Habilitation therapy, not to be confused with rehabilitation, is an approach to Alzheimer’s care that focuses on making the most of the person’s current capabilities. It’s based on the latest research on how Alzheimer’s affects the person’s ability to remember and reason.

One aspect of habilitation therapy is to avoid telling the person with Alzheimer’s, “No.”

This might seem impossible, because a loved one with Alzheimer’s might request the impossible, such as a visit with a friend who has died or an activity that the person can no longer do. However, saying, “No,” sets the person up for frustration. He or she simply cannot understand why the visit or activity is not possible. Any effort to explain this will lead to emotional turmoil that leaves both the Alzheimer’s patient and the caregiver frustrated and exhausted.

Caregivers must learn not to go head-to-head with the patient. Rather than reflexively tell the person that he can’t visit Jake or she can’t ride a bike, the caregiver can join the patient where he or she is at the moment. The best response is to start where the person is, and lead him or her to something that is possible.

If the person is asking to visit a loved one who is unavailable; caregivers can get the Alzheimer’s patient to talk about the loved one, perhaps sharing their own memories or getting out pictures.

If the person is asking to do an activity that is impossible, the caregiver can ask a few questions about the activity and let the person talk about it.

Once the person is engaged in a conversation, the caregiver can then steer the discussion to the possible or necessary. Sitting down for a cup of coffee while talking about Jake, can segue into eating a meal or taking medications. A talk about how relaxing a bike ride is can lead to a relaxing bath or listening to music in bed.

Of course, sometimes the transition must go more quickly. Dinner is already on the table or the doctor is waiting to do an examination. An approach like, “Why don’t you tell me more about it while we eat?” or “Okay, but first let’s talk to the doctor,” can get the person’s mind off the impossible wish and onto something happening in the present.

Even with skill in habilitation therapy, caring for a person with Alzheimer’s can be too much to handle at home. An assisted living environment, with caring, competent staff, can help loved ones to make the most of every moment of time spent with the person with Alzheimer’s.

This issue of our newsletter focuses on pet therapy and the ways that loving interactions with animals can help seniors to lead happier and healthier lives.  Our Charlotte assisted living home believes in the highest quality of life for its senior community.

1. The Power of Paws

2. More on Pet Therapy

• Petting a dog can reduce blood pressure and stress.
• Bringing a pet in to a family care home or any long-term care facility can boost peoples’ moods and enhance their social interactions.
• Interacting with a pet can add years to your life.
• Pet therapy has been proven to aid in dementia care and Alzheimer’s care
  
• Heart patients who owned pets were significantly more likely to be alive a year after they were discharged from the hospital than those who didn’t own pets.

Studies conducted for more than three decades reinforce the hypothesis that pet therapy has a beneficial effect on the psychological well being of the elderly, in particular on aspects related to depressive symptoms and perception of quality of life. After all, pets don’t see what people see. They don’t see a wrinkled face, age spots or grey hair. They make no judgments. They don’t want anything from you and they don’t have to say the right thing. They don’t expect anything except perhaps a pat. They just want to give love.

1. Lifelong Learning for Adults 50+

2. More on Lifelong Learning

We at Unlimited Possibilities Family Care Home are committed to providing assisted living services that are person-centered, culturally competent, and community based.  In so doing, we intend to become the premier service provider for seniors in need in Mecklenburg County.

If you are interested in joining our team of health providers, wish to receive additional information about our assisted living facility, or know of an elder in need of dementia care, we urge you to contact us without delay.

Charlotte Alzheimer’s Care

A good friend of mine recently returned from her first trip to India, a country of incredible contrasts:  rich and poor, serene and chaotic, scenic in places . . . unsightly in others.  Although she expected to find some of these disparities, there was one dissimilarity that came as a complete surprise:  namely, the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in India compared to the rest of the world.  In an area where people do not tend to live as long as they do in wealthier, more developed areas, she was surprised to learn that the rate of Alzheimer’s was less than a third of typical rates in the U.S.  In fact, the lowest reported rate of AD occurs in the rural north, where only about 1% of Indian adults 65 years of age or older suffer from this dreaded -and as yet incurable – disease.

A study by University of Pittsburgh researchers was undertaken to try to pinpoint the reasons for these lower rates.  They tested more than 5,000 people to try to identify the lifestyle and/or genetic factors that help to protect them from a condition that affects about 36 million people worldwide.  Once the scientists determined that the genetic predisposition to AD was not significantly greater in the U.S. compared to India (although research is ongoing in this area), they turned to diet and lifestyle choices.  To summarize their findings, the factors that these northern Indians shared included being physically active, eating a low-fat, largely vegetarian diet (obesity is virtually unheard of in rural communities in India), and maintaining a low-stress lifestyle.  But that’s not all.  Interestingly, the researchers learned that the average Indian has a much higher consumption of a common spice that we call turmeric, an herb in the ginger family.  Studies have shown that turmeric contains something known as “curcumin,” which is a yellow pigment in the root.  Curry, for example, gets its distinct color and flavor from curcumin, which has been used by Indian healers for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments, including indigestion, jaundice, arthritis, and urinary tract disorders.  The researchers also found out that curcumin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may be powerful enough to break up the amyloid plaques in the brain that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

The most recent research to examine the effects of curcumin on AD comes from U.C.L.A. researchers, who injected curcumin into ageing mice with advanced amyloid accumulation in the brain. As recently reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the researchers observed that curcumin was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to beta amyloid, which effectively blocked plaque formation.  It should be stressed, however, that it is not currently known whether curcumin taken orally as a supplement can cross the blood-brain barrier or inhibit the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in humans.  Nonetheless, as a result of the promising findings in the mice trials, clinical trials of oral curcumin supplementation in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease are under way.  The results of a 6-month trial in 27 patients with Alzheimer’s disease found that oral supplementation with up to 4 g/day of curcumin was safe. However, larger controlled trials are needed to determine whether or not oral curcumin supplementation is effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Based on an ever-growing body of research on Alzheimer’s disease, here’s what we DO know about AD:

• Scientists don’t yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease, but it is clear that it develops because of a complex series of events that take place in the brain over a long period of time. It is likely that the causes include genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
• It is generally believed that men and women are equally at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• There is a lower rate of occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in the eastern countries (e.g., India, China, and Taiwan) compared to western countries.
• The older we get, the higher the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
• At the current stage of knowledge, it is impossible to predict who will get Alzheimer’s disease. It can strike anyone irrespective of gender, creed, culture or socioeconomic status.

Although every case of Alzheimer’s disease is different, experts have identified common warning signs of this devastating brain disease. If someone is exhibiting symptoms, the person should check out his or her concerns with a healthcare professional.   Typical warning signs include:

• Memory loss, especially of recent events, names, placement of objects, and other new information
• Confusion about time and place
• Struggling to complete familiar actions such as brushing teeth or getting dressed
• Trouble finding the appropriate words, completing sentences and following directions and conversations
• Poor judgment when making decisions
• Changes in mood and personality such as increased suspicion, rapid and persistent mood swings, withdrawal, and disinterest in usual activities
• Difficulty with complex mental assignments such as balancing a checkbook or other tasks involving numbers

Clinicians typically use the following tools to diagnose “probable” Alzheimer’s disease: a complete medical history, lab tests, physical exam, brain scans, and neuro-psychological testing (i.e., memory screen tolls that assess memory, attention, language, and problem-solving abilities.  Treatment protocols vary, but typically include carefully-supervised use of medications and behavioral interventions.

Alzheimer’s Care for your Loved One

Because people with AD are impaired in their ability to perform common activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene and eating, AD puts a huge burden on supporting families and caregivers.  The demands of day-to-day care, changing family roles, and difficult decisions about placement in a care facility can be hard to handle.  In short, during years of care-giving, families experience emotional, physical, and financial stresses, and it is impossible to quantify this suffering.

However, researchers are learning a lot about Alzheimer’s caregiving, and studies are helping experts develop new ways to support caregivers.

• Becoming well-informed about the disease is one important long-term strategy. Programs that teach families about the various stages of Alzheimer’s and about flexible and practical strategies for dealing with difficult caregiving situations provide vital help to those who care for people with Alzheimer’s.
• Developing good coping skills and a strong support network of family and friends also are important ways that caregivers can help themselves handle the stresses of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. For example, staying physically active provides physical and emotional benefits.
• Some Alzheimer’s caregivers have found that participating in a support group is a critical lifeline. These support groups allow caregivers to find respite, express concerns, share experiences, get tips, and receive emotional comfort. There are a growing number of groups for people in the early stage of Alzheimer’s and their families. Support networks can be especially valuable when caregivers face the difficult decision of whether and when to place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Prevention

At present, there is no definitive evidence that links modifiable factors, such as diet, cardiovascular risk, certain pharmaceutical products, or intellectual activities (among others) with preventing AD.  However, studies have indicated that the following factors may help reduce your incidence of getting AD.  And since all of these recommendations have been linked to other health improvements, you can only benefit from integrating them into a healthier lifestyle

• Quit smoking.
• Adopt a Mediterranean diet.
• Drink more coffee.  (A 21-year study found that coffee drinkers of 3-5 cups per day at midlife had a 65% reduction in risk of dementia in later-life).
• Keep your mind active through intellectual activities such as reading, playing board games, completing crossword puzzles, and getting together with friends.
• Exercise regularly.
• Incorporate more turmeric in your diet.  In other words, learn to love Indian food … such as the tasty recipe provided below!Basmati Rice with TurmericIngredients
  2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
  1/2 chopped onion
  1 minced garlic clove
  1 cup basmati rice
  1 tablespoon turmeric
  1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  1 bay leaf
  1 pinch of thyme
  Salt and pepper

  Directions:
  Melt 1 tbsp butter (or heat olive oil) in saucepan, add onion and garlic, cook until softened.

  Add rice and turmeric; stir to coat.

  Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil, cover and simmer 17 minutes.
  Stir in remaining butter and/or olive oil, and remove bay leaf.

  Enjoy!

“Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease”

“Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease”

“You know you’re getting old when all the names in your black book have M. D. after them. ” Or so claimed actor Harrison Ford. Another more uplifting perspective on aging was suggested by George Burns, who stated: “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”

One way to avoid having to look up so many names with “M.D.’s” after
them is by staying healthy. Generally senior citizens need more assistance with day-to-day tasks than most individuals. They are also at
greater risk for opportunistic diseases such as vascular dementia, isolation, depression, and other emotional problems. That’s why geriatric care and related aging services are seeing an evolution toward personalized medicine, an emphasis on prevention, and an increased focus on keeping seniors in their own homes or in smaller assisted living communities. At Unlimited Possibilities Family Care home in Charlotte, we understand the importance of maintaining a healthy diet in our residential care facilities. This more nurturing approach to geriatric care is helping to improve the quality of life for aging seniors everywhere.

But there’s plenty we can do-whether we’re a senior or a “junior” citizen-to stay healthy and keep from getting “old” in the way George Burns cautioned against. Although you’ve probably heard them all before, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of a few diet and exercise tips. While there is no known cure for vascular dementia, studies prove that a healthy diet helps to improve or slow down the symptoms of this debilitating disease. Our next post on diet will go into more detail on the things you can do to maintain optimal health as you age.

Assisted Living Articles:

1. Diet

2. Maintaining Good Mental Health

3. The Importance of Exercise for the Elderly