Story telling program improves lives of people with Alzheimers

An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimers, including 5.1 senior citizens aged 65 and older. Dementia symptoms include a loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. TimeSlips, a creative storytelling program, is for people with Dementia that encourages participants to use their imagination to create short stories as a group. It encourages participants to be actively involved and to experience moments of recognition, creation, and celebration. This study held one hour sessions, twice a week for six weeks. The results included increased expressions of pleasure and initiation of social communication. Improvements lasted several weeks following the last session.

Seniors surviving breast cancer have more risk of falling

Women who are seniors and breast cancer survivors, appear to fall more than their peers. Combined effects of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy may increase the risk of bone fractures. Researchers asked post-menopausal breast cancer survivors whether they had fallen in the past year and tracked their falls over a 6 month study period. Researchers used a comprhensive set of neuromuscular and balance characteristics. The study findings suggest that the balance problems may have been related to changes in the vestibular system that is associated with chemotherapy. The vestibular system begins in the inner ear and is responsible for balance and posture,and also regulates locomotion and other movements. This study is to consider how breast cancer treatment may increase your fall risk and by exploring mediators of the treatment/falling relationship.

Medical coverage

The new year will change the way many of us get our health care under the reform law President Obama signed back in March. The administration knows there are plenty of skeptics and is still trying to sell health care reform as a good deal for tax payers. One new provision should help anyone with a job and insurance: employer plans have to spend 80-85% of your premium dollars on services related to medical care. And for those on Medicare, the so called donut hole is getting smaller. The donut hole is a gap in coverage that exists for seniors who've spent a certain amount for drugs and is in whats called the 'part D' drug plan. Starting this year seniors who fall into that gap will get 50% discount on brand name drugs and a much smaller discount on generic drugs. Seniors will get free preventive benefits. Many of the biggest changes in health care reform, including a mandate that everyone buy health insurance, wont kick in until 2014.

Stroke

The latest statistics from the CDC showed that the number of deaths caused by strokes has dropped from the 3rd place of causes of death. Stroke is now the 4th leading cause of death, down from the 3rd rank it has held for decades. A new study finds that nearly 2/3rds of senior citizens discharged from hospitals after Ischemic stroke die or are readmitted within one year. Stroke is the 2nd leading cause of hospital admissions among elders. Ischemic stroke, which occurs as a result of obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, accounts for 87% of all strokes. In-hospital death rates for Ischemic stroke patients are nearly 15% within 30 days of admission and more than 30% within one year admission. The post discharge death or admission rates are 61.9% within one year discharge.
Having a stroke is a medical emergency, know these signs of a stroke, every second counts:
*Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg especially on one side of the body.
*Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
*Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
*Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
*Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Staying healthy during cold and flu season

Getting flu vaccine is your best defense, but you may also use the following 10 tips to fight the flu this year:

1. Wash your hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, being with ill people and especially before you eat
2. Avoid sharing objects
3. Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes
4. Get enough sleep and avoid getting "run down"
5. Reduce stress
6. Use tissues for coughs and sneezes and dispose of them immediately and appropriately
7. Eat right and get regular exercise
8. Avoid crowds and keep your distance from people whom you know are ill
9 If you are sick, avoid contact with the frail, very young and elderly
10. If you are sick, stay home from work or school

Keeping warm during winter

1
Candles give smoke, which can give warmth. Shut windows and use light. Shut all the windows in your room, turn off all the lights and light some candles. But if you don't want to risk a fire, candles should only be used to illuminate a room during winter and to create atmosphere.

2
Wear warm clothes. Wear two sweaters and a large overcoat in case of severe cold. If you have a heater, turn it on.

3
Give yourself a blanket treatment. Take all the blankets around your house, and if no one has any problem, pile them all up in your bed. Spread them over the bed, one on top of the other, get inside them, and get warm!

4
Run, jump, hop, skip and roll until you sweat! Then jump constantly for two minutes, take a minute's break. Skip for ten minutes, with a three minutes' break every two minutes. Go for a mile's walk in the neighborhood. On the way, take your jump rope and hop about for a while. All this ought to make you sweat!

5
Have warm food and drinks. Drink hot drinks, like coffee. It makes you feel warm inside. Hot food, like grilled meat, hot pizza, is tasty and warm, too. If you are hungry you will feel cold. Any food will help you feel warmer.

6
Stay in one place. Being in one place can make the seat, bed, etc, quite warm, but only if you've been there for a long time. (You might not be able to feel it, though. But someone else might.)

7
Go to Indoor Parties. Whether it's with family or friends, everyones body heat can help warm you, along with others. You can also snuggle with people, it works!

8
Take hot baths. It's a nice way to relax your muscles, especially after a stressful day, and can warm you up in no time. If you really want to relax, add some candles and soothing music. Be sure to dry off well afterwards.

9
Patch up the drafts. Prevent any cold air coming into the house, or any hot air escaping the house. This helps save energy and money.

10
Sit by a fire. It can keep you warm! If its a fireplace or a campfire you're sure to stay warm.

High cholesterol may lead to Alzheimers disease

Regular consumption of a high fat cholesterol diet might lead to Azlheimers. Alzheimers starts 20-30 years before the 1st symptoms start showing and recent studies show that high cholesterol levels are linked to the pathology of this disease. This study uses adult rats which were fed a normal diet and another group with a special cholesterol enriched diet. After a 5 month study rats with the special diet showed memory impairment, cholinergic dysfunction, induced microbleedings, all which resemble Alzheimers disease. Data shows that high fat lipids, including cholesterol may be an active participate in Alzheimers. Since Alzheimers is a complex disease, this data does not conclude cholesterol to be alone responsible for the disease.