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TRAIN YOUR BRAIN & MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TO…

According to Today, 10 percent of people will lose some of their cognitive functions by age 70. That percentage only increases as we age, by 80 years old, 50 percent of people will experience some type of cognitive impairment. One in five people will experience “brain drain” as they age, particularly those with risk factors such as a family history of cognitive issues, and one of the first things impacted is a decline in an ability to handle finances.

These daunting statistics were recently revealed by Dr. Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, and financial expert, Jean Chatzky during a recent appearance on Today to promote their new book, Age Proof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip.
Fortunately, Dr. Roizen said that your hippocampus – the part of your brain associated with memory – can be strengthened as well as grow and provided several tips to help your brain stay healthy.

TIPS to STAY BRAIN HEALTHY
Stay Active
Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night
Learn something new
Play video games*
Take vitamins (especially B, D, multi-vitamins and DHA – aka fish oil)
Manage your stress**

*It is important to note that not all video games will specifically help your brain. While many games are beneficial for hand-eye coordination, games that feature ‘speed of processing’ have been shown to help memory. Speed of processing games involve “the ability to automatically and fluently perform relatively easy or over-learned cognitive tasks, especially when high mental efficiency is required.” These specific type of video game may result in a decreased dementia rate of 50 percent over 10 years. Speed of processing video games are available for mobile devices (smart phones, tablets) and computers and can be found in several sources, including AARP and BrainHQ.com. There is often a fee to download the games, though the fee is usually less on AARP.

**Managing your stress is good advice for everyone but in regard to older adults, dealing with household finances can become a stressor. Some simple methods to help prevent that type of stress include paying bills as they come in rather than letting them pile up to pay all at once or twice a month as well as building an emergency cushion by saving 15 percent of your income. Even increasing your savings by five percent can help you feel less stressed. Also, talk to the people in your life about your health and financial concerns, they may be able to help you so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

According to Dr. Roizen, dementia is preventable, or can be significantly delayed, by following these four steps.

1. Avoid toxins
2. Stay active
3. Your waist should be less than one half your height
4. Manage stress

If you can follow his advice, Dr. Roizen said you could reduce chronic disease by 80 percent over a 30-year period and help prevent dementia. To watch the entire Today interview, please see below.

When the time comes that you or a family member is no longer able to live independently, please contact CalRegistry to learn about assisted living services and facilities within California. We will provide personalized options based on your family’s unique needs.

STUDY FINDS HELPING OTHERS HELPS YOU

Caring for your grandchildren or a loved one has been linked with a longer life for the caregiver, according to a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Research found that older adults who helped care for their grandchildren, although not as the primary caregiver, lived an average of five years longer than those who did not.

The study, “Helping pays off: People who care for others live longer”, conducted by an international group of researchers for Universität Basel, also discovered there is a similar result among seniors who provided care for children outside their own family or provided assistance to people in other ways. The research revealed that group of older adults lived an average of three years longer.

Ralph Hertwig, director of the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and an author of the study, noted to CBS News that while the benefits to grandchildren when they are cared for by their grandparents is well established, there is a lack of research on the effects for the grandparents. According to a 2009 U.S. Census Bureau report, 2.5 million grandparents were responsible for most of the basic needs of one or more grandchildren who lived in their household. In a similar 2009 study of more than 35,000 Europeans found that 58 percent of grandmothers and 49 percent of grandfathers reported that they provided some level of care for their grandchild over the course of a year.

As the bulk of the global senior citizen population continues to grow, Hertwig wanted to find out if “there are tangible benefits to the donors, or the grandparents. In other words, is caring a one-way street or not.” The research study focused on more than 500 people from Germany and Switzerland aged between 70 and 103, analyzing data on their lifespans and utilizing Berlin Aging Study data collected between 1990 and 2009. The researchers did not included primary and custodial caregivers, meaning the level of care provided was limited. They also controlled for a number of factors that could affect the results, such as physical health, age, socioeconomic status and the number of children/grandchildren.

One possible explanation for the results? Study author Sonja Hilbrand, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Basel, reportedly explained in a statement, “It seems plausible that the development of parents’ and grandparents’ prosocial behavior toward their kin left its imprint on the human body in terms of a neural and hormonal system that subsequently laid the foundation for the evolution of cooperation and altruistic behavior towards non-kin.”

Two important notes from the study authors: correlation does not imply causation – meaning that although the results find a positive impact between caring and a longer life, that does not prove caregiving will always result in a longer life. In fact, other studies have shown that intense levels of caregiving may cause stress and have negative physical and mental health effects on the caregiver. The other note is that the benefits of caregiving probably are limited.

If you or a family member is no longer able to live independently and would like to learn about assisted living services and facilities within California, please contact CalRegistry to discuss options customized for your family.

HITTING THE ROADS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON? CONSIDER A SAFETY…

Snowbirds seeking warmer climates, seasonal shopping and day trips and holiday travel all add up to extra mileage for many seniors during the holiday season. Add in the challenges of inclement weather, decreased daylight hours and increased traffic, driving during the winter can be especially difficult for drivers of all ages to navigate safely. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), approximately 15 percent (3,637,160) of the 2015 licensed drivers in California are 65 or older. Of course, older drivers aren’t the only ones hitting the roads but as we age, many older adults may be faced with additional physical and mental conditions that affect the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Many people 65 years and older prefer to maintain their independence for as long as possible and will voluntarily change their driving habits as they age, including only driving during daylight hours, limiting where they drive and decreasing the frequency and distance of their driving. However, the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System reported “24,227 drivers aged 65 or older were involved in fatal or injury collisions in California in 2013. Of those collisions, 233 older drivers were at fault in fatal collisions and 11,788 older drivers were at fault in injury collisions.”

There is no upper age limit for maintaining a driver’s license in California and CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow notes, “drivers age 65 and older may have a better overall safety record than other age groups, but they often face challenges with continued mobility. Holiday gatherings can be a good time to discuss how older drivers can stay safe behind the wheel. Since this can sometimes be a difficult conversation, the CHP has created a program that may help.” The Age Well, Drive Smart program is a free two-hour class offered at local CHP offices, as well as through many senior centers. To help seniors evaluate and improve their driving skills, the CHP program topics include:

• How to tune up your driving skills
• Refresh your knowledge of the rules of the road
• Learn about normal, age-related physical changes and how to adjust to them
• When it may be time to limit or stop driving.
• Understand the alternatives to driving

AARP also offers a course specifically designed for drivers age 50 and older. Successful completion of the AARP Smart Driver™ online course may also qualify participants for a multi-year discount on their auto insurance premium, depending upon their state and auto insurance company.

There may be a fee to take the course but AARP members receive a discount. If you prefer an in-person learning experience, contact AARP to find out if any classroom courses will be offered in your area. If you enroll in the online course, you’ll have 60 days to complete it. The AARP Smart Driver course uses an easy-to-follow format incorporating adult-learning principles and includes the following topics:

• Research-based safe driving strategies
• Information on the effects of medication on driving
• Preventive measures to reduce driver distractions
• Proper use of safety belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, and new technology found in cars today
• Techniques for handling left turns, right-of-way, and roundabouts
• State-specific rules and regulations in 19 key areas, including construction zones, child safety seats, school buses, cellphone use and more

So why not refresh your driving skills and improve your ability to live independently. You’ll also reduce your chances of receiving a traffic violation or getting into an accident. Sounds like a win – win to us!

If you or a family member is no longer able to live independently and would like to learn about assisted living services and facilities within California, please contact CalRegistry to discuss options customized for your family.

To attend a free Age Well, Drive Smart class, please visit CHP.ca.gov and contact your local CHP office.

GERIATRIC ERS REDUCE STRESS, MEDICAL RISKS FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS

NEW YORK — The Mount Sinai Hospital emergency room looks and sounds like hundreds of others across the country: Doctors rush through packed hallways; machines beep incessantly; paramedics wheel stretchers in as patients moan in pain.

“It’s like a war zone,” said physician assistant Emmy Cassagnol. “When it gets packed, it’s overwhelming. Our sickest patients are often our geriatric patients, and they get lost in the shuffle.”

But just on the other side of the wall is another, smaller emergency room designed specifically for those elderly patients.

Patients like Hattie Hill, who is 105 years old and still living at home. A caregiver brought her in one rainy day in late spring because she had a leg infection that wasn’t responding to antibiotics. Hill, who also has arthritis and a history of strokes, said she prefers the emergency room for seniors because she gets more attention.

“I don’t have to wait so long,” she said. “And it’s not so loud.”

Packed emergency rooms are unpleasant for everyone. But they can be dangerous for elderly patients, many of whom come in with multiple chronic diseases on top of a potentially life-threatening illness or injury.

“Who is going to suffer the most from these crowded conditions?” asked Ula Hwang, associate professor in the emergency medicine and geriatrics departments at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “It is going to be the older adult … the poor older patient with dementia lying in the stretcher with a brewing infection that is forgotten about because it’s crazy, chaotic and crowded.”

Seniors who come into traditional emergency rooms are frequently subjected to numerous and sometimes unnecessary tests and procedures, according to research and experts. They stay longer and their diagnoses are less accurate than younger patients. And they are more frequently admitted to the hospital by ER doctors overwhelmed by the constant influx of very sick patients.

“You’ve got this surge of more and more older adults coming to the emergency departments,” said Kevin Biese, co-director of geriatric emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “Yet there hasn’t necessarily been this recognition that [they need] different screening, different treatment and they are going to have different outcomes.”

Geriatric emergency rooms, which are slowly spreading across the country, provide seniors with more expertise from physicians, nurses and others trained specifically to diagnose and care for the elderly, researchers said.

The staff in these specialized ERs collaborate closely not only to treat the seniors’ immediate health problems but also to reduce their risk of confusion, bed sores and over-medication. Senior ERs are designed to be more quiet and tranquil.

Geriatric ERs have the potential to lower health care costs because staff can more carefully discern who needs to be admitted and who can be cared for outside of hospital walls, Hwang and others said. That tends to reduce hospitalizations among the elderly.

Mount Sinai, which opened its geriatric emergency room in 2012, is part of a nationwide effort to find a better way to treat elderly patients. The first geriatric ER opened in New Jersey in 2008, and now there are more than 100 such units nationwide. Several others are being planned, including in California, North Carolina, Connecticut and Texas.

Geriatric ERs vary widely. Some are separate units with trained staff; others are merely sections within traditional emergency rooms with extra hearing aids and other senior supplies. But professional medical organizations have developed guidelines to standardize design, staffing and patient screening.

The boomlet in geriatric emergency rooms stems in part from an increase in older patients with complex conditions who are seeking care in regular ERs. That has caused some providers and hospitals to seek more effective and efficient ways to treat them.

Castellanos waits to be seen by a doctor at the geriatric emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)

Castellanos gets checked by the ER doctor. She came in to the geriatric emergency room with abdominal pain. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)

About 20.4 million patients over the age of 65 were treated in emergency rooms in 2011, up from 15.9 million a decade earlier, according to a national hospital survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the population ages, older patients are expected to make up an increasing share of ER patients.

The Affordable Care Act also has fueled the expansion of senior emergency rooms. The law assesses penalties when too many patients return to a hospital too soon after discharge. Facilities have tried to reduce readmissions in part by providing better emergency care and triage.

Now, that growth could continue as hospitals face additional pressure to provide more efficient and less costly care to their Medicare patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in January that within two years, half of all traditional Medicare payments will go to providers based on quality of care rather than quantity of services.

Emergency departments are the perfect places to make changes that could help control spending, because they are gateways between home and costly hospitalizations, Hwang said. About 60 percent of elderly patients who get hospitalized come through the emergency room, according to a 2013 Rand Corporation study. A quarter of those hospitalizations are preventable, according to one 2012 federal study.

“Hospitals that before didn’t think there was any need for this are saying, ‘Can you help us create a geriatric ED?’” Hwang said.

Hospitals also may view specialized emergency departments as a marketing tool to reach the growing elderly population.

The geriatric emergency room at Mount Sinai is set up differently than traditional emergency rooms. It has thicker mattresses to help reduce the chance of bed sores, raised toilet seats, hand rails in the hallways and reduced-noise curtains.

The department is allotted 20 beds, but the main hospital sometimes steals them for other patients. That leaves some older ER patients waiting in the hallway.

Over a two-day period in May, dozens of older patients were treated for falls, dizziness, severe pain and shortness of breath.

John Fornieri, 80, came in after falling on his floor at home. Fornieri, an artist with arthritis and a heart condition, said he nearly lost consciousness. An x-ray showed he had broken a hip.

Fornieri said he was grateful that the geriatric emergency room staff was trained to care for the elderly. “Seniors need a different kind of attention,” he said. “We can’t see and we can’t hear like we used to. We can’t even talk the same.”

Denise Nassisi, a physician who runs the geriatric ER, said her patients are at greater risk of falling, medication errors and infections than younger patients. Seemingly routine injuries can have devastating effects. Broken arms, for example, can make it difficult for elderly people to care for themselves.

Many also have dementia or other cognitive impairments that make it harder to get an accurate account of their medical history and the reason for their ER visit, she said. About half of the patients arrive unaccompanied by relatives or caregivers.

In the past, Nassisi said, doctors frequently just admitted the patients, leaving it to the hospital staff to do a more complete workup. But now, Nassisi and her team of social workers, therapists, nurses and others try to screen, diagnose and treat patients more thoroughly in the ER, she said.

Part of their job is to determine whether older patients can be safely discharged. That means they aren’t automatically admitted to the hospital, which would raise their risk of confusion and loss of independence. “We are trying to change the culture of just admitting,” Nassisi said.

A patient doesn’t need a clean bill of health to be discharged. One 81-year-old patient came in for a toothache but also had a long list of illnesses: coronary artery disease, chronic pulmonary disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, prediabetes and high cholesterol. She was released with pain medication, antibiotics and an appointment with a surgeon.

Another patient, who was 83 and had high blood pressure, anxiety and cancer, had fallen in her kitchen. She, too, was discharged after staff ensured she could walk on her own and had help at home.

As providers determine where the patients should be treated, they also try to prevent them from becoming delirious, developing additional problems or taking potentially harmful medications.

Physician assistant Jaclyn Schefkind evaluated Hill, the 105-year-old patient.

“How are you doing?”

“Bad,” Hill said, wincing in pain.

Schefkind looked at Hill’s leg, red and swollen. She said they were going to get her some stronger antibiotics and something to relieve the pain.

“Let’s start with Tylenol,” Schefkind said. “I don’t want to give you something too strong because it’s not safe when you’re older.”

Shortly afterward, the team decided the best place to admit Hill so doctors could get her infection under control. A nurse pulled Hill’s blanket up to her chin, packed up her belongings and rolled her through the door toward the main hospital.

This story was reported while participating in a fellowship supported by New America Media, the Gerontological Society of America and The Commonwealth Fund.

KHN’s coverage of aging and long-term care issues is supported by a grant from The SCAN Foundation, and its coverage of late life and geriatric care is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

by Anna Gorman | Kaiser Health News

This KHN story also ran on CNN.com. It can be republished for free (details).

HOPE FOR ALZHEIMER’S BREAKTHROUGH

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s and every 66 seconds someone in the US develops the disease. Researchers have been working hard for many years to find a cure for the disease. During an appearance on the Today show on June 21, Maria Shriver described a new clinical trial that is making headlines in the Alzheimer’s community and it’s need for volunteers.

According to Shriver’s website, the new drug, A4, “for the first time, may slow or reverse the disease before symptoms occur. Alzheimer’s is known to be associated with the buildup of a protein, called amyloid, in the brain. This protein has been linked with cognitive decline and memory loss. The A4 drug, administered once a month, is designed to stop amyloid buildup.” The drug aims to stop the disease before symptoms start and is designed to be given to patients that show early warning signs of Alzheimer’s.

Harvard neurologist and Alzheimer’s researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Reisa Sperling, is leading the new drug trial, and she is leading a 3 1/2-year study that will monitor patients’ cognitive skills and brains to see if the drug has an impact, compared to people taking a placebo.

How is the drug expected to work? Alzheimer’s is associated with amyloid, a heavy protein buildup in the brain and the buildup has been linked to cognitive decline and memory loss. Solanezumab, the drug under development, is designed to stop the amyloid buildup in patients who experience early warning signs and is currently being tested in the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s study (also know as A4 study).

According to Shriver, the study “will monitor patients’ cognitive skills and brains to see if those on the drug do better than those on a placebo.” And the study is still looking for about another 400 people to sign up, at research centers all across the country.

For more information about the A4 clinical trial and how you can volunteer, go to A4study.org, or call 1-844-A-4-STUDY. For more information about other Alzheimer’s clinical trials in your area, go to Alz.org.

You can see Maria Shriver’s Today show report to learn more about these clinical trial.

If the time has come that you or a family member is no longer able to maintain an independent lifestyle, contact CalRegistry to discuss elder care services and options available throughout California.

GROWING OLDER, NOT UP?

Words made famous by musician Jimmy Buffet, more and more people seem to be embracing the sentiment, especially when it comes to the labels “middle-age” and “senior citizens.” AARP issues membership cards when you turn 50, a milestone that used to mark retirement and the later stages of your life. In fact, AARP is actually an acronym for American Association of Retired Persons, but as Americans – particularly Baby Boomers – have challenged the labels and negative preconceptions of growing older, the organization changed its name to reflect the new attitudes of its ever-increasing membership.

The aging of America is not a new topic but as people live longer, more people are challenging the definition of “middle age.” In the ‘60s, environmental activist and Free Speech evangelist, Jack Weinberg espoused, “don’t trust anyone over 30.” Now that Weinberg and his generation are well over 30 their attitudes toward older generations have changed.

Joan Lunden, former co-host of “Good Morning America” and author of the best-selling book “Had I Known,” has launched a series on “TODAY” called “The New Middle Age” to explore our society’s changing lifestyles and attitudes. According to “TODAY,” “52 percent of readers consider someone 55 years old to be ‘middle-aged.’” And Lunden concurs, “fifty is an eye-opening age. It’s a time to reflect and figure out what you want to do next — it’s not the time to slow down. You’re still healthy and vibrant, and if you think that way, you’ll stay that way.”

How do you define middle age and is having a “midlife crisis” a fact or fantasy? Watch the video below to see what “TODAY” experts have to say.

If the time has come that you or a family member is no longer able to maintain an independent lifestyle, contact CalRegistry to discuss elder care services and options available throughout California.

THE HOLIDAYS AND A LOVED ONE WITH ALZHEIMER’S

The holidays are a time when family and friends often come together. But for families living with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, the holidays can be a little extra challenging. Just remember, your loved ones may be frustrated by their limitations too, so manage your expectations and consider incorporating some of these tips from the Alzheimer’s Association to have a happy and loving holiday gathering this year.

Familiarize others with the situation
Let’s be honest, very few families experience the carefree but elegant gathering depicted by Norman Rockwell or Martha Stewart. Families are full of complicated dynamics, emotional trigger points and multiple generations with a wide range of cultural references. If someone in your family is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia, relatives and friends who do not see that person regularly may not even realize there is even a problem. That doesn’t mean there might not be one. In the early stages of memory diseases, the person affected may have difficulty following a conversation and use techniques such as repeating himself or pausing mid-sentence to gather their thoughts. Try not to interrupt or correct the individual when that happens, he might just need a little extra time to gather his thoughts. An individual in mid or late stages of the disease may have significant changes in his cognitive abilities that would most likely be noticeable to everyone.

Family and friends can help the loved one by not taking things too personally as well as being patient and remembering that the disease causes these changes in behavior and memory. If you are the primary caregiver or the person closest to the individual with Alzheimer’s politely inform or remind relatives or guests about the current status of the affected loved one. Consider sending an email or calling your guests before the holiday gathering to explain how they might be able to help and to manage their expectations.

Try to involve the person with dementia or Alzheimer’s
If you will be surrounded by family and close friends for your holiday celebrations, take advantage of the shared history to build on past traditions and memories that are familiar to your ailing loved one. Try looking through old photo albums to spark memories or singing family favorite songs of the holiday. Depending on the individual’s physical and mental capabilities, consider inviting them to help prepare the meal, set the table, decorate or set the table but do be aware that blinking lights may confuse or scare a person with cognitive or memory disorders. As much as possible, try to maintain a normal routine and plan for plenty of time for breaks and rest to help reduce the strain on the ailing individual.

If your loved one lives in a care facility
You can still celebrate the holidays together, just check with the care facility to find out if they have any planned holidays activities that you may join in or if you can donate any food or decorations to share during the festivities. Or, if you prefer to spend more personal time with your loved one, consider scheduling your visit during some downtime at the facility. If your loved one enjoys participating in group activities, you may want to consider visiting when there are no activities scheduled so your loved one won’t miss an event and his or her attention won’t be divided during your time together.

Help the caregiver
Being the primary caregiver can take its toll and when you add in the additional stress of holiday gatherings and traditions, it can quickly become overwhelming. Try to remember the holidays aren’t just about enjoying a festive meal and exchanging gifts, they are also to spend time with your loved ones. Even close family members may not realize how much responsibility is involved in caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s, so ask for help if you are the caregiver. Familiarize your family and close friends about the needs and challenges of the current caregiving situation as well as the limitations for both your affected loved one as well as yourself.

If the primary caregiver had also traditionally been the one to host the holiday gatherings, talk to them about how you could be most helpful this year. Perhaps it would be best to continue to hold the festivities in their house but other family members could provide the preparations, food and clean up. Ask the caregiver what would work best for them, such as having smaller gatherings to help prevent the loved with Alzheimer’s and yourself from getting overtired. Also, if sun downing (evening confusion) is a problem, consider holding your holiday gathering earlier in the day. For some additional tips, please click on the link to download a PDF of the Alzheimer’s Association’s guide 10 Ways To Be a Healthier Caregiver.

If the time has come when your aging loved one is no longer able to live independently, please contact the knowledgeable staff at California Registry to help you find elder care services or an assisted living facility within California that is customized for your family.

CAPTURE THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER

Smartphones, tablets and social media, oh my! With so many ways to take photos and videos, capturing the moments that matter should be easier than ever. But do you? Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube are full of images and videos of food, babies, pets, decorating, fashion and travel but how many images to you have of your aging loved ones?

It often seems like millennials have record every moment of their lives and the holidays are an ideal time to create lasting memories of all of your family members to create lasting memories. Consider planning ahead as well as setting aside some time during the festivities to capture a few memorable images.

While posed photographs guarantee everyone will be in the photos, spontaneous photos and images may better capture the spirit of your family. Keep in mind that many senior citizens might need a little help to look their best and might not be comfortable in photo of a camera unless they do. If needed, help your loved one get dressed for the occasion and then make sure they are surrounded by friends or other family members to engage them while you are recording. Think about some of your favorite characteristics of your aging parents or grandparents; is it their great laugh, hardworking hands or carefully coiffed hair? Whatever your love about them the most, get close enough to take a quality image or recording without a lot of background distractions or noise.

Holiday gatherings create a natural setting for a variety of candid photographs as family members tend to dress up and will be interacting with friends and family members during throughout the day. Do multiple family members gather in the kitchen while preparing a meal? Consider setting your phone or video camera in an unobtrusive location to capture the love, laughter and stories that are part of the process. Ask questions to help prompt memories or favorite family recipes – you may be surprised at what you learn.

If your aging loved ones aren’t up to a lot of physical activity, then try to engage them while sitting in their favorite chair. Ideally, use a natural light source and ask them to tell the children or grandchildren about cherished holiday keepsakes, what they did to celebrate the holidays when they were young or about their favorite memory.

Even if your elderly family member are currently living in an assisted living facility, nursing home or even receiving care in a hospital, you can still celebrate the holidays with them as well as lift their spirits during the holidays. Help them look their best by offering to help them dress up, style their hair and apply make-up if they would like to. If you would like to try to take photos or videos during your visit, keep in mind that it might be best to only come with a few family members or friends at time. Not only do you not want to overwhelm your loved one with too much attention at once but it is also nice to know they will have several opportunities to engage with the family throughout the holidays. It is also important to keep in mind that your elderly family member may not have much energy, so it might be best to restrict the photography or recording session before the senior’s energy wanes. It can be a bit tricky to capture a flattering image when surrounded by medical equipment but close ups and headshots would eliminate the majority of medical environment.

Use this time together to connect with your older family members, not only will you capture memorable moments but you might even connect in a new way. If the time has come that you or a family member is no longer able to maintain an independent lifestyle, contact California Registry to discuss elder care services and options available throughout California.

104-YEAR-OLD STREET ARTIST

Move over Banksy, there’s a new street artist in town! A group of guerrilla knitters, known as the Souter Stomers, covered multiple landmarks in the scenic Scottish town of Selkirk, Borders in an act of stealthy creative arts during the September 2015 Yarrow Ettrick and Selkirk (YES) Festival. Primarily comprised of women over 60, this year’s yarn bombing team also included crochet crafts by Grace Brett. The grandmother of six and great-grandmother of 14 turns 105 on November 6, 2015, and she very well may be the oldest living street artist in the world.

Kay Ross, spokeswoman for The Souter Stormers were very pleased to showcase some of the work of the country’s oldest knitter during the festival. “Grace has confirmed that age is no barrier to participating in a contemporary project,” Kay Ross, a spokeswoman for the group, told The Press and Journal.

The town was yarn bombed with 46 pieces of knitting by the Souter Stormers, including knitted balls outside of shop windows crafted by Grace Brett. The guerrilla artists also hit local landmarks, such as a red telephone box and statue of Sir Walter Scott. There was also a knitted banner placed on display depicting a train on the new railway line through the Borders.

Grace told the UK publication, “I thought it was a really good idea to decorate the town and enjoyed having my crochet included – I didn’t think it was good enough.” But she said “seeing my work showing with everyone else and thought the town looked lovely.”

Recently moved into a care home, Grace now mostly knits to keep herself busy. Also a member of the Souter Stormers, Daphne Pratt told reporters her mother has been crocheting for most of her life. Pratt said her mother “was taught to crochet as a teenager by her auntie Maud and used to always be making something even when travelling on the steam train to London for her work.” In addition to making baby clothes and shawls, Grace used to make crocheted blankets for the local hospital in the late 1980s and even a crochet dress for Daphne.

Born in Lewisham, London, Grace worked at St Paul’s in the telephone exchange as a telephone operator. As a young woman, she often worked on the royal board, putting calls to and from Buckingham Palace, including during Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936. Widowed in 1955, Grace moved to Scotland in 1978 and lived in the village of Darnick until moving into St. John’s Care Home in Melrose earlier this year.

Daphne, 74, believes that taking part in the yarn bombing gave her mother a sense of being “useful” but added, “she thinks it is funny to be called a street artist.” To hear what Grace thought about being included, watch the video below.

If the time has come when your aging loved one is no longer able to live independently, please contact the knowledgeable staff at California Registry to help you find elder care services or an assisted living facility within California that is customized for your family.

MOST POPULAR COUNTIES FOR AGING AMERICANS

It is no surprise that with continued advances in health care, nutritional awareness and medical science, people are living longer. With oldest Baby Boomers reaching retirement age and many of their parents still living, the average U.S. county’s 65-and-older population grew by 12.4% from 2010 to 2014. As a result, 97% of U.S. counties experienced an increase in their 65-and-older population since 2010 according to the Pew Research Center analysis of the Census Bureau’s 2014 population estimates.

The Pew Research Center’s analysis of population change over time included only counties or county equivalents with a population of 1,000 or more adults aged 65 and older in 2014. While some counties are well known for their “aging” populations, such as several in Florida, which is popular for the warm weather and friendly taxes. It may be somewhat surprising to learn that several counties in Colorado are among “The Grayest Counties in the U.S.,” including Douglas County. Located just south of Denver, Douglas County currently leads the country with a 53.7% increase in the 65-and-older population from 2010 to 2014. Two other Colorado counties, Routt, situated on the Wyoming border, and Elbert, based southeast of Denver, were also among the top three on the chart having experienced growth rates above 50%.

However, continuing its popularity with snowbirds and retirees, the Sunshine State continues to be one of the nation’s grayest states, with 19.1% of Florida population 65 and older – the highest percentage in the United States. In fact, “53 of 67 counties in Florida have an above-average share of people 65 and older when compared with the percentage of Americans in that demographic (14.5%, or 46.2 million),” according to the Pew Center Research. Sumter County, located just west of Orlando as well as serving as the base of the popular The Villages retirement community, has the distinction of being the only U.S. county with more than half (52.9%) of the residents aged 65 and older. With a median age of 65.9, Sumter County also has the highest median age in the U.S., which it notably almost 44 years more than the population in Lexington City, VA – which is currently the county or county equivalent with the lowest median age.

Several coastal counties in Florida also made the list, including Charlotte County (ranked second in percentage of people who are 65 and older at 37.7%) as well as its immediate neighbor to the north, Sarasota County (33.9%) and Citrus County (35.2%), which is just west of Sumter County.

Given the rate of the aging of Americans it is interesting to note that a small portion of counties (3%) experienced a decrease in the 65-and-older demographic since 2010, such as Alfalfa County in Oklahoma at 9.5%. Located on the Kansas border, the small county had the highest drop in the 65-and-older population.

While none of the California counties made the chart, you can see how the state’s aging population is distributed on the map below. And if the time has come when your aging loved one is no longer able to live independently, please contact the knowledgeable staff at California Registry to help you find elder care services or an assisted living facility within California that is customized for your family.