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.
In Home Companion Firm Cites Health Consequences of Fitness vs. Frailty
Published May 27, 2011In home companion firm of Denver metro area, Barton Home Care, cites findings from research study on fitness levels in people at all ages and their need for health care resources.
It is established knowledge that fitness is an important part of aging in a healthy manner. Yet many adults over the age of 50 are unaware that one of the top five health risk factors involved with aging is the loss of muscle mass or sarcopenia. Adults who live a sedentary lifestyle will lose muscle mass faster than those with a more active lifestyle. Muscle degeneration is a leading cause of frailty and related conditions. Sarcopenia can impact mature adults in a myriad of ways including making it difficult to get out of a chair or contributing to falls and other related injuries.
According to Barton Home Care spokesperson, Gerri Tyber, “There is about a 15 percent decline of muscle mass between the ages of 40-60 and about an additional 1.5 percent shortly thereafter. Resistance or strength training exercises can be an invaluable tool to help reduce the loss of muscle mass which can contribute to fractures, falls, immobility and loss of independence. Simply stated, resistance training causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance like dumbbells or one’s own body weight like isometrics. The end result of resistance training is the strengthening of the musculoskeletal system. It should not be confused with weightlifting, power lifting or bodybuilding.”
An article in the April 2011 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal based on a research study analyzing twelve years of data from nearly 15,000 people, said that at all ages, relatively fit people had a lower mortality and used fewer health care services than people with higher frailty levels who used more health services and faced an increased risk of institutionalization.”
A little goes a long way according to Denver in home companion firm
Tom Barton, president of Barton Home Care adds, “Incorporating even the simplest of resistance or strength training exercises has been shown to help reduce the loss of muscle mass. A little bit each day goes a long way in preventing fractures, falls, immobility, which ultimately lead to the loss of independence.”
