Psychosocial Needs of Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomers are now reaching the age at which they need supplemental or residental medical care, and they're bringing a whole new set of expectations and concerns to the field of long term care. Things like social connectedness, emotional support, and continuing education are important values to boomers, and the current culture in long term care needs to adjust to encompass these values. Care positions most affected by this change are Social Service Designees and Activity Directors, the people responsible for addressing the psychosocial needs of residents.

Due to the surge in numbers of people needing care, Activity Directors and Social Service Designees are in demand, especially those with recent training to address the current market needs. If you have ever considered working in this field, or want to make sure your skills are current to meet demand, check out We Care Online's affordable monthly online classes!

To read more on this issue, see the article at Long Term Living Magazine.

Successful Trial for New Alzheimer's Vaccine

In the continuing quest to find treatments and cures for Alzheimer's disease and other dementia-related issues, discoveries and breathroughs are being made every day. Earlier this month, a vaccine trial in Sweden showed great promise.
The vaccine, called CAD106, was studied over the course of three years, and showed very positive results. While a previous vaccine led to the development of white blood cells that attacked healthy brain tissue along with the harmful areas, this new vaccine seems to only target the harmful areas. "The researchers found that 80 percent of the patients involved in the trials developed their own protective antibodies against beta-amyloid without suffering any side-effects over the three years of the study."

You can read more about the vaccine and the trial's results here: Alzheimer's vaccine trial a success

How Much Does Assisted Living Cost?

Photo courtesy of 401K 2012

While this doesn't directly affect working conditions of assisted living employees, or the level of care you can provide, it is helpful to be aware of the costs that residents face in managed care facilities. As with most things, costs are going up in all aspects of healthcare - from medicines to housing - and the price of most assisted care far exceeds the average Social Security income that most seniors depend upon.

According to a recent article in Assisted Living Today, "The average cost of senior living can range from $500 to $1500 a month, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Seniors residing in assisted living facilities have a monthly average cost ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 a month. The average cost of senior living varies by state and region, but expenses are going up across the board for the basics seniors need every month."

Read more at Assisted Living Today.

The Benefits of Antioxidants for Memory Function

photo courtesy of VancityAllie

Following up on our last post regarding dementia medications, there's more interesting news in the field of memory in seniors. In particular, a recent study addressed the memory function of seniors living in care facilities. They ranged in age from 50-75 and were screened for dementia before they were allowed into the study. Participants were given an antioxidant blend (the same antioxidants found in strawberries and blueberries). Over the course of four months, the participants' memory function was tested. The abstract of the study notes that, "A complex antioxidant blend taken over four months improves performance on two difficult memory tests in community dwelling elderly subjects. Furthermore, the antioxidant significantly reduced the serum homocysteine level in treatment group."


You can find the study at the National Institute of Health's web site, and an overview of the results in the Natural Society blog. 

Dementia Medications

Many of our former students work in dementia care, or work as part of a team addressing cognitive issues. This will be of particular interest to Certified Medication Aide  and Pharmacy Assistant/Technician students and those pursuing the certification.

On a recent post in the Assisted Living Today blog, they took a look at five medications that are currently in use for the treatment of dementia. It's a nice overview of popular medications, their commercial names, and methods of delivery.

Top Five Dementia Medications for Seniors

Eating Healthy on the Job

Photo by adactio

It's common knowledge that "brown bagging", or bringing a lunch from home, is cheaper and more healthy than eating out (or at your facility's cafeteria), but healthy foods can be time consuming and hard to keep fresh. If you enjoy salads but are sick of wilted leaves and rusty lettuce, this tip from Generation X Finance is for you!

Make and Store a Salad That Will Last All Week

For just shy of $4, you can prepare a large bowl of healthy salad greens that you can enjoy all week. Just mix them with your favorite extra ingredients (pre-cooked chicken, dried cranberries, brain-boosting almonds, etc.) and you have a quick and easy, healthy meal!

Are Online Classes Right For You?

We Care Online offers a broad range of online medical classes and can prepare you for a career in everything from nursing to pharmacy, but how do you know if online learning is right for you?

Are you comfortable reading and writing? 

In a traditional classroom, a professor or instructor lectures and students listen and take notes. Sometimes there is classroom discussion. In online learning, the "lectures" are written down and it's up to you to read and understand the lessons. If you're a visual learner, this will be right up your alley. There are advantages to this style, too. For one, you can take your time and read at your own pace. You won't be scrambling to follow a spoken lecture while taking notes. Also, many of the learning units are presented as slideshows. There are many photos, illustrations, and even videos to help bring the subjects to life.

Beyond the reading, there are also discussion boards associated with each class. Here you can "meet" your fellow students and talk about the subjects you're learning. The discussion board is only as good as the people participating in it, so again, you have to be comfortable reaching out to others through words.

Do you need a flexible schedule?

We Care Online's classes are on the internet, so they're available at any time, day or night. You don't have to be in a classroom at a certain time, and you don't have to sit through an entire learning unit at a time. If you only have 5 or 10 minutes to spare, you can still work through the lessons.

Are you motivated?

Online learning is unique in that there is no one holding you accountable for your time or lessons. No one checks to see how long you spend doing each lesson, and no one will make a fuss if you need to skip a day or two if life gets too busy. You are responsible for getting your assignments done, and for taking assigned tests, but beyond that, it's all on your own honor. If you're truly motivated to learn and to improve yourself, you will get a fantastic education from online lessons. But if you need other people to keep you motivated or on-task, you might do better in a regular classroom setting. Online classes tend to move a little faster than traditional school classes, so you need to be prepared to dedicate the time and effort to learning.

Traditional school classes usually follow a sememester format, meaning that it can take 3-4 months for you to get through a class. With online learning, the pace is faster and you're able to apply your knowledge in the real world much more quickly. Also, most We Care Online classes are open enrollment which means you can start the class immediately. No need to wait weeks or months to get going!

Ready to get started? Check out our website for the current list of classes: http://wecareonlineclasses.com/

The U.S. Government's Alzheimer's Plan

"Of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States, Alzheimer's disease--which ranks sixth--is particularly devastating in that there is no cure, no way to prevent it and no proven way to slow its progression. And with at least 11 million Americans expected to have the disease by the middle of the century--boosting the annual costs of health care to more than $1 trillion--the U.S. government is anxiously looking to researchers to improve the prognosis."


To read more, see the full story at Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-government-sets-alzheimers-plan.