One of the most difficult forms of elder abuse is financial abuse, which in 80% of cases involve a family member, often struggling with substance abuse or a gambling addiction, who takes advantage of a senior relative and drains their savings and income, said Det. Ferrell Layton, who handles the elder abuse unit for the San Diego Police Department.

Similarly, seniors can be easy prey for scam artists, who have become quite adept at getting the elderly to “buy into” overseas lotteries or wire money to bail out a grandson in jail in Mexico or Canada (and who sounds “funny” because they broke their nose in a car crash. . .).

Dr. Diane Darby Beach, director of education for Vista Gardens Memory Care, said the most likely victims of undue influence and manipulation are those who are lonely, depressed or anxious. Conversely, overly stubborn and arrogant individuals also are more susceptible because predators know how to appeal to their ego.

Here are some of the warning signs of undue influence, especially if the victim is physically or mentally impaired:

• After only a brief relationship, someone becomes a confidant and systematically isolates a senior to keep them away from other family and friends
• Intercepting phone calls and mail
• Taking a victim on an unexpected trip to further isolate them and also to create a new situation and environment that makes them more vulnerable

Emotional manipulators often:

• Say “I’m sorry you feel that way” instead of apologizing with “I’m sorry”
• Want to be more and more involved in your life
• Promise one thing and later deny ever saying it
• Make someone feel guilty for speaking up – or not speaking up enough
• Talk behind someone’s back to get others to say what they won’t say themselves
• Have no sense of accountability and believe it’s always about what everyone else has done to them

How do you protect yourself or a loved one or friend from undue influence?

• Stay connected and make sure seniors who are vulnerable to manipulators stay out of isolation as well.
• Get more involved in someone’s life and get others involved
• Consider contacting police or adult protective services if such abuse is suspected
• If legal action is called for, make sure the hired attorney is trained in elder abuse and undue influence

And if you are a professional who wants to learn more about elder abuse and neglect, consider signing up for the upcoming Glenner Symposium on Elder Abuse & Neglect on Friday, June 7 at Sharp Spectrum Auditorium. It’s designed for professionals who currently or contemplate having senior-aged clients and patients. Learn more at www.glenner.org/symposium.

There have been many questions regarding if aluminum or aluminum-containing antiperspirants leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum is pretty much everywhere. It is in the cans we drink out of, it is in the pans we cook with, and it is in products like antacids, sunscreen and antiperspirants. So what is the connection and how did this all begin?

According to a Washington Post article, the connection between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease is less a myth than a longstanding scientific controversy. This scientific controversy began in 1965, when researchers made a discovery that injecting rabbits’ brains with aluminum caused them to develop neurofibrillary tangles, which are found in the brain cells of individual’s with Alzheimer’s disease. This finding created a rise in interest and research.

Eight years after the finding, a group in Canada studying brain tissue from deceased Alzheimer’s patients, discovered that there were two to three times more aluminum in certain parts of their brains than a normal brain with have. Other research include the 1997 study from England and Wales, and the World Health Organization survey in 2003, which both showed little to slim association between Alzheimer’s and aluminum.

Does aluminum and antiperspirants lead to Alzheimer’s disease? According to John Savory, a professor of pathology at the University of Virginia, “The truth is, nobody knows.”
Amy Borenstein, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health believes “If aluminum plays any role, it’s very small and there are many other, much more important risk factors to study.”

Overall, there is really little understanding about aluminum’s possible association with Alzheimer’s disease. Avoiding aluminum all together is not possible because it is everywhere. We are better off keeping our minds active and heart healthy in order to protect our brain.

It’s never too late to post a video from our Cinco de Mayo celebration in Encinitas.

This program is designed for members of the community who have Dementia, and their caregivers, to enjoy a stimulating experience for the brain and body. They will be hosted and guided by UCSD students. The highlights of the 30-minute walk include stops and brief talks at the Geisel Library, the “Falling House”’ and the “Stone Bear” displays on the UCSD Campus.

Refreshments will be served.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot for this fun and free event expressly for those with a memory impairment at (858) 246-1300. You also can call that number for additional details on where to park and where to meet.

By the time we were sitting in a pew at the oldest church in San Diego, my grandmother had begun to show tell-tale signs of dementia. She was still sharp and got around very well for her age, but she’d also begun to speak her mind. Without her hearing aide, she was loud.

So there we were awaiting communion when the eucharistic minister came over and gave my grandmother the host to save her a trip down the aisle. It was silent as the woman turned to walk back and my grandmother turned to me and loudly whispered, “Why’d she do that?”

“Because you’re old,” I said.

“But I wanted the wine!” she half-shouted.

This caused everyone within earshot to stifle a laugh. Even me.

I’d like to say all of Grandma’s outbursts were like that, but this one was exceptional. Othertimes, she’d blurt out something highly inappropriate and I’d have to whisk her away with a bevy of apologies left in her wake.

My friends and I sometimes trade stories about embarrassing moments, which seem more funny now but at the time were excruciatingly embarrassing. Several of those stories involve restrooms in which our confused loved one mistook a urinal for a toilet or began banging from inside the stall because they thought they were trapped. Instead of calling the caregiver, someone called the police.

The Glenner Centers has a packet of Post-Its for those moments. They are popular at senior health expos and caregiver workshops and one of those items you don’t know you need until you do. The large Post-It explains the person inside is disabled and may need more time or assistance from someone of the opposite sex. Our caregivers love having them handy when they are out in public, especially at restaurants.

What we don’t want to see happen is for family members to increasingly isolate themselves because of their loved one’s unpredictable or hostile behaviors. Often the outbursts come from a state of confusion that can be difficult for the caregiver to immediately recognize. But we’ve been to this cafe hundreds of times, Dad. Sometimes too, inhibitions are unrestrained, particularly for those who suffer from frontotemperal dementia.

That isolation over time can have destructive consequences.

If you are dealing with inappropriate behaviors, be sure to read today’s Huffington Post piece with suggestions for how best to reduce the risk of outbursts or confrontations when you and a loved one with dementia are in public.

In yesterday’s Washington Post, a reader asked about mobility issues and was told of a survey that demonstrated why an exercise routine is important  after a diagnosis. The research involved 210 patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s who lived in their home with a spouse.

“One group exercised at home with the help of a physiotherapist, with the exercises tailored to each person’s specific needs and abilities. The others exercised in groups of 10 at an adult rehabilitation center day-care program, with a mix of endurance, balance and strength-training exercises supervised by physiotherapists. The non-exercisers were given advice by nurses on nutrition and exercise.

“After a year, physical abilities had deteriorated in all groups, but the decline was slower among those who exercised, especially those who exercised at home, than it was for those who did not exercise, based on standardized scales. Also during the year, more falls were recorded for those who did not exercise than for those who did. The authors noted that less physical decline means less need for help day to day.”

One reason we do daily, structured physical fitness exercises, modified for our participants, at each of our centers is to help with fall prevention and even keeping their legs and arms flexible enough so that changing clothes is not a serious ordeal. It’s also a lot of fun with a group.

It takes work, and our centers are more than happy to help our caregivers with this responsibility. Do not choose the path of least resistence when it comes to exercise well into the progression of a disease.

In a piece published today in the San Diego Union-Tribune researchers say their findings could help with finding drugs to help slow and ultimately prevent the dementia that currently claims 5.1 million adults, most of whom are age 65 and older. At present, age is the biggest risk factor in Alzheimer’s Disease, so as we continue to live longer, our chances of developing Alzheimer’s in particular and dementia in general becomes greater. In fact, another news article recently cited that 1 in 3 seniors now dies with dementia.

In the Scripps study, the authors concluded that beta amyloid protein may form differently than first thought and that the presence of the tau protien is showing a stronger link to the disease. Alzheimer’s is characterized by a pattern of “plaques and tangles” in the brain that cause neurons to die off and the brain to wither, taking with it over time a person’s memories and increasing inability to care for oneself.

“For decades, Alzheimer’s drugs have been developed to remove amyloid beta plaques from neurons. While they have succeeded in that goal, none have blocked or even significantly slowed the disease’s progress. These failures have led scientists to question whether the “amyloid” hypothesis of Alzheimer’s is wrong,” according to the U-T. “The Scripps study indicates that the hypothesis is correct, but incomplete. The study demonstrated that other substances besides amyloid beta can cause the enzyme overactivation.”

“The researchers calculated that ABCA7 increased Alzheimer’s risk by about 80 percent in African-Americans, compared with about 10 percent to 20 percent in people of European ancestry,” according to an article in today’s New York Times.  “Those are considered modest increases; a gene that carries a significant risk would increase the chances of getting a disease by well over 200 percent. And ABCA7 was not very common, still leaving most Alzheimer’s risk unexplained. About 9 of every 100 African-Americans with Alzheimer’s had the gene, compared with 6 out of 100 who did not have the disease.”

What may be a much stronger link to the higher risk of Alzheimer’s in African American is the higher instances of heart disease in the same population. Alzheimer’s, like other dementia, often is classified medically as a cardiovascular disease.

• Try something new (and a bit complex) to work now-dormant parts of your brain
• Exercise regularly to get your heart rate up, which helps with blood flow to the brain
• Socialize to reduce isolation that contributes to the risk of dementia
• Manage your stress so your blood pressure stays down and your optimism toward life remains up

Our final tip is one you likely already know but find difficult to follow. Eat a well-balanced, Mediterranean-based diet each day. Fill your grocery carts with fresh (or frozen) vegetables and fruits and make those, along with whole grains (which can be harder to find than enriched breads, pasta, rice and cereals) and a lean source of protein the elements of your meals. You can splurge on high-calories desserts or drinks for special occasions. Additionally, fall in love with water. You need to drink it up and in copious amounts to keep all of your organs, brain included, functioning optimally.

Proper nutrition is a major component of brain fitness programs, including ours called the Glenner Memory Connection Institute. We provide lunch during sessions so students see exactly what kinds of foods they need to be incorporating into your daily diet. And it tastes really good too!

According to the report, 75% of those funds are devoted to nursing home and in-home care, both of which have high costs attached to them because of the nature of the disease: it takes a lot of money to care for someone who cannot care for themselves any longer.

What the report doesn’t mention is how underreported that expense is. In San Diego County, 80 percent of those diagnosed with dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s, still live at home. If that’s the case in other metropolitan areas around the nation, then that is an even more startling statistic, isn’t it?

Dementia highest cost disease and rising: Report | Marketplace.org