Half of Older Adults Need Help with Daily Activities
According to a new study from researchers from the University of Michigan and the Urban Institute nearly half of older adultsÛÓ18 million peopleÛÓhave difficulty or get help with daily activities. In all, 8,245 people, analyzed from Medicare enrollment files, were included in the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study. One in four lived in either a supportive care setting (15 percent) or a nursing home (10 percent). Low income individuals with severe disability received a disproportionate share of help with three or more activities in settings other than nursing homes. Nearly all had at least one potential informal care network memberÛÓfamily or household member, or close friendÛÓand the average network size was four people. Older adults who lived in the community reported receiving more than five hours a day of care on average. About 70 percent of those getting help received assistance from family, friends and other unpaid caregivers, while about 30 percent received paid care. Researchers concluded that policies to improve long-term care services and supports and reduce unmet needs could benefit both older adults and those who care for them. Source: University of Michigan News.
Link Between Vitamin D and Dementia Risk Confirmed
Link Between Vitamin D and Dementia Risk Confirmed Researchers suggest that in older people, not getting enough vitamin D may double the risk of developing dementia and AlzheimerÛªs disease. The study was published in the online issue of Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at blood levels of vitamin D, which includes vitamin D from food, supplements and sun exposure. Dietary vitamin D is found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, and milk, eggs and cheese. ÛÏWe expected to find an association between low Vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and AlzheimerÛªs disease, but the results were surprisingÛÓwe actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated,Û said study author David J. Llewellyn, PhD, of the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom. For the study, 1,658 people over the age of 65 who were dementia-free had their vitamin D blood levels tested. After an average of six years, 171 participants developed dementia and 102 had AlzheimerÛªs disease. The study found that people with low levels of vitamin D had a 53-percent increased risk of developing dementia and those who were severely deficient had a 125-percent increased risk compared to participants with normal levels of vitamin D. People with lower levels of vitamin D were nearly 70 percent more likely to develop AlzheimerÛªs disease and those who had severe deficiency were over 120 percent more likely to develop the disease. The results remained the same after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect risk of dementia, such as education, smoking and alcohol consumption. ÛÏClinical trials are now needed to establish whether eating foods such as oily fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of AlzheimerÛªs disease and dementia. We need to be cautious at this early stage and our latest results do not demonstrate that low vitamin D levels cause dementia. That said, our findings are very encouraging, and even if a small number of people could benefit, this would have enormous public health implications given the devastating and costly nature of dementia,Û said Llewellyn.
Buying a Long Term Care Insurance Policy on Your Resolution List? Consider a Partnership Policy
Buying a Long Term Care Insurance Policy on Your Resolution List? Consider a Partnership Policy The Long-Term Care Partnership Program is a Federally-supported, state-operated initiative that allows individuals who purchase a qualified long term care insurance policy or coverage to protect a portion of their assets that they would typically need to spend down prior to qualifying for Medicaid coverage. Once an individual purchases a Partnership policy and uses some or all of the policy benefits, the amount of the policy benefits used will be disregarded for purposes of calculating eligibility for Medicaid. This means that you are able to keep assets up to the amount of the policy benefits that were paid under their policy or coverage. For example, in a state that chooses to participate in the Long-Term Care Partnership Program, once you have used part or all of your maximum lifetime benefit (MLB), your assets would be protected up to the amount paid under the policy. You would not need to spend those assets before qualifying for that state’s Medicaid program The Long-Term Care Partnership Program originated in the late 1980s to address the increasing cost of state Medicaid expenditures for long term care. It allowed individuals to purchase a long term care insurance policy that protected an individual’s assets up to a predetermined amount of policy benefits. Benefits used would be disregarded when determining the individual’s eligibility for state Medicaid. An amount equal to the benefits used would not have to be part of the asset spend-down for Medicaid eligibility. The Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) allowed for the nationwide expansion of the Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program and asset protection on a dollar-for-dollar basis. This means that for each dollar of benefits paid under the policy, the individual will get one dollar of asset protection, up to the maximum benefits paid out under the policy. Each state can elect to implement a DRA Partnership Program for the citizens of that state. The DRA does not require states to participate. In turn, insurance companies need to decide if they will offer Partnership policies, and the policies must be certified as qualifying as Partnership policies. The law specifies that anyone who purchases a tax-qualified long term care insurance policy that meets stringent consumer protection standards and certain inflation requirements under the Partnership Program would qualify for asset protection, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to the policy maximum. Check with your financial/insurance professional.
Walking Speed Could Be Predictor of Dementia
(Science Daily) A study involving nearly 27,000 older adults on five continents found that nearly 1 in 10 met criteria for pre-dementia based on a simple test that measures how fast people walk and whether they have cognitive complaints. People who tested positive for pre-dementia were twice as likely as others to develop dementia within 12 years. The study was published online in Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
ÛÏAfter dancing, over several months they reported less pain and were able to walk faster,Û said Jean Krampe, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at Saint Louis University and lead author of the article. The findings are significant because older adults who walk too slowly are more likely to fall, become hospitalized or require care from others, Krampe said. ÛÏDoctors and nurses recognize gait speed as the sixth vital sign that can help us predict adverse outcomes for older adults,Û Krampe said. So given that, what if we helped older adults walk faster? Would the results of the MCR be the same? Who know? My suggestion, play it safe and move faster!
Infographic – Making a Home Safe for Older People
How To Make A Home Safe For Older People [Infographic] by the team at Bluebird Care Infographic – Making a Home Safe for Older People
