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Archive for April, 2011
Early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Apr 24th
For the first time in 27 years, there are new criteria and guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Developed by three expert workgroups spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) this is a significant step towards achieving the “goal of eventually detecting and treating Alzheimer’s before people experience the disease’s devastating symptoms”.
In an article entitled Guidelines Allow Earlier Definition of Alzheimer’s, published April 19, 2011, Pam Belluck points out that “the most striking addition to the guidelines concerns methods that assess brain changes involved in Alzheimer’s, including brain scans and tests of cerebral spinal fluid. Such methods measure what are called biomarkers, physiological indicators that someone is likely to develop dementia eventually, just as cholesterol and blood pressure are biomarkers of impending heart disease.”
However, scientists caution against putting the Alzheimer’s biomarkers to widespread use because scientists cannot yet standardize the results of the tests. Another problem is the lack of a medication that would stop or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. So even if the test reveals the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s, the individual cannot do anything about it.
Nevertheless, as the author writes,…” the guidelines reflect a sense in the medical community More >
How to Choose a Placement or Referral Agency
Apr 10th
As I wrote in my blog on “How to choose an Assisted Living Facility,” you have a choice of doing the searching yourself or solicit the help of a placement agencies. In this blog I’ll try to throw some light on placement agencies (also known as referral agencies) and their role in helping consumers find an appropriate assisted living facility.
First, what is a placement agency and how it operates?. A placement agency is a business that helps consumers find an assisted living facility. Ideally, the agency “assesses and matches each client with the appropriate facility to best meet their psychological, social, physical and financial needs.” This service is free for the client. The agency has contracts with a large number of assisted living facilities, to which the agency refers its clients. When the client moves into a facility, the facility pays the agency 50-100% of the first month rent.
There are a good number of placement agencies which do a great job. These agencies visit seniors at home to assess their medical, social and financial condition, then take them on tours of a few facilities until the senior picks one. The agency has done a prior evaluation of all the facilities More >
How To Choose An Assisted Living Facility
Apr 6th
Most of us have hoped (or prayed) that it would never come to this, but here we are, all too often, that some of us need to move out from the home we lived in most of our lives into a residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE) also known as assisted living facility or board and care facility. ( For a simple and clear explanation of the differences between a nursing home, RCFE/assisted living and independent living facilities please see my blog “Choices for Long Term Care”).
So here you are having made the tough decision to move into an assisted living facility. You are now facing another challenging decision: which facility do I choose? (there are so many!); should I start searching myself or rely on a placement agency?; if I do it myself, where do I start?… any many more questions.
First, you need to decide if you want to start searching on your own or if you want to use the services of a placement agency (also called referral agency). A placement agencies will work with you for free (they are paid by the facility you will choose and move into). They will interview you, find out what More >
