Ellen Dunnigan combines dementia care with a 360-degree home care philosophy to provide a unique option for families struggling with dementia or Alzheimer’s. The Sollievo model is one of many unique care models that are emerging as we grapple with how to care for our elders. What I found interesting about Ellen’s approach is her keen attention on serving the seniors AND providing stress relief to the family.
How Ellen Describes Sollievo

Sollievo is a care management network for families caring for an aging parent. We provide expert answers and relief to the daughters and sons who have taken on the exhausting caregiving of a parent who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

Typically we guide daughters who are trying to be both SuperMom and SuperDaughter, doing one job all day and then coming home in the evening to start the even tougher job.

They are stressed out, tired of being tired, and feeling guilty; consumed with trying to be the “answer” to everyone including their siblings in other states. They wish someone else could help them without getting in the way. And they need just-in-time resources to safely keep their mother or father at home longer.

Our process begins with a three-pronged assessment of the living environment, the well-being of the person diagnosed with dementia, and the burdens placed on family caregivers. We supply education and clarify expectations. We tailor strategies to make the days and nights better. Our 24/7 helpline is always answered live to address their immediate concerns. And most importantly we deliver the “just right” answers and network of services the first time, and every time.
About Ellen Dunnigan

As a strategist healthcare product development, and a Speech-Language Pathologist, Ellen Dunnigan has produced several healthcare product lines including Alzheimer’s care, Geri-psych programs, diabetes care, traumatic brain injury programs, and others. She has developed a balanced model of Alzheimer’s care for the long-term care segment which guides caregivers to exceptional results in patient care and meaningful resident days. Additionally, she has initiated a first-of-its-kind community model for the coordinated care of families caring for an aging parent diagnosed with dementia.

Ellen has a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology, certification in gerontology and case management. She is the author of several best practice clinical and operational methods in Alzheimer’s care and speaks internationally. She founded Alzheimer’s Care Group in 2002 and has grown it to a nationwide consulting firm specializing in healthcare strategy. Alzheimer’s Care Group has five associates and operates in care settings in 30 states. Their community resource network is called “Sollievo” and operates throughout Indiana, with plans to expand to neighboring states.
Contact Information

Sollievo office: 317-218-5111
24-hour Helpline: 317-753-7447

Info@BeHomeLiveLife.com

www.BeHomeLiveLife.com

Dementia is a decline in memory and/or intellectual functioning severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Dementia is not a disease itself, but group of symptoms. It is characterized as a progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease (such as Alzheimer’s) in the brain. Areas particularly affected include: memory, attention, judgment, language and problem solving.

Dementia is condition in which a person loses the ability to think, remember, learn, make decisions and solve problems. Symptoms may also include personality changes and emotional problems. Personality does not change with age in the absence of mental disease.

There are many causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, brain cancer, and brain injury. Some Parkinson’s patients experience dementia at later stages of disease progression

Enter Validation Therapy

The idea behind validation therapy is to “validate” or accept the values, beliefs and “reality” of the person suffering from dementia. The key is to “agree” with them, but to also use conversation to get them to do something else without them realizing they are actually being redirected. So, if an 87 year old woman says that she needs a phone to call her grandmother, validation therapy says, “OK.” Here is an example for a caregiver working with someone with dementia in an adult day care:

Older adult: “I have to find my car keys.”
Caregiver: “Your car keys…” ( Don’t mention he doesn’t have a car and he hasn’t driven for years)
Older adult: “Yes, I need to go home – lot’s of work to do!”
Caregiver: “You are busy today?” (Don’t mention he is at adult day care and isn’t going home for hours)
Older adult: “Hell, yes! I’m busy every day.”
Caregiver: “You like being busy?” (Trying to find a topic of conversation that they might accept discussing)
Older adult: “Are your kidding? I didn’t say I LIKED it. I just have to work  like the rest of the world.” (He’s getting a little frustrated, but seems to have forgotten about the keys.)
Caregiver: “I know about work. I do some of that myself. In fact, I’m getting ready to fix some lunch for us. Care to join me?”
Older adult: “Lunch, huh? What are you having?”

Why Validation Therapy Works: The Pros

The number one reason why validation therapy works well is because it is not confrontational. Never is a person belittled, yelled at, or told “no.” Remember dementia is a group of symptoms, not a disease. It is easy to misdiagnose. For example, people suffering from UTIs (urinary tract infections) are said to demonstrate characteristics of dementia if the infection goes undetected.

Criticisms of Validation Therapy: The Cons

The biggest criticism of validation therapy is that it promotes lying. These lies weigh heavy on the consciouses of caregivers and family members. For example, validation therapy says that a family member should just accept their aging parent calling them someone else’s name, not correct them. When family stories are switched around, the family is suppose to just listen to the stories as they are told. While there seems to be significant emotional harm to caregivers and family members, very little harm is done to the person with dementia; but isn’t it the well-being of the person with dementia that is most important.

Photo credit: jam343

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder of Inside Elder Care and author of the By Families, For Families Guide to Assisted Living. He regularly speaks and advises families about how to improve their aging loved one’s quality of life. Ryan is also the president of SmartBug Media, a content marketing agency that helps companies increase leads, customers and influence. You can read more from Ryan on the SmartBug Media blog or follow him on Twitter.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is one of 38 degenerative conditions included in the Social Security Administration’s new Compassionate Allowances program.  This fast-tracking system is designed to aid younger patients and their families in moving quickly from diagnosis to benefits.  Expediting this process aids in reducing stress associated with waiting for the lengthy approval process, and trying to plan the next stages of life while in a state of limbo.  Many of these younger patients–most in their 30s and 40s–are still working and have more extensive financial responsibilities than the traditional Alzheimer’s patient.  More typical Alzheimer’s patients are in their mid-to-late 60s, retired, and also too young to be receiving Social Security retirement benefits in some cases.

Effective March 1, 2010, the Administration will be able to electronically target and make prompt decisions in the best interest of the disabled patients.  In the past, when a younger patient began experiencing the cognitive limitations, they were not traditionally tested for Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, they were thought to be suffering from job and life-related stress.  This issue added to the lengthy process of identifying the correct diagnosis and than being approved for disability benefits.  With this new program, it is estimated that tens of thousands of younger Alzheimer’s sufferers will now qualify in a matter of days rather than the traditional months or years it often took in the past.

According to the Administration, approximately 200,000 people under the age of 65 currently suffer from the symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.  Due to the sheer volume of potential benefit applicants, the Administration will also benefit from this new program as it will reduce the time and effort of the appeals process that in the past would contribute to slowing down the system for every patient.

Photo: benprks

In aging seniors, healthy brain function is about more than just memory and coordination; everyday tasks, relationships, hobbies and quality of life are all affected.  It stands to reason that the more aware and capable you are of cognitive reasoning and performing independent living activities the higher your self confidence and emotional health.

The nation’s largest study on brain fitness was performed in 2002 by the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) and their results showed that a large percentage of participants over the age of 65 improved memory, reasoning and information-processing speed when they participated in training for five days per week.  In addition, the study showed a 47% lower risk of dementia in participants who worked crossword puzzles four days a week than those who only worked the puzzles once a week.  These results play into the notion of “Use it or Lose it” when it comes to cognitive aging.

Furthermore, an Australian study consisting of 30 peer-reviewed papers in controlled trials found that, as people experienced these lifestyle benefits they were also able to live longer and therefore reduce health care expenses.

Along with these studies, it is widely known that many seniors regularly engage in crossword puzzles, Sudoku and similar brain training games to slow dementia and aging.  Many software companies have tapped into this need by creating games and exercises that aid in sustaining mental acuity.  It has been reported that the brain fitness software market grew from $225 Million in 2007 to $265 Million in 2008.  Here are the top three systems that claim to reduce dementia rates in seniors.

Posit Science

Posit Science claims that their products will help the user “think faster, focus better, and remember more.”  Their software programs are designed for either a PC or a Mac. Each priced at $395.00

1. Brain Fitness Program: Six programs that allow you to “Remember more & Feel Sharper” by practicing matching items, distinguishing objects, memory recall and story telling.
2. InSight: Five programs designed for “Better Focus & Learn More” focusing on visual precision.
3. DriveSharp: Two programs that deal with divided attention and increased processing times so that you will “Drive Carefully & React Faster”

Dakim BrainFitness

Dakim offers two brain training concepts for seniors.

1. A complete self-contained console that only needs a high-speed internet connection but does not require a keyboard, mouse or software program installation.  It is marketed to both the individual senior and the senior living provider.  After the initial purchase of $2,299 for the touch-screen console, more than 150 games are available for a $19.95 per month subscription.
2. 2. New brain fitness software to be released this April for $349.99, which includes a one-year subscription.

CogniFit

CogniFit is a web-based system that does not require you to install software or purchase a console.  Instead you access the programs through their website.  Both programs described below are priced based on the following subscription terms: $19.95 per month, $99.50 for 6 months, or $170 annually.

1. CogniFit Personal Coach:  This program addresses overall cognitive skills and claims to improve memory and focus, and increase processing time.
2. CogniFit Senior Driver: Similar to other driving programs, this system is designed to improve reaction time, handle multiple driving tasks and focus on potential road threat recognition.

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder and managing editor of Inside Elder Care and the author of the By Families, For Families Guide to Assisted Living.  He can be reach on Twitter at @RyanMalone.

In this Leaders in Elder Care interview, I had the privilege to speak to Dr. Kevin O’Neil.  I first met Dr. O’Neil at Brookdale’s Brain Symposium a few months ago at UCLA, where I left quite impressed with the his approach to brain fitness and brain health.  Dr. O’Neil combines a deep understanding of both the science behind brain health and the practical advise that non-doctors require to do something about.  Congratulations, Dr. O’Neil, for being a Leader in Elder Care.

I hope you all enjoy the interview.

About Dr. Kevin O’Neil

Dr. Kevin O’Neil is the Medical Director for Brookdale Senior Living (BSL), the largest senior housing provided in the United States. Dr. O’Neil practiced and taught geriatric medicine for over 27 years (seven years in Massachusetts and 20 years in Sarasota, FL).  A graduate of Boston College and Georgetown University School of Medicine, he completed his internship in Internal Medicine at the Washington Hospital Center and his residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.  He was formerly an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of Aging at the University of South Florida.

He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and is a member of the American Geriatrics Society and the American Medical Directors Association.

Dr. O’Neil is co-editor and a contributing writer to Optimal Aging Manual, which Art Linkletter has called “the great master book for the boomers.”

A dear friend of Inside Elder Care, Kim McRae, just shared a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the second leading type of demntia after Alzheimer’s.

Betwixt and Intermixed – Dementia With Lewy Bodies

Three members of the Lewy Body Dementia Association Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) are participating in an upcoming free webinar on dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the quintessential overlap disease between Alzheimer (AD) and Parkinson diseases (PD).

This live discussion, hosted by the Alzheimer Research Forum, will take place on Monday, 15 June 2009, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. EST and will feature short slide presentations by Drs. Ian McKeith, Brit Mollenhauer, James Galvin, James Leverenz, and Walter Schulz-Schaeffer, with audio provided via a telephone line. (Drs. McKeith, Galvin and Leverenz are members of LBDA’s Scientific Advisory Council.)

Questions for the panel can be submitted in advance and during the live event. An interactive chat session will follow the webinar.

Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Picture: Balazs Simon

From Indystar.com:

A third set of clinical trials to seek a drug to delay the progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease is about to get underway, drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. said today.

The Indianapolis company will begin enrolling patients this month in two separate but identical Phase III clinical trials of Solanezumab, an antibody that may hold the key to preventing the disease that affects 5.3 million people in the United States alone.

Lilly also is in the process of testing out a different type of Alzheimer’s treatment, also geared to help those with the disease, which is known to cause dementia.

“Current therapies available to treat Alzheimer’s disease may help with symptoms, but they haven’t been proven to change the disease progression,” said Eric Siemers M.D., medical director for Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease research, in a news release. “Biomarker results from a Phase II solanezumab trial give us hope that Lilly is on a path toward a treatment that may slow the rate of progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Lilly expects to enroll a total of 2,000 patients age 55 and over from 16 countries, including the U.S., in the Phase III “Expedition” trials.

Patients or caregivers interested in learning how to enroll in the Expedition trials (or a companion trial for a different treatment, known as “Identity” trials) should visit www.clinicaltrials.gov or call (877) 285-4559.

Photo credit: Sam Catchesides

This morning I went to the gym, just like I’ve done 3-4 times a week for years.  I really try to push myself at the end of each workout.  My motivation comes from my desire to be healthy, active and have the longevity to spend many, many years with my wife and daughter.

But did you know your brain is a muscle?  What if I told you your brain could even have its own personal trainer?

It’s true, and it’s called Dakim BrainFitness.

A Brief History of Dakim

In the late 1990s, Dakim CEO and founder Dan Michel became very frustrated with the cognitive stimulation tools available to his father who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease.  Taking matters into his own hands, he built a collection of rudimentary games to exercise his father’s brain. Over time, Dan’s creations become more complex and challenging.

When it became clear Dan’s analog tools had reached their potential, he realized it was time to go digital.  Dakim was born and Dan was driven with the thoughts of his father’s progress to create a memory training system that could be used over the long-term to create the type of improvement many scientific studies had promised.

Dakim’s Promise

A number of studies exist (read them at Dakim’s website) that correlate consistent mental stimulation with a decrease in Alzheimer’s and dementia.   One such study in the New England Journal of Medicine(1) found that seniors who consistently particpated in highly mentally stimulating leisure activities had a 63% reduced risk of dementia.

The Dakim BrainFitness system provides a mechanism through which seniors can regular exercise their brains in a way that is fun, non-repetitive and interactive such that they look forward to playing every day.

How it Works

Dakim BrainFitness is a purpose-built computer with a touch screen.  Headphones are optional depending on your location.  Dakim BrainFitness combines medically-proven brain exercises with a user interface that is so incredibly simple.  Combining audio, visual and eye-hand coordination, the games are played at a pace that is both fun and challenging.

Dakim BrainFitness trains across six cognitive domains and game takes about 20 minutes to complete.  As players improve on one domain or the other, the system increases the difficulty, enabling users to both play at their own pace yet still be challenges.  Dakim recommends the games be played 20 minutes per day, 3-5 times per week.

When you get it right, you get nothing but encouragement.  And when you get it wrong, you get nothing but encouragement.  Incorrect answers were communicated in a way that inspired me to continue, rather than frustrated me to quit.  And the content of the game was set in the era most relevant to the players – two examples of the little details that make the difference between a good idea and a effective, well-thought product.

Software updates and new game content is update via the Internet automatically — typically at night when nobody is playing.  Dakim Brain Fitness is maintenance free and require no computer skills to operate, clearing a huge usability hurdle for many seniors.

Pricing and How to Buy

Dakim BrainFitness comes in two models – a model designed for elder care communities and a home model.  Dakim shared with me only the pricing for the home model which was $2,499.  Dakim also charges a monthly $50 fee for software maintenace and the downloading of new games and lessons.   Dakim offers a 30-day moneyback guarantee – a testament to their confidence in their product.

My Throughts on Dakim BrainFitness

During Brookdale’s Brain Symposium, I spent nearly a day next to Dan Michel and his head of sales, Rick Sill.  On a perosnal and professional level, these are good guys who have the right intentions for elder care — a personal experience and the drive to help others benefit from a good idea.  From a product perspective, I was very impressed with the Dakim BrainFitness system.   It was easy to use, fun to play and based on sound science.  I thought the pricing for the device was quite reasonable – it was about the same as the cost of the Mac I am writing on now and my monthly gym membership.

Surely that is a small price to pay for a 63% reduced risk of dementia?

I recommend you take a look at Dakim BrainFitness.  Spend some time on their live product demonstration.  Their website is packed full of good materials and plenty of videos for those of you who hate reading page after page of web copy.

Sources:

1. Verghese J, Lipton RB, Katz MJ, Hall CB, Derby CA, Kuslansky G, Ambrose A, Siliwinski M, Buschke H.  The New England Journal of Medicine, 348: 2508-2516.