Here is a press release from the Association for Psychological Science about the negative effects of lonliness.  And this isn’t just for seniors - everyone can be impacted by isolation.

The press release, from the APS,  shows the importance of having a caregiver i the home for the elderly because being left alone for long periods of time can actually have a detrimental effect of their health.  Just another reason why the services of Home Instead Senior Care can help the elderly get well, and stay well.

Two University of Chicago psychologists, Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo, have been trying to disentangle social isolation, loneliness, and the physical deterioration and diseases of aging, right down to the cellular level.

The researchers suspected that while the toll of loneliness may be mild and unremarkable in early life, it accumulates with time. To test this idea, the scientists studied a group of college-age individuals and continued an annual study of a group of people who joined when they were between 50 and 68 years old.

Their findings, reported in the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, are revealing. Consider stress, for example. The more years you live, the more stressful experiences you are going to have: new jobs, marriage and divorce, parenting, financial worries, illness. It’s inevitable.

However, when the psychologists looked at the lives of the middle-aged and old people in their study, they found that although the lonely ones reported the same number of stressful life events, they identified more sources of chronic stress and recalled more childhood adversity. Moreover, they differed in how they perceived their life experiences. Even when faced with similar challenges, the lonelier people appeared more helpless and threatened. And ironically, they were less apt to actively seek help when they are stressed out.

Hawkley and Cacioppo then took urine samples from both the lonely and the more contented volunteers, and found that the lonely ones had more of the hormone epinephrine flowing in their bodies. Epinephrine is one of the body’s “fight or flight” chemicals, and high levels indicate that lonely people go through life in a heightened state of arousal. As with blood pressure, this physiological toll likely becomes more apparent with aging. Since the body’s stress hormones are intricately involved in fighting inflammation and infection, it appears that loneliness contributes to the wear and tear of aging through this pathway as well.

There is more bad news. When we experience the depletion caused by stress, our bodies normally rely on restorative processes like sleep to shore us up. But when the researchers monitored the younger volunteers’ sleep, they found that the lonely nights were disturbed by many “micro awakenings.” That is, they appeared to sleep as much as the normal volunteers, but their sleep was of poorer quality. Not surprisingly, the lonelier people reported more daytime dysfunction. Since sleep tends to deteriorate with age anyway, the added hit from loneliness is probably compromising this natural restoration process even more.

Loneliness is not the same as solitude. Some people are just fine with being alone, and some even see solitude as an important path to spiritual growth. But for many, social isolation and physical aging make for a toxic cocktail.

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Author Contact: Louise Hawkley hawkley@uchicago.edu

A man is reminded for days before his anniversary by his wife that she is desperately wanting a new car to celebrate their 25th year of marriage.  “I want a fast one, sweety,” she would demand.  “One that goes zero to 200 in six seconds!”

This went on for several nights.  The evening before their anniversary, the woman leaned over to her husband in bed and said, “Remember.  Fast.”

“I know, my dear.  Really fast,” grumbled her husband.

The next morning the wife awoke to find her husband had already left for work.  She frantically ran to the front porch to find a neatly wrapped package with a big red bow sitting pristine in the driveway.  She ran to the box and opened the card. 

It read:

“To my love after 25 long years of marriage.  Enjoy your gift.  It is very fast, just as you demanded.  Last time I checked, it goes from zero to 210 in less than six seconds.”

Excited beyond words, she tore off the ribbon and paper.  Excitement turned to disgust when she discovered her husband had gift-wrapped their bathroom scale.

The Walled Lake, MI office of Home Instead Senior Care® in Oakland County, Michigan, the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for seniors, will celebrate the opening of its new office on Tuesday, October 30, 2006.  The company’s owner, Shannon Wygant, will host the event at the new location, 109 Legato Drive, in Walled Lake Michigan, 48390.  Interested parties can tour the office, learn more about Home Instead’s services and CAREgivers, and pick-up a free lunch at the “grab-n-go” type event.   The open house will begin at 11 a.m. and will run until 2 p.m.  Lunches will be provided for those who RSVP their attendance in advance by calling 248-624-1455.

The Walled Lake franchise of Home Instead Senior Care® was started in March of 2004.  Mr. Wygant opened his first franchise in Waterford during November of 2001.

The Home Instead model  was a perfect match for owner Shannon Wygant.  “During my mission work in Mexico from 1994 to 1998, I worked daily with families and found that I had a great affinity to help seniors; a simple dinner would turn into hours as I listened to them talk about their lives and their children.  Upon returning to Michigan and my home town of Bloomfield Hills, my search for a franchise that embodied the core values of respect and dignity led me to Home Instead. With Home Instead Senior Care, I found a new mission, keeping the dreams of seniors alive by keeping them at home.”

Home Instead Senior Care®, based out of Omaha, Nebraska, now boasts more than 750 franchises in North America, Europe, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.  Specializing in respite, companionship, Alzheimer, dementia, bathing, personal care, and incontinence care, Home Instead’s CAREgivers are the backbone of the company.  Certified, bonded, and insured, these employees usually go into a client’s home or assisted living facility and ensure they have everything they need; from light housekeeping to running errands, even playing cards or reminiscing, CAREgivers make it possible for seniors to stay at home and stay active, both physically and mentally.

Local Senior Care Company, Area Agencies and Retailers Play Santa to Overlooked Seniors: Community help Needed

A local senior care company, along with area retailers and seniorcare agencies, are bringing Santa to the lives of seniors who may have been overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Three area offices of Home Instead Senior Care® in Oakland County, Michigan, the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for seniors, have teamed with dozens of regional senior care providers and all Oakland County National City Bank branches and ACO Hardware stores to provide presents to seniors who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season. 

Jeri Edwards, coordinator of customer service and operations assistant for ACO Hardware emphasized, “We are excited that we can now give back to seniors who have been our customers for all of these years.  We’ve been in business in Michigan for over sixty years, and many of those who will benefit from this program are, or were at one time, our customers.” 

“In addition to supplying gifts, Be a Santa to a Senior^® is also designed to help stimulate human contact and social interaction for seniors who are unlikely to have guests during the holidays,” said Bert Copple, Director of Community Relations for two of the Home Instead offices serving Oakland County.  “Since children are often the focus of holiday festivities, we’d like to help brighten the holidays for some area seniors as well.”

Here’s how the program, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 7, works:  Prior to the holiday season, the participating local non-profit organizations identify financially challenged and lonely seniors in the community and provide those names to Home Instead Senior Care for this community service program.  Christmas trees and collection boxes, which will go up in all Oakland County National City banks and ACO Hardware stores on November 1, will feature ornaments with the first names of seniors and their respective gift requests.

Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy the items on the list, and leave them at the store along with the ornament attached.  Home Instead Senior Care will enlist the volunteer help of its staff, senior care business associates, non-profit groups and others in the community to collect, wrap and distribute the gifts to these seniors.  Three countywide gift-wrapping parties, when thousands of the presents will be wrapped, will be held in December.

The community has many volunteer options in making this year’s campaign a success – a tremendous goal to provide gifts and companionship for thousands of seniors in Oakland County.  The main focus for October is soliciting help in writing out the names and gift requests on paper ornaments that will be used for the program starting in November.  A complete list of locations, dates, and times are included at the end of this release.

“Last year we had such a huge response from the community,” adds Copple.  “We wanted to give everyone the chance to help out this year, which is why we are offering more ornament parties to get involved.” 

The program, now in its sixth nation-wide effort, has provided more than half a million seniors with gifts around the holidays.  The growing impact and reputation of the Be A Santa To A Senior program encourages others to get involved, too.

“This year we have seen a real outpouring from other businesses who wanted to get involved,” says Shannon Wygant, president and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake Home Instead franchises.  “The Dignity Funeral Home Group has joined us as a key sponsor, and through their generous donation, we will be able to run a smoother operation this year.”

Ornament parties will be held at the following locations at their corresponding dates and times.  Photograph opportunities are available for all press at each of these events.

SOUTH LYON SENIOR CENTER           TUES    OCT 9                    10-11 AM

WATERFORD SENIOR CENTER            THUR   OCT 11                  10-11 AM

TROY COMMUNITY CENTER               THUR   OCT 11                  4-6 PM

RICHARDSON SENIOR CENTER           TUES    OCT 16                  11 AM – 12 PM

ST. ANASTAISA CHURCH                              WED     OCT 17                  6:30-7:30 PM

WIXOM SENIOR CENTER                      WED      OCT 17                  11:15 AM – 12:15 AM

CRANBROOK HOSPICE                                   THUR   OCT 18                  4-6 PM    

* * *

Editor’s Note:  For more information about Be a Santa to a Senior, or to arrange photos of the gift-wrapping day, contact Bert Copple at 866-922-1400.

A recent article from the NewsMax.com website showed that a town in Alabama is beginning the process of reopening its fall-out shelter, a building once only used during the Cold War when a nuclear attack was greatly feared.  So why reopen the shelter fifteen years after the federal governemnt stopped funding such causes?

Fear, perhaps.  But in an unceratin world, where tensions remain high with countries like Syria and Iran, and an ever-fumbling Russia, the truth that our country could be attacked again is a real threat.  So the question I pose today is this:

“What would you do if your city was attacked by a nuclear or biological weapon?”

Would you know where to go?  Do you have a plan in place?  I fear that for most seniors, that answer would be a resounding NO.  Here is an excerpt from the article found at NewsMax.com:

Alabama City Reopening Fallout Shelters

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — In an age of al-Qaida, sleeper cells and the threat of nuclear terrorism, Huntsville is dusting off its Cold War manual to create the nation’s most ambitious fallout-shelter plan, featuring an abandoned mine big enough for 20,000 people to take cover underground.

Others would hunker down in college dorms, churches, libraries and research halls that planners hope will bring the community’s shelter capacity to 300,000, or space for every man, woman and child in Huntsville and the surrounding county.

Emergency planners in Huntsville _ an out-of-the-way city best known as the home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center _ say the idea makes sense because radioactive fallout could be scattered for hundreds of miles if terrorists detonated a nuclear bomb.

“If Huntsville is in the blast zone, there’s not much we can do. But if it’s just fallout … shelters would absorb 90 percent of the radiation,” said longtime emergency management planner Kirk Paradise, whose Cold War expertise with fallout shelters led local leaders to renew Huntsville’s program.

Huntsville’s project, developed using $70,000 from a Homeland Security grant, goes against the grain because the United States essentially scrapped its national plan for fallout shelters after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Congress cut off funding and the government published its last list of approved shelters at the end of 1992.

After Sept. 11, Homeland Security created a metropolitan protection program that includes nuclear-attack preparation and mass shelters. But no other city has taken the idea as far as Huntsville has, officials said.

Many cities advise residents to stay at home and seal up a room with plastic and duct tape during a biological, chemical or nuclear attack. Huntsville does too, in certain cases.

Local officials agree the “shelter-in-place” method would be best for a “dirty bomb” that scattered nuclear contamination through conventional explosives. But they say full-fledged shelters would be needed to protect from the fallout of a nuclear bomb.

Program leaders recently briefed members of Congress, including Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., who called the shelter plan an example of the “all-hazards” approach needed for emergency preparedness.

“Al-Qaida, we know, is interested in a nuclear capability. It’s our nation’s fear that a nuclear weapon could get into terrorists’ hands,” Dent said.

As fallout shelters go, the Three Caves Quarry just outside downtown offers the kind of protection that would make Dr. Strangelove proud, with space for an arena-size crowd of some 20,000 people.

So what should you do?  A good place to start would be the Ready.gov website where it gives practical advice for seniors, families, children, and businesses so that they can be prepared in the event of an attack or disaster.

As a veteran of the U.S. Armed forces, I can honestly say that the worst plan is having no plan.  At the very least, think it through.  Have a plan, and when something does come up, you won’t be left in the dark all alone.  And for caregivers, be sure that there is a plan in place, first and foremost, for yourself and your family.  Then help those who need it if you can.

Be prepared!

I received this press release/letter to the editor today from the National Private Duty Association’s Michigan Chapter.  I thought you would appreciate seeing the honest truth about Michigan’s proposed service tax.  Though it will raise funds, it will hurt many for generations to come.

—–

Dear Editor:

 

The voice of Private Duty Home Care, The National Private Duty Association – Michigan Chapter, finds it appalling that our lawmakers are considering a service tax in an effort to overcome spending short-falls from years of poor fiscal responsibility.  Though raising taxes is a viable way to tackle the deficit, the strain of higher costs will be felt by a rapidly aging population.

 

The so-called “luxury tax” currently being debated holds its greatest flaw in that the majority of services to foot the bill are far from the category of luxurious.  For seniors, taxing needed services which help the elderly age in place begs the question, “If a service tax is implemented, how many seniors will no longer be able to afford basic care services they require to live in their homes?”

 

A recent survey, which had its results published in the New York Times in August, found that in America a full ninety-percent of seniors desire to live, and age, in their homes.  For many, this can only happen with the help of businesses who specialize in keeping seniors safely in their place of residence.  From basic home maintenance to in-home care, the cost of living at home continues to rise for seniors.

 

Over the next fifteen years, the number of seniors in Michigan will increase by 41%, bringing a full 500,000 adults above the age of 65 by the year 2020.  According to the Michigan Community for a Lifetime study completed by Michigan State, “…communities must make a commitment to ‘ease the way’ for this population group.”  The proposed service tax does not ease the way for seniors to continue living independent and productive lives in the State of Michigan.

 

Roger Johnson’s aunt, who lives at her home in Oakland County, returned to her own house from a nursing home because she missed being in her own place.

 

“She was in a good nursing home, but she is much happier now that she is home.  She was miserable because she missed her own surroundings and living life at her pace, in her own privacy,” says Johnson.  “But it wouldn’t be possible without her having in-home care from Home Instead Senior Care.”

 

Private duty companies like Home Instead provide in-home, non-medical care and companionship to the elderly so that they can remain in their homes, even when they need assistance with everyday tasks such as bathing, preparing food, grocery shopping, and being reminded to take their medications.  By providing caregivers, these private duty companies are helping Michigan’s older population age in place, so they can enjoy the golden years of life at home where they feel most comfortable.

 

“She wants to stay there, but it is becoming a financial burden,” adds Johnson, who manages his aunt’s finances.  “She is going to run out of money, and a tax like this would only deplete her savings faster.”

 

Johnson’s aunt, who uses Home Instead’s services eight hours a day, seven days a week, spends roughly $58,000 annually on her care.  The proposed service tax would cost an additional $3,480 – the same as three full weeks of homecare.

 

“We would have to scale back the hours she has a caregiver in her home, the equivalent of three or four weeks,” says Johnson.  “And we can’t do that, so my guess is that we would have to find other arrangements for her, possibly even in another state.”

 

The National Private Duty Association asks our lawmakers to reconsider the service tax.  These are certainly tough times for Michigan.  A quick fix may generate initial revenue, but at what cost?  Our legislators need to stand up for Mr. Johnson and his aunt.  They need to stand up for the 500,000 coming-of-age baby boomers that will need affordable in-home care.  Vote against the Michigan service tax and vote for Michigan’s seniors.

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

1. My 68-year-old father discovered at his last physical that his cholesterol is up.  He watches what he eats and is very active.  However, it seems that he’s always stressed out and angry about something.  Are there any studies that link stress and cholesterol?

 As a matter of fact, a study just released in August at the 115^th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) found that older white men who are better able to cope with stress do in fact have more “good cholesterol” than those who are more hostile or isolated (http://www.apa.org/releases/cholesterolC07.html). According to the APA, this study gathered data from 716 men—average age of 65—to look at hostility, stress and coping processes, and cholesterol levels.  The subjects were given a questionnaire that asked them to rate how often they used 26 coping strategies.  The study found that:

• Individuals high in hostility were more likely to perceive problems as stressful and react with negative behavior, self-blame and social isolation.
• Men who were better able to cope could make a plan of action and pursue it.

Following an overnight fast, the subjects’ blood was tested for high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol), low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.  The authors had theorized that hostility would have an effect on all three lipoproteins, but what they discovered was a direct effect on HDL and triglycerides, but not on LDL.  Researchers found interesting the fact that the coping variables were most strongly associated with this protective factor. “The results of our study suggest that coping processes might influence lipid fractions differently and may play a protective role through their influence on HDL.” 

The bottom line is that any stress is unhealthy.  Have you asked your dad why he’s always stressed out?  Perhaps he needs diversions to help alleviate this stress.  Hobbies and exercise programs are two good ones.   If lack of companionship is an issue, encourage him to get out and make new friends or reconnect with old ones.  Call his local senior center or Area Agency on Aging to find out what’s available in his area that might interest him.  Or contact Home Instead Senior Care, whose CAREGivers can play a role in helping to maintain the health and well-being of older adults.  

—Editor’s Note:  This is a continuation in a bi-weekly series which will be emailed every other Monday to regional press affiliates to help promote health, welfare, and advocacy for our senior population.  Bert Copple, Director of Community Relations, can be reached via email at dcrcommerce@inspireseniors.com, or via cell at 248-953-9916. 

There was some interesting research done in London this past year in whihc no deinitive answers were found, but raised several new and rather complex questions on the issue of dementia and it’s causes.  However, this may again call for a deeper understanding of the importance fitness and nutrition factors in trying to prevent dementia.

Here is a snip from the article as reported on Scientific American.com:

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Older people who have lost their teeth are at more than three-fold greater risk of memory problems and dementia, UK researchers report.

“This study essentially raises questions rather than answering them,” Dr. Robert Stewart of Kings College London, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health. “The measurements were taken at the same time, so we are not able to say what caused what.”

It’s possible that people with cognitive impairment simply take worse care of their teeth, he added, but there are also mechanisms by which poor dental health itself could harm the brain. “One message still stands regardless of what caused what,” he said. “Particular attention may need to be paid to the health and nutrition of people with cognitive impairment because they may also have dental problems.”

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

1. After years of suffering from digestive problems, my 74-year-old mother was recently diagnosed with celiac disease.  What can you tell me about this condition, and how I can help?  She lives alone and needs a lot of support?

 According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (http://celiac.nih.gov/), celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients.  People who have this disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten—found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats.  When ingesting gluten, the immune systems of those with celiac disease respond by damaging the small intestine’s villi, fingerlike protrusions that allow food to be absorbed into the blood stream. October is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, a good time to learn more about this disease, which impacts about 2 million people (1 in 133) in the U.S., according to the Clearinghouse.  The disease also is known as “celiac sprue,” “nontropical sprue” and “gluten-sensitive enteropathy.” According to the Clearinghouse, researchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently.  Some who have this disease may not have symptoms, while others may not know their symptoms are from this disease.  Some common symptoms of those with celiac disease can include gas; recurring abdominal bloating and pain; chronic diarrhea; weight loss or gain; fatigue; tingling or numbness in the legs; muscle cramps; and itchy skin.   The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet.  For most people, following this diet will stop the symptoms and heal existing intestinal damage and prevent further damage, according to the Clearinghouse.  Following are some resources to help provide more information:

• Celiac Disease Foundation, www.celiac.org
• Celiac Sprue Association/USA Inc., www.csaceliacs.org
• Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, www.gluten.net
• National Association for Celiac Awareness, www.celiaccentral.org

 Your mother’s doctor may have asked her to work with a dietician on a food plan that can help heal her body.  If your mom needs more support at home, consider encouraging her to hire a companion—such as a Home Instead CAREGiver—who could provide assistance with grocery shopping and meal preparation.  CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured, and offer other services to seniors such as medication reminders, light housekeeping and errands.  —Editor’s Note:  This is a continuation in a bi-weekly series which will be emailed every other Monday to regional press affiliates to help promote health, welfare, and advocacy for our senior population.  Bert Copple, Director of Community Relations, can be reached via email at dcrcommerce@inspireseniors.com, or via cell at 248-953-9916.

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

1. As an 80-year-old woman who lives at home alone, I am interested in doing whatever I can to stay here.  My grandson has told me that there is technology being developed that can help me do that by letting my family “monitor” me.  I’m a very independent person.  Would I have to give up some privacy if I accepted these new-fangled ideas? 

 Your grandson is right.  Here are some interesting innovations designed by Georgia Tech College of Computing (http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/privacy.htm):

• “Cook’s Collage,” which photographs people during meal preparation and displays the cook’s six most recent actions on a flat-panel display mounted over the countertop. The idea is to prevent distracted chefs from forgetting what actions they’ve already taken. To reduce “Big Brother” appearances, cameras are mounted out of sight and only show the chef’s hands.
• “Digital Family Portrait” helps out-of-town family members keep an eye on aging relatives. A display monitor hangs in the caregiver’s home and displays a static photo of the older relative. The photo is surrounded by a digital-image frame whose icons change daily to reflect information about the older adult’s life, such as general activity level.
• “FaceBot” is a communication device that interacts with other home technologies. It features two cameras for eyes, microphones as ears and a speaker as its mouth.  Instead of giving voice commands to an empty room, such as “turn up the temperature,” residents can talk directly to FaceBot.

Researchers at the school invited 44 adults ages 65 to 75 to tour the residential laboratory and view these new age-in-place technologies.  Overall the seniors who were surveyed said they didn’t mind giving up some privacy to be able to remain independent, researchers reported.   The results of their poll show how important it is for seniors to remain at home.  While technology is of value, there is no substitute for human contact.  A few hours a week with a Home Instead CAREGiver can keep older adults in their homes longer as well. CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured, and equipped to provide that human touch that technology can’t.  CAREGivers are even matched with seniors to share their same interests and hobbies.  Services are provided from a few hours a week up to 24 hours a day—including weekends and holidays. —Editor’s Note:  This is a continuation in a bi-weekly series which will be emailed every other Monday to regional press affiliates to help promote health, welfare, and advocacy for our senior population.  Bert Copple, Director of Community Relations, can be reached via email at dcrcommerce@inspireseniors.com, or via cell at 248-953-9916.