tO KnOW
Books Bring comfort to
seniors With dementia
caregivers now have another strategy for reaching out to residents with
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of
dementia—books written and designed
especially for seniors with memory care
needs.
experts say that even individuals
with late-stage Alzheimer’s are engaged
by these books that
they can read either
by themselves or
with the help of a
family member or
caregiver.
researchers
confirm that reading
can improve quality of life for seniors
with Alzheimer’s disease and that “the
meanings of sentences can be under-
stood by—and prompt cogent respons-
es from—even those who have difficulty
handling verbal exchanges,” according
to a New York Times report.
but regular large-print or children’s
books often won’t work to engage
seniors with dementia. “if they see
something as being childish, you have
lost them,” dr. barry reisberg told
the Times. reisberg is a professor of
psychiatry and director of the Fisher
Alzheimer’s program at new York
university. he and other physicians are
endorsing the use of books like those
published by lydia burdick, a new York
businesswoman who was inspired to
produce them by her mother’s struggle
with Alzheimer’s disease.
research shows that people “who
were literate maintain their ability to
read until the end stages of dementia,”
says Michelle s. bourgeois, a professor
of speech and hearing science at Ohio
state university.
For more information about books
for Alzheimer’s residents, search Ama-zon.com for burdick’s titles.
AL costs Affected by Older, higher Acuity Residents
Over the past five years, the cost for a one-bedroom, single occupancy assisted living unit has risen about 6.7 percent per year, with a national median monthly
rate of $3,185, according to Genworth Financial’s 2010 Cost of Care Survey. Researchers
attributed the growth to residents trending older and having more care needs.
The annual study includes data on the cost of care in nearly 13,000 nursing homes,
assisted living communities, adult day care, and home care providers in 436 regions
throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
According to the latest Overview of Assisted Living, produced with support from the
Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) and others:
✔ the average assisted living resident’s age is 87 years.
✔ Women make up 74% of all assisted living residents, outnumbering
male residents by almost 3 to 1.
✔ Of all occupied assisted living units, 94% are occupied by one
individual.
For more information about the Overview of Assisted Living, go to www.alfa.org/store.
it’s a free download for AlFA members and $125 for nonmembers.
Seniors who consume alcoholic drinks, even in moderation, may experience different effects
from the same libation levels as they age.
Physicians point to simple biology to explain
why seniors could experience different effects
from alcohol as they age—because aging “changes
the ways our bodies metabolize alcohol,” Lindsay
Sharp, a doctoral candidate at Colorado State
University, says in a New York Times interview.
“We’re not as able to absorb and excrete it, so we
need fewer drinks” to experience their effects.
Consuming two or three alcoholic drinks at
age 70, for example, could have the same effect as
consuming four or five at age 50. Here are several
things to keep in mind regarding alcohol’s effects
on seniors.
n Physicians confirm that moderate drinking that
caused no noticeable health problems in youth
or middle age can create more serious problems
later on.
n Drinking can interfere with many of the medica-
tions that are prevalent among seniors, including
blood thinners like Coumadin.
n Often seniors don’t have to abstain from consum-
ing alcoholic drinks. Rather, they have to reduce their consumption.
n Consuming high levels of alcohol regularly can also disrupt seniors’ sleep patterns,
exacerbate arthritis pain, and contribute to heart damage and depression.
ALcOhOL’s eFFects chAnge With Age
