Minding Our Elders

Study - How You Can Participate

I've written before about Prevagen to protect the brain from aging. The natural product has proven to be helpful for other health situations, as well. My son and I both take it. The Prevagen people at www.quincybioscience.com are now conducting a study. This study is for people who have never taken Prevagen.

Here's a link to my original post on Prevagen.

If you are interested, please contact the people at Quincy bioscience.com (phone 608- 233-2475). Here's what Todd Olson's e-mail to me said: " We have a 3 month "Prevagen Quality of Life" study. We will have an online survey that can easily be filled out in about 10 minutes. We will provide 3 months of free product in exchange for the participants to complete the questionnaire at required intervals (Day 0, Day 8, Day 30, Day 60, & Day 90)."

So my friends, if you are interested in this study, just go on www.quincybioscience.com or give them a call.

Caregiver Injuries: Avoid Them

My mother fell often. She out-weighed me, and she was very fragile, having had two hip replacements. Her knees needed to be replaced, as well, but she was too frail. I often had to call for help after a fall, until she went into a nursing home, as I couldn't safely get her up off the floor. Caregivers often need to learn how to lift and do many other things for those they care for. Sometimes, we can do it alone, sometimes we can't. For those who can, here, from AgingCare.com, is an excellent article by Denise Clark, titled "Preventing Injuries Among Caregivers." The article begins:

"Protecting and ensuring the safety of elders is of prime importance for home caregivers. However, many don't stop to think about protecting themselves from injury. By protecting the caregivers, we also provide a safe and secure environment for such care."

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Dementia and Travel- They Mix!

More from my favorite blogger who copes with her own dementia - the awesome Leah:

Dementia does not stop me from going on vacation-though I would not be able to function without the support of my husband.  Let me explain. We have just gotten back from a five night cruise to the western Caribbean.  In the distant past, before I married my husband, I was able to travel well by myself.  I followed schedules, found my way through the airport/plane/ship just fine.  I was able to follow directions, remember cabin numbers, etc.  The cruise last week showed me the effect dementia is having on me.

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Music Therapy Helps Some Regain Speech After Stroke

A story that can only be called "heartwarming" was recently published by The New York Times online. Titled, "At 60, He Learned to Sing So He Could Learn to Talk," the story is about how a man regained his ability to talk after a stroke - by singing.

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Do You Have a Perfect or Imperfect Mother? Thoughts to Ponder

Barbara Mascio, founder of Senior Approved Services, is a talented writer, as well as a gift entrepreneur (and, literally, a clown). This article is one that I used in my own newsletter around Mother's Day last year. It's just too good to stop at that. Give yourself a treat and read this gift from Barbara.

"You are standing in front of beautiful cards filled with verses depicting the wonderful loving unselfish love of a mother and none of them quite fit. You’re wondering why the card companies can’t have a special section just for the dysfunctional family."

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Study Shows Mixing Dementia Drugs with Incontinence Drugs Can Cause Decline

Why am I not surprised? A study has shown that  two classes of drugs often given, in tandem,  to people with dementia - a population that also tends to have problems with incontinence - are together causing more rapid functional decline.

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Poetry Promotes Mental Agility

One of the people I most admire, Leah, is  a fellow blogger on ouralzheimers.com. Leah has vascular dementia. Through her blog posts, she provides us with a remarkable look into her world. Here, in "Poetry Promotes Mental Agility," Leah writes about one way she keeps her skills sharp:

"Since writing about my dementia dilemma, I have given considerable thought to the current process of exercising my mind.  Because my communication skills are still good, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and exercise my mind in a new way: I will stretch it as I try my hand at writing poetry. (Note:  Poetry has been an avenue for me to deal with the most stressful times of my life.  I have not really written any for thirty years or more.)"

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A Journey of Hope After Loss

Fellow writer on AgingCare.com Linda Drake has written some excellent articles on grief and death. This one seems to fit our site: A Journey of Hope After Loss.

"For those of you that have recently lost a loved one, the intensity of your pain may be indescribable, unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Friends and relatives try to console you by saying that time will heal the pain-and for some this may be true. However, quite often when we lose someone we are very close to, we carry the pain of our grief to our own grave."

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Adult Day Care – or Day Services – Can Fill a Gap for Caregivers

Which sounds better? “Let’s go, Dad. We need to get you dressed for day care.” Or “Hey, Dad – let’s get you ready. The guys at the club are waiting!”  If your Alzheimer’s afflicted dad is dragging his feet about going to day services and you need to get to work, which do you think would be more effective? It’s pretty obvious that the more respectful, dignified question would get the best response.

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Help With Life, Death and Our Spiritual Health

Anyone who regularly reads my work already knows that I am a huge fan of hospice and palliative care. These connections have brought to my attention the work of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Lee Oliver, the author of three books that work, in different ways, to teach us about the dying (and living) process.

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Alzheimer's Support and A Place For Mom

There's a new online Alzheimer's disease support group at www.mdjunction.com/alzheimers-disease. It looks like a very good site with a lot of help. I'll be posting the link on the sidebar, as well.

Also, www.aplaceformom.com is packed with experts, articles and advice on finding care centers in your area. There are people from all over the country to help. Just choose your location. They have a community of caregivers blogging, as well.

Do visit both of these fine sites and see if they have what you are looking for.

Can Antioxidants Reverse or Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

In my previous blog, I wrote about an encouraging study of a drug called Dimebon. This drug, if approved, may help people with Alzheimer's keep their independence longer.Now, according to new findings published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we have another reason to celebrate. The release, found on medicalnewstoday.com and titled "Antioxidant Therapy Shows Early Promise Against Alzheimer's Disease - Improved Blood Flow Boosted Cognition And Behavior In Mice With AD-Like Illness," gives hope that there are ways of "shutting off" the damaging effects of free radicals that could even reverse ...

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Dimebon, A New Alzheimer’s Drug, Shows Promise

The American Academy of Neurology 60th Annual Meeting brought news of a new Alzheimer's drug called Dimebon. The drug just made it through a pivotal phase of testing. Although it faces more trials before it will be marketable, the information implies that Dimebon could prove to be an important part of future Alzheimer's treatment.

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Counseling for Caregivers

An article by Denise Clark, titled "The Importance of Counseling for Caregivers," shares some good advice that could help guide a stressed caregiver into a counseling situation, where he or she could safely talk about issues that might otherwise be stuffed. Clark begins:

"Caregivers are in a unique position to provide care for the physical, mental and spiritual needs of parents and other loved ones. However, who cares for the caregiver’s needs?"

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Alzheimer's Vaccine and Early Detection Process Show Promise

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have been testing a promising vaccine designed to clear beta-amyloid plaques from the brain.

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