Alzheimer's Association Archives - Long Term Care Insurance Expert | Honey Leveen

Happy Alzheimer’s Awareness Month!

November 16, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

November is Long Term Care Awareness Month as well as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

Many factors contribute to causing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The video below is a brief interview with Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, pioneers in the area of dementia. They are renowned researchers that I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I’ve learned a great deal from their work and have great respect for their research.

In this 5 minute video, the Sherzais talk about the differences between good and bad stress. Bad stress can promote Alzheimer’s. It is caused by things by things like demanding, “no boundary” jobs that require us to stay constantly on call and “plugged in”. Other contributors to bad stress include toxic workplaces, financial stress and the push/pull between work and family obligations.

Alzheimer’s Awareness: Good Stress

There is also good stress that occurs when you stretch yourself by learning something new and challenging. Good stress can occur from things like a stimulating profession, a good crossword puzzle, taking piano lessons and being engaged with life, in general.

They explain how this good stress allows the brain to grow and build more connections. Depending on the activity, the brain could grow as many as 30,000 connections! That’s an invaluable benefit.

Here are a few tips Drs. Sherzai offer to manage stress:

Define Your Stress. Learn the difference between your positive and negative stress factors. And be specific! This means when you see a situation that you don’t like, identify exactly what part you don’t like. As a result, you’ll be able to zoom in on the negative and determine what you can do to resolve the challenge.
One Thing At a Time. Train your brain to focus on one specific item at a time. Meditation is an excellent way to build this focus.
Feed Your Brain. Your brain needs information to stay vital and healthy. Without new information, those brain connections begin to collapse. Play a musical instrument. Try creative writing. Take on a leadership role.

Here’s another video where they debunk the Top 5 Myths of Alzheimer’s Disease:

There are other factors that affect the onset of dementia, such as getting sufficient rest, exercise, and eating a mostly or all plant-based diet. Both of the Sherzais are vegans.

Drs. Sherzai are Co-Directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University. They are published authors, speak widely.

Caring for Alzheimer’s Patients

While researchers are working hard to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, they still have a long road ahead. For now, it is important that we do our own research when it comes to the future care of our loved ones or ourselves.

A good long term care insurance (LTCi) policy can provide a significant piece of this puzzle, including peace of mind and financial relief for medical costs. Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi coverage.

The Special Case for Women and Alzheimer’s

December 19, 2018 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

As I reported in October 2015, Alzheimer’s disease has a disproportionate impact on women. As we close out 2018, the statistics have not improved for us. In fact, two-thirds of America’s 6 million Alzheimer’s patients are women. It’s time for us to pay special attention to women and Alzheimer’s disease.

First, some quick facts from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Women and Alzheimers site:

Every 65 seconds, someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s
At age 65, a woman has a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Her risk for breast cancer is 1 in 11.
Also by age 65, a woman is twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than a man. By age 75, she is three times as likely.
More than 60% of unpaid Alzheimer’s caregivers (friends and family of Alzheimer patients) are women.

More Likely In Women

It seems like Alzheimer’s disease can affect any family at any time. So why is it more prevalent among women? Is it because women live longer than men? After all, the disease is more prevalent as we age. But we now know that the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s often begin 20 years before they are ever diagnosed.

Genetic risk factors are now getting more attention and focus. Back in the 1990s, scientists found that the presence of the ApoE4 gene was the primary culprit in the patient’s memory and other mental abilities. Further tests showed that this is more applicable to females.

Heart disease and smoking are also considered contributors to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. So is depression, which is more common in women than in men. And there is always the deepening discussion around hormonal changes that are so much more intense for women as they age.

Because women usually take on the responsibility of caregiving, there is some research that points to this extra emotional burden as a possible risk factor.

Alzheimer’s patients and their families have a great amount of uncertainty and difficult decisions in their future. If you or someone you love is a woman, extra care should be taken to prepare for this disease.

Don’t get caught by surprise when the statistics are this powerful. You can begin by clicking here to receive your free, no-obligation quote for a long term care insurance policy.

Impending Alzheimer’s Disease Epidemic

April 17, 2015 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

We talked about the immense physical, economic, and psychological toll Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) will take on caregivers.

Also from the newly released 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease facts, we learn AD will cost our nation dearly.

In 2015, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s will total an estimated $226 billion, with half of the costs borne by Medicare.
Average per-person Medicare spending for people age 65 or older with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is three times higher than for seniors without dementia. Medicaid payments are 19 times higher.
Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In 2050, it will be one in every three dollars.

Unless something is done, in 2050, Alzheimer’s is projected to cost over $1.1 trillion (in 2015 dollars). This dramatic rise includes a five-fold increase in government spending under Medicare and Medicaid and a nearly five-fold increase in out-of pocket spending.

This blog often correlates tragic long-term care (LTC) outcomes with Medicaid’s low nursing home reimbursement. Medicaid pays for most of our nursing home care.

Expect an Alzheimer’s Epidemic

April 2, 2015 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures were just released. When you open this link, I recommend the brief video (also posted below). Additional information is presented quickly and accessibly.

Between 2000 and 2013, the incidence of heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases fell, while the incidence of AD increased by 71%!

Prepare for the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) epidemic. It’s coming.

In 2014, friends and family of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias provided an estimated 17.9 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at $217.7 billion. This is approximately 46 percent of the net value of Walmart sales in 2013 and nearly eight times the total revenue of McDonald’s in 2013.

Approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women and 34 percent are age 65 or older.
Forty-one percent of caregivers have a household income of $50,000 or less.
Over half of primary caregivers of people with dementia take care of parents.
It is estimated that 250,000 children and young adults between ages 8 and 18 provide help to someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.

Alzheimer’s takes a devastating toll on caregivers. Nearly 60 percent of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high; about 40 percent suffer from depression. Due to the physical and emotional toll of caregiving, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $9.7 billion in additional health care costs of their own in 2014.

If you want to read an article that makes the physical and emotional costs of caregiving real, read “Caring for Alzheimer’s: How Three Families Cope” from this week’s Wall Street Journal.

My advice for middle- and upper middle-class Americans is to prepare now, with long-term care insurance (LTCi), while you can qualify and find reasonable rates.

A Third of Us Will Die With Dementia

March 29, 2013 by Honey Leave a Comment

A recent study cited on March 19, 2013, by Selena Gordon in US News and World Report found that one-third of US seniors die while suffering from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Between 2000 and 2010, the rate of deaths from Alzheimer’s has risen 68% while deaths from other major diseases have decreased. The report attributes these divergent changes partially to the high level of government funding for research on heart disease, AIDS, etc., compared to much lower funding for Alzheimer’s.

Ms. Gordon’s article was based on a newly published study by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The physical, emotional and financial toll on families is enormous. In 2012, more than 15 million people were Alzheimer’s caregivers. They provided more than 17 billion hours of unpaid care that the Alzheimer’s group estimated was valued at $216 billion. And, of course, as the Baby Boomers age, the rate of Alzheimer’s and its death rate can only increase.

Nearly every American has been affected by this increasingly common disease, either through a family member or friend, and many are even serving as unpaid caregivers. Those all-to-rare victims of this dreaded disease who own long-term care insurance have purchased a wonderful gift for their loved ones – financial resources to provide professional care and thereby reduce the emotional and physical stress of struggling to provide care themselves.

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The Special Case for Women and Alzheimer’s

More Likely In Women

Impending Alzheimer’s Disease Epidemic

Expect an Alzheimer’s Epidemic

A Third of Us Will Die With Dementia

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