Proposed Service Tax Will Hurt Michigan Seniors

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.

 

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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.

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Is There a Link Between Dementia and Tooth Loss?

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.

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Your Senior Advisor: Technology and Companionship Helping Seniors Stay Home Longer

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.

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Living With Alzheimer’s: Daily Activity Options

I have always been amazed at the effect Alzheimer’s and dementia have on people.  Many are able to still function within the role of daily activities, but are lacking the context within which those activities exist.  I found this most interesting when I first visited a memory care unit of an assisted living facility in Bingham Farms, Michigan.  There was one section of the building’s courtyard where there sat a pile of unfolded clothes, a clothes basket, and a bench.  The sign sitting nearby on a table read PLEASE FOLD THESE CLOTHES.  Moments later a beautiful silver-haired women with advanced dementia strolled into the room, sat down, and began to hum to herself while she folded the clothes and placed them in the basket.  She took her time, making sure each item was folded nicely, and placed them gingerly into the basket.  When all the clothes were done, she rose to leave, greeted me with a smile, and continued her walk.

A few minutes later a facility employee came by, dumped the clothes back onto the bench, and tussled them with her hands.  She, too, left the room greeting me with a smile.  I, to be honest, was dumbfounded.  Why on earth wold she do that right after the nice old lady folded all of the clothes?

Well, I am smarter now, and understand that when dealing with dementia, repetitive activities can actually be a soothing and comforting way to keep one with dementia etertained and free from boredom.  Sure enough, just a few minutes later, the nice old lady with the silver hair returned and folded the clothes, as if it was something new and exciting for her to do.  In a way, I’m sure she felt important in the fact that she was able to accomplish something that day.  Even if it was the same thing, over and over, it was something new and exciting for her each and every time.

What other activities can we find for the with dementia to engage each day?

The following activities are suggested in the book, Practical Guide for Caregivers:

Art
Clay: Use modeling clay and make objects or animals.

Water colors or crayons: Free-style water-color/crayons

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Diagnosis: Alzheimer’s Disease; Risk Factors & Treatment Options

Is it possible to pin-point Alzheimer’s disease?  The answer, I’m afraid, is no.  In fact, the only way a person can truly be diagnosed with the disease is during an autopsy.  So how can we better target the potential that a person actually has Alzheimer’s?  The picture below shows what a PET scan can show in terms of the brain’s activity.  Even though this is still not the perfect way to determine if a person has Alzheimer’s, it is a definite manner by which a neurologist can determine if a medication can be used to help maintain helathy brain activity.

So what are some of the advancements being made today in the study, treatment, and preention of Alzheimer’s and dementia?  The following article was published in the Summer issue of Inspire Magazine.  Written by Dr. Peter Lichtenberg of Wayne State Univeristy, it offers a glimpse into what advances are being made on this topic.

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Understanding Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease and New Approaches to Care

by Peter A. Lichtenberg, Ph.D., ABPP, Director, Institute of GerontologyProfessor of Psychology at Wayne State University        

Alzheimer’s disease has become a household word, affecting over five million Americans and feared by millions more.  The MetLife Foundation reported in a 2006 study that after cancer, Alzheimer’s is the second most feared disease among both middle-aged and older Americans.  Despite its prevalence and the increasing attention to it by the public and healthcare professionals, Alzheimer’s disease remains a difficult disease for families and general health practitioners to recognize and treat.          

In 2006, the Michigan Dementia Coalition conducted a statewide behavioral surveillance survey about memory loss.  One of the survey’s most striking results was the lack of public awareness about where to get help for Alzheimer’s disease.  The majority of those surveyed (60%) said they would seek help from their family doctor.  The next most popular response was searching the Internet for information (10%).  Sadly, only 1% had heard of the Alzheimer’s Association or would contact them for information, indicating a large gap between the public’s fear of Alzheimer’s disease and their actual knowledge about it and its treatment.       

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