Monthly Archives: August 2023

August 28, 2023 · 8:00 am

GUIDE Model seeks to offer better support for dementia caregivers

Caregivers of loved ones with dementia face unique challenges. A new model from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, GUIDE, seeks to change that.

GUIDE stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, and the program will launch on July 1, 2024 and run for eight years in its initial demonstration phase. The model has worthy goals:

First, by focusing on the person with dementia, and better addressing their care needs and transitions between levels of care.
Support dementia caregivers by providing them with training, social services, and respite care.
Focus on providing sufficient support for those dementia to safely live at home for as long as appropriate and reduce the need for nursing home care.

I think most dementia caregivers will welcome such support, even if it is long overdue. It will be interesting to see how this program is implemented and how it evolves during its testing period. For more information, review the GUIDE fact sheet.

Infographic image by cms.gov.

Study: Wildfire smoke exposure may increase dementia risk

The wildfires in Maui have been devastating. Canada has also been dealing with significant wildfires this year and parts of the US have been impacted by the smoke, triggering air quality alerts.

It’s no surprise that being exposed to wildfire smoke is bad for one’s health. But a new study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that long-term exposure to wildfire smoke may increase one’s risk for dementia.

Researchers focused on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution which is produced by a variety of sources, including wildfires, traffic, and coal-fueled power plants. This particular form of air pollution is so dangerous because its tiny size allows it to cause inflammation in multiple parts of the body, including the brain.

Other studies have associated PM2.5 exposure with an increased dementia risk, according to Medical News Today.

This study drew my attention because the area where my parents retired, Ruidoso, New Mexico, is also prone to wildfires. While authorities will issue evacuation orders when a fire gets too close to neighborhoods, it’s not always easy for older people or those with disabilities to leave their homes and find adequate care in a shelter. People on fixed incomes can’t afford to wait it out in a hotel, and may not have access to transportation even if they want to leave. This is the situation my parents were in, and they would remain indoors as much as possible during wildfire outbreaks in the region.

Photo by Malachi Brooks on Unsplash.

New research finds walking just 4K steps daily offers health benefits

For caregivers who may wonder if they or the loved ones they care for get enough exercise, a new study offers recommendations that are more achievable than traditional guidelines.

According to a study published recently in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, walking just 4,000 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of death. A 2017 study cited by NBC found that the average person in the U.S. walks 4,774 steps per day.

I’ve been using a smart ring that tracks a variety of health-related metrics including steps. You might be surprised how many steps you log by doing daily household tasks. Cleaning, gardening, caregiving: exercise comes in many forms and offers health benefits.

For those able to move a bit more, the payoff was even better, with every 1,000 extra steps per day associated with a 15 percent reduction in a person’s overall risk of death, according to the new study. Walking has also been associated with a reduction in the risk of dementia.

But what about the 10,000 steps per day rule? That was actually based upon a Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer, according to NBC. The number caught on and became standard, but according to a health expert interviewed by NBC, it’s a misconception and there’s a wide range of recommended daily steps depending upon age and physical ability.

I inherited my father’s love of walking. While walking didn’t prevent my father from getting dementia, it kept him lean and in decent physical health despite being diagnosed with COPD due to smoking. He would do laps at the memory care center and maintained his mobility up until the last couple of months of his life.

Photo by RDNE Stock project.

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Filed under Awareness & Activism, Memories

Tagged as Alzheimer's, caregivers, caregiving, dementia, health, walking

August 7, 2023 · 8:00 am

Sharing the harsh realities of caregiving

While my caregiving journey with my parents was difficult, I try to share a variety of experiences here on The Memories Project, to reflect the diversity of caregiver stories. No two caregiving experiences are ever alike, but an essay I read this past week hit close to home for me on so many levels.

In this HuffPost essay by Kim Richards, she recounts the difficult experience of caring for her mother with cancer. I found so many similarities between Richards’ experience and my own caregiving experience that I recounted in my personal essay collection, The Reluctant Caregiver. Our mothers died within a year of each other, both lived in New Mexico, and both were in denial about their terminal condition. Richards had to give up her small business to move out-of-state to care for her mother; I had to quit a new job and was left with no health insurance.

I know these accounts are difficult for many to read and can be triggering for those of us who had a difficult caregiving journey. But I do think it’s important to share both the good and the bad, the inspirational and the challenging, so that hopefully people can be more emotionally prepared when it’s time for them to be a caregiver.

I’m grateful to all who share their caregiver stories as it helps me gain a better understanding of the diversity of the caregiving experience.

Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash.