Alzheimer’s and Down Syndrome

My friend’s son is a person with Down syndrome; he is in his late 30’s, manages the cart team at a grocery store, and lives in a group home. He is happy, self-sufficient, and resilient.  I think about him every time someone brings up his condition and I hope that others see the potential that people with his disorder can bring to both society and themselves.

I came across a statistic the other day – that more than 75% of those with Down syndrome aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s.  That’s nearly six times the percentage of people in this age group who do not have Down syndrome. They are also more likely to develop early onset Alzheimer’s since they live, on average, 55-60 years.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s for people with Down syndrome can be challenging – people may exhibit noticeable behavior changes rather than forgetfulness or memory loss. Alzheimer’s research may have different implications for people with Down syndrome because of the genetic differences of people with and without it. Even medications are processed differently in the body.

It’s estimated that over 400,000 people in the U.S. have Down syndrome – approximately 1 in every 1,000 babies receive a diagnosis. Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition in which people are born with an extra copy of chromosome number 21. That one extra copy causes developmental delays and health issues, such as heart, bone, and muscle problems.

Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s aren’t going away, but we look forward to future research to find some relief in these life-changing conditions.  

Information retrieved from http://www.alz.org/dementia/downloads/topicsheet_downsyndrome.pdf; Accessed September 2014.

Image from: http://www.alz.org/dementia/down-syndrome-alzheimers-symptoms.asp

Yes, the elderly date, too.

Just like “young folks,” people in older generations look to connect with others on a social, emotional, and physical level. A quick Google search reveals many online dating sites specific to seniors, and this vast list indicates how prevalent elderly dating is. Here are a few different issues we’ve come across with the elderly and dating.

Parents and dating: The thought of your parent dating might be one of the hardest things to imagine if he or she is dating someone new. It might be especially difficult if it comes after the loss of their significant other. The new couple can most likely relate to one another’s experience with aging, and they may also bond if they have the same physical illness or condition. If there is a large age difference or you have other reservations, you may want to consider these reservations more closely if the person brings positivity to your parent.

Sex and the elderly: In a New York Times op-ed from January 2014, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel shares the startling trends in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) among elderly: “The Department of Health and Human Services released a little-noticed report on Medicare a few months ago…The number of Medicare enrollees who took advantage of free STD tests is about the same as the number who received free colonoscopies to screen for colon cancer, amounting to about 5 percent of all those on Medicare.” As he says, this might not be surprising to everyone, as “…retirement communities and assisted living facilities are becoming like college campuses. They cram a lot of similarly aged people together, and when they do, things naturally happen.”

Clinicians need to be aware and open about this trend to prevent problems from arising. According to A Place for Mom, many STDs may be untreated in seniors because they’re hard to detect and they are so unexpected; also, STDs can actually make chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease worse. As a caregiver, as hard as it may be, it’s possible that you may want to have the “birds and the bees” talk with your elderly parent.

Dementia patients date: People who suffer from memory loss are also capable of finding connections with others. In the critically-acclaimed movie, Away from Her, starring Julie Christie, an aging married couple begins to feel the tensions of the wife suffering from Alzheimer’s. The wife moves into a long-term care facility. After some time, her husband visits and realizes his wife has connected with a mute, wheelchair-bound man who has made her happy. Obviously, this new relationship is difficult for the husband to understand, but as the film progresses, he finally comes to terms it. Away from Her was a beautiful movie and rated number six on Roger Ebert’s best movies of 2007. This movie was directed by Sarah Polley and was an adaptation of Alice Munro’s short story "The Bear Came Over theMountain" in The New Yorker.

How does WeCare+ help? Part I

Unless you have experience dealing with an elder care situation, it can be hard to completely understand just how complicated and overwhelming these situations can be. Here at Long Term Solutions, we work with caregivers on a daily basis. We understand how to support these caregivers, and guide individuals through these elder care crises. How can WeCare+ do this? Here's a story about Brian Smith, who's ailing mother is a plane ride away from him.

Brian Smith lives in San Diego, California, and far away from his elderly mother, Linda. She has mild dementia, and ever since his father passed away, he has been constantly worrying about her living alone. He wished he could be geographically closer to her, but that wasn’t an option with his career. Fortunately, she had been doing fine. She lived in a nice little apartment in Lantana, Florida. She had a part-time job at a little boutique downtown, and she had been able to independently manage everything from finances to grocery shopping.

Lately, it seemed like things weren’t quite right. Brian received several calls from her friends voicing concerns that she seemed slightly different. She had been missing lunches and not keeping in touch with them as regularly as she had; something was off. It seemed strange because whenever he spoke to his mom on the phone she said things were great. She admitted to missing a lunch or two, but she dismissed it as nothing more than that. Then Brian received a call from her employer, and he knew something was different. His mother had lost her job. She had missed work and was acting uncharacteristically. Brian didn’t have the freedom or time off from his job to fly out to Florida. He wasn’t quite sure that he would know what to do if he was there. He needed someone who was an expert in assessing and planning elder care. In addition to that, he wanted someone local. They needed to be able to visit his mother in her home. He looked for a solution, and he found WeCare+.

New Technology for Caregivers: Planning with Apps

Caregivers assume an incredible amount of responsibility and a majority of their responsibilities revolve around planning and keeping track of most, if not all, of their loved one’s care needs. Usually, this is in the form of tracking doctor’s appointments, managing their loved one’s medications, and keeping track of important documents.  Fortunately, with almost everyone using a smartphone, there are a lot of technologies out there that can help caregivers with this planning.

Keeping Track of Doctor’s Appointments:

It’s incredibly easy to lose those small business cards that doctor’s offices give out for appointments. This can be especially difficult for a caregiver trying to track multiple appointments with multiple physicians and specialists. Tracking all of the appointments in a day planner is an option, but remembering to bring the planner to every appointment can be difficult. However, planning applications, such as Google Calendar, can be a great asset. Appointments can be organized by color, so a certain specialist can be assigned a specific color. This calendar can be accessed from multiple platforms, and can be quickly pulled up while scheduling.

Managing Medications:

There are multiple medication management applications, and most app stores allow users to browse through screenshots and reviews before committing to one. There is a great application called RxmindMe Prescription. This is a perfect application for caregivers. The application allows caregivers to set up alerts on a daily, hourly, or weekly basis. The app allows caregivers to be as specific or as general as they want. For example, a caregiver could put in an alert that says “call mom to reminder her about heart medication,” or the reminder could be more specific and state “remind mom to take 15 mg of Doxycycline.”  The best part of this application is the “Prescriptions” feature. This allows caregivers to group specific medications in categories. For example, heart medication, could be broken down into Lasix and Advair. In addition to this, the caregivers can upload pictures of the pills and dosing instructions for each medication to ensure that they are providing their loved one with the correct medication.

General Caregiver Information:

Eldercare 911 is an app designed by Dr. Marion Somers who is a Geriatric Care Manager, and it’s an incredible asset to caregivers. This is an incredibly helpful app that is designed to provide caregivers with all of the information needed while in an eldercare crisis. There is information regarding what to do before the crisis occurs, at the hospital, while planning for discharge, post-hospital care and while in recovery at home. Under each one of these categories are several sub-categories with even more resources. For example, if a caregiver is preparing for the discharge of your loved one from the hospital, this app provides information on how to hire help for your home, dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed, understanding adaptive equipment and more.  It’s incredibly easy to navigate, and the amount of resources in this app is astounding.

Currently, all of these applications are free in the iTunes store. Caregivers may have to try a couple of applications before finding one that works for them, but, in the time that they will save in the long run, it’s worth adopting these technologies.

Elderly and Strength Training

Activity is incredibly important for the elderly. According to the CDC, if you are over 65, you should get at least 150 minutes a week of moderately intense aerobic activity and strength training at least two days a week.

Over the past few months, there has been more and more research highlighting the great health benefits seniors can gain from weight training.  In the most recent research, strength training was credited with preventing Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline. In addition to mental benefits, weight training can help seniors strengthen their bones, reduce their risk of falling, and contribute to heart health. Furthermore, according to the CDC, strength training has been credited with helping to reduce disease and symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression.

For more information on strength training and exercise ideas, visit the links below:

CDC: Growing Stronger – Strength Training for Older Adults

About.com: Dumbbell Strength Training for Seniors

Creating a Support Network

This past week, we’ve been focusing on different ways to support caregivers and the loved ones they care for. Next Avenue, a great new site from PBS about boomers and aging, wrote a wonderful piece on creating and maintaining a support network for your aging loved one.

The article had some wonderful tips on working with the people that your elderly loved one interacts with on a daily basis.

- Follow your aging loved one on a weekday to get a handle on their routine. If something happens you will have a good guess as to where they are and how to contact them.

- Introduce yourself to the people they interact with, and exchange contact information. A hairdresser will be more likely to call you if your mother doesn't show up for her appointment if she has met you.

-Lastly, become friendly with your elderly loved ones neighbors. All of these connections will help you keep your elderly loved ones safe and keep you informed.

For more tips or to read the full article, click here.

The Beauty of Aging

On this blog, we have spoken about American culture and its near obsession with youth and staying young.  The effect of this phenomenon is that people have lost an appreciation for old age and the process of aging.  At LTS, we believe that aging should be celebrated.  This preview of a forthcoming documentary follows several women over the age of 80 and shows them discussing their lives and how they still enjoy every day.  It is highly inspirational and I recommend that you should give it a watch.

Paul Aldrich Sings The Blues...I Mean The Middle Aging Man Song

Paul Aldrich sings a hilarious song about aging.  I can't picture Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan ever crooning to this one (can you guess the theme?).

Video Montage With Quotes on Aging

A video montage with some funny and inspirational quotes on aging.  My personal favorite from Frank Lloyd Wright: The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes.

How Exercise Keeps the Mind Limber

We all know that exercise helps build strength, flexibility, balance, and that it reduces stress, but a new study shows how exercise impacts long-term memory.  The New York Times recently published an article about the effects of moderate exercise and how well it increases one's capacity to stave off memory loss.  The conclusion as always?  Exercise! The article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/how-exercise-can-keep-the-brain-fit/?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Celebrating Aging

In our culture today, everywhere we look we see advertisements to look younger, to cure wrinkles, and to stop the aging process.  It's an unstoppable process, and the best way to deal with it is to embrace it.  In this video, Alice and Richard Matzkin discuss aging and their book, The Art of Aging: Celebrating the Authentic Self."  Through artwork, the couple learned to accept aging and enjoy it as a natural process.

Alzheimer's Experts Ask for More Funding from the U.S. Government

Alzheimer's experts have seen the difficulties that the disease causes, and they feel that the government is not providing enough funding for research on the disease, especially as the population ages and more Americans are at risk for it.  In this article, Reuters discusses the fight against Alzheimer's: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/23/us-alzheimers-hearing-idUSTRE75M88M20110623?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&WT.tsrc=Social+Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_health&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

Why are Americans Scared of Aging?

A fantastic video of Dr. Bill Thomas speaking about Americans and aging:

Why are Americans so scared of aging and why do we pay so much money to avoid it?  Dr. Thomas gives some great answers and looks into the sociology of why Americans are so wary of giving up adulthood and entering "elderhood."  My favorite part is when he discusses this wariness, and elaborates on how people need to embrace their elderhood.  It reminds me of a history teacher I had years ago.  Our class was discussing elders in Greek society, and our teacher, who was about seventy, began discussing his own personal elderhood.  He said he had liked being young, but he also liked being older.  Each age presents different advantages and disadvantages.  When we accept the advantages and appreciate each day, that is when life becomes truly fulfilling.  As my teacher would have said, carpe diem.

Mary Maxwell Gives a Very Funny Speech on Aging

Mary Maxwell gives a very funny speech about the humor inherent in something all of us will inevitably go through - aging.