Five Questions You Should Always Ask Your Elder Care Provider
Published March 12, 2012Choosing an in-home care company for an elderly loved one can be a difficult decision. Obviously, you want the best possible care for your loved one, but it can be challenging to find a company that best suits your needs. Things to look for in a home-care agency include quality care, dependability, trained and trustworthy employees. Asking the following questions can help ease some of the anxieties associated with choosing an elder care provider. Continue reading
On the Horizon: Could a Nasal Squirt of Insulin Slow Alzheimer’s?
Published December 19, 2011
Preliminary research from a small pilot study suggests that squirting insulin deep into the nose where it travels to the brain might slow the progress of early Alzheimer’s. This has been called a provocative study because of possible future implications.
A group of 104 people with mild to moderate memory issues were divided into three groups. One group inhaled 20 milligrams of aerosolized insulin two times daily for four months; a second group was given 40 milligrams for the same time frame; and a placebo (saline solution) was given to the third group.
At the conclusion of the study, the group treated with 20 milligrams of insulin improved slightly or remained the same in memory tests and in their ability to handle day-to-day activities. Those given the lower dose seemed more effective than the higher one. The group who received placebos declined in overall memory issues.
A professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle, Suzanne Craft, has been a principal investigator of the insulin study and has studied its effects in Alzheimer’s. A problem she encountered with the study is how to get more insulin to the brain but not to the body. Kurve Technology helped with a solution by developing a special device that delivers a spray of insulin deep into the nose. The hormone then travels along the path of nerves into the brain.
It is still too soon to say if the treatment is even safe and the special device needed to dispense it properly is not yet on the market and will not be available to individuals. Dr. Craft wants to see much more extensive study of the potential use of insulin. An Alzheimer expert at the Medical University of South Carolina, Jacobo Mintzer, said that as a clinician he would not advise his patients to get their hopes up, but as a scientist he feels some encouragement about future implications of the use of insulin for treating Alzheimer’s.
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Impact of Caregiving on Earnings and Wealth for Baby Boomers
Published August 4, 2011
Almost 10 million adult children over the age of 50 care for aging parents. While these family caregivers are themselves aging, they are also providing care to love ones at a time when they need to be planning and saving for their own retirement.
Did you know -
- The proportion of adult children providing personal care and/or financial assistance to a parent has more than tripled over the past 15 years.
- Total estimated aggregate lost wages, pension, and Social Security benefits of these caregivers of parents is nearly $3 trillion.
- The cost impact of caregiving on the individual female caregiver in terms of lost wages and Social Security benefits equals $324,044.
- Adult children 50+ who work and provide care to a parent are more likely to have fair or poor health than those who do not provide care to their parents.
These and other key findings can be found in a study, Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers – Double Jeopardy for Baby Boomers Caring for Their Parents, which is an updated, national look at adult children who work and care for their parents and the impact of caregiving on their earnings and lifetime wealth. This study is provided by Metlife and can be downloaded from their website.
This is an eye-opening study which uncovers the shocking financial impact that caregiving has on family caregivers.
