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A Day to Celebrate Older Americans

Today, we honor our elderly and celebrate Senior Citizens Day in the United States. As our population increasingly ages, it is imperative that we recognize the importance of supporting senior citizens in our communities.

More than 40 million senior citizens live in the US, and that number will only grow as people live longer than ever before. Every Aug. 21 is a day to acknowledge the contributions and dedications of older people, and take the time to ensure we give something back. Ronald Reagan created Senior Citizens Day in 1988. Every year senior and community centers celebrate with special events. In addition, businesses, such as Arby’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Subway, often offer discounts for senior citizens.

The best way to celebrate today is likely the easiest: call up an elderly person you know and lend an ear. However, many people also choose to volunteer at nursing homes or the VFW.

If you missed this year’s Senior Citizens Day, don’t worry: you have another chance to honor the elderly on Oct. 1, the International Day of Older Persons. This global observance not only raises awareness of the achievements of older people, but also of such topics as:

• Aging populations and the provisions of adequate healthcare for the elderly
• Volunteer work
• Social care
• Ways to be more inclusive of older persons in the workforce

Minibrains Could Help in Treatment of Alzheimer’s Patients

Alzheimer’s is an untreatable progressive brain disease that slowly devastates the memory and conceptual skills of the affected individual. The disease was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906 after he noticed remarkable changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died after suffering from a mysterious mental disease.

Minibrains in Minibrains Alzheimer’s

Her symptoms included language problems, memory loss, and erratic behavior. Today, persons showing these symptoms are said to be suffering from Alzheimer’s. Around 5.4 million people in the US suffer from Alzheimer’s. The majority of the affected individuals are aged 65 and older. Persons suffering from the disease have abnormally tangled bundles of fibers known as neurofibrillary and clumps called amyloid plaques in the brain. No cure for Alzheimer’s has been found yet. The drugs that had looked promising when tested on animals failed when used on humans at the great expense of money and time. While there are certain similarities, the human brains are not the same as mice or other animals on which the drugs are tested. In a bid to accelerate the development of a cure for Alzheimer’s and other mental diseases such as Parkinson’s, scientists at the John Hopkins University have developed ‘minibrains’ that imitate the functions of a human brain.

How Minibrains Can Help in Development of Alzheimer’s Disease

The minibrains developed by the researchers at John Hopkins consist of clusters of human neurons and other cells that mimic the structure and function of the brain. They are the tiny models of the real human brain that can help scientists in the ongoing research to provide a cure for the brain disorders including Alzheimer’s.

The miniature model of the brain that is about the size of an insect’s eye and could be produced on a large scale. This will make it easier for the researchers to test the effectiveness and safety of the new drugs in a laboratory setting. The minibrains show evidence of electrical activity that the researchers can measure during clinical trials of the drugs for the Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers could obtain much better information about the effectiveness of the drugs through the minibrains as compared to testing them on rodents. These brains could one day replace the thousands of animals particularly mice that are used in the neurology laboratories.

The team that had developed the minibrains had said that brain cells of people with a particular genetic trait could also be taken to provide a model for examining different neurological diseases.

One thing remains is whether the public will accept the idea of growing ‘human brains’ inside the lab. But the researchers that had developed the minibrains said that there would be less fear of the use of these brains if people understood that the lab-grown miniature brains can never match the functions or structure of the real human brain.

The human brains have billions of cells while the minibrains stop growing after only about 20,000 cells. And these miniature clusters of cells have no way of becoming conscious or making decisions, according to the researchers that developed the minibrains; however, miniaturization is becoming a key factor in the advancement of the sciences and we hope that this will be a breakthrough in medical science that will take the cure for Alzheimer’s to the next level.

Visiting the Elderly – A Habit That Can Keep Them Young

Daughter with father — Spending time with your elderly loved ones keeps them busy and healthier

Your grandmother is in a nursing home with whom you used to stay all the time with when she was home; we often feel sympathetic towards our elders who are living in a nursing home, but that is the only thing we do for them. How come we never consider visiting them?

Most of us have a perception of nursing homes being a depressing place or that visiting our elders is not just cool enough. We are hugely mistaken on both accounts. First-off, the nursing homes of today not only provide the most excellent care to their elders, but also have many activities and other things planned that keep the elders occupied. Moreover, senior citizens get to meet people like them and of their own age. The only thing lacking from their life is a visit from their loved ones.

There are many good reasons for you to visit your beloved elder. Here are some of them:

Keeping A Check On Their Health:

They are your own flesh and blood and it is your responsibility to keep a check on their health. Visiting them once a week is good and visiting them every other day is even better. You’d know how they are doing, how they are being taken care of and would result in you being kept in the loop about their well-being. The elder person too feels secure and safe in the knowledge that someone is looking after them.

Mending Severed Ties:

There is always someone in the family who we never liked much or we never had a good relation with. However, that doesn’t mean that we put them out of our lives forever. It’s a harsh reality but at any point of time, those elders could be taking their last breaths. You don’t want them to die without saying sorry to them or without actually getting on good terms with them. Visiting elders you never liked will not only be good for your conscience, but will also give you a sense of closure. You will be surprised to know how many people actually become good friends only after reaching a very old age. So, don’t put your non-favorite people off your visiting list.

Helping them Feel Loved:

Blood relations can never be replaced by anyone or anything else in life and that is why most elders become very lonely, despite being surrounded by many others. Visits from you can change their life. They begin to show positive behavior, smile more and they wait for your visits every day. Most elders who are left by their family get very quiet and their health deteriorates quicker than the others. Visiting family and friends keep them young, healthy and happy. So, even when their time is up, they leave the world with a smile on their face. Imagine you being the reason for that smile!

If you have any elder in a nursing home right now, then make it a point to visit them as regularly as possible. They don’t need much and just your presence is enough to add life to their numbered days.

Virus or Bacteria? What’s the Difference?

Many human illnesses are caused by diseases that are from viruses or bacteria. It is important to know what is making you sick, however, is difficult to tell which is the culprit. Symptoms of both bacterial and viral infections are very similar, yet treatment is different for each.

Viruses

Viruses contain genetic material inside them. They are much smaller than bacteria. Viruses cause diseases such as the common cold, flu and warts. They also cause severe illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, smallpox, measles, and hemorrhagic fevers. Viral infections are difficult to treat because antibiotics which work on bacterial infections do not work on viral infections. The current medicines against future viral infections come in the form of vaccines as well as a few anti viral medications. Rest is very important when sick with a virus.

A common symptom of a viral disease that is not seen in bacterial disease is clear and/ or cloudy mucous, as well as wide-spread symptoms. Viral illnesses also last from 2-10 days and sometimes but not always produce a fever.

Bacteria

Bacteria are one-celled organisms that multiply by simple division. They cause respiratory infections, tonsillitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and whooping cough.

A common symptom of a bacterial disease that is not seen in viral disease is colored phlegm. Symptoms are usually in one specific area such as the sinuses, throat, or chest. Bacterial illnesses also last 10 days or more and are notorious for producing a fever. Luckily, most bacterial infections can be cured with a full course of antibiotics.

Knowing the difference between a viral and bacterial illness may save you time and money. Remember, a cold and cough is usually always viral, while something localized such as an ear infection is usually always bacterial and can be treated with antibiotics. Only your doctor will be able to confirm what is making you sick and follow up with proper medication.

The Power of Music and Dementia

The brains of seniors are coming back to life thanks to music. A recent study shows that those suffering from moderate to severe dementia did quite well by singing show tunes from popular movies and musicals such as The Wizard of Oz,’ ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘ Oklahoma!’ in a group setting. There was also a marked improvement in their remembering skills versus those who only listened during sing-alongs but did not participate.

The study took place in a nursing home over the course of four months. Participants were enrolled in a 50 minute group session that met three times a week. Before the study, participants were given a series of tests which included a 30 question test called the Mini-Mental State Examination test and a drawing test. The participants were divided into those with moderate dementia and those with severe dementia. Half of the participants sang along while the other half were told to only listen. After four months it was seen that those who sang along showed a significant improvement in their cognitive skills compared to those that only listened.

The researchers also used brain scans of the participants as they sang or listened. Singing and speaking showed more activity in the left side of the brain and even listening to show tunes showed more activity in the right side of the brain in the listeners. These dramatic results show how simple it may be to alleviate symptoms in those suffering from dementia, a disease which has no long term cure.

Similar musical activities involving dementia and Alzheimer’s patients were done in the UK last year. The Manchester Camerata orchestra’s Music in Mind (MIM) projects involved 7,200 people in nursing homes and community projects. At one nursing home in Manchester, an activity coordinator reported seeing a mute female resident with advanced Alzheimer’s sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at top volume, knowing every lyric to the song. Other mute patients that were part of MIM projects now communicate with staff and show more confidence and increased activity levels as well as better cooperation with their caretakers.

The impact of music on dementia patients is bringing more awareness to academics. Two universities in the UK are now backing a research student in creating the world’s first “in the moment” multi sensory assessment tool to evaluate the impact of music on those suffering from dementia. Currently about 4.7 million patients suffer from a form of dementia. Those numbers are expected to triple by 2050. There continues to be more proof that music not only helps recall lyrics in those with dementia, but it also helps improve recalling past memories. The link between music and memory demonstrates music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering with dementia. The low cost and ease of access to musical therapy could be the safer, cheaper and more successful alternative to prescription drugs in easing the effects of dementia on its sufferers in the future.

How Nurses Can Relieve Stress for Better Productivity

Nursing can be a stressful profession. Every day, nurses deal with a tremendous amount of pressure that can ultimately have an effect on their own health. The most anxiety prone services are associated with the ED, OR and ICU departments. However, those who don’t belong to these sections are under no less pressure, as they deal with traumatic injuries and terminal illnesses that don’t always have a favorable and positive outcome in the end.

Nurses see heart-crushing deaths and attendants that have deep lines of sorrow and grief etched onto their faces. Remaining aloof from these emotions is impossible, but dealing with these emotions day after day can take its toll. The best way to continue being a wonderful and compassionate medical professional while maintaining your sanity is to indulge in stress-relieving hobbies and activities.

If nurses want to relieve stress, these activities can be used for enjoyment and relaxation. You can choose any of the following, depending on your preferences and personal likes and dislikes.

Relaxation Classes

Just because you are a nurse doesn’t mean that you cannot indulge in relaxation classes. In the summer, several sources and community centers offer classes that can help with relaxation. You can either choose yoga, Tai Chi, crocheting, quilt making, woodworking or pottery making. If you live near a large city, you will have hundreds of choices to choose from. It will not only allow you to relieve stress, but will also you to learn something new, which will engage your concentration and your urge for constant movement and the desire to keep busy.

Interesting Hobbies

If you already have a hobby, it is time that you pursue it. Whether you enjoy gardening, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, fishing, cooking, baking or camping, you can spend time doing something that you really love. If you don’t like going outside and want to stay indoors, read a book, watch some Netflix or a great movie, start making jewelry or start an aquarium. You can also learn to play a musical instrument from numerous YouTube tutorials. Remember, music can be very soothing to the senses after a stressful day at work.

Meditation

Meditating is the perfect way to relieve stress and to achieve self-actualization. Becoming one with your mind and body will not only help you relieve your mind but also your muscles and joints. If you don’t know how to meditate, there are several online videos, CDs, and books that teach you how to do it properly. Meditation will not only help you feel better and relaxed but it will also reduce anxiety and lower your blood pressure.

Exercise and Keep In Shape

Obesity is a hardship on its own and when you combine it with a demanding job of nursing, it can become quite stressful to function without breaking down in the middle of the day. Exercising can help you relieve stress. Physical activities like Zumba, cycling, jogging, yoga and swimming can help you get out in the sun and get some much-needed Vitamin D and fresh air.

COPD: The Disease Leonard Nimoy Lived With

Less than a month after taking to Twitter to urge fans to quit smoking, Leonard Nimoy died at the age of 83 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease that makes breathing difficult.

Best known for playing Spock on Star Trek, Nimoy spent his last weeks reminding fans of the dangers of smoking through Twitter. The actor had quit smoking 30 years earlier, but not soon enough, he tweeted. Nimoy had announced last year that he had been diagnosed with the disease.

COPD is almost always caused by smoking, which accounts for as many as 9 out of 10 COPD-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continuing to smoke after being diagnosed will only escalate the damage of COPD.

In the early stages of the disease, patients experience a nagging cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. Nimoy passed away from end-stage COPD, which includes severe airflow limitation and exacerbations.

After he died, his wife confirmed that end-stage COPD was the cause of death. However, this is not the cause with everyone at this stage of the disease. A study in 2008 found that more COPD patients die with their disease rather than from it.

COPD most commonly occurs in people age 40 years and older who have a history of smoking. The disease restricts airflow for a number of reasons: the airways in the lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink; the walls between many air sacs are destroyed; the walls of the airways become irritated and swollen; the airways make more mucus, which clogs them and blocks airflow.

People with COPD are told to stop smoking, plan special activities that strengthen the muscles used for breathing, use medicines such as a bronchodilator or inhaled steroid, or in serious cases surgery can be recommended.

Moving to a Nursing Home – How to Deal with Emotions

Saying goodbyes is always a very difficult task. Now that it is time for your father, grandparent or any old member of your family to move to a nursing home, it may be a very stressful process. Regardless of the reason behind them moving to a nursing home, moving brings a number of different emotions along with some unforgettable memories and tears. One does not leave a place; instead, they leave behind some familiar and loving memories.

Moving to some other place is not easy. So, here’s a small guide to help you deal with the stressful emotions.

How to Ease the Transition?

Change cannot be accepted easily as after all, it is not easy to move on and accept things the way they are. But if you want to ease the transition, check out the elements below.

Take Time

If you are the one who has sent the elder member of the family to the nursing home or are yourself being moved to a nursing home, then it is for both. When the person sends someone to a nursing home, they may feel guilty about it as they might think that they were not able to care or look after them. They could also feel sad that their loved one has to go through the transition and difficulties. Also, the old person who is sent to the nursing home may not feel like they are at home and may not like the environment.

In both of these situations, both of you need to stay calm and patient, even though it not very easy to do so. In short, you need to take time. Only time can heal the emotions, change and transition. All you need to work hard on is to sweep aside the anger and grief under the rug. You anger and guilt will only intensify the feelings; hence, it is better to give time to things and yourself.

Make the Elder Person Decide

To ease the transition, you should let the older adult decide the nursing home. While there might be several options available, you should let them choose which nursing home to opt for and which one is best for them. Make them visit the nursing homes and leave the choice to them. If the older person is unable to do so, the members of the family should make a collective decision and make the process easier for them.

Stay in Touch

Staying in touch and in contact is of paramount importance. If you keep in touch with the person, it will make them feel like they are at home. You can call them, send them emails and letters to make them feel special. To help them ease through this transition, you can make visits with other family members and their friends as well. This is a good idea for change. Keep them in the loop about everything, be it a small or a big matter. Keep them informed about everything so that they do not feel left out of the family events and feel involved instead.

Change is not easy but we hope that with this guide, you will be able to deal with the transition and stressful emotions much more easily.

Palliative Care Consults in Nursing Homes Reduce Hospitalizations

Palliative Care for Seniors — Palliative Care can help seniors who would otherwise be depressed

Palliative care consults in nursing homes lead to fewer hospitalizations and less intensive treatment.

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society studied nursing home residents who died from 2006 to 2010 and found that hospitalization rates were the lowest when the initial palliative care consultation happened the furthest from death.

“These findings have never been shown in nursing homes,” author Susan Miller, PhD, MBA, a Brown University gerontologist and School of Public Health professor, said in a statement. “It’s important that we document this because essentially when people are in the nursing home for a long stay, that’s their final residence. These are people in need of supportive care and expertise in palliative care.”

The study found that for residents with initial consultations 8 to 30 days before death had a hospitalization rate in the last 7 days of life of 11.1% compared with a rate of 6.9% for patients with initial consultations 61 to 180 days before death.

Dr. Miller wasn’t surprised at the differences, but was surprised at how large the differences were.

Potentially burdensome transition rates were about 50% lower for residents with consults at 61 to 180 days before death compared with residents without consults. Transitions between settings can be physically and emotionally stressful for elderly, frail patients, and there is the risk of new medication side effects, exposure to resistant bacteria, and complications from procedures.

Palliative care consults are not used more frequently because unlike hospice care, palliative care consults are not a distinct benefit under Medicare. The payment for providers is usually not much.

Hospice care is used when the patient is likely to die within 6 months and many elderly people in nursing homes have serious illnesses that aren’t necessarily terminal. As a result, the hospice benefit may not be an option, but consults to access palliative care could benefit them.

“There are a lot of things that we need to consider,” Dr. Miller said. “If we had payment for this and there were more people providing it there would be greater access and maybe different people using it.”

Raising Awareness of Diabetes and Its Complications

Every November is dedicated to diabetes awareness, which brings attention to the chronic disease and the millions of Americans who are impacted by it. Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the United States, with 29 million people currently diagnosed with the disease and another 86 million estimated to have prediabetes, which means they are at risk of developing diabetes.

Every National Diabetes Month has a new theme, and this year, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) settled on This Is Diabetes. The purpose of this year’s theme is to encourage people affected by diabetes to share their stories about what it means to live with diabetes.

“Too often, diabetes goes unnoticed in our society, but it’s a health care crisis that needs and deserves all of our attention,” Kevin L. Hagan, CEO of the ADA, said in a statement. “Through this year’s theme, This Is Diabetes, we want to bring more attention to this disease that affects our family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues and show how important it is to take urgent action to address diabetes and its devastating complications.”

The campaign is also highlighting the stories of 6 individuals affected by diabetes, including an entrepreneur trying to juggle her hectic career and manage her diabetes, a man who cares for his elderly mother with type 2 diabetes, and a woman who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 2 decades and spent 10 years looking for a physician who would help her have a healthy pregnancy.

While November is observed as National Diabetes Month in America, the disease is also recognized worldwide with World Diabetes Day, which falls on November 14 every year. This year’s theme was Eyes on Diabetes, which focused on improving the early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and reducing the risk of severe complications, such as diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision impairment and blindness.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, it is estimated that 1 in 10 adults worldwide will have diabetes by 2040. Currently, half of the people with diabetes don’t know they have it, which makes them particularly susceptible to complications that arise from having untreated diabetes. In many countries, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputation.

Former Met’s first baseman Ed Kranepool has been diabetic for 40 years and had his big toe removed due to complications associated with his diabetes. Now he needs a kidney transplant. We wish him the best for a quick recovery.

To learn more about diabetes and to donate, contact the American Diabetes Association.