Monterey, CA An Interesting New Twist On Alzheimer’s & Dementia Testing

A woman with grey hair sitting in a chair.


A new training tool dubbed the Interview For Decisional Abilities, or IDA, helps to assess whether some seniors can make informed choices about their own care and well being.  Although not specifically a test for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it was developed by two geriatricians to help Adult Protective Services (APS) workers decide if seniors have the cognitive ability to make financial and other decisions, even if those fly in the face of what family members want.  It’s also used by hospital discharge planners to assess whether a patient has the capacity to assist on going home instead of going into rehab.  Assisted living facilities may also start using IDA to see if new residents understood the contracts that they were signing.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a great group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch who are there to help you.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Carmel Valley, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus

A woman is combing the hair of an older man.


Carmel Valley, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus (Service Areas Are Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

AARP Recommends Looking For Hidden Cash Before Having An Estate Sale

A person holding hands with another person in bed.


It’s always sad to have to live through the process of disposing of household items, a home or condo and other sentimental items after a loved one has died.  But to protect the estate, AARP The Magazine (February/March 2022, page 14) recommends searching through well-known hiding places that many seniors hide cash.  These include:

  • Toilet Tanks : There is room back there to stash a jar stuffed with jewelry or cash. Also, make sure nothing’s taped to the inside of the lid;
  • Freezers : Are a good hiding place for zipper bags or even blocks of ice filled with valuable goodies;
  • Bookshelves : Check for hollowed-out Bibles, dictionaries or books. Shake out every book which can sometimes include cash or stock certificates;
  • Under the Floorboards : Check for loose boards under throw rugs and loose edges around wall-to-wall carpets;
  • Old Trunks “ Steamer trunks from World War II had special compartments built into them for wives to pack mementos for their husbands. Check under the lining and look for a false bottom.  The secret compartment is usually on the right-hand side of the back of the trunk, near the bottom;
  • Closets : Go through every piece of clothing and every box. Money could be hidden in shoeboxes or in the lining of old jackets; and
  • Drawers : Womens vanities usually have at least one drawer with a false bottom.

Excerpted by AARP The Magazine from Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff, by Matt Paxton with Jordan Michael Smith.

Long COVID Responsible For 15% Of Employees Who Left The Workforce

A blue background with some type of virus


Researchers are reporting that some people who contracted coronavirus and only had a mild case, suddenly took a turn for the worse after they thought they had made a full recovery.  Long COVID is very unpleasant, with symptoms like heart palpitations, headaches and cognitive issues.  There are at least 7 million cases of long COVID in the U.S. alone, and research has shown that it is more prevalent in people in their 30’s and 40’s, when they are in the prime of their careers.  Many have left the workforce.  “We’ve got to, as a nation, recognize that the majority of people will be of working age, and we need to facilitate these guys working in an environment that allows them to recover while working,†Fauzia Begum, an occupational health doctor for Britain’s National Health Service, told The New York Times.  If you don’t do that, you end up in a position where you have a lot of people who are off work,†he said.  A study published by the Brookings Institution found that long COVID could account for 15% of the millions of unfilled jobs in the United States.  Since there is no single test for diagnosing long COVID, many of these people have to forgo unemployment and disability benefits.

Carmel, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus

A nurse is helping an elderly woman to get out of her wheelchair.


Carmel, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus (Service Areas Are Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

 

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Liht housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

Carmel, CA Ward Off Alzheimer’s And Dementia By Going To Bed Early

A purple background with the alzheimer 's association logo.


One of the easiest ways to try and ward off Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia is by going to bed early, according to Sara Mednick,  professor of cognitive science at the University of California Irvine.  She tells AARP Th Magazine (April/May 2022, page 38) that we should all be in bed by 10:00 p.m.  “The earlier you get to sleep, the more slow-wave sleep you’ll get,†says professor Mednick, the author of The Power of the Down State.  Slow-wave Sleep connections between areas of the brain to create stronger memories.  However, SWS goes by the circadian clock and peters out at about 1:00 a.m.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a great group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch who are there to help you.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Sneaky Sigs You May Have Heart Disease

A stethoscope and heart on the table.


AARP The Magazine (February/March 2022, page 22) had an interesting article entitled “10 Sneaky Signs You May Have Heart Disease†and many of them are completely unexpected.  Things like bad breath and hip pain can actually be signs of heart disease.  Check out the Top 10 signs from AARP:

  1. You struggle to breathe when lying flat : This can indicate fluid in the lungs, which is associated with heart failure;
  2. You have leg or hip pain while walking (or both). This could signal circulation problems in the legs, a potential sign of peripheral artery disease;
  3. You can’t rise to the occasion : This could signal a blood-flow problem, potentially caused by heart disease;
  4. Or get your juices flowing : Blood-flow issues aren’t just for men. A study found that 84% of men and 87% of women with heart failure reported some degree of sexual disfunction;
  5. You’re fatigued for no reason : This could be a sign of an obstructed coronary artery;
  6. You get up to pee in the middle of the night : A weak heart pumps less blood to the kidneys, which can cause fluid buildup and swollen ankles and leg. At bedtime, gravity drains fluid back to the heart, and the kidneys have more fluid to filter;
  7. Your breath could kill houseplants : Bad breath is caused by bacteria which can enter your bloodstream through bleeding or diseased gums, which is linked to inflammation, clogged arteries and stroke;
  8. You spot fatty growths : Known as xanthomas, these lesions feel like calcium deposits in the tendons, and they can indicate sky-high cholesterol;
  9. Your ankles are swollen : When the heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently, fluid can swell both legs; and
  10. You’re feeling nauseous : Unexplained queasiness could be a sign of heart failure.

Check with your doctor if you have any of these issues, particularly if it has been going on for some time.

 

Survey Shows People Feel Better As They Age

A man and woman are doing exercises together.


Surprisingly, a recent AARP/Interloq study of people ages 50 to 79 found that as people age, they feel better about both their physical and mental health.  Of those surveyed in the 50-59 year old age group that rated their health as good, very good or excellent, the results were 71% in physical health and 79% for mental health.  This rose to 77% and 88%, respectively, for those in the 60-69 year old group and up to 81% and 94% for those in the 70-79 age bracket.  “As people get older, their attitudes about aging become more positive because they realize, ‘It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,†said Manfred Diehl, a researcher in the psychology and attitudes about aging as a professor at Colorado State University.  The biggest fear of those in the survey was losing their mental or physical faculties, becoming a burden to their families and having to give up their independence.  Ironically, most people were more concerned about physical discomfort than life-threatening diseases.  High on the list of concerns was weight gain, joint pain, loss of mobility and high blood pressure.

Americans Don’t Eat Enough Fiber


The average American east about 15 grams of fiber, about half of what they need.  To put this in perspective, the following portions contain 15 grams of fiber:

  • One cup of black beans;
  • Two cups of bran flakes;
  • Three oat bran muffins;
  • Five bananas;
  • 10 carrots; or
  • 13 cups of popcorn.

One study looked at the dietary habits of middle aged women; when the researchers followed up 20 months later, they found that every additional gram of fiber the subjects ate correlated with a half-pound less in total body weight and a quarter percent less fat (AARP The Magazine, March/April 2022 Issue, page 36).

Salinas, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus

A man in a wheelchair being assisted by two women.


Salinas, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus (Service Areas Are Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.