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Amy Shives is one of the founding members of Dementia Alliance International and she recently spoke at the Alzheimer’s Association 2015 Advocacy Forum in Washington DC last month.  Dementia Alliance International is a non-profit organization of people who have been diagnosed with dementia from the USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany and other countries. Their goal is to represent, support and educate others living with the disease and change the language and perception of dementia to that of what a person CAN do, not what they CAN’T.  Amy’s story is one of courage and hope in fighting the stigma of younger on-set Alzheimer’s and dementia in general. She talks about  her own experience with her mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and then her own diagnosis at age 50. Among other things she says that those who have dementia don’t wish to be know as “suffering” from Alzheimer’s disease but as “people who have Alzheimer’s”. They are people first and have many capabilities despite their diagnosis. Watch below to see Amy’s amazing speech.

Continue reading “We Are People Who Have Alzheimer’s. We Are Not Alzheimer’s.” »

A new study as reported at  Alzheimer’s & Dementia Weekly seems to suggest at least in preliminary research that being overweight and even obese might help prevent dementia. Research by Dr. Nawab Qizilbash and associates was done at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and OXON Epidemiology. The study followed 2 million people with an average age of 55 over 2 decades. The premise of the research was to see if there was a correlation between between BMI and risk of dementia.

Continue reading “Can Obesity Really Be An Asset In Fighting Dementia?” »

Did you know that about one third of people over the age of 65 fall each year and that number rises to 1/2 of all seniors over the age of 80?  Many seniors list falling as one of their greatest fears. With over half of falls occurring in the home, there are many things families can do to help keep their loved ones safe.

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At our last in-service we introduced Cognasium Bags to our caregivers. These bags are designed to be especially tailored to fit individual client’s needs. We have a variety of engaging activities at the office for caregivers to consider for each of their clients. Studies show that individuals who keep the brain active with word games, puzzles, matching games, music, sensory activities, and socialization tend to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s or dementia. Research has shown that keeping the brain active seems to increase its vitality and may even build its reserves of brain cells and connections. 

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We are excited to announce that Aspen Senior Care has again won the Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice Award for 2015. That makes 6 years in a row!  We are one of the top home care agencies in the country with absolute proof of quality as awarded by Home Care Pulse, a third party quality assurance company. Home Care Pulse interviews different clients or their family members each month. During the interview our clients rate us in various categories. We received Outstanding Performance ratings in the following categories:

Continue reading “We Did It Again! 2015 Best of Home Care Award” »

The holidays can be a stressful time for family caregivers, especially when taking care of a loved one with dementia. The best approach for everyone involved is to Keep It Simple.

Continue reading “Dementia Care: Reducing stress during the holidays” »

On National Healthcare Decisions Day which is on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, all across the country, health care facilities, professionals, chaplains, the legal community and others will participate in a collective effort to highlight the importance of making advance healthcare decisions. These professionals and facilities will be providing tools for making these crucial decisions available to everyone. Together, we are hoping to address the public’s misunderstandings about advance healthcare planning and advance directives. Such misunderstandings include: 1. That a living will and a healthcare power of attorney are the same thing (they are not). 2. That advance directives are only used for limiting care (also not true), and 3. That a lawyer is needed to draft an advance directive (not true as well).

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