-Friday, although some do offer evening and weekend hours. For a complete list of adult day care centers in Florida, visit Florida Senior Living Advisor.

Our regular Sunday night dinners with my elderly father and his friend Ginny always include a drink with our meal. Usually it is red wine, although sometimes, particularly if we go out to eat, they opt for a vodka martini (with an olive AND a twist please). At ages 84 and 90, respectively, I figure they can do what they want. And after all, we provide the ride to and from their Florida continuing care retirement community, so no worries there.

But it never occurred to me that those drinks might actually be helping them. That’s right. According to a new study one or two alcoholic beverages a day may reduce a senior citizen’s risk of developing dementia by almost 40 percent. The study was presented this week at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, currently being held in Vienna, Austria.

These “moderate drinkers” who are 75 years of age or older had a lower risk of developing dementia than people who had more than two drinks a day and also a lower risk than those individuals who abstained from any alcohol completely, Dr. Kaycee Sink and her colleagues found. For the study, they asked more than 3,000 adults how often they drank and examined them every six months for up to six years for signs of memory loss or mental decline.

The findings aren’t a free pass for drinking among the elderly, the results showed. People who were already showing signs of memory problems deteriorated significantly faster if they drank alcohol, and the more they consumed the worse the symptoms became. Heavy drinkers, defined as those consuming more than 14 drinks a week, were almost twice as likely to develop dementia, researchers said.

“If you’re already drinking, you don’t need to cut back if you’re cognitively healthy, but we don’t have enough information to recommend you start drinking,” Kaycee Sink, assistant professor of medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said during a press conference. “The benefits increase as people move from mild to moderate levels of drinking, and then start to decline.”

Maybe this study will convince the folks in charge of senior living facilities to add a regular happy hour to their activity calendars!

I suppose these results also have implications for me and my fellow 40-something friends. We’ve known for a long time that a glass or two of red wine is good for our hearts. Now to think it can also stave off dementia is reason to celebrate – with a toast!