TECHNOLOGY FOR SENIORS

Social Media Creates a Pill Bottle for Parkinson’s Patients
I absolutely love this story. From The Verge, an example of social media helping the world. Jimmy Choi suffers from young-onset Parkinson’s disease. Even as he posts about his life regularly on social media, he has difficulties with day-to-day activities. “One of his daily struggles comes in the shape of the pills he takes to […]

New Project to Map the Alzheimer’s Brain
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 […]

Help Safeguard Your Senior Loved Ones’ Finances
Barely a day goes by without reading stories like this about seniors being taken advantage of by scammers. But, you and your loved ones don’t have to be victimized this way. Here are some general tips to help safeguard your elder loved ones: Designate a financial “advocate” – Find someone – a spouse, a child, […]

Light Therapy To Help Manage Seasonal Depression
While the days are starting to get longer, it’s still winter out in the northern hemisphere. That means millions of people are suffering from Seasonal Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder. These are more than just the ‘winter blues’. These are conditions which induce demonstrable physiological changes on the human body. But there are ways to […]

Help Living with Chronic Joint Pain & Inflammation
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 […]

New Drug Slows Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Patients
From Yahoo News & Reuters, news of what – hopefully – can be a new treatment for Alzheimers. “Eli Lilly and Co said on Monday a trial of its experimental Alzheimer’s drug donanemab showed it slowed by about a third the rate of decline in a combined measure of cognition and function in early-stage victims […]

The Universal Language
A great piece from the Arizona Daily Sun about the power of music therapy. “[Mary] Gaughan equates music therapy to more traditional therapies such as physical, speech and occupational — the only difference is that she uses music to address clients’ cognitive, social and physical goals. She said, in her experience, music therapy is highly […]

Animal & Pet Therapy for Dementia?
Alzheimer’s patients who are exposed to pets such as dogs display more positive behavior, according to a study carried out on an Alzheimer’s special care unit. Additional studies show that pets can provide companionship, reduce isolation, and ease anxiety. Modern technology has now embraced the benefits that pets offer Alzheimer’s patients. These studies have resulted […]

An Alzheimer’s Precursor Which is the Result of Lack of Sleep?
New Atlas with some new research showing a link between poor sleep and Alzheimers. The study draws a link between circadian rhythms – basically a person’s inherent sleep cycle – and a biomarker associated with Alzheimer’s disease. “The brain protein in question is called YKL-40 and for years has served as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s, […]

Meet The Inventors: Gary Rotman of Simpl Technology On How To Go From Idea To Store Shelf
My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2010. He suffers from multiple chronic diseases and ended up in the hospital due to medication compliance issues when my mom was out. My aha moment hit me the next morning, the instant I woke up. A voice messaging alarm clock. Why can’t I add any voice […]

How To Be A Better Caregiver
A great article from The Advocate about how one can be a better caregiver. This passage is particularly important: “Though patience is often a difficult virtue to achieve, strive to reach it each day with your loved one. The capacity to tolerate without becoming overly annoyed can make you a better caregiver. When tensions rise […]

How Can You Help Them Find the TV Shows of Their Youth?
In the year 2020, we have so many choices for entertainment that we are paralyzed by the options available. But our senior loved ones grew up in a simple era, one where there may have only been three television stations to watch (if that many). That lack of options means people from that era tend […]

New Year Financial Checkup For Your Senior Loved One
Winter is still raging, but that makes it the perfect time to help your senior loved one take an annual look at their financial health. 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 […]

Using Music Therapy To Deal With Seasonal Depression
Winter can be tough. What for generations was just something you lived with now has a name: seasonal depression. Seniors and people with disabilities are particularly hard hit by seasonal depression. There are a number of therapies in use, but today we’re going to focus on Music Therapy. This quote shows some of the benefits […]

Her Genes Said She Would Get Early Onset Alzheimer’s In Her 40s. She Didn’t. Her Brain May Help Unlock Mysteries of the Disease.
A bittersweet story from the NY Times. “Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas carried a rare genetic mutation that had all but guaranteed she would develop Alzheimer’s disease in her 40s. But only at age 72 did she experience the first symptoms of it. Her dementia was not terribly advanced when she died from cancer on […]

Failed Study Into Gene Therapy Produces Possible Treatment for a Form of Blindness
“Failure is always an option.” This was the motto of Mythbuster Adam Savage, but it really is the ultimate axiom governing science. Failure is always around the corner, but even failures produce data which can lead to successes down the road. Such is the case in a Cambridge University study into a hereditary condition called […]