Click here to view, Definition, Vision, and Initiatives.

• Assessments by our nurse or social worker
• Trained and monitored caregivers for personal assistance, med reminders & transportation

Call 843-852-9090.

Singing the blues? It could be depression. Memory loss can be a sign of major depression. Patients with major depression can be forgetful, lose interest in friends, have attention deficits or belabor making decisions. Are you having crying spells or excessive anxiety for a few weeks or more? Time to call your doctor.

Chemical Warfare? Forgetfulness could be the side effects of medications. A recent report stated that there are over 120 prescription medications that could affect your memory. Most frequently, they include anti-depressants, cold and flu medications, and sleeping pills. Changes in mood or behavior, suffering from memory loss or having confusion. call your doctor for a time to review every medication!

Flustered by Food? Nutritional deficiencies such as Vitamin D or B-12 can wreak havoc on the body. “Follow a balanced diet that includes protein. People with higher blood levels of vitamin B12 were six times less likely to experience brain shrinkage and dementia. Ask your doctor to check your blood to see if you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

Measure what you drink everyday…dehydration can cause confusion and urinary tract infections…call your doctor immediately with sudden onset confusion and forgetfulness.

One last word: Remember to get up and get moving: Exercise for 1/2 hour daily like walking or jogging helps improve mem-ory.

The first story is that a very patient receptionist in a memory care unit was being interrupted and antagonized by a gentleman resident throughout the workday.  He came and stood in front of her and mumbled a phrase for long periods, and would not be dissuaded by her appeals.  With a little detective work, she learned that he had worked as a delivery person for his entire adult life.  She gave him a clipboard filled with paper with numbered lines and a few empty, sealed packages.  Each time he came to the desk, she signed his clipboard, and he went on his way seemingly satisfied that he’d accomplished his task.  The mumbling? The receptionist decided that he had been asking for her signature all along.

The other poignant story that touched me is one about an elderly woman and her doll.  She had five adult children and she had always loved infants, so her daughter kindly purchased a life-like doll for her.  She also purchased inexpensive bundles of wash clothes to double as “diapers for the baby”.  The lady’s caregiver brought her a laundry basket filled with the cloths every morning. The lady neatly folded each one and placed them back in the basket.  This exercise was repeated throughout the day.  The lady was content because her hands were doing productive work.  She and her baby doll were inseparable and the staff commented sweetly about her baby consistently.  It is a minor thing to those of us with our faculties, but it was her LIFE that was enriched by a simple ritual of feeling purposeful.

When a family member with dementia has no alternative except to live in a facility with a memory unit, it is important to ask about and insist upon activities everyday to engage them.  One very concerned daughter asked, “Where is the LIFE in the memory care unit?”  She reported, “I visited a memory care unit today in an affluent facility in my hometown. The setting and physical environment was wonderful, but the schedule posted for the day only included 3 meals and a piano listening time. Nothing else. Another resident’s family member confirmed that there were no other activities ever offered for the unit. No puzzles, no handcrafting, no dancing, no staff socially interacting with small groups.  The assisted living area offered any number of activities each day, but residents of the memory care unit could not attend their activities unless a family member accompanied them.”

So, when you are visiting possible memory units for your loved one (or choosing in-home caregivers), be sure to ask “Where’s the LIFE? What will you do to care for my mom and dad?”

Sherly 843-852-9090

Physical Activity and Older Americans

Middle aged adults might experience a decline in brain function if they are sleeping less than 6 hours a day or more than 8 hours. The mental decline is apt to be equivalent to being 4 to 7 years OLDER.

Trying to always do more in a given 24 hour day is causing people to sacrifice sleep to ensure they complete everything that is expected of them.

The study  by the University  College London Medical School cites that women who slept 7 hours a night have the highest score for every cognitive measure followed by those who had six hours.

However, less than 6 hours or more than 8 were associated with lower cognitive scores.

Sleep provides the body with its daily need for restitution and recovery.  It is not yet clear in studies why 7 hours appears to be optimal for the majority of people.