May 2021

A potential bombshell study, if confirmed.

“Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison now investigated a stem cell treatment in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease and found that neurons derived from stem cells can integrate into the correct regions of the brain, connect with native neurons, and restore motor functions.

[…]

Six months after transplantation, grafts from both types of neurons were present in all animals, showing that the transplanted neurons were able to differentiate to respective neuronal types and also project to different brain regions.”

We’re still years away from any practical treatments as a result of this study, but it still reads as a massive advance in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.

Brought to you by smpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.

The days are getting longer, the temps are rising, and it’s the perfect time to think about your elder loved ones’ financial health. Pick a day to sit down with them and follow some of these suggestions to keep their bank accounts healthy.

• Examine credit card & bank statements for recurring charges. Many seniors have services they signed up for ages ago, which they no longer use. Sometimes they’ve forgotten about the charges or just never found the time to cancel the service. Taking the time to compile a list of these charges, and to cancel the unused ones, will be worth the effort.
• Check credit reports. Seniors, in particular, are frequently the target of identity thieves. A quick, occasional look at their credit report can help spot identity theft before it gets out of hand. You may want to consider helping your senior loved one to lock their credit. This will prevent new lines of credit from being opened without their explicit OK.
• Assemble & organize their regular payments. – Make a list of their principal, monthly payments, and assemble the most recent bills with their associated canceled checks or charges on a credit card statement. You may be surprised how many bills may slip through the cracks, or possibly be double-paid. Spending a couple of hours making a spreadsheet of these charges can help prevent a financial disaster down the road. These sorts of financial checkups should be done every 6 months to a year, with more comprehensive checks done every few years.

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Well, this isn’t a story I expected to read. From the Daily Mail UK,

“The research, from the Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam, looked at 50 people with rheumatoid arthritis and 50 with inflammatory joint pain.

They looked at bacteria on the volunteers’ tongues, saliva and plaque, and compared them with 50 healthy people of a similar age.

Those with rheumatoid arthritis and those at risk of getting it were found to have greater levels of two types of bacteria – including one known to cause chronic inflammation in the body.

The findings, published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology, suggest good oral hygiene could ward off harmful bacteria and the risk of the condition.”

As I always caution with the reporting of studies like this, don’t mix up causation with correlation. It’s possible these facts – more oral bacteria & greater instances of arthritis – are related but not guaranteed that one is the cause of the other. But, if something as simple as this could help relieve the torture of Rheumatoid arthrits for it’s millions of sufferers, it’s certainly something we should investigate more.

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A recent report showed that up to 1 million Americans are non-verbal. For someone who cannot easily communicate, the world can be a terrifying place. But there are some ways you can help a non-verbal loved one live a richer and fuller life.

Emotion Board. A simple device showing a person expressing different emotions. The non-verbal person can just point to the emotion they’re feeling to help express themselves. Caregivers can even use the board to communicate their emotional state, too. This simple tool can greatly aid in expressiveness.

SMPL Music Player. This simple device lets you give your loved one the gift of music. Simply load their favorite mp3 files onto the player, and they can control their music just by lifting or lowering the lid. No need to ask a caregiver for music.

Legos. The classic kids’ toy is actually one of the greatest entertainment tools for non-verbal people. The simplicity and elegance of the building blocks means they can play their own way, and create as they want, without relying on others. Brought to you by smpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.

The first therapy that comes to mind when you mention Parkinson’s Disease probably isn’t “boxing.” But in the Twin Cities, a former all-state athlete is taking to the squared circle in her fight against the disease. From the Star Tribune:

“The idea to use boxing training techniques followed a number of studies that indicate rigorous exercise — emphasizing gross motor movement, balance and rhythm — could help improve range of motion, flexibility and gait of people with Parkinson’s. More recent research suggests that certain kinds of exercise may slow disease progression….

White said the program has her moving better, feeling better. That, and a diet focusing on grass-fed meats and only certain types of vegetables — called Plant Paradox — helped her shed the weight she’d gained.”

Athletic training is more and more being incorporated into therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Boxing is actually a very good activity as it involves whole-body coordination, cardio, and strength training. Look for more senior centers to add a heavy bag to the rec room in the near future.

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Father’s Day is just around the corner, and I’m sure most of us have an elderly loved one who needs a gift. So I’m here to help you out with some great suggestions.

The Gift of Music – The SiMPL Radio & Music Player. A simple device that lets your loved one control their music with only 1 touch. Add music to the included USB drive, or program in their favorite terrestrial radio stations.

The Gift of Snacks – The SnackSack healthy snack pack. Every month your loved one gets a box of new, exciting, and healthy snacks. There are options for vegan or gluten-free subscriptions, too. The treats walk the line between ‘tasty’ and ‘healthy’ even for seniors.

The Gift of Activity – Nintendo Switch with Ring Fit Adventures. The evolution of the WiiFit games from a decade ago, now on Nintendo’s new gaming platform. This includes tons of games & activities which will get your senior loved ones and the young kids in the family playing together, even if they cannot do so in the same room. It includes lots of fun and safe activities to get people up and active.

The Gift of Memories – A family photo on metal from ShutterFly. We all have precious family moments, but as we’ve moved to digital images, fewer and fewer of those moments get printed. That’s why I love this new trend of printing photos directly on metal or glass. No need for frames, and they genuinely pop in almost any room. These are just some of the gifts which your senior Dad may love this summer.

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From the AP, a large scale study in the Empire State to help understand Alzheimer’s

Researchers would aim to map the genes of one million people living with or at-risk of Alzheimer’s disease over five years through a proposed initiative at the State University of New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed Friday to establish the SUNY Curing Alzheimer’s Health Consortium within the state university system.

SUNY statistics show that about 400,000 sufferers of Alzheimer’s reside in New York State, roughly 2% of the state’s 20M residents. That number is expected to rise to almost 5% in the coming years. This genetic database may help identify at-risk individuals so they can begin preventative treatments early in life.

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From the NY Times, one of the more promising medical studies relating to Alzheimer’s in a long time.

A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer’s has diagnosed the disease as accurately as methods that are far more expensive or invasive, scientists reported on Tuesday, a significant step toward a longtime goal for patients, doctors and dementia researchers. The test has the potential to make diagnosis simpler, more affordable and widely available.

What does this mean? As with most diseases, early diagnosis can lead to early intervention. People whose blood tests come back positive for Alzheimer’s can begin moderate treatments & memory care activities at a stage where cognitive decline has not yet begun and those efforts are more effective. This isn’t a cure for the disease, but it may be welcome news for the millions of baby boomers who fear it’s effects.

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Sometimes the greatest hurdles when growing old are technological. Seniors often lack the muscle memory or ingrained experiences to properly use modern conveniences. But that doesn’t mean those experiences cannot be made more accessible with some basic tools and aids.

Bluetooth hearing aids – An old medical device, with a modern twist. These hearing aids can connect to audio sources via Bluetooth, allowing persons with hearing impairment to get the sound directly from the source. By connecting wirelessly to your stereo, computer or TV, the wearer can hear their media clearly without boosting all other sounds around them. Many such hearing aids can also boost the clarity of spoken words, helping those with conditions like auditory neuropathy or tinnitus.

Vertical Mice – 90 degrees can make a world of difference. Vertical mice function just like normal mice, but are ergonomically designed to alleviate stresses on the hand, wrist and forearm. They’re often used by sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome or chronic wrist tendonitis, but they can be extremely beneficial for arthritis sufferers, too.

Digital Magnifiers – These relatively inexpensive items combine a camera and a screen to help magnify small text or objects for the reader. They have several advantages over your basic looking glass, including the ability to take still images, and even to digitally highlight or sharpen text to make it easy to read. Some now even have the ability to ‘read’ text and convert it to speech on the fly. This is a tremendous aide for persons with compromised vision who don’t want to stop living life to its fullest.  

Large-Button or Simplified TV Remotes – We take the remote control for granted. I’m sure a lot of people reading this may never have used a TV without one. But as you grow older, they can become a problem. For starters, the buttons are getting smaller and harder to press in modern remotes. A remote with larger buttons and ergonomic casing can help with that. But then you get to the issue of too many buttons. Modern remotes have so many functions which the average user will rarely – if ever – utilize. In those cases, a simplified remote with fewer functions may be helpful.  

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From the AP:

“Claire Dinneen’s daughters thought that worsening dementia was causing her growing confusion, but her doctor suspected something else.

Dr. Pei Chen asked them to round up medicines in the 89-year-old woman’s home and they returned with a huge haul. There were 28 drugs ordered by various doctors for various ailments, plus over-the-counter medicines. Chen spent a year sorting out which ones were truly needed and trimmed a dozen.

To her daughters’ surprise, Dinneen got better, able to remember more things and to offer advice on what to wear and how to raise their kids. Her symptoms were from “medication fog,” not her dementia getting worse, Chen told one daughter.”

Claire’s situation may be an outlier, but there’s no question many seniors are on a lot of medications & supplements. Often these drugs are prescribed by several different doctors who don’t communicate with one another. It’s essential that you sit down with your senior loved ones regularly and go over the medication regimens they’re on. Make a chart or spreadsheet detailing all of the drugs and supplements they take, what they treat, who prescribed them, and when they began taking it. At their next appointment with their primary care physician, make sure that the chart or spreadsheet is discussed. It’s possible there are drugs there which should be stopped or even ones which may be having harmful interactions. 

   Brought to you by smpltec.com, Technology for Seniors News.