West Newsmagazine 5-6-20

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38 I BUSINESS I May 6, 2020 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Creek Valley Celebrate Life. At Creek Valley, we offer more than just a community – we offer worry-free retirement living. Designed exclusively for adults 55 and over, we take care of everything with one monthly price and no buy-in fee so you can enjoy the good things in life. Call today to learn more and schedule a virtual tour: 636-552-4858 Finding the Right Place Just Got Easier! A BIG SHOUT-OUT Our Specialites: A FREE SERVICE FOR SENIORS AND FAMILIES • Assisted Living Communities • Alzheimer’s Care • Retirement Communities • Residential Care Homes • Respite Services • Dementia Care 15950 Manchester Road Ellisville, MO 63011 CreekValleyRetirement.com We want to thank all of our skilled staff members at our independent, assisted, memory care and skilled communities for taking such good care of our clients. When you open up, we will be there for them. Your personal advisor will: • Meet with you, face-to-face, to carefully assess your specific needs. • Create your unique profile in our proprietary OasisIQ TM software. • Present to you a refined list of senior assisted living communites. • Schedule tours and accompany you on visits. Contact your Local Senior Living Advisor Today! Tami Barnes, Director of Sales and Marketing Chesterfield.OasisSeniorAdvisors.com tbarnes@youroasisadvisor.com Call 636.893.4194 Getting plenty of vitamins from food is one way to maximize your body’s natural immunity. [Source: Adobe Stock] News & Notes By LISA RUSSELL Immune-boosting strategies The constant drumbeat of media information about potentially dire consequences for people over 60 who get COVID-19 has no doubt left many older adults feeling somewhat helpless. One way for seniors to regain some sense of control in uncertain times is to work on maximizing their health – and that includes a healthy immune system. The following are a few research-backed strategies for building an immune response that’s as strong and virus-resistant as possible. Get enough key vitamins in your diet. Multiple studies have shown that the highest-quality sources of vitamins are foods rather than multivitamin pills. Some of the most important foods for priming the immune system are Vitamin C, with sources like citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, kale and broccoli; vitamin B6, present in foods such as chicken and fish, green vegetables and chickpeas; and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection, with sources including nuts, seeds and spinach. Consider a vitamin D supplement. Studies are currently underway to research the relationship between vitamin D levels in the blood and the severity of COVID- 19 cases. Some preliminary information suggests that higher vitamin D may be protective – so now may be the time to begin taking a daily supplement if you’re not currently doing so. Get some physical activity every day. Research suggests that regular exercise may be directly related to immunity. According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, for example, those who exercised at least five days a week have half the risk getting a cold as those who were more sedentary. There also may be a protective benefit from sweating: Research has shown that simply raising your body temperature may help it to fight off germs. Get enough sleep. Over the last 15 years, research has accumulated surprisingly strong evidence that sleep enhances one’s immune defenses, seeming to confirm the popular wisdom that ‘sleep promotes healing’. Limit drinking. Researchers have long observed links between excessive alcohol consumption and adverse immune-related health effects, including greater susceptibility to pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS]. Fight back against stress. Prior studies have shown that people under stress are more likely to produce cytokines – molecules that trigger inflammation – making them more likely to get sick. In addition, people who are stressed may be less likely to pay attention to the other healthy habits mentioned above, which in turn impact immunity. Helping seniors embrace telehealth As the pandemic wears on, many people fearful of COVID-19 are avoiding visits to their doctors and getting other necessary healthcare for conditions other than the
FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM May 6, 2020 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I MATURE FOCUS I 39 virus. Regular checkups and other routine medical services are largely on hold. As their waiting rooms have emptied, many doctors have moved quickly to begin providing telehealth services for their patients. Older people in particular, who are faced with an increased risk from the virus along with often more numerous health issues, are prime candidates to receive virtual healthcare. In an effort to help seniors get these services quickly, Medicare has also lifted restrictions on who can receive telehealth and the types of services they can receive via telehealth during the current public health emergency. However, these telephone and video substitutes for in-person office visits can pose special challenges for many older adults. Hearing loss, cognitive impairment, and unfamiliarity with the technologies and platforms commonly used for telehealth may prevent them from using it. Many seniors also may not hold a positive view of virtual healthcare. A national survey conducted in 2019 by the University of Michigan found that just 4% of people between 50 and 80 had used telehealth services in the past year. Among the small number who had, less than half compared the visit favorably to an in-person appointment. An analysis in JAMA, published by the American Medical Association, recently discussed some common-sense steps that can be taken to help older patients overcome any obstacles and become more accepting of telehealth. In some cases, this may be as simple as ensuring that patients are wearing their hearing aids at the proper settings, or using other adaptive devices they may need. To help prepare seniors for telehealth visits, family members, friends or paid caregivers can be enlisted to familiarize them with video-call technology. Practice sessions can be conducted to make them more comfortable with the process. During the visits themselves, it may also be helpful to include caregivers, which can be done using apps like FaceTime, Skype or Zoom. Autoimmunity and Parkinson’s As the U.S. observed Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April, a new study also released last month added to growing evidence that Parkinson’s disease is partly an autoimmune illness. The study found that signs of autoimmunity can appear in Parkinson’s patients a decade before they are officially diagnosed, making it a future possibility to detect the disease before its debilitating motor symptoms occur and intervene with therapies that could slow its progression. Scientists have long known that clumps of a damaged protein called alpha-synuclein build up in the brain cells of people with Parkinson’s disease. These clumps eventually lead to cell death, causing more severe disease symptoms. The new study sheds light on how immune cells called T cells, which have been found to react with the clumps of alpha-synuclein, may play a role in Parkinson’s progression. The researchers looked at blood samples from a large group of Parkinson’s patients and compared their T cells to a healthy, age-matched control group. They found that the T cells that react to alphasynuclein are most abundant when patients are first diagnosed with the disease, then slowly disappear. Few patients still have them 10 years after diagnosis. See MATURE FOCUS, page 41 A Juckette Family Tradition Rehabilitation • Dietary • Technology • Nursing Services Transportation • Payment Options • Salon 636.441.2750 • jmsseniorliving.com/st-peters-manor AFFORDABLE AND EXCEPTIONAL SENIOR LIVING We believe staying connected and active is essential to a good quality of life. We offer twenty-five beautiful acres, delicious chef-prepared meals, and an abundance of fun activities. The community is freshly and exquisitely renovated including a new state of the art fitness center, theater, and bistro. Call today for more information and discover why living at Gambrill Gardens is a joy and working here is not a job but a joy! Some seniors may need help overcoming resistance to technologies used to receive healthcare via telehealth. [Source: Adobe Stock] 636.394.2992 (TTY-711) • gambrillgardens.com 1 Strecker Road • Ellisville, MO 63011
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