Archive for March, 2012

Worms Could be Key to Cure for Parkinson’s

Researchers at The University of Texas may have found an important key to finding drugs to treat or potentially cure Parkinson’s disease—worms. The roundworms are genetically modified to have a dopamine deficiency similar to that in Parkinson’s. Because roundworms and humans share a similar genetic structure to their dopaminergic systems, researchers can study the effectiveness certain drugs have on the worms’ movements and conclude they could have similar results in humans with Parkinson’s disease.

This breakthrough model is cheaper and faster than the typical testing, and researchers believe that they may be able to test roughly 1,000 drugs a year using worms. For more information on the Parkinsonian worms, read this article from the University of Texas.

Friedman Lecture Information

Washington University’s annual Friedman Lecture will be taking place Monday, April 30th from 3-5 pm at Graham Chapel with a reception to follow at the Danforth University Center. Dr. John Morris, Director of the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, will be presenting The Aging Mind: Realities and Myths. More information here.

Exercise-Gaming Yields More Cognitive Benefits than Traditional Exercise

It’s no secret that exercise keeps our bodies and minds young and healthy. However, a new study shows that seniors who incorporate interactive video games into their workouts see even bigger benefits than just exercise alone. Assistant professor of psychology at Union College in Schenectady, NY, Cay Anderson-Hanley, stated that for older adults, virtual-reality enhanced interactive exercise, or ‘cybercycling’ two to three times a week for three months, yielded greater cognitive benefits and perhaps added more protection against mild cognitive impairment than a similar dose of traditional exercise.

Find out more about interactive exercise and how it can benefit your senior loved ones in this article from the Alzheimer’s Reading Room.

We’re 10 Years Old!

How Alzheimer’s Progresses Through the Brain

Having difficulty understanding how Alzheimer’s disease progresses? This brief animated YouTube video illustrates the different stages of the disease and shows exactly what happens in a brain with Alzheimer’s.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

It’s Social Worker Month!

We love our Social Workers! Continuum has been based on a social work model since its founding ten years ago. This has served our company, our clients, and our referral sources well. We use a social work model because…

  • Social workers are trained to provide a professional and individualized assessment and plan of care to meet the needs of each client.
  • Social workers provide oversight for the changing needs of our clients and make appropriate referrals and recommendations.
  • Social workers provide education and training to our caregivers, clients and families on a multitude of topics such as: Family Dynamics, Communicating with People who have Dementia, End of Life Issues (The Grieving Process), Mental Illness, etc.
  • Social workers lead our “Care Teams” which consist of Nurses, Supervisors, Caregivers and Staffing Coordinators.
  • By assigning a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to each of our clients and their families, we are providing a level of built-in case management. Meeting the needs of our clients is our first priority, and our Social Workers are trained and educated to provide the oversight needed to meet the ever changing needs of our clients and their families.

Providing a social work model of homecare gives our clients, families and caregivers the extra professional support they need when confronted with difficult decisions, unpleasant situations, misinformation or lack of knowledge about a disease or diagnosis, family dynamics or need for referral services.

Aspirin May Double Risk of Macular Degeneration

Aspirin is great for soothing headaches and is also recommended to lower the risk of heart attack in some patients. However, daily aspirin use may double a senior’s risk of developing the “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration, a debilitating eye disease. A European study published in the January issue of Ophthalmology noted that about one-third of those with wet AMD consumed aspirin daily, compared with 16 percent of those with no AMD.

While further research is required to explain the association, the findings could spell trouble for millions of seniors who are on an aspirin regimen for pain, inflammation and blood clot management. To read more about this study, click here.

Five Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke

Studies show that consuming these foods greatly increases the chance of having a stroke:

1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought pastries and baked goods
2. Smoked and processed meats
3. Diet soda
4. Red meat
5. Canned soup and prepared foods

This article from Caring.com explains why these food types should be avoided and what to replace them with.

Continuum in the News

Our founder and president Barth Holohan was interviewed by the Webster-Kirkwood Times for their article about how those 80 & older represent the fastest growing segment of society.

From “Aging Population Can Present Challenges”:

Move over 20-30-40- and 50-somethings of the world, there’s a lot more senior citizens than there used to be – those 65 and older now make up the largest part of the country’s population pie.

“Between 8,000 and 10,000 baby boomers are hitting 65 (years old) every day, but the fastest growing population are individuals over the age of 80,” said Barth Holohan, who is the founder and president of Des Peres-based Continuum, which provides private duty home care, nursing, retirement community programs, personal emergency response systems and geriatric care management to senior citizens.

The fact that people are living longer influences trends such as what type of housing is built to how families will manage the care of their elder counterparts.

“The marketplace is changing as it pertains to care for older adults,” Holohan said. “Thirty to 40 years ago you had a nursing home or you had people getting care in their home, but usually care in the home was done by a loved one. When people would stay in the hospital it was for a long period of time. Now, people are in the hospital for a short period of time, go to rehab, then go home with home care – and the services you have available to you in the home are extensive.”

The in-home care industry is thriving, and Holohan’s company is proof of that. “When we started 10 years ago I was the first employee … now we have over 200 staff and service over 400 clients,” he said, adding that growth in the industry has exploded in the past five years. People want to stay in their home and pay out-of-pocket for services. You will see this trend increase as baby boomers age and need more care.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Feedback from the Field

Continuum recently asked our colleagues to tell us what they enjoy most about working with us. Here is what they had to say:

  • The staff is so cheerful!
  • I love Continuum’s reliability. If I refer a family, I know they will be taken care of in every way!
  • The staff are professional
  • Their caregivers have made my job much easier
  • Rapid response to our needs
  • The fantastic staff
  • Your flexibility and generosity
  • Thoughtful decision making
  • Responsive
  • Professional
  • Compassionate with clients and employees
  • I love the cheerfulness of the staff. They must be smiling as they answer the phone.
  • The staff are very caring and understanding. I don’t feel like I am a client, rather part of a family.

Such positive comments are wonderful to hear! One of our primary endeavors is to set and maintain the standard of care in the in-home care field. Many thanks to everyone who provided feedback—we will continue to strive to prove worthy of your trust in us!