Ruth Bercaw has been creating art for over 65 years. The Cleveland resident and Kendal at Home member is known for her unique geometric, 3D paintings, which are currently featured in Bonfoey Gallery’s “Engaging Women” exhibit.
Topics: Member Stories
If you’re like most older adults, brain health is likely a top priority for you. To help keep you updated on the latest advancements in brain health and the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, Kendal at Home is launching a regular roundup of brain health news.
Here’s what you need to know to preserve your cognitive health.
You’ve heard of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but did you know there is a third? Alzheimer’s disease has become known as Type 3 diabetes, and with good reason. Researchers have found diabetes — specifically the insulin resistance that happens with Type 2 diabetes — and Alzheimer’s to be linked.
How are Alzheimer’s Disease and Diabetes Connected?
High blood sugar, which could signal insulin resistance, can damage the body. Uncontrolled high blood sugar can lead to the development of diabetes, which can cause further damage. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, high blood sugar can damage your brain by:
- Raising your risk of heart disease and stroke, both of which can affect the blood vessels which lead to your brain.
- Unbalancing the chemicals your brain depends on to function
- Causing inflammation, which may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s
Although no medical test exists that can determine, with certainty, whether you will experience a heart attack or stroke, there are tests that doctors can perform to estimate your risks for these diseases – and then implement a plan to mitigate those risks. As part of this process, your doctor will likely consider your family history for these diseases among other factors in conjunction with your core numbers.
When you drive at night, you can face added challenges because of “decreased visual distance and sensitivity to the contrast between darkness and bright lights along roadways.” In other words, it isn’t as easy to see during nighttime driving!
When it comes to retirement living options, you’ve likely considered an array of choices: perhaps a retirement community, a new home or staying in your current home all came to mind. But what about spending your golden years as a resident in a hotel?
That’s what one couple considered when they shared a now viral Facebook post about spending their retirement as permanent residents of a Holiday Inn. Here’s the logic behind hotel retirement: When compared to the daily fee for a private room in a nursing home, the rate for a room at a Holiday Inn with a senior discount is significantly cheaper. Plus, the post authors state, you get housekeeping, a 
continental breakfast (or room service), exercise facilities and socialization (via lobbies or bar happy hours), plus free bus rides for seniors. And, they note, “They treat you like a customer, not a patient.”
Sounds like a pretty good idea if you want to avoid a nursing home, doesn’t it? But there’s more to the hotel retirement concept than meets the eye. Here’s why retiring to a Holiday Inn isn’t a good idea and why it’s not necessary.
You know getting regular exercise has health benefits for your body, but can doing those laps in the pool or an extra set of pushups help keep your brain healthy, too? The answer, according to researchers, is yes.
Four out of five older adults take dietary supplements to add nutrients to their diets, improve their health or protect their brains. While eating a balanced diet is the best way to get the nutrition you need, according to the National Institutes on Aging (NIA), if you don’t get enough of the vitamins and minerals you need, your doctor may recommend a supplement.
People who have chronic inflammation in middle age have an increased risk for developing memory and thinking problems in the following decades, researchers have found.
