Spring Arbor Living Blog

Congress recently sent a bill to the President’s desk that would significantly impact the future wellbeing of our nation’s aging population. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), a bipartisan bill, aims to combat Alzheimer’s with the same determination with which we have worked to prevent and treat AIDS and cancer. If enacted as expected, the main goals of the bill will be to:

•  Launch a campaign within the federal government to overcome Alzheimer’s disease.
• Establish an inter-agency Advisory Council to develop with the Secretary of Health and Human Services a coordinated National Alzheimer’s Disease Plan.
• Comprehensively address the federal government’s efforts on Alzheimer’s research, care, institutional services, and home- and community-based programs.
• Accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Decrease health disparities by ensuring ethnic and racial populations at higher risk for Alzheimer’s receive much-needed care and services.

As compared with the AIDS and cancer federal agendas, combating Alzheimer’s is unique in that there are no survivors. It is up to advocacy organizations, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, to organize caregivers, eldercare professionals, and those with Alzheimer’s that can tell their story, to provide valuable information and feedback to this new federal office. If you know a loved one that has been diagnosed with this affliction contact us today and we'll be happy to help in anyway possible.

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As many break throughs in the research of dementia and Alzheimer's continues researchers are getting closer and closer to find a proper medication for this terrible affliction. Recently some medications were approved that help with Alzheimer's. Although current medications cannot cure Alzheimer’s or stop it from progressing, they may help lessen symptoms, such as memory loss and confusion, for a limited time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two types of medications — cholinesterase inhibitors (Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, Cognex) and memantine (Namenda) — to treat the cognitive symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. While these are no cure it is still a huge step in helping to rid patients with Alzhiemer's

As Alzheimer’s progresses, brain cells die and connections among cells are lost, causing cognitive symptoms to worsen. While current medications cannot stop the damage Alzheimer’s causes to brain cells, they may help lessen or stabilize symptoms for a limited time by affecting certain chemicals involved in carrying messages among the brain's nerve cells. Doctors sometimes prescribe both types of medications together. Some doctors also prescribe high doses of vitamin E for cognitive changes of Alzheimer's disease. If you know a loved one who has suffered from this illness, contact us today and we'll be happy to help with any questions or do what we can for you and your loved one.

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High Tech Accessory: Electronic Tracking and Medical Record Bracelets

Medical alert bracelets have been around for years.  However, technology and entrepreneurial opportunists now team to offer a higher level of protection to those with complex medical conditions.  Let us introduce you to the concept of electronic medical bracelets proven to save lives. 

You have read the stories about dementia patients wandering away from their care facilities with the consequences ranging from being a non-health issue to death by exposure.  (Editor's Note: We are writing this blog on behalf of the non-Spring Arbor Living general public.  Spring Arbor Living employs multiple procedural fail-safes that protect our 100% resident accountability record.) Those inflected with any number of debilitating diseases (Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, hypo allergies, etc) depend on some form of technology to communicate to first responders when their condition renders them unable to communicate.  The traditional “Medical Alert” bracelets are themselves a life saving device, however, they communicate precious little specific information.  Electronic medical alert bracelets change that. 

These devices enable first responders determine a patients' complete medical history. The bracelets send responders to data files, secure websites, toll free numbers, or even to live chat with medical professionals. This enables the care providers to obtain all the past medical conditions or any prescriptions they are currently taking. This also helps medics proceed with caution.

The emergency bracelets available today are very different from the ones previously utilized.   They not only have bracelets, but they also have necklaces or even a flash drive that can be stylishly hidden (but obvious to a first-responder) in a charm worn around the neck. First-responders access the flash drive on scene and gain immediate access to critical medical information.  The flash drive is the best option as it provides comprehensive medical information. The only “problem” is that without password protection, the information is vulnerable, so patients and caregivers must conduct a cost-benefit analysis for using such technology.  

Again, this blog post is for the non-Spring Arbor general public because patient accountability and ready access to medical information is a foundational and unblemished patient care service provided at each and every Spring Arbor Living facility location. 

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