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Living With and Writing About Alzheimer's
Follow a blog written for USA Today by Bob Blackwell, a retired CIA operative who now has Alzheimer's disease. Bob has agreed to blog regularly as he becomes more cognitively impaired with the disease's progression. His wife, Carol, adds comments. You can leave questions and comments as well. Read here.
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What is your personal risk for cancer?
Take a quick interactive online survey by WebMD to find your personal risk for the 5 most common cancers. In just a few minutes you will get a personalized report to share with your doctor, content tailored to your personal risks, and tips from Web MD experts to help you prevent cancer.
Take the survey here.
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Simple Tips to Avoid Colds and Flu
Avoiding colds and flu this season is at the top of everyone's list. Here are 14 tips to help you keep healthy and happy as compiled by medical experts who want to keep you out of their offices and safe at home and work.
1. Wash your hands often, including every time you shake someone's hand.
2. Do not touch your nose and eyes.
3. Feeling bad? Go to bed and get some sleep.
4. Get a flu shot (you may need two this year with H1N1 widespread).
5. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
6. Exercise to enhance immune function.
7. Stay away from sneezers, coughers and sick people.
8. Use alcohol-based hand wipes often.
9. Stop smoking if you have not already done so.
10. Avoid 'double dipping' with chips or watch out for those who may be dipping double.
11. Use a purse that can be wiped down, like leather or vinyl.
12. No nail-biting.
13. Get happy!
14. Sneeze into the crook of your arm and not your hands.
To read why these 14 tips work, and get some tips on what to do if you are already sick, click here.
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Greetings!
This autumn we've harvested a number of encouraging articles on preparations for an aging society. The demographic bulge created by the baby boom generation is bringing about a refreshed focus on health and innovations in architecture, care and technology in order to better accommodate the lifestyles and needs of seniors as the population ages. Some of the information may surprise you! In a spirit of sharing and community, we hope you will find the included news informative and beneficial. And we give thanks to all who make this community a wonderful place to live, work and grow old.
Thank you,
The Team at Freedom Eldercare
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Dawn Perdon Joins Freedom Eldercare, Inc.
Freedom Eldercare, Inc. has named Dawn Perdon, most recently the Business Development Specialist at Arden Courts Assisted Living, its Client Relations Director. Perdon will be based in Freedom Eldercare's Morris County office where she will focus on informing the geriatric community of their unique model of private home care, geriatric care management and professional education.
According to Barbara London, Freedom Eldercare's Senior Vice President, Perdon brings talent, contacts, and solid experience to her new role. "We are delighted to have Dawn Perdon as the newest member of the Freedom Eldercare team. During her 12-year career, Dawn has gained significant background in both home health and elder services. Her impressive marketing, sales, and management experience make her the perfect fit for Freedom Eldercare as our company expands within the New Jersey market."
Prior to joining Arden Courts in Whippany, Perdon served as Marketing Director and Business Development Specialist for the Marriott Senior Living Division. Earlier in her career she was associated with Firstat Nursing Services, Inc. in Clifton. Perdon earned a degree in Gerontology and Sociology from Caldwell College.
Freedom Eldercare, Inc. is New Jersey's leader in comprehensive eldercare service delivery, providing home care and home health services plus professional education and training. Founded in 2004, the agency is one of the top private duty home care companies in the country boasting a professional staff with more than 100 years of geriatric experience. Freedom Eldercare services all of New Jersey. For more information about the agency, visit our website at www.freedomeldercare.com or contact us directly at 1-866-7-FREEDOM (1-866-737-3336).
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Benevolent Ballet Creates Exercise Regimen that Strengthens
 Because no exercise regime can be successful without the full participation of its students, the author of the Mini Mental State Exam (the gold standard test in determining cognition) Dr. Marshal F. Folstein, Chief of Psychiatry at New England Medical Center, has suggested an exercise therapy program that patients enjoy enough to readily participate. The Benevolent Ballet Program uses classical ballet concepts and was developed with the goals of improving coordination, balance, range of motion and strength to help the frail elderly prevent falls. Secondary benefits are improvement of mood, confidence and self-esteem. Participants also report improved socialization and feelings of wellbeing.
The exercises have been taken to their simplest form and have been developed into sets of easy-to-follow movements. All exercises are presented as dance movements, not calisthenics, and are accompanied by music. Since the program is capable of adjusting to the functioning level of the participants, it has been especially useful for Alzheimer's patients. Read about the program at their Web site.
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Boomers will Retire Comfortably, but Later
 Retirement expert Ken Dychtwald, the Age Wave guru, paints a pretty picture about retirement for the boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). In his latest book, With Purpose: Going From Success to Significance in Work and Life, he states that retirement for the boomers will be so different from traditional retirement that we may well need a new word to describe it.
The biggest reason for this changing retirement scenario? Life spans are changing. Dychtwald sees a shift in attitude about aging. "When our moms and dads reached their 65th or 70th birthday, they felt like they were in the ninth inning, and they were quite happy. Now, boomers look around and see 80-year-old newlyweds and 90-year-old marathon runners."
Dychtwald also forecasts boomers working longer, but being happier than current retirees who report boredom. And he expects boomers are going to continue to try new things, no matter the age.
Feeling sad because you have lost 45% of your net worth as you head into retirement age?
Read the full article here and start to feel better.
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Aging in Place in the Suburbs: Making "Lifelong Communities"
 The move to suburbia over the past decades has been for privacy, elbow room, and affordability. Currently, the suburbs are home to as much as half of the U.S. population and more than 30 million people age 55-plus. However, what may have been a good place to grow up starts to be a tough place to grow old. Suburban living means maintaining yards and homes and driving everywhere. (Research shows that men and women who reach their 70s, on average, outlive their ability to drive by six and 10 years, respectively.) Despite these difficulties, AARP surveys report fully 85% of surveyed individuals age 50-plus still wish to remain in their communities for as long as possible.
It is no wonder that there is a growing movement afoot (a movement started in the 80s with New Urbanism) with a community goal of allowing residents to stay put in their own homes as they age, to redesign the suburbs with more areas for walking to services, and more greenways and parks to promote social interaction.
So look for retrofitting of suburbs coming to a suburb near you. Look for redesign to include neighborhood centers (think: town squares), "walkability" (leaving the car in the garage) and lots of choices (a mix of housing options, services and amenities) are emphasized.
To read this interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, click here.
To find out more about new Urbanism, click here.
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Gaining Better Understanding of Senior Living Design
 What better way to learn than through experience? Between March and September 2009, an innovative architectural firm assigned top architects to stay overnight in a diverse range of senior living communities from Boston to Los Angeles, Seattle to Miami. The selection of assisted living and skilled nursing communities was in urban, suburban and rural locations, and offered accommodations ranging from modest to high-end. The 'Sleepers' were assigned a specific medical condition and were instructed to assume the limitations of that condition to experience a simulated version of its treatment and care. For a full 24-hour period, the 'Sleepers' experienced the varying levels of service and activities that accommodated their condition and corresponding lifestyle.
All experiences were recorded in a journal, which is now online. The long-term goal of the Sleepover Project is to provide better design for building more responsive senior living communities. It is an earnest effort to gain insight into the daily lives of aging seniors who reside in assisted living and skilled nursing communities.
Read more about the CSD Architects Sleepover project here. | |
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