A health care agent is a person you appoint to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated or unable to make any decisions. A Living Will (Advanced Directive) expresses your wishes about your health care including, but not limited to, resuscitation, life sustaining treatments (respirator, feeding tube, etc.) and withholding / withdrawing of life sustaining treatments. The Living Will is only effective when you are terminally ill or unconscious and unable to communicate your wishes. When it comes to making decisions regarding end of life issues, do you know your wishes or have you communicated those…
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Alzheimer disease is a heartbreaker. Not only is it awful for the patient, but it’s devastating for the caregiver. Someone who hasn’t dealt with Alzheimer’s disease, can’t imagine the stress of the constant pacing, up during nights, the fidgeting, the safety concerns, and of course the memory loss. Imagine the heartbreak you feel looking into the now empty eyes of your spouse of 40 or 50 years and recalling all the wonderful times you spent together and then sitting down and crying over the horrible truth that your spouse no longer recognizes you. Your marriage vows said for “better or…
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Terri Mason of Sunrise showing the great food at the event.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that over 500,000 older adults are abused or neglected each year. This number is probably low because many victims are unable or afraid to report it. Also, professionals and family members may miss signs of abuse. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that one out of 10 older people experienced abuse—not including financial abuse, which is the most prevalent form of elder abuse. The annual loss from victims of elder financial exploitation was estimated to be nearly $3 billion in 2009. Elder abuse is a growing problem with devastating…
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In another sales-sapping blow to Eli Lilly and Co., the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided not to pay for patient use of a Lilly imaging drug used in Alzheimer’s assessments. The Indianapolis drugmaker said that it’s disappointed in the decision, which it called “contrary to expert opinion.” The CMS decision is a financial blow to Lilly’s Amyvid, a new drug marketed for use in brain scans to evaluate patients for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain dysfunctions. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, Amyvid is the only drug of its kind on the market. In…
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Professionals, caregivers and people living with dementia are invited to attend this annual conference. Keynote Presentation: Alzheimer’s Disease, the Physician’s Perspective Boyd Dwyer M.D., Mid Maryland Neurology Additional Presentations: Dementia: Creative Solutions for Caregivers Sue Paul, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, COO, Baker Rehab Group When is it Time to Stop Driving Timothy Jones, OTR/L, Comprehensive Driving Rehab Services, Rehabilitation of Frederick Three category one social work CEUs available with registration. When: Wednesday November 13, 2013 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EST Where: Mount Saint Mary's Conference Center, 5350 Spectrum Drive, Frederick, MD 21703 Driving Directions Contact: Mary Ann Farr…
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The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the annual opportunity to raise funds for this disease in a way that leads to community education, and encourages the investment of funds into research for treatment and a cure. From our perspective as an elder law firm, there is no question that Alzheimer’s disease is the single biggest issue we face. There are no easy answers to this horrible disease. As we provide comfort and assistance to our clients and families, we try to encourage understanding. We don’t ask for charitable donations very often. However, Alzheimer’s disease is one of our primary charitable…
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Watch this YouTube video on going purple to end Alzheimer's and learn how you can get involved.
Clinicians and researchers now have a new and simple way to find appropriate instruments to evaluate the cognitive status of older patients in the primary care setting. The Instruments to Detect Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Database from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health contains detailed information about more than 100 published instruments for detecting Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive impairment. Each instrument in the database was developed as a cognitive assessment for age-related dementia and has had at least three published studies using the instrument since its debut and at least…
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You may have to deal with personality changes and difficult behaviors. You may be asked the same question over and over. You typically face issues with bathing, dressing and toileting. Your loved one may wander off if you aren't careful. What I want to achieve in this article is to offer some ideas about five things Alzheimer's caregivers should never do: Don't Be in Denial The problem with denial is it doesn't lead you to take your loved one to a primary care physician or neurologist for a complete workup. And the problem with that is that sometimes dementia is…
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