In the News

New Study Highlights Caregiver Health Risks

Caregivers are subject to all kinds of challenges. The mental and emotional stresses of caregiving and sheer physical labor of the duty can take a serious emotional toll. Now new research shows that the stress of caregiving affects physical health negatively, too.

The study by Evercare and the National Alliance for Caregiving examined caregivers in fair or poor health and determined that the mental and emotional stress of caregiving had a direct impact on caregivers' health. Many caregivers were at a high risk of exhaustion, depression, poor diet and exercise habits, and increased use of drugs and alcohol. Moreover, their caregiving responsibilities may lead them to skip their own doctor's appointments.

Make sure you don't become sicker than the person you're caring for. If you can, set aside time to attend doctor's and dentist's appointments. And remember, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise schedule is helpful to overcoming depression and exhaustion. Read More

Nursing Home Rates Stabilizing

The average daily cost of a private room in a nursing home in the United States has increased, but only slightly, according to the annual MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home & Home Care Costs, conducted by MetLife's Mature Market Institute. The new cost is $75,190 annually ($206 a day), an increase of 1.5 percent from last year. While this increase is quite small, indicating that rates are relatively stable, the rate for a semi-private room is higher, increasing to $183 per day, up 4 percent from last year.

The rates for home health care aides are even more stable, averaging $19 per hour, the same rate as last year. Sandra Timmerman, gerontologist and executive director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, noted in the report that while home care and nursing home rates are fairly stable, the cost of long-term care remains high and should be of concern to those nearing retirement. Read More

Mild Cognitive Impairment Test Draws Interest

Mild cognitive impairment often precedes Alzheimer's disease. Now a survey has doctors wondering whether to start screening for the condition. One hundred forty-nine healthy adults, age 35 and older, were surveyed and asked if they would be willing to take a test for mild cognitive impairment if a family member suggested they had memory problems. Ninety-eight percent said yes.

But doctors are worried that the screening procedures, which have not been perfected, may be more trouble than they're worth. Mild cognitive impairment does not necessarily degenerate into Alzheimer's disease; in some patients, the condition can remain stable for years. Doctors are also worried about the fact that there are currently no effective medical interventions for the condition, so there may be no reason to stigmatize and worry patients. Read More

Link Identified between ALS and Dementia

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered a link between one of the most widespread forms of dementia—frontotemporal dementia—and amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The two diseases have very different symptoms, but it appears that both are caused by the same defective protein, TDP-43.

It's not clear why, but sometimes this protein can become crumpled and misshapen. When that happens, it reacts with another cellular protein, ubiquitin, in such a way as to cause abnormal buildups of proteins inside cells, called inclusions. Scientists discovered the same characteristic inclusions in brain and spinal cord samples of patients who had died from either ALS or frontotemporal dementia. While there is a long way to go—for example, TDP-43 may turn out to be a mere symptom, rather than the cause—it is clear the finding represents a major breakthrough in the treatment of both diseases. Read More

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