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How Robotics Are Helping Chinese Seniors with Rehab

Date: September 22, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
How Robotics Are Helping Chinese Seniors with Rehab

It’s no secret that Asia is leading the way when it comes to robotic caregiving. The latest news has to do with robotics helping Chinese seniors with rehab. Doing physical rehab is more engaging and enjoyable with the help of these robots.

How Robotics Are Helping Chinese Seniors with Rehab

How Robotics Are Helping Chinese Seniors with Rehab

 

People over 60 in China have reached 250 million in 2018, out of a total population of around 1.4 billion. The country realized it needs to come up with alternative ways to treat their aging population because soon the senior community will be bigger than the country can handle.

So, scientists and tech companies are creating artificial intelligence applications to make things easier.

A woman named Wang Lingmei is using a training machine and playing a game at the same time. The device resembles an electronic piano with a TV attached to it. Wang, 84, is reaching to touch virtual fruits by moving a handle as part of her daily exercise. The exercise regiment is to help her recover mobility after fracturing her right arm and leg in a fall.

“The game is interesting and makes me feel happy. We have a therapist to monitor our condition while using it, so I am not afraid of this technology and machine.”— Wang Lingmei

The Lujiazui Elderly Community Center, where Wang resides, uses the game/rehab machine and also uses smart mattresses. The mattresses have sensors to help monitor the health of patients, and the data can be shared with everyone who’s allowed to see. GPS can even find residents if they wander off.

Before having the rehab machine, the center would hire a therapist to visit every day to help patients. The therapist would direct the patient’s hand to an object and repeat the move with them hundreds of times. It took a lot of time and wasn’t fun for the patient.

Now with the machine, while a therapist is still needed, the exercises are more engaging, and there is a sense of independence.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the robotic caregiving field.

Read more here.

7 Ways to Start Cutting Back on Medication

Date: September 15, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Seniors Could Show Unusual Covid-19 Symptoms

Taking too many medications is a typical problem among older adults. As the body gets older, the more care it needs, which means more doctors and more medication. Many times doctors will prescribe medicine for side effects, thinking they are new symptoms. You can start cutting back on medication. You have to be the one to take the first step.

7 Ways to Start Cutting Back on Medication

7 Ways to Start Cutting Back on Medication

 

Overmedication is a serious health hazard for older adults. It’s easily overlooked, making it even more dangerous. It’s easier to assume side effects are new symptoms than side effects from medication.

Seniors become more sensitive to drugs as they get older. The side effects affect them differently than it does in younger people. Americans age sixty to seventy-nine use five or more prescription drugs daily. The more drugs a person takes, the higher risk of adverse drug reactions.

These reactions can be things easily thought of as part of an illness, like diarrhea, constipation, lightheadedness, weight loss, nausea, confusion, difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much.

Cutting back on medication you take can help reduce cognitive decline and falls.

1. Schedule a Doctor Visit(s)

Do not decide what medication to stop taking on your own. It’s dangerous and could make you very sick.

One reason that people take too many medications for too long is that you schedule a doctor’s appointment when you don’t feel good. Instead, make an appointment to specifically go over all your medicine.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what the drugs are for, and if there are any that you can stop. See if any side effects are symptoms you are experiencing at that moment.

Expect that it will take a few appointments to get off medications properly. There are usually plans to slowly lower dosages to avoid any withdrawal symptoms or see how you do. If you react positively to a lower dosage, that can be a sign that you don’t need to take the drug.

This process can take months, so be patient.

2. Be Informed

You need to know what you’re taking and why. You can make a list or even a spreadsheet with info like the drug’s name, why you are taking it, who prescribed it, how long you’ve been taking it, is it working, and side effects. This will not only help you but your doctor as well. It allows for a bigger picture to be shown.

3. Talk About Treatment Goals and Preferences

Never assume that your doctor knows what your preferences are. They don’t. Make a list of what your goals have and discuss them with your doctor. Your goals may affect what medication you take.

4. Nondrug Avenues

There are plenty of alternative avenues that don’t involve drugs that you can try. Changes in diet, lifestyle, and activity can significantly change your life. Talk to your doctor about which of these paths you can take and what medications they may lessen or even eliminate.

5. Keep Your Doctor in the Loop

If you start something new, let your doctor know and why you are taking it. If it’s from another doctor, make sure to let your primary know that as well.

It’s up to you to keep track of your prescriptions and to communicate if they aren’t working for you.

6. Be Smart About Adding to Your Prescriptions

If any doctor wants you to try a new drug, do research. Find out if it’s a drug that could cause you harm because you’re older, versus someone younger. Ask your pharmacist about drug interactions and side effects. Then you can decide whether to take it or not.

7. See a Geriatrician

It may be better to see a geriatrician instead of a primary care doctor. They’re more focused on older people than the general public. They have more knowledge about how older people react to drugs and different illnesses.

Read more here.

There are More Homeless Seniors in America Than Ever

Date: September 15, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
There are More Homeless Seniors in America Than Ever

In the early 1990s, around eleven percent of the adult homeless population in the U.S. was fifty and older. It went up to thirty-seven percent by 2003. Now, there are more homeless seniors in America than ever. Around half of this country’s homeless are over fifty.

There are More Homeless Seniors in America Than Ever

There are More Homeless Seniors in America Than Ever

 

There could be a light at the end of the tunnel, though. A new research institute was created in July 2019 at UC San Francisco, called the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. It was funded by a thirty million dollar donation from tech billionaire Marc Benioff. This donation is the biggest private donation ever given in America for research on homelessness.

The mission of the institute is to study homelessness and come up with ways to create housing and services for people. It’ll also collect a library of local and national research, that way policy leaders and the public can understand the issue.

The head of the research institute is Margot Kushel, a Professor of Medicine at the University of California. Her previous research has found that a significant amount of the homeless in Oakland, California, became homeless later in life.

That specific population all had a similar story of both men and women working low-wage jobs and then having something significant happen in their life. Job loss, illness, a new disability, a death, or interaction with the criminal justice system have all been possible causes.

Current research isn’t thinking of homeless seniors. People at high risk of falls are put in danger by bunk beds or shared bathrooms that don’t have grab bars and a slip-resistant floor. Plus, any additional help they need with daily tasks like bathing and dressing is not thought of.

Homeless seniors die at a rate of four to five times what would be expected in the general population. They die from the same causes of other people, but twenty to thirty years earlier.

Read more here.

After a Heart Attack, Medication Could Impact Function

Date: September 9, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
After a Heart Attack, Medication Could Impact Function

After a heart attack, you are usually prescribed medication to stop any more from happening. While it can help prevent heart attacks, it could also make you frailer.

After a Heart Attack, Medication Could Impact Function

After a Heart Attack, Medication Could Impact Function

 

A study found that within 90 days of a heart attack, seniors who took three or more medications were less likely to die than those who took one. Functional decline happened more often with people who took a lot of drugs, though.

Different types of medicine that used after a heart attack are blood thinners, anticholesterol drugs, and blood pressure drugs.

There’s little evidence about the effectiveness and safety of the frailest seniors taking these medications. Because many people are older when they have a heart attack, seniors represent a big part of the group that will take secondary prevention medicines.

Many older people prefer quality of life more than living longer.

The Data

 

The researchers looked at Medicare claims data between 2007-2010 for over 4,700 nursing home residents over 65.

The researchers compared people who took one, two, or three drugs and saw how they did for the first 90 days in terms of death, rehospitalization, and functional decline.

Overall, there was more than 500 deaths, 1,200 rehospitalizations, and 800 instances of functional decline. The group was around 2/3 women, and half of the group was 84 or older.

Patients who took three or more medications were 26% less likely than those taking just one to die during the 90 days after their heart attack. There was no difference in rehospitalization rates or in outcomes by age, sex, race, or ethnicity.

There were no differences based on a patient’s cognition or functional status. Around half of the group had moderate or severe cognitive impairment. Around 3/4 of people needed help with their daily living activities.

Using more secondary prevention medications was tied with a 30% increase in functional decline.

Future studies will look at the effects of different combinations of medications and what happens when you add over the counter medicines to the mix. Starting and stopping medications is another consideration.

Read more here.

10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress in Seniors

Date: September 2, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress in Seniors

Growing older can bring about different types of stress. The older you get, the more life changes. People move away, people pass away, you may have to move to a new home, and your health could change. Keeping a positive mentality keeps you healthy and is essential to living well. Seniors especially need help maintaining a positive attitude. Here are ten easy ways to reduce stress in the senior in your life.

10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress in Seniors

10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress in Seniors

 

By being aware of your mental health, you can make sure that you stay healthy. Your brain affects your body and vice versa.

1. Learn to Cope with Change

Change can be hard. Good or bad, everything becomes different in a flash. As mentioned before, a lot of changes come as you get older. Try to be flexible and find healthy ways of facing these changes. It will make you appreciate the good times and prep you for the bad.

Some people find it soothing to write in a journal, talk to a professional, or try to anticipate and prepare for changes. Find what works for you.

2. Being Grateful

It can be hard to feel grateful when it feels like you are losing important things in your life. It’s okay to be upset about it. You are only human. If you can, try to move past those feelings of loss and find small things to be thankful for.

For instance, if your kids move away, be grateful you can talk to them on the phone. If your health is declining, focus on what is still going strong in your body.

3. Don’t Bury Emotions

Emotions are tough. They can bring you from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. It’s natural that you may want to keep your feelings to yourself, especially when they may be negative, but that’s not healthy. It’s important to express your thoughts and emotions.

If you hide them all the time, you get anxiety, possible sleep problems, and even depression.

Once again, you can try writing in a journal or talking to a professional if you don’t feel comfortable talking to loved ones.

4. Travel

There is nothing worse than staying inside all day. Even if you are retired, you can still explore the town. Visit friends that live far away. Go to your bucket list places. Try new things every weekend.

5. Learn From Mistakes

No one likes to make mistakes, but they happen. Instead of dwelling on the mistake, learn from it. Think about how to use your error to avoid getting into the same situation.

6. Savor Life

When you’re younger, life happens so fast that it’s hard to appreciate positive moments. Now that you’re older enjoy the good moments. Be completely in the moment. Take that time to imprint that happiness into your mind.

7. Go Back to that Hobby

Life gets busy, and fun hobbies are forgotten. Now that you’re older, you have more time to do things you enjoy. Go back to that hobby that fell by the wayside, or take the time to learn whatever you’ve wanted to know more about.

8. Accept the Things You Cannot Change

We can’t control life, as much as we want to think we can. Instead of stressing over it, try to figure out how to get out of bad situations. What is your best way to cope?

9. Keep Up Your Social Circle

You would be surprised at how quickly you can end up alone. People pass away or move away. It’s important to keep up your social circle and create new additions to it.

10. Be Active

We’ve talked about this a lot—exercise is important. It keeps you healthy and makes you happy. Just don’t do it in a way that causes you pain.

Read more about easy ways to reduce stress here.

Giant Weight Changes Can Increase Dementia Risk in Seniors

Date: August 25, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Giant Weight Changes Can Increase Dementia Risk in Seniors

Sometimes seniors struggle with their weight. Whether it’s that they’ve gained weight from lack of moving or lost a lot of weight due to lack of appetite, it can be dangerous for them. A study in South Korea found that huge weight changes can increase dementia risk in seniors.

Giant Weight Changes Can Increase Dementia Risk in Seniors

Giant Weight Changes Can Increase Dementia Risk in Seniors

 

A team of researchers from the Republic of Korea studied BMI and dementia changes over two years. They looked at 67,219 people aged between 60 and 79. They noted the participants BMI changes in 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. The difference between these two years represented the BMI changes.

Other factors that were measured included socioeconomic status and cardiometabolic risk factors.

After two years, the researchers monitored the participants’ dementia incidents for five years. After five years, 4,887 men and 6,685 women showed signs of dementia. This proved that late in life changes to BMI can affect both sexes. Massive changes equal a two percent increase or decrease in BMI.

It’s shown that those with stable BMI had a lower risk of dementia than those with fluctuating BMI.

Read more here.

Gum Disease is Connected to Alzheimer’s

Date: August 19, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Gum Disease is Connected to Alzheimer's

We all know how important our oral health is to our overall health, but now some studies are suggesting that gum disease is connected to Alzheimer’s. More and more evidence is appearing that shows that gum (periodontal) disease is a risk factor, and some research suggests it can double your risk if you have gum disease for ten years or more.

Gum Disease is Connected to Alzheimer's

Breaking Down Gum Disease

 

The beginning of gum disease is called gingivitis. Your gums are inflamed because bacterial plaque builds up on the surface of your teeth. Gingivitis happens to around half of the adults, but is generally harmless, if it’s treated. If left untreated, it creates pockets between your teeth and gums. The pockets are bad because it will fill up with bacteria.

The pockets are a sign that it’s turned into periodontitis. Periodontitis is almost impossible to get rid of but treatments can help control it.

People who smoke, have medications, have certain genetics, food choices, puberty and pregnancy can all contribute to developing gum disease. Plus, if you don’t care of your teeth, then that’s the biggest risk factor of them all.

Gum Disease is Connected to Alzheimer’s

 

The bacteria called Porphyromonas gingivalis or P. gingivalis, has been found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. It appears to have spread from the mouth to the brain and destroyed nerve cells. The studies were done in mice and human trials will be happening soon.

The University of Central Lancashire was the first to notice the mouth and brain connection. P. gingivalis can recreate all the characteristic features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Of course, this isn’t the only thing that can contribute to Alzheimer’s, but it’s one way to lower your risk.

Read more here.

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Date: August 4, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Given how important oral health is to overall health, it’s surprising that it isn’t covered by standard insurance. According to a report done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most seniors don’t have dental insurance. People who are over seventy-five, Black, Hispanic, or living below the poverty level are even more unlikely to have coverage.

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

 

Dental benefits aren’t covered by Medicare, which is the federal insurance for seniors. Dental coverage through Medicaid, the insurance for those with limited income, varies by state. Many states only offer emergency services, and four states don’t offer it at all.

So the options for seniors are buying the dental insurance themselves or get it as a part of retirement benefits from their employer.

This is a problem because all older adults, even those with dentures, need a yearly dental checkup. With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, this will be the problem that affects most families, especially because older people have more oral issues than younger people.

They can have multiple illnesses and take medication for it. The medication can have side effects like dry mouth, inflammation, infections, and mouth sores. Once their oral health starts to slide, everything else will follow.

Even if someone no longer has their teeth, they still need to be checked for oral cancer and have a soft and hard tissue exam. Dentures don’t last forever and will eventually breakdown. Dentures that don’t fit right can lead to poor chewing, inadequate nutrition, speech problems, and more.

Read more here.

Could Parkinson’s Start in the Stomach

Date: July 14, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
What Happens When a Potential Alzheimer's Treatment Fails?

New research is showing that Parkinson’s could start in the stomach. It says proteins that are a main part of the disease can come from the gastrointestinal tract and go up into the brain. The body makes a protein called alpha-synuclein, and it can be found in the brain’s nerve cell endings. When the shape of this protein gets messed up, it’s connected to damaged nerve cells, a deterioration of the dopamine system, and problems with movement and speech. All of which are staples of Parkinson’s disease.

Could Parkinson's Start in the Stomach

Could Parkinson’s Start in the Stomach

 

The research results come from studies in mice. The studies confirm a long-held theory that folded alpha-synuclein could start in the stomach and spread to the brain through the vagus nerve. A vagus nerve is a group of fibers that begins in the brainstem and sends signals to different parts of the body. The way the misshapen proteins spread throughout mice’s bodies similar to human’s bodies.

This study comes after a different one that found people whose appendix was taken out early in life have a reduced risk of later developing Parkinson’s disease. Having both these studies come out so closely helps prove each other’s findings.

How the Study was Done

 

The researchers introduced the misshapen alpha-synuclein to the stomach of healthy mice and followed where the protein appeared in their bodies. After a month, the protein was found in different parts of the brain stem. At three months, it was in parts of the brain like the amygdala and regions of the midbrain rich in dopamine neurons. After seven months, it was found in even more places.

The way the proteins were discovered was similar to the way markers of Parkinson’s disease are released throughout the human brain within different stages of the disease.

More work found that the mice had a drop in dopamine levels in the brain, followed by a slow loss of dopamine neurons after seven months. The mice also had issues with their motor skills, memory, anxiety, and behavior problems.

Mice who had a severed vagus nerve did not develop these proteins in their brain, damage to their dopamine system, or any other problems.

Read more here.

Losing Your Sense of Smell Can Be A Sign of Dementia

Date: June 30, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Losing Your Sense of Smell Can Be A Sign of Dementia

As you get older, your senses tend to dull in different degrees. Most people think hearing and sight are the first to go. You don’t think much about your sense of smell. A new scientific study has shown that losing your sense of smell could be a sign of dementia.

Losing Your Sense of Smell Can Be A Sign of Dementia

The Study of Smelling

 

The team is part of the National Institute on Aging’s Health ABC study. They looked at smell tests that were done by over 2,200 people between the ages of 71 and 82. The tests were done in 1999 and 2000.

The participants smelled 12 different scents that are familiar from everyday life. Then they had to pick from a list of four options.

They were then graded as having good, moderate, or poor smelling functions.

The health of the participants was followed up on for 13 years, including annual phone surveys.

Losing Your Sense of Smell Can Be A Sign of Dementia

 

After considering other health factors like age and smoking, the team of researchers found that seniors with a bad sense of smell had a 46% higher chance of dying a decade earlier than those with a good sense of smell.

Sense of smell seems to be a good predictor of death for healthy people at the start of the study. Those who had a bad sniff score but were in okay shape had a 62% higher chance of dying in ten years than people with a good sniff score.

One thousand two hundred eleven participants who died by year 13 of the study, around 28% of the increased risk people had dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and maybe even cardiovascular disease. Lung disease or cancer didn’t seem to be linked to the sense of smell.

Some people are wondering if doctors can use a sniff test to diagnose dementia. The area of the brain that deals with smells is usually the first part of the brain to get damaged by Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.

Read more here.