Dementia

...ba href=/dementia/a/b Story Tools Email this story | Print By JERRY MEKLERcorrespondent March 24, 2006 MICCO — A sad statistic from the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation reveals that the disease strikes more than 1 in 10 people over the age of 65.

Alzheimer's typically lasts 8 to 12 years with some cases reported of up to 20 years.

And the average lifetime cost of care for an individual with Alzheimer's or ba href=/dementia/a/b is a whopping $174,000.

The north Indian River and south Brevard County areas are fortunate that they have a facility that helps substantially in maintaining the dignity, respect and self-esteem of the ba href=/dementia/a/b patient, through kindness, patience and love.

Advertisement Almost four years ago, the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation establishd a day-care center in Micco which can accomodate as many as 50 patients with ba href=/dementia/a/b, and some with other disorders.

At present there are four such units in Brevard County (two in Titusville, one in Melbourne and one in Micco), and they all have the same folksy name: Joe's Club, named after one of the founders and current board chairman, Joe Steckler.

Joe's Club South in Micco is run by Michelle Warren, an experienced and dedicated professional administrator who was among the first to work for the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation.

With more than 20 years experience in the area of brain disorders, Warren has a unique background ideally suited to the care and therapy of more than 30 clients ranging in age from 30-something to 93.

Although ...

...ba href=/dementia/a/b might contribute to smoking cessation in older smokers.

Regardless of reason, the cessation of smoking may lower the risk of death, even when it occurs at an advanced age.

The seven-year death rate among non-quitters in the study was 51.6 percent compared to only 44 percent among the quitters (although the difference was not statistically significant).

The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP) conducted a survey of its members to find that only 39 percent of smokers had been advised by their physicians in the past year to stop smoking.

Physicians may assume that older smokers are unlikely to give up one their few remaining pleasures.

However, the Duke data suggests that further research is needed to understand the unique motivations and potential benefits of smoking cessation in the elderly.

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...ba href=/dementia/a/b, but he doesn't like to cook.

For the past year, the Oakdale couple has received a hot meal each weekday through Meals on Wheels in Washington County.

"It's not gourmet, believe me, but it's good and it's substantial," Bill Dahedl said.

More than 900 people volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Washington County, serving 325 people a year each weekday.

But county officials say more volunteers are desperately needed, especially in Forest Lake and Oakdale.

"It's at a crisis level," said Joyce Flynn, director of Human Services Inc., which oversees the Meals on Wheels program in Washington County.

"Seniors aren't getting fed." Officials say the problem is twofold: The number of seniors, especially the number of them staying in their own homes, is increasing; the number of volunteer drivers is not.

"The boomers aren't retiring, so we're not seeing the replacement of elder volunteers," said Roxanne Emerson, director of ElderCare and transportation for Human Services Inc.

"There's more competition for volunteers than ever before.

Because everybody knows about Meals on Wheels, people think we have enough volunteers.

That's not the case." The lack of drivers is an issue throughout the Twin Cities, said Carolyn Tonneson, executive director of Metro Meals on Wheels in Minneapolis.

"The volunteer pool is aging," Tonneson said.

"Some go from being a Meals on Wheels volunteer to being a client in a very short time.

There's a continual need to bring in the next generation of volunteers....