Sterling Community Matters December 2015

Commun ty Matters Sterling Presbyterian Manor

Are you keeping your talent hidden?

Share it with us.

COMING UP IN COMMUNITY MATTERS:

Everyone has a story to tell

What’s your secret artistic talent? An upcoming edition of Community Matters will focus on Art is Ageless®.

The Art is Ageless® program encourages residents and other area seniors to express their creativity through an annual art competition and exhibit, musical and dramatic events, educational opportunities and current events discussions. What talent have you discovered?

If you’ve got a story about what inspires you to create, contact Cindy Moore and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

December 2015

Colds and flu are back in season As we near the peak months for cold and flu season, it’s a good time to review tips for prevention and treatment.

Getting the flu vaccine is still one of the best things you can do for your health in wintertime. There is no truth to the myth that you can catch the illness from the vaccine. The injection contains only a killed version of the virus.

People 65 years or older run a higher risk of complications from the flu, If you are 65 or older you run a greater risk of complications from the flu. as do people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, emphysema, heart disease, and diabetes. It can, however, take up to two weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect, so the earlier, the better. But they are usually available through February.

Good hand-washing routines are another top defense against illness. Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 30 seconds, or use alcohol-based sanitizer, whenever you have been out in public – especially in a community living environment. Viruses can live on hard surfaces for up to eight hours.

If you do get ill, follow these recommendations:

• Eat what you can. This will maintain your energy to help your body fight the virus. If you don’t have much appetite, at least try simple foods like white rice or soup.

• Drink a lot of fluids, but avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee and colas; they can dehydrate you further.

• Rest, so your body and mind can recover.

Colds and flu continued on page 2

Colds and flu continued from page 1

Not sure if you have a cold or the flu? Here's how to tell.

• Call the doctor if you have a fever that is not controlled by over-the-counter fever reducers, if you have a severe cough, or if you cannot keep any fluids or food down.

• Stay home rather than coming to community meals and group activities. This will help contain the virus so you don't spread it to others. All residents can request to have meals delivered to them, even in apartments.

COLD

FLU

gradually

quickly

a low-grade fever is common

a fever of 100˚F or more is common

mildly

moderate to severe

rare

common

slight

usual; often severe

Headache?

less common

common

Stuffy Nose?

common

less common

Sore Throat?

common

less common

hacking cough that brings up mucus

dry, tickly, unpredictable

mild to moderate

often severe

How did the symptoms develop?

Is there a fever?

Tired?

Body Aches?

Chills?

What’s the type of cough?

Chest discomfort?

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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Sterling Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of

501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Mike Rajewski, executive director Cindy Moore, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact cmoore@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-278-3651 Fax: 620-278-3581 Address: 204 W. Washington, Sterling, KS 67579-1614 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

SterlingPresbyterianManor.org

2 COMMUNITY MATTERS DECEMBER 2015

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and choose one of our preferred online review sites to share your story. story.

Potential treatments ahead for Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation announces promising research in the fight against the illness

By Rita Rubin for Next Avenue

Dr. Howard Fillit has directed the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, which supports the search for effective treatments for the disease.

“I’ve seen in my lifetime amazing progress,” Fillit said. “We have caught up… to understanding as much about the biological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease as we know about cancer and heart disease.”

No cure as of now Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5.1 million Americans 65 and older.

And since aging is the leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s, the numbers of affected Americans will only explode as boomers get older.

Much of the research focus has been on drugs to rid the brain of amyloid plaque, deposits of a protein whose role in Alzheimer’s has been widely debated.

According to a 20-year-old hypothesis, the build-up of amyloid in the brain causes memory loss in Alzheimer’s.

However, anti-amyloid drugs have failed in large clinical trials, raising questions about the role of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer’s.

The forces at play Together, aging, genetics, inflammation and amyloid trigger the degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease, said Dr. Frank Longo, chair of neurology and neurosciences at Stanford University.

New medications One of the drugs developed by Longo and his colleagues is expected to begin Phase II safety and efficacy testing in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s in the second quarter of 2016, Longo said. Phase I safety tests in healthy people found no significant side effects, he said.

To make sure that what they were seeing wasn’t related to the fact that the mice were genetically engineered to develop severe Alzheimer’s, he said, they also tested the drug in normal mice. With normal aging in both humans and other mammals, the numbers of certain types of nerve cells in the brain shrink, but the drug was able to reverse the decline in the aged mice that did not have Alzheimer’s, Longo said.

Treatments in the Pipeline Other promising research that Fillit’s foundation is funding includes: “Repurposing” a low-dose form of an epilepsy drug called levetiracetam to treat amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). MCI causes a slight but noticeable decline in memory and thinking skills, and aMCI predominantly affects memory. People with MCI are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In a phase II trial, the drug significantly improved memory in elderly aMCI patients.

Using a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1, or thiamine, to increase glucose (sugar) metabolism and slow cognitive decline

Alzheimers: ‘It's a highly robust disease.You can’t just chip away at the edges.’

associated with aMCI or mild Alzheimer’s disease. The brain uses more energy in the form of glucose and oxygen than any other organ, and if it doesn’t get enough, cells will degenerate, Fillit said.

“Thiamine itself doesn’t get into the brain very well,” he said. “This is basically sort of a better vitamin.”

Testing a drug in patients with mildto-moderate Alzheimer’s that stimulates the clearing of amyloid from the brain, reduces inflammation and improves cognition. None of the other antiinflammatory drugs that have been tested in Alzheimer’s have worked, Fillit said.

Vehicle donations help others

The season of giving is here. Wouldn’t it be great to know that your vehicle donation helped seniors who have outlived their financial resources receive the care they need this year? Turn that unneeded vehicle into holiday cheer and receive a tax deduction!

We accept many donations types including cars, RVs, boats, planes and more. Donating your vehicle will help seniors who have outlived their financial resources at a Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America campus in so many ways. Call us at 844-490-GIVE (4483) or visit SterlingPresbyterianManor.org/vehicle_donations and fill out the form. We will take care of the rest.

Tis the season, give for a reason.

STERLING PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3

101 Reasons to Smile

Students from Sterling Junior High School celebrated with Eleanor Mark on her 101st birthday. There was a black and white themed party, a nod to 101 Dalmatians.

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Sterling Presbyterian Manor 204 W. Washington Sterling, KS 67579-1614

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Send an angel this holiday season.

Special angels will be adorning holiday displays at every Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America (PMMA) senior living community.

The “angels” are ornaments that will arrive throughout the holiday season along with gifts to the annual Christmas Angel Appeal, which raises funds for the Good Samaritan Program for Benevolent Care.

If you would like to participate in the Angel Appeal, please email Development@pmma.org or call 800-336-8511.

4 COMMUNITY MATTERS DECEMBER 2015