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. Next meeting: Tuesday, August 16.

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.

This month, Joe Richardson, Vietnam Marine Veteran, will be presenting information regarding Veterans’ benefits and local resources available to veterans and their families.

Meetings are held monthly on the Third Tuesday, 10-11am, at Crosspointe Church (5415 Ralston).

by Patricia Schallert

There are many seniors among us who have lived and continue to live lives that can be considered “success stories”…. Let’s meet Royce Hill , a retired teacher from LAUSD and see how she sees it.

After twenty years with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Royce, a young 69 years old, retired before moving to Ventura six years later. Royce had spent 30 years visiting friends in Ventura before deciding that it would be a good place to retire. Born in Taft, California, growing up in San Fernando Valley, after high school Royce traveled the world and lived in Italy for fourteen years.

Upon returning to the States, Royce went back to school at Pierce College and then California State University, Northridge, where she received first a degree in graphic design and then a visual art teaching credential.

As Royce’s career in the classroom flourished, she found herself moving from Classroom Art Teacher to an Assistant Principal at secondary schools in Los Angeles.

After twenty years in education it was time to hit the beach! So, Royce and her husband John moved to their little beach house in Ventura and traded the freeways for flip flops! Royce’s favorite part about retirement is “lingering over coffee in the morning” and “not dashing out of the house” before the classroom bells ring. She enjoys the “endless summers’ that retirement offers and keeps busy with her Etsy shop Two Vintage Hens. www.etsy.com/shop/TwovintageHens.

Some of the major values or principles that Royce sees now as a retired person are to “always treat others as you would like to be treated”

Editor: If you are a senior, or know of one, who would like to share their retirement, or job, with us let us know at [email protected].

Aging BiologyClinical ResearchFrailtyPhysical Activity

Some people perform incredible feats of strength and endurance well into their retirement years. The great news is: You don’t have to bench press 300 pounds or run a marathon to show off the benefits of strength training.

NIA-supported researchers have been studying the effects of strength training for more than 40 years and have identified multiple ways it can benefit older adults, including maintaining muscle mass, improving mobility, and increasing the healthy years of life.

Age-related mobility limitations are a fact of life for many older adults. Studies have shown that about 30% of adults over age 70 have trouble with walking, getting up out of a chair, or climbing stairs. In addition to making everyday tasks difficult, mobility limitations are also linked to higher rates of falls, chronic disease, nursing home admission, and mortality.

A big culprit for losing our physical abilities as we grow older is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, which is called sarcopenia. Typically, muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and reach their peak at around 30 to 35 years of age. After that, muscle power and performance decline slowly and linearly at first, and then faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men. Those findings come from NIA’s Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) — the longest-running study of human aging — which pioneered a series of simple tests decades ago, known as the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), to track mobility and muscle performance. The SPPB measures an individual’s balance, walking speed, and ability to get out of a chair five times, and then rates that person on a scale of zero to four.

However, such average decline of strength and power with aging can be substantially slowed down by maintaining an active lifestyle. While there is no way to fully “stop the clock,” it’s possible for many older adults to increase muscle strength with exercise, which can help maintain mobility and independence into later life.

NIA scientist Eric Shiroma, Sc.D., has studied the science of exercise for years and is an advocate of activities that add an extra challenge in our daily routines, such as turning a walk into “rucking,” which means wearing a weighted vest or backpack while exercising. He notes that a big key to understanding the range of responses to exercise is knowing how and why our bodies change with age and, perhaps more importantly, how and why these changes can vary from person to person.

“As we get older, there are inevitable functional and biological limitations that can cap exercise endurance, maximum strength, and fitness,” said Shiroma. “Some of these limitations can be slowed down through an active lifestyle that includes strength training. However, it is difficult to study these limits in normal day-to-day life. Studies such as the BLSA are special because scientists can test these limits in the clinic. For example, to test strength and endurance, study participants may be asked to walk or run on a treadmill, or climb stairs, for as long as they can comfortably continue. There are also genetic and environmental components to how people respond to physical challenges and exercise.”

By studying people’s limits and variability, researchers aim to provide older adults with evidence-based advice on how regularly moving and challenging their muscles may help increase their years of optimal health.

Imagine being able to look inside the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease and see the changes that are interfering with that person’s thinking, memory, and other important brain functions. Scientists working in the field of neuropathology are doing just that. Neuropathology is the study of diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves through analyzing tissues removed during autopsy or biopsy. This analysis is central to research on Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

To understand more about the causes of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, NIA-funded researchers across the country are making connections between what happens while a person is alive and what can be seen in their brain after death. One such effort is the Religious Orders Study (ROS) and Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP), referred to collectively as ROSMAP. For more than 25 years, ROSMAP has collected a combination of lifestyle and autopsy information that makes it a powerful resource for researchers around the world to study aging and dementia risk and progression.

ROSMAP researchers are discovering important clues about factors that may offer some protection from cognitive decline and dementia. According to ROSMAP autopsy data, nearly one third of older adults in the study who died have the amyloid plaques and tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s but did not have any signs of cognitive decline. The ROSMAP study also found that eating the MIND diet — which focuses on plant-based foods and limits red meat, sweets, and saturated fats — helps to preserve cognition even in the presence of some Alzheimer’s pathology. Building on these results, researchers continue to study diet and other lifestyle factors that may help lower the risk or slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Good drivers are alert, think clearly, and make good decisions. When people with Alzheimer’s disease are not able to do these things, they should stop driving. But some people may not want to stop driving or even think there is a problem.

As the caregiver, you must talk with the person about the need to stop driving. Do this in a caring way. Understand how unhappy the person may be to admit that he or she has reached this new stage.

Safety First

People with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease should never get behind the wheel. People with very mild Alzheimer’s may be able to drive safely in certain conditions. But as memory and decision-making skills worsen, they need to stop because a driver with dementia may not be able to react quickly when faced with a surprise on the road. Someone could get hurt or killed. If the person’s reaction time or ability to focus slows, you must stop the person from driving.

Signs that the person should stop driving include:

• New dents and scratches on the car
• Taking a long time to do a simple errand and not being able to explain why, which may indicate the person got lost
• Two or more traffic tickets or increased car insurance premiums
• Comments from friends and neighbors about driving
• Speeding or sudden lane changes
• Confusing the brake and gas pedals
• Recommendations from a doctor to modify driving habits
• Other health issues that may affect driving ability, such as changes in vision, hearing, or mobility.
• Driving safety infographic icon
• Read and share this infographic if you are worried about a loved one’s safety on the road.
• Some people with memory problems decide on their own not to drive, while others may deny they have a problem.

State laws vary regarding when a person with Alzheimer’s should stop driving. In some States, doctors are required to report to the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles whether a person has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. In others, anyone can report a potentially unsafe driver to the State. Check with your State’s Department of Motor Vehicles for more information. You may need to notify the person’s car insurance company, too.

It is a good idea to have the person’s driving skills assessed regularly by a professional. The American Occupational Therapy Association maintains a national database of driving specialists, or you can ask your State’s Department of Motor Vehicles or the person’s doctor to recommend someone who can test the person’s driving skills. Note that there may be fees associated with these types of assessments.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue.

While virtually anyone could be at risk for developing Parkinson’s, some research studies suggest this disease affects more men than women. It’s unclear why, but studies are underway to understand factors that may increase a person’s risk. One clear risk is age: Although most people with Parkinson’s first develop the disease after age 60, about 5% to 10% experience onset before the age of 50. Early-onset forms of Parkinson’s are often, but not always, inherited, and some forms have been linked to specific gene mutations.

What causes Parkinson’s disease?

The most prominent signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease occur when nerve cells in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain that controls movement, become impaired and/or die. Normally, these nerve cells, or neurons, produce an important brain chemical known as dopamine. When the neurons die or become impaired, they produce less dopamine, which causes the movement problems associated with the disease. Scientists still do not know what causes the neurons to die.

People with Parkinson’s disease also lose the nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, the main chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls many functions of the body, such as heart rate and blood pressure. The loss of norepinephrine might help explain some of the non-movement features of Parkinson’s, such as fatigue, irregular blood pressure, decreased movement of food through the digestive tract, and sudden drop in blood pressure when a person stands up from a sitting or lying position.

Many brain cells of people with Parkinson’s disease contain Lewy bodies, unusual clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein. Scientists are trying to better understand the normal and abnormal functions of alpha-synuclein and its relationship to genetic mutations that impact Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.

Some cases of Parkinson’s disease appear to be hereditary, and a few cases can be traced to specific genetic mutations. While genetics is thought to play a role in Parkinson’s, in most cases the disease does not seem to run in families. Many researchers now believe that Parkinson’s results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s has four main symptoms:

• Tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head
• Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time
• Slowness of movement
• Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls

Other symptoms may include:

• Depression and other emotional changes
• Difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking
• Urinary problems or constipation
• Skin problems

The symptoms of Parkinson’s and the rate of progression differ among individuals. Early symptoms of this disease are subtle and occur gradually. For example, people may feel mild tremors or have difficulty getting out of a chair. They may notice that they speak too softly, or that their handwriting is slow and looks cramped or small. Friends or family members may be the first to notice changes in someone with early Parkinson’s. They may see that the person’s face lacks expression and animation, or that the person does not move an arm or leg normally.

There are lots of fun and simple ways to build exercise into your daily routine. Find ideas for activities to do with your family and ways to stay active in all four seasons.

Family Activities to Help You Get Exercise
Being physically active with your family is a great way to stay healthy and make exercise fun. Whether you play team sports with the entire family or take brisk walks with your spouse, child, or grandchild, you’ll be rewarded with improved health and time spent together.

Here are a few activity ideas for you to do with your grandchildren:

Infants and Toddlers
Take them for walks in the stroller and rides on your bike. Don’t forget your helmets.
Play games that get your bodies moving—Wheels on the Bus, Pretend We’re Animals, and Hide-and-Seek.
Sign up for baby yoga or exercise classes.
Try baby-friendly swimming classes.
School-Aged Children
Walk to the park and push their swing.
Jump rope together.
Build a fort—indoors or out.
Play catch, kickball, basketball, or soccer.
Go swimming or biking together.
Play a video fitness game together and see who wins!
Teens and Young Adults
Participate in activities that interest them. Try hiking, skating, or tennis.
Go golfing or swimming. Invite them to join you in physical activities that require two people, such as tennis or ping pong.
Ask them to help you in the garden or with heavy-duty household chores.
Search for Move Your Way: Tips for Getting Active as a Family on YouTube for more tips on getting active with your family.

Be Physically Active Without Spending a Dime!
You don’t need to spend a fortune to be physically active. In fact, you can be active in many ways without spending any money. You don’t need special exercise equipment other than comfortable walking shoes. Here are a few ideas to help get you moving for free:

Make your own weights from household items such as soup cans or bottles of water.
Try out free demonstration exercises classes at your local senior center or fitness center.
Go for a hike in a park.
Participate in community-sponsored fun runs or walks.
Yard work such as raking, digging, and planting can keep you active.
Make sure to drink water or juice after exercise.
Summer
Swim laps or take a water aerobics class. These are both refreshing once the weather gets steamy.
Walking in the mall is a cool way to beat the heat.
Now that the grandchildren are out of school for the summer, ask them to teach you their favorite sport or physical activity.
Celebrate National Bowling Week the first week in August. Get friends and family together and challenge each other to a friendly tournament.