Carmel, CA In Home Dialysis Expands Under Medicare

A doctor and patient looking at a book


Senior citizens with kidney problems will have an option of in-home dialysis care covered by Medicare.  About 1 in 3 Medicare patients that are struggling with end-stage renal disease will be enrolled in the new program.  In addition to being more convenient, it will reduce the risk of being exposed to people with COVID-19.  Medicare also announced that it will increase the amount it pays provider of home kidney treatments to help gain traction with the program.  About 92,000 Americans are currently on the kidney transplant list.  For more information, talk to one of our local dialysis centers in Monterey County which are listed here:

https://www.dialysisfinder.com/dialysis-centers/monterey/ca/100#.X9Kn79hKjcs

Alzheimer’s Association Partners With AARP on Understanding Alzheimer’s & Dementia Webinar

A purple background with the alzheimer 's association logo.


Join Alzheimer’s Association and AARP on March 30 at 3:00 p.m. for a webinar on Understanding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  They will give you a great framework to guide both you and a loved one through this difficult process.  To register, click on this link:

https://action.alz.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Events/ALZ/MeetingRegistration.aspx?productId=73583196

Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There are great people at our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan’s Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you need support at 800-272-3900.

https://action.alz.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=73583196

Carmel, CA Alzheimer’s Disease Can Be Kept At Bay By Having An Active Lifestyle

Three older women are holding pink dumbbells.


At Family inHome Caregiving we believe it’s important for our senior clients to have a healthy diet, social interaction and the proper amount of exercise.  That can be a challenge with COVID-19, particularly social interaction.  Teach your loved ones how to use zoom or skype.  A telephone call now and again is fine, but it’s not enough.  Seniors need face-to-face interaction with their family.  The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story about this issue, and pointed to a study where researchers compared the cognitive performance of mice who lived alone in empty cages with those who lived in large houses equipped with colorful Lego blocks for mental stimulation, running wheels for exercise and other mice for social engagement.  When mice lived in rich environments, their brains underwent physical changes: More neurons were generated in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, and strong synaptic activity supported learning.  Even mice that had their genomes altered to develop the equivalent of Alzheimer’s disease experienced enhanced brain activity and performed better in maze tests that they had previously flunked.  Other studies in humans have showed similar results.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-an-active-lifestyle-help-ward-off-alzheimers-11614264941

 

Billionaire Uses Dementia As An Excuse To Deflect Fraud Charges


Billionaire Robert Brockman is claiming dementia as an excuse to deflect charges that he used offshore accounts to conceal roughly $2 billion in income from the Internal Revenue Service.  Brockman has pleaded not guilty to 39 criminal counts and claimed in court documents that he cannot be tried because he is suffering from dementia and is unable to assist in his own defense. Prosecutors countered this argument, saying that he could be faking a mental decline in order to avoid charges.  A competency hearing is scheduled for June, and if the court sides with Brockman all charges could be dropped.  Prosecutors say that Brockman’s doctors have an apparent conflict of interest because they are affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, which the Brockman Trust has donated millions to, as well as Brockman serving as a Board Trustee.  Prosecutors allege that Brockman began seeking medical evaluations shortly after a 2018 raid on the home of Bermuda attorney Evatt Tamine, who helps manage the offshore funds.  Tamine has agreed to cooperate with authorities and has given them access to an encrypted email server.  He says that he was instructed by Brockman to keep records on an encrypted USB dongle carried in a different location in luggage when traveling and to run a program called “Evidence Eliminator,†on the dongle.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-ceo-accused-of-biggest-tax-fraud-ever-wins-transfer-of-case-to-houston-11609802702

 

Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s Association Is There For You When You Need Support

A purple background with the alzheimer 's association logo.


The Alzheimer’s Association just released its latest edition of its annual Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures report, with tidbits like these:

More than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s Disease, a number which is expected to more than double to 13 million by 2050;

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Deaths have increased by 16% during the pandemic;

1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia.  It kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined;

In 2021 Alzheimer’s and other dementia will cost our nation $355 billion.  By 2050 this number is expected to more than triple to $1.1 trillion;

More than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.  In 2020, they provided 15.3 billion hours of care valued at more than $250 billion;

Between 2000 and 2019, deaths from heart disease have decreased by 7.3% while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased by 145%.

These statistics are bleak, however, this is definitely worth a read.  It also comes with an accompanying special report entitled Race, Ethnicity and Alzheimer’s in America.  This examines the perspectives and experiences of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native and White Americans in regard to Alzheimer’s and dementia care.  The report also analyzes the horrible impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There are great people at our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan’s Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you need support at 800-272-3900.

 

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures?WT.mc_id=enews2021_03_03&utm_source=enews-aff-20&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=enews-2021-03-03&utm_content=homeoffice&utm_term=Story1

Monterey, CA Tips For Warding Off Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease

A woman sitting next to an older person.


Everyone wants to keep their brains working in full order as long as possible, and the key can be healthy living, getting the proper amount of exercise and social interaction.  The latter is easier said than done given the massive spreading of coronavirus.  Although board games can be fun, with COVID-19 many seniors are turning to video games.  According to an AARP survey, 44% of adults over the age of 50 played video games in 2019 versus 38% in 2016.  That’s 10 million more older gamers!  About a quarter of gamers play multiuser games, which can increase social interaction which will hopefully ward off early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There are great people at our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan’s Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you need support at 800-272-3900.

 

Senior News : Average American Life Expectancy Dropped By An Entire Year

An older woman with a gray hair sitting in front of trees.


The pandemic cut the U.S. life expectancy by a full year in the first half of 2020, reflecting the toll taken by COVID-19 as well as a rise in deaths from drug overdoses, heart attacks and diseases and side-effects caused by the coronavirus.  The last time there was a drop this dramatic was during World War II.  It’s a huge step backwards.  Americans now have the same life expectancy as they did in 2006, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Black and Latinos were hit the hardest, with 2.7 years shaved off of the life expectancy of Black Americans, 1.9 years off of Latino Americans and 0.8 years off of White Americas.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/life-expectancy-covid-us/2021/02/17/ae9b71fe-713c-11eb-93be-c10813e358a2_story.html

 

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : Alzheimer’s & Dementia Huge Risk Factors

A purple square with the words " the end of alzheimer 's starts with me ".


There were 63 new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 40,971 and three new deaths were reported.  Nationwide, the number of cases are going down.  There were less than 100K new cases, for a total of 27.193 million.  Deaths rose by 4,472 to 471,97.  However, new research found that, sadly, those with dementia are more likely to be hospitalized than people who are the same age without dementia.  The analysis of nearly 62 million electronic medical records in the U.S. also found that Black people with dementia were at very high risk of getting COVID-19.  Researchers said that the data could not be explained entirely by common characteristics common to people with dementia (old age, living in a nursing home and having conditions like obesity asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease).  Taking into account those risk factors, those with dementia were still twice as likely to get coronavirus than their counterparts at the same age without dementia.  In California, there were a hefty 11,853 new cases (less than half of the prior day’s total of 26,660) for a total of 3.446 million, while deaths rose by 700 to 45,232.  Please stay home and stay safe.

Please visit us at www.familyinhomecaregiving.com

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/health/covid-dementia-risk.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210209&instance_id=26954&nl=the-morning&regi_id=105425463&segment_id=51349&te=1&user_id=0fafdefaa53c0a82473acdaa719a0aac

Monterey, CA Tips For Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregivers When Adult Day Care Centers Are ClosedCare Centers Are Closed

A purple background with the alzheimer 's association logo.


The San Francisco Chronicle had a great column with advice for those caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia.  This can be a challenge with Adult Day Care Centers closed and little contact with the outside world. Recommendations from their experts include broadening your network to have a friend or family member help.  This can release stress on the caregiver while giving some social interaction to the person you are caring for.  In addition, try putting on some soothing music and get them outdoors.  Fresh air and sunlight are good for the soul.  Start out with a small walk, and increase it a bit every day.  If you need someone to talk to, try the local branch of the Alzheimer’s Association which is located in Ryan Ranch.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away, and Alzheimer’s Association was a great help.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you need support at 800-272-3900.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/My-father-has-dementia-How-do-I-keep-him-engaged-15923039.php

Monterey, CA High Hopes For New Alzheimer’s Drug

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


There has been so much bad news on the Alzheimer’s front, it was refreshing to read that an experimental treatment from Eli Lilly & Company helped patients.  Granted, it was a small trial of 272 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease, but results show that donanemab met the primary goal of the study, slowing the decline in memory and the ability to perform activities of daily living by 32% over an 18-month period.  Lilly is so excited about the results that it started enrolling another 500 subjects for a new study to confirm the findings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/health/alzheimers-amyloid-lilly.html