Monday, September 30, 2013

A Cure for What Ails Many Parkinson's Patients


Recently, I met with a group of team leaders for the upcoming, Moving Day. Moving Day is an event which benefits the National Parkinson's Foundation and has recently been making local headlines as we approach our very first Moving Day event to be held on November 2 at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary. The team kickoff event was everything I hoped it would be; full of tear filled stories, and unflagging optimism in the face of a terrible challenge. At one point, as is often the case, Michael J.Fox's name came up. I have found there to be a general gratitude among the Parkinson's community for the awareness he has brought to a disease which for a long time has lurked in the shadows despite the overwhelming number of people diagnosed. There is, however, some frustration, with Fox's foundation and some of the attention that he has brought to Parkinson's disease. That frustration appears to be that people assume that what Michael J. Fox struggles with is indicative of ALL Parkinson's patients. That is simply not the case. Parkinson's, much like Alzheimer's disease, affects each person in a dramatically different manner. People who don't know this incorrectly assume that everyone with Parkinson's must shake uncontrollably. If the physical manifestation of this assumed characteristic isn't present then the person is driven to make other and even more incorrect asumptions about the severity of the person's Parkinson's or how far the disease has thusfar progressed. Ignorance.

That being said, there are some common themes that many people struggling with Parkinson's experience. Among them, the loss of dexterity. Simple tasks like opening a jar or buttoning a shirt can become incredibly difficult. For former NC State Football Coach, Don Horton, that moment came during an away game when time was of the essence. Fortunately, former NC State Quarterback Russell Wilson, noticed Horton's difficulty buttoning his shirt and stepped in to lend a hand. When Don Horton returned home he opened up about the trouble he had had to his wife, a former children's clothing designer, and an idea was born.

MagnaReady Shirts are men's dress shirts equipped with magnets in place of buttons to make getting dressed easier for people struggling with Parkinson's and any number of other disabilities. From the outside they look like an ordinary dress shirt complete with buttons and all. The best attribute of this shirt is something that you will hopefully never notice.

There is currently no cure for Parkinson's but MagnaReady Shirts offer the next best thing; a daily victory in the battle for independence.

 http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/29/2788830/husbands-parkinsons-disease-inspires.html

Friday, September 13, 2013

Yes, I Am a Total Nerd.



I have never shied away from my identity as a nerd. My wife enjoys teasing me about many of the idiosyncrasies that comprise this peculiar person that I am. In high school, one of my best friends and I defiantly drove across the Texas desert with the sunroof open in my Saturn SC2, blaring the soundtrack to Apollo13 so loudly that one of the rear speakers blew out during the launch sequence. Rebels. I own, and have listened to frequently, John Tesh's Live at the Red Rocks album. Hardcore. Within the last twenty four hours, I have worked out to the pounding rhythms of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George. When I was a given a Sony Discman for my birthday many years ago, my first two CD purchases were Beethoven's 5th Symphony and Kenny G. (Ok I guess that one may have taken it a bit too far.) If my wife were contributing to this I have no doubt that she would have several descriptive scenarios to add. Regardless, I am in fact a nerd.

It stands to reason that I get excited about nerd things. For instance, Home Instead Senior Care has just launched an Alzheimer's and Other Dementia app for iphone users which is AMAZING. As you may or may not know, September is World Alzheimer's Awareness Month and we have been out doing our best to educate the masses. Our family caregiver educational program not only highlights the different types of dementia but prepares families for "real world" situations that they face each and every day. While it may be frustrating to listen to someone with dementia tell the same story over and over again we found that most of our families really just needed help with things like getting their loved one to take a bath. This new app is beautifully organized to give families quick information when they are facing difficult behaviors. The situations are all laid out by category and contain quick tips and suggestions when those difficult moments arise. Additionally, there are great opportunities to leave feedback, encouragement, and tips of your own for other caregivers who are facing some of the same challenges.

This app is an extension of a new book, Confidence to Care: A Resource for Family Caregivers Providing Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias Care at Home, which was written by my good friend Molly Carpenter. Molly has been at the forefront of Home Instead's pioneering work on Alzheimer's education. It is exciting to be a part of a company that is not only putting out phenomenal free resources in the fight against Alzheimer's but also to be a part of a company that recognizes the many different vehicles which must now carry information to the public. Nerds everywhere rejoice! There's now an app for that.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

New Scam Scare Tactics


I have often said that people who scam seniors are among the lowest form of human beings, if even you would qualify them as such. I am proud to say that Home Instead Senior Care has been diligent in their efforts to educate seniors and their families through our Senior Fraud Protection Kit and community education classes.

Sadly, the most painful fraud cases are instances where someone whom the senior knows exploits their trust for profit. More horrendous still are the stories of people who engage seniors and gain their trust for the sole purpose of exploiting them for personal gain. I suppose the theory is that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Not so any longer.

Con artists have now come to the realization that they can more easily rob a senior by scare tactics and intimidation that by bothering to pretend to care. There are three of these new tactics which are worth mentioning and speaking to your senior loved ones about.

The first tactic is a plain and simple death threat. This sounds like something out of mobster movie but it is reality. An extortionist will tell a senior that a contract has been placed on their life and the only way to avoid getting whacked is to pay a premium. While this may sound ridiculously far fetched, consider the more than 1300 people who reported this crime in 2012 at a cost of over $2 million.

Secondly, an official looking person claiming to be from Social Security, Medicare, the police, etc. will show up at a senior's front door and demand immediate payment for a supposed fine. In some instances they use this tactic to simply gather personal data and financial data but most recently it is a direct push for actual payment.

The final and most prominent of the top three is the utility shakedown. A "utility worker" will show up and threaten to shut off utility services. This is an especially devastating threat during the winter and summer months when utilities can be an issue of survival in many parts of the county.

My hope is that one of these con-artists shows up on my front door step and tells me that there is a contract out on my life. On behalf of seniors and their families everywhere, I will happily turn the tables on him. I'll give him one for the Gipper!

http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-08-2013/con-artists-use-fear-to-intimidate.html?intcmp=HP-spot2L

Friday, September 6, 2013

Facebook Can Lead to Depression


Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have joined the despised group of technological addicts who can go nowhere and do nothing without the company of their smart phone. I really don't know how it all happened. Not so very long ago, I had a dumbphone. Facebook was something that I would check on an actual computer at the end of the day to see what my friends had been up to. Suddenly, I find myself thrilled to see the "New Stories" graphic flash across the top of my iphone screen. What wonderful update could my network of friends have for me that wasn't available 13 minutes ago? A funny link? Another low quality picture of someone else's kid complete with their assertion that he/she is the cutest kid ever? Or a request for me to unfriend you? (By that I mean an invitation to play Candy Crush Saga. I will unfriend you. Seriously.) Facebook is sort of like a car accident. Appauling or not, passersby can't help but stop and stare. Twitter is the same accident only with a traffic cop urging everyone, "Move along, only 140 characters, nothing to see here."

The senior population is among the fastest growing demographics on social media. During the summer months, I teach "Facebook for Non-Teenagers" classes at the local senior centers. I thought I was offering a public service but according to new research I could potentially be opening a window  of despair. A study conducted jointly by two German Universities found that facebook can cause envy and trigger feelings of loneliness and depression. "The researchers found that one in three people felt worse after visiting the site and more dissatisfied with their lives, while people who browsed without contributing were affected the most." If the conclusions of the research are accurate then people who have nothing to contribute should stay off of facebook for their own good.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/facebook-study-envy_n_2526549.html

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Grande Pumpkin Spiced Latte and a Healthy Brain

If you are a coffee aficionado, or are married to one as I am, you will no doubt have seen the ubiquitous social media postings about the return of fall in the form of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte to your neighborhood coffee shop. Nevermind that it is still blisteringly hot here in Chapel Hill, coffee addicts swarm in order to obtain a steaming reminder that fall is right around the corner. In an effort to improve my health, I have recently stopped drinking coffee but after reading a recent article about the health benefits of my former morning nectar I am reconsidering my choice.

Coffee has been shown in several notable studies to lessen the effects of Alzheimer's Disease, reduce the occurrence of Parkinson's Disease, stave off dementia, help you to live longer and is the number one source of antioxidants in the US diet. Perhaps the sugar laden Pumpkin Spiced Latte is not the optimal vehicle to obtain this panacea of health benefits but far be it from me to pour cynicism on someone cup of sunshine. Cheers!

http://blog.positscience.com/2013/07/19/5-surprising-brain-benefits-of-drinking-coffee/