The Business of Aging

Alzheimer's Drugs: How to Join a Clinical Trial

In this month's (June 2007) AARP Bulletin, there was an article titled Closing In on Alzheimer’s: Finally, new drugs offer real hope for reversing the disease.  It is a very encouraging article about some new therapies on the horizon for treating this horrible disease. Within the article, there is a sidebar on how to join a clinical trial for AD, including information on how to sign up for e-mail alerts about the new trials. 

To find out about clinical trials and studies in your area, call 1-800-438-4380 for the government’s Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center, which can help you locate studies and also answers questions about them.

Boomers expect to work longer, can't afford to quit

A USA Today article Boomers expect to work longer, can't afford to quit reports that Boomers have  fewer children and are less likely to be married, leaving them fewer options if they need help in their old age. 

There are more than 37 million Americans 65 and older, a number that is expected to nearly double by 2030, according to the Census Bureau.

While the article focused on why Boomers will need to work longer, it did not really discuss the related caregiving issues.  For example, because Boomers tend to have only one child (and my guess is most of these children will live more than 50 miles from their parents) they will need home care services as they age - yet, will they have the financial means to afford such services?  And, many of these Boomers currently in their sixties still have living parents who need care - yet, if the Boomers themselves still need to work, they are less able to care for their parents. 

Be Kind and Patient to Older Americans. It's Good Business and Good Period.

While reading the Tangled Neuron blog  I noticed one of the recommended books was  titled Just Love Me: My Life Turned Upside-Down by Alzheimers.

The book caught my attention because most books on Alzheimers tend to be written by caregivers or medical professionals.  Anyway, I found one of the book reviews on Amazon to be particularly moving:

This book has been such an eye-opener that I gave it to friends. As a caregiver to my mother with late stage Alzheimer, it was such a revelation for me to understand what she was going through. When I see the fear and frustration on my mother's face when she knows she should remember something or when she is pretty sure that what she just said doesn't make sense, I remember the title of Jeanne's to "just love" her. All the stories that the author tells of forgetting what she meant to add to the conversation or blanking on the alphabetical order are all things that I watched my mother go through. I would get so frustrated with my mother when she erratically thinks we were going some place else or ask about someone who is dead. Now thanks to "Just Love Me" My Life Turned Upside-down By Alzheimer's,  I know to just give my mother a smile or a hug. I know she can still appreciate the beauty of a sunset even though she sometimes forgets my name. And I know that she never asked to have Alzheimer's and that it is much more painful for her than it is for me.

Well said.

Anyone caring for someone with Alzheimers understands the importance of patience - and kindness.   And as the U.S. population ages,  we all need to be more understanding of older Americans.  Recently, I was out for lunch with my elderly mother who was having difficulty ordering food from the menu. The waitress who was obviously in a hurry became visibly frustrated which hurt my mom's feelings and upset her. That same day, I was filling a prescription for my mom at the local pharmacy when the cashier yelled at an elderly man saying "don't yell at me" when the man had clearly not yelled - he was trying to explain why he thought the prescription was incorrectly filled.  The cashier seemed more stressed than the elderly gentlemen.

These pharmacies (all businesses) need to train their employees on the importance of patience and understanding toward seniors. With the massive increase in our senior population this is good business and just good period.  It's the right thing to do. These seniors helped build the society we now enjoy and a little respect is due.  Service is bad enough at most businesses today but cut the seniors a break - you'll want the same treatment when your that age.

Keep Just 30% of Aging Americans in Their Homes and Save $30 Billion

In Andy Grove's Open Letter to the Candidates he outlines some out-of-the-box ideas on how to fix the U.S. health care system.   The former Intel CEO has some great ideas.  One idea is to "keep [our parents] at home".  As Mr. Grove states:

"The cost of caring for the elderly is huge and will only grow as our population ages. Of the $440,000 the average American spends on health care in his lifetime, $280,000 will be spent after age 65. Probably 50% of that post-65 outlay goes to assisted-living facilities and nursing homes. So it stands to reason that if there were a way to keep elderly patients in their own homes longer - without degrading quality of care - we'd have a cheaper and better system."

In fact, according to Mr. Grove's calculations, the savings achieved by keeping just 10% of the aging population in their homes can amount to $30 billion a year.

Sounds good to me. And, our parents are happier in their homes.  Sounds like a win-win.  For an objective comparison to the various care options for aging adults, check out  Care Options for Your Aging Loved One: How to Make the Right Decisions. If you and your aging loved ones determine that staying at home makes sense, you will find this article of interest: Creating a Safe Environment for Your Aging Loved On.