RetirementHomes.com - dementia care

Touch Screen Technologies for Seniors with Dementia

aadmin — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:34:07 +0000

Technology is easier to use than ever before. Tablets and touch screen monitors have forever changed the way we interact with technology, making the experience much more accessible and accommodating for new users.

Tablets and touch screens can be used by anyone, including older adults living with dementia, mobility and dexterity issues, and other common disabilities, like vision impairments. Everybody – with guidance, support, and a willingness to learn – can find great value in touch technologies and the Internet.

Tablets are the easiest device for beginners. Older adults without previous computer experience can begin by playing online games, asking Google to find information using a “voice search” command, or zooming in on their home town map - in only a few minutes.

Tablets simplify accessing the Internet with their light weight and intuitive design, opening the gateway to amazing user possibilities. The primary reason tablet computers are so helpful for seniors is due to their user-friendly controls. Unlike a computer or laptop, a tablet’s touchscreen interface only needs one finger for basic control. Even those with shaky grips or limited dexterity can still accurately touch the screen by implementing a stylus pen.

A huge benefit of having access to tablets and the Internet is free entertainment. Many complimentary games are available on tablets to stimulate the player’s mind, including puzzles, word games, memory games, and sports games, like golf. These games are often considered to assist in brain fitness. They push players to think, be creative, solve problems, and complete tasks. Games can be great fun as a viable means of escapism, which we all occasionally need. The look on someone's face driving a virtual race car at a hundred miles an hour is priceless :)

Another popular use for tablets is watching online videos, through“apps” like YouTube. Users can call up videos of anything they want ... from live music concerts and old television shows, to knitting instructions and documentaries about World War II. There are online videos on just about everything for all to enjoy.

It may not be possible for some individuals with dementia to remember all the steps in operating tablets. It’s suggested that someone stay close to act as a technology coach. New learners will feel they are positively progressing, instead of forgetting what to do next, or accidentally tapping on an in-app advertisement, which can happen to the best of us.

Having a guide to answer questions, or set up activities or games, motivates seniors to try new things that could make them uncomfortable on their own. Often, quick reminders of the simple controls helps users with dementia progress and overcome small hurdles in seconds, which positively reinforces their own accomplishments too!

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Police officer teaches Tai Chi to retirement living scheme residents

aadmin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:04:08 +0000

One police officer says that as part of her duties to serve the community, she will start teaching Tai Chi to residents of rural retirement living schemes who may not have ready access to physical activities otherwise.

"Whilst engaging with the community at these groups, I discovered that there wasn't really anything to promote physical activity, particularly in the Emley area which is quite a way out," said Police Community Support Officer Sharon Mellor.

So she signed up to help with a course called Moving More Often, which incorporates a version of the martial art that she says can relieve stress and improve health, and incorporates memory games to help older persons retain their faculties as they age.

Mellor is hopeful that the training will enable her to learn about her community and show elderly residents in West Yorkshire that the police care about addressing their needs, and can contact her with potential concerns.

"By becoming more active, people can remain independent for longer," noted Mellor. "It also encourages a little fun and enjoyment to life."

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Brain exercises could alleviate symptoms of dementia

aadmin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:04:08 +0000

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine say that working out one's brain could help to delay the onset of memory problems that can necessitate dementia care.

Nearly 500 elderly people were followed by the scientists over roughly five years and they reported their daily activities including completing puzzles, playing board games and other hobbies.

They found that memory loss started accelerating rapidly at a later time for those who engaged in more frequent activities, especially those that occurred on a daily basis.

"The point of accelerated decline was delayed by 1.29 years for the person who participated in 11 activities per week compared to the person who participated in only four activities per week," noted study author Dr Charles Hall.

The benefits of adding a smaller number of games or other leisurely pursuits were also noted, with each one prolonging the development of symptoms by more than two months.

"The effect of these activities in late life appears to be independent of education," added Hall.

He hypothesizes that "activities might help maintain brain vitality."

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Legislators include integrated home care provision in reform bill

aadmin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:04:07 +0000

House legislators who were working to finalize the health care reform bill from the Energy and Commerce committee added a provision that would enable seniors to get better access to home care services by improving the communication between doctors, pharmacists and other medical professionals.

The plan wor

ks similarly to one pioneered by the Veterans Administration for those with multiple chronic conditions, and pays incentives to health care providers and pharmacists who provide an integrated plan to manage patients' illnesses.

"My mother always told me, 'work smarter, not harder' and this amendment assures that we will reform the way we treat patients with multiple chronic diseases to provide the best quality care while saving millions for Medicare," said Representative Edward Markey, the amendments' sponsor.

It is set to begin in 26 states and the District of Columbia in 2010 as part of a three-year pilot process, and Markey and other legislators are hopeful that it will both reduce costs and the number of hospitalizations and emergency room visits needed by patients who receive home care services through Medicare.

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Dance team infuses retirement living with energy

aadmin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:04:07 +0000

Most sports teams have cheerleaders and dance teams that comprise women in their 20s and 30s, but the New Jersey Nets are luring active seniors out of retirement living and onto the court.

The Netsationals are a 60+ group that perform at the team's games, and while they do not necessarily manage the same maneuvers as

their younger counterparts, they are grateful for the opportunity to be active on a national stage, according to the New York Times.

The group of 12 women and one man all had to pass auditions, and their background and experience as dancers was recently documented in a film called Gotta Dance that is playing in New York City, reported the newspaper.

While the thirteen have gotten some limelight with their aerobic activity, seniors looking to add exercise to their retirement living routines may be sharpening more than dance steps.

Scientists at UNC Chapel Hill say that frequent walking, jogging or dancing helped several elderly study participants to maintain brain chemistry that resembled that of younger Americans.

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Medical tourism tips from CDC could help seniors going abroad

aadmin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:04:07 +0000

Seniors who travel abroad as part of active living plans in retirement may want to take a look at the latest issue of the Centers for Disease Control "Yellow Book" or guide for international travel and health.

The CDC updates the guide every two years, and the newest edition contains an expanded section on medical tourism and how to travel safely with chronic conditions, as well as information on how travelers' medications can interact with needed vaccinations.

"Medical standards can vary by country, and traveling soon after a medical procedure can carry its own set of health risks," said Dr Gary Brunette, CDC Travelers' Health Branch chief.

"We're providing new recommendations to help people who choose medical tourism to do it as safely as possible."

With more than 500,000 Americans traveling abroad for medical reasons, the guide also discusses the potential for complications from drugs already being taken and vaccines recommended by immunologists.

But retirement living community residents may also find some vacation planning tips, thanks to nine itineraries that are included in the guide that span every continent except Antarctica.

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Strange habits may help retirement living community residents remember pills

aadmin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:04:07 +0000

Trying to remember to take one's daily medications may be difficult for some seniors who do not have the assistance of home care providers, but scientists say that a silly gesture could help the elderly keep track of their prescription administration.

At Washington University in St Louis, doctors worked

with patients to try and increase compliance after finding that repetitive tasks were difficult for the elderly to remember and account for during the course of a day.

In a study of different ways to alleviate the issue, they found that patients who did something unusual, such as pat their head, while doing a scheduled activity were more likely to remember it later on than a control group.

"Our results indicate that older adults can use these sorts of [actions] to effectively reduce repetition errors in habitual prospective memory tasks, such as taking a daily medication," said lead author Dr Mark McDaniel.

The researchers noted that doing so reduced the numbers of errors committed by seniors to levels seen in young adults.

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Credit card debt on the rise in retirement living communities

aadmin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:04:07 +0000

A report from the policy research organization Demos finds that retirement living debts among those with low to moderate incomes are on the rise in America.

In telephone interviews with U.S. households, the researchers found that older Americans' credit card debt had increased by more than one-quarter since a previous

study was conducted in 2005, and they were no longer the demographic with the lowest debt load.

"This finding is not surprising given that the data reflects the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008, which greatly reduced the value of retirement savings," note the authors.

The decrease in value of retirement investment instruments has led some seniors to use plastic as a "safety net," the study found, purchasing essential goods and services such as healthcare using credit cards if they cannot do so using their savings.

In fact, those who are paying for healthcare expenses in retirement living had roughly two times the debt related to medical costs as other age groups.

Updated policies that promote savings could also improve health, since the study cites "previous research [that] found households with medical debt often forego treatment by notfilling prescriptions, delay seeking follow-up care, or pursuing other potentially dangerous strategies to avoid incurring more debt."

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Research may lead to Alzheimer's care initiation before symptoms occur

aadmin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:04:07 +0000

Scientists at Harvard Medical School say they may have found a way to use neuroimaging to detect changes in the brain that are indicative of Alzheimer's disease before symptoms are found, opening up a potential diagnosis tool to reduce debilitation among those in assisted living facilities.

Current research has focused on amyloid proteins, which scientists say tend to cluster together and damage brain cells, but researchers were unable to detect the formations before the onset of symptoms of neurological decline.

The new study focused on a combination of amyloid imaging and structural defects in one's associative memory, and the scientists are hopeful that it could be used to improve Alzheimer's care.

"The combination of molecular and functional imaging techniques may prove useful in monitoring disease progression prior to significant clinical symptoms," said lead author Dr Reisa A.

Sperling.

"Our findings are consistent with the premise that cognitively intact older individuals with amyloid pathology may already be in the early stages of AD," Sperling added, though cautioned that long-term studies would be needed to confirm the findings.

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Prescription medication usage worries UK pharmacists

aadmin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:04:07 +0000

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is urging residents of independent living schemes and other older persons to consider consulting with a local pharmacist about the effects of taking increasingly higher numbers of medications.

"It's not unusual for older people to get confused with the medicine they are taking, particularly when they are on numerous types of medication," said Paul Johnson, a spokesman for the society.

"As a result, they may also not realise the reactions they may be causing when they are not used properly."

A survey conducted by the organization found that 60 percent of aging Britons believe they have experienced an adverse effect from one of their medications, and one-fifth of that group did not report the event to a pharmacist.

In retirement living, the data collected by the Society also showed that older persons are increasingly confused about dosage instructions and the reasons they are prescribed various treatments. The pharmacists say that's a cause for concern, given that 40 percent take more than five prescriptions at one time.

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