Elder Health Update: Celiac Awareness Month

Did you know that October is Celiac Awareness month? More importantly, did you know that Celiac Disease can be a serious problem in older adults?  In a study published by Annals of Medicine researchers found that there was a change in gluten tolerance with age. They found that people in their 60s and 70s were being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, even though they had been consuming gluten without any complications their entire life.

For the elderly, Celiac Disease can pose a serious problem. When an individual with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat barley and rye, their body has an autoimmune response to the protein. This autoimmune response causes a wide variety of symptoms, some of which include gastrointestinal distress. For the elderly, this can be especially troubling because some of the symptoms such as joint pain can be misdiagnosed.

Fortunately, a gluten free diet will help to alleviate the symptoms brought on by Celiac Disease. You can read more about the study by clicking here.

2013 Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease

Long Term Solutions recently participated in the Boston/Cambridge Walk to End Alzheimer’s! Our team walked six miles to increase awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and to raise money and support for Alzheimer’s research. Here is a photo of Team LTS before the walk. You can look at more pictures by visiting our Facebook page.