Hands to Help Seniors
Keeping Blood Pressure Low Reduces Alzheimer’s And Dementia Risk
by Richard Kuehn on 11/03/22
Scientists know that having high blood pressure,
particularly between the ages of 40 and 65, increases the risk of developing
dementia later in life. Until now, it
was not clear whether monitoring your blood pressure at home and then getting
on meds to control it if it is high was helpful in reducing dementia in older
adults.
"What is so exciting about our study is
that the data shows that those people who were taking the blood pressure
lowering medication had a lower risk of a dementia diagnosis than those taking
a matching placebo," said Ruth Peters, an associate professor at the
University of New South Wales in Australia, who is also a senior research
scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia, a nonprofit research organization,
told KSBW News.
The new study, which was published recently in
the European Heart Journal, looked at 28,000 older adults (with an average age
of 69) who all had a history of hypertension.
It found that a drop of about 10 mm/HG on the systolic and 4 mm/HG on
the diastolic blood pressure reading at 12 months significantly lowered the
risk of a dementia diagnosis.
In addition, as blood pressure dropped, so did
cognitive risk, which held true to at least 100 mm/HG systolic and 70 mm/HG diastolic. When sex, age or history of stroke were taken
into account, there was no difference in outcome.
1 In 10 Seniors Have Dementia, New Study Shows
by Richard Kuehn on 10/24/22
A new study, which was published in the journal JAMA
Neurology, found that one in 10 Americans over the age of 65 have dementia,
while 22% experienced mild cognitive impairment. It
studied nearly 3,500 people via interviews and neuropsychological tests on a
randomly selected sample of seniors between June of 2016 and October of
2017. 15% of those who identified as
black tested positive for dementia, while 22% had mild cognitive decline. 10% of those who identified as Hispanic had
dementia, while 28% had mild cognitive impairment. This compares to 9% of white people who had
dementia and 21% had mild cognitive impairment.
Alliance On Aging Offers Free One-On-One Computer Training For Seniors
by Richard Kuehn on 10/21/22
The Alliance on Aging has a wide array of services,
including sessions on Medicare options, a market day where you can mingle with
other seniors and get affordable farmer’s market quality produce. In addition, they provide one-on-one computer
training for seniors. For more
information, visit their offices called “The HUB” on 236 Monterey Street in
Salinas, call 646-5050 or go to www.allianceonaging.org/hb/
Medicare Open Enrollment From October 15 To December 7 : Check Your Options!
by Richard Kuehn on 10/15/22
Medicare
Open Enrollment arrives, with their Annual Election Period (AEP) running from
October 15 to December 7. Those who are
in a standalone Part D drug plan should check and make sure that they have the
best coverage possible for the prescription medication that they are on. Coverage and plans change every year so
getting the right plan could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars per
year. Similarly, if you are looking at a
Medicare Advantage Plan should look at your likely health needs, including
hospitals, doctors, durable equipment, as well as prescription costs. Alliance on Aging has a number of free
presentations on this topic. Click here
for the dates and locations.
Medicare Part B Bills To Decline 3% Next Year
by Richard Kuehn on 10/06/22
For the first time in a decade, Americans will be paying less
next year for Medicare Part B. The 3%
decrease in premiums (a savings of $5.20 per month for most people) comes after
a tough year with extremely high inflation.
“To millions of seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare, that
means more money in their pockets while still getting the care they need,”
President Biden said.
