His name is Benjamin Garcia and he was born on Aug. 16, 1925 in Torrion Mexico.  He never knew his father because he had passed away when his mother was 6 month pregnant with him.  He was raised by his mother and three sisters until he was old enough to work, then he went to live with his uncle to help him work the farm.  At the age of 18 years he served in the Mexican military for 2 years.  In 1948 he married Nativida Garcia and had 7 children. In 1960 he immigrated to the US with his wife and children.  He first worked in the farm fields of Ventura County and later worked in the packing houses.  His last job, until he retired was at a machine shop on the Avenue.  He now is retired and enjoying life in his home in Colonia Oxnard at the age of 98 years old.

Editor: If you are a senior (over 70-years), or know of one, who would like to share their retirement, life or job, with us please let us know at [email protected].

From NIH Research Matters

As the world population ages, the number of people living with dementia and other types of cognitive impairment continues to rise. Safe and affordable interventions to prevent or slow age-related cognitive decline are greatly needed.

Studies have found an association between hearing loss and the development of dementia in older adults. Research also suggests that using hearing aids to treat hearing loss may help slow the development of cognitive problems. But potential links between hearing loss treatment and improved cognition hadn’t been tested in a large, randomized study.

To close this gap, an NIH-funded research team co-led by Dr. Frank Lin from Johns Hopkins University enrolled nearly 1,000 adults, ages 70 to 84, into a clinical trial. They compared the rate of cognitive decline over a three-year period between people who did and didn’t receive hearing aids.

The researchers recruited participants with substantial hearing loss from two different study populations. About 250 healthy older adults came from a long-term study of heart health at four sites in the United States. Another 739 people were newly recruited from the surrounding communities at the same four sites. Participants recruited from the heart-health study had more risk factors for developing dementia, including being older and having faster rates of cognitive decline than those from the general community.

The researchers randomly assigned participants to one of two interventions. About half received hearing aids and instruction in how to use them. The other half were assigned to a health education program focused on promoting healthy aging. Both groups received follow-up visits every six months to reinforce the training.

Before the start of the study and annually for three years, all participants took a battery of tests to measure cognitive functioning. The results were published on July 17, 2023, in The Lancet.

People who received the hearing aids reported substantial improvement in communication abilities over the course of the study. Those in the health-education group, as expected, did not experience improvement in hearing and communication.

In the main analysis of all study participants, the researchers saw no difference in the rate of change in cognitive functioning between people who received the hearing aids and those who didn’t.

However, when the analysis focused on people from the heart-health study who had a higher risk of dementia, the benefit of the hearing aids was substantial. Those who received hearing aids had an almost 50% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline compared with people in the health-education group.

“Hearing loss is very treatable in later life, which makes it an important public health target to reduce risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Lin says.

The researchers are continuing to follow the study participants to see how changes in cognition develop over time. They’re also looking at brain scans and data on social engagement to better understand how protecting hearing may prevent cognitive decline in vulnerable older adults.

“Until we know more,” Lin adds, “we recommend for general health and well-being that older adults have their hearing checked regularly and any hearing issues properly addressed.”

Free Ventura County Parkinson’s support group meetings: a community-based support group focusing on sharing relevant information and education about all things Parkinson’s.

Meetings are held monthly on the third Tuesday, 10-11am, at Crosspointe Church (5415 Ralston Ave.) Next meeting: Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Ventura County Parkinson’s Support Group gets together every month with skilled, experienced professionals who present significant breakthroughs, strategies and related issues surrounding Parkinson’s. The group’s mission is for participants to better understand and talk about how this information impacts their own lives and affects immediate family members. In addition to those diagnosed with PD, caregivers, family members and friends are ALL welcome to attend FREE of charge.

More than just a meeting, all discussions/presentations offer interactive, compassionate, relevant education on PD. Topics range from “How to get up off the floor when you’ve fallen,” to “Nutrition and Parkinson’s” to “The benefits of deep brain stimulation and assessing if you’re a good candidate for DBS.”

Jon Everhart, retired accountant, US Marine and regular group attendee said, “It’s nice comparing treatments, symptoms, and the challenges we all face living with Parkinson’s.” This caring group empowers people like Jon to be more proactive and to participate in deciding the direction of his treatment, complemented by his team of doctors’ suggestions.

This unique group gives everyone a great opportunity to learn more about current PD research, to gain more awareness about local help and resources, to share relevant experiences with others — and to have fun along the way.

The Ventura County Parkinson’s Support Group was recently resurrected (post-Covid) by Dr. Vanessa White, owner of Ventura County Neurofitness (a local fitness program designed specifically for those with Parkinson’s and other neurological degenerative diseases). The impetus for her assuming this responsibility was after her mother-in-law, Toy White, was diagnosed several years ago with PD. This important, special group was born upon her passing.

The next meeting will feature Dr. Erin Presant, a neurologist turned nutritionist she is returning to our group and will be bringing some of her best (and favorite) dishes for us to taste and try—dishes that are naturally beneficial for improving quality of living with Parkinson’s. You can find her at medicineofyum.com, but you won’t want to miss this presentation!