According to the U.S. News & World Report, every year there are 5 million cases of elder fraud in the U.S., resulting in as much as $27.4 billion in losses. Additionally, these crimes are often hard for law enforcement to prosecute because in many cases victims are too embarrassed to report the crimes. The FBI says con artists also know that seniors do not make good witnesses even if they do report the crime due to the effects of age on their memory and the length of time it takes to bring a case to justice.
Experts explain there are several reasons why seniors are more susceptible to fraudulent schemes starting with the fact they tend to be very trusting. Our elderly population was typically raised to be polite, to believe people are basically good, and have a hard time saying “no.” These are the traits con artists exploit. Lonely seniors can easily be preyed upon as they are willing to stay on the phone and engage in conversation with a stranger. A recent scheme that targeted a large group of seniors was a robocall that informed people they needed to return the call as there was a security issue with their social security number. When the person called back, they were asked for their full name, address and S.S. number, and told their SS# had been comprised and they would be receiving a new one. Authorities warn that if criminals obtain someone’s full name and SS#, it allows them to do all kinds of damage to the victim including trying to collect their benefits. Another scam is romance fraud, which involves a person being approached by the scammer through dating sites or other social media. A relationship ensues through online contact but never face-to-face. After a level of trust is established, the person is asked to send small amounts of money for alleged emergencies to test their willingness and gullibility. Finally as the scam plays out, the person may give the con artist large amounts of money, or even be used to receive money or goods purchased with stolen credit cards or to transport drugs. The FBI warns that there are many fraudulent schemes to be aware of including telemarketing scams, Medicare scams, tax fraud, etc. They say, “If you are age 60 or older—and especially if you are an older woman living alone—you may be a special target of people who sell bogus products and services by telephone.” Remember to never give out personal or financial information over the phone or online and do not send money. MorningStar at Jordan Creek proudly provides the very best in senior living with our unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents amid a beautiful setting. Please contact us to learn more about the finest assisted living Des Moines area offers. Sources: health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/how-to-prevent-senior-fraud fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes/seniors
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Many older adults, especially those in an assisted living or memory care community are no longer as steady on their feet as they used to be. This puts them in danger of a fall, which can have many serious repercussions on a seniors’ health. If you are considering getting a walker to help you move about safely you should know that there are several types which meet different needs.
For starters since there are several kinds of walkers, you should consult with your healthcare provider or physical therapist to assist you to find the most suitable one. They will make sure it is your size as well as the right type. To determine size, you should be able to stand between the rails, and the width of the walker should be level with the insides of your wrists. A professional will also teach you how to use the walker and provide tips for normal activities such as sitting down while using a walker. This is done by backing up until you feel the seat of the chair behind you. Now bend forward at your hip and reach behind with one hand to grab the armrest. Do the same with your other hand as you carefully lower yourself onto the center of the chair. Common types of walkers include a basic walker that has four legs with rubber tips on each one. To use, a person must pick up the walker as they take a step. A wheeled walker can have two fixed wheels on the front that do not swivel side to side or have rubber tips on the front legs and small wheels on the back. These walkers allow people to walk more naturally as they do not need to be picked up with each step. A three-wheel walker has one wheel in front and two in back and offers the advantage of being lighter and easier to move around in smaller spaces. Rollators are four-wheeled walkers and can be equipped with a seat and basket. These walkers are equipped with hand brakes and are ideal for people who do not need to apply a lot of weight to the walker. However, they are not recommended for people with dementia as they may forget to use the hand brake. The unique mission statement of MorningStar of Wheat Ridge “to honor, to serve, to invest” sets us apart from other senior living communities. We have built a foundation on honoring God, valuing our seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. Set in a warm, loving atmosphere with beautiful surroundings and resort-style amenities, we offer our residents the best assisted living and memory care in the area. If you have started searching for assisted living facilities for a parent, you know if can be overwhelming. You are probably looking for a place that fits their budget, care needs, and lifestyle preferences. Moreover you know it is not a decision to make lightly as you will not want to move mom or dad out of a place after just a few months. That is why the experts suggest that if the circumstances allow that you take your time and you get it right.
The Internet has several checklists and suggestions on what to look for when searching for senior living communities including questions to ask when talking to the staff. One thing everyone agrees on is that it is a good idea to take a tour of the place. Questions you will want to ask include suite sizes and configurations such as studios or one- and two bedrooms, and what is the availability. If you plan to have both of your parents move in, ask if they can share a suite. Also, if applicable, find out if the community supports Companion Living (where two people of the same sex share a suite). You will also want to learn more about the care services your loved one will receive. Will they have access to care 24/7? How close is the community to a medical care facility and how are medical emergencies handled? Does the staff receive any type of special training? Do any of the caregivers have CPR training? Location is another thing to consider as you will want a place that is convenient to all of the family and friends that will want to visit. Be sure to ask if you will be allowed to visit at any time or is there a set schedule when residents can receive visitors. MorningStar at Mountain Shadows looks forward to answering all of your questions. Committed to be the best senior living in the area, MorningStar’s care team works hard to give our residents a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community second to none. Our beautiful Colorado Springs community offers assisted living and memory care along with a wide range of resort-style amenities and care services. MorningStar at Mountain Shadows epitomizes the very best in senior living with a unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve as we create a true home for residents at the foot of the majestic Rockies. We invite you to schedule a visit to discover why we are a step above ordinary assisted living facilities in Colorado Springs. Currently Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. For older adults, it is ranked third and is just behind heart disease and cancer. There are several forms of dementia but Alzheimer’s is the most common. Other types of dementia include Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal disorders, and vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is named after a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1901, Dr. Alzheimer began observing a 51-year-old female patient at the Frankfurt Asylum who had a range of strange behavioral symptoms, including a loss of short-term memory. Throughout the next five years of her life, Dr. Alzheimer studied the women. Upon her death, he examined her brain where he discovered “many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau tangles). These plaques and tangles in the brain are still considered some of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease.” Researchers now believe Alzheimer’s disease begins about a decade before the first symptoms appear such as memory loss and other cognitive problems. During this period, toxic changes begin in the brain that includes abnormal deposit of proteins, which form amyloid plaques and tau tangles. In addition healthy neurons stop functioning, lose connections with other neurons, and die. While symptoms vary, the early stages of Alzheimer’s include a decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, such as word-finding, vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment. As the disease progresses, memory problems increase as well as symptoms such as “wandering, getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes.” Most people are diagnosed with the disease in this stage. At MorningStar at Jordan Creek, our mission is to provide the best senior living Des Moines area offers, and we understand the devastation a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia is for a family. Our assisted living and memory care facility has 29 secure suites in the Reflections Neighborhood to provide compassionate care to seniors with mild to advanced stages of dementia. The unique mission statement of MorningStar at Jordan Creek, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents within a beautiful setting. Please contact us to learn more about the finest senior living Des Moines area has to offer. Source: nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet Several studies indicate life-long learning is good for seniors’ brain health and starting a new hobby or learning a skill late in life can help to boost a person’s memory. In one study from the University of Texas at Dallas, researchers found that older adults “who took on a new mentally challenging hobby saw a lasting increase in their memory skills.” They theorize that when seniors mentally challenge themselves with new skills such as playing an instrument, learning to operate a computer, or being taught to quilt, networks within the brain are being strengthened.
Neurologists in another study from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland discovered that a lifelong pursuit of mentally challenging activities may actually help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings suggest that older adults “who frequently read, played mentally challenging games like chess, or engaged in other intellectually stimulating activities are 2.5 times less likely to have Alzheimer’s, which impacts approximately 4 million Americans.” Other research out of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School appear to support these findings. Their study relied on interviews as well as brain scans of participants, and findings indicate that seniors who have had a higher level of intellectual stimulation throughout the course of their lives, showed a marked delay in the onset of memory-related problems and other Alzheimer’s type symptoms. At MorningStar, we believe the human capacity to grow, to learn and to contribute is ageless, and feel it is our privilege to provide seniors an environment where they can be productive and engaged each day. Our Life Enrichment Team presents creative ways to stay active and enhance health and wellness, stimulate the brain and encourage connection. If you are looking for the best assisted living and memory care Colorado Springs offers, we encourage you to consider MorningStar at Mountain Shadows. The unique mission statement of MorningStar at Mountain Shadows, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. Our foundation is built upon honoring God, valuing all seniors, and investing in staff with a felt calling to serve. Dedicated to creating a real home for residents within a beautiful setting, we encourage you to see for yourself the finest assisted living and memory care Colorado Springs has to offer. For years research has suggested children should have limits placed upon their daily screen time, and now a large study suggests the same may be true for older adults. A published report from the University College London in the United Kingdom indicates that older adults who spent at least 3.5 hours a day watching television experienced a greater decline in verbal memory. The study’s data was taken from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which included 3,662 participants age 50 years and older.
Participants answered researchers’ questions in 2008-2009 and then again in 2014-2015 regarding the time they spent watching TV. Afterward they were given a series of tests that measured verbal memory and fluency. Results showed adults who watch 3.5 or more hours of TV daily had an “average decline of 8–10 percent in word- and language-related memory over the 6 years the study covered. This is compared with a lower 4–5 percent average decline in those who watched fewer hours of TV per day over the same period.” For the verbal memory tests, participants were asked to memorize and then recall lists of words within a given time. The verbal fluency tests required them to list as many examples, such as animals, they could in a given amount of time. The semantic fluency of the study’s participants did not seem to be affected. It was noted that most of the studies involving the effects of TV watching have been done on children and little to no studies on older adults. One of the study’s co-authors, Dr. Daisy Fancourt, who works in the Department of Behavioral Science and Health says, "Much less attention has been paid to the effects of television viewing at the other end of the lifespan, despite it being hypothesized for over 25 years that watching excessive television could contribute to the development of dementia." MorningStar at Jordan Creek’s goal is to provide the best senior living Des Moines area offers, which includes the care services residents’ need as well as a range of wellness programs and activities designed to enhance health and wellness, stimulate the brain and encourage connection. With such a broad range of activities, we are sure you will find something of interest, such as exercise classes, socials, trivia and games, arts and crafts, entertainment, outings and much more. Please call or visit our website for more information. The unique mission statement of MorningStar at Jordan Creek, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents within a beautiful setting. Please contact us to learn more about the finest senior living Des Moines area has to offer. Source: medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324598.php |
Offering a lifestyle of comfort, wellness and community, MorningStar is committed to giving residents a quality of life surpassing that of other senior living communities. To experience firsthand the finest in senior living, contact us to schedule a tour. Archives
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