Amazon.com Comes Out With New Elder Care System For Alexa

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Amazon.com is moving into the older adult market with a big splash, an extension of Alexa called “Care Hub†while also adding tools for Alexa for Hospitality.  The app allows remote connections and monitoring between older adults and their loved one.  Care Hub also offers customizable alerts.  For instance, alerting a loved one the first time the elderly person uses Alexa each day, as well as giving an alert if the senior is inactive for a certain period of time.  It also comes with features like “Alexa, call for help†which will notify a family member immediately.  This is great that Amazon.com is building its presence in this growing market after its acquisition of PillPack.

https://seniorhousingnews.com/2020/11/16/amazon-effect-on-senior-living-grows-with-care-hub-launch-alexa-for-hospitality-tools/

Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alert For Baby Boomers

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A new study found that boomers may be seeing a declining level of cognitive functioning compared with previous generations, which could put them at greater risk of dementia than their parents and grandparents.  We have all seen the number of Alzheimer’s cases skyrocket in recent years, a very sad phenomenon.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandfather died of the disease and for years I was a big fundraiser for the local Monterey chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  The new study, which was published in the Journals of Gerontology, studied over 30,000 people in the University of Michigan’s “Health and Retirement Study†which followed people from 1996 to 2014.  It found that many baby boomers started to show lower cognitive functioning as early as ages 50 to 54.  Lower household wealth, less likelihood of marriage, higher levels of loneliness, depression and psychiatric problems and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes were major factors.

Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : California Cases Surge

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There were 79 new cases in Monterey County, a fraction of the whopping 265 new cases reported yesterday, for a total of 13,189. There were six new hospitalizations, and one new death reported.  Nationwide, cases were up by 2%, adding 187,300 to the tally of 11,387,700.  Deaths at 1,517 were more than double the 644 reported the day prior.  In California, cases rose rapidly.  They were up by 11,908 to 1.053 million, while deaths rose by 40 to 18,317.

Monterey, CA Hospitals, Nursing Homes Struggle With COVID-19

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COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents are surging and hospitals are overwhelmed with new coronavirus cases which is causing staff shortages, particularly in rural hospitals.  Believe it or not, Monterey County is considered rural, with much of the South County spread out and this is where the majority of COVID-19 cases are occurring.  We have had nursing home outbreaks in Carmel, Monterey, Salinas and Watsonville.  “Nursing homes are not isolated from what happens in the community,†Carrie Henning-Smith, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, told The Wall Street Journal. Facilities in rural counties reported 18% of nursing home COVID-19 deaths in the week ended November 1, although they housed only 10% of the overall population.  Please, please, take this season off and call off Thanksgiving with friends and family.  Many health officials are extremely concerned that this holiday season is going to cause a new surge in cases.

Make Sure You Get Enough Vitamin D


AARP The Magazine recently published an article about the fact that most seniors don’t get enough Vitamin D.  With COVID-19 keeping people indoors more, this is becoming more of a problem.  The article said that more than half of Americans might be Vitamin D deficient.  If you can’t get outside, try foods like fatty fish (salmon, trout and mackerel) and Portobello mushrooms.  Fortified milk is also a good source.  If none of this works for you, get some supplements!

Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : California Not Looking Good

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There were 74 new cases in Monterey County, a fraction of the whopping 265 new cases reported yesterday, for a total of 13,110. There were six new hospitalizations, and no new deaths reported.  Nationwide, cases were up by 150K for a total of 11.2 million while deaths rose by 644 to 246,421.  In California, cases rose significantly.  They were up by 12,243 to 1.041 million, while deaths rose by 18 to 18,277.  Although we won’t get the freezing cold weather that is fueling outbreaks across the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard, we must use extreme caution so that this virus does not spread rapidly.  Think about taking a year off from celebrating Thanksgiving with your extended family.  It could literally save lives.

Monterey, CA COVID-19 Puts A Pause On Moves Into Assisted Living

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In the September 20 AARP Bulletin, one member wrote in and said that her parents have become less mobile and more forgetful since isolation began and said, “I know nursing homes are scary places right now.  What about assisted living?â€Â  You may not have that option, AARP responds.  About a third of senior living communities are not taking new residents due to the coronavirus.  And even if you could find one, AARP writes that they would hesitate.  Many have no trained medical staff, and are regulated loosely.  And the very activities that once made them attractive—social activities, communal dining, and field trips—have been suspended.  AARP Bulletin recommends in-home help, including guided exercise and physical therapy.  They also said to consider ramping up online video visits to keep them interactive with the family.

Monterey, CA Many Seniors Overwhelmed By Medicare Renewal Choices

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It’s open enrollment time until December 7, a time of year when seniors can swap out Medicare Advantage plans.  However, according to the New York Times, many seniors are overwhelmed by the number of choices and do nothing.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, seniors will be able to choose from 57 different prescription or Advantage plans that include drug coverage.  A new survey found that 57% of seniors didn’t review or compare their coverage, with 46% saying they never or rarely visited their plans.  Two thirds of beneficiaries 85 or older don’t review their coverage annually.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/business/medicare-advantage-retirement.html

Carmel, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Medicare Scam

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Senior citizens are complaining to AARP that they are getting calls from Medicare claiming that because of the coronavirus, they were issuing plastic cards now and asking people to verify their Social Security number.  These are not representatives of Medicare, these are scammers trying to get your personal information so that they can commit identity theft.  Beware!

Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : National Numbers Are Bleak

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There were 68 new coronavirus cases reported in Monterey County, with total cases now at 12,769.  There was one new death reported today.  Nationwide, hospitalizations hit a new high, with more than 68,500.  There were a whopping 181,194 new cases and almost 1,400 deaths.  In California, there were 7,484 new cases for a total of 1.020 million, with 58 new deaths for a total of 18,218.  Health experts expect a big surge after Thanksgiving, when many families likely won’t heed the advice to hunker down.