California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer BlogPsychomotor activity is a strong indicator of mood disorders. Psychomotor slowing in adults with depression may indicate a dimension of symptoms that can facilitate the process of diagnosing the depression subtype and deciding on the best treatment. Due to age-related factors, psychomotor activity pertaining to both cognition and gait speed can significantly decline.
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New Studies Show That Stress is More Harmful to Health Then One May Realize
Stress is an integral part of everyone’s lives, whether it comes from work, school, financial issues, relationship problems, etc. Statistics show that an estimated 75% of Americans reported feelings of moderate to high levels of stress within the past month. Although most people are aware that stress can take a toll on sleep quality, cause headaches and increase the risk of depression, but studies have found more surprising effects stress can have on our health.
An Increasing Number of Older Adults are Dying from Cardiovascular Disease
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) 2016 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease and stroke are the two top contributors for deaths worldwide. Although efforts have been made to reduce the rates of death from heart disease and stroke, the numbers are still very high. More than 800,000 American people died in 2013 due to cardiovascular diseases, including more than 370,000 deaths from heart disease and almost 129,000 from stroke. There are seven factors associated with cardiovascular health that people should be aware of: smoking, exercise, diet, body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
Playing 3D Games Can Boost Memory Function in Older Adults
Video game players can all rejoice—new research has shown that playing 3D video games can enhance memory, possibly offering a new way to maintain mental functioning as we age. Previous studies claimed that video games encourage a sedentary lifestyle, while violent video games have been associated with aggressive behavior and diminished self-control. However, many recent studies have shown that video games may have some health benefits. A study published by Medical News Today earlier this year reported that Tetris could decrease cravings, while other studies showed that story-based video games could benefit people with autism. Now, a study conducted at the University of California-Irvine (UCI) shows that video games could benefit people with dementia or other cognitive conditions related to memory, enhancing memory performance by as much as 12%.
Care Providers Must Prevent Frail Older Adults From Falls
Frailty among older adults is known to be associated with a large variety of adverse health outcomes. Frail older adults are vulnerable to experiencing disability, falls, institutionalization, hospitalization, and increase in mortality. Among these risks, falls are the primary cause of mortality in older adults. Given that the older adult population is continuously expanding worldwide, preventing falls has become a major public concern. Factors that increase the risk of falling must be identified in order to prevent the occurrence of falls.
A Recent Study Has Found a Crucial Link Between Parkinson’s and Gaucher’s Disease
A decreased ability to distinguish between colors is characteristic of people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, but is less severe among those who have Gaucher’s disease with “Parkinsonian” symptoms. Although most of the world’s population is not as prone to developing Gaucher’s disease compared to Parkinson’s, Ashkenzi Jewish families are most commonly affected by it. According to recent research conducted by Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC), Gaucher’s disease is characterized by symptoms much like Parkinson’s disease but not as severe. The study was led by Professor Shlomi Siman-Tov of the SZMC’s Gaucher Center’s opthalmology department and Professor Nir Giladi of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The study was published in The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
Wii Technology as a Possible Tool for Stroke Rehabilitation
Stroke is the primary reason for long-term disability. Physical rehabilitation strategies that are intensive, repetitive, and task-oriented can significantly improve motor function in patients with stroke through encouraging motor learning and neuroplasticity. Repetitive task training that requires the performance of functionally relevant tasks at high intensity levels can enhance transfer ability, balance, lower limb function, and walking speed in patients who have survived a stroke.
The Palliative Approach of Advanced Care Planning for Patients with Dementia
As dementia becomes more prevalent within the older adult population, care that aims to provide comfort or quality of life, as in palliative care, may be a more appropriate option than curative care. A primary characteristic of quality of palliative care is advanced care planning (ACP). It is also a key component for nursing home patients with dementia. ACP is an anticipatory decision-making strategy for patients, family, and professional caregivers that helps to prioritize care goals and future care that is perceived appropriate when considering the patient’s preferences. It differs from traditional care planning in that plans are made in anticipation of future debilitation in a person’s condition.
Early Stages of Frailty have an Effect on Cognition
Frailty and dementia are extremely prevalent in the aging population, both of which are related to the high risks of disability. Frailty increases vulnerability in older adults and diminishes their ability to deal with stressors. Most studies have shown that cognitive disability is strongly associated with physical frailty. A recent study explored how physical frailty influenced cognition in individual’s without dementia in order to better understand the pure effect of frailty on cognitive functioning and the susceptibility of cognitive states in different frail conditions.
Long-Term Care Providers Must Assess Their Patients’ Cognitive Functioning and Provide Appropriate Care
Today, more than 5 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Not only will this number continue to rise to almost 14 million by 2050, almost 30 million Baby Boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in the next 35 years. It is crucial that cognitive decline is identified early and accurately. Impaired cognition due to causes such as depression, side effects of medication, excessive alcohol consumption, thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, and sleep deprivation are reversible. Moreover, early detection of even progressive, fatal diseases such as Alzheimer’s allows for future planning of issues pertaining to legal and financial affairs and end-of-life care.
