Chicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence – Since 1991 • family caregiversChicago's Geriatric Care Manager Center of Excellence

Lessons from Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffet has left a multi-faceted legacy…his distinctive musical style and lyrics, his upbeat and his laid back lifestyle...
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September 12, 2023
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Update on Dementia – part 2
I had left you last week with what may have seemed to be an optimistic note regarding the latest...
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June 26, 2023
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It’s About You
This is personal! Yes, it’s about you! I’d be willing to wager, however, that most of you haven’t thought...
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April 18, 2023
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How (NOT) to Worry, Stress or Be Anxious
It’s not so much whether you’ll have worries, be stressed or feel anxious…it’s how you’ll manage your worries, your...
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March 21, 2023
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How to Say ‘NO’ to Dementia
It was about two and a half months ago that we posted about the diagnostics telling Chris Hemsworth he...
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February 14, 2023
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Long COVID’s Long List of Symptoms
The COVID pandemic is not yet done with us in the United States, and the story certainly is different...
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February 7, 2023
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To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
No, this isn’t a refresher course on Shakespeare and the famous Hamlet soliloquy. (Spoiler Alert – Hamlet was ranting...
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January 2, 2023
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Saying “No” May be the Right Answer
Saying “yes” when someone asks you to do something can be like eating candy. It feels right or good...
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November 15, 2022
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Doing Your Homework on Medicare Coverage
If you or an older loved one are at that age in the magical transition – otherwise known as...
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November 8, 2022
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Become a Dementia Detective by “Talking the Talk”
Today we have a guest Post from Christina Padilla, a speech-language pathologist and Certified Dementia Practitioner living and working...
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September 27, 2022
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In the Caregiver's Words

Recent Client Praise

I have had the good fortune to connect with Julian Hills, a content writer and blogger for a great website and resource, Drugwatch.com. When I asked about the latest on diabetes and treatment, she offered these things to consider when it comes to elder care at home.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Controlling the disease can save lives, but it’s also important for caregivers to know that controlling it can also come with its own set of consequences. Diabetes occurs in people who have high blood sugar because their body cannot move sugar into fat, liver and muscle to be stored for energy. The pancreas either does not make enough insulin or cells do not respond to insulin.

There are two common forms of the disease. The first, called type 1 diabetes, can be diagnosed in people of any age. The cause is unknown. These people need daily injections of insulin. The second, type 2 diabetes, is becoming more prevalent in the United States due to high obesity rates. Teens and young adults are now among many of the people developing type 2 diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 8 percent of Americans have diabetes. Controlling diabetes is important because if untreated the disease can cause heart disease, stroke, hypertension, blindness and kidney disease. With nearly 26 million estimated cases in this country alone, an entire drug industry has blossomed, and caregivers need to be aware of the complications that have arisen from this group of drugs. While many of the medications on the market have helped patients control their condition, there are also a number of complications being reported.

As more and more people depend on these drugs, more and more lawsuits associated with their usage are arising. Here are some examples of conditions associated with these drugs:
- • Actos helps patients with type 2 diabetes by making their cells more sensitive to Insulin. But studies show extended use of the drug has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. Patients taking Actos need to watch for painful or bloody urination, and unusually severe back pain.
- • Byetta is an injectable drug for type 2 patients. The drug controls blood sugar, but has been linked to damage of the pancreas, kidneys and thyroid. These complications can be fatal.
- • Januvia works in tandem with other type 2 diabetes medications to increase their effectiveness. It’s not for type 1 patients. Pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis are closely associated with the drug. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration received nearly 200 reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to the drug.
- • Victoza is another drug aimed at fighting type 2 diabetes. It has been linked to thyroid tumors, as well as pancreatitis and kidney failure.
Not all patients will suffer from these complications, but drugs may not be the only option. Adopting a healthier lifestyle may help people depend less on medication and avoid the potentially dangerous effects of these medications. Caregivers need to remember that helping people with the condition develop better diet and exercise habits is a great way to control the effects of type 2 diabetes.

SOURCES: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002194/
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheet11.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf

Julian Hills is a content writer and blogger for Drugwatch. His journalism career has taken him from newspapers to local television news stations and even a 24-hour cable network in the Southeast. Julian is a graduate of Florida State University.

Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families who need help with elder care at home in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to info@creativecaremanagement.com.
As a geriatric care manager, I have the chance to work with all manner of caregivers and the elders or others with special needs for whom they care. Sometimes a caregiver becomes significantly more than the person who may help a loved one with shopping, cleaning or other personal needs. There are occasions when that individual becomes sufficiently frail or mentally compromised that they need the support and control of a guardian.

I recently spoke with an attorney, Gordon Gault, who specializes in trusts, wills and probate among other legal areas. We talked about what a guardianship means and when it is appropriate as well as how it comes about. Gordon first explained that a guardian is substantially different from just a caregiver in that a guardian must be appointed by a circuit court judge. That appointed guardian is then able to act on behalf of the individual who is either under the age of 18 or is deemed disabled in some other way.

How can a guardian be useful? I have talked about elder abuse and fraud in another blog posting. A guardian can be appointed when it is concluded that the individual is giving away money or other assets to individuals who may be manipulating to their own ends. This appointment is intended to protect the individual and only happens after a court hearing complete with a physicians’ or other professionals’ opinions being weighed.

I have talked about powers of attorney for health care and for finances in an earlier blog posting, but a guardianship clearly takes this up a notch. But it is important to recognize that not only must a judge be convinced that the individual in question is unable to take care of themselves, but that judge also will oversee the guardian’s activities. As you can see, a guardianship pretty much takes control of an individual’s affairs, but this whole process does not all have to be left to attorneys. Gordon highly recommends that anyone who has a family member growing incompetent, get the powers of attorney signed as a first step. Anyone over age 60, he says, should sign these POA papers so that they can be available should a need arise. And later if you have to get a guardian appointed, you may be able to do it on your own if it is just the individual and their care. If it is an estate worth more than a couple thousand dollars, according to Gordon, you will need an attorney for the paperwork.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Gordon Gault using this link. Gordon is a Chicago-based attorney.

Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Case Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families throughout metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to Charlotte Bishop.,geriatric care manager Chicago,geriatric care Chicago

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For so many medical conditions, the package inserts - that thin white paper with the fine print - for doctor-prescribed medications say that "diet and exercise" are first line. This applies to medications used to treat high blood pressure, weight loss or even type 2 diabetes. Would it surprise you to hear that diet and attitude are first line defenses against dementia or other cognitive decline? More and more research is pointing to the importance of the foods we eat as well as our outlooks on life as preventive measures to forestall the onset of dementia. Start with cynicism. Researchers in one study started with a group of more than 600 people whose average age was 71.3 years at the beginning of the study. Initially, the researchers collected data on the patients overall health, their levels of cynicism (yes, you can measure cynicism) and their cognitive statuses using validated scales. Over the course of 8.4 years, the researchers continued to assess all patients' levels on all these metrics. At the end of this time frame, 46 of the original number of patients had, in fact, developed dementia. The scientists adjusted for age, gender and depression, but still found that individuals who started out this study interval with higher measureable cynicism were statistically more likely to develop dementia. Moreover, about two years later more than half of the study participants had died, and those who had been classified as statistically more cynical were more likely to be among the number who died. Switch gears now, and another study based out of Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in Chicago found a positive link between people with quantifiable "purpose" in their lives and their ability to live dementia-free. This study followed about 1,000 people age 80 for about seven years. It measured physical, psychological and cognitive aspects of these patients over the duration of the study. These subjects also agreed to donate their brains for further analysis upon their deaths. At the end of the seven years, the researchers found that those with the highest scores on "purpose" were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of any signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. These subjects also were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, one of the early signs of impending Alzheimer's. Those with high purpose also had had a lower mortality rate than the others and had fewer disabilities as they aged. When the patients did die, the doctors performed autopsies of their brains. Even among those who had manifested no signs of Alzheimer's on cognitive tests and had maintained measurably higher levels of "purpose" some still had the plaque of AD on their brains. The conclusion was that the patients with purpose could more readily work through the deficits and maintain higher functioning cognition. The moral? We often hear people talking about the importance of attitude. And a good attitude certainly enhances the quality of life of those around the people with good attitudes. Evidently, it is also very good for the health, mental functioning and longevity of those with the positive attitudes too. Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to info@cr eativecaremanagement.com.
Elders have more health care issues and have more doctors’ office visits and more hospitalizations than their younger counterparts. Where about one in four 18-44 year olds report no visits to a health care professional in the past year, two out of three 75+ year old patients have seen a health care professional four or more times in that same time. More than a quarter of 75+ year olds report in excess of ten visits a year. What may not be as obvious is that seniors also require more and different recovery help from their medical episodes, especially those that have required hospitalization.

Hospitalization can be the “perfect storm” for older patients, because they have potentially more medical issues in the first place. Second, everyone is discharged as soon as possible from hospitals these days, because insurance typically pays for the condition, not the days. Some in the hospital business refer to this kind of logic as “discharging sicker quicker.” A third factor can also be added, and that is the mental processing ability of an older patient is more challenged by the assault of a hospitalization, especially the discharge process. In a study recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and reported by UPI, a researcher named Lee Linquist and colleagues followed a group of 200 patients 70 years and older. Although all these patients lived independently in their own communities and none had been diagnosed with dementia or other cognitive medical issues, fully one-third were diagnosed with low cognition post-discharge. The good news is that with special post-discharge care, nearly three-fifths of these same patients improved in the areas of orientation, registration, repetition, comprehension, naming, reading, writing and calculation.

There is further good news. The researchers suggested that screening all seniors while still in the hospital could have helped to flag those in need of transitional care once they were discharged. This would help bridge the time between not being sick enough to still be in the hospital and being fully able to take care of themselves at home. In the past (and present) there has been no insurance that would pay for any of this, but a new bill has been proposed in the U.S. Congress. It would make it easier for patients already receiving Medicare benefits to also receive an “observational transition” that would determine if they should have more skilled nursing care at home care once discharged. The bill was introduced by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Tom Latham (R-Iowa). The bill has the backing of AARP, and you can read a bit more about it in Modern Healthcare.

If you are a caregiver to an elder, be attentive to any changes you may notice in your loved one not just as they are recovering from the illness, but also as they are being prepared for the transition home. The general rule of thumb for physical recovery is that for every day a person is in a hospital bed they will need at least two days to get back to normal. As much as being able to stand on their own be mindful of how they are interacting with you and others around them.

Charlotte Bishop is a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Case Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families throughout metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to Charlotte Bishop., geriatric care manager Chicago, geriatric care Chicago

Copyright ©2011 Charlotte Bishop
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Recent Client Praise

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, so I am going to give a lot of attention throughout this month to what we know as well as what we don’t know about dementia generally and Alzheimer’s disease specifically. More Americans fear an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis than fear dying, and that should be no surprise, given that a new Alzheimer’s diagnosis is given every 67 seconds in the United States. But we should all be cautious in accepting any Alzheimer’s diagnosis for a loved one at face value. Research has shown that 24 percent of diagnoses actually are misdiagnoses. Given that there are about 100 different manifestations of dementia, perhaps we should be surprised that the rate of misdiagnosis is so low? And it is important also to bear in mind that the health care provider making the diagnosis may or may not be well-qualified to make the call either for lack of experience or for lack of proper tools with which to diagnose. Our team became involved with the mother of one of our people, because she was showing signs of cognitive decline. He recalls that on one of his visits her common introductions to friends of hers had become “You don’t have a name…this is my son.” He and his sister started making calls to her primary care physician’s office to get a sense of what was going on. In his mother’s file the diagnosis was “organic dementia.” The doctor had further prescribed an FDA-approved medication called Namenda for his mother for that “organic dementia.” First, Namenda is indicated for Alzheimer’s disease (not “organic dementia”) and is to be used in combination with another drug for Alzheimer’s called Aricept. Now with his mother’s doctor on the line, our staff member questioned why the prescription for a condition for which his mother had not be diagnosed and that was to be used only with a medication she had not yet been prescribed? And at $350 out of pocket per month? The doctor mumbled something about whether the son wanted his mother to have an autopsy to diagnose the condition…or was it the money. Stunned at how behind the times the doctor was, the son simply said it was the cost and the doctor withdrew the prescription. Let me get back to the autopsy. A decade and a half ago scientists could not definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s until after the individual had died and an autopsy of the brain could be performed. Now, we have neurologists who can confidently diagnose the condition with MRIs, PET scans and blood tests along with cognitive tests in real time and an historical look at a patient’s records. In these neuro-psych exams, the specialist is able to not only identify the condition, but more importantly what can be done. As it turns out with our team member’s mom, she had vascular dementia, the end result of numerous “mini-strokes” over time that deprived more and more parts of her brain of blood flow. As his mother’s condition deteriorated she was required to move from independent living to assisted care and finally to a memory unit. I have noted before in other posts that there are no cures for Alzheimer’s; well, there was no cure for vascular dementia that had progressed as far as it had for our team member’s mom either. But she lived to be more than ninety years of age and had a quality life. In the end, her quality of life was greatly assisted by those around her who knew the source of her dementia and how best to care for her. And that is as happy an ending as one can hope. For the rest of this month I am going to be talking a bit more about how dementia often gets confused with delirium or depression, as well as Alzheimer’s disease and also address your questions. Please just email me your questions or concerns at info@creativecaremanagement.com . Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
It is not just hearing that is lost when a person loses their auditory ability; other cognitive capabilities are at risk as well. Yes, losing hearing can lead to memory loss or dementia. There are about 48 million Americans who have some degree of hearing loss in America, and the proportion with hearing loss is about two of every three adults in their seventies or older. These same people are appreciably more likely to also develop memory deficits and even dementia. But this works the other direction as well. Some recent research shows that treating hearing loss can help to prevent the cognitive decline. In a recent study among 65 to 85 year old individuals with severe hearing loss – deafness - in at least one of their ears, all patients received a cochlear implant and subsequent auditory rehab. More than four in five of those who started with the lowest cognitive scores showed statistically significant improvement in their cognition a year later. This improvement was about double what has been seen with the cognitive improvement associated with some of the FDA-approved drugs for treating Alzheimer’s disease. It looks promising. There is much speculation on precisely why there can be improved cognitive function with improved hearing, but at the very least it may have to do with social engagement. People who cannot hear tend to be less socially active and more isolated. And all of that has long been recognized as a contributor to mental decline. If you are a caregiver to an older loved one, you may not be able to clearly quantify their cognitive ability. But the odds are that you can appreciate when a mom or dad is just having trouble hearing you and others around them. So, let that be a double warning sign to protect them from both further hearing loss and also memory loss. Get a hearing test scheduled as soon as you detect any of the early signs of hearing compromise. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
There are those who have not seen any changes in their lives in the midst of this pandemic and quarantine. They’re our older family members with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia that has robbed them of the ability to even comprehend the restrictions of this pandemic. They have been isolated as protection against COVID, but their quarantine experiences are not the same as ours. I bring this up because as more of us are able to be vaccinated and resume some semblance of life before the pandemic we also will likely be able once again to visit Mom or dad who have been under strict quarantine and may have some questions for us. How you answer their questions and engage in conversations in general is necessarily going to be more about them than it will be about you and the rest of the world that has been upended. Honesty is going to be the first casualty of the pandemic when we encounter a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or dementia, but I am not talking about lying. At its core dementia is a progressive decline of the brain’s ability to process what has happened in “their world.” You ought not view your initial reunions with older loved ones with dementia as a “chance to catchup.” We have to be prepared to join their reality using a technique health care professionals call “therapeutic fibbing.” You will need to learn to “go along” with the reality they know by first asking them about themselves, their recent experiences, and what’s going on. This may go against how we all were raised, but telling the truth may be cruel to someone who is not processing reality in the same way we are. An example helps. Picture you’re talking once again with your mother who asks where your Dad is. He had told her, she recounts, that he was going to get the car and come by to pick her up for an outing. The unfortunate truth is that dad died last year, but she keeps coming back to scenarios in which he is just temporarily gone, and understandably is looking for his return. You don’t tell her he died, because she will experience the awful loss all over again, she’ll cry hysterically and become agitated. And since she has short term memory issues she will forget again so she will be primed for experiencing the grief anew the next time you correct her. Instead you might say that Dad suggested he would be delayed a bit and that he had asked you to offer her a snack until he can make it back. She agrees that a snack is a good idea and you get into another conversation. Or, your father with dementia tells you that he is going to go get the car and take mom for a ride. They like their Sunday afternoon drives…it does not have to even be Sunday. So, maybe you can ask how the car is running and suggest it would be nice to have a snack with him for their ride. While you prepare the snack perhaps look out the window and remark on the sunshine or the birds or anything. Then start talking about the view and ask him questions. Share the snack with him and get into a new conversation. My clients with parents or spouses with dementia talk about their “therapeutic fibbing” as really hard at first until they can see their loved one actually brightening with the diversions. And once they both have a brighter conversation, they both have now had a better day. And tomorrow will be another chance to brighten both of their days…and tomorrow…and tomorrow. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
It was the extended family that took care of the children as well as mom and dad as they aged during much of the last century. Today life is both different and complicated. The family has changed in numerous ways to challenge the old models of caregiving. Everyone lives anywhere but “here,” the rates of divorce approach 50%; intimacy lasts well into older loved ones lives and non-traditional families have earned their rights. Consider:

Who takes care of mom or dad when they are divorced. Appreciate that when one of your parents cannot be there for the other once they are divorced. That may mean that your role as a son or daughter caregiver may come into play earlier than otherwise would be the case. Be alert to home safety issues as well as how well mom or dad ambulate, how fresh the food in the fridge is and either attend doctors’ visits with them or engage the services of a care manager to help with any of these.

Will residential care options be welcoming for gay families. New options to accommodate all lifestyles are becoming available every day, but be aware of old biases that can persist. If the care you need does not accommodate the individuals you are or your gay parents are, then take your business elsewhere. Consider the places that have been welcoming for your younger needs will have connections to similarly welcoming places for aging needs. Many cities have devoted directories of such vetted services. In Chicago, it’s the Pink Pages for the LGBT community.

How do we address intimacy among older adults as they age? Remember the “awkward conversation” you may have had with mom or dad as you were coming of age? Well, now it’s your turn to be the intimacy advocate for your older loved one. You may have to ask the tough questions of their caregivers or the facilities to which they move once they leave their homes. Today’s 80 may be yesterday’s 60 in more ways than you had considered, so be prepared.

Distance caregiving is the stress of anyone with older parents and a family, or job, or a life of their own. Based on our experience, distance caregivers need to focus on the things that can be done at distance. Arrange for what can be delivered by a third party, like meals; help by becoming a signer on mom or dad’s account to help pay bills and balance the check book; or find a local care manager who can be your eyes and ears when you can’t be around. And keep in touch with neighbors and friends.

I will be coming back to these themes in future postings, but I also strongly encourage you to attend a caregivers’ forum addressing these issues this Thursday, November 19 at St. Matthew’s in Evanston, Illinois. It will be an ecumenical program in the main Parlor at 7 p.m. CST. Enlarge the map on this page or go to: http://stmatthewsevanston.org/. Two of CCM’s staff will be co-hosting the event. Bring your questions…and contact us if you need help with respite care because you are caring for an older loved one and need that help to get to the event! Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Professional and a Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. Please email your questions to info@creativecaremanagement.com.
Actually names can hurt you…sticks and stones can break your bones, but ageism affects the health of older adults. When older adults are at the receiving end of ageist comments they internalize what they hear, so much so that this lower self-concept results in a slower walking gait, brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease and even a shorter life span. Researchers with the World Health Organization and the Yale School of Public Health have demonstrated a negative link between ageist labeling and senior mind-set. But the good news is they have shown that a positive mind set makes a positive difference in health like walking speed, balance, memory and longevity. This last one comes from what one of the researchers says is a person’s “will to live” which actually results in longer lives. And the individuals who benefit may not even be aware of the positive or negative self-concepts they have developed; it’s often subliminal. In one study adults between 60 and 90 years of age were randomly divided into two groups, but all were first administered a memory test. One group was placed in front of computer screen that flashed positive words about aging and the other group was shown negative words. The words flashed faster than anyone could read, but they made a difference subliminally. Those in the negative exposure group were flashed words like “decline” or “decrepit” and more. The others were flashed words like “sage” and “accomplished.” Both groups then took a memory test again, and the first group showed a decline in ability to recall versus those in the positive group who showed an improvement in their recall. In a separate study in Ohio with about seven times more subjects over 20 years they showed that negative attitude participants died an average of 7.5 years earlier than those with a positive attitudes. Some explain this as part of an evolution of how we look at “seniors” in our culture. Language has become increasingly negative in our literature over the past 200 years and age has come to be viewed as a medical condition. So, what do you get for a medical condition when you visit a doctor…most often another prescription to add to what you already are taking? And what do most medications have? …side effects. Did he jump or was he pushed is a question that comes to mind. Back to the study with computer exposure to negative or positive language. Those who had been exposed to the positive language were interviewed again three weeks after the original experience, and they were significantly better still at the memory and physical tests. This is where it gets to be both a half empty and a half full glass. If through actions or words older adults are reinforced with negative language or behavior, they won’t let you down…they will go downhill in their abilities and their sense of themselves. Those who are exposed to positive situations and affirming language actually become happier…and healthier. So, please think about how you talk with your older loved one next opportunity you have…what you say…and how you act will have a measureable impact on their quality of life. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
Dental health and mental health are linked. That’s right, dental and mental well-being are medically linked. I have posted a lot about dementia and how consuming too much alcohol, living in polluted air, sustaining a head injury, diet and a lot of other factors influence whether you will someday develop one form of dementia or another. In fact, the consensus among health care professionals is that two of every five cases of dementia could be prevented or delayed by lifestyle and healthstyle changes. But one healthstyle change that you may not be aware of is basic dental hygiene. In research recently reported in the journal Neurology scientists linked oral health to memory health. Scientists followed a group of 8,275 men and women whose average age was 63 at the study’s outset for almost two decades. Nearly one in five of the study subjects developed Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia over the 18 years they were followed. The scientists were measuring and carefully tracking a whole host of demographics and health characteristics. They recorded age, gender and education and tracked cholesterol levels, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, body mass and oral health. Teeth health, it turns out, provided a significant marker for dementia. Those with severe gingivitis and tooth loss increased their risk of dementia by 22% over the other people with healthy gums and teeth. Among those who had lost all their teeth for whatever cause over the years they were followed had a 26% increase in their risk of developing dementia over those with healthy teeth. The researchers cite the fact that the bacteria that can cause gingivitis can travel from the mucous membrane of the mouth along nerves to the brain. But the link between dental health and mental health could be more general. Inflammation also is a factor in developing dementia. When a person’s mouth becomes infected as it does with gingivitis that inflammation can spread to other parts of the body like the brain. That inflammation can affect the cardiovascular system and the pancreas (resulting in diabetes), and both of these also have been demonstrated to have links to dementia. I have to point out that this is not proof that dental disease causes dementia…but the dental disease does precede the dementia. If dental disease which is caused by poor dental hygiene does cause dementia, there is trouble on our collective horizon. Half the population has severe enough periodontal disease to be in the higher dementia risk category! With the “extra time” all of us may have during this pandemic, may I suggest we spend a bit more time brushing our teeth? Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.

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As we age, our bodies give us feedback we’re not used to. Activities that never required a second thought suddenly take some planning. Sometimes it’s hard to know if a new pain or sensation is something that we should worry about, or just a natural part of the aging process. We’ve compiled a list for you. If you or someone you love experiences any symptoms on this list, take them seriously and consult a physician immediately.
1. Confusion/Speech Difficulty. Call 911. These two symptoms are the most common manifestations of stroke. As the difficulty recovering from stroke depends heavily on the speed of attention to the event, it is wise to take this very seriously. Other reasons to suspect stroke include numbness, weakness, paralysis on one side of the body, or further difficulty with balance.
2. Vision Issues. Blurry, double vision? This is also a potential warning of stroke. Additionally, if you experience pain in your eyes, you should seek urgent treatment.
3. Chest Pain. This is a big one. If you have pain that lasts longer than a minute or two, it’s no time to wait. Treating a cardio event in the early stages is key.
4. Shortness of Breath. Any sudden difficulty catching your breath for longer than a few seconds should be your cue to get to the emergency room.
5. Stomach Pain. If it’s sudden, intense, and lasts longer than 30 minutes, a visit to urgent care is called for. Unresolved pain needs dealt with, and abdominal pain could need special attention. Don’t take the risk.
6. High Fever. If an adult has a fever that has reached 104 degrees, they need to be seen by a physician. The same is true for a newborn (up to 3 months) with a fever that reaches 100.4F. Excessive fevers need to be brought down. Let the professionals help.
7. Unusual Vomiting. When abdominal pain is unrelieved after vomiting, or if there is blood in the vomit, the situation needs caution and monitoring. If the unusual vomiting is accompanied by a high fever and lasts more than a few hours, children should be seen immediately. Adults should be seen if the episode lasts longer than a day.
8. Seizures. If seizures are part of your medical history, follow your doctor’s orders for managing; however, if seizures increase in occurrence, this is call to revisit your care plan. A first-time seizure requires immediate attention, as does a seizure experienced by anyone who lives with diabetes, or who is pregnant.
9. Head Injury. Take even a head bump seriously if you have a lingering headache. Head injuries can cause seizure, difficulty with speech, and confusion. Loss of sensation, strength, and coordination are also key indicators that any issues with head injury should be taken seriously.
If your symptom is something not listed above, be seen sooner than later. Aging happens differently to everyone, and health is high priority. Finally, trust your instincts. If something feels “off”, check it out. You’re right that it probably is nothing, but it’s much better to know than to worry. Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager and founder of Creative Care Management, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago.