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Therapeutic Touch & Sensory Quilt

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“Busy Hands & Mind”

Sustain a clients natural need to keeps hands engaged and active

Sustain a clients natural need to keeps hands engaged and active

Pre-amble: Market and Economic Impact

As of 2013, there were an estimated 44.4 million people suffering with dementia worldwide. This number is expected to increase to an estimated 75.6 million by 2030, and 135.5 million by 2050. Alzheimer´s Disease will be one of the biggest burdens of the future society showing dramatic incidence rates: every 69 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer´s Disease, by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer´s Disease every 33 seconds. In 2013 44 million people will be affected with the disease worldwide  In the US Alzheimer´s Disease is now the 6th leading cause of death across all ages. It was the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older. Since the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer´s Disease increase with age, the number of patients will grow dramatically with our society getting older. By 2050 we need to expect that patient numbers have tripled to 135 million Alzheimer´s Disease patients worldwide.

The Alzheimer´s Disease market is currently estimated at $ 5 billion annually with projections that show the market potential will surpass $ 20 billion by 2020.

The global economic impact of Alzheimer´s Disease is shown by the worldwide cost of $ 640 billion, which exceeds 1% of gross world product. It can be seen as the most significant health crisis in the 21st century. 

The 2010 annual costs of treating and caring for patients worldwide was an estimated US$604 billion and in the the US alone was $183 billion. This figure is expected to increase to $ 1.1 trillion in 2015. Alzheimer´s Disease is becoming the third most expensive disease counting for 30% of the US healthcare costs. The medical costs for Alzheimer´s Disease patients are three times higher than for other older patients. There is also a big financial impact for the individuals and their families as the out-of-pocket-costs for the Alzheimer´s Disease patients are higher than for any other disease. As expenses for assisted living or nursing homes can often not be afforded, 70% of Alzheimer´s Disease patients live at home resulting in high impact of family’s health, emotional well-being as well as their employment and financial security.

Cost of Treatment
Currently there is no disease-modifying treatment for the Alzheimer´s Disease on the market. The disease usually is diagnosed late when already 70% of the nerve cells in the brain are dead. Several high-impact nutritional and supplementary treatment products are being developed and should particularly impact on prevention. Five drugs are approved and marketed which treat the symptoms. Better understanding of the underlying biology will lead to several new axes of treatment in different stages of clinical testing. The impact of a disease-modifying treatment can be huge: Delaying the onset of Alzheimer´s Disease by 5 years starting 2015 could result in a prevalence reduced by 5.9 million (43%) in 2050 in the US alone. Expressed in money, a delay of onset of 5 years would could result in savings of $ 447 billion of the total expected costs of $ 1.078 billion in the US alone.

Costs of informal care (unpaid care provided by families and others) and the direct costs
 of social care (provided by community care professionals and in residential home settings)
 contribute similar proportions (42%) of total costs worldwide, while direct medical care costs
are much lower (16%).

So how can WE help?
We cannot claim to be able to mitigate nor have a direct impact on the projected ageing population growth and relevant Dementia/Alzheimer’s statistics. However, we can offer a number of Home Care Services solutions to help families who are caring for a loved sufferingwith Dementia/Alzheimer’s? To review our full line of services, please visit our home page… under Services. For the purpose of this article we are offering a tool to help the family caregiver gain some control and management over their loved one who may be suffering with these deceases… A Therapeutic Touch and Sensory Quilt. This is not a typo… “QUILT”.

According to the College of Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205 – U.S.A.

Abstract
Agitated behaviour in persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents a challenge to current interventions. Recent developments in neuro-endocrinology suggest that changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis alter the responses of persons with AD to stress. Given the deleterious effects of pharmacological interventions in this vulnerable population, it is essential to explore non-invasive treatments for their potential to decrease a hyper-responsiveness to stress and indirectly decrease detrimental cortisol levels. This within-subject, interrupted time-series study was conducted to test the efficacy of therapeutic touch on decreasing the frequency of agitated behavior and salivary and urine cortisol levels in persons with AD. Ten subjects who were 71 to 84 years old and resided in a special care unit were observed every 20 minutes for 10 hours a day, were monitored 24 hours a day for physical activity, and had samples for salivary and urine cortisol taken daily.

The study occurred in 4 phases:

    • Baseline (4 days),
    • Treatment (therapeutic touch for 5 to 7 minutes 2 times a day for 3 days),
    • Post-treatment (11 days), and
    • Post – “wash-out” (3 days).

An analysis of variance for repeated measures indicated a significant decrease in overall agitated behaviour and in 2 specific behaviours, vocalization and pacing or walking, during treatment and post-treatment. A decreasing trend over time was noted for salivary and urine cortisol. Although this study does not provide direct clinical evidence to support dysregulation in the HPA axis, it does suggest that environmental and behavioral interventions such as therapeutic touch have the potential to decrease vocalization and pacing, 2 prevalent behaviors, and may mitigate cortisol levels in persons with AD.

Alzheimer’s patients, particularly those in the more advanced stages can get quite tense and fidgety. To help relieve stress and tension in these special people, we have developed our own line of fidget quilt. As the disease worsens, hands become more restless and fidgety. These quilts offer something tangible to occupy their hands… providing gentle yet constant therapeutic stimulation for the mind and soul. Resulting in an enhanced quality of life for both the patient and the caregiver.

So how do our quilts work?
They help to stimulate curiosity, memories and awareness, provide a sense of purpose and of “doing something”, and this having a calming & soothing affect on the user.

Active Hands & Mind Quilt - Engaging, calming and soothing those clients suffering with Alzheimer's

Active Hands & Mind Quilt – Engaging, calming and soothing clients suffering with Alzheimer’s

Our quilts are more than just a “tangible repository of memories.” 
They are user-friendly, functional, induce comfort and warmth… providing a constant reminder of a family that loves them. Whether it’s the combination of textures used (softly contoured corduroy, faux fur, textured linens,,, etc) this quilt will provide the kind of tactile stimulation that will calm and soothe your loved one. It keeps their anxious hands engaged, mind occupied and their legs warm. Great for anyone, this is a must for anyone with progressive dementia or alzheimer’s.

Because people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia experience an ongoing decrease in their brain’s functions, simple, repetitive movements and sensory experiences become more important. That’s where our lap quilts come in. With their intentional variety of textures and extra accessories, fidget quilts provide comfort through the hands and the eyes. For a men’s quilt, you might want to personalize with items of a past hobby or interest (nuts, bolts, golfing or fishing items). We safely fasten the items or string them so that the patient will fidget with the items from one end of the lace to the other. Our quilts are handy & conveniently sized (24”X 30”) made from colourful patterns to entertain the eyes and with a warm backing to keep the lap warm. Attached to the quilts are buttons of various sizes to captivate the fingers and the eyes, a zipper, strips of cloth, and shoe laces, which can be tied or manipulated in a number of ways (over and over again). There’s a plush toy, shapes, a pocket with things in them, jingle bells and anything else that may be of significance to your loved one. Our quilts can be a Godsend to a caregiver while bringing significant relief to the patient… through it’s calming and soothing therapeutic affect.

We take extreme care to ensure that all items are safely secured so that they cannot become free or removed (unless cut out) to avoid any potential choking hazard. The laces, fabric strips or anything that dangles are also cut to lengths whereby they cannot be used as a means of restraining, or become a ligature capable harming your loved one.

Our quilts are easy care for and washable… of course anything that cannot be washed, is fastened so that it can be easily unclipped and reattached after washing.

The quilt will give the family a feeling of joy watching their loved one’s restless fingers occupied with all the different activities and textures that gives them that soothing and calming disposition.

They make wonderful birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or any special occasion gift, or to simply say “I Care and I love you”

We engage the family’s input when creating a custom quilt or you can opt for a generic quilt already pre-manufactured, incorporating a number of therapeutic sensory activities and items.

Our core business is providing Home Care for seniors in their homes or wherever home may be. However, we also understand that although you may not yet require our assistance, you can still benefit from something that we can offer… like our “Busy Hands & Mind Quilt”.

Our quilts are inexpensive, provide such rewarding results and delivered for free anywhere in Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville and Brampton. Outside of these areas there “MAY” be an additional charge for shipping… but we can discuss it. Of course outside of Ontario, national and international orders shipping costs are extra.

Please contact us today, to discuss the order of one of our Quilts, or to discuss any challenges you may be facing and how our services can help you remain independent, protected, safe, and in you home / community.

You got questions, we have answers: (905) 785-2341 or email us at 

 

 

 

 

Senior Care: What is Alzheimer’s?

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So what exactly is Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disease that, over time, results in the brain’s inability to function correctly. Alzheimer’s disease causes lapses in memory, communication, judgment and overall functioning.

alzheimers-article picAlzheimer’s was first identified by Alois Alzheimer in 1906 in Germany and is the most common type of dementia, a general term for impaired brain functioning. Other dementias include frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, vascular, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Dementia can also develop from potentially reversible conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalus or vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as severe infections such as late-stage AIDS.

There are two types of Alzheimer’s disease: early onset Alzheimer’s, defined by onset before age 60, and late onset, or typical, Alzheimer’s.

Symptoms and Effects of Alzheimer’s

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include problems with memory, communication, comprehension, and judgment. The individual’s personality may begin to change somewhat as well.

As the disease progresses, the individual gradually loses the ability to function mentally, socially, and eventually physically. Often in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s, he or she may also display inappropriate behaviours and emotions, which can be challenging for loved ones to handle. In its final stages, the person is completely dependent upon caregivers for basic needs.

Who Gets Alzheimer’s Disease?

There are an estimated 5.4 million people in the United States with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, although not all are diagnosed. Additionally, researchers estimate that as many as 500,000 of those 5.4 million people in the United States have early onset Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is not part of normal aging; however, as people age, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s increases.

Thirteen percent of individuals over age 65 have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, while almost 50% of individuals over age 85 have Alzheimer’s or another kind of dementia. The demographic group with the highest percentage of Alzheimer’s is Caucasian females, likely since their life expectancy is the greatest.

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is done, by ruling out other diseases or causes, reviewing family history and conducting a mental exam to see how well the brain is working. Some physicians also conduct imaging tests, which can show changes in the brain’s size and structure that may lead to the conclusion of Alzheimer’s.

While general practice physicians often diagnose Alzheimer’s, you can also seek an evaluation from a psychologist, geriatrician, or neurologist. Alzheimer’s cannot conclusively be diagnosed until after death when an autopsy is conducted and brain changes can be identified; however, diagnosis through the above tools is the industry standard at this time and has proven very accurate.

Treatment of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s has no cure at this time, but determining more effective treatment and prevention methods, as well as finding a cure for the disease, is a high priority for researchers. Current treatment for Alzheimer’s focuses on alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, both cognitive and behavioural, by using drug therapy and non-drug approaches.

Drug Therapy

  • Cognitive enhancers are medications that attempt to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms. While these medications do appear to improve thought processes for some people, the effectiveness overall varies greatly. These medications need to be monitored regularly for side effects and interaction with other medications.
  • Psychotropic medications can be prescribed, to target the behaviour and emotional symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Psychotropics are medications that address the psychological and emotional aspects of brain functioning. For example, if a person is experiencing distressing hallucinations, a psychotropic medication, such as an antipsychotic medication, can be prescribed and is often helpful in relieving the hallucinations. As with cognitive enhancers, psychotropics have the potential for significant side effects and interaction with other medications, so they should be used carefully and be coupled with non-drug approaches.

Non-Drug Approaches

Non-drug approaches focus on treating the behavioural and emotional symptoms of Alzheimer’s by changing the way we understand and interact with the person with Alzheimer’s. These approaches recognize that behaviour is often a way of communicating for those with Alzheimer’s, so the goal is to understand the meaning of the behaviour and why it is present.

Non-drug approaches should generally be attempted before using psychotropic medications since they do not have the potential for side effects or medication interactions.

The goal of these approaches is to develop more effective interventions by adjusting the caregiver’s approach or the environment to minimize the challenging behaviours.

Preventing Alzheimer’s

There are abundant theories about how to prevent Alzheimer’s, but currently there is no sure-fire way to do this. A heart-healthy diet, an active lifestyle with plenty of physical exercise and social interaction, and regular mental exercise are strategies that some feel are effective in preventing Alzheimer’s.

Coping With Alzheimer’s

If you think that you or someone you know may have Alzheimer’s, know that we are here for you, both to provide current information and also to facilitate the sharing of ideas and suggestions from others in your situation. Being proactive and prepared can ease some of the challenges of this disease for you and your family. Coping with Alzheimer’s is not easy, but it’s not something you need to do alone.

Please contact us today, to discuss any of the above mentioned challenges you may be facing and how our services can help you remain independent, protected, safe, and in you home / community.

You got questions, we have answers: (905) 785-2341 or email us at homecare@inourcareservices.com

 

Sources:

Alzheimer’s Association What is Alzheimer’s? Accessed July 12, 2011.

Alzheimer’s Association Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease. Accessed July 12, 2011.

PubMed Health US National Library of Health. What is Alzheimer’s Disease? Accessed July 12, 2011.