News Articles
Prince George Citizen
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Section: Work Life
Byline: Shannon Proudfoot
Source: Canwest News Service
While many companies are struggling, those that provide home-care to Canada's seniors say they've been surprised and delighted to find business booming.
"The trend over the last six months is that our client base has been growing - in fact, it's grown by more than 25 per cent across Canada," says John DeHart, co-founder of Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services.
The company, with 23 locations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, says it's adding two new locations a month and franchise inquiries have swelled 30 per cent, largely because of people looking for a new venture after losing their jobs.
Another provider, Home Instead Senior Care, says revenues increased by 24 per cent in 2008 and it projects similar growth for 2009 from 22 independently owned locations across Canada.
DeHart attributes the boost to families trying to defer assisted-living facility costs by keeping aging parents in their own homes as long as possible. When seniors need more help with daily tasks like dressing, cooking and housework, government-provided care is limited and goes only to those in greatest need, he says, leaving many families in search of a way to fill the gaps.
Seniors often plan to use proceeds from the sale of their home to cover retirement or nursing home fees when it comes time to make that move, he says, but a contracting housing market has removed that option for many.
Demographics is also boosting companies like theirs even as others falter, says Nurse Next Door co-founder Ken Sim.
"Our health care system is already stretched as it is and we aren't sitting on a big pile of money that can be injected into the system on a sustainable basis to meet these changing needs," DeHart says.
Particularly in this economy, home-care is an appealing option because it allows families to pay for only the help a senior needs on a flexible basis instead of the higher overhead costs of a live-in facility, he says.
Bruce Mahony, managing director of two Home Instead offices in Toronto, says more adult children are seeking private home-care for aging parents because they're worried that dealing with those issues on their own could make them a target for companies looking to trim their workforce.
"You're getting phone calls at work, you're getting phone calls at night, you're getting falls (by the parents) or nutritional issues or hydration issues," he says of the fallout from dementia, which affects about 70 per cent of his company's clients. "Fundamental issues that we take for granted start to emerge and it becomes very time-consuming."
Gail Watson knows that all too well. The 42-year-old Vancouver resident lost a high-level corporate job five years ago when her performance began to sag under the weight of dealing with her mother's emerging Alzheimer's. Her mother is now living in a nursing home and Nurse Next Door provides six hours of care a week that allows her 85-year-old father to stay in his home. It also gives Watson enough time to devote to her young children and new e-mail marketing business.
"You need to be able to call (for help) because your life changes in a phone call," she says. "It buys you time until you can get your resources straightened out with the province."
Neil Prashad, president of Origin Retirement Communities, acknowledges that the company's potential client base is "very, very spooked" by the economy, particularly because they live on fixed incomes.
However, Prashad says the fees charged by Origin, which has operations in Ontario, Alberta and B.C., are very reasonable because they include an array of expenses people often forget to account for. And he believes the quality of life is vastly superior to seniors living on their own.
"We know that this is a temporary thing; no one knows how long," he says of the economic downturn. "Regardless of good times or bad, life goes on, and with seniors, we're dealing with a relatively finite understanding of how long somebody has to enjoy their life."
Seniors exercise their brains with Wiis
Provided by: Sun Media
Written by: SARAH GREEN
Oct. 17, 2007
Ruth Vuchnich is 93 years old.
The Ohio-born senior still drives a car -- "I don't drive after dark," she admits -- and takes French lessons.
Vuchnich has been known to play five-pin bowling and she volunteers at least once a week at the YWCA boutique, an organization she's supported for more than 60 years.
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
An active lifestyle helps her stay young, Vuchnich said.
"Your brain, like anything else, can become atrophied if you don't use it," Vuchnich said with a smile yesterday at Keeping It Sharp, an event for seniors at the Briton House Retirement Residence on Mount Pleasant Rd.
"Use it or lose it."
The event, hosted by Home Instead Senior Care, put Nintendo's Wii gaming system in the hands of Briton House residents to play bowling games and answer Jeopardy questions to show seniors it's important to exercise their brains.
A U.S. study found adults over age 65 are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia if they play board games or musical instruments, read or do crossword puzzles.
The Alzheimer Society encourages Canadians to challenge their brain by shaking up their routine, learning a new hobby, reading a book and playing memory games, chess or crossword puzzles.
GAME WAND
Holding the Wii game wand, Vuchnich swung her arm back, then forward, mimicking the bowling action, cheering at the sound of toppling pins.
"I felt a little loss of control than when you try on a regular ball," said Vuchnich, a first-time gamer. "It's fun."
Trying new hobbies is nothing new to Vuchnich. Her late husband of 52 years, Mickey, a former football player, took up golf at middle age and Vuchnich learned to play the game with him.
"Being married to him didn't make me an athlete," she said. "He always wanted me to play with him and I did."
Bruce Mahony, managing director of Home Instead, which provides companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping and other services to seniors, said he has seen the lives of his clients improve dramatically when they're able to sharpen their brains.
One man, who suffered a stroke after losing his wife last Christmas, has returned to playing the piano to help him recover from his injuries.
"He's playing concertos out of his head," Mahony said. "Like physical fitness, you can lose it, but you can also regain it. It's about keeping the brain active and keeping yourself stimulated."
Mind games for the older brain
When it comes to staying sharp,
it's use it or lose it
William Hanley
Financial Post
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Remember the '60s and '70s, way back in the past century, when "playing mind games" had a distinctly unpleasant connotation? Of course you do. The problem is, if you're like many of us, you can't remember where you left your glasses 10 minutes ago.
And that's why mind games are becoming a strongly encouraged activity for people as they age, including the Boomers and those older. Mental calisthenics are especially good for those who have retired, who have no daily mental activity at work to keep them engaged, who wish to stall what researchers call "cognitive decline." The benefits of regular physical exercise are well-known. Now, the emphasis is on exercising the brain, giving it the mental equivalents of brisk walks, swims, bike rides, weight training, pushups, etc.
Indeed, playing mind games may not just be a way to help keep people mentally fit in day-to-day activities. In many cases, they almost certainly can help ward off Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia.
So, it's no exaggeration to say mind games can be a matter of mental life and mental death.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada, which launched a two-year awareness program called "Heads Up For Healthier Brains," believes that varying one's routine and doing puzzles and memory games can help keep the disease at bay.
On the front lines of elder care in Canada, the message is the same. "Our caregivers, as well as our owners and staff across Canada, know firsthand the value of keeping the minds of seniors active," says James Cooke, owner of a Toronto franchise of Home Instead Senior Care, which provides non-medical care services for seniors at 19 locations across the country.
While crossword puzzles --my main daily form of mental calisthenics -- and other low-tech exercises such as Sudoku, Scrabble and bridge are still the favourite pastimes of ageing Canadians wishing to exercise their brains and also have some fun, computer games such as Brain Fitness Program 2.0, MindFit and Brain Age are gaining ground, among the older set.
Home Instead Senior Care suggests the following ways to help engage seniors in mind-stimulating activities:
-Interactive video games, like those mentioned above, have become popular for all ages, but can be crucial for seniors. Even those who are intimidated by the computer can still play online and try simpler games. Help them get started by playing Solitaire or joining an online bridge game.
-Board games offer a great avenue for mind stimulation. Encourage seniors to get a few friends together to join in the fun. Bridge and Scrabble tournaments for seniors are springing up around the country. Check with your local senior centre or encourage older adults to join a local bridge group. Hasbro recently introduced faster versions of classic board games, including Monopoly Express and Scrabble Express.
-Bigger can be better, with large-format crossword and jigsaw puzzles great pastimes, especially for seniors who need a mind-stimulating activity when they are alone.
-People should be encouraged to read all about it. Many older people maintain an interest in politics and current events. Reading newspapers and magazines beats the couch-potato TV approach to getting news by making the mind work.
The Alzheimer Society says 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65 have the disease, which is the most common form of dementia.
Researchers are hopeful that great strides are possible in better understanding the disease and helping to devise more effective treatments.
Meantime, individuals can help themselves (and those who care for them) by engaging in mental calisthenics on a daily basis, whether it be formal or informal. I think the formal approach is better for most because, like physical exercise, a daily routine demands consistent involvement and gets better results. Let the mind games begin.
Seniors strike it healthy with virtual bowling
CanWest News Service
Sat 13 Oct 2007
Byline: Shannon Proudfoot
Source: CanWest News Service
Friday is bowling night at the Millennium Trail Manor retirement home, when up to 20 residents gather for some friendly competition on the lanes.
"It's fun, it's very challenging," says 79-year-old Helen Bradnam, who only misses bowling when she has other Friday night plans.
They're going to try boxing next.
There's no risk of bruised knuckles or broken noses, though, because the residents play the sports on the Wii, Nintendo's motion-sensitive video game system. The Niagara Falls long-term care facility is one of a small but growing number of Canadian seniors' programs using video games to keep bodies and minds nimble.
They're supported by a growing body of research that endorses a "use it or lose it" notion of aging.
"We are all about stimulation, so we try to encourage not only physical stimulation but cognitive stimulation. Video games are just another great way to encourage that," says Jeanie Burke, managing director of the Halifax office of Home Instead Senior Care.
The company assists with daily living tasks through offices across Canada, and includes video games alongside Bridge tournaments and crossword puzzles on its list of recommended activities.
A recent survey from PopCap Games, which makes "casual" games for a general audience, showed that almost half of players are over the age of 50 and one in five (19 per cent) are over 60. A large number play the games with their children or grandchildren and see it as a great way to bond.
Even for neophytes, the Wii is an easy choice. Players simply hold a motion-sensitive controller and move their bodies like they would while bowling, playing baseball or boxing in the real world.
Doreen Mayer-Korten, the recreation planner who started the Wii craze at Millennium Trail Manor when she brought in her family's system, says even residents in wheelchairs expand their range of motion and get a gentle workout while playing.
"I always say you can teach an old dog a new trick," she says. "They're very open to it and they really enjoy it."
Nintendo has also released two version of Brain Age, a collection of puzzle games that promise a "mental workout." Players earn a "brain age" number the first time they play and then try to improve it and exercise their minds into a more youthful state.
Dr. Sharon Cohen has incorporated Brain Age into treatment programs for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia at the Toronto Memory Clinic. The games really do offer mental callisthenics, she says.
"In the face of aging and the prospect of us losing mental power, it's not all downhill," she says. "There's lots of fun to be had and it's very reassuring to know that at whatever age we can improve cognitive function and have fun doing it."
Video games provide moments of fun and excitement even for those living with dementia and memory-loss, says Alistair Hicks, franchise owner of the Greater Victoria office of Home Instead. A caregiver recently took a client with early onset dementia to an arcade, he says, where they "had a ball" playing air hockey, shooting at aliens and driving race cars.
Moments after walking out of the arcade, the client was still beaming about the experience, even though the memory of what they'd done had already vanished.
"The important thing is being in the moment, enjoying the moment, because for people with Alzheimer's, that's it," says Hicks. "They're much more in the moment than all of us who are out there in the working world."
THE TORONTO SUN
Seniors challenge their grey matter
Adopt 'use it or lose it' mantra when it comes to exercising 'your brain'
By SARAH GREEN, SUN MEDIA
Ruth Vuchnich is 93 years old.
The Ohio-born senior still drives a car -- "I don't drive after dark," she admits -- and takes French lessons.
Vuchnich has been known to play five-pin bowling and she volunteers at least once a week at the YWCA boutique, an organization she's supported for more than 60 years.
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
An active lifestyle helps her stay young, Vuchnich said.
"Your brain, like anything else, can become atrophied if you don't use it," Vuchnich said with a smile yesterday at Keeping It Sharp, an event for seniors at the Briton House Retirement Residence on Mount Pleasant Rd.
"Use it or lose it."
The event, hosted by Home Instead Senior Care, put Nintendo's Wii gaming system in the hands of Briton House residents to play bowling games and answer Jeopardy questions to show seniors it's important to exercise their brains.
A U.S. study found adults over age 65 are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia if they play board games or musical instruments, read or do crossword puzzles.
The Alzheimer Society encourages Canadians to challenge their brain by shaking up their routine, learning a new hobby, reading a book and playing memory games, chess or crossword puzzles.
GAME WAND
Holding the Wii game wand, Vuchnich swung her arm back, then forward, mimicking the bowling action, cheering at the sound of toppling pins.
"I felt a little loss of control than when you try on a regular ball," said Vuchnich, a first-time gamer. "It's fun."
Trying new hobbies is nothing new to Vuchnich. Her late husband of 52 years, Mickey, a former football player, took up golf at middle age and Vuchnich learned to play the game with him.
"Being married to him didn't make me an athlete," she said. "He always wanted me to play with him and I did."
Bruce Mahony, managing director of Home Instead, which provides companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping and other services to seniors, said he has seen the lives of his clients improve dramatically when they're able to sharpen their brains.
One man, who suffered a stroke after losing his wife last Christmas, has returned to playing the piano to help him recover from his injuries.
"He's playing concertos out of his head," Mahony said. "Like physical fitness, you can lose it, but you can also regain it. It's about keeping the brain active and keeping yourself stimulated."
Seniors trade walkers for Wii
Video game day gets residents exercising bodies and minds
The Toronto Star
October 17, 2007
Nancy J. White
living reporter
Barbara Foley was skeptical, at best, about trying video games.
"My grandchildren say, `It's easy, Nana.' But I never played," said Foley, 85. "I'm old-fashioned."
At the Briton House Retirement Residence yesterday, about 60 seniors gathered for a short workshop presented by Home Instead Senior Care, a provider of non-medical services, on keeping the mind sharp with video games.
With their walkers pushed aside and encouraging cheers from onlookers, three teams of seniors, including Foley – "I got nailed to do it" – tried Nintendo Wii bowling. Using a handheld remote, they took turns swinging their arms in a bowling motion, releasing a button on the remote, and watching on a large screen how their balls progressed toward the pins.
Strike! Foley hit it big.
"I liked it," laughed the neophyte bowler, amazed at her success. "Kids today really know something."
Then she and teammate Joanna Wilson, 83, giggled together about how they both bounced their balls.
The aging population is a lucrative potential market for the game industry. Last year Nintendo came out with Brain Age, geared to older consumers. Several seniors at the workshop tried the Brain Age word scramble and math problem games. They also played along with a video Jeopardy game.
Twenty-five per cent of people playing computer and video games are 50 years or older, according to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
There's evidence that people who use their brains tend not to get Alzheimer's as much as those who don't regularly exercise their grey matter, said Jack Diamond, scientific director of the Alzheimer's Society of Canada.
"It's quite probable that the adage `use it or lose it' applies to the brain," he said.
But can video games boost the brain?
"If a game required you to think and come to a conclusion and then apply it, that would be good," said Diamond.
Despite the popularity of video games, we don't know what they do to our brains, said Jim Karle, a Ph.D psychology student at McMaster University. He compared the brainwaves of a group of adult regular video game players to a group of non-players. Electrical activity in the part of the brain involved in short-term memory storage seemed to be more pronounced in the gamers, he said. The next step will be to try to understand these memory differences.
Other scientists, said Karle, have found that video game players do better at processing their visual environment, keeping track of everything they see, such as traffic on a busy highway.
"You do 20 minutes of weight-bearing exercise for osteoporosis and 20 minutes of video game play to prevent decline in visual processing," he said. "That's obviously speculative. But wow, that would be cool."
Photo by Aidan Chafe
Edith Vuchnich, 93, and Terence Bredin, 78, enjoy a simulated bowl during the “Keeping it Sharp” demonstration held at Briton House retirement centre.
Tech toys may help seniors
stave off mental decline
By Aidan Chafe
Edith Vuchnich spent the afternoon playing video games with friends and fellow residents. The 93-year-old enjoyed a simulation of 10-pin bowling that enables users such as Vuchnich to avoid the burden of holding an actual ball and save a trip to the bowling alley.
“Oh, yes that was so much fun,” she said. “I threw two (strikes) didn’t I?”
Home instead of Senior Care recently hosted “Keeping it Sharp” at Briton House retirement centre on Mount Pleasant Road.
About 50 residents participated in Nintendo Wii bowling and jeopardy with the help of Nintendo representatives who were on hand.
The purpose of the demonstration, according to coordinator Bruce Mahony from Home instead of Senior Care, is to encourage the elderly to keep an active mind by participating in stimulating activities which could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a common form of dementia.
Although dementia is a disease caused by damage of the brain over time, Mahony cited current research which suggests that mental exercise helps to keep the mind sharp.
“We’re here to create some awareness,” Mahony said. “Exercising the mind is just as important as exercising the body. We want to be actively seeking information about how to keep mentally sharp.”
Mark Wells, son of Russell Wells, owner of the family run business at Briton House, can attest to that. He says a good portion of the seniors at the residence have some form of dementia and it’s difficult for staff to help get them through the day.
“We’ll look at anything that can help out our seniors,” he said. “And if this is something that will keep them engaged that’s excellent.”
Wells says he’s not surprised seniors are interested in the latest in entertainment technology, even though they never grew up around it. “There is a group that won’t get into these things, and never will,” he said.
Seniors use internet on a daily basis
“But then there are some that want to be challenged and stimulated. I mean we see a lot of our seniors use the internet on a daily basis.”
The experiment, although striking a chord with residents and staff, did come with its set of glitches. Because Nintendo originally didn’t intend for the Wii to be geared towards an older audience, in regards to menu settings the console isn’t as user friendly as they’d have you believe.
It took several minutes for staff to get the system operating, and there was confusion on how to use the hand-held operated remote once the game started.
Wells ensures that his staff will be on hand on a regular basis to help residents work out initial difficulties in learning how to play, and overall sees potential with the system.
“What happens is that they tend to give up on something if they struggle at first,” Wells said.
“With these games, than say with other video games on the market, a lot of them can pick it up quite easily and so they’re willing to come back and try it again.”
Another issue is cost. The Wii, although considered cheap compared rival consoles, might not be in an affordable investment for seniors budgeting tight pensions.
That won’t be a problem at places like Briton House as they become the fourth senior’s home in Canada to purchase the Wii system. As for Mahony and Home instead of Senior Care, they’re looking at options to incorporate the system when staff go to visit clients.
Filed October 23, 2007, from the Centre for Creative Communications
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