Maximizing Vision for Older Adults

Maximizing Vision for Older Adults

Many older adults may notice that they have more difficulty seeing as well as when they were younger. This can affect their ability to enjoy activities such as reading and hobbies. It can also put people at greater risk for falls as they move about their surroundings. Older adults, when compared to middle-age adults:

· prefer at least three times more light for visual tasks;

· are more glare sensitive;

· have less ability to focus clearly at different distances;

· may not see as well in dim or nighttime situations.



Vision difficulties can occur for a number of reasons, including:

· The focusing lens in the eye (called the “crystalline” lens) becomes less flexible as we age. Over the age of 75, it also starts to yellow and becomes cloudier. This cloudy lens is referred to as a “cataract.”

· When the crystalline lens becomes cloudy enough to interfere with daily activities, an eye doctor can replace it with an artificial lens. In the United States, this is one of the most routine and effective eye procedures. However, most artificial lenses are inflexible and lack the ability to focus at different distances, so even after cataract surgery, a person will still need to find other ways to improve focusing ability.

· As we age, the gel-like capsule in the center of the eye (referred to as the “vitreous”) gradually develops an increase in “floaters.” These are usually pieces of protein that lose their clarity and can obscure or distract vision.

· Other age-related eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, especially if untreated, may also decrease visual abilities.



So how can an older adult make the most of the vision that they have? Here are some simple tips:

· Schedule regular visits to an eye doctor as recommended to prevent vision loss. Also check with an eye doctor if any sudden changes in vision are noticed. Many eye problems are treatable, especially when they are detected early. Vision loss may develop so slowly that people can be unaware that they are seeing less and less.

· If recommended, wear eyeglasses. It is important to know which eyeglasses are for what tasks (driving, computer, reading, etc.), and how to use them correctly. Most reading glasses have an ideal reading distance. A person may want to move a book closer or farther away to see if it makes the print clearer.

· Good light shines on what a person is trying to see, and not in the person’s face. Arrange a desk lamp so that it is close (6 to 18 inches) to reading material. This increases the amount of light, and keeps the light shining primarily on the reading surface. Lighting mounted underneath a kitchen cabinet can illuminate a counter much better than overhead lighting. Think about desk lamp safety: Avoid heat-producing lamps that may cause burns or be a fire hazard, use a sturdy lamp that will not tip, and be sure cords are placed where no one can trip over them.

· Hard-back or large-print books may be easier to read for older adults than paperbacks and other reading materials that are printed on darker, recycled newspaper. Propping up a book at a comfortable reading angle using a pillow or a rolled-up towel can also improve reading ease.

· Simple, bold, large, well-spaced, block printing may be easier to read for some people than handwritten script.

· To reduce glare, arrange seating so that room lighting or light from windows is behind, rather than facing a person. Use window coverings such as adjustable opaque and gauze curtain combinations or blinds to minimize indoor glare.

· Night-lights, placed in outlets close to the floor near hazardous areas like stairs in the house, or on bathroom and kitchen counters can make travel in the home and finding things at night much safer and easier.
· A common, inexpensive 2X, hand-held, 3-inch round or 2-inch-by-4-inch rectangle, lighted magnifier can help an older adult to see small print and photos better. Find a magnifier that has a bright LED light, and batteries that are inexpensive, readily available and easy to change. Also, hands-free lighted magnifiers may help a person do needle-point or other hobbies.

· An inexpensive LED flashlight can help when a person needs to find items in a darkened cupboard or closet.

· A parasol, or a hat or visor with a brim can cut down on 50% of outdoor glare without reducing the light that is shining on what a person is trying to see. Additionally, an eye doctor can recommend sunglasses that can further reduce glare if necessary. Some non-prescription sunglasses are designed to fit-over prescription eyeglasses.

· Make good use of contrast throughout the home. For writing, use a medium-point black nylon-tip pen on white paper, rather than a blue or fine-point pen on colored paper. Put a light-colored plate on a dark-colored placemat to see the edge of a plate better. Use a light-colored plate when serving a dark-colored food, so that the food stands out on the plate. Place darker towels in a bathroom with light-colored paint, so that they are easier to locate in dim lighting. Mark a hand-rail that is the same color as the wall with bright tape to make it easier to find.



For more tips on maximizing vision for seniors, here are two other free Internet resources:



Household Tips for People with Low Vision (Cornell University)

http://www.environmentalgeriatrics.com/pdf/handouts/household_tips_low_vision.pdf



Lighting for the Aging Eye (Illuminating Engineering Society)

http://www.ies.org/PDF/Home/LightingForAgingEye.pdf





Maximizing Vision for Older Adults
by
Leslie Burkhardt
(Ms Burkhardt has a Masters degree in Low Vision Rehabilitation from Salus University in Elkins Park, PA)
September 2012

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Our CAREGiver of The Month

Our CAREGiver of The Month is Barbara R.

Barbara has been with Home Instead since 10/2011.  Since day 1 Barbara has shown such a compassionate heart and a true desire to serve our elderly clients.  Her gentle nature is appreciated by all and her reliability is admirable.  She always follows protocol and always double checks when she is not sure.  She has been a great addition to our team and a joy to work with. Congratulations Barbara.  We appreciate you tremendously.

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Respect Your Elders

What Is Your Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's?

Despite fears of Alzheimer’s, many would like to know their risk for the disease

Alzheimer’s disease can’t be prevented or cured, and it ranks second only to cancer among diseases that people fear. Still, in an international study last year from the Harvard School of Public Health, about two-thirds of respondents from the United States said they would want to know if they were destined to get the disease. Although there are no definitive tests that predict whether most people will get the disease, people sometimes want such information for legal and financial planning purposes or to help weigh the need for long-term-care insurance.

Current tests to identify the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when no symptoms are present provide only limited information, and health insurance generally doesn’t cover them. But that’s not stopping some people from trying to learn more.

Most of the 5 million people who have Alzheimer’s developed it after age 60. In these cases, the disease is likely caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. About 5 percent of Alzheimer’s patients have inherited an early-onset form that is generally linked to a mutation on one of three chromosomes.


Research suggests that the brain may show signs of Alzheimer’s decades before obvious symptoms appear. Scans can identify the presence of beta-amyloid, a protein that is often deposited in the brains of people with the disease, for example. Changes in proteins in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid may also be associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

But tests to measure these changes are available only in a research setting, and insurance typically doesn’t cover them. James Cross, head of national medical policy and operations for Aetna, says his company “does not consider blood tests or brain scans medically necessary for diagnosing or assessing Alzheimer’s disease in symptomatic or asymptomatic people because the clinical value of these remains unproven.”

Genetic testing is somewhat easier to arrange, but insurers generally won’t pay for it, either.

In addition, genetic counselors caution that long-term-care insurers may use genetic testing results when evaluating whether to issue a policy. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits health insurers and employers from discriminating against people based on their genetic information. However, life and long-term-care insurers are not covered by the law.

“Before anyone has genetic testing, they should get life insurance and long-term-care insurance,” says Jill Goldman, a certified genetic counselor at the Taub Institute at Columbia University Medical Center.

Genetic testing for late-onset Alzheimer’s involves one gene, the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene on the 19th chromosome. The gene comes in three different forms — E2, E3 and E4. Everyone inherits one form, or allele, from each parent. Having one or two of the E4 variants can increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease three to 15 times.

About half of those who develop late-onset Alzheimer’s, however, don’t have any E4 alleles at all. Genetic testing in asymptomatic people therefore isn’t definitive or even all that informative, say experts. For late-onset Alzheimer’s, “the predictive value of genetic testing is low,” says Mary Sano, director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

But sometimes people want information, even if it’s inconclusive.

Brian Moore, whose father died of Alzheimer’s at age 89, wanted to know more about his genetic risk for the disease. Moore, 48, was better equipped than most to understand the testing: A neuropathologist who co-chairs the department of pathology at Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine, he has performed hundreds of autopsies on the brains of people who died of Alzheimer’s disease.

Moore contacted 23andMe, a company that for $299 offers a genetic analysis of a person’s risk for more than 100 diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s, based on the APOE gene. The company sent him a specimen kit with a container for saliva collection that he then sent to a lab for analysis. About six weeks later, he logged on to the company’s Web site and learned that he has two E3 alleles, the most common variants, which means that his Alzheimer’s risk is average, at least as it relates to the APOE gene.

“It was reassuring,” he says. “I know it’s not determinant, and environment and lifestyle also play a role. But at least I have that base covered.”

The National Society of Genetic Counselors and the American College of Medical Genetics practice guidelines recommend against direct-to-consumer APOE testing for late-onset Alzheimer’s, in part because of the difficulty of interpreting the results.

Ashley Gould, 23andMe’s vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer, says that if people want help understanding their results, there are genetic counselors they can speak with. This service is available by phone for a fee based on the level of service.

But in the case of the APOE gene, some experts say, the information isn’t all that helpful.

“The things we know that really impact the disease are related to lifestyle,” says George Perry, dean and professor of biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Be mentally and physically active, eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. These reduce the risk of developing the disease by at least half.”

This column is produced through a collaboration between The Post and Kaiser Health News. KHN, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health-care-policy organization that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. E-mail: questions@kaiserhealthnews.org.

Article c/o:  http://www.washingtonpost.com

Phone Scam: 90-Year-Old Nearly Lost Savings To Common Rip-Off

Violet Christensen is 90-years-old and lives alone in her home in Minnesota with a telephone. That's about all the information the out-of-country phone scammers needed to get to work on her.

According to Christensen's daughter Vickie Popovich, 60, her mom suffers from mild dementia. She is able to continue to live alone only because Popovich brings over meals and checks on her mom at least five times a day. Popovich quit her job several years ago to devote herself to taking care of her mother and her in-laws and by all accounts, she's on top of things. She pays their bills, makes sure they take their medicines on time, are well-fed, their homes kept clean and orderly and that they never miss a medical appointment or an opportunity to socialize at church or with other friends.

Yet even she was surprised by the small window of opportunity that opened wide enough for her mother to come within a hair of losing everything in a phone scam. All it took was a few hours and the skill to convince an elderly woman that she was sufficiently competent to take care of updating a file herself and that she shouldn't "burden" her daughter with such a small problem. Talk about hitting the right trigger points.

Popovich learned of the phone scam when she made her regular 4 p.m. call to her mother. Popovich was cooking dinner and called to let Christensen know that she'd be bringing over some spaghetti for her at around 5 p.m. But the daughter sensed that her mom was a little distressed and asked her what was going on.

"She said, 'Oh, I've just been dealing with these people on the phone all day,' and my heart sank," said Popovich. Popovich immediately asked "WHAT people?"

Christensen told her that she had gotten a call from a very nice man who said Medicare needed to update her file or she would lose her benefits on Monday. When Christensen told him that her daughter "handles all that for me," he told her how it was something she was "capable" of handling herself, that he knew she was a "very capable" woman -- repeating it over and over in a trusting manner. He also said it wouldn't be right to "burden" her overworked daughter with this, something so easy for Christensen to do by herself.

"They knew precisely what to say to her," Popovich said. The information the caller requested included her bank account and routing numbers, her Social Security number, address and other information that would allow identity theft and a withdrawal of Christensen's funds.

Popovich turned off the spaghetti pot and raced over to her mother's. On a pad near the phone, she found account numbers and personal information scribbled in her mother's handwriting. A check of the caller ID on the phone showed the same number had phoned nine times in two hours. Popovich surmises that her mother took the first call and then went to retrieve the information for the scammer, who called back to get it. She transposed numbers once or twice on the pad, which led the scammer to keep calling her back.

Popovich called the bank immediately and closed her mother's accounts.

"I caught it in time," she said, "I was up to midnight making calls and working online" to mitigate the damages, she said. She has since enrolled her mother in various programs that freeze your accounts at the first sign of suspicious activity and monitor your credit reports automatically. She reported the incident to the sheriff's department, primarily so that if suspicious activity was determined later on she would have proof that confidential information had been solicited unlawfully.

But what the sheriff told her was disturbing: Don't expect anyone to get caught here and don't be surprised if there are more attempts to scam your mother.

The elderly are ripe targets, he said. The call her mother got was most likely random. Scammers make hundreds of calls listening for an elderly voice to answer; when one does, the scammers turn the phone over to a confidence artist to seal the deal. Popovich changed her mother's phone to an unlisted number. "It probably won't matter, but I felt I had to do something.

"I stood up in church and told about what happened. I was shocked but at least six other people came up and said they had had elderly friends and relatives with similar stories," Popovich said. In a few cases, the scammers pretended they were the senior's grandchild stranded on spring break, robbed and left with no money to get home. Can Granddad please wire some money?

The most disturbing element for Popovich? "They made my mother feel like she was doing such a good job by answering all these questions by herself. They exploited her worries about dependency and fed into her fears of not being able to manage her life any more. It's despicable."

According to The MetLife study of Elder Financial Abuse published in June 2011, elder financial abuse results in an estimated annual financial loss of $2.9 billion. Home Instead Senior Care, the nation's largest provider of in-home companion care, recently announced the launch of its Protect Seniors from FraudSM program -- an initiative to provide older Americans and their families with information and tools to help protect against con artists targeting the elderly.

Among their tips:
* Shred documents useful to criminals, such as bank statements, credit card statements and offers,
* Register on the national Do-Not-Call Registry and hang up on all solicitation calls to avoid phone scams.
* Be wary of individuals who have newly befriended you or a loved one, and make an effort to get to know them.

Article care of: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/phone-scam-victim_n_1760065.html

Home Instead CAREGivers Receive Alzheimer's Training

In mid 2009, the U.S Census Bureau released a report titled An Aging World: 2008. Highlights included the prediction that by 2040 more than 1.3 billion people around the world will be over the age of 65. In many countries, those over age 80 make up the fastest growing segment of the population, one that's predicted to increase 233% between 2008 and 2040. And it's expected that of those over 85, one of every two people will have Alzheimer's disease.

A Global Crisis

Every year, 4.6 million new cases of dementia are reported worldwide -- one new case every seven seconds. The 2009 World Alzheimer's Report estimates 35 million people around the globe are living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. By 2050, the incidence will quadruple, meaning 115 million, or 1 in 85 persons, worldwide will be living with some form of dementia. The number of people with dementia is anticipated to increase by 40% in Europe and 89% in the developed Asia-Pacific countries.

Individual Needs 

To us, these statistics are not just numbers. They are individuals who require special care. They are families trying their best to care for an aging loved one. We know that the best place for a person with memory loss is in familiar surroundings. The services provided by the Home Instead Senior Care^® network of locally involved franchise offices is a valuable, trusted solution to help those struggling with the challenges of dementia to maintain a regular routine, enhancing quality of life. With more than 900 independently owned and operated offices internationally, Home Instead Senior Care is uniquely positioned to provide reliable, one-on-one senior care through more than 65,000 compassionate CAREGivers^SM. Because we've been caring for seniors with Alzheimer's since 1994, we have the experience and knowledge to help millions of families make what can be a most difficult time much less stressful.

Alzheimer's Training for CAREGivers Worldwide

Home Instead Senior Care's Alzheimer's care training programs are an important part of the training we provide. They give CAREGivers the latest in Alzheimer's education and dementia care techniques, so all franchises in your master territory can offer the care of a trusted professional, skilled in dealing with dementia-related issues.

CAREGivers are trained to:

• Maintain a safe environment
• Manage changing behaviors
• Provide nutritious meals
• Provide mind-stimulating activities
• Create social interaction
• Supervise daily activities
• Provide personal care and continence care

In addition, CAREGivers can provide assistance with enhancing and restoring the simple pleasures of life, such as a walk in the park, a ride in the car to get ice cream or spending time in the garden. These elder care activities are proven to maximize abilities and independence, and they remain one of the best treatments for this disease. Home Instead Senior Care's approach of encouragement and assistance helps family members cope with the challenges of dementia. As a Home Instead Senior Care Master Franchisee, you can offer an effective solution for this ever-growing worldwide need.

Visit the National Alzheimer's Association at alz.org or log onto the Alzheimer's Foundation web site at alzfdn.orgfor more information and resources.

Senior Fraud Protection Kit

A Senior Fraud Protection Kit can help family caregivers protect seniors by informing them of the latest scams being perpetrated on older adults and offering a variety of resources and tools to help their seniors avoid becoming a victim of these scams.

Contact local law enforcement if you think someone has scammed your senior or might be trying to do so. Learn more about whether your older adult may be vulnerable to fraud by completing the Criminal Target Scale, which is part of the kit.

Click here for the free downloadable kit:   http://www.caregiverstress.com/

Scientists See Progress In Alzheimer's Despite Growing List of Drug Failures

Another once-promising Alzheimer's drug has just been tossed on the pharmaceutical scrap heap.

This time it's a drug called bapineuzumab. Like several previous experimental drugs, it was designed to attack the plaques that build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

And like those earlier drugs, it failed.

The drug company Pfizer issued astatement yesterday saying a study of about 1,300 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease found that bapineuzumab didn't help. Pfizer also announced it was discontinuing all studies of the intravenous form of the drug.

The failure of bapineuzumab is the latest evidence that treating Alzheimer's may not be as simple as going after plaques in the brain.

But scientists remain confident that treatments will need to target the major component of those plaques, a protein called amyloid beta or "A-beta."

"It all begins with A-beta," Robert Vassar, an Alzheimer's researcher at Northwestern University, tells Shots. "If we could limit the production of A-beta in the brain or enhance its clearance out of the brain then I think we could really make some headway in terms of preventing Alzheimer's disease and perhaps curing it."

The question is whether it makes sense to attack the A-beta in plaques that have already formed.

Recently, some scientists have suggested that the sticky plaques actually protect the brain by trapping bits of A-beta. These scientists suspect that it's free-floating particles of A-beta that actually damage brain cells.

If that's the case, drugs would have to eliminate free floating bits of A-beta, not just the A-beta in plaques.

One way to accomplish this may be to interrupt the process that forms A-beta in the first place, researchers say.

Several drugs designed to do this are in the pipeline. And their prospects are looking bright after a study found that people with a gene mutation that reduces A-beta production were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's.

The failure of plaque-attacking drugs may also be a sign that treatments need to begin well before people begin showing symptoms of Alzheimer's.

"My opinion and the opinion of many colleagues is that once the A-Beta begins to accumulate in the brain and a person actually has memory symptoms it may actually be too late," Vassar says.

And ultimately, treating Alzheimer's may require going after A-beta in several different ways, says William Mobley, chairman of the department of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego. That could mean finding a way to both reduce production of A-beta and remove it from the brain, he says.

"Several shots on goal may be needed," Mobley says.

Article care of : http://www.npr.org 

Caregiver Cruise Giveaway Contest

Caregivers who work tirelessly to care for a loved one deserve a chance to relax. We’re giving away a free, six-day cruise and up to 40 hours of professional in-home non-medical senior care services so one lucky caregiver can enjoy a stress-free vacation!


Who can enter?

To win the caregiver cruise prize, you or your nominee must be:
Providing nonprofessional care to a senior adult (over 65 years of age).
A legal resident of the U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec).
At least 18 years of age (U.S.) or above the age of majority in nominee’s province or territory (Canada).
Eligible to travel outside of the U.S. and Canada.

View the contest overview for complete entry details.
How is the winner determined?

The caregiver whose entry receives the highest number of votes on this site as of September 15, 2012 will receive the caregiver cruise prize. The person who submits the winning entry (self-nominations included) will win a Kindle Fire and video camera. See the contest rules for complete terms and conditions.

Click here to enter: http://cruise.caregiverstress.com/

In-Home Care During a Recession

In this video series, certified senior advisor Mary Alexander from Home Instead Senior Care talks about how to provide in-home care during difficult financial times. The information in this video will introduce you to less expensive care options, financing possibilities, enlisting support for caregiving duties and how to get paid for your services.

In this video series, certified senior advisor Mary Alexander from Home Instead Senior Care talks about how to provide in-home care during difficult financial times. The information in this video will introduce you to less expensive care options, financing possibilities, enlisting support for caregiving duties and how to get paid for your services.

For more videos go to:  http://www.caregiverstress.com

   

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