“Spouses are older and dealing with their own age-related health limitations,” says Steven H. Zarit, a Pennsylvania State University gerontologist. The tasks they shoulder have grown more demanding: Family caregivers now administer arsenals of medications and undertake procedures, from wound care to dialysis, that were once the province of medical professionals.

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For more assistance with an aging loved one in your life visit our website at http://www.comfortkeepers.com/office-231.

A group of international experts has agreed that caffeine could prevent or reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s, according to a recent study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The exhaustive study covered caffeine’s effects on individual molecules, the brain and behavior. It concluded from animal testing that moderate, consistent amounts of caffeine significantly slow the aging process and memory deterioration.

Not only was caffeine found to aid memory care, it also proved to be an agent in slowing or stopping the production of amyloid-beta proteins. A morning cup of coffee could help fight Alzheimer’s Guest journal editors Alexandre de Mendonça and Rodrigo A. Cunha describe these compounds as one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s.

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For sandwich generation, planning ahead is key to good elder care.

How do you take the car keys away from a father who taught you to drive? When did he go from wise council to frail, elderly man?

Unfortunately, the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book series on parenting doesn’t have a volume on parenting your parents. If anyone thinks dealing with aging parents is easy, they’re deluding themselves. It is often one of the most difficult challenges people face during their adult lives–and one for which they’re least prepared.

The consequences of inaction, meanwhile, can be severe. Many adult children don’t understand the complexity of the problem. Why would their parents resist setting up a power of attorney? Will they have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a senior facility? The answer all too often is “yes,” even well after it has become painfully apparent to others that they are no longer capable of handling their own affairs.

The fact is many elderly people don’t see themselves as elderly and hate being around other old people. To them, moving to a senior facility involves making a move that they feel they can never undo; they are moving in their minds from independence to dependence. Hence the kicking and screaming.

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Finding could lead to future treatments, researchers say

Scientists have pinpointed two genes that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease and could become targets for new treatments for the neurodegenerative condition.

Genetic variants appear to play an important part in the development of Alzheimer’s since having parents or siblings with the disease increases a person’s risk. It is estimated that one of every five persons aged 65 will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, the researchers added.

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Prevent a stroke in 5 simple steps

(ARA) – Did you know that 80 percent of all strokes are preventable? That figure, from the National Stroke Association, illustrates just how important it is that you know the steps necessary to prevent a stroke from affecting your life. What might surprise you is that many of those steps are lifestyle suggestions you’ve heard before – they just have the added benefit of helping to ward off a stroke.

In honor of May being Stroke Awareness Month, Life Line Screening wants to share the list of lifestyle changes that can help aid in stroke prevention and to remind you that a preventive stroke screening can help you identify your particular risk factors. Knowing exactly how you can protect yourself from a stroke – which affects approximately 800,000 Americans each year – may inspire you to take action.

Many people are taking the steps to improve the quality of their lives. Even though the modifications can be difficult, the life-saving benefits they can offer are worth the effort. Only you can make the decision to take control of your wellness. Start with these simple steps:

Step 1. Don’t smoke. If you smoke, quitting is one of the most important things you can do to decrease your chances of a stroke. Puffing on tobacco sets the stage for a stroke in the following ways:

Why it’s important:

* Smoking is linked to an accumulation of plaque in your carotid arteries, which supply blood to your brain. Blockage in these arteries, including plaque, is the leading cause of stroke.

Carbon monoxide from smoking lowers the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry to your brain and makes your blood more likely to clot. Blood clots in an artery that supplies blood to your brain can trigger a stroke.

* Nicotine in the tobacco raises your blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to stroke.

If you smoke, talk to your doctor about medications and programs that can help you stop.

Step 2. Trim down. Being overweight is associated with many factors that raise your risk for a stroke.

Why it’s important:

* You’re more likely to have high cholesterol, which is an ingredient in plaque that can block your arteries. Blocked arteries are a risk factor for stroke.

* You’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The elevated levels of blood glucose, high cholesterol and increased blood pressure associated with diabetes can cause a stroke.

* You’re more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to stroke.

Doctors typically determine whether patients are too heavy by their body mass index (BMI), which uses a formula combining your height and weight. Ideally, your BMI should be less than 25. Calculate your BMI online by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/index.htm.

Step 3. Get moving. If you don’t do much physical activity, you can develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which increases your chance for a stroke.

Why it’s important:

* If you’re at a healthy weight, it’s still important to exercise regularly.

* If you’re overweight, exercising regularly will help you shed the extra pounds.

Exercising regularly means at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. If you can’t do it all at once, it’s OK to break up your activity into smaller chunks.

Step 4. Prevent or control diabetes. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in your brain and elsewhere in your body. Besides being at a very high risk for a stroke, most people with diabetes die of some form of cardiovascular disease.

Why it’s important:

* If you have diabetes, maintaining your blood sugar levels through weight loss, physical activity and possibly by taking medications can help reduce your risk of stroke.

* If you don’t have diabetes, regular physical activity and keeping a healthy weight will help you avoid it. By getting a preventive health screening for diabetes, you can find out what your risks are for the disease.

Step 5. Eat a healthy diet. Loading up your plate with fruits, vegetables and grains and cutting down on foods high in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat, is also an important component in a stroke-preventing lifestyle. As a rule, avoid fatty meats, full-fat dairy and baked snack foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. Keep your sodium consumption below 2,400 milligrams (or 1 teaspoon) per day. This daily amount includes all salt and sodium in your foods, not just salt you add.

Why it’s important:

* Following this type of diet will help you maintain a healthier blood pressure and lower cholesterol, which is necessary for stroke prevention.

Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventive health screenings, encourages you to take a closer look at exactly how making these changes can help you prevent a stroke and live a healthier lifestyle for overall wellness.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

New Alzheimer’s Risk Genes Identified

Finding could lead to future treatments, researchers say

Scientists have pinpointed two genes that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease and could become targets for new treatments for the neurodegenerative condition.

Genetic variants appear to play an important part in the development of Alzheimer’s since having parents or siblings with the disease increases a person’s risk. It is estimated that one of every five persons aged 65 will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, the researchers added.

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10 Things Nursing Homes Won’t Tell You

Updated and adapted from the book “1,001 Things They Won’t Tell You: An Insider’s Guide to Spending, Saving, and Living Wisely,” by Jonathan Dahl and the editors of SmartMoney.

1. “We’re careless about the drugs we give out.”

“The primary goal of nursing homes,” according to the American Health Care Association (AHCA), an industry trade group, “is to rehabilitate residents so that they can return to the community.” It’s a worthy aim, certainly. And many nursing homes—both public and private—do an excellent job of caring for the elderly and infirm. So why is it that so many people not only have a negative view of these facilities but live in absolute dread of entering one?

One reason, critics say, might be the misuse of drugs.

Read more: 10 Things Nursing Homes Won’t Tell You at SmartMoney.com or by Clicking Here.

Many Alzheimer’s Patients Find Comfort in Books

Familiar music can engage those with Alzheimer’s when almost nothing else can, researchers have shown. Now it appears that books written for these patients may have a similar effect.

Researchers have found in a number of studies that reading can improve a patient’s quality of life. The meanings of written sentences can be understood by — and prompt cogent responses from — even those who have difficulty handling verbal exchanges.

Caregivers may be surprised to learn that reading ability is not always destroyed by Alzheimer’s.

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With Age Comes Wisdom: Study

Seniors better able to see other points of view and seek compromise to smooth social conflicts

There just might be plenty of truth to the old adage, “With age comes wisdom.”

A new study finds that seniors are better equipped than younger folks to solve social conflicts. Seniors could more easily see multiple points of view, were more interested in searching for compromise and were more willing to acknowledge that there might be things about a difficult situation that they didn’t know.

Taken together, those attributes make people 60 and older generally wiser than younger people, the researchers said.

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How to handle an elderly parent’s bad behavior

“My mother is driving me crazy!”  This phrase is uttered (or screamed) by caregivers everywhere who are caring for elderly parents. As if they didn’t have enough to do, caregivers often have to deal with bad behavior by their elderly parents. The AgingCare.com message boards are filled with stories of demanding elderly parents, personality changes, hallucinations, temper tantrums…even abuse. We’ve compiled the top 10 bad behaviors that elderly parents exhibit, along with some tips for coping with them.

Bad behavior #1: Rage, anger, yelling

Age and illness can intensify longstanding personality traits in some unpleasant ways: An irritable person may become enraged, an impatient person demanding and impossible to please. Unfortunately, the person taking care of the elderly parent is often the target.

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