Study « The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

Fish is the New Brain Food!

December 8, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Education, Health, Life, Memory, Personal, Research, Study

I just finished reading an interesting article that was sent to me a few days ago from Emaxhealth. The title of the article was “Baked Fish, Not Fried May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk.” We have known for many years that fish contains omega-3 fatty acid which has been very helpful for lowering cholesterol levels. According to a new study presented by the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, at least one serving of baked or broiled fish per week helps preserve gray matter of the brain, strengthening the area of the brain deemed critical to memory and cognition. This is particularly important for people with dementia or leading to Alzheimer’s disease.

A study took place at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital. They found study participants that ate baked and broiled fish (not fried) had larger brains. They had larger brain cells in areas of the brain most responsible for memory and learning. This area is known as the gray matter. It was noted that these brain areas are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. After five years of following the effects seen with eating fish one to four times a week, the study showed mild cognitive impairment went down significantly in these participants. It is easy as including broiled or baked fish at least once a week into your diet that may help reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

I had my weekly dose of fish tonight. Baked Salmon, delicious!

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

The Facts of White Fruits for Stroke Prevention

October 13, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, Prevention, Research, Study, Tips

Last month a new study was released by a Dutch researcher by the name of Linda M. Oude Greip, with evidence that fruits and vegetables that are mostly white in color may lower your risk of stroke more than any other fruits and vegetables. It stated that for every 25 grams per day of white fruits and vegetables consumed there was a 9 percent decrease in the risk of stroke. Apples and pears were the most commonly consumed “white fruit” according to the study, published in this month’s issue of Stroke (American Heart Association/American Stroke Association).

Oude Greip said that they are not exactly sure what components in white fruit might be protective means for stroke, but she suspects that the dietary fiber and the flavonoids are the main reason for their findings. Apples and pears are high in flavonoids called quercetin. Flavonoids are antioxidants and they are biologically the trigger to produce a natural enzyme that fights disease. It is important to eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables, of all colors. Many others may protect you against other chronic diseases. She stressed to continue to have a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, and that you should be eating at least 3-4 of them throughout each day. Fruits and vegetables that are listed in the white category were apples, pears, bananas, cauliflower, chicory, cucumber and mushrooms. If you would like to read more about this new study, you can read about it in November’s issue of Stroke.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

October 7, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Deborah Varisco, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, Medication, Personal, Study

What if you could laugh your way to good health. Studies have shown laughter is a great natural cure for many medical conditions. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter triggers healthy physical changes in your body. Humor and laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts your energy, diminishes pain and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, it is fun, free and easy to use.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others and keeps you focused and alert. Laughter relaxes your whole body. It can relieve physical tension and stress. Laughter has been proven to boost your immune system. It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease. Laughter can trigger endorphins, which are the body’s natural feel good chemicals. Endorphins can promote an overall sense of well-being. Laughter protects the heart. It improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow which can help protect you against a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. Overall, a sense of humor appears to keep you healthy and improve longevity.

Studies have shown laughter may also be a good medicine with no side effects for elderly dementia patients. Humor therapy has been successful in improving mood, decreasing agitation and behavioral disturbances and increasing social engagement in those individuals with dementia.

Think how good you feel after a good laugh. So grab a good comedy video, tell a joke, or just laugh at something funny. It may benefit your health and it certainly is the most fun medicine you can take!

July 28, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Diet, Education, Health, Life, News, Study, Tips

I have worked in Cardiology for most of my nursing career, but now have tried to bring many of the things that I have learned over the years with me to my clients as a Geriatric Care Manager. One of the cardiologists that I worked very closely with was a firm believer of a prudent diet along with medication management. That is why we worked so well together, because I believe in the same objective. He often recommended the Portfolio Diet to many of his patients that had high cholesterol.

Around five years ago, research studies were conducted by Dr. David Jenkins from the University of Toronto. These studies had shown that various foods, such as nuts, soy protein, oat bran and plant sterol all can have a cholesterol-lowering effect. But, combining all these foods together showed that they are as effective as taking a statin drug. The results showed a 30.9% decrease in LDL cholesterol from the statin and a decrease of 28.2% from the portfolio combination of all these foods.

What is the Portfolio Diet?

Substitute soy foods for meat. Drink soy milk instead of dairy milk and substitute soy protein foods for other meats.
Eat as much fiber as possible. People in the study took three daily servings of natural Psyllium (Metamucil) supplements. Oats and barley replace other grains and preferred vegetables like eggplant and okra.
Include plant sterol-enriched margarines, such as benecol and smart balance. Plant sterols are also available in capsule form as dietary supplements.
The best and most important nut of all is the almond. A handful of almonds every day is a great thing you can do. The Almond Board of California offers the portfolio diet recipes on its website . But, any tree nut will help reduce cholesterol.

It is always recommended that you speak to your physician before you make any changes to your diet. I plan on writing more next week about the real break down and nutrients that you can find in almonds. This will make anyone a lover of almonds.

The Great Experience of Swimming

July 21, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: exercise, Health, Life, Personal, Study, Tips

I know that we have probably have exhausted the topic of exercise for our elder population. But I was with my father this weekend, and he was sporting his tiny little Speedo, as he always has. He is a 79 year old male that was born and raised in The Bronx and then moved out to the suburbs of New Jersey. But he see himself as a European swimmer always training for his next swim competition. He loves to exercise and is religious about doing so at least 3 times per week and does even more when he is on vacation. So many of my current clients have expressed to me that they use to love to swim and it really was a great way to keep active. I feel now, many elderly people avoid the swimming pool because they are fearful that it is too stressful or dangerous for them.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention reports that swimming is the second most popular sport activity in the United States. Swimming is an activity that can be safely enjoyed by people of all ages, including the elderly. Swimming, like jogging, is considered a moderate-intensity level activity that can benefit your heart and lungs. Begin at 5 minute intervals and then gradually increase the amount of time until you can do at least 10 minutes of swimming at a time. The National Institute of Aging states the goal should be to endure the activity for 30 minutes a day, at least 3 days per week.

Swimming can lead to improved health for people with heart disease and diabetes. The aerobic activity of swimming also decreases the risk of developing chronic diseases. The results of a study were noted in the “Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging” from last year, examining the effects of swimming on eye-hand coordination and the balance in the elderly. The study examined seniors who had been swimming regularly for more than two years versus another group of seniors who exercised regularly in activities other than swimming. The study researchers concluded that regular swimming may contribute in improved eye-hand coordination as well as an improvement in an individual’s balance.

When you feel assisted living is right for you, look into the facility that has a pool on sight for years of enjoyment. Or check out the list of organizations I have provided below that have a pool on site that offer special prices for seniors to come join and swim or just go and participate in their senior program.

If you go to the Washington Township YJCC, make sure you look for my dad in his Speedo and say “Hello!”

Ridgewood YMCA

Washington Township YJCC

Clifton YMHA

Tenafly JCCOTP

American Woman Fitness

Many towns in Bergen County offer free swim club membership at their community pools. Call your town’s borough hall to find out if your town offers this to you.

U.S. in 37th Place

June 22, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Joanne Jordan, Office Manager | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, News, Study

I read an interesting article this week in The Record about life expectancy in the U.S. – specifically, that life expectancy here ranks 37th in the world, far short of other industrialized nations. And we lag further behind each year.

A baby girl born in the U.S. in 2007 can expect to live to almost 81; a boy, 75½ . Had those babies been born and raised in Japan or Iceland, they could expect to live about 5 years longer.

Within the United States, there are enormous variations in life expectancy if you compare it at the county level. For men, there’s a 15 year range—from a low of 65.9 years in Holmes County, Alabama to a high of 81.1 years in Fairfax County, Virginia. For women, the range is more than 12 years, with a low 73 ½ in Holmes County, Alabama and a high of 86 in Collier County, Florida.

The life expectancy of black males in two-thirds of the counties in the U.S. in 2007 was the same as that of the top 10 industrialized countries more than 50 years ago.

With 30 to 40 million uninsured people in the U.S., lack of preventive care and high rates of chronic illness account for some of America’s poor performance. Across the country, men and women could add at least four years to their life expectancy by addressing four key health problems: smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Here in Bergen County, NJ, the picture is not quite as bleak. Bergen County ranked 22nd out of 2300 counties for men’s and women’s life expectancy in 2007. In fact, males here are ahead of those in the top 10 healthiest countries worldwide.

My best explanation for this good fortune is a combination of factors, including our proximity to top-notch medical facilities and providers, and higher per capita income and education than many areas. But it is appalling how many people right in our own backyard do not have access to quality medical care. How can that be, in the country that spends more money on health care than any other country in the world?

Let me give you the positives of Chocolate!

February 17, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Amy Shein, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Chocolate, heart health, Prevention, Study, Tips

A few days ago was Valentine’s Day. We at Distinctive Care do enjoy a good piece of chocolate once in a while…or more than once in a while. We also love to share this enjoyable, edible resource with a few of our clients on special occasions. So, I want to share with everyone the many great, positive effects chocolate can have on an individual’s mind and body!

One of the ingredients in chocolate is tryptophan, an essential amino acid needed by the brain to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a mood neurotransmitter, also known as the brain’s “happy chemical.” Increased levels of serotonin can give you feelings of happiness. I know that is why I feel happy eating chocolate. It has also been recognized that dark chocolate has heart protecting properties and lowers the risk for hypertension. In 2003 Taubert et al reported significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in elderly patients who consumed dark chocolate. The elderly participants with isolated systolic hypertension were asked to consume 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of dark chocolate over a period of two weeks. Eating chocolate was found to decrease the systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.1 mmHg, indicating that the cocoa component of dark chocolate was responsible for the decreased blood pressure. Try and pick the dark chocolate with the highest amounts of cocoa (>70%) for best results. Remember, when consuming something that taste so good, do so in moderation, and even should consult your physician to make sure chocolate is safe for you to eat.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long-term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Senior Safety During Hot Weather

July 20, 2009 at 10:00 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | 1 Comment
Tags: Hyperthermia, NIA, Report, Saftey, Study

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management brings this information to you from:

The National Institute on Aging

The risk of heat-related problems increases with age.

Hyperthermia is the name given to a variety of heat-related illnesses that can include heat stroke, heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after exercising in the heat), heat cramps and heat exhaustion.

Older adults are particularly at risk for developing heat-related illness because the body’s ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become less efficient with age. The Nation Institute on Aging (NIA) part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has some advice for helping older people avoid heat problems during the summer months.

A person’s risk for hyperthermia is not based only on the outside temperature – it includes the general health and lifestyle of the individual.

Health Factors that may increase risk include:

Age-related changes to the skin, such as poor blood circulation and inefficeint sweat glands,
Heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever.
High blood pressure or other conditions that require changes in diet (for example, a salt restricted diet),
The inability to perspire caused by medications including diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers and certain heart and blood pressure drugs,
Taking several drugs for various conditions (note: it is important to continue to take prescribed medications and discuss possible problems with a physician),
Being substantially overweight or underweight,
Drinking alcoholic beverages, and,
Being dehydrated.

Lifestyle factors can also increase risk, including extremely hot living quarters, lack of transportation, overdressing, visiting over-crowded places and not understanding weather conditions. Older people, particularly those at special risk should stay indoors on particularly hot and humid days, especially when there is an air pollution alert in effect. People without fans or air conditioners should go to places such as shopping malls, movie houses, and libraries. Friends or relatives might be asked to supply transportation on particularly hot days. Many communities, social service agencies, religious groups and senior citizen centers also provide services such as cooling centers.

Heat stroke is an advanced form of hyperthermia that occurs when the body is overwhelmed by heat and unable to control its temperature. As a person’s body temperature rises rapidly, the body loses its ability to sweat and cool itself down. Heat stroke is particularly dangerous for older people and requires emergency medical attention. A person with a body temperature above 104 is likely suffering from heat stroke and may have symptoms of confusion, combativeness, strong rapid pulse, lack of sweating, dry flushed skin, faintness, staggering, possible delirium or coma. A person with any of these symptoms, especially and older adult, should seek immediate medical attention.

Here are five tips on what to do if you suspect someone is suffering from a heat-related illness:

Get the person out of the sun and into an air-conditioned or other cool place.
Offer fluids such as waterm fruit and vegetable juice. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Encourage the individual to shower, bathe or sponge off with cool water.
Apply a cold, wet cloth to the wrists and/or neck, places where arterial blood passes close to the surface and the cold cloths can help cool the blood.
Urge the person to lie down and rest, preferably in a cool place.

Inner Ear Problems and Risk for Falls

July 10, 2009 at 10:00 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Ears, Falls, Johns Hopkins, Prevention, Study

69 million adults over the age of forty are up to 12 times more likely to suffer a serious fall because of inner ear dysfunction that affects their balance and makes them dizzy. A Johns Hopkins study of this subject found that approximately 22 million of these adults had no idea of their vulnerability as they have had no previous incidents of vestibular disorders, dizziness or sudden falls to suggest they had any problem.

The study revealed that those people who were asymptomatic were six times more likely to suffer a fatal fall than those who had a healthy sense of balance and those who were symptomatic increased their risk 12 times.

Each year more than 1.5 million visits to the emergency room in the United States occur related to falls. Falls are among the leading cause of death in the elderly with an estimated 13,000 senior deaths occuring per year.

“Vestibular imbalances need to be taken seriously because falls can be fatal and injuries can be painful, leading to long hospital stays and resulting in significant loss in quality of life ” says Lloyd B. Minor, MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the study published in the May 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. He says that recent government reports estimate that fatal falls cost the US Medicare program nearly 1 billion dollars in hospital charges and those with broken bones cost an additional 19 billion dollars.

This study found that 85% of men and women over the age of 80 had an imbalance problem and people with diabetes are 70% more likely to suffer from vestibular damage. The study revealed that balance testing should be part of basic primary care and that all physicians should be screening and monitoring their patients for vestibular dysfunction so that preventative measures can be taken to prevent falls.

Dr Minor added that physical rehabilitation exercise programs can help people with vestibular dysfunction. Balance and walking exercising can be used to train the brain to compensate for inner-ear deficits and dizziness.

Preventative steps can be taken in the home to reduce the risk of falls such as installing guard rails along stairs and hallways where a fall might occur, ensuring that lighting is adequate and removing throw rugs.

You can go to the Johns Hopkins Center for Hearing and Balance site to view a short video about this study.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management completes a fall risk assessment and 130 point home safety evaluation as part of their initial assessment. To learn more about the assessment process, call our Ridgewood, NJ office at (201) 857-5283.

Weight Loss and Dementia

May 21, 2009 at 11:37 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Study, Weight Loss

There are so many new studies related to Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia it’s sometimes difficult to know what to believe. I read about a new study just yesterday which I found very interesting but I’m not sure that I trust the results. I do, however, think there is some merit to the findings published.

The study, which was conducted by the University of South Florida, suggests that rapid weight loss in older adults may be an early warning sign of dementia. The study was conducted over the course of eight years and followed 1,836 Japanese Americans.

Those who participated in the study who started out with a lower body mass index (less than 18.5) were 79 percent more likely to develop dementia than those participants who were heavier. The study also found that people who lost weight at a fast rate were almost 3 times more likely to develop dementia than those who lost weight slowly over time. These results mirror a study published in 2006 that found women who developed dementia had a drop in their weight as early as a decade before the onset of memory loss.

So, does this mean it’s actually helpful to be overweight or obese as a means of protecting yourself against dementia? Not so fast!!! Previous research found that excess weight around the stomach in middle age may increase the risk of developing dementia later in life.

What to believe??? The best thing I would recommend to everyone is that anytime a loved one suffers a significant sudden weight loss it’s time to see their geriatrician or primary care physician. And as a matter of preventative medicine and general good health I would suggest you maintain a nutritious, balanced diet, exercise regularly and engage in frequent social activities…and as we learned the other day, work for as long as you can to reduce your risk of developing dementia!

As a registered nurse and professional geriatric care manager it’s a challenge for me to keep track of all the studies and their recommendations, but I will continue to do my best to keep you informed of new developments as I become aware of them.

To find out more about this, or any other information I have posted feel free to email me at sophia@distinctivecare.net or to call our offices at (201) 857-5283.