A Possible Cure For Alzheimer's AND Parkinson's AND Huntington's?

Gone are the days of sensational headlines created only to assist newspaper hucksters in their quest sell the most copies. Well...wait...uhm...

News broke early this morning about an exciting discovery in the world of science. A chemical has been discovered which has been shown to stop brain deterioration. Let me say that again. The chemical stops the deterioration of the brain.

Every day it seems like there is someone new standing on a rooftop claiming that their vitamin or food additive or diet program or brain therapy is the next big thing in the fight against Alzheimer's. These outrageous claims are typically only rivaled by the ever-increasing list of foods, chemicals, technologies, and TV programs that we should avoid because they undoubtedly cause Alzheimer's. In Reality-ville, where I live most of the time, no one knows what causes Alzheimer's and no one knows how to stop it.

However, when all of the people who typically disregard Chicken Little start looking up at the sky it is worth taking notice.

In Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, something goes wrong with specific proteins in the brain. The brain's natural response to this foul up is to stop producing proteins. This "chemical helps brain cells ignore the broken proteins, keep functioning and stay alive."

Perhaps what is so exciting about this discovery are the potential ramifications of the chemical. While scientists are quick to caution that even if successful it could still be a decade before it is available, there is a distinct possibility that they have have found a way to beat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's. And that is worth shouting about.

So EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24478942

Preventing Alzheimer's. Is It About to Become a Reality?

Scientists at the Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston are about to embark on one of the most anticipated, longest Alzheimer's drug studies in history. The study will be conducted on 1,000 subjects over a three year period at a cost of well more than $100 million. They are just hoping they can find enough people.

The folks they are looking for must already have amyloid building up in their brains but aren't currently showing any symptoms of Alzheimer's. The idea is to treat the amyloid proteins with an experimental drug before they become toxic and turn into the dreaded plaques and tangles that scientists have been battling for years in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

In order to find the 1,000 participants, the directors of the study anticipate that they will  need to screen about 5,000 people throughout the United States and Canada. They are also exploring the possibility of a site in Australia. To qualify, participants in the study must be at least 65 yrs old, willing to take a drug or placebo, willing to get a genetics test, willing to have a brain scan done twice a year, and willing to answer all kinds of questions about every facet of how they live their lives.

In previous clinical trials, the drug being tested showed promise in slowing the effects of mid-stage Alzheimer's symptoms. This success, in addition to the size and scope of the study, has turned a number of heads in the scientific community who will be watching the results very carefully.

One of the frustrating aspects of dealing with the disease is that most of the work is being done in the proverbial rear-view mirror. Since there is no way to predict where the disease will appear, scientists are forced to study patients who have already begun to manifest symptoms. The hope of this new study is that it will give doctors a glimpse at not only the effectiveness of the new drug but also a window into the way the disease develops. Perhaps it will at last show them how to prevent the disease from developing entirely. Perhaps.

http://capeandislands.org/post/new-study-will-test-possibility-preventing-alzheimers

The Heart of Home Instead

Allow me the privilege of bragging on my people for a moment.


From the beginning of my journey with Home Instead, I have been blessed to be surrounded with fantastic people. I have worked to intentionally create a culture in which exceeding the expectations of everyone you encounter is the way we do business. This is much easier to do when the people who comprise your family come already equipped with a heart for service. Despite six years of watching caregivers and office staff go above and beyond for their clients, there are still days like today when I come across someone doing something for a client that takes my breath away.

One of the clients we serve has an immediate family member who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. In this instance, it appears that the cancer was detected early enough to be treated successfully with surgery and chemotherapy. Nevertheless, anyone who's life has been touched by cancer can tell you that just hearing that ugly word is terrifying regardless of the prognosis for recovery. My thought upon hearing the news was that we need to send a nice 'get well soon' card and perhaps some flowers. Lenore, our staffing coordinator, had other ideas. She approached me about the possibility of putting together a chemo bag to be taken into the treatment room. Chemotherapy can be an hours long affair where many have nothing to do aside from reading a magazine and contemplating the ominous nature of their affliction. I told Lenore that a chemo bag sounded like a wonderful idea and that I was excited to see what she came up with.

When the bag was completed, it was a thing of beauty. Full of knick-knacks like crossword books, an aromatherapy shrug, comfy socks, peppermint candies, a throw blanket, etc. There was, however, one thing in the bag which didn't make any sense to me. Included in the collection was a package of plastic forks, spoons, and knives. What? I asked Lenore about this particular item and she was fully prepared to answer. "I did some research on some common side effects from chemotherapy. Many people complain about a metallic taste in their mouth which is only made worse by using regular forks and knives to eat. A lot of people have found that using plastic utensils during chemotherapy helps out tremendously. Is that ok that I put that in?"

Are you kidding me? A member of my office staff took it upon herself to not only put together a chemo bag for the family member of a client but actually did research into common side effects of chemotherapy and solutions. Wow.

That, dear readers, is the heart of Home Instead. That is the company that I always hoped we would be and that it seems we have indeed become. That is the way that we are called to love and care for the people of our community. Selflessly. Thoughtfully. Sincerely. That is Home Instead.

Thank you Lenore. I am proud to call you a member of our Home Instead family.

One Thing That Made My Blood Boil

Government shutdown? Fine. Shut it down. At this point, I don't care for the politicians from either party but that is beside the point.

My heart warmed yesterday when I read the story of the World War II veterans who refused to be turned away by fences and barricades in their attempt to view the monument erected in their honor. "We stormed the beaches in Normandy. I think we can handle their fence." Bravo. There is no reason that these brave men should have been denied the opportunity to see their monument.

Honor Flight is a fantastic organization that coordinates and provides for trips such as these every day. An estimated 800 WWII vets pass away each day and the mission of Honor Flight is to make the dream of seeing the WWII memorial a reality for as many as possible. Honor Flight is a non-profit organization and there is no cost for a veteran to participate.

Over the next five days, Honor Flight has scheduled to bring an estimated 900 vets to view their memorial. Many of those trips may now be cancelled after learning late Wednesday that the vets could face arrest if they dare to cross the barricade again. When I first read the article my blood boiled. It sounded like something out of Les Miserables and not an actual policy of the federal government. I worked to calm myself and think of the ways that taking action like this may have been necessary. Breathe in. Breathe out. Calming thoughts. Whoosaaaa....

No good.

I became further incensed upon reading that in previous shutdowns the memorials and monuments had all been left open save the federal employees manning the various visitor's centers and information kiosks. That means that someone made the decision to hang signs and erect barricades. Additionally, the latest reports indicated that the WWII memorial in particular was now being guarded by eight mounted park officials. EIGHT. That is more staff than is typically required for a normal day of operation. Allow me to sum this mess up. The United States government decided to close the WWII memorial as a result of the government shutdown supposedly due to a lack of funding and then proceeded to erect barricades($$) and place mounted guards(more $$) throughout the park to protect it from the people who wanted to see it. It certainly seems that the government was more than willing to spend money in order to make a political point. When park officials were asked who had directed them to shut down the park and arrest any "trespassers" they responded- The White House Office of Management and Budget.

Silver Lining: Apparently, news of this story spread like wildfire since Wednesday evening when it first broke. At first, the White House ordered more barricades and fences to be erected and increased the number of parks employees who would be "protecting" the memorials from almost certain destruction at the hands of octogenarian heroes (please read sarcasm here). Once the Congress and Senate got wind of what was going on, members of both parties headed right over for some photo ops with the vets and to blame the others for causing the shutdown which was in theory preventing them from seeing their memorial. In the end, it seems that the crowds blatantly ignored what the politicians in Washington DC tried to do and enjoyed their day at the memorial. The Senators, Congressman, and President ended up looking like the petulant children that they are. The WWII veterans were treated with the respect that they deserve and the American people remembered that there are some things for which we don't the government's permission.

http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/10/ww2-vets-face-arrest-for-visiting-their-memorial/

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

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.

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

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

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/

Linda Ronstadt Diagnosed With Parkinson's

On of the most iconic voices of our era, Linda Ronstadt, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/arts/music/linda-ronstadt-discusses-her-memoir-and-parkinsons.html

On November 2, Home Instead Senior Care will be joining with thousands of people across the state to participate in Moving Day, a walk to benefit the National Parkinson's Foundation. Join us as we fight this cruel disease.

http://prkorg.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Moving_Day_NC_Triangle_Event_Page

New Test Could Prove Effective for Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease, much like Alzheimer's disease, is not diagnosed until symptoms appear. Each year, 60,000 Americans visit their physicians with irritating little symptoms such as a tremble in their fingers or lip only to hear those dreaded words: Parkinson's disease. There is no way to predict who will get Parkinson's disease. There is no way to prevent someone from getting Parkinson's disease. There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease. But new research is now giving hope that there may be an earlier way to diagnose Parkinson's disease. By measuring the amounts of five protein biomarkers in spinal fluid, doctors may be able to identify patients with Parkinson's disease far earlier in the process. "The earlier patients are identified, the more likely that new therapies, including targeted drugs that are designed to replenish waning dopamine levels, can be introduced. The hope is that such treatments might eventually reduce or even prevent some of the disease’s more advanced and debilitating symptoms."
 http://healthland.time.com/2013/08/27/promising-first-test-to-detect-parkinsons-disease/

Alzheimer's and Red Meat

A recent study published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that higher levels of iron in the body may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. While the study utilized a relatively small sample size, researchers believe that the iron may trigger a tissue breakdown associated with the disease. There are three things specifically mentioned as a way to address the elevated iron levels. The researchers suggest  that people reduce or stop red meat consumption, reduce or stop iron supplements, or that women have hysterectomies before menopause.

http://www.counselheal.com/articles/6463/20130822/red-meat-linked-alzheimers-disease.htm

So You Think You Can Dance

I am not ashamed to say that I am a reality TV junkie. I don't find there to be much programming on TV worth watching these days but I do have several favorite shows and virtually all of them fall into the reality TV category. Near the top of my DVR list is Fox's hit, So You Think You Can Dance.

In the show, pairs of dancers are asked every week to pair with a new choreographer and learn a new dance in a new style. For example, a classically trained ballerina and a hip hop dancer with no formal dance education will be paired together for a Viennese waltz. It is captivating.

While I watch it strictly to "ooh" and "ahh" at the feats displayed each week, there are benefits to dance which go far beyond entertainment. According to an article in yesterday's USA Today, dance offers some incredible benefits to seniors who are struggling with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's.

 Enjoy!


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/19/health-dance-art-alzheimers/2674973/

My First Book Report in Many Years

I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with seniors. The generation that Home Instead Senior Care currently serves is aptly described as "The Greatest Generation." While I am sure that each generation can lay claim to its own aspects of greatness, the generation that survived the depression and stormed the beaches at Normandy deserves a special place in history and a title to go along with it.

Yesterday, I finished reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. In it, Brown tells the remarkable story of the men's eight oared rowing crew which stunned the world by winning gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Many will choose to pass by this book due to a lack of interest in the topic of men's rowing, they will make a mistake in doing so.

The Boys in the Boat is about far more than rowing or the Olympics. The story of the 1936 team is a microcosm of the story of many young men of that generation. These were not carefully cultivated and well-bred athletes that seem to be emblematic of Olympic athletes today. These were boys coming up through impossibly difficult circumstances in order to triumph over adversity in life and on the water. In the book, Brown does a masterful job of interweaving the thickening plot of European politics of the time and the pilgrimmage of the Husky Clipper, the boat which carried the boys to gold. The rise of Hitler's Germany and the recovery of the United States from the Great Depression both serve as dramatic backdrops to the journey of those nine boys from Seattle to Berlin. Their victory was over more than just impossible odds. Their victory was a knife into the heart of an idea which would soon engulf the world in a horrible war. Perhaps more importantly, their victory blew new wind into the sail of an American dream which for many during those dark years seemed to have disappeared completely.

My favorite part of the book was the epilogue where Brown takes his readers beyond the race and briefly explores the lives each of The Boys in the Boat went on to live. Not surprisingly, the grit and determination they showed in conquering the world was evidenced throughout each of their individual lives as well.

I am glad that I read the book. I am blessed to work with many who belong to that generation and who have similarly remarkable stories to tell.

Beware- New Scam in NC

Crimes are, by their very nature, cruel acts performed at the expense of other people. As a society, we have found ways to excuse certain crimes by pairing them with defensible motivations; crimes of desperation, crimes of passion. Yet there are certain crimes for which no defense can be made. Crimes which victimize the elderly are among those.

Recently, a new wave of scams designed to defraud senior citizens has swept across the nation. The "Med Alert Scam" is nothing incredibly creative yet seniors in Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, New York and North Carolina have been the targets of this most recent con. The Attorney General's office in NC says that they have already fielded more than 100 calls reporting this scam. Imagine how many more are victimized in silence.

The basis of the con operates in two primary fashions. The most common form which has been observed begins with an automated phone call. The call informs its recipient that either they have won a free med alert system or that someone has purchased a med alert system for them.The call then requests that they enter their credit or debit card information to pay for shipping. The second form that the con is known to have taken is that of free merchandise being delivered. The merchandise is delivered with little to no explanation of where it is from or what it entails. The return instructions and conditions of receipt are confusing and shrouded by legal jargon and fine print. Sooner rather than later, large invoices being to arrive accompanied by letters threatening legal action or worse. Many seniors simply pay the invoices rather than asking for help or attempting to confront the scumbag operation.

Home Instead Senior Care has put together some fantastic and free resources on the topic of senior fraud prevention. While it would definitely behoove everyone to read through the principles of the program, an easy rule of thumb to remember regarding telephone fraud is that you should never give any information out during a phone call that you did not initiate. While the financial toll that this scam may take on many seniors is devastating, the emotional toll is equally as brutal. Seniors who are already struggling to maintain a connection to the rapidly changing world around them, now retreat even further, afraid to even pick up the phone.

Check out the free resources at www.protectseniorsfromfraud.com

Remember to Have a Cup of Hot Cocoa with Grandma

There is something nostalgic about the image of sitting down and having a cup of hot cocoa with grandma. Even though most of the hot cocoa I have consumed in my life has been done as an effort to stave off hypothermia during Boy Scout campouts, there is still something about the image of grandma fixing a cup of cocoa that is strangely comforting. As it turns out, perhaps my subconscious was trying to send me messages about improving cognitive function in seniors. My subconscious is, after all, very intelligent and concerned with matters of seniors and memory retention. I digress.

A new study has shown that seniors who consume an average of two cups of hot cocoa a day shown a slight improvement in their cognitive function. The sources releasing this study are quick to point out that drawing factual conclusions at this point would be unwise due to the small sample size and the relatively small differentiation they observed between the two groups studied. The scientists expressed concern that this in no way advocates the consumption of hot cocoa and cautioned against the dangers of obesity brought about by the needless consumption of hot cocoa with regards to cognitive function. Killjoys.

We could wait to have a cup of hot cocoa with grandma until the results of the study have been more fully flushed out. As for me and my house, we will take no chances by minimizing our chocolate intake until slow-poke scientists finish their work. Hot chocolate for all!

Below you will find a link to my favorite hot cocoa recipe. I recommend adding in a dash of cayenne and subbing in bittersweet chocolate chips for half of the chips it calls for. Salud!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/semi-homemade-cooking-with-sandra-lee/the-best-hot-chocolate-ever-recipe/index.html

 

New Study- Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Alzheimer's

My wife and I have been blessed with six sons. We have been further blessed that she has been able to breast-feed all of them. The benefits of breastfeeding are multiple. While there are those who may exaggerate those benefits and those who may downplay them, the scientific evidence is fairly convincing. Breastfed babies have been shown to have a reduced risk of ear infections, stomach viruses, respiratory infections, atopic dermatis, asthma, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia and a gastrointestinal disease in preterm infants known as necrotizing enterocolitis. There are also many who believe that breastfeeding increases a child's intelligence. For the mother, breastfeeding is reported to reduce the occurrences of postpartum depression, certain types of cancer, hypertension and diabetes. All things considered, breastfeeding is a very good thing.

A new report released in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease shows that breastfeeding may also lower a woman's risk of Alzheimer's disease. While it is a fairly small group that the study researched, the results are eye popping. Women who breastfed at some point in their lives showed a 64% reduction in their risk of Alzheimer's when compared to those who had children but didn't breast-feed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57597014/breast-feeding-may-lower-moms-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/

Let's Talk About Sex...in Nursing Homes.

Sexuality is an exciting topic at any age. Thanks in no small part to the daily dose of sexuality we ingest through television and media, the drugs constantly offering to help us have better sex, and the societal mentality that defines people according to who they have sex with, we think about sex a lot. One place, however, you might not spend a great deal of time thinking about sex in is a nursing home. Times they are a-changing.

Seniors today are far more active than they have ever been before. They are living longer, fuller lives. While many of the senses may dull or fail with old age, the sense of touch remains intact. Seniors have desires and seniors are having sex.

A conversation with any worker in an assisted living community will confirm this fact if you have any doubt. When the families are through visiting, the room swaps begin. This has brought about some difficult ethical questions to answer for administrators in facilities and communities. Do they have the legal power to stop consensual sex between adults? At what point is sex no longer consensual with regards to dementia?

There are examples on both sides of the debate. On the more conservative side is an example out of Iowa where to two seniors with dementia were caught having sex on Christmas day. Administrators and nurses were fired and lambasted as public examples of negligence. Charges were filed by the family against the facility for failing to prevent the rape of one resident by another. Eventually, both of the residents in question passed away as did the lawsuit. The administrators never worked in senior care again; the scarlet letter of a new era. In the Bronx, there is a nursing home with an entirely different take on the issue which is making headlines. At this home, the administrator brags that his staff "actively encourages and supports sex and intimacy among its residents. Our position is very strongly that consenting adults who have capacity, this is a civil right of theirs. They do not give up a civil right simply because they are in need of nursing care in a facility. And that our obligation as a nursing facility is to encourage their civil rights, as we would do with respect to voting."

No matter where you fall on this issue, the reality is that seniors are having sex more than probably ever before. With the rapidly increasing numbers of this demographic and the rise of seniors who are struggling with dementia, this is a conversation that needs to be had.

Senior Fraudsters Arrested in Our Area

Ten people are in jail in Raleigh/Durham for defrauding seniors after being arrested as a part of "Operation Nail It", a task force targeting con-artists who victimize seniors by pretending to do home repair work. Earlier this year, Home Instead Senior Care put a number of resources out into the community as a part of our campaign to help prevent senior fraud. In home repair scams, a serviceman will typically come directly to the home unsolicited and point out some repairs that desperately need to be completed. They will usually demand payment up front for the "services" but in actuality the only service they provide is the removal of funds from a victims bank account. Hear one senior's tragic tale of fraud below:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9188886

For tips on how to protect the seniors in your life from con-artists like this go to: www.protectseniorsfromfraud.com

Low Testosterone Shown To Increase Risk For Parkinson's

In a recent study, a drop in the testosterone levels of male mice caused them to manifest symptoms that appear to be very similar to those found in Parkinson's Disease. Male testosterone levels typically peak in the mid-30's and then decline around 1% each year thereafter. The decline can be made more sudden by other factors such as stress or other life events. Low testosterone has also been linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer's. Given that men are already known to be 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson's, the link to lower testosterone levels seems to make a lot of sense.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/17863/20130728/mouse-study-shows-link-between-low-testosterone.htm