Minding Our Elders®

Emotional eating: why caregivers often do it

Somewhere deep in our subconscious most of us learn to connect food – at least certain types of food – with nurturing, comfort and solace. Caregivers, stressed to the max from trying to stay ahead of the needs of elders or others who depend on their care, often turn to food to comfort themselves or to relax. There tends to be a "I deserve this" mentality, and caregivers do, indeed, deserve to be pampered somehow. It's human and actually very good to want to comfort ourselves when we are stressed or even bored.

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Loneliness can cause some elders to turn to alcohol

Many an elder who only drank socially, or with a spouse, finds that a nice glass of wine at the end of the day helps ease loneliness. The once concrete rule that only alcoholics drink alone is rationalized away. When aren't they alone? The death of a long-time spouse leaves a huge hole in an elder's life. Could your elder be filling that hole with alcohol? If so, how much? What can you do to help?

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Study shows diabetes doubles risk for Alzheimer's disease

A multitude of studies, some dating back to the late 1990s, have suggested a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, as well as other types of dementia. However, those studies had some inconsistencies in the definition of both diabetes and dementia, thus making the results less convincing than they could be.

According to an article on Yahoo.net:

"The authors of the new study, led by Yutaka Kiyohara, MD, an environmental medicine researcher at Kyushu University, in Fukuoka, sought to address this weakness by using the gold standard of diabetes diagnosis, an oral glucose tolerance test."

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Mother’s alcoholism root of her health issues

Dear Carol: My mom is 64 years old and had a stroke three years ago. She lives alone and I feel she cannot take care of herself. She has been an alcoholic for many years and it is putting her health at high risk, as well as her safety. Mom recently fell and lay on the floor until I found her two days later. After finding her, I called 9-1-1, but she denied any medical attention. She is very stubborn, depressed and she never leaves her home. Can I put my mother into a nursing home without her consent? Daniel

Dear Daniel: If living conditions are unsafe, a social service welfare check may help get her some help. However, as sad as this is for you, if social services can’t help, you may just have to live with her situation until it gets worse. Alcohol is a depressant. She’s isolating and she’s had a stroke. You are worried for good reason.

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Watching Your Loved One’s Fluid Intake Vital Task for Caregivers

During my mother’s last month’s of life, she continually complained to me that the nursing home staff was always pushing liquids. Mom’s appetite was poor, and had been for quite awhile. The staff at the home was concerned about Mom’s weight loss, but they were less pushy about food than fluids. I tried to tell Mom how important it was that she drink plenty of fluids, but she’d wrinkle her nose and say she didn’t want more. Thus, preventing dehydration was a constant battle when caring for Mom.

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Once again, a study shows coffee may reduce risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Coffee is really, really good for our brains! So says an article on eurkalert.org.  Long-time readers on ouralzheimers.com may think that I spend many wakeful nights cruising the Internet for articles that justify my love for my morning cup(s) of java. That’s not really true. Well, at least not totally, really true. Well, I mean I like it when I find studies that tell me coffee, which is full of antioxidants, is good for me, but I don’t really, um, look that hard to find them. Not really.

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Emotional eating can be a problem for caregivers

Weight gain is something that is a common complaint among caregivers. Boredom, frustration, guilt, stress - there are many reasons we humans are prone to unhealthy eating, which can also mean over eating.  Whether the caregiver is at home with their care receiver, or stressed from running from work and/or home to care for their loved one in another setting, comfort food can be one way to deal with the stress. It's human, but it's unhealthy.

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Does your elder have an alcohol problem?

Many people find it hard to believe that an elder with health problems may actually have an alcohol abuse problem. It simply doesn't occur to them. This also doesn't occur to many doctors. However, there are many elders who slip into alcohol abuse as loneliness or illness becomes a way of life.

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Can a Mediterranean diet help prevent Alzheimer’s disease?

The Mediterranean diet is hard to beat for health reasons. In the article Is Heart-Healthy Good for the Brain? the Mediterranean diet was addressed because of the “healthy fats” from fish and olive oil, as well as the dependence on vegetables as a key staple. This diet is a “dream diet” from the standpoint of many nutritionists.

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Sharing meals with our loved ones as dementia takes its toll

Until I became a full-time employee at a newspaper, I’d made my noon hour the regular time for a daily visit with my elders in a nearby nursing home. Early on, that meant picking my mother up at her apartment and taking her along with me to see Dad who was the first to need nursing home care. Eventually, Mom needed nursing home care, as did my mother-in-law. I was then spreading myself out during the lunch hour, trying to be a part of the meal with each of them. Needless to say, I wasn’t always successful in carrying this out to everyone’s satisfaction, but I tried.

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Watching Your Loved One’s Fluid Intake Vital for Task For Caregivers

During my mother’s last month’s of life, she continually complained to me that the nursing home staff was always pushing liquids. Mom’s appetite was poor, and had been for quite awhile. The staff at the home was concerned about Mom’s weight loss, but they were less pushy about food than fluids. I tried to tell Mom how important it was that she drink plenty of fluids, but she’d wrinkle her nose and say she didn’t want more. Thus, preventing dehydration was a constant battle when caring for Mom.

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It’s Not Our Imaginations: We Are Smarter than Our Parents Were at Our Age

Forty is the new 30. Fifty is the new 40. Sixty is the new – well, whatever. That type of spin is on everything from cosmetics to sports equipment. The idea is that we, as a generation, are “younger” than previous generations were at the same age. While I’m really quite tired of the same old spin, I am very happy that we are now proven younger than our parents were at our age. I know I feel younger than my parents acted, but I thought that may be merely delusion or denial on my part. Now, a study actually backs up that gut feeling.

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More Evidence Points to Antioxidants in Fruits as a Way to Slow Aging

We can live in denial if we choose, or just be undisciplined about our food choices (I plead guilty to this), however, most of us know that fruits and vegetables are good for us for many reasons. One of those reasons is because most of them contain high levels of antioxidants which have been shown in study after study to be good for the heart, the brain and our overall health.

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More Evidence Points to Antioxidants in Fruits as a Way to Slow Aging

We can live in denial if we choose, or just be undisciplined about our food choices (I plead guilty to this), however, most of us know that fruits and vegetables are good for us for many reasons. One of those reasons is because most of them contain high levels of antioxidants which have been shown in study after study to be good for the heart, the brain and our overall health.

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Study shows Inexpensive and Available Vitamin B May Help Stem Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Okay, I’m guilty as charged. I’m very attracted to studies that show naturally occurring and readily available (read inexpensive) nutrients can help people avoid any illness, particularly dementia. I find one such study, now in the news, very exciting.

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Watching Cholesterol Could Possibly Prevent Dementia

September is National Cholesterol Education Month. What does that have to do with dementia? Possibly a lot. Most doctors and researchers believe that what is good for the heart is good for the brain. Since it's pretty well accepted that high levels of low density cholesterol can lead to heart attacks and strokes, it seems logical that high levels of low density cholesterol could also damage the brain.

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Maybe It Isn't Dementia

Decades ago, when I was growing up, a public health nurse would come to our home once a month to give my grandmother a vitamin B12 shot. This vitamin was known to help a type of anemia developed by many older people. It's well known now that vitamin B12 is not well absorbed my most aging bodies. A deficiency of B12 can not only result in anemia, it can cause problems with balance, memory, decision making and more.

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Elders and Heat: Sometimes a Deadly Combination

The heat is on. July and August, for many of us, puts the temperatures up in an uncomfortable range. These stifling temps remind me of my mother-in-law. She had a wall air conditioner in her condominium, but she would not use it. Even though the noon hour was my usual time to see her, during hot weather I'd run over in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon, as well. I'd turn on her AC, as she'd sit with her windows closed, draperies closed and virtually no air.

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Swallow Safely: Timely Book for Elders and Caregivers

 

Questions from readers often center on the fact that Mom or Dad has stopped eating or has issues with swallowing. Each case is, of course, individual, so all I can do is suggest that people work more closely with the doctor to find the reason for this disturbing occurrence with their loved one.

Sometimes, people's bodies are shutting down during the death process, therefore that person's body no longer needs food and food will be rejected. Often, however, the problem is about difficulties with swallowing brought on by a specific illness.

I recently received a complimentary copy of a very helpful book that will give me, a non-medical person, a valuable tool to reference when I receive these questions about swallowing.

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Apple Juice for Alzheimer’s? Study Shows It Helps Behavior

I get excited when I read about studies that find that nutritional foods and/or already available drugs can help people with Alzheimer’s. Many studies show promise of a miracle drug in the pipeline, but if you or your loved one is at risk or already coping with Alzheimer’s symptoms at this time, reports on these studies don’t do much more than cause frustration. People want help now.

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