HBO Series on Alzheimers

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New Light on Alzheimer’s Disease
INSIDER TIP: Caregivers can find new perspectives on the Alzheimer’s condition and treatment with an HBO-original documentary miniseries that is available to everyone.

Beginning May 10th, HBO will broadcast a new miniseries based on the accounts of those with Alzheimer’s disease and those whose lives are touched by their condition. The 4-part miniseries is the cornerstone in an overall effort to raise awareness and increase public understanding of the disease that will also involve a public awareness campaign and book. HBO is ensuring that the series can be viewed by all—even if a person does not have HBO. Cox Communications for digital cable subscribers can find it On-Demand for free. Portions of each show will appear on YouTube, iTunes, MySpace and Facebook —and the entire series will be available on HBO.com in installments beginning May 8. The series is also available for purchase. Each episode will approach Alzheimer’s disease from a different perspective:

The Memory Loss Tapes. This introductory episode presents the stories of several people with Alzheimer’s, shedding light on the disease by showing it through the unique perspective of the person living with the disease.
Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? Hosted by Maria Shriver and based on her book, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, this segment aims to help children and teens to cope with Alzheimer’s disease in their families and understand how it can affect their loved ones.
Caregivers. This segment presents five stories of caregivers working with seniors in various stages of the disease.
Momentum in Science. This two-part installment is the hopeful core of the series, spotlighting various clinics and laboratories to showcase the latest advances and research in Alzheimer’s treatment and the search for a cure.
The material for the miniseries is drawn from recent research, personal accounts of the disease, and a new HBO-commissioned Alzheimer’s Survey inspecting the impact of Alzheimer’s disease in America.

Refresher: HBO’s new documentary series offers new insight on Alzheimer’s disease for today’s caregivers and future generations.

Re: Prescriptions for those 80 and older are 5 times norm

Below is a copy of an email I sent to the Vancouver Sun letters page, following their article on Seniors and medication use:

To the Editor:

The issue of medications and Seniors is greater than just the number who are hospitalized due to adverse reactions from multiple medications. For one, complicated medication regimes make it less likely that medications will be taken as prescribed . This is especially true for Seniors who have some cognitive impairment. They miss doses or take too many, leading to toxicity, delirium, falls, and other dangers. Many older people will cut down on medications because of the costs, they do not know about Fair Pharma-care or that they can ask for generic equivalents. Sometimes people do not understand why they are taking medications and so will stop, or stop when they feel better. Also, people will take supplements, vitamins, or other over the counter medications and not tell their physicians; not realizing that their can be serious interactions with the prescribed medications. Some things that can help:

1. Always review with a pharmacist all medications being taken and diagnoses.
2. Always ask about, and be aware of potential side effects.
3. Keep a list of medications and diagnoses, bring it when you go to a specialist, and make sure your family doctor knows about all medications you have been prescribed.
4.. If someone is having trouble remembering to take pills, medications can be bubble packed and labeled. There are also medication dispensing machines, some with verbal reminders to take medications.
5. Family members should monitor that medications are being taken correctly by reviewing with elderly relatives and actually looking at the medications.
6. There are several online websites that can be used so that consumers can see for themselves potential side effects.
7. If there are concerns about memory impairment and home functioning, have an assessment. Talk to your local health authority, hire a professional Care Manager or home support help who can help people manage at home.

Peter Silin, MSW, RSW

Amica at Arbutus Manor

I had a tour of Amica at Arbutus Manor yesterday. I was very pleasantly impressed with the outlook of Andy Walker, the General Manager and the atmosphere at the Residence. I very much had a feeling that it was not just a job, but the caring came from the heart. They are doing some renovations and the completed areas are bright and calming, and there are some very nice public spaces and gardens.They have a good selection of exercise equipment, and a large room where they do exercises. Now, if they would only invite me to lunch or dinner, I could tell you how the food was.....

SIX MISTAKES BABY BOOMERS MAKEWITH THEIR FINANCES

Heidi Pullem has a very interesting seminar on the

SIX MISTAKES BABY BOOMERS MAKEWITH THEIR FINANCES And How To Avoid Them

For Investors Over Age 50 Who Are Planning To Retire Or Have Already Retired
And Who Want to Avoid Costly Mistakes
Call Heidi at 604-602-7851 to book a seminar for your clients.


Topics:

# Not understanding or covering your risks
# Failing to understand the stock market
# Paying excessive taxes
# Having the wrong time horizon
# Choosing the wrong retirement income strategy
# Not taking care of your family

Heidi Pullem is a well known financial educator in Vancouver. She has
counseled government employees, teachers, health care workers,
professionals and business executives approaching retirement. Her articles
have appeared in The Vancouver Sun, Financial Forum News, Today’s
Investor, CARP Magazine, Investment Executive and Advisor.ca. Heidi is
regarded as an expert in helping baby boomers increase their assets, reduce
income taxes, create income, and take care of major risks. She is a Certified
Financial Planner, proving her expertise in investments, taxes, insurance,
and estate planning, and maintains her designation with diligent ongoing
education. She is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of
Vancouver and Advocis (Financial Advisors Association of Canada).

B.C. Association of Geriatric Care Physicians

The BCAGCP just wrapped up their conference, the first after not operating for awhile. They had some excellent prresenetations on a range of subjects. One discussed the Healthy Brain programme by Dr. Steven Kirally ( www.healthybrain.org) which targets keeping the brain healthy and how one can deal with risk factors for dementia, and also increase brain power/compensate for some loss. Other presentations dealt with keeping seniors healthy and out of hospital, and getting them the best care possible. One aspect of that is total, and interdisciplinary interventions-- making sure we treat and assess the whole person. Overseen by Dr.John Sloan, this was a great comeback for the organization, and Dr. Sloan deserves great thanks for his perseverance and vision.

Helping Yourself and Your Loved One in Seniors Housing

I am speaking for the North Shore Community Resources on Saturday, March 28th, a two hour lecture and workshop.


Workshop for Family Caregivers

Saturday March 28, 2009
10:30 -12:30
Capilano Mall Community Room
(up the escalator from Starbucks)
#203-935 Marine Drive
Free
To register please call
North Shore Community Resources at 604-985-7138

Half of Family Caregivers Admit Abusing Loved Ones with Dementia: Study

I don't know where this article came from originally, I found it on caregivercompanion.com

Half of Family Caregivers Admit Abusing Loved Ones with Dementia: Study

Half the family caregivers surveyed admitted abusing their family member with dementia, and a third reported “significant” levels of abuse, according to a British study that surprised experts by how common the abuse was.

While most of the abuse reported was verbal in nature, some of it was physical, researchers from University College London reported in the British Medical Journal.

"Many people think about elder abuse in terms of ‘lashing out’ and other similar acts, but abuse as defined by [British] government guidelines can be as simple as shouting or swearing at the person being cared for," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Claudia Cooper of the UCL Department of Mental Health Sciences.

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Cooper said one reason that abuse was found to be so common could be that family caring for a demented loved one often do so with little or no support, heightening the stress and anxiety levels.



The UCL researchers conducted a survey of 220 family caregivers of seniors with dementia who were newly referred to psychiatric services and living at home. A total of 115 (52.3%) of the caregivers reported some abusive behavior, such as very occasionally screaming or yelling, and 74 caregivers (33.6%) reported significant levels of abuse, such as more frequent insulting or swearing at the person for whom they care. Only 1.4% reported significant physical abuse.



“We found few cases of physical or frequent abuse, although those with the most abusive behavior may have been reluctant to report it, or take part in the study in the first place," Cooper noted.



Cooper and colleagues noted that physicians too often fail to inquire about any form of abuse when examining a dementia patient or talking with the patient’s family, and in doing so are missing an opportunity to help caregiver and patient alike.



“Healthcare professionals can be reluctant to ask about abuse by family caregivers, but this attitude can be very unhelpful to caregivers who are worried about their own actions and want to talk about them and get help,” said study co-author Professor Gill Livingston. “Considering elder abuse as a spectrum of behaviors rather than an ‘all or nothing’ phenomenon could help professionals to ask about it and therefore offer assistance."



This was the first representative survey to ask family caregivers about abusive acts, according to the authors. They said the findings suggest that any policy for safeguarding vulnerable adults must consider strategies directed towards families who provide the majority of care for older people, rather than exclusively at professional caregivers, who have been the focus of concern to this point.