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Victorian Home Care Newsletter
July 2009
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Fat Facts
At
this time, it is estimated that 17.5 percent of the older generation
are clinically obese and 16 percent have a type of diabetes. In
contrast, it is estimated that by 2030, one-third of the Baby Boomers
will be obese and 25 percent will live with diabetes.
A heart that has to beat with 20 to 30 extra pounds of weight works much harder than a heart without that burden.
Read more here.
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What Do People Who Need Care Want?
The Foundation for the Future of Aging reports that the major priorities for consumers who need care are to:
- Receive care in the least restrictive setting possible
- Maintain autonomy and independence
- Direct their own care
Click here for more info.
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Greetings!
Times, they are a-changin. With the boomer generation consistently in
the spotlight and analysts tripping over themselves in the race to
forecast effects on everything from health care to retirement to
housing, there is a plethora of interesting and noteworthy trends.
These
trends are not merely affecting us here in the U.S., but across the
world as well, with governments increasingly paying attention to the
cry for more affordable health care and the lower costs and benefits
that care in the home provides. Take a look at some of the recently
researched reports and studies, and arm yourself with information to
prepare for "tomorrow".
As always, we send this newsletter in a
spirit of sharing and community. We hope you will find the included
news informative and beneficial.
Thank you,
The Team at Victorian Home Care
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Boomer Housing Trends May Surprise You
 By
2010, homeowners and renters 55 and older will make up one-quarter of
the U.S. population. MetLife Mature Market Institute has released
findings from a survey of this group and found:
- The top reason boomers move is to live close to family.
- Many boomers are not downsizing, but want a higher quality, larger home.
- Many want to stay in their jobs longer, so proximity to the office is still a big priority.
- The number of people ages 55 and up who work at home is rising.
- Most boomers are happy in their current homes and neighborhoods.
- Active-adult communities are attracting buyers who are under 60 and still working.
- Older homeowners are more likely to buy homes - especially new ones. They make up 30 percent of the custom home market.
Access the full report here.
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Delay Retirement = Delay Alzheimer's
 Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and recent studies are indicating that one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life. This is known as a "cognitive reserve".
The Alzheimer's Research Trust funded a study at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London which was recently published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The study found that for men, continuing to work late in life helped keep the brain sharp enough to delay the onset of dementia. The study also suggests there can be a positive effect when mental stimulation is continued into our later years. People who retired later developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who opted to retire early. Each additional year of employment was associated with around a six week later onset of the disease.
Read more here.
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5-minute Quiz Determines Alzheimer's
 A
new 5-minute test that can detect Alzheimer's disease at an early stage
was created by researchers at the Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge,
England. Called "Test Your Memory," or TYM, the test is comprised of
ten simple tasks that test verbal fluency, recall, the ability to copy
a sentence, naming, calculation, and semantic knowledge. According to a
report in the British Medical Journal, TYM is more accurate than other
traditional methods used to diagnose Alzheimer's. In a recent study,
the TYM quiz was able to detect 93 percent of patients with Alzheimer's
disease, while the standard method found only 52 percent of Alzheimer's
cases. Experts say the test is a "powerful and valid" diagnostic tool.
Read more about the test here.
Take the TYM test here, and view the scoring sheet here.
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About Victorian Home Care:
For nearly 30 years Victorian Home
Care has been providing superior home care and geriatric care management
services to seniors or people with physical and/or mental disabilities in Monterey,
Santa Cruz, and San
Benito Counties. Care, compassion, integrity, and exceptional customer service are Victorian's
guiding principles, employing only carefully selected caregivers who are
the most dedicated and qualified and strive to ensure the same kind of care
family members would provide. Victorian Home Care services include
assistance with activities of daily living, personal care, transportation,
respite care and medication management. For
more information visit www.victorianhomecare.com
or call (831) 655-1935 in Monterey
or (831) 662-3093 in Aptos.
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