The Senior Scene

While getting vaccinated is important for people of all ages, it’s especially important for adults with heart disease. They are more likely to have serious complications from common diseases such as influenza (flu) or pneumonia that vaccination can help prevent.

Common diseases can become serious in adults with heart disease; they can even increase the risk of another heart attack. The protection that vaccines provide helps reduce these risks, and while adults may know they are at increased risk for a heart attack, they may not know they need vaccines throughout their lives to help protect them from serious illness.

Bill Zeigler, 70, didn’t realize he had coronary artery disease (CAD) until 2016, when he began to feel winded after regular exercise and went to his physician’s office for a stress test. It was there that he learned he had CAD, one of the most common forms of cardiovascular disease. After his diagnosis, he knew he had to make important lifestyle changes, including adopting a healthier diet and maintaining his exercise routine. And while Zeigler had stayed up-to-date with his flu vaccinations, his physician explained that getting these and catching up on his pneumococcal vaccinations was more important now than ever because of his diagnosis.

Vaccines are one of the safest and easiest ways to protect your health, even if you are taking prescription medications, say experts. Fortunately, getting a vaccination is easy — most doctors’ offices, health care centers and local pharmacies offer vaccines, and many are covered by health insurance.

If you have heart disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following:

• An annual flu vaccine to protect against seasonal flu.
• Pneumococcal vaccine to protect against pneumococcal disease between the ages of 19 and 64. All adults will need additional doses once they turn 65.
• Td and Tdap vaccines to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough.) Td is recommended every 10 years for all adults. Tdap vaccine adds protection against whooping cough. All adults need Tdap vaccine if they haven’t received a dose.
• Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles, if you are 60 years or older.

Your healthcare professional may recommend other vaccines as well, based on factors such as your job, lifestyle and travel habits. Be sure to ask what vaccines you need.

“If I were to give advice to anyone else with cardiovascular disease, I would tell them to make sure to follow all the instructions given to them by their physicians, including getting vaccinated,” says Zeigler. “I make sure to get my flu vaccine every year, and any other vaccines that I’m due for.”

To learn more about recommended vaccines and find a location to get vaccinated near you, visit cdc.gov/vaccines/heart.

Getting vaccinated is an important step you can take to protect your health. Talk to your healthcare professional to make sure you have all the vaccines you need.

Source: StatePoint Media

No matter how you look at it, Alzheimer’s is a family disease. It doesn’t affect just one person. Although everyone gets the same diagnosis, no two people will experience Alzheimer’s the same way.

At this point there is no cure and there is no preventive vaccine for Alzheimer’s. It continues to mystify and baffle all the researchers, although more than a few have every confidence that an effective treatment – if not a cure – is on the horizon. 

In a bid to do something positive, families often scour the Internet in search of something more than the traditional pharmaceutical products (think Namenda, Aricept, Exelon, etc.). It’s easy to find numerous alternatives with tall tales of success – herbal supplements, stem cell therapies, apple juice, coconut oil. However, there is no scientific proof that any of these do more than drain family pocketbooks.

Things that do have impact cost very little. Social engagement, physical activity, healthy diet and mental stimulation all appear to have a significant impact. In general, these simple steps do make a difference.

One of the hardest things families will encounter is the shrinking of their circle of friends.  Alzheimer’s is hard to keep secret. Acquaintances may distance themselves when they hear about the diagnosis. Even family members may come around less frequently, perhaps avoiding conversations about Alzheimer’s altogether.

What helps everyone is continued contact and conversation – at whatever level is possible. Many healthcare professionals are certain that at some level, a person with Alzheimer’s knows what is happening around them and what is being said. Even one-way conversations can be helpful in maintaining that relationship.

Simple social courtesies have to be introduced that may seem a bit strange for family members or former co-workers. Stand directly in front of the person, don’t tower over them, make eye contact, speak in a normal tone of voice, and maybe even introduce yourself again: “Hi, Betty, I’m Ellen. We used to work together.”

It can be especially disheartening to try to correct the person with Alzheimer’s. “No, it’s Tuesday. Tuesday, not Saturday. Tuesday!” The best advice is to just go with the flow.  What difference does it really make? 

That can be especially challenging for young children. Reassurance, encouragement and example go far in helping kids share their lives with their elders who are dealing with some very difficult challenges. But the energy and vitality that children bring may be a salve that truly helps an individual along the Alzheimer’s journey. 

One activity that seems to have remarkable impact is music. More and more memory care facilities have found that playing favorite tunes can bring people out of themselves.  If they want to wear out that Andre Rieu CD and it gives them pleasure, so be it. If it’s Bing Crosby that opens their eyes and ears – and maybe vocal chords – then play away. Music has an intrinsic value and is often one of the few things that has deep staying power.

One last thing to consider is getting out. Try not to be trapped in your own house. A favorite restaurant, fast-food joint, park, beach or mall can provide important stimulation. The Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center (253-798-4600) has little cards that you can have with you to share discretely with clerks, wait staff or other people you may encounter: “Pardon my companion. My companion is living with Alzheimer’s / dementia. We may need extra time or assistance.” 

Alzheimer’s is a long journey for everyone. There will be difficult times as well as moments of profound joy. Caregivers, family members and friends all need to truly “be with” a person with Alzheimer’s.

Support is important. Connect with the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org. Call their 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900.

Alzheimer’s, after all, doesn’t affect just one person. It’s a family disease.

Bob Riler, who wrote this article, is a community outreach and education specialist for Pierce County Human Services and Aging and Disability Resources.

While you may take healthy eyes for granted, it’s important to know that as you age, you become more susceptible to conditions that can impair your vision. The effects of vision loss can be devastating, harming one’s quality of life and independence.
Fortunately, there are proactive steps you can take to see better and help keep eyes healthy.
1. Annual ophthalmology appointment. Regular ophthalmological exams are critical, especially for seniors. Even if you think your vision is unchanged, it’s important to make an appointment annually.
A thorough eye exam not only assesses prescription updates, it includes a range of tests looking for signs of cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Catching these issues early means earlier intervention and a greater chance at preserving your vision.
2. Monitor and treat macular degeneration. Over 15 million Americans have macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive disease which can lead to severe central vision blind spots in both eyes. In the most advanced form, End-Stage AMD, it becomes difficult or impossible to recognize faces, read, watch TV or complete tasks requiring detailed vision. However, new advances are helping those living with macular degeneration.
For example, the CentraSight treatment program uses a pea-sized telescope implant. Implanted in one eye only, the FDA-approved and Medicare-eligible device is proven to restore vision and improve quality of life those 65 and older. The other eye remains “as-is,” to maintain the patient’s peripheral vision, because some is lost in the operated eye after the out-patient surgery.
“Remarkably, within a few weeks after the telescope implant surgery, my mom was able read her newspapers from front to back, every little thing. Thankfully, she is also back to knitting and together we are watching English football on the weekends. It’s a huge relief to both of us that the surgery and training was a success,” said Jennifer Rowe of North Carolina.
After surgery, people work with a low vision therapist to learn how to use their new vision, practicing looking at things that are stationary or moving. The telescope implant is not a cure for End-Stage AMD. As with any medical intervention, potential risks and complications exist with the telescope implant. Possible side effects include decreased vision or vision impairing corneal swelling. Individual results may vary.
To learn more, visit CentraSight.com or call 877-99-SIGHT
3. Eat right. Certain nutrients have been identified as good for eye-health. Be sure to get plenty of zinc, Vitamins E and C, lutein and zeaxanthin in your diet.
While supplements can help you ensure you meet your daily requirements, you can also seek out foods that contain these nutrients. Sweet potatoes, flax seeds, leafy greens, eggs, citrus and nuts are all good choices. The good news is that these items can be good for your overall health as well.

Someone in the United States develops dementia every 66 seconds. The diagnosis is devastating for those who have the disease and also imposes a crushing burden on their families.

The decision on the best way to care for a loved one with dementia is dependent on many factors, particularly the stage of the illness and the family’s ability to provide the necessary care.

Sometimes, becoming a caregiver occurs without a conscious decision. In the early stages of dementia, living at home and even living independently are not only possible but desirable in maintaining the patient’s sense of self, and family members – usually a spouse and/or children – are able to provide the necessary care with minimal disruption to their lives. But the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is virtually always progressive, and family members have to come to terms with how their roles and relationships will change over time.

In the first stages of caregiving, the primary requirement is for basic information: What are the current needs for feeding and hygiene? Medication? Legal and financial matters? What is the best way to communicate? To deal with behavioral issues? How will the disease progress?

The patient’s primary care physician can provide a great deal of information and can steer the family toward community resources for help with things like transportation, home-delivered meals, and local daycare programs.

When routines have been established for everyday care, attention must be focused on how to ensure the best possible quality of life for the patient, the family, and especially for the primary caregiver. Here are some tips that will help the patient and prevent care giving responsibilities from becoming overwhelming:

• Don’t go it alone. Caring for a loved one with dementia is often a 24/7 job with constantly changing (and increasing) responsibilities and primary caregivers are at risk for depression and declining health themselves. Say yes to offers of help, even for small things like running errands or providing a meal. Make arrangements for getting a break – whether it’s just to get away for a few hours or for a short vacation. Accept help from family members or contact community agencies that can make recommendations for respite care.
• Keep the patient active, to the extent that it is physically possible. Go for a walk. Enjoy the sunshine, the sounds of birds singing and children playing. Physical activity can decrease anxiety and boredom and can improve sleep. Walking and gentle exercise will also strengthen the leg muscles and help prevent falls.
• Help your loved one make connections. As dementia progresses, the patient increasingly loses a sense of self and of his or her place in the world. But while short-term memory often declines in the early stages of dementia, memories of long ago may be intact and accessible. One way to foster connections is to revive those memories: Look through family photo albums, play or sing old songs, read a favorite book out loud, watch an old movie.
• Foster a connection with animals. Studies have shown that animals have an instinctive ability to help us heal, and that a connection with animals can help reduce stress, improve confidence, and enhance overall well-being for those affected by early-stage dementia. Arrange a visit with a cat or dog or look into a structured workshop that supports non-riding interaction with horses.

Providing care for someone with dementia takes a tremendous toll on the physical and emotional health of the primary caregiver. Caregivers must take care of themselves as well as caring for their loved one. And with the dramatic growth of the elder population and the associated growth in the number of people with dementia, we must go beyond medicine to find ways to enhance the quality of life for patients and caregivers.

Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, who wrote this article,  is the founder of ElderConsult Geriatric Medicine, a housecalls practice in San Francisco, Calif. for older patients and their families.