Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain malady, is the most common form of dementia. Normal aging causes memory decline in varying degrees in people who are otherwise healthy. Alzheimer’s kills brain neurons and appears to target a different spot in the brain’s memory center than regular aging does. Research shows that some seniors’ brains can actually work around the damage aging causes and build new pathways when old ones disintegrate.

Scientists like Dr. Denise Park, the director of the University of Illinois’ Center for Healthy Minds, see an emerging need to determine how to slow down cognitive aging since the population is living longer. One proven way to fight against time’s destruction is basic physical exercise, like walking. The brain and body both profit from exercise. According to RIchard Suzman of the National Institute of Aging, research suggests that interventions like controlling diabetes and hypertension may have positive ramifications on improving aging mental abilities. Cognitive training, ranging from brain-training games to crossword puzzles, may also have positive implications, but this has not yet been proven.

People with higher educations and challenging occupations have a cognitive reserve buildup. This seems to delay Alzheimer-related memory loss. Once the condition takes hold, however, better-educated people decline more rapidly than their counterparts. This study was recently published in the journal “Neurology.” Researchers at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that every year of education a person had achieved delayed the accelerated memory decline that precedes dememtia by about two and one-half months. The bad news is that once memory loss begins with these individuals, the rate of decline is faster for each year of education that they have. Based on these findings, an individual with 16 years of schooling might experience memory decline 50 percent faster than someone with only four years of eduation.

For more information, click on Alzheimer’s Care for the Denver Metro area

Gerri Tyber
Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than one-third of people 65 and older fall each year. Falls are the foremost cause of injury deaths among older adults. Almost 16,000 adults died from injuries related to unintentional falls in 2005. Almost two million older adults were treated in emergency facilities for nonfatal injuries.

Falls have many undesirable outcomes. Approximately one-fourth of those who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries which include head trauma, fractures of the spine, hip, leg, hand and other body parts. Often people who fall, even if not injured, develop a fear of falling. This can lead to diminished activities which in turn can lead to reduced mobility and physical strength. Inadvertently, this may cause the opposite desired result and actually increase the risk of falling.

Some facts pertaining to elderly individuals falling include:

Women are more likely to suffer nonfatal fall injuries while men are more likely to die from falls. Fall-related fractures among the elderly are more than twice as high for women as for men.

Individuals 75 and older who fall are much more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

Little difference is noted in fatal fall rates between blacks and whites in the age group of 65 to 74 but these rates change after 75. After reaching that age, white men suffer the highest fatality rates from falls, followed by white women, black men and black women.

For more related information, click on this link: senior safety and keeping senior citizens safe

Gerri Tyber

Operations Manager, Barton Home Care

Should you suddenly find yourself in need of home care for an elder loved one, you’ll soon realize that it can be a daunting process. Where do you look? What questions do you ask? Who can you trust? What does it cost? And so on.

For home health care in the Denver, Colorado Metro Area, you can start by clicking on the following link to obtain the right questions to ask during your search:

Home Health Care | Denver, Colorado Metro Area

For related articles of interest, and more information on long term health care, click on the following link:

Long Term Health Care

To help determine your need for elder services, click on this link:

Need for Elder Services

Remember, you are welcome to call me anytime for a no-obligation, free consultation regarding in-home senior care for the Metro Denver Area.

Tom Barton

Owner, Barton Home Care

Direct: 303.660.5120