February 2010 Newsletter

Dear Subscriber,

Moving full speed ahead into a fresh decade, one can't help but notice the number of new studies, innovations and discoveries developing with the burgeoning senior population in mind. Statistics also showcase that we are increasingly becoming a nation of caregivers. With the goal of supporting all family caregivers and in a spirit of sharing and community, we hope you will find the included news informative and beneficial.

Thank you,
The Team at American Companion Care

Caregiving Nation

According to the latest research, nearly a third of the nation's adult population spends an average of 20 hours on caregiving each week.

31% of all US households, a full 65.7 million American adults, are performing the unpaid caregiving role, reports Caregiving in the US 2009, a comprehensive study from the National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP and the MetLife Foundation.

Some of the findings: 66% of all caregivers are female. The average age is 48. Most care is a relative (86%), and most often that relative is a parent (36%). The caregiving lasts an average of 4.6 years.

The main reasons people need care are old age (12%), Alzheimer's disease (10%), mental/emotional illness (7%), cancer (7%), heart disease (5%) and stroke (5%).

For a PDF of the report, click here.

Group Physicals Are Not Just for the Army

Always looking for ways to work within the payment system, there is a growing trend for grouping from 6 to 13 patients of the same sex and similar ages with common maladies or issues together for an appointment, instead of one-on-one. Instead of seeing the doctor individually for 15 minutes, the group visit increases the face time to 90 minutes. The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of studies indicate that patients cared for in groups tend to fare better than those treated one-on-one. In addition to seeing the doctor, the groups seem to facilitate discussion, and nurses, social workers or medical assistants can also attend to the group.

Sound intriguing? Read more.

Watch a short video that is worth those thousand words.

The Senior Preferred Home

Some of the high points in the Met Life and National Association of Home Builders study showed that 63% of those over 55 plan to age in their current homes. 79% of the respondents reported that they prefer a single-story home. The top five most important features were: washer and dryer in the home/unit, storage space, windows that open easily, master bedroom on the first floor in a two-story home, and an easily usable thermostat to control climate. Also, high speed Internet access was rated as an important feature with 83% of the respondents rating high-speed Internet access as Somewhat to Very Important.

Read about the report or access the full report in PDF format.

Additional Aging-in-Place Information

For those who are already aging-in-place, the modifications most frequently purchased by homeowners include:

• Adding grab bars (78 percent)  
• Installing higher toilets (71 percent)  
• Upgrading to a curb-less shower (60 percent)  
• Widening doorways (57 percent)  
• Constructing ramps or lower thresholds (45 percent)  
• Enhancing lighting and task lighting (45 percent)
  
  

Access more information here.

A Drink and a Scan to Your Health

Scientists have developed a drink called Souvenaid that apparently helps restore synapses in the brain. Patients who drank the Souvenaid showed significant improvement in the delayed verbal recall task. The idea is to delay the symptoms of Alzheimer's, not cure the disease. The researchers said that Alzheimer's patients drinking the combination of these nutrients is akin to pregnant women taking folic acid supplements. It's not that they are deficient in these nutrients, but the addition of more of them carries benefits.

An Italian group is working on identifying a different marker to be able to diagnose the disease earlier. A kind of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging may pick up signs of Alzheimer's in healthy elderly individuals. Activity in the hippocampus could represent some of the earliest structural changes that occur in the early stages of Alzheimer's, the researchers say. Read about these two important new studies here.