Brain Health Bulletin #7

Brain Health Bulletin
V O L U M E 7
From Dementia Care Specialists ADRC Southwest Wisconsin Oct 5, 2022

Disclaimer
Reference in this Brain Health Bulletin to any
specific commercial products, processes, or
services, or the use of any trade, firm, or
corporation name is for the information and
convenience of the public, and does not
constitute endorsement, recommendation, or
favoring by the ADRC, or its officers, employees
or agents.

Source: What is Dementia? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis
and Treatment Methods. (vigourfact.com)

Technology
A common misconception is, that older adults don’t use technology.
In reality, older adults have been adopting technology at increasingly
growing rates in recent years. Pew Research Center as well as the
AARP have been tracking the stats on tech usage among older adults
in the U.S., and their data is conclusive.
Older adults are adopting technology more than ever before.
Internet, smartphones, tablet, wearables, and even smart TVs and
speakers, are being used by an increasingly growing number of
older adults.
Source: https://thegerontechnologist.com/
The need for accessibility;
The need for information;
The need for safety with emergency management.
Voice assistants like Siri, Google Home, and Alexa are able to meet
three needs
of older adults and those with disabilities:
1.
2.
3.
Source: Voice Tech: 3 Reasons Why the Elderly May Love It | Alban Huber

Source: 5 Resilience-Building Practices for Home Caregivers
(homecareassistancephiladelphia.com)
1. Refocus Your Mind
Too often it’s easy to see only the sadness and challenges of keeping up
with taking care of your loved one. You can’t control the progression of
aging and diseases, but you must try to find another focus. Focus on the
importance of your role as a caregiver as being meaningful and having
worth.
2. Learn To Accept Your Role, Even If You Didn’t Choose It
As you learn to understand and accept your role, you’ll find your job
becomes easier and you’ll be a better caregiver. Caregiving has a
learning curve, and no one is perfect right out of the gate—or ever.
Praise yourself for the things that go well, like getting to a doctor’s
appointment on time. Learn to let go of small things that don’t go well,
like forgetting to make a bed one day
3. Maintain And Form Other Relationships
Although being a caregiver is time-consuming, it shouldn’t consume
your entire sense of being. Make sure to stay in contact with friends and
family members. Talking out your frustrations and having sounding
boards as support can help you.
4. Think Happy Thoughts
The power of positive thinking is real, and if you learn to focus on the
humor in situations, you’ll find yourself in a better mood and better able
to tackle whatever caregiving throws at you.
5. Don’t Forget About Yourself
Caregivers often feel a sense of guilt for needing a break or time to care
for themselves. Finding time to yourself to relax and destress is key and
will help you maintain your perspective. Although caregiving is an
important part of your life, it’s not your entire life.
Building Caregiver Resilience

Updates
""Legal fights and loopholes could blunt Medicare's new power
to control drug prices," Leslie Walker, Dan Gorenstein,
Shots/NPR, September 15, 2022 Mark Newsom, a policy
consultant who worked at the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services for several years, including in 2004 when
Medicare underwent major reforms, expects the drug industry to
apply heavy political and legal pressure on this rulemaking
process. Numerous experts say they expect to see lawsuits
challenging provisions of the law. One legal target could be a
massive tax penalty for companies who refuse to cut Medicare a
deal."
Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/09/15/1123076966/legal-fights-and-
loopholes-could-blunt-medicares-new-power-to-control-drug-price
"Initial clinical trial results were announced for a drug called
lecanamab which was tested in individuals living with mild
cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease and mild
Alzheimer’s dementia. Results from the clinical trial found that
this treatment significantly reduces clinical decline from the
disease."
Source: Joanne Pike, DrPH President of the Alzheimer's Association

C U L T U R A L L Y R E S P O N S I V E
R E S O U R C E S
Well-trained minority health investigators from health disparities
(HD) populations are in a position to make a unique impact on the
science of eliminating HD and tackling the most challenging public
health problems of the present and the future. Interdisciplinary
training is necessary for building the capacity of HD investigators to
study and address the complex health issues that affect minorities
and HD populations.
However, there is a shortage of minority HD scientists due in part to
cultural and socioeconomic factors that limit access to advanced
training in HD research. This shortage is particularly grave among
nurse scientists. For example, African Americans (11.3%), Hispanics
(3.7%), and Asian or Pacific Islanders (4.3%) are all vastly
underrepresented among nurses with PhDs (National League for
Nursing, 2010). Moreover, as noted in a recent IOM report on the
Future of Nursing (2010), nurses are playing transformative
leadership roles in healthcare and health research at the national
and global levels, an impact that is only expected to increase in the
21st Century. To this end, the report stressed the importance of
creating an educational pipeline for nurses to facilitate a seamless
transition into higher levels of education. Similar shortages of
minority researchers are seen in the public health sector, where
according to the Association of Schools of Public Health; less than
13% of current faculty was from racial and ethnic minorities (APSH,
2006).
Providing opportunities to be involved in research is considered a
“high impact practice” by education experts and strongly impacts
learning outcomes for students (Kuh, 2008).
The El Centro Research, Training and Education Core (R-TEC)
embraces this concept and other best practices in order to equip
emerging investigators (undergraduate, graduate and young
investigators) with the competencies necessary to conduct
interdisciplinary, culturally informed and community-engaged HD
research.
Source: Training and Mentoring (miami.edu)

Check out The Resilient Caregiver Podcast!
Make sure to subscribe to catch all of our
interviews with amazing experts who can
empower you be resilient during your journey
of caregiving!
Learn more at
https://anchor.fm/theresilientcaregiver

Make sure to Like and Follow the
Dementia Care Specialist Page on
Facebook @adrcswwi.dementia! If you
have any friends or clients who would
benefit from getting information about
how to be a resilient caregiver, please
recommend this page to them!

Questions?
Want a brain wellness check?
Reach out today at
(800) 514-0066
bbeam@gchsd.org
bbiddick@gchsd.org

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Brain Health Bulletin #7