cape (~azette HEALTH & FITNESS TUESDAY• FEBRUARY 21- THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 23, 2012 19
very 69 seconds, some-
One in America devel-
ops Alzheimer's disease.
For treatment to be the
most beneficial, early detection
is critical, and a prompt diagno-
sis helps family and friends pre-
pare for the future care of the
Alzheimer's patient.
The Alzheimer's Association
has compiled a list ofl0 warning
signs of Alzheimer's and how
they differ from mental glitches
that shouldn't faze you. They in-
clude memory loss that disrupts
daily life; challenges in planning
or solving problems; difficulty
completing familiar tasks at
home, at work or at leisure; con-
fusion ,With time or place; trou-
ble understanding visual images
and spatial relationships; new
problems with words in speak-
ing or writing; misplacing things
and losing the ability to retrace
steps; decreased or poor judg-
ment; withdrawal from work or
social activities; and changes in
mood or personality.
More information about these
warning signs and what distin-
gnishes them from normal be-
havior is available'on the
Alzheimer's Association web-
site, http://www.alz.org.
"A person doesn't have to
have all of them," says Dr. David
Reuben; chief of the geriatrics
division in the Department of
Medicine at UCLA. "But with
three or four, maybe it's time to
get checked out."
Early detection is critical
Evaluations for early detection
of Alzheimer's will generally in-
clude medical history, physical
examination, blood and urine
tests, neuropsychological testing
and brain imaging scanning.
These tests can be performed
by your regular physician; but
may be better suited to a neurol-
ogist, a geriatric psychiatrist or a
medical center that provides
Alzheimer's care. You can also
find additional information at
the National Institute for Aging:
www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers.
Help for famUies
For most people diagnosed
with the disease, a family mem-
ber wall be their primary care-
giver, a job that entails a lot of
emotional stress. Visiting An-
gels, a home care company that
provides caregivers to help peo-
ple with activities of daily living,
understands the devastation of
Alzheimer's disease and offers
help to families struggling with
its challenges.
'A lot of people feel complete-
ly overwhelmed, and don't know
that affordable help is out there,"
says Visiting Angels President
David Forman. 'Agencies like
ours can be pivotal in keeping
people at home where their
memories are. Familiar sur-
roundings are critical to manag-
ing symptoms. Unfortunately,
once you displace people with
Alzheimer's from their own
homes, they can decline quick-
ly."
In many cases where family
members live separately and
can't provide care, Visitirig An-
gels allows the Alzheimer's pa-
tient to stay in their own home,
providing a safe alternative to
assisted living facilities.
Most of Visiting Angels' care-
givers have extensive training
and experience with
Alzheimer's. They can provide
much-needed respite to family
caregivers who must work, or
just need a break, or provide
peace of mind to family mem-
bers who live out of town.
"Even with competent family
care, the relationship between
caregiver and care recipient
changes drastically," says For-
man. "You're no longer the
spouse or child as much as you
are the caregiver. Outside pro-
fessional help allows you to
reestablish normal roles within
family relationships to every-
body's benefit."
Visiting Angels of Sussex,
Delaware provides compassion-
ate caregivers that can help with
hygiene assistance, dressing,
meal preparation, light house-
work, laundry, shopping, errands
and appointments, and joyful
companionship.
Visiting Angels are available
from a few hours to 24/7 live-in
care. Call 302-329-9475 for a free
in-home consultation, and go to
visitingangels.com/sussexde for
more information.
David Formatl is president of Visiting
Angels.
for heart month
It's a fact - heart disease is the
single biggest health risk for sen-
iors across the United States.
It is the leading cause of death
and hospitalization among all
older Americans, but one local
company is showing Delaware-
area seniors that simple nutrition
tips and lifestyle tricks can sig-
nificantly lower the risk of them
becoming another statistic.
February is American l-Ieart
Month, and as groups around the
nation are raising awareness :
about heart disease, senior care
experts from Senior Helpers are
working with the local elderly
each day to help fight the battle
on the front lines.
"Many of the families and sen-
iors we work with locally don't
understand that a proper diet
and even modest exercise can re-
duce the risk of heart disease and
heart attacks among seniors by
more than 25 percent," said Chris
Stetzar, owner and director of
care of Senior Helpers of Dover,
a senior care company that pro-
vides in-home and companion
care services for seniors from
lower New Castle County
through Sussex County.
"Getting older doesn't have to
mean getting lazy, so we do
everything we possibly can to
help our clients continue to live a
healthy, happy lifestyle," Stetzar
said.
The American Heart Associa-
tion lists these statistics about
seniors and heart disease: 5.3
million Americans are living
with heart disease and over
600,000-more are diagnosed
each year; one in five seniors
over the age of 65 develop some
sort of heart disease: the number
of seniors hospitalized annually
for heart failure has increased
more than 130 percent since
1980; simple, regular light-to-
moderate physical activity (walk-
ing, gardening, outdoor chores,
etc.) can reduce the risk of heart
disease among seniors by 25 to
36 percent.
In addition to physical exer-
cise, a healthy diet and lifestyle
can also significantly reduce the
risk of suffering heart disease,
heart attacks and irregular or
rapid heartbeats - all red flags of
potential heart failure among the
elderly,
"The heart is a muscle, and like
every, other muscle group in the
body, you need to exercise it and
give it the nutrients it needs to
work properly," Stetzar said, "es-
pecially as you get older."
Additional tips include the fol-
lowing: quit smoking and mini-
mize alcohol consumption; avoid
food with trans fats; eat plenty of
fish, green vegetables and nuts
with omega-3 fatty acids to im-
prove overall heart health; drink
black or green tea after meals -
antioxidants in these beverages
decrease blood vessel constric-
tion and improve overall circula-
tion
"Each senior we work with
needs different help and assis-
tance to remain independent,"
Stetzar said.
"Our caregivers are all trained
and certified, and they know
how to safely promote an indi-
vidual heart-healthy lifestyle
among aging loved ones.
Whether it's help in the kitchen
preparing meals, assistance mov-
ing around the house during the
day, or simply a friend to l-noti-
vate an aging family member to
get out for an afternoon walk, we
can help."
Senior Helpers connects pro-
fessional caregivers with seniors
who wish to live at home as op-
posed to a nursing or assisted- cus on quality of life for the
living facility. For more information visit: client and peace of mind for their
The company has nearly 300 www.seniorhelpers.comfamilies.
franchises in 40 states and one in For more information, go to
Canada offering a wide range of services to assist seniors living www.seniorhelpers.com.
personal and companion care independently with a strong fo-
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