Genetics Linked to Alzheimer's

Researchers in China have found that Alzheimer’s can be caused by a gene. Geneticists studied 42 families whose members suffered from dementia and found that if one parent had the dominant dementia gene (APOE4), their children had a 50% chance of developing dementia; if both parents had the gene, their children had a 100% risk.  To read the full story, visit http://rs6.net/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/health/article_1211481.php.

New Tool Detects Early Dementia

The Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) has long been considered the most reliable instrument to determine whether a patient requires further testing in diagnosing dementia.  A new screening tool, the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination (SLUMS) can detect early cognitive problems missed by the MMSE.  It’s free to the public and can be accessed at http://medschool.slu.edu/agingsuccessfully/pdfsurveys/slumsexam_05.pdf

Multiple Services Beneficial for Caregivers

The Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health II (REACH II) study is the first of its kind to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component caregiver intervention provided to ethnically diverse populations across five states nationwide. REACH interventions include information sharing, instruction, role playing, problem solving, skills training, stress-management techniques, and telephone support groups.  Caregivers who received REACH services showed decreased levels of depressive symptoms, stress, and problem behaviors exhibited by the person for whom they cared.  Follow-up studies, the researchers suggested, should examine how the intervention might be used in communities through the nation’s existing network of health and aging services.  For more information on the REACH II study, visit http://www.annals.org.

New Caregivers' Emotions

"New caregivers feel emotions ranging from resentment to protectiveness." New research from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, found that the early stages of caring for a spouse or adult child with Alzheimer’s are fraught with experiencing many emotions from resentment to protectiveness.  The emotions influenced family members to take on new and more responsibilities, such as helping out with housekeeping tasks and balancing checkbooks.  For more information, visit http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/11/29/a-new-caregiver-role-is-complex.

Caregivers Rely on Humor to Cope

Journal of Clinical Nursing (November 2006)

To identify the most prevalent coping strategies, researchers in Scotland explored the experiences of more than 170 people caring for a loved one over age 75. Acknowledging the funny side of things and remaining humble (such as realizing others may be worse off) were the top two coping techniques. For more information on this study, visit http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0962-1067&site=1.

Frailty Hard to Detect in Older Adults

There are many clinical features of frailty: loss of strength, weight loss, low levels of activity, poor endurance or fatigue, and slowed performance.  The presence of three or more of these features is associated with increased falls, new or worsened function impairment, hospitalizations, and death.  Geriatricians caution that there are challenges to recognizing frailty in clinical practice, and to combat this, appropriate palliative care planning and open patient-provider communication are essential.  For more information on frailty, visit http://jama.ama-assn.org.

Public Housing for Frail Older Adults

A new report from the Milbank Memorial Fund, Public Housing and Supportive Services for the Frail Elderly: A Guide for Housing Authorities and Their Collaborators, highlights the growing older population in public housing and addresses how public housing authorities can better meet the needs of these residents and enable them to age in place. Older adult households represent 31% of the roughly 1.1 million public housing households, but a significant number of these units are becoming physically and functionally obsolete. To read the full report, visit http://www.milbank.org. 

Less Older Adults in Long-Term Care

According to new research from the Lewin Group, a health care and human services consulting firm in Washington, D.C., the number of those aged 85 and older living in nursing homes has significantly declined in the past 20 years. There has been a more than 8% decline than in the number of older nursing home residents, from 1.44 million in 1999 to 1.32 million in 2004.  Some reasons posited for this decline include that this group is healthier and more financially secure; the changing face of reimbursement structures for long-term care (from longer stays to post-acute rehabilitation stays); and new alternatives to nursing homes, such as home-based services.  For more information, visit http://www.lewin.com.

Reforming Long-Term Care

"Long-term care needs a more qualified workforce and integrated information technology." The new report from the National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care, Out of the Shadows: Envisioning a Brighter Future for Long-Term Care in America, calls for reform by policymakers and highlights six areas in need of change: financing and insurance; supporting and educating caregivers; the challenges of changing the physical and organizational environments in which services are delivered; recruiting and retaining a qualified workforce; designing a more effective regulatory control system; and adopting and integrating health information technology into long-term care.  To read the full report, visit http://www.chcr.brown.edu/PDFS.

Recall of Acetaminophen Caplets

Life Services Network Week’s News (November 2006)

Be sure to check your bottle of 500-milligram caplets of acetaminophen, as it may be included in a voluntary recall by drug manufacturer and distributor Perrigo Company of Allegan, Michigan. Small metal fragments in some caplets pose a serious health risk.  To find out if you have an affected bottle, visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/perrigo.

Chronic Disabilities Declining Among Older Adults

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (November 2006)

"Assistive technologies and environmental modifications may be why older adults' chronic disabilities are declining."

New research indicates that the rate of chronic disability, defined as an “impairment in a specific function existing for 90 or more days,” is declining among people ages 65 and older.  The prevalence of chronic disability among this group fell from 26.5% in 1982 to 19% in 2004 and 2005.  The research team hypothesized that assistive technologies, biomedical advances, and environmental modifications may be factors contributing to this trend.  For more information, visit http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/48/18374.

How to Live a Long Life

Journal of the American Medical Association (November 2006)

To determine what contributes to increased life span and a healthier quality of life, experts from the Pacific Health Research Institute in Hawaii studied more than 5,800 Japanese-American males for a period of 35 years. The researchers found that if one does not become obese, one exercises regularly, keeps their blood pressure down, avoids too much alcohol, and stays away from foods high in refined sugars, one will be more likely to live a long time.  The researchers found that men who did not engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors had a 78% chance of never reaching the age of 85. Furthermore, their chances of reaching age 90 were just 6%.  For more information, visit http://jama.ama-assn.org.

Falls 14^th Leading Cause of Death for Older Adults

McKnight’s Long-Term Care Daily News (November 2006)

"Increased osteoporosis screenings are contributing to the drop in women's hip fractures."

During the last decade, the death rate from falls increased for older adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 13,700 older adults died from falls in 2003, which translates to a rate of about 37 deaths per 100,000 people 65 years and older.  The rate in 1993 was 24 deaths per 100,000 people.  Despite this increase, hip fracture injury among women has dropped in recent years, which may be due to increased osteoporosis screenings and bone-building treatments.  For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov.

Differing End-of-Life Choices

Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, published new findings indicating that African-American patients are more likely than Caucasian patients to prefer life-sustaining care when confronted with an incurable illness or serious mental and physical disability.  The researchers claim that African-American patients’ preferences conflict with current prevailing views regarding end-of-life care, and they may have difficulty obtaining care consistent with their values and beliefs. For more information, visit http://www.rochester.edu.

The Key to Instilling Trust in Older Adults

"Personal contact and research are top ways to build trust with older adults." Survey results of older adults ages 62 to 75 indicated that a long-term relationship with a service provider or company instills trust, while price had virtually no effect on trust.  The top factors influencing older adults’ trust in a service provider included a long-term relationship (64%); personal contact (49%); suggestion by friend, family, or professional advisor (48%); research (43%); national brand or presence (40%); less expensive cost (7%); and more expensive cost (2%).  The findings indicated how crucial it is to get people in the community involved in an organization so that established connections foster trusting relationships down the road.

Virtual Tours Popular Among Older Adults

Pew Internet & American Life Project (November 2006)

According to a survey of more than 1,000 Internet users, 55% of people ages 50 to 64 and 29% of those 65 and older have used virtual tour functions on websites, from hotels, vacation destinations, real estate listings, historical sites, and similar locations.  Virtual tours typically include video, 360° views, and pictures. For more information, visit http://pewresearch.org.

Older Adults and 2007 Resolutions

International Council on Active Aging (December 2006)

With 2007’s arrival, many older adults are thinking about starting an exercise program this year. The International Council on Active Aging offers an online toolkit of free information about getting started, choosing an age-friendly physical fitness facility or personal trainer, and links to other organizations.  To download the toolkit, visit http://www.icaa.cc/welcomeback.htm.