Free Guide Offers Tips On Living With Dementia

A free informational guide Living with Dementia is available for free download from Homewatch CareGivers.

According to  the World Alzheimer's Report and the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) reports, over 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Without a significant medical breakthrough related to dementia care that number could double every 20 years, and by 2050 could affect over 115 million people, explains Jesse Slome, executive director of AALTCI.

"Based on our 30 years of caregiving experience we know that when someone receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer's or dementia that it suddenly involves more than just the patient," said Leann Reynolds, president of Homewatch CareGivers. The Guide to Dementia was prepared to arm families and caregivers with free information and resources, which might not otherwise be provided, that can educate them and provide a roadmap for the difficult journey they face.

The guide covers the following:

- Definitions of dementia and what those definitions mean both clinically and personally
- In-depth tips for communicating with loved ones experiencing dementia
- Communication issues to watch out for as the symptoms of dementia progress
- In-depth tips for helping family members with dementia around the house
- Practical tips for understanding and dealing with behavior issues related to dementia
- Self-help and wellness tips for family caregivers

"Our goal is to support families by providing information and resources," Reynolds added. "We want this guide to be one of the resources that helps family members and caregivers deal with the numerous issues that arise from living with dementia."

23 Million Seniors Can Expect Less From Social Security

The combination of rising Medicare premiums and no annual cost-of-living adjustment would reduce Social Security payments for about 23 million of the nation's seniors.

The decrease in 2011 according to The Senior Citizens League represents two-thirds of the 37 million seniors who receive Social Security benefits.

The estimate is based on the group's recent survey of more than 2,400 seniors. Half of them said they received lower Social Security benefits after Medicare premium deductions this year, due to the lack of a COLA for the first time in 35 years.

The same situation is expected next year, because the Social Security Trustees and Congressional Budget Office have predicted that inflation will again remain too low to pay a COLA. Medicare premiums, on the other hand, are expected to increase.

Another year of no COLA will put Social Security benefits through the wringer said an expert. After paying their Medicare health insurance premiums, seniors will have even less to spend on other essentials. This will force many of them to fall below the poverty line.

Forty-seven percent of those surveyed said their annual Social Security benefits were reduced by at least $132 in 2010; about ten percent reported that their benefits dropped by more than $840.

The Senior Citizens League strongly supports legislation that would provide an emergency COLA or guarantee a minimum average COLA to prevent the erosion in Social Security benefits.

This is simply more proof that aging Americans must plan for their own future including retirement savings plans and long term insurance protection states Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  For more information and a free on reducing the cost of insurance, visit the organization's website.

Alzheimer's Tab Surpasses $600 Billion

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are having an enormous and growing impact on the world economy.  Today is World Alzheimer's Day.

According to a new report the cost will surpass $601 billion by the end of this year; over 1% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product).  The new report published by Alzheimer's Disease International.

The report was authored by Professor Anders Wimo of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; and Professor Martin Prince, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.

"This should be an important wake-up call that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are the single most significant health and social crisis of the 21st century," declared Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  "Individuals are woefully unprepared for the social and economic disruptions this disease will cause."

The reports highlights the following information:

Global costs of dementia will surpass 1% of global GDP this year

Global costs of dementia will exceed $601 billion for the year 2010

There will be two times as many people with dementia in 2030 as there are today

There will be three times as many people with dementia by 2050 as there arean today

The costs of caring for individuals with dementia will probably increase faster than the increase in prevalence. This will be especially so in developing nations.

Although dementia is one of the costliest illnesses, research and development, as well as investments are considerably smaller than for other major illnesses which do not impact as much on national economies.

One expert nooted that this new Report gives us the clearest, most comprehensive picture yet of the global economic and social costs of dementia. The World Alzheimer Report 2010, merged the best available data and the most recent insights regarding the worldwide economic cost of dementia. This enabled researchers to provide more detailed estimates than before, by making use of recently available data that considerably strengthens the evidence base.

Kansas Governor To Head Nursing Home Trade Group

Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson will head a national nursing home trade group after he leaves office in January.

Parkinson, a Democrat, will be president and Chief Executive Officer of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, a non-profit, Washington-based trade and lobbying organization representing 11,000 nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Before becoming lieutenant governor, Parkinson used to run a chain of long-term care facilities. He assumed the governor's job after Kathleen Sebelius left that post to become secretary of health and human services under President Barack Obama.

"I always intended to return to the business of caring for our senior citizens with dignity,' Parkinson said in a statement. 'My wife Stacy and I share a passion for this cause, and we have been fortunate to make a difference in the lives of thousands of senior citizens and their families.' ... Republican Sam Brownback and Democrat Tom Holland are running in November to replace Parkinson," who opted not to run this year.

"We wish Governor Parkinson much success with the new role," stated Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  "The nation faces a significant issue as the number of aging Americans grows significantly in the years ahead."

Study Examines Falls Among Seniors

The risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls for older adults are different, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, reported a fact that is often missed when the two are combined.  Their findings may affect how falls prevention programs are structured.

The scientists noted that indoor and outdoor falls are both important.  But they note that  people at high risk for indoor falls are different in many ways from those at high risk of outdoor falls.

The findings which were published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that indoor falls are associated with an inactive lifestyle, disability, and poor health, while outdoor falls are associated with higher levels of activity and average or better-than-average health.

Older adults who fell outdoors were somewhat younger than those who fell indoors, more likely to be male and better educated, and had lifestyle characteristics indicative of better health. Those who fell indoors had more physical disabilities, took more medications, and had lower cognitive function than those who fell outdoors.

The study examined nearly 800 men and women, age 70 and older, from randomly sampled households in the Boston area. Study participants underwent a comprehensive baseline falls assessment, including a home visit and clinic examination. Falls were reported on monthly calendars submitted to the researchers. Over a nearly two-year period, 598 indoor falls and 524 outdoor falls were reported. When a participant reported a fall, a structured telephone interview was conducted to determine the circumstances.

A fall the scientists report is not necessarily a marker of poor health. In fact, almost half of all falls occurred outdoors, and people who fell outdoors had the same or better health than those who did not fall at all. Second, epidemiological studies of risk factors for falls in older people may be hampered when falls are combined, with important associations between risk factors and indoor and outdoor falls potentially being missed. Third, intervention programs need to be tailored differently for people more likely to fall outdoors than those who tend to fall indoors.

According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, seniors who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries, including hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries. At least half of these falls occur outdoors.  Falls are a leading cause for needing long-term care.

Consumer Guide On Long-Term Care Insurance To Appear In Kiplinger's

A special eight-page consumer guide focused on encouraging long-term care insurance planning will be included in the November 2010 edition of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

The "3-Step Guide To Smarter Long-Term Care Planning" will be bound into the national magazine that is read by approximately two million individuals. Made possible with support from four leading long-term care insurers including John Hancock, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha and Prudential, the consumer guide was prepared by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance ( www.aaltci.org ) as part of the industry's consumer outreach efforts during Long-Term Care Awareness Month (November).

"The commitment of leading insurers working together marks a significant milestone," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the national organization that established Long-Term Care Awareness Month in 2001. "The effort undertaken with their support and involvement will create higher levels of consumer awareness at a most important time."

"As Americans live longer lives, it is vitally important that financial planning include long-term care planning,” according to Knight Kiplinger, editor in chief of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “We certainly advocate that to our readers and welcome the consumer educational efforts undertaken by leading insurers and the Association."

The November issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance is delivered to subscribers in October and newsstand copies will begin selling around October 10. The Association will be making free reprints of the Kiplinger's magazine guide available. For more information call the Association at (818) 597-3227 or visit their website: www.aaltci.org.

Vitamin B May Help Dementia Alzheimer's Disease

A new study reveals that elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment who take huge doses of B vitamins everyday may reduce the rate at which their brains shrink by 50%, resulting in a much slower progression toward dementia, and eventually Alzheimer's disease.

According to the findings of studies conducted by researchers from Oxford University, England, in an article published in Plos One (Public Library of Science One), this two-year clinical trial is the largest ever which examined the effect of B vitamins on "mild cognitive impairment" (MCI).

Individuals with MCI have a higher risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia notes Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance the industry's trade group.

"People with mild cognitive impairment can function in everyday activities, but they may have problems with memory, such as recalling people's names, losing the flow of a conversation, and not remembering where they left things," Slome explains. Approximately 16% of individuals aged over 70 years are affected by mild cognitive impairment.

David Smith, University Department of Pharmacology and Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, trial co-leader, said:

The single-center, randomized, double-blind controlled trial involved 168 volunteers who all had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. One group received high daily doses of vitamins B6 (0.5 mg/d) and B12 (20 mg/d), as well as folic acid (0.8 mg/d). This was 300 times the recommended daily intake for B12, 15 times daily recommended amounts of B6, and 4 times daily recommended intake of folic acid.

The other group received a placebo (tablets without any active ingredients). Treatment lasted 24 months.

The principal outcome measure was the change in the rate of atrophy of the whole brain, assessed by serial volumetric MRI scans.

The researchers found that the B vitamin with folic acid group had an average brain shrinkage of 0.76% per year. The placebo group had an average brain shrinkage of 1.08% per year.

Those with the highest homocysteine blood levels at the start of the trial who took the B vitamins and folic acid experienced half the brain shrinkage compared to individuals with the highest homocysteine blood levels at the start and who received the placebo.

To learn more about long-term care insurance and receive a free, no obligation quote for this protection, visit the Association's Consumer Information Center. Click here now.

Mild Cognitive Problems More Common In Men

A new study by the Mayo Clinic has found that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment was 1.5 times higher in men than in women.
The research which is part of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging also showed a prevalence rate of 16 percent in the population-based study of individuals aged 70-89 without dementia. These are residents of Olmsted County, Minn.

According to the researchers, the finding that the frequency of mild cognitive impairment is greater in men was unexpected. They noted this was due to the fact that the frequency of Alzheimer's disease is actually greater in women.

Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist and director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center notes, "If we consider the 16 percent prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in individuals without dementia, then add the 10-11 percent of individuals who already have dementia or Alzheimer's disease, we're looking at 25 percent or more of the population aged 70 or older who have dementia or are at risk of developing dementia in the near future."

With the aging of America, these numbers are staggering and the impact on the health care economy, states Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. "There is a financial, emotional and physical toll on millions of individuals and their families." Slome notes, "and few have taken any steps to prepare."

According to the organization, some eight million Americans currently have long-term care insurance in place. This coverage provides payments and benefits for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Experts advise consumers to look into this protection in their 50s when rates are most affordable and tbe ability to health qualify is higher.

A free guide on reducing the cost of long-term care insurance can be accessed on the Association's website.


The Mayo study will be published in the September issue of Neurology.