Senior Living Information Blog

Spring 2011 Newsletter from the Northwestern’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center

Just received this in my email and thought I would share it on the blog for anyone who is looking for information and a local resource for Parkinson's disease.  My grandfather had Parkinson's - and that was one of the only things I remember about him as he passed away (not from Parkinson's) in 1975. 

Thank you to Diane B. Breslow, MSW, LCSW, Center Coordinator/Clinic Social Worker for passing along the newsletter to me.

Update**** I could not get the PDF to attach so if you would like a copy I can email it to you!  Just make a comment below (any comment will do) and I will have your email address to send it to!  I am going to try one more time though***

 

Free Comfort Care Guide from the Alzheimer's Assocation

The Alzheimer’s Association-Greater Illinois Chapter is pleased offer this free online resource, Encouraging Comfort Care: A Guide for Families of People with Dementia Living in Care Facilities. This 21-page booklet provides useful information to families and long-term care facilities personnel about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, particularly care issues related to the late and final stages.

For families, this guide will enable them to make informed choices about a variety of medical decisions they may face on behalf of loved ones with dementia living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other types of care facilities. It will also equip families to ask good questions aimed at obtaining the best care for their loved ones, including a handy checklist of comfort care measures to be discussed with staff members of care facilities.

You can download your free copy by visiting this page from the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.  Special thanks to Daniel Kuhn for bringing this valuable guide to my attention so that I could share it with all my readers!

Landmark Alzheimer's Disease research study going on now

Have you or someone you know experienced what it is like to be unable to recall things which were once so simple to remember? An estimated 5.3 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s, and every 70 seconds another person develops this disease!

On behalf of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), we encourage otherwise healthy adults with early complaints of memory problems to participate in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity (ADNI GO). ADNI GO will build on the unprecedented momentum and success of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a landmark study to find more sensitive and accurate methods to detect AD at earlier stages and track its progress through biomarkers.

 
By being able to recognize changes in the brain, scientists hope to treat memory loss and other symptoms of AD before they appear, but the only way to recognize what these changes are and learn more about who is at risk is through the participation of volunteers. “We cannot end this terrible disease unless we know more about it,” says Dr. Paul Aisen, M.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS). “That is where the amazing volunteers, their friends and their families can make the difference in our success.”
 
Dr. Maya Angelou - the eminent poet, author, educator, historian and professor at Wake Forest University - is working with researchers to ask volunteers like you to be part of the ADNI GO study that may help bring us one step closer to finding a cure. Click here to hear from Dr. Maya Angelou.
 

If you are between the ages of 55 and 90 years old and experiencing early signs of memory loss, you may be eligible to participate in this groundbreaking ADNI GO study. Please visit http://adcs.org/Studies/ImagineADNI.aspx or call the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center at 1-800-438-4380 for more information on study sites in your area.

 

Alzheimer's Association Action Summit 2010

Yesterday, more than 600 advocates from around the country marched on Capitol Hill to advocate for vital Alzheimer issues. Amplify their VOICE by e-mailing your members of Congress to urge them to make the disease a national priority.

Will you help them? Write Congress now!

Tell them to pass:

The Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2009 (S. 1492/H.R. 3286), authorizing $2 billion in research funding for Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Detection, Diagnosis, Care and Planning (ADD-CAP) Act, which will provide Medicare reimbursement to increase detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

The National Alzheimer's Project Act (S. 3036/H.R. 4689) that calls for an integrated federal campaign to overcome Alzheimer's disease.

Now is the time to act. Contact your members of Congress today, then forward this message onto others concerned about Alzheimer's.

Iconic Chicago Architect Dies of Alzheimer's Disease

Luckily his beautiful buildings live on making our skyline so recognizable. 

Bruce Graham, 84, the architect behind the Sears (OK Willis) Tower and the John Hancock died in his home due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.  You can read the article about him and his accomplishments in the Chicago Tribune.

Alzheimer's Association 2010 Family Forum - April 10

Please consider joining the great people at the Alzheimer's Association for a half day event for those affected by memory loss.

This great event includes a session that will update you on today's current research in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.  The second session is a presentation focused on providing caregivers with a framework for negotiating difficult circumstances in order to relive stress and maintain important relationships with those with memory loss.  The final session of the day will look at different personality types and their impact on our everyday lives.  Effective communication to compliment personality types within the family (to prevent caregiver burnout!!) will be explained and discussed.

In addition there will be Breakfast included and a resource fair going on through the day.  I have participated in this event in the past and the feed back from those who have attended is so positive.

Please consider attending if you are a caregiver of someone with the disease.

Date: Saturday April 10, 2010

Location: Harper College, Wojcik Conference Center, 1200 Algonquin Rd, Palatine IL 60047

Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 om

Registration:  To register call 847-933-2413 or visit http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/comm_education/prog_sign_up.asp?ProgramID=425

There is a $25 registration fee and I believe it is worth every penny and more.

Alzheimer's - There's an app for that.

Apps for All recently released a new app for iPhone, iTouch and iPad to those with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.  It helps to identify apps that will improve the quality of life specifically those that will calm, lift spirits or engage the user.

According to the description, "The goal is to leverage these app-inspired activities resulting in an improved interaction with caregivers and visitors. Grandchildren, for example, can find familiar music, games, or activities in apps that can be enjoyed together perhaps stimulating discussion by one who is normally less communicative."

The app is .99 cents and you can read more about it or purchase the Alzheimer's App by clicking this link!

P.S. Follow Senior Living Experts on Facebook!

Money raised for the Memory Walk, where does it go?

November is still National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month so I thought I would share with you some information about where the money raised from Memory Walk goes and how it helps in the community.  I also want to take this opportunity to re-thank everyone who donated to our Memory Walk team this year and every year past.

There is still time to donate before the year is over, so if you would like to you can click here to go to our fund-raising page.  Remember your donation is tax deductible!

Where does the money go? The funds raised through Memory Walk go toward the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Here are a few specific examples of what your donations can do:

$10 enables the Alzheimer's Association to provide a 15 minute information and referral call.

****24/7 hot-line # is 800.272.3900*****

$200 enables the Alzheimer's Association to provide a care consultant overnight to assist a caregiver in distress.

$250 enables the Alzheimer's Association to distribute language and culturally appropriate materials to a community audience.

S1,000 sponsors an Early-Stage Advisor to speak at a national or local conference so they can share their experiences with the disease and coping strategies they have adopted.

$1,500 enables the Alzheimer's Association to translate the Brain Tour – a Web site that takes visitors inside the brain to view the effects of Alzheimer’s -  into another language.

Guiding principles behind the AAHSA Idea House

Technology, universal design and aging in place all come together at the Idea House at the AAHSA 09 conference.

When you are touring the home you can see all three of these principles in every corner.

I am going to start with sustainable design.  "Green" design is important not only to the environment but to the health and wellness of the occupants who live in the home.  The healthier the environment, the longer they can remain in their home whether that be and actual home, apartment or senior living community.

The house was designed to be oriented with the courtyard having an exposed southern exposure.  This is important because it allows for optimum natural light.  Also the light will come in during the winter and help to heat the home.  In the summer when the rays are more direct, the louvers are designed to shade the windows.  The home has windows on all corners allowing for additional light and shades that work at the touch of a button allow for privacy.  The orientation of the home also allows for maximum ventilation. The roof can support solar panels (maybe we will see these next year when the show is in California..) and they can be moved to face the sun and help to heat the home.

The home also includes a green roof (imagine growing your garden right on your roof...).  In addition the home is loaded with recycled products as well as water and energy saving devices.

This leads me to the second principle, technology.  There were monitoring systems that can tell a caregiver what the temperature of the home is - that way if mom had not turned on her heat or air conditioning in a time when maybe they should have, something can be done about it sooner rather than later.

Some of the devices showcased can monitor motion (record average footsteps and gait), moisture on the floor, medications and weight and vital statistics.  All of this information can be web based, again allowing for a remote care giver or a doctor to monitor the senior.   These technologies are also currently used in many senior living communities as well.

You can also connect socially to family and friends through technology.  There were multiple examples of software programs to run on a computer that allows a senior to easily stay in touch.  You can even join a Wii bowling league and bowl against someone in a another state... But more about all these new technologies in another post.

Finally, aging in place or universal design.  It allows any homeowner and their family members to have the confidence that the home will adapt to the future physical needs and allow them to stay at home as long as possible.  Or if you already live in a senior community, it could delay a move to a higher level of care which can be very stressful.

The home is modular and could be used as a large group home instead of just a home for an individual or a family.  It could be used as a home and an adult day care.  It could also be added on to and become a home for a large group of individuals with private rooms and large inviting social areas.  I saw computer graphics showing the home built out as well as up.   I will talk more about this when I write about my interview with Eric Krull from THW design later. 

There is still time to see the home for yourself.

McCormick Place Lakeside Center

Exhibit Hall Lobby, Level 3 - register on 2nd floor, they will give you a pass for just the Idea House

When:

Tuesday Nov 10 noon - 3:30 pm

Wednesday Nov 11 noon - 3:30 pm

Touring the AAHSA Idea House

This morning I had the opportunity to venture over to the McCormick Place and tour the Idea House that was built right inside for the AASHA Annual Meeting.

When I initially arrived, the media was touring the home and I got to stand back and take a look and really appreciate how many people could comfortably stand inside the home and socialize.  And socialize they did, as there were many vendors demonstrating some of the latest and greatest technology available to us today to help us age in place. 

I walked into the open courtyard area and tried to decide which section of the home to explore first.  A few hours later I have to say I was almost on information overload.  Some of the built ins and products were to be expected, and some were hard to even imagine existing.  Over the course of my next few posts, I am going to talk about some of the things I learned and some of the products I learned about.  I even had the opportunity to interview Majd Alwan, the Director of CAST and Eric Krull, the AAHSA Idea House Designer.  It was hard not to see the excitement in their eyes as they talked about the project and the possibilities to come.

It was inspiring to see how architects, designers, aging services providers, and technology can all come toghether and create safe, beautiful functional spaces for the rest of us.  Stay tuned, more to come..