Are you in search of information related to brain health? Do you care for a person with a form of dementia like Alzheimer's, Lewy Body, Vascular, or Frontotemporal? Looking for a way to support someone caring for another with dementia? Please check out Brain Health Bulletin #12! Please feel free to forward this to anyone who may find benefit in receiving it! The Brain Health Bulletin is designed to be your quick reference to the latest information about brain health, dementia research, technology, cultural awareness for effective, inclusive, and compassionate dementia treatment, care partner tools, and more! Also, be sure to check out our new podcast called The Resilient Caregiver at The Resilient Caregiver: Empowering Those Who Serve People Diagnosed with Dementia • A podcast on Anchor --

1. Brain Health Bulletin
V O L U M E 1 2
From Dementia Care Specialists ADRC Southwest Wisconsin Dec 14, 2022

2. Disclaimer
Reference in this Brain Health Bulletin to any
specific commercial products, processes, or
services, or the use of any trade, firm, or
corporation name is for the information and
convenience of the public, and does not
constitute endorsement, recommendation, or
favoring by the ADRC, or its officers, employees
or agents.

3. Source: https://www.nicabm.com/brain-a-quick-and-simple-way-to-think-about-the-brain/

4. Celebrate holidays that are important to you. Include the person
with Alzheimer’s as much as possible.
Set your own limits, and be clear about them with others. You do
not have to live up to the expectations of friends or relatives. Your
situation is different now.
Involve the person with Alzheimer’s in simple holiday preparations,
or have him or her observe your preparations. Observing you will
familiarize him or her with the upcoming festivities. Participating
with you may give the person the pleasure of helping and the fun
of anticipating and reminiscing.
Many caregivers have mixed feelings about holidays. They may have
happy memories of the past, but they also may worry about the extra
demands that holidays make on their time and energy.
Here are some ways to balance doing many holiday-related activities
while taking care of your own needs and those of the person with
Alzheimer’s disease:
Consider simplifying your holidays around the home. For example,
rather than cooking an elaborate dinner, consider a smaller dinner
with close family. Instead of elaborate decorations, consider choosing
a few select items.
Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/holiday-hints-alzheimers-caregivers

5. When health and safety provisions allow, encourage friends and
family to visit even if it’s difficult. Limit the number of visitors at
any one time. Plan visits when the person usually is at his or her
best. Virtual visits through video or phone calls are also a great
way to connect over the holiday season.
Prepare quiet distractions to use, such as looking at pictures or
going for a walk, if the person with Alzheimer’s becomes upset or
overstimulated.
Make sure there is a quiet space where the person can rest and
have time to recharge.
Try to avoid situations that may confuse or frustrate the person
with Alzheimer’s, such as changes in routine and strange places.
Try to stay away from noise, loud conversations, loud music,
lighting that is too bright or too dark, and having too much rich
food or drink (especially alcohol).
Find time for holiday activities you like to do. For example, go for a
walk in the neighborhood and look at holiday decorations, or bake
holiday cookies.
If you receive invitations to events that the person with
Alzheimer’s cannot attend, consider going yourself. Ask a friend or
family member to spend time with the person while you’re out.
Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/holiday-hints-alzheimers-caregivers

6. Dementia-Friendly Smart Home Technology to Age in Place
"You get out of bed in the morning, use the washroom and go
downstairs for breakfast. Meanwhile, your blood pressure and heart
rate were measured, sensors notified a care partner that you were a
bit unsteady in your movements and you were reminded to turn off
the water after a robot prompted you to make your tea. Age-tech aims
to create a more independent future for people living with dementia."
Source: https://dementiaconnections.org/what-is-a-dementia-
friendly-smart-home/?_kx=vJZGEQBgs4qdanwC8UI8JCvRV3A-
-9jtaDBWLUH6bevttvSS4b1IshkBSSSBCJ2a.YiqseZ
"Patient portals give patients access to information and increase
provider availability. While the idea of using web-based
communication might seem impersonal, patient portals typically
enrich the provider/patient relationship. They also streamline
processes to make your office more efficient. Without a portal
solution, patients can spend more time on the phone with your staff,
who must then relay questions to you and then respond to the
patient. RippleCARE eliminates the endless rounds of phone tag and
includes patient correspondence in its records for evaluation by and
actionable recommendations to you from its deep knowledge AI
engine."
Technology

7. "We provide personal care coaching to family caregivers to support
and guide them through one of life’s most challenging journeys."
Source: https://www.kinto.care/
HopSkipDrive has a direct line to CareDrivers, creating unparalleled
transparency, visibility, and communication between our team, you,
CareDrivers, and any other user associated with a Rider’s account.
The HopSkipDrive platform enables you to track rides in real-time,
while receiving text and app notifications throughout the ride.
HopSkipDrive also tracks rides in real-time, proactively solving any
issue that may come up. You can always call or chat us directly — our
Support team is available to help!
Source: https://www.hopskipdrive.com/
Technology

8. "K4Connect is the leading technology partner of senior living
communities across multiple care types: continuing care, independent
living, assisted living and memory care. We serve residents, their
families, care professionals and operators across the spectrum of non
and for profit senior communities. From coast to coast, communities
are choosing K4Connect to unlock the future of senior living."
Source: https://www.k4connect.com/
"There every step of the way, TCARE enables family caregivers to
focus on what matters most: taking care of themselves and their loved
ones."
Source: https://www.tcare.ai/
Technology

9. Recent Trend
First Responders are reporting that former EMS,
Fire, and Police members with dementia are
increasingly arriving at agencies expecting to go on
duty believing they need to report in for their shift.
Skilled redirection is needed. Please reach out if
your agency is looking for training to effectively
deal with this challenge. Any emergencies should be
directed to 911.

10. Research
Updates
"New blood test can detect 'toxic' protein years before Alzheimer's
symptoms emerge, study shows. Researchers can detect 'toxic' small
aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of individuals with
Alzheimer's disease, as well as in individuals who showed no signs of
cognitive impairment at the time the blood sample was taken, but who
developed it at a later date. This blood test picks up oligomers -- or
small, misfolded aggregates -- of the amyloid beta protein, which
scientists believe triggers the development of Alzheimer's."
"The brain's immune cells can be triggered to slow down Alzheimer's
disease."
"A new study links a gene concentrated in the brain’s cleanup cells,
known as microglia, to the inflammation that has increasingly emerged
as a key mechanism contributing to Alzheimer’s disease. The findings
may offer a new potential target for therapies for the intractable
condition."
"The brains of people with Down syndrome develop the same
neurodegenerative tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer's
disease and frequently demonstrate signs of the neurodegenerative
disorder in their forties or fifties. A new study shows that these tangles
and plaques are driven by the same amyloid beta and tau prions that
researchers showed are behind Alzheimer's disease in 2019."
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/dementia/

11. C U L T U R A L L Y R E S P O N S I V E
R E S O U R C E S
"Latinos are 1.5 times more likely than non-
Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with
Alzheimer’s. They’re diagnosed, on average, at
younger ages.
That’s a disparity that care teams are trying to
address at the United Community Center in
Milwaukee. UCC houses the only memory clinic
in Wisconsin focused on testing patients for
Alzheimer’s and dementia. The services are
offered in Spanish to better reach native
Spanish speakers and their families.
And, now the Wisconsin Partnership Program
at the University of Wisconsin School of
Medicine and Public Health is providing a grant
to expand the UCC's Memory Clinic to service
Milwaukee's surrounding counties as the Latino
Dementia Health Regional Consortium."
Source: https://www.wuwm.com/2022-01-
19/wisconsins-only-memory-clinic-targeting-
latinos-with-dementia-and-alzheimers-set-to-
expand-services

12. Check out The Resilient Caregiver Podcast!
Make sure to subscribe to catch all of our
interviews with amazing experts who can
empower you be resilient during your journey
of caregiving!
Learn more at
https://anchor.fm/theresilientcaregiver

13. Make sure to Like and Follow the
Dementia Care Specialist Page on
Facebook @adrcswwi.dementia! If you
have any friends or clients who would
benefit from getting information about
how to be a resilient caregiver, please
recommend this page to them!

15. Questions?
Want a brain wellness check?
Reach out today at
(800) 514-0066
bbeam@gchsd.org
bbiddick@gchsd.org

16. Disclaimer
Reference in this Brain Health Bulletin to any
specific commercial products, processes, or
services, or the use of any trade, firm, or
corporation name is for the information and
convenience of the public, and does not
constitute endorsement, recommendation, or
favoring by the ADRC, or its officers, employees
or agents.