stadmin

I’m fascinated by these sorts of stories. A terrible, crippling, life-altering disease could – potentially – be treated with…nasal drops.

“[R]esearchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and LSU Health New Orleans have released a study that suggests a comparatively simple way of investigating inflammation’s effect on AD and possibly treating it.

The study’s authors successfully halted memory loss in mice with AD with the noninvasive, intranasal delivery of a compound known to resolve neuroinflammation.”

The drops in question help lower neuroinflammation, which is widely seen now as one of the major causes of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).

The usual caveats apply: this study was conducted on lab animals, not people. Human trials are years away, and any potential therapeutic drugs are likely a decade or more – at best – from being available. But any good news is cause for celebration in this field.

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

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.

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

Birds are chirping, flowers are budding and the days are longer than the nights. Spring is finally here, and that means it’s time to make sure the senior loved ones in your life are ready for the season. Continuing Covid lockdowns make this particularly difficult for loved ones in residential care facilities, but it’s still important to do as much as possible remotely.

• Make sure they have good quality outdoor clothing & shoes. Seniors are sometimes as bad as children when it comes to over-wearing specific articles of clothing. It’s up to you to make sure those threadbare, worn or even dangerous bits of gear get repaired or replaced.
• Medicine cabinet check. Make sure their prescription drugs are in good supply. Go through their over the counter drugs, supplements and personal care products checking expiration dates. You’d be surprised how quickly those dates sneak up on you.
• Fridge check. The same for their fridge, freezer & pantry; get rid of those old lentils & freezer burned chicken cutlets now.
• Activity time. Make sure they have something new to do during the season. It could be a new game to play, a new show to binge, a new park to walk in. Anything to inject a little newness and variety into their lives.

As always, handle these matters with delicacy & respect. These are your elders, not your children and treating them as such will only turn this into an argument.

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

Having arthritis or similar chronic conditions doesn’t mean you have to give up on living life. There are some simple tools you can employ to relieve the pain & discomfort associated with these conditions, without prescription drugs or unknown supplements.

At-home physical therapy – Creaky Joints has a great rundown of exercises for the hands you can do at home with no special equipment. These simple activities can help alleviate pain, improve flexibility, and potentially stave off any further degradation.

Learn which tools can help – As they say, the right tool for the right job. There are a plethora of tools available now which can help ease stress on arthritic joints. From jar & bottle cap openers in the kitchen to grab sticks in the yard to seat belt aides for the car. Even small devices can often yield significant results when used correctly and consistently. Almost any tool which lets you avoid bending, stretching, or making a fist can help alleviate arthritis pain.

Listen to your body – Anyone with arthritis knows that certain activities simply hurt more than others. Identify those painful activities and take steps to avoid them. If your hips hurt, get up and stretch every hour or so. Maybe use your elbow or shoulder to open a door rather than your hand and wrist. Try changing the lead leg you use when going up or downstairs. There are a plethora of small changes you can make to help keep your body healthy.

Ask for help – Maybe the hardest step to take, but the most important. Whether this means going to a rheumatologist, or asking your loved ones for help making your home “arthritis-friendly,” or just asking them to help you with regular tasks. Sometimes, a little help can go a long way.

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

When caring for an elder loved one, some conversations are unpleasant but necessary. One of those conversations is often about alcohol consumption. 

To be clear right off the bat: this isn’t about alcoholism or addiction. Those are distinct conditions, which have to be addressed on their own. 

What we’re talking about here is ‘casual’ or ‘social’ drinking. A beer in the afternoon. A couple of glasses of wine at dinner. A cocktail with their friends. The sorts of activities an older person may have engaged in regularly for most of their lives. But the body of a 70-year-old is not the body of a 25-year-old or a 40-year-old. Metabolisms change, organs and systems don’t heal up as quickly as they used to, and ‘minor’ impairments are more likely to lead to significant injuries. But this doesn’t mean your senior loved one needs to become a teetotaler.  

This is one of the core messages you should convey: no one is taking away all of your drinks. Simply telling an elder loved one “you can’t drink anymore” is a fast way to ensure they drink more often and more irresponsibly, going forward. 

Try to schedule alcohol consumption in advance. Much the same way, dieting goes better when you have regular “cheat days” to look forward to, and a moderated alcohol intake regimen also works better when there are clear and frequent breaks. Bloody Marys at Mother’s Day brunch? A bit of the bubbly at their daughter’s birthday party? Those are great, so long as it’s not an everyday occurrence. 

Family members should also try – whenever possible – to make sure alcohol consumption is done in conjunction with meals and nonalcoholic beverages. Mix in some juice or iced tea in between drinks. One of the biggest dangers of alcohol consumption comes from dehydration, and the elderly are more susceptible than most to that complication. Slowing the absorption of alcohol by eating while you drink, and consuming nonalcoholic drinks will help stave off dehydration. 

Some studies show that moderate, regular alcohol consumption can have medical benefits, including improved bone density and better overall cardiovascular health. But those benefits are obliterated once the drinking moves to “excessive” levels. As a caregiver, part of your role is to find ways to allow your elder loved one to have the occasional drink while preventing overconsumption. It’s not an easy task, but a necessary one.

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

From NBC Montana, a look at how broad some places define “mentally ill.”

“Montana Rep. Danny Tenenbaum (D-Missoula), also works as a public defender. About a year ago, a case came across his desk that caught his eye.

“For me, it was a problem I didn’t know existed until a year ago when a case came through our office,” he said. “A person was committed involuntarily to the state mental hospital, and they weren’t mentally ill. They just had Alzheimer’s.”

According to Tenenbaum, about ⅓ of the people currently in the state mental hospital are there for Alzheimer’s or other dementia related conditions. Under the terms of the bill he is proposing, those patients would instead be placed in residential care facilities rather than the state mental hospital. However, the bill still needs sponsors, and will likely not be voted on until the 2023 legislative session.

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

From Consumer Reports, a study showing that a little gaming time can be beneficial for seniors. 

According to researchers from the University of California at Irvine, seniors who play online brain games can boost their cognitive skills to be just as sharp as those decades younger than them. 

“The brain is not a muscle, but like our bodies, if we work out and train it, we can improve our mental performance,” said researcher Mark Steyvers. “We discovered that people in the upper ranges who completed specific training tasks were able to beef up their brain’s ability to switch between tasks in the game at a level similar to untrained 20- and 30-year-olds.” 

This doesn’t mean you should start setting up Fortnite or League of Legends accounts for grandma and grandpa. But there are a plethora of simpler games out there which may be great for them to play beyond Minesweeper and Solitaire. From the ubiquitous titles like Minecraft & Stardew Valley to online portals like Luminosity or My Brain Trainer. Even digital versions of analog games sudoku and crossword puzzles can fit the bill. 

Avoid games that require split-second reflexes or tons of memorization. Especially steer away from games loaded with microtransactions or in-game purchases (like Candy Crush). Be sparing with competitive games; focus more on an individual or co-operative experiences. 

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

We recently blogged about light therapy, but this isn’t quite what we were thinking of.

A team of scientists at the UK’s University of Southampton are using UV light instead to create images of neurons without the need for huge, high-energy emitters.

“Dr. Bill Brocklesby, of the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, says: “The ability to take detailed images of delicate biological structures like neurons without causing damage is very exciting”

The UV emitters used by UoS are able to produce high-resolution images on par with those previously only available using much less accessible equipment. This means – potentially – that the sorts of imaging needed to really study Alzheimer’s-afflicted cells will be much more accessible to scientists and doctors around the world. As always, it’s still early, but it’s a promising study.

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

Eventually, most of our elder loved ones will get to a point at which they can no longer live independently. In many cases, we caregivers will offer to take that loved one into our home. The transition can be difficult emotionally, even before you consider what it’s like to live with someone who is in the early stages of cognitive decline. But, there are some steps you can take to help keep your elder loved one safe without turning your home into a prison.

• Door Alarms. Wandering is the #1 fear of many caregivers. The thought of a loved one walking off and ending up in a dangerous situation keeps many people up at night. But something as simple as a door alarm on an exterior door – paired with a properly installed chain or slide lock – can do wonders for preventing wandering incidents. Whatever you select, do not put a lock on an exit door which the care recipient cannot open. That is a massive hazard and may even violate fire codes in many areas.
• Interior door locks. The dangers inside the home are often as bad as that outside. Garages, basements, and workshops can all contain a variety of hazards for someone in the early stages of cognitive impairment. Putting a lock on those sorts of rooms – either a standard key lock, a digital passcode lock, or a “confounding” lock – can help keep your loved one out of danger. Additionally, as some seniors age, they begin to lose some respect for social norms. Which is to say, they get nosy and intrusive, including not respecting others’ personal time and belongings. A robust lock on the bedroom, while you are out, can help stave off some of the worst intrusions.
• Stove Guardian. Carelessness and lack-of-focus can seem harmless, but it can also manifest in dangerous ways. These include leaving the burner on the stove or cooktop after they leave the room. There are a variety of devices available now which will either turn the oven off if movement has not been detected, or if the fire alarm goes off.
• Medication reminder. Failure to take medicine properly – either under- or over-dosing – can lead to tragic consequences. But, these situations can be prevented with some fairly basic items. A sturdy, 2-week capacity pill dispenser, a whiteboard with spaces to check off when a dose is taken, and a reminder clock like our Reminder Rosie can work in conjunction to help keep your loved one schedule with their medications.
• Grab bars & rails. Pretty much anytime your elder loved one has to get up from a sitting or reclining position, there is the danger of a fall. They can’t all be avoided, but the vast majority can be prevented with properly sited & installed grab bars or rails. There are obvious places for them – in the shower, next to the toilet, near the bed – but there are less obvious danger points, too. Is there a big step at the front door? That’s a frequent fall hazard. A solid grab bar just inside the door can be used going both ways and may save a lot of pain. The caregiver should spend a day going about their routine and explicitly thinking about where and how they get up from a seated position if there isn’t already something solid to grab onto, considering having a grab bar installed at that site.

Caring for an elder loved one can seem overwhelming, but a little bit of planning, preparation, and prevention can go a long way towards making everyone in the home safer and happier.

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

Snow is disappearing from the ground, days are getting longer, and flowers are starting to poke out of the soil. Which means it’s time to check in with your elderly relatives and make sure they’re prepared for the coming season.

Clothing – Make sure they have clothes which can be comfortably worn in layers, including sturdy shoes. Even a resupply of reusable masks may be appropriate.

Food –  Go into their fridges & pantries. Are they properly stocked? Is there anything expired/freezer-burned or otherwise not fit for use? Then dump them and help restock with new foods.

Bathrooms – Are they stocked with essentials (paper goods, toiletries, safety/support aides)? Are all of their over-the- counter medicines & supplements still within their ‘use by’ dates?

Pleasure – Do they have new books/games/DVDs to watch? Exercises or hobbies to engage in? Any new activities to engage in while much of the world is still locked down? If not, drop some off and encourage them to participate.

With Covid lockdowns still in force in many places, residential facilities are still generally restricting visitors, but you should still make time to contact facility management and ask some pertinent questions:

• What is the Covid status of the residents and workers at the facility? Are distancing guidelines being enforced?
• Do they have new activity plans going forward for residents?
• When & where can you drop off season-appropriate apparel for your loved one?

Fall can be hard on people, and Covid will make it even tougher. But these are questions which need to be asked, and soon, for the sake of everyone’s senior loved ones.

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