by Carol Leish, MA

LiveWell is not just about aging, but aging well.

“Welcome to the 2022 issue of LiveWell, a resource guide designed specifically with older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers in mind. The landscape of issues for the populations we serve is continually changing, therefore the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA), is continually creating innovative methods and programs to enhance quality of life and provide options to safely, securely, and optimally age in place.

“This year’s issue focuses heavily on services and programs that are available to Ventura County residents and our continued efforts to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and the growing needs of the populations we serve. We understand how critical it is to have access to trusted information, and we are proud to offer a heavily vetted publication that brings vital resources to the individual we serve.” (Introduction to LiveWell, pg. 4.)

VCAAA has changed its focus in order to meet the needs of older adults, individuals with disabilities and their caregivers through this publication. LiveWell debuted in 2017 to replace what was Eldercare. This publication has stories and listings in both English and Spanish.

Many articles and listings in the guide are there to assist people, and their loved ones through some of the challenges that we all face in our quest to maintain independence, which includes advocating for services that you need to live well and age optimally. The various sections in the guide are: Active Living; Caregiving; Community Resources; Transportation; Food Resources; Housing; Medical Services; and, End of Life Information.

LiveWell has been edited by Jannette Jauregui, MSJ. The contributing editor is Teo Nguyen. The graphic designer is GSA Business Support-Creative Services. It has been published by the County of Ventura Area Agency on Aging.

“This guide can be a valuable tool, but remember, it is just that, a guide to help you find various resources,” according to Victoria Jump, Director, Ventura County Area Agency on Aging. “If you have specific questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact one of our Information & Assistance Specialists to assist you further. They can be reaches at (805) 477-7300, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m., Monday-Friday, and are trained to connect you to the multitude of resources available in Ventura County, and can arm you with the information you need to make those important life decisions.

“LiveWell is available at a variety of locations throughout Ventura County as well as directly through the VCAAA office in Ventura. An online version of the guide is also available at: www.vcaaa.org.”

From the NIH Director’s Blog, a guest post by NIA Director Dr. Richard J. Hodes

As people age, they are more likely to have multiple chronic diseases, and NIA-supported research studies reflect a strong focus on geroscience. This advancing area of science seeks to understand the mechanisms that make aging a major risk factor and driver of common chronic conditions and diseases of older people.

More than 85 years ago, researchers at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, observed that some lab rodents lived longer when fed a lower calorie diet that otherwise had the appropriate nutrients. Since then, many scientists have studied calorie restriction to shed light on the various biological mechanisms that may explain its benefits and perhaps discover a way to extend healthy years of life, known as our healthspan.

Although there have been many studies of calorie restriction since the Cornell findings, the NIA-supported clinical trial CALERIE, which stands for Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy, provided critical data on the impact of this intervention in people. Completed in 2012, CALERIE was the first carefully controlled study to test whether study participants undergoing moderate calorie restriction would display any of the benefits observed in animal studies.

Volunteers for the CALERIE study were healthy, non-obese adults ages 25 to 45.

In addition to demonstrating that people could sustain moderate calorie restriction for two years, the CALERIE study also showed that this intervention could diminish risk factors for age-related cardiovascular and metabolic diseases2. The CALERIE investigators also made their data and biological samples available for other research teams to study further.

Recently, a team led by Vishwa Dixit, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, examined CALERIE data to investigate the effects of calorie restriction on immune function. The findings, published in the journal Science, suggest that calorie restriction may improve immune function and reduce chronic inflammation3,4.

As people age, the size of the thymus, which is part of the immune system, tends to become smaller. As this organ shrinks, its output of T cells declines, which hampers the ability of the immune system to combat infectious diseases. This deficiency of T cells is one of the reasons people over age 40 are at increased susceptibility for a range of diseases.

Dixit’s team noted that MRI scans showed the thymus volume increased among people who reduced their calories for the two-year CALERIE study but was not significantly different in the control group. The increase in thymus size in the group restricting calories was accompanied by an increase in indicators of new T cell production.

Next, the team analyzed immune system effects in belly fat samples from people in the CALERIE study. The team discovered that the PLA2G7 gene — which codes for a protein involved in fat metabolism that is made by immune cells such as T cells — was suppressed after calorie restriction.

To test this hypothesis, the team suppressed the PLA2G7 gene in lab mice. When these mice were 2 years old, which is equivalent to a human age of about 70, the thymus had not decreased in volume. In addition, the mice had decreased fat mass and lower levels of certain inflammation-promoting substances. These findings suggest that mice without the PLA2G7 gene might have been protected from age-related chronic inflammation, which has been linked to many conditions of old age.

Taken together, the findings extend our understanding of the power of calorie restriction and suggest that it might also improve immune function and reduce chronic inflammation in people.

The results also indicate interventions that influence PLA2G7 gene function might have favorable health effects. Additional research is still needed to assess the health effects and to determine whether calorie restriction extends lifespan or healthspan in humans. The NIA is funding more studies to determine the benefits and risks of calorie restriction, as well as the mechanisms that account for its effects.

Eating healthy foods helps everyone stay well. It’s even more important for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some tips for healthy eating.

Buy healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products. Be sure to buy foods that the person likes and can eat.
Give the person choices about what to eat—for example, “Would you like green beans or salad?”
Buy food that is easy to prepare, such as premade salads and single food portions.
It may be helpful to have someone else make meals or use a service such as Meals on Wheels America, which brings meals right to your home. For more information, contact Meals on Wheels America at 1-888-998-6325 or www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

When a person with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease lives alone, you can buy foods that the person doesn’t need to cook. Call to remind him or her to eat.

Maintain Familiar Routines
Tips to make mealtimes easier for people with Alzheimer’s.
Share this infographic and help spread word about making mealtimes easier for people with Alzheimer’s.
Change can be difficult for a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Maintaining familiar routines and serving favorite foods can make mealtimes easier. They can help the person know what to expect and feel more relaxed. If a home health aide or other professional provides care, family members should tell this caregiver about the person’s preferences.

Try these tips:

View mealtimes as opportunities for social interaction. A warm and happy tone of voice can set the mood.
Be patient and give the person enough time to finish the meal.
Respect personal, cultural, and religious food preferences, such as eating tortillas instead of bread or avoiding pork.
If the person has always eaten meals at specific times, continue to serve meals at those times.
Serve meals in a consistent, familiar place and way whenever possible.
Avoid new routines, such as serving breakfast to a person who has never routinely eaten breakfast.
As Alzheimer’s progresses, familiar routines and food choices may need to be adapted to meet the person’s changing needs. For example, a family custom of serving appetizers before dinner can be preserved, but higher-calorie items might be offered to help maintain the person’s weight.

Stay Safe
In the early stage of Alzheimer’s, people’s eating habits usually do not change. When changes do occur, living alone may not be safe anymore. Look for these signs to see if living alone is no longer safe for the person with Alzheimer’s:

The person forgets to eat.
Food has burned because it was left on the stove.
The oven isn’t turned off.
Other difficulties, such as not sitting down long enough for meals and refusing to eat, can arise in the middle and late stages of the disease. These changes can lead to poor nourishment, dehydration, abnormally low blood pressure, and other problems.

Caregivers should monitor the person’s weight and eating habits to make sure he or she is not eating too little or too much. Other things to look for include appetite changes, the person’s level of physical activity, and problems with chewing or swallowing. Talk with the person’s doctor about changes in eating habits.

For More Information About Healthy Eating for a Person with Alzheimer’s
NIA Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center
800-438-4380
[email protected]
www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers

Some older adults have more memory or thinking problems than other adults their age. This condition is called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI.

There is no single cause of MCI. The risk of developing MCI increases as someone gets older. Conditions such as diabetes, depression, and stroke may increase a person’s risk for MCI.

The symptoms of MCI are not as severe as the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. For example, people with MCI do not experience the personality changes or other problems that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s. People with MCI are still able to take care of themselves and do their normal daily activities.

Signs of MCI may include:

Losing things often
Forgetting to go to events or appointments
Having more trouble coming up with words than other people of the same age
Movement difficulties and problems with the sense of smell have also been linked to MCI.

How Is Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnosed?
Family and friends may notice memory lapses, and the person with MCI may worry about losing his or her memory. These worries may prompt the person to see a doctor about their memory problems.

In some cases, memory and thinking problems may be caused by conditions that are treatable. A doctor can perform tests and assessments to help understand whether the source of memory problems is something treatable or may be MCI. He or she also may suggest that the person see a specialist for more tests.

How Is Mild Cognitive Impairment Managed?
There currently is no standard treatment or approved medication for MCI, but there are things a person can do that may help them stay healthy and deal with changes in their thinking.

Because MCI may be an early sign of more serious memory problems, it’s important to see a doctor or specialist every six to 12 months. A doctor can help track changes in memory and thinking skills over time. Keeping a record of any changes can also be helpful.

People with MCI might also consider participating in clinical trials or studies. Clinical trials are research studies that help test if a treatment, like a new drug, is safe and effective in people. People with and without memory problems can take part in clinical trials, which may help themselves, their families, or future generations.

To find out more about participating in clinical trials for people with memory problems and people without cognitive impairment, visit Alzheimers.gov or call the Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 1-800-438-4380.

Does Mild Cognitive Impairment Lead to Dementia?
Researchers have found that more people with MCI than those without it go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. An estimated 10 to 20% of people age 65 or older with MCI develop dementia over a one-year period. However, not everyone who has MCI develops dementia. In many cases, the symptoms of MCI may stay the same or even improve.

Research suggests that genetic factors may play a role in who will develop MCI, as they do in Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Studies are underway to learn why some people with MCI progress to Alzheimer’s and others do not.

For More Information About Mild Cognitive Impairment
NIA Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center
800-438-4380
[email protected]
www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers

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, April 19.

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.

This month’s meeting will feature Robert and Jenna Adelman, owners of Way of Orient Martial Arts Academy (2750 E. Main St., Ventura) who will be presenting a very important session on senior safety where they will introduce and teach self-defense for seniors.

A new therapy could reverse the aging process by turning back the clock on cells to make them young again, according to a new study.

Scientists from the Salk Institute say the safe and effective technique works by partially resetting cells that impact skin, eyesight, muscles, and the brain. The breakthrough may be able to extend life and help people gain the ability to become more resistant to stress, injury, and disease.

While it may appear to be the Holy Grail of anti-aging research, promising eternal youth, the team cautions that they’ve only successfully tested the treatment on mice so far. Animals at the late stage of their lives treated with cellular rejuvenation therapy started to show signs of getting younger after just seven months.

New tests are now underway to determine whether the treatment only “pauses” or actually reverses aging. In the study, the researchers note that all cells carry a molecular clock that records the passage of time. By adding a mixture of four reprogramming molecules, known as the Yamanaka factors, the cells reset the clock to their original patterns.

The scientists tested three groups of mice at varying ages equivalent to humans being 35, 50, and 80 years-old (12 months, 15 months, and 25 months in mice). There were no blood cell alterations or neurological changes in the mice that received the treatment. The team also found no cancers in any of the groups.

Researchers found after seven or 10 months, the mice resembled younger animals in both appearance and ability. When injured, the youthful skin had a greater ability to heal and was less likely to form permanent scars. Metabolism remained stable, showing no form of age.

“At the end of the day, we want to bring resilience and function back to older cells so that they are more resistant to stress, injury and disease,” says co-first author Dr. Pradeep Reddy of the Salk Institute in a university release. “This study shows that, at least in mice, there’s a path forward to achieving that.”

“We are elated that we can use this approach across the life span to slow down aging in normal animals. The technique is both safe and effective in mice,” adds Professor Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte.

“In addition to tackling age-related diseases, this approach may provide the biomedical community with a new tool to restore tissue and organismal health by improving cell function and resilience in different disease situations, such as neurodegenerative diseases.”

The study is published in the journal Nature Aging.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, it may be difficult to think beyond the day to day. However, taking steps now can help prepare for a smoother tomorrow.

Over time, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and related dementias will make it difficult to think clearly. Planning as early as possible enables you to make decisions and communicate those decisions to the right people.

Below are important legal documents to consider, and resources and tips that can help with planning ahead for health care, financial, long-term care, and end-of-life decisions.

Advance directives are legal documents that outline your preferences and apply only if you are unable to make decisions. For health care planning, they communicate a person’s wishes ahead of time. Doctors and other providers follow these directives for your medical treatment. There are two main documents that are part of an advance directive:

A living will lets doctors know how you want to be treated if you are dying or permanently unconscious and cannot make your own decisions about emergency treatment.

A durable power of attorney for health care names someone as a “proxy” to make medical decisions for you when you are not able.

If advance directives are not in place and a patient can no longer speak for him or herself, someone else will need to make medical decisions on their behalf. Talk to your family, friends, and health care providers about what types of care you would want. It can also be helpful to talk with your doctor about common problems associated with your condition.

For example, in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, people may have trouble swallowing, which can bring food or liquid into the lungs and cause pneumonia. Doctors may recommend a feeding tube connected from the nose to the stomach for nutrition, a ventilator to help with breathing, and antibiotics to fight the lung infection to help with recovery. However, some people may want to focus on comfort rather than recovery if the illness occurs near the end of life.

Other types of medical orders, which inform health care professionals about your preferences for life-sustaining and life-supporting treatment measures during a medical emergency. These have various names but are commonly called POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) or MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) forms.

Organ and tissue donation, which allows healthy organs or other body parts from a person who has died to be transplanted into people who need them.

Brain donation for scientific research, which helps researchers better understand how Alzheimer’s and related dementias affect the brain and how they might be better treated and prevented.

Advance directives for financial planning are documents that communicate the financial wishes of a person. These must be created while the person still has the legal capacity to make decisions.

A durable power of attorney for finances names someone who will make financial decisions for you when you are not able.

A living trust names and instructs someone, called the trustee, to hold and distribute property and funds on your behalf when you are no longer able to manage your affairs.

Lawyers can help prepare these documents with you and your family members. A listing of lawyers in your area can be found on the internet, at your local library, through a local bar association, or by contacting the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

People with dementia experience a range of symptoms related to changes in thinking, remembering, reasoning, and behavior. Living with dementia presents unique challenges, but there are steps you can take to help now and in the future.

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias get worse over time. Even simple everyday activities can become difficult to complete. To help cope with changes in memory and thinking, consider strategies that can make daily tasks easier. Try to adopt them early on so you will have more time to adjust. You can:

Write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.

Set up automated bill payments and consider asking someone you trust to help manage your finances.

Have your groceries delivered.

Manage your medications with a weekly pillbox, a pillbox with reminders (like an alarm), or a medication dispenser.

Ask your doctor to provide a care plan and write down care directions (or have a family member or friend take notes during the visit).

Sleep Tips for People Living With Dementia

Dementia often changes a person’s sleeping habits. You may sleep a lot, or not enough, and wake up many times during the night. Poor sleep quality can make dementia symptoms worse.

Tips for better and safer sleep:

Follow a regular schedule by going to sleep and getting up at the same time each day, even on weekends or when traveling.

Develop a relaxing bedtime routine with lowered lights, cool temperature, and no electronic screens.

Avoid caffeine and naps late in the day.

Have a lamp that’s easy to reach and turn on, a nightlight in the hallway or bathroom, and a flashlight nearby.

Keep a telephone with emergency numbers by your bed.

Talk to your doctor if you have problems sleeping.

Healthy and Active Lifestyle Tips for People Living With Dementia

Participating in activities you enjoy and getting exercise may help you feel better, stay social, maintain a healthy weight, and have regular sleep habits.

Try these tips for a healthy and active lifestyle:

Try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week. But be realistic about how much activity you can do at one time. Several short “mini-workouts” may be best.

Aim for a mix of exercise types — endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. For example, you could do a mix of walking or dancing, lifting weights, standing on one foot, and stretching. Even everyday activities like household chores and gardening help you stay active.

Your diet may need to change as dementia progresses to maintain a healthy weight. Talk with your doctor about the best diet for you, and choose nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein and dairy products. Avoid added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.

Stay social by talking on the phone with family and friends, joining an online support group, or going for a walk in your neighborhood.