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The Alzheimer's epidemic: an update

4/29/2020

If the numbers can be trusted -- and I take nothing for granted anymore, but they're all we have to work with -- Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are on a pathway to destroying us all.

Consider just a few of the most recent statistics:

Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than breast and prostate cancer combined.
Between 2000 and 2018, deaths from Alzheimer's rose by 146%, while deaths from heart disease decreased by 7.8%.
One in three seniors dies with (although apparently not necessarily from) one form of dementia or another.
Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's; by 2050, the experts expect the number to rise to as many as 14 million.
By 2050, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are predicted to cost the U.S. up to $1.1 trillion per year.

Yet just 50 years ago, this disease (along with others related to the brain) was almost unknown. What's going on?

In some cases, the disease can be genetic. (So much for evolutionary improvements due to positive, additive genetic changes. How can anyone be deluded enough to believe in evolution?) But otherwise, the experts appear to be stumped.

Could it be environmental? Aluminum has apparently been ruled out as a cause, but could it be something else that we're willingly ingesting? Could it be related to vaccines?

Until questions like these are answered, and Alzheimer's is on the wane, let's hope that our leaders are making plans for caring for the victims of this nasty disease. And let's hope that words like "euthanasia" and "Thailand" are nowhere to be found in their proposals.

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God's timing

4/22/2020

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I see so much long-term suffering at the nursing home where I normally hang out -- from the pains of old age to the sorrow of losing loved ones to the heartache caused by neglectful children.

Not surprisingly, the Lord makes all the difference in these lives: Those who are His bear up well under sometimes crippling physical pain or devastating losses -- often with joy, even without the "help" of psych medications. Those who are not His, and are not interested in anything about Him, do not.

I was reminded of the difference He makes when I stumbled across some writings I'd saved from the wonderful old devotional Streams in the Desert. I am sure that the contentment of those who belong to Jesus can be attributed to their understanding of the precious truths highlighted in essays such as this:

"And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush…saying…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt" (Acts 7:30, 32, 34).

"That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. --Dr. Jowett

"God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull.

"The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair.

"Joseph's was a long trial, and God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. 'He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,' but He knows how long, and like a true goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal.

"We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, 'All things have worked together for good.'

"Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a 'need-be' for every lesson, and when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, and we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal.

"God is educating us for the future, for higher service and nobler blessings; and if we have the qualities that fit us for a throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come. Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait." -- Selected

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Good questions for a prospective nursing home

4/14/2020

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If you’re searching for a skilled nursing facility (SNF) for a loved one, you undoubtedly have at the ready a list of questions covering everything from costs to quality control, from bathing schedule to activities. But here are some additional subjects you might want to explore with each admissions director you interview; the answers could save you both confusion and frustration down the road.

1. What’s your overarching goal in caring for my loved one?

Personally, I’d like to hear that the home under consideration has, as its top priority, ensuring my loved one of a comfortable, safe, loving and stimulating environment for the rest of his or her life.

And I’d like to know how this place demonstrates it. For example, does its Activities staff go to great lengths to keep residents’ creative juices flowing? Does Dietary bend over backwards to tempt even fussy eaters? Does the Physical Therapy team specialize in my loved one’s problems?

In short, ask the admission director what’s extraordinary about his or her facility, and how that might impact your loved one.

2. What exactly can you do for us?

It never hurts to ask an admissions director to spell out the advantages this facility offers residents.

You might ask him or her what they tell government inspectors about their capabilities – and to translate this language into plain English to communicate what it means to your loved one.

For example, how many clinical staff hours does each resident receives per day? What is this home’s track record on minimizing falls or choking events, or hastening the diagnosis and treatment of UTIs? Then the clincher: what steps are being taken to further improve this facility's performance in each of these areas?

This is the kind of detail that can reveal a great deal about how much a particular SNF team cares about its residents.

3. What can’t you do?

Some residents' families assume that their loved ones will remain under 24-hour-a-day observation in a skilled nursing facility. Then, when something bad happens beyond the staff’s field of view, thoughts of neglect or abuse leap to their minds.

What’s more, some families blame the SNF for things that are totally out of any facility’s control – especially when the government has tied its hands. In Wisconsin, for instance, bed rails cannot be provided until a resident has actually fallen out of bed and hurt himself. The reason: it smacks of restraint.

Such restrictions mean that occasional falls are almost inevitable in even the finest nursing homes. Don’t let your expectations get out of whack. Instead, determine up front what the rules are, and what this particular facility is doing to keep its residents safe and sound in spite of the most confounding restrictions.

4. Are you trying to rip us off?

Many people feel like they’re being ripped off by nursing homes–and indeed, it may seem like they’re all in cahoots, charging similarly exorbitant fees.

Why not discuss the financial nitty gritty up front? Find out what private, round-the-clock care would cost in your home, and compare those numbers with each prospective nursing home's. You may be surprised to find out just how cost-effective a nursing home can be; it's all relative, after all.

Then ask each admissions director what hidden extras you'd be getting for your buck. For instance, what kind of investment does this SNF make in continuous staff training each year? In keeping the place spotless? In maintaining a warm and inviting environment? In keeping up with ever-evolving regulations?

And then how about exploring the financial realities of nursing-home P&L? Specifically, what proportion of a private-pay resident’s “rent” goes to subsidize someone who can’t pay his or her own way? Whichever side of this equation you’re on at the moment, you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised to learn that your loved one will continue to receive quality care even if he or she runs out of money. But beware: not all facilities offer this distinct advantage.

5. If we have a complaint, what do we do?

If your loved one is in a home for any length of time, issues will undoubtedly arise. So ask what you should do if you have concerns or complaints. Whose job is it to advocate and intervene for your family? And if that doesn’t work, what’s your next step?

What am I forgetting?

If you have other less-obvious questions that should be asked before signing a loved one up for SNF living, please drop me a note. I'll then begin compiling Good Questions, Part 2.

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Your heavenly welcoming committee

4/9/2020

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“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” (Luke 16:9)

You may recall that Jesus provided this advice in wrapping up the Parable of the Unjust Steward – the corrupt employee who, faced with being fired for mismanagement of his employer’s goods, assured himself of a comfortable future by slashing the debts of his employer’s many debtors.

I suppose there are many possible interpretations of this passage, and in particular of verse 9. But personally, I think Jesus was saying, “If you’re going to use your resources to buy the favor of others, use them to make friends who’ll be there to welcome you into heaven.”

Which seems to me to be another excellent reason for investing yourself in the lives and hearts of elderly long-term-care residents.

Like any Christian who has spent a lot of time helping out at a nursing home, I have a long list of friends who’ll be there to greet me when I get to heaven. In fact, several went on ahead only a few weeks ago. I miss them one and all – but oh, the thought of seeing them again, wearing their glorious spiritual bodies, free at last from the grief, pain, fear, disappointments and all the limitations of this fallen world!

Of course, nothing will match the joy of being in the presence of the One who died for us. But I have a sneaking suspicion that our reunions with these friends will be unspeakably grand. After all, planning ahead for this particular welcoming committee was Jesus’ idea! If you haven’t already started assembling yours, why not get started as soon as this nationwide quarantine has been lifted?

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Warning: loneliness can be fatal

4/1/2020

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As we begin another month of obeying our government's stay-at-home orders, I have been reminded once again of a study I read some time ago--a University of California-San Francisco study on social isolation, for which researchers spent six years following 1604 adults. In the process, the researchers discovered that (brace yourself!) lonely old folks tend not to live as long as those who are not lonely.

Published online in 2012 but only highlighted years later by major outlets such as Good Housekeeping, the study revealed that the lonely elderly are not only more likely to die, but are also more likely to suffer functional decline – for instance, in mobility.

The difference in death rates among these populations was not insignificant: 23% of the “lonely” group members died over the course of the study, while only 14% of the “not lonely” did so.

The implications?

As Good Housekeeping’s reporter noted, “Inviting Grandma over for dinner may actually extend her life – and increase its quality.”

Perhaps the study also suggests that those with both compassion and free time should do whatever they can to combat this problem – one of this blog’s primary themes, in fact. After all, we don't have to travel farther than the nearest nursing home to help alleviate loneliness for at least a few.

Just as important, we may need to adjust our thinking on the subject of living arrangements for the elderly in today’s oh-so-sophisticated, youth-worshiping culture.

Good Housekeeping’s story touched on what I believe to be a profound insight in this regard: “Beyond inviting our older relatives and friends into our homes, it's important to encourage elderly relationships — which is why, despite popular belief, older folks tend to thrive in independent or assisted living environments.”

To independent and assisted-living environments, I would add “great nursing homes.” As Golden Years proposed several years back, they can be a far better solution for many than living with children and grandchildren who are too busy to care.

But as long as this current COVID-19 crisis continues, all these avenues of social interaction are cut off for many of our old folk. Until it's behind us, please do what you can to stay in touch with your elderly friends and relatives. Call, write, email, Skype or FaceTime, even stop by and visit through a window, if that's at all practical; some families are doing just that at nursing homes around here, using cell phones to talk with their loved ones through the windows. There's no hugging, of course, but it sure beats the prolonged loneliness that this health crisis is causing for far too many people.

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The Alzheimer's epidemic: an update

God's timing

Good questions for a prospective nursing home

Your heavenly welcoming committee

Warning: loneliness can be fatal

Kitty
Foth-Regner

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The Alzheimer's epidemic: an update

God's timing

Good questions for a prospective nursing home

Your heavenly welcoming committee

Warning: loneliness can be fatal

KittyFoth-Regner

Archives

Categories

Care to subscribe?

Kitty
Foth-Regner