If it takes a village to raise a child, does it also take a village to keep an elder out of a nursing home? That’s the idea behind a new grassroots movement described in the New York Times article, "A Grass-Roots Effort to Grow Old in Your Own Home"(August 14, 2007). The article describes how elders across the country are organizing themselves, their neighbors, and friends into support networks, with the Avenidas Village (Palo Alto, Calif., starts in October 2007)
John Sink, director of programs, JSink@avenidas.org, 650-289-5421

Palisades/Foxhall Village
Alicia Juarrero, vice president, aliciajuarrero@gmail.com

Washington D.C. Area
Capitol Hill Village
Gail Kohn, executive director, info@capitolhillvillage.org, 202-543-1778

Transition in Place Services (Clifton and Fairfax Station, Va.)
William W. Cole, secretary/treasurer, wwcole@cox.net, 703-764-1300

Mount Vernon at Home (Alexandria, Va.)
Arnold Edelman, vice president, jaedelman@cox.net, 703-765-0369

Staying Put (New Canaan, CT)
Tom Towers, board president, tbtowers@optonline.net, 203-966-7917

Gramattan Village (Bronxville, N.Y.)
Christina Staudt, vice president, staudthome@aol.com, 914-337-3968

Center for Aging in Place Support (Resource center for groups in Westchester County, N.Y.)
Robert Waldman, president, rwaldman@aipsupport.org, 914-833-9654

Cambridge at Home (Cambridge, Mass., starts in October)
Kathy Spirer, executive director, 617-864-1715

Beacon Hill Village (Boston, operating since 2001)
Judy Willet, executive director, 617-723-9713, bhvillage@aol.com

The Washington A.A.R.P. has information about other area groups. Email Mimi Castaldi, dcaarp@aarp.org

E-mail listerv put together by attendees of conference at Beacon Hill Village (not an official B.H.V. site)
beaconhillvillagemodel@googlegroups.comobjective of staying in their own homes as long as possible.

Interviewed for the article were George Allen (pictured here) and his wife Anne, both 82 years old. They struggle to remain in their three-story house and neighborhood, despite what the article describes as "the frailty, danger and isolation of old age."

These groups refer to themselves as “Aging In Place” “villages,” and there are more than 100 of them across the country. They are part of a movement to make neighborhoods safe places to grow old. By pooling their collective talents, citizens may be able to provide for each other’s needs and thus put off the need to move out of their own home to an assisted living facility or nursing home. These groups register as nonprofit corporations, set membership dues, and line up reliable providers of transportation, home repair, companionship, security and other home or care services for their members. "The villages address what can be a premature decision by older people to give up their homes in response to relatively minor problems: No way to get to the grocery store. Tradesmen unwilling to take on small repairs. The isolation of a snowy winter, etc."

For a role model, the new groups looked to Beacon Hill Village in Boston, which pioneered the approach six years ago. "Beacon Hill has 400 members who pay yearly dues — $580 for an individual and $780 for a couple, plus à la carte fees — in exchange for the security of knowing that a prescreened carpenter, chef, computer expert or home health aide is one phone call away."

The amenities of an assisted-living center are thus far more expensive than a village’s membership fee.

These villages are not just located in wealthy neighborhoods. A few villages are cropping up where low-income families live, such as in the Richmond District of San Francisco, Falmouth, Mass., where year-round residents struggle when the summer crowd is gone; and in pockets of Westchester County, such as Yonkers, with middle class populations.

The reporter also interviewed Marie Spiro, 74, and Georgine Reed, 78, (pictured here) who share a house together, which they insist they will only leave “feet first.” Between them, they have already endured three knee replacements and other ailments. They're hanging in there, though.

"Marie describes huffing and puffing while grocery shopping; Georgine is increasingly reluctant to visit friends across town. Both women, who are childless, would already welcome help with meals, transportation and paperwork. If they need home care, Capitol Hill Village (scheduled to start services in October 2007) will be able to organize that."

“I’ve never had to rely on other people, and I never wanted to,” Ms. Spiro said. “But I’d rather pay a fee than have to ask favors.”

This is the first I have heard of these "Villages." If you are part of an Age-In-Place Village, I would love to hear from you, and help you get the word out to others in your community.

Would you like to find a village in your neighborhood, or get help with starting one? These are some contacts to follow up with:



To read the New York Times article click here.


Felicia Curran
www.ElderAdvocacyLaw.com

A California neurologist, Dr. William Rodman Shankle M.D., is reported to be using the drug Exelon to successfully treat patients diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer disease. The FDA approved Exelon in 2000, and it reportedly stops the breakdown of a chemical transmitter in the brain. According to the Orange County register, Dr. Shankle believes that early detection is the key to halting the disease’s progression.

The article describes Dr. Shankle’s treatment of retired obstetrician Dr. Marvin Sando, M.D. Marvin (pictured to the right) retired in 1999. A few years into retirement, his wife noticed some strange changes in her husband. Marvin, who once added rows of numbers in his head, struggled with calculations. An avid reader who juggled five or six books at a time, he could no longer follow when he turned to his place in a book.

"It was frustrating as the devil," Sando recalls. "(Before) I might begin a book and pick it up three months later, and after one or two sentences know exactly where I was." He also found himself forgetting who people in his life were.

In 2002, he saw Dr. Shankle (pictured here with Marvin), who, after testing, diagnosed him with AZ. Dr. Shankle put him on a regimen of medication, including Exelon, as well as lifestyle changes --mandatory daily walks, a glass of wine only on rare occasions, and Sudoku instead of crossword puzzles to give his mind a new challenge. Reportedly, within a few months, Sando's memory test score improved to 100 percent. A PET scan at five months revealed much more activity in the memory storage parts of his brain.

Nearly five years later, on a regimen of medication, he is virtually symptom-free, confirmed by his scores on memory tests, images in brain scans and the ease of his everyday life.

"Every day when I take that little pill, I think of how lucky I am to be here," says Marvin Sando. "I'm enjoying every day." "You can't get any more dramatic than completely reverting to normal," Shankle says.

Dr. Shankle says that most AZ patients aren't diagnosed early enough to fully benefit. Because early diagnosis of AZ is the key to the efficacy of this treatment, Dr. Shankle believes that everyone should have an annual memory test, starting at age 65, to screen for early signs of Alzheimer disease.

You can read the article by clicking here. If you or a family member have early stage Alzheimer’s, show the article to your family physician, and ask for a referral to a specialist who would be qualified to advise you on the best course of treatment.


Felicia Curran
www.ElderAdvocacyLaw.com

A cat named Oscar, who was raised in a nursing home, has an uncanny ability to tell when someone has just a few hours left to live, according to the Associated Press. How Oscar wound up in a nursing home, the article doesn't say, but he certainly is making the most of it. Oscar, who was adopted as a kitten by the nursing staff, began to make his own rounds in the nursing home after he’d been there about six months. Normally, he is quite stand-offish. However, the nursing home staff has learned that if he jumps up on a resident’s bed, and stays there, that means that the resident has less than four hours to live.

Over the past year and one-half, Oscar has made the correct call in 25 cases.

“He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview.

Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home, is quoted as saying that she was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. “While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near. Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.”

So, how does Oscar do it? Check out a discussion of this point in Medicinenet.com, in which Dr. Teno is quoted as saying that it is possible that "he is following the patterning behavior of the staff. .. . This is an excellent nursing home. If a dying person is alone, the staff will actually go in so the patient is not alone. They will hold a vigil. . . .Oscar has seen that pattern repeated many times, . . .and may be mimicking it."

"Animals are intuitive," she says. "We don't give them enough credit." One of the first cases, Teno says, involved a resident who had a blood clot in her leg. "Her leg was ice cold," Teno says. "Oscar wrapped his body around her leg," she says, and stayed until the woman died.

This suggests that Oscar was trying to save the woman's life. The thing that struck me about the reporting of Oscar is that no mention is made of Oscar saving anyone's life. If Oscar lived in a hospital, or some other type of health facility, he would be able to alert a doctor or nurse in time to save a patient's life. Because he's in a nursing home, it apparently goes without saying that all these deaths are expected and unavoidable. I wonder if he is frustrated that his vigils don't seem to prevent the deaths. Don't let it throw you, Oscar. You may not realize it, but just making sure that no one dies alone is enough.

Click here to read the article, which also discusses other possible explanations.


Felicia Curran
www.ElderAdvocacyLaw.com

I invite you to check out the blog competition - Maria Amelia, a 95 year old grandmother from Spain. She is reported to be the world’s oldest blogger, and she racks up 51,000 hits a month.

Maria is evidently the straight-talking type. She says that her blog was given to her by her “stingy” grandson, as a birthday present. What a great gift, though! This is a great way for them to spend time together. She talks, and he helps her type her entries in.

Maria blogs about current politics, her daily life, and memories of past events, in a stream-of-consciousness format. In her last entry, she reports that she is leaving for a 15-day vacation in Brazil! Hey, don’t forget your sunscreen.

Her blog is www.amis95.blogspot.com. You can read it in English by pasting her url into Yahoo’s translation website - www.babelfish.yahoo.com.

You can check out a video of her with her grandson on youtube.com.




Read the OhmyNews International article,, where she chats up the reporter in question/answer format. Here are a few excerpts:

"Q: Are you pleased that you have achieved international fame as the world's oldest blogger?

A: Yes, I am pleased, but if there were others older than me, I'd be pleased too.

Q: When did you post your first blog entry?

A: On Dec. 23, when I was given the blog. It was my 95th birthday and my grandson gave me it as a gift. Then we got to work. He told me to start talking and I did, and within minutes people were there talking to me! I was amazed, I'd never have believed it. I thought two or three people might answer me...

Q: What made you decide to become a blogger?

A: For something to do. I thought it was a nice thing to do, amusing, entertaining... I wanted to meet new people, and now I meet people all over the world! When I started, I didn't realize it would be people everywhere, or I might not have gone ahead, but now I have got used to it."

To read the Ohmynews interview, click here.

Reinventing yourself is said to be the key to enjoying life as you age. Maria Amelia has proved that point.

*
Felicia Curran
www.ElderAdvocacyLaw.com

Thanks to Ray Fernandez, at www.elderabusehelp.org, who first blogged her story.

What would you do if you realized that your incidents of “forgetfulness” are actually manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease or other memory-impairment disease? Would you live with it and stay in your home with your family for as long as you could? Or would you make the decision to enter a nursing home now so as to spare your family the grief that comes with such a decision? That’s the premise from which the newly released film “Away From Her” starts. The film is directed by Canadian actress Sarah Polley in her directorial debut. It stars Julie Christie as the elderly Fiona, and follows Fiona as she makes the decision to enter a nursing home. The film is set in rural Canada, so it is a Canadian nursing home, which is much better than the typical nursing home in the United States. The Canadian setting leaves the film free to focus, not on the horrors of nursing home life, but rather on the life-changing effects of separation and memory loss.

Says Producer Simone Urdl, "The role of Alzheimer's in the film is a metaphor for how memory plays out in a long-term relationship: what we chose to remember, what we choose to forget."

On the NPR website, you can find Terry Gross's interview with Director Sarah Polley and with Olympia Dukakis, who also stars in the movie. In the Polley interview, she describes how Julie Christie had been reported to have memory problems of her own for years, of unknown origin, but how it did not affect Christie's beautiful performance of the Fiona character. For those interviews, click here.

Click here to read A.O. Scott’s review "Time's Wounds and the Heart's" from the New York Times. The New York Times site also has a short video clip of the film.


Felicia Curran
www.ElderAdvocacyLaw.com