The Link Between Diet, Exercise & Alzheimer’s

Concerns about your memory or that of a loved one should never be ignored.  There are many resources available through a simple internet search, and professional associations that provide education and guidance through a maze of questions you may have regarding how to approach someone you suspect may be experiencing memory loss, or how to ask for help if that someone is you.  There is even a free online memory test you can take in the privacy of your own home.But, did you also know that through many years of research, there is a link between diet, exercise and Alzheimer’s disease?  It is never too late to start making proactive changes to your diet and lifestyle now to help lessen the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.  Even if you have been given an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a study published in late October by Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, noted that it is possible to improve cognition with modifications to diet, exercise, and sleep.   

This study, summarized by the Wall Street Journal, acknowledged that the methods tested would not prevent Alzheimer’s, but through their findings, healthy individuals, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment who followed personalized recommendations over the 18 months of the study, did show improvement in cognition.The study included 157 participants who varied in age from 25 to 86 and who all had a family history of Alzheimer’s.A small group in the study had mild cognitive impairment and were asked, after going through certain measurements and many tests, such as blood, genetic and cognitive function, to adhere to a little over 20 recommendations of food selection, daily vitamins and personalized exercise plans.  Those who followed at least 60% of the recommendations showed significant improvement from their baseline in cognitive testing.  Participants who followed less than sixty percent of the recommendations experienced cognitive decline similar to the control groups.  Cognitive decline is a precursor to memory problems.

The larger group of participants studied were healthy individuals who had no memory loss though some in this group had less than ideal cognitive testing.  After 18 months of following recommendations, all participants showed improvement in cognitive testing compared to their baselines and the control group, even if all the recommendations were not followed.  Results showed that younger participants did better in general than those who were over 60 years old.  Some of the measurements that went into developing a personalized plan included body fat and muscle mass, since the memory center of the brain, the hippocampus, is known to shrink as belly fat increases.   Because cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, these values were monitored throughout the study.  

In reviewing sites such as the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, a free memory test was found that will test how quickly and accurately you recognize repeated images during a timed test.  On the Alzheimer’s Association website, one can find many recommendations for diet and lifestyle modification to follow, which are also listed in the Wall Street Journal article.   Some examples of diet modification include limiting red meat, adding foods to your diet that are high in omega 3’s, such as a certain type of fish, and foods high in antioxidants, such as strawberries and blueberries.  A mix of aerobic exercise and resistance training/weight lifting was recommended for good brain and heart health.   Hours of sleep and quality of sleep were other factors that can affect mood and memory.It is generally recommended that a person try to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep each night and reduce caffeine consumption and ‘screen time’ well before bedtime to improve the quality of sleep.As for general brain health, meditation for stress reduction and learning a new skill, such as a foreign language were recommendations to keep you mentally sharp. There are many other ways to start now to improve or maintain your brain health with numerous online resources to help.  If you have a family history of Alzheimer’s, don’t let another day go by worrying about what may happen.   Educate yourself and take steps now that could minimize your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Sources:  https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/diet-and-exercise

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at https://www.Alzfdn.org

Alzheimer’s Association at https://www.alz.org

Startup companies designing user-friendly technologies for seniors

It is projected by the US Census Bureau that in the year 2050 there will be 458 million Americans of which 92.1 million will be 65 or older. Senior Americans will constitute slightly over 20 percent of the population as a whole if these projections are accurate. By the year 2030, all of the baby boomers will have moved into the population aged 65 years or more and will also represent 1 in 5 Americans. 

The application of technologies for everyday use in senior care will become more prevalent to meet the growing needs of elderly health care. Digital health startup companies receive billions in US funding to specifically design user-friendly interfaces for Americans aged 65 and older. This includes taking into consideration the changes and limitations of fine motor skills and vision as well as memory and cognitive issues. Smart pillboxes, fall detection systems, remote patient monitoring and applications that can provide individualized medical alerts to health care professionals are part of the health care side technologies. The many seniors choosing to age in place are now better protected by technologies that address motion detecting lights, smart thermostats, smart doorbells with video cameras, keyless entry locks to homes and cars, smart home security systems and personal emergency response systems are all being customized to meet the needs of a rapidly aging baby boomer population. The good news is that many seniors currently engage in the world of technology and reap some of its benefits. 

https://gerontology.usc.edu/resources/infographics/designing-technology-for-the-aging-population/

The other good news is that corporations are spending billions to customize technologies specifically for the benefit of seniors that are cost-effective and of high quality whether the senior is aging in place, in assisted living or a nursing home. Some of the most notable startups include:

Steadiwear is known for its product “Steadiglove” which is a device that reduces hand tremors in aging patients who in particular have Parkinson’s disease and “essential tremor”, a nervous system disorder that causes rhythmic shaking.

Cake allows elderly patients to communicate via a mobile application to vent their feelings about death. It is a general forum that provides simple answers to complex questions about death and mortality. It also encourages the senior to organize their personal life before their passing. This pay for service is a good start to explore general directions that a senior can then talk over with their elder legal counsel.

Sway is a digital startup responsible for the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) testing system that determines through a motion analysis algorithm if an individual’s stability is compromised and the subsequent probability of an unintended fall. Mobile and cloud-based technology ensure patient data collection from any iOS Athletic Profile data are both reliable and secure. 

Hometeam uses mobile technology that empowers a senior to track their medical status by using an iPad. The company is designed for a home care approach an currently provides medical monitoring and care for more than 12 million senior Americans who are unable to afford to be a resident in a nursing home. 

Silvernest strives to match the elderly patient population in nursing and retirement homes with younger and livelier roommates as a way to reduce isolation for the more senior “roomie.” Proprietary, extensive background checks can find a mutually beneficial roommate match. 

Honor is a shared mobile technology platform that offers high-quality care to its patient base as well as provides a mobile platform that allows loved ones and friends the ability to track their senior’s medical status. It provides tools to assess their medical progress and determine the rate of health improvement. 

Rendever is a virtual reality technology company that offers elderly patients the opportunity to experience the outside world using virtual reality (VR) display goggles. Even if the senior is confined to a nursing home or assisted living facility, this VR experience allows the resident the chance to travel the world through the use of virtual reality technology.  

Pixiescientific has designed an application to detect any symptoms and signs of a urinary tract infection; diagnosing the problem before it becomes severe. Sensor technology detects abnormalities within the urinary tract of the patient and monitoring provides assessment diagnoses of dehydration and infection which are common among seniors.

Zansors uses sensor technology to monitor an individual’s sleep pattern by data collection of movement while in bed and respiration rates while sleeping. This individualized and accurate biofeedback allows the user to determine how much quality sleep they require to avoid physical fatigue and exhaustion. It is particularly useful for patients who have insomnia.   

Myseismic has developed an undergarment “suit” that aids senior muscle strength through tiny motors that act as “electrical muscles” that are integrated into the fabric around the joints of the body via proprietary grips that function like tendons in the human body. Computer sensors track the wearer’s body movement, and software alerts the electrical muscles in the clothing when to activate. This is ideal for seniors who are experiencing an overall decline in energy and muscularization but still want to be able to move and travel freely. 

More startups companies and technological advancements are in development. Meta data feedback allows for the continually refinement of existing technology systems. The engine of change for senior health care is digital as it can provide seniors with their best options for successful aging. 

If you have questions about what you have read or would like to discuss your own situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 1.800.660.7564 or by emailing us at info@covertlaw.com.

The Physical Challenges of Aging in Place

According to AARP aging in place is a goal for 3 out of 4 Americans aged 50 or more. These seniors and near seniors are willing to employ alternative solutions to facilitate this. The alternatives include home sharing (32%), building an additional or accessory dwelling unit (31%) and locating into villages that provide services which enable aging in place (56%). These communities become a source of support and engagement for residents and give a sense of grounding through memories of a long time home environment.

Seniors who want to reside in a community (aka, age in place) rather than seek residential institutions or nursing homes are mostly dependent on unpaid caregivers and family members for assistance with activities of daily living (ADL). These activities include laundry, self-care actions like bathing and dressing, meal preparation, and transportation. Medicare provides some long-term care services and supports (LTSS); however, the LTSS program falls far short of the need. While the aging population in America is rapidly increasing, lawmakers are slow to respond to the insufficient funding to increase the availability of LTSS for seniors choosing to age in place. The goal of LTSS is not to replace but to supplement the contribution of unpaid family and caregivers. The addition of a Medicare benefit to support family caregivers as they help their loved ones would enable more aging adults to successfully remain in their homes. 

Technology has provided some solutions for caregivers, allowing caregivers to monitor their loved one remotely while they stay engaged at work. Smart environmental controls and personal assistants have lightened the load of constant oversight but cannot replace the helping human touch. Nearly 60 percent of seniors who have seriously compromised mobility report being house or apartment bound, while 25 percent of those seniors say they often remain in bed and do not dress daily. 

Low tech devices like canes, walkers, ramps, grab bars, shower seats and raised toilets to increase the level of accessibility and safety for aging in place seniors, however, transferring in and out of bed and moving around their homes still provides notable difficulty for many. The senior who wants to age in place is typically independent-minded and therefore have trouble foreseeing a time when help is not a want but a need. Aging adults and their families need to plan to address changing physical capacities before an adverse health event such as an unintended fall or dementia challenges change everything. While aging in place is a great goal for many seniors it requires planning just as if they were planning on moving into an assisted living facility. 

Johns Hopkins researchers report 42 percent of older adults who have problems performing ADLs or are living with probable dementia receive no assistance at all from family, friends or paid caregivers. That is a staggering number of unaided seniors. Additionally, twenty-one percent of seniors with a minimum of three chronic conditions and high needs received no assistance at all. LTSS through Medicare will have to make changes to meet the ever-increasing demand for human caregiving.

Approximately 60 percent of at home seniors use at least one low tech device, most commonly for bathing, toileting or in-home movement, throughout their day but their needs multiple as they age. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover the expenses of most of these nonmedical devices and services. The resulting problem is seniors near, or at the bottom of the income ladder go without assistance, human or device, putting their daily lives in a very precarious position. Hardships for these seniors on the razor’s edge include the inability to pay medical bills or prescription costs, utilities or rent, and some resort to skipping meals to balance out their unaided lifestyle. At best this is heartbreaking, at worst it is inhumane.

The CHRONIC Care Act will allow Medicare Advantage plans to offer supplemental benefits for seniors to cover devices such as wheelchair ramps, grab bars, personal care, and transportation to chronically ill seniors however there are 21 million people who have needs to be met and how this will be paid for is unclear. Meanwhile, the 39 million people enrolled in traditional Medicare are entirely left out of any supplemental benefit. Affordability for at home care is a significant issue on a personal, family, and government level.

Caregivers and assistive low tech devices are an absolute necessity for seniors opting to age in place. The extent of the adjustments senior adults make as their needs become more profound are not well documented. As aging in place is a common strategy now, new solutions and programs must be explored to ensure successful aging.

If your strategy is to age in place, have a discussion early on with trusted counsel and family members to address some of the challenges you will eventually have to overcome. If we can assist you, please don’t hesitate to reach out by calling us at 1.800.660.7564 or by emailing us at info@covertlaw.com.