Spring is a time for renewal

It is the 11th of May and Spring is in the air. Spring is a time for renewal and planning for new adventures. Take a few minutes and think of what is it that you'd really, really like to see happen in your life, but have not visualized in a really, really long time?

Right!

Well, let's just say conditions are now favourable and it's time to rock-and-roll.

Go on, what have you got to lose?

The best blogs for Alzheimer's information

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 5 million people in the United States. After diagnosis, many people with Alzheimer's and their families turn to the Internet for information on what to expect in the upcoming years. Alzheimer's blogs can help to prepare people with Alzheimer's and their families for the road ahead.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's disease every 66 seconds. Due to the rising population in the U.S. of people aged 65 and older, the number of new cases of Alzheimer's and other dementias is set to soar.

Alzheimer's is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder. The disease slowly destroys memory and thinking capacity, and it eventually prevents the ability to complete even the simplest of tasks.

Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., although recent reports state that Alzheimer's-related deaths may have been underreported and may, in fact, rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer as a leading cause of death for people aged 75 and older.

Blogs that are written by associations, people with Alzheimer's, and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's may help to support both those living with Alzheimer's and their families, and they could help to prepare them for the road ahead.

Below are the top 5 blogs selected by Medical News Today that focus on Alzheimer's disease. These blogs showcase the most recent research, provide a day-in-the-life account of living with the disease, and share perspectives from caregivers.

Alzheimers.net

Alzheimers.net is an online community that supports people affected by Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimers.net blog includes a wide range of articles that cover Alzheimer's research, discuss dementia therapies, provide tips and resources for caregivers, and give up-to-date information on the ongoing research to determine causes, treatments, and prevention of dementia.

Medical News Today was drawn, in particular, to the articles that focus on innovative dementia therapies and the benefits they have for people with Alzheimer's.

Cognitive Vitality

Cognitive Vitality is a program of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), and it is dedicated to empowering people to make informed decisions about their brain health. The Cognitive Vitality blog has the aim of "examining issues that are on your mind."

The Cognitive Vitality blog was started because "there is a lot of misinformation. Headlines tout everything from maple syrup to jellyfish proteins. Cognitive Vitality gives people access to credible, science-backed information about brain health. Their goal is to empower people to make smart choices for their brains.  The blog reports on promising research to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer's.

The Caregiver's Voice

Brenda Avadian founded The Caregiver's Voice in 1998 to serve caregivers and professionals who work with adults with cognitive impairment or dementia. TheCaregiversVoice.com became the go-to source for both professionals and family caregivers seeking a deeper perspective of caring for a loved one with dementia while maintaining a sense of humor.

The Caregiver's Voice exudes a lighthearted, friendly tone and is filled with engaging articles laced with a little humor, such as I am not your sweetie! and 8 ways a caregiver can maintain a healthy level of insanity, and tips for caregivers, such as pureeing palatable meals for a loved one with dysphagia.

Alzheimer's Universe

Alzheimer's Universe is a website created to educate family members and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's, provide the most up-to-date Alzheimer's disease information, and offer help for people with mild memory loss due to Alzheimer's, through interactive lessons and engaging activities.

In addition to the blog, Alzheimer's Universe has an activities page with cognitive assessment tools, links to resources, and surveys.

The Alzheimer's Universe blog extends this Alzheimer's education using easy-to-read articles that cover anything from "quick Alzheimer's prevention pearls" - such as how a daily walk promotes brain health and regular exercise may protect against depression in Alzheimer's disease - to therapeutic pieces detailing how canine companionship can help with Alzheimer's.

Dealing with Dementia

The Dealing with Dementia blog is the creation of Kay Bransford and was inspired by her experience of looking after her parents. The blog contains anecdotes (including grief is a sneaky beast), step-by-step guides (such as how to fight elder fraud), and advice (including articles such as caregiving or enabling?), gained through personal experience - all articles that are worthy of helping in real-life situations for people with dementia and their families.

Kay's advice to families that are dealing with the early stages of dementia is: "Hang on! I talk to many adult children in this stage and share that I still feel like it's the worst. The person with dementia is struggling to find meaning and purpose and the people that support them are all worried that they will be taken advantage of as well as for their safety."

If you are concerned about your health or a family member's health, it is always advisable to get advice from a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

Some idle thoughts for a Thursday in May

Thanks to George for these

5 Years Ago. This is PRICELESS .............

A little old lady from Wisconsin had worked in and around her family's dairy farms since she was old enough to walk, with hours of hard work and little compensation. 

When canned Carnation Milk became available in grocery stores in the 1940s, she read an advertisement offering $5,000 for the best slogan.

The producers wanted a rhyme beginning with 'Carnation Milk is best of all...' 

She thought to herself, 'I know everything there is to know about milk and dairy farms.  I can do this!'

She sent in her entry, and several weeks later, a big black car pulled up in front of her house.

A large man got out, knocked on her door and said, "Ma'am, the president of Carnation Milk absolutely LOVED your entry.....so much, in fact, that we are here to award you $1,000--even though we will not be able to use it for our advertisements!

The president did, however, have one printed up to hang on his office wall at headquarters...."

The year is 1918. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1918:

·       The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

·       Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.

·       Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

·       Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

·       The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

·       The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

·       The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

·       The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

·       A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year.

·       A dentist $2,500 per year.

·       A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year.

·       And, a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

·       More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.

·       Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

·       Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

·       Sugar cost four cents a pound.

·       Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

·       Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

·       Most women only washed their hair once a month, and, used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

·       Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

·       The Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza. 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

·       The American flag had 45 stars

·       The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.

·       Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

·       There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.

·       Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

·       And, only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

·       Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at local corner drugstores Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!"

·       Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

·       There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

It is impossible to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years

Retirement and savings rates worldwide 2

The Future of Saving: The Role of Pension System Design in an Aging World an International Monetary Fund report published in 2019 has some interesting views and is worth a read by those who are interested in how we as global citizens are dealing with an ageing population. The purpose of the reports is to showcase policy-related analysis and research being developed by IMF staff members and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. So here are some of the conclusions reached about improving pensions, increasing private savings, and keeping the labour force high.

Improving the pension system adequacy to reduce precautionary saving.

In China, for instance, the transition to a market-based economy that began in the 1980s resulted in a weakening of the social safety net, reducing pension spending and social transfers to very low levels. Lower-income households now have a saving rate of 20–30 percent, compared with minus 20 percent in many peer countries (IMF 2017).

Similarly, in Korea, the public pension system covers only about a third of the elderly, and replacement rates are low by international comparison, resulting in a saving rate of nearly 30 percent. These countries have room for fiscal maneuver; they could redirect resources to reduce old-age poverty by expanding coverage of the social security systems, raising social pensions, and enhancing targeted social transfers. These actions would reduce households’ need for precautionary saving while ameliorating inequality and old-age poverty.

Boosting private saving by improving pension system architecture.

The presence of a Defined Contribution scheme can support higher private saving rates, attenuating the negative effect of ageing on national saving. Countries with an enabling environment might consider complementing the public pension scheme with a funded Defined Contribution scheme.

However, such reforms are not a panacea to deal with the ageing challenge; for example, too few people may be covered or contribute to the system, or contributions over the working life of an individual may fall short of providing adequate pension benefits at retirement—many private pension funds are underfunded. In addition, future returns on savings (interest and investment rates) in an ageing world could be lower, leading to lower-than-expected returns on the accumulated assets in such systems. In this case, governments might still have to make up for at least part of the gap.

Development of financial sector instruments to encourage voluntary saving.

The ability of households to diversify retirement-related risks will depend on the availability of age-specific financial products (for example, annuities and long-term care insurance). Countries with underdeveloped financial sectors would benefit from boosting financial inclusion (for example, efforts to reduce the costs of bank account for individuals) and creating sound and resilient banking sectors that offer the right mix of long-term saving instruments.

Financial literacy could foster a culture of saving and help people better plan for retirement. And government policies could focus on increasing voluntary private saving; for example, by providing tax-preferred saving vehicles related to pensions, such as the 401(K) plans in the United States. Tax-preferred general or education saving accounts could also be considered, but the participation of middle-income households would be essential for these schemes to generate additional saving rather than displacing existing saving elsewhere (OECD 2007). Nudges to encouraging workers to save can also help; for example, by automatically enrolling them in pension schemes, as in the United Kingdom.

Counteracting the effect of ageing on labour supply.

On current demographic trends, many countries will face a declining labour force, which will drive down saving. Policies should focus on reforms that close gender gaps in labour force participation (as was done in Italy and Spain) and encourage people to lengthen their productive work lives, given their increased longevity.

Policy actions could include ensuring equal remuneration for equal work and providing childcare services. Governments can make it easier for older people to remain in the workforce by reconsidering taxes and benefits that favour early retirement.

Migration could also play a role in boosting the labour force in many advanced economies, but this is a politically contentious issue. In many emerging market economies, it is important to decrease the large share of young people who are neither participating in the labour market nor studying. Furthermore, reducing the large share of the labour force that does not work in the formal sector—and thus does not pay taxes or contribute to social security—could boost saving.

Education and training policies could use some modifications to better align skills with rapid technological change, which will replace labour in some sectors but maybe labour-augmenting in others. Private (and to some extent public) saving will play a key role in helping individuals cope with these trends and changes.