Alzheimers Support

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Google Glass As Brain Prosthetic for someone with Alzheimers Dementia

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Will Google Glass become a brain prosthetic as it has many of the capabilities needed to become a “memory support system.”

That is, Glass could use its amazing technology to help early Alzheimer’s victims who “wander” by providing them with cues, prompts, and reminders of where they wanted to go and of how to get there.

Using Google GPS, Glass could provide specific walking directions to the grocery store. It could become a prosthetic “memory support system” bringing a new sense of independence to the cognitively impaired, encouraging them to venture out into the world. See on www.huffingtonpost.com

This is an interesting idea. It would be wonderful if this could help the person with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s. As stated, it could assist with directions, etc. if the person had very mild dementia.

My worry would be that it might give the caregiver a false confidence that the person with later Alzheimer’s was safe when alone. At that stage, this would not be the best idea as a method of assistance or control..

Someone with later stage dementia could forget what the Google Glass was for and toss them aside as a nuisance.

I hope they do many hours thinking and testing before this is recommended to Caregivers for their loved one with mid to late stage Alzheimer’s dementia. 

What do you think? Would you like your loved one with dementia to have the Google Glass?

There are numerous tools, now, to help the person with dementia such as GPS tracking in shoes, watches, and wristbands. Nothing goes as far as a brain prosthetic but there are many gadgets to help the memory impaired live a better life.

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Keep Yourself Healthy after Retirement and Beyond

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Keep Yourself Healthy after Retirement and beyond

To keep yourself healthy after retirement isn’t always the goal. Some folks think the point of retirement is to become inactive, kick-back and watch television all day for a couple months.

“A new review explored how people change their lifestyle habits when they stop working, and found that the personal situation of the retiree greatly influences whether someone becomes more or less healthy.” –http://www.livescience.com

retirement-living

I first retired as I neared 60, but I had a home-business at the time so it wasn’t a real retirement. Still, I was concerned about all the usual health concerns: chocolate chip cookies and malted shakes for breakfast, a furry robe and soap-operas all day long. I was pretty certain my muscles might atrophy as I soaked up all that retirement leisure. Wrong!

Because I was home all day, my home-based-business flourished. Within months, I regretted my earlier decision to split-and-situate the business on either end of our ranch-style home so I would be sure to get enough exercise.

Big mistake! It seemed like a good idea at the time, fearing weight-gain from all those cookies and shakes.

But when I actually had to walk 100 miles a day just to run my little business, it became frustrating.

Retirement definitely Needs some Planning

We all know that finances can be an issue and requires some extra planning. But many are so relieved to walk away from the work force that they don’t give their health much thought.

Though you may be healthy at the time of retirement, physical and emotional changes will occur depending on how you choose to live, and what you choose to do with your time after retirement.

Some things need a schedule.

Do your Planning ahead of time 

1. Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet

There is no substitute for Good nutrition. We all need a healthy, balanced diet that will provide adequate calories and nutrients to keep us healthy and functioning at our best. It might be easiest to keep your regular routine from your working days where food is concerned. Don’t skip meals as that only encourages snacking.

And, if you’re like me…

Snacking means; Twinkies, Cheetos or anything in the cabinet that’s either crunchy or chocolate.

Actually, you may no longer need those large meals that sustained you through long workdays. After retirement you probably won’t be burning the same amount of calories as before.

If you eat the same large meals without the same activity, it could create a weight problem. Try 5/6 smaller, lighter meals each day, which are easier on your digestion as well.

2. Stay Active

If you aren’t like me with a silly home-business in rooms separated by the great-divide, retirement can lead to less activity than you are accustom to.  In turn, less activity means stiffer joints, weaker muscles and less mobility.

Daily activity, whether it be walking, running, jogging or working out in a gym, is a necessity. A body in motion stays in motion and this holds true as you age. You must keep moving. Staying physically active helps us avoid slowing down and encourages good overall health.

Look into exercise classes for senior citizens. Find a Silver Sneakers class near you. They are available in many Gyms and most YMCA’s. Some Medicare Supplements offer FREE registration for the Silver Sneakers program.

The latest dance work-outs can be fun as well, if your health permits. There are dance videos for most of the game units; Xbox, Wii, Playstation. Find something that holds your interest, try new things, and go places that will help you to stay active. Keeping your core muscles strong is a must-have for good balance and posture. Exercise keeps you healthier and Feeling Better too!

3. Stay Sociable

Even if you no longer work outside the home, you still need the companionship of friends, family and loved ones. Stay Active. Join a Club. Go to church.

Walk every day whether you need a walker for support, or a treadmill for indoors, keep active.

Surround yourself with good friends, a good support network and loving family that will be there for you. Practice being a good friend to others in return and you’ll have a pleasurable retirement and beyond!

 

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Vitamin D deficiency may lead to Mobility Issues in the Elderly

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Vitamin D deficiency and Mobility Issues

Vitamin D deficiency may lead to mobility issues as Vitamin D is need to keep healthy bones as well as a strong Cardio Vascular system .

Older people with lowest vitamin D levels are 1.7 times more likely to have at least one physical limitation than those with the highest levels. Not getting enough vitamin D may lead to problems with completing everyday tasks later in life.

I know from personal experience how important Vitamin D can be. While hospitalized a couple years ago, my levels of Vitamin D were almost nil. My own problem wasn’t from lack of sunshine but a COPD exacerbation. Though I was given injections of replacement Vitamin D, I still required rehab to be able to walk easily and keep my balance steadily.

This article discusses other consequences from low levels of Vitamin D and says, “Seniors who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have mobility limitations and to see their physical functioning decline over time.”
Lead author Evelien Sohl, a researcher with VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said in a press release, “Older individuals with these limitations are more likely to be admitted to nursing homes and face a higher risk of mortality.”

 “One of the reasons we’re so vitamin D deficient is we’re avoiding the sun and wearing sun screen,” Phillips added. “That’s great for skin cancer prevention, not such good news for our vitamin D levels.”

Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, said that this study showed there was a necessity to look further into whether taking supplements could help with vitamin D deficiencies. He was not involved in the study.

The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements recommends adults 51 to 70 years old get 600 IUs of vitamin D each day and those 70 and older get 800 IUs daily. See on www.cbsnews.com

Make certain that your loved one takes frequent walks outside and receives a good daily dose of  Vitamin D.

To learn even more about Vitamin D check this article: 15 Benefits from Vitamin D   

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The Exercise to Build a Better Brain

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Exercise to Build a Better Brain
exercise

Over the last few years, I’ve suggested numerous activities for those with Alzheimer’s. Exercise to build a better brain. Exercise not only helps the body but it also helps the brain.

I’m not talking about reading (though that does help the brain) I’m talking about physical activity.

I know there is a constant need for activities to keep someone busy who can no longer think of things to do on their own. My Mom often beat boredom with a box of crayons and her favorite color-book. (That book has become a family heirloom, now, since her passing)

There is also a common belief that brain exercise  (with puzzles, beads, crayons, and word games) will delay the progression of Alzheimer’s. I think there may be some validity to that idea, though mental training and it’s value in strengthening the brain is truly speculative at this point.

More recently, in my own battle with COPD, I’ve learned a life lesson about the value of physical exercise. To help recovery after a severe exacerbation with COPD, I went through Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab. It was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. Not only did I learn about breathing and the lungs, I was taught valuable lessons about how the human body functions in general and it’s demand for physical exercise.

Exercise strengthens the muscles and toned muscles require less oxygen, which means I can live longer and lead a more normal life if I get 45 minutes of cardio-exercise everyday. Without exercise, muscles turn to fat, my oxygen demand climbs and I become, too soon, an invalid.

Since my rigorous exercise program made me feel better, I began to wonder about people who have Alzheimer’s or Dementia.  Could such an exercise program help them too; a brisk walk or bicycle ride. While searching for facts about exercise and brain health, I found an article in the New York Times where neuroscientists and physiologists have been gathering evidence of just such a belief. Their research has been about the beneficial relationship between exercise and brainpower.

Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons — and the makeup of brain matter itself — scientists have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility, exercise also appeared to slow or reverse the brain’s physical decay, much as it does with muscles.

The best evidence came from lab animals living in busy and exciting cages. One group lived in a world of sensual and gustatory plenty, dining on nuts, fruits and cheeses, their food occasionally dusted with cinnamon, all of it washed down with variously flavored waters. Their “beds” were colorful plastic igloos occupying one corner of the cage. Neon-hued balls, plastic tunnels, nibble-able blocks, mirrors and seesaws filled other parts of the cage.

Group 2 had access to all of these pleasures, plus they had small disc-shaped running wheels in their cages. A third group’s cages held no embellishments, and they received standard, dull kibble. And the fourth group’s homes contained the running wheels but no other toys or treats. running wheel

The only group to grow smarter and show changes in the brain was the group who used the running wheel, regardless of other environment embellishments. The running wheel made the difference in smartness and other brain function.

Let’s get busy and exercise! Join Silver Sneakers (Medicare may pay for it), walk, swim, dance, cycle, bowl, buy a Wii or Xbox! Have some fun–

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Alzheimer’s: A walk a day brings good health to mind and body

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A walk a day brings good health to mind and bosy

“The news about medications has become particularly disappointing lately.”  That’s the statement that jumps out at me as I read, John Zeisel, Ph.D., from the Huffington Post Health.

He mentions the use of a drug often prescribed during early stages of Alzheimer’s– Memantine (Namenda) and a new finding that this drug may be ineffective for Mild Alzheimer’s.

Apparently some studies have shown that it is effective for moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease, but in mild Alzheimer’s there is a lack of evidence that it has any effect. This information from lead researcher Dr. Lon S. Schneider, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and gerontology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

In fact, it appears that Non-pharmacological lifestyle changes appear to be more promising for immediate help among those with dementia, says one report. London Telegraph Article ½ Hour walk Cuts Alzheimer’s Risk.

We might have time to sit around and wait for the perfect medication if our  grandchildren or great-grandchildren eventually have Alzheimer’s. A few generations from now we may receive the benefits of Research today; an earlier diagnosis and better medication for slowing down the symptoms or a breakthrough that regenerates brain cells to repair the damage done by Alzheimer’s. But today–none of those things are available.

Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s 30 million worldwide. 44% of the adults in the U.S. have a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s. And the pill, or cure-all, is simply not available. I watched my Mom suffer without visible results from any of the medications that she took each day. And since my Grandmother had Alzheimer’s and my Mother had Alzheimer’s, I feel fairly certain that I’ll find myself in the same predicament a few years from now.

As I did with my mom, I hope my caregivers; husband, sons, daughters, daughter-in-laws and friends try other ways to keep me active and living life for as long as I am “aware.”  We need to search for other ways to improve the lives of those with Alzheimer’s, waiting for the perfect pill is not good enough. There are other ways to delay symptoms and stay healthy longer, and that means exercise. — more trips to museums, learning a second language, taking a daily walk.

Dr. John Zeisel, Ph.D., suggests creating a Large Print Schedule. Put it on a Wall and schedule exercise every day. 30 minutes every day. His other suggestions include:

Include a map of the walking path you have decided on with pictures of significant landmarks and actual directions; insert the times you expect to pass each landmark and arrive home. If walking isn’t your thing, figure out another way to exercise for 30 minutes a day and recruit others to join your “30-Minutes-a-Day” Club.

If you live with or care for a person with Alzheimer’s, it probably is not a bad idea for you to take a daily walk as well — exercise lowers cholesterol, lowers the need for insulin for those with diabetes and maintains mental alertness. Organize yourself to take a half hour walk at the same time every day. Invite the person with dementia to walk with you; tell her that you don’t like to walk alone and that you need help to make sure you keep up the daily walks — both true. If she says no, take the walks by yourself to begin with and keep up the invitation.

The best walking path is simple and clear, has boundaries on both sides — for example plantings — and passes landmarks like a corner store or a school.

There is no chance of confusion on a path like this

If there are shops along the way, stop to let sales people know what you are doing so they can be part of your safety net. Just in case, leave a note with a photo, the name of a friend and a phone number. Don’t be embarrassed to involve the community.

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As we make our physical health better, we also make our mental health better and strengthen our ability to fight any depression of Alzheimer’s. Walking keeps us healthy in both body and mind.

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