Better Dementia Care Starts With Planning

WHY WE NEED INNOVATIVE DEMENTIA CARE U.S. life expectancy has gone up from 77.7 YEARS in 2006 to 78.6 YEARS in 2016 – but quality life expectancy might be in decline UnderstandingI DEMENTIA Dementia is not SYMPTOMS INVOLVE IMPAIRMENTS a disease, it is a term to describe a wide variety of TO COGNITIVE FACULTIES such as Memory Visual perception symptoms Speech and communication Judgment Focus and attention Reasoning Common forms of dementia RATES OF DEMENTIA Alzheimer's disease Vascular Dementia dementia with Lewy Bodies In the United States 5.5 MILLION PEOPLE live with Alzheimer's dementia ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE DIAGNOSIS BY AGE in the United States That is equivalent to the populations of Los Angeles and Philadelphia 3% 17% 32% 65 to 74 75 to 84 85+ Why isn't there a CURE? DEMENTIA IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE There are at least 10 DIFFERENT FORMS of dementia ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IS THE MOST PREVALENT FORM OF DIAGNOSED DEMENTIA CASES It can be difficult to diagnose THE TYΥΡΕ of dementia 60% 80% In a study of 176 dementia patients, Clinical diagnoses were compared to postmortem neuropathological diagnoses 49% 14% 37% Were correct Were partially correct Were incorrect The BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER protects the brain from outside organisms, but can make it difficult to treat neurological disorders. PROMISING TREATMENTS USE ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY to temporarily open up the barrier for medication A dementia diagnosis does not have to lead to a poor end of life – instead LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE Innovative Care TECHNIQUES Designing a comforting environment Rooms like bathrooms and kitchens should appear normal and encourage independent behavior Facilities with outdoor areas reduce aggression Create a custom door cover using an image of the patient's previous home One nursing home in Germany built a fake bus stop in front of the facility so that when dementia patients felt the need to run away they could go to the bus stop and wait until they calmed down, eventually forgetting about their need to run away in the first place Some care facilities have taken the idea of fostering a pleasant space to the extreme Hogeweyk AKA “Dementia Village" Opened in 2009 outside Amsterdam and focuses on quality end-of-life treatment 150 patients with severe dementia 23 homes in a small village "Lifestyle" areas to reflect the outside world, such as Cultural Religious Urban Average care rating given by residents 9.1/10 Hogeweyk 7.5/10 image via hogeweyk.dementiavillage.com Other care facilities in Holland THERAPIES Light therapy Music therapy Validation therapy USE EMPATHY AND LISTENING SKILLS Uses a LIGHTING Listening to music, having background music, and singing DESIGN BASED ON to help elderly work through unresolved issues 24 HOUR LIGHT/ songs can HELP IMPROVE NEURAL CONDITIONS like DARK CYCLES to help improve sleep patterns semantic memory and neural plasticity Until a cure to dementia is discovered, THERE ARE LIFESTYLE H CHOICES THAT CAN HELP AVOID A DIAGNOSIS AND LEGAL DECISIONS THAT CAN HELP in case of one Dementia RISK FACTORS Up to a third of Alzheimer's disease cases may be attributable to modifiable factors SOME FACTORS ARE UNAVOIDABLE Diabetes Hypertension Low physical activity Smoking | Low education | Depression | Obesity AND CANNOT BE MODIFIED TO REDUCE RISK OF DEMENTIA Family history Age Genetics Deterministic genes directly cause diseases at some point in life Likelihood of Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years after the age of 65 Factor in less than 1% of Alzheimer's disease cases Alzheimer's disease diagnosis is more common if an individual has one or more direct relatives with the disease Risk genes increase disease likelihood but does not guarantee it The gene, apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4), is a factor in 20-25% of Alzheimer's disease cases 65 70 75 80 85 90 Medical and Financial PLANNING LAST WILL & TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS all Document your loved one's wishes while he or she is still lucid bequeathments, last wishes, and funeral plans Must document all the loved-one's wishes, including bequeathments for items of monetary or sentimental value Check state laws to make sure wills and other documents are legally binding LAST DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY For Health care WILL SETS THE CARE STANDARDS GIVES SOMEONE THE ABILITY FOR YOURSELF ahead of time TO MAKE MEDICAL DECISIONS if you are incapacitated FOR YOU IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Quality of life standards For situations not covered by living wills Cannot supersede your living will Treatment approach THE EXECUTOR’S ROLE EXECUTOR IS LEFT TO SETTLE THE ESTATE regardless of the condition it is left in Executors carry Fulfill a series of 100+ common and will-specific duties out the last will and testament for the Crucially important to carry out appropriately to avoid legal repercussions and family dissent deceased CAN SEEK HELP FROM ONLINE RESOURCES AND UP TO 7 TYPES OF PROFESSIONALS if needed to understand and fulfill the duties of executorship if ever granted the responsibility Sources: We are currently unable to eliminate dementia alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp hogeweyk.dementiavillage.com/en cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db293.pdf alz.org/dementia/ypes-of-dementia.asp radiolab.org/story/121385-bus-nowhere ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3553247 RECOGNIZE the symptoms WHAT WE CAN DO IS nebi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5267457 PLAN AHEAD for it ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647614 TREAT PATIENTS with the love and care they deserve census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-09.pdf alz.org/alzheimers disease_causes risk_factors.asp alz.org/documents_custom/2017-facts-and-figures.pdf sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531084629.htm academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/40/4/397/641845 alzheimers.net/2013-11-07/validation-method-for-alzheimers presented by: executor.org en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of United_States cities by_population berkeleyoaks.com/blog/dementia-and-alzheimers/10-types-dementia estate. findlaw.com/estate-administration/what-does-an-executor-do.html thelancet.com/joumals/laneur/article/PIS1474-4422(14)70136-X/abstract estate. findlaw.com/living-will/the-definition-of-power-of-attorney-living-will-and-advance.html newscientist.com/article/mg22229742.400-human-brains-ultimate-barrier-to-open-for-first-time DEVELOPED BY countryliving.com/home-design/decorating-ideas/a40497/door-makeovers-help-dementia-patients N NOWSOURCING dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109801/Dementiaville-How-experimental-new-town-taking-elderly-happier-healthier-pasts-astonishing-results.html