December 2023 Newsletter

Good News for the New Year!

If you read the internet, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by violence and politics and forget that this year held reports of many positive events showcasing kindness, scientific breakthroughs, and examples of joy and playfulness – all related to making life better for people living with dementia. Here is some good news to start 2024!

Another Reason to Be Up-to-Date on Your Vaccines
There are many different theories about what may be the cause of Alzheimer’s-type dementia (AD). Many studies point to the role of neuroinflammation, possibly caused by bacterial or viral infections in the body. One study showed there were significant lower rates of development of Alzheimer’s disease in people who had received the Influenza vaccine. And another study shows that the recipients of three other common adult vaccines, Td (tetanus/diphtheria), HZ (herpes zoster) and pneumococcal also had significant decreases in AD. By overall decreasing the rate or severity of infections, vaccines may have a preventative effect on dementia. That’s good news!

Scientists discover a significant connection between vaccinations and Alzheimer's Disease

The Impact of Routine Vaccinations on Alzheimer's Disease Risk in Persons 65 and Odler: A Claims-Based Cohort Study using Propensity Score Matching

Slowing Cognitive Decline
We have known for years the benefits of practicing Tai Chi to improve balance and decrease risk of falls in older adults. But a new study shows that it may also decrease cognitive decline and help protect against dementia.

Performing a cognitively enhanced form of Tai Chi (participants were asked to spell words or list numbers while performing the Tai Chi movements), participants’ cognitive scores were enhanced by over 3 points, the equivalent of 6 years of improved cognitive health. Over 300 participants practiced for 24 weeks, and the benefits persisted at the 48-week follow-up, That’s good news!

Tai Chi for fall prevention and balance improvement in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Clinical Effectiveness of Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan Training on Global Cognition

Jobs for Toddlers
In Japan, toddlers have jobs! Children as young as 5 months old go to work in nursing homes, sharing their energy and smiles with the residents. Recognizing the loneliness and isolation that can result from living in a nursing home, young children add playfulness and energy to the environment.

The job requirements are that the children are less than 3 years old, and do not have to be verbal. Because many of the older adults struggle to hold conversations, communication and bonding is done through hugs and playing. The young children mingle with the nursing home residents as well as other toddlers, enlivening the environment and breaking down the sense of isolation. One nursing home has over 70 toddlers on its staff, rotating through the nursing home on flexible schedules! That’s good news!

Toddlers are put to work spreading cheer at Japanese nursing home

Wishing you all the very best in the New Year!

If you work in Assisted Living or Nursing Homes and want to make your dementia care program even better email or call me for a free consultation.

Anne Ellett, N.P., M.S.N.
AANC Certified Gerontological Nurse
Founder, Executive Director - Memory Care Support
www.MemoryCareSupport.com
AEllett@MemoryCareSupport.com
Ph. 949 933-6201

My book, Getting Dementia Care Right, was published this fall by Health Professions Press. It was an interesting project trying to organize my thoughts and put them on paper. I worked with a wonderful editor from HPP and voila!...eventually the chapters evolved and the book was published! It is a unique book because it is written for dual audiences.

My hope is that professionals working in the arena of memory care will be encouraged to look at how they view the residents living with dementia, realizing we have all been trained to focus on losses and inabilities instead of strengths and talents. Newly designed care buildings are more beautiful, however innovations in care have been slow to be adopted.

Anyone who has worked with me has probably heard me say, "Support for those living with dementia is complex." Establishing a memory care neighborhood with a locked door does not create expertise in dementia care. Support for people living with dementia starts with knowing them as individuals and creating a supportive environment that honors their preferences, talents and independence.

Can it become normal to think of resident actions as communications, rather than behaviors and work to better meet their needs? Tools are included in the book to help staff assess their dementia care environment and better understand resident communications.

I also wrote the book for those people living with dementia and their family care partners. Seldom are they included in conversations regarding how to change and innovate dementia care. Post diagnosis, it is typical for a person to be left without any guidance or recommendations on how to continue to live a meaningful life. It can be confusing if they are considering having in-home care or living in residential care, because almost every place says we are “dementia experts.”

What does that mean and how can they tell if quality care is offered? Getting Dementia Care Right provides assessment tools and questions to ask providers of dementia care, encouraging people living with dementia to be a part of the conversation and self-advocate for better care.

Even if a person with dementia thinks they will never need or want to move into a residential care community, life circumstances can change. I encourage them to tour a few locations, assessing the quality of care and sharing their questions and concerns.

Many of the people who work in residential care facilities want to transform their care environment but don’t know where to start. Throughout the book I have tried to give ideas and examples of what success can look like. People living with dementia, working together with staff in residential care, can help bring about positive change.

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