Exercise May Help Ward Off Memory Decline
Exercise may be associated with a small benefit for elderly people who already have memory and thinking problems, according to new research published in Neurology®, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The research involved people with vascular cognitive impairment, which is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.
“Studies have shown that exercise can help reduce the risk of developing memory problems, but few studies have looked at whether it can help people who already have these problems get better or keep from getting worse,” said study author Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PT, PhD, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
The study involved 70 people with an average age of about 74 who had mild vascular cognitive impairment. Half of the participants took part in one-hour exercise classes three times a week for six months. The other half received information each month about vascular cognitive impairment and a healthy diet, but no information on physical activity.
All of the participants were tested before the study started, at the end of the study and again six months later on their overall thinking skills, executive function skills such as planning and organizing and how well they could complete their daily activities.
Those who exercised had a small improvement on the test of overall thinking skills compared to those who did not exercise.
After Surgery – How Do Seniors Plan for Care
After Surgery Care for Seniors Expert Tips
How do seniors, living alone, plan for care after surgery?
The U.S. Census estimates close to 29 percent of older adults 65 and older live alone. The numbers continue to rise due to the baby boomers’ high divorce rate and childless marriages. And now the boomers enter the 65 years of age, so, as they grow older, this generation will find themselves living without the support of family or anyone one else.
What will this mean to our health care systems? Not having access to family members to help out with daily living activities, transportation, and even personal care if one should become ill, the burden of such post care will fall on Medicaid or Medicare. Members of my Facebook elder orphan group speak to this issue each day. The toughest concerns they face are getting a ride to medical center or hospital, locating low-cost personal care help, and finding support as they recover alone.
Just recently, a member was involved in a tragic car accident and needed surgery. Unfortunately, since she did not have anyone help her out post-surgery, sadly, the member was unable to return home and was required to heal and recover in a rehab center. Now, that may sound like a viable option post-after surgery, however, the member now faces hefty health care expenses since the insurance company did not pick up the rehab bill.
These are few examples of what aging alone seniors come up against. But I predict as this segment swells, more and more older adults will face these and other challenges which creates much tension and stress. I’m very curious to learn how a senior, aging alone, can best prepare to take care of themselves when dealing with a chronic illness or facing surgery. I asked several members of the Seniorcare.com Aging Council,
“When living alone, planning and dealing with a medical event is extremely difficult – what strategy do you recommend one put in place to alleviate the stress?”
Here is what they had to say about after surgery care.
Shannon Martin, Aging Wisely, Get help. The medical system can be overwhelming to navigate when you are ill and stressed. Consider hiring an aging life care manager for a consultation and/or help with planning, advocacy and care management (especially if you do not have a family member who can act in this role).
Alex Chamberlain, Easy Living FL, Research options before a crisis. Test out services you may need. For example, as a home health company we see the positive results clients have when there’s continuity of care. It’s comforting when your long-time caregiver (who maybe just helps a bit at home when you’re fairly independent) can be with you during an illness, hospitalization, or transition. Your outcomes may just be better too!
Anthony Cirillo, The Aging Experience, Preplanning is key. Have an advanced directive and health care power of attorney. Have a DNR and MOST form readily accessible to professionals. Have all of your doctors and medications on a list. Consider a life alert type of device that will inform people if you have fallen. Of course they do so much more these days and are a great way to have peace of mind.
Michelle Jeong, LifeAssist, Set up an emergency plan with 2-3 nearby friends that you trust. Put their names on auto-dial and share key documents such as your Health care Directive, insurance policy and Power of Attorney info. Giving a copy of your keys to 1-2 trusted neighbors is highly recommended.
David Inns, GreatCall, More and more seniors are planning to age in place rather than at a facility or home and technology can help with this. I recommend seniors living alone use a small emergency response device that they can wear at all times, like a one-touch emergency button. This allows them to maintain independence while providing security and peace of mind that if an emergency occurs they can get help instantly.
Connie Chow, DailyCaring.com, When living alone, having a crisis plan is essential for peace of mind. Ask a trusted friend to be your local emergency contact and a family member as the #2 contact. Make sure important info is clearly posted on or near your fridge: emergency contacts, doctors’ names and numbers, your date of birth, any medication allergies, your power of attorney representative’s name, and your DNR or POLST.
5 Things I Learned About Hospice Care When Mom Passed
Hospice is a Conscious Choice
A month before mom passed, I had the opportunity to attend a health care meeting at a local residential hospice. In my 15 years living in North Carolina, I had never been there and boy was I impressed. So when mom faced the need for hospice care, I immediately knew where we were going to go.
If you could describe death as a beautiful experience, well, hers was and hospice made it so. The dignity, the rituals, the respect made her passing was a spiritual event. I learned that hospice is a conscious choice, one that you have to plan for in your advance directives.
It doesn’t try to postpone death, or to make death happen more quickly. It allows the patient’s terminal disease to progress at a natural rate while preventing or treating uncomfortable symptoms as they arise. Hospice health care controls or eliminates pain, nausea, breathing difficulties, and other symptoms brought about by the patient’s disease or the dying process.
Patients who choose to receive hospice care aren’t giving up. They haven’t lost hope. Rather, the focus of their hope has shifted. While they may still hope for a cure, they’re choosing to spend their energy toward the fulfillment of other hopes.
They may hope to mend a relationship, to resolve an internal conflict, to provide as smooth a transition as possible for a loved one, or to accomplish a specific goal.
Hospice also provides emotional, psychological, and spiritual care for the patient’s loved ones. They did for me and for my wife.
Hospice is a Form of Palliative Care
Palliative care is treatment aimed at relieving the symptoms associated with serious illnesses. Its goal is to improve a patient’s quality of life. It can begin at any time during a serious illness and ideally at the time of diagnosis.
Hospice care is simply one form of palliative care that is appropriate for patients in the final stage of life. This means those with a life expectancy of six months or less. Palliative care can be given regardless of life expectancy.
Cancer patients most often utilize palliative care. But it can be used for heart failure patients, liver failure patients, patients with respiratory disease. Any serious illness that negatively impacts a patient’s quality of life can benefit from palliative care.
Aggressive palliative care can relieve distressing side effects from cancer treatment like nausea and vomiting, fatigue, pain. The goal of palliative care is simply to relieve suffering and improve quality of life. It also addresses emotional suffering and spiritual care needs.
Hospice Care is About Dignity at Death
For me personally, hospice was about rituals during mom’s last two days of life. A priest came in and administered last rites. Mom could not speak so my wife and I spoke for her. A choir came in on her last day. There was support for the family through empathetic staff and volunteers.
Even after she passed there was a ceremony with music, candles, and a procession. This tool place while her body was taken from the room to the funeral director’s hearse.
It was all about dignity at death. My father-in-law received the same care in the hospital with hospice. When my sister passed in 2014, she died alone. Of course at 66, we did not talk about hospice and even though she had Stage 4 lung cancer, we were all in denial about her life expectancy.
There are many reasons people do not utilize hospice more. They may be unaware of it or not knowledgeable enough. That causes misconceptions and fear. But make no mistake, it is still a hard decision to make.
Mom was 94, just had major surgery, and had a heart attack during recovery. She was both unwilling and unable to rehab. She wanted to be with my sister. So we started the conversation and did it with care and did it slowly. First me, then my wife, then the hospitalist, then the hospice care people at the hospital.
Mom had all her cognition. She thought and prayed on it and came to her own conclusion that hospice was probably appropriate. She was only in hospice 55 hours but the positive memory of her end of life experience will live with me forever.
Ask the Right Questions When Choosing Hospice
Mom received care in a residential hospice, a place where you live for a very short period of time. Most people receive this type of care in the home. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has a four-page document that outlines the key questions to ask when choosing hospice.
People Need to Talk About and Plan for Their End of Life Wishes
I think it is essential to have an advanced directive that spells out the kind of care you would like to receive in case you cannot speak for yourself. Equally important is having a health care power of attorney that will follow the wishes you have outlined.
These are documents everyone can complete when they are young and healthy. When death could be a long way off, the conversation is frankly easier to have. When things are done in a crisis, it is never good.
The last memory of a loved one is something that will be with you forever, so just as we plan in life, we also have to plan for death. “Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship.” – Robert Anderson
What about you? Have you had the discussion with mom or dad about their end of life wishes? Have you thought about your own wishes? You need too. Please join the conversation.
