As we watch the seconds wind down on New Year’s Eve, it’s a reminder that someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease every 68 seconds — and by 2050, someone will develop the disease every 33 seconds. This staggering statistic can be changed with your help.
Generous donors Lance and Brenda Feis want to do their part by giving the Alzheimer’s Association $10,000 if weraise the same amount online by December 31, 2013.
Brenda’s father, Frank Hofman, passed away in 2010 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Frank immigrated to the United States when he was young and worked hard as a butcher to make a life for his family. Today, Lance and Brenda are making this important matching challenge gift in his honor.
Your tax-deductible year-end donation of $50 can become $100, or a gift of $100 can become $200. Any amount you give by December 31, 2013 can help us continue to advance vital research and enhance care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Time is running out to make a tax-deductible contribution in 2013. Please help us take advantage of this matching gift challenge and make your donation by December 31, 2013.

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Thank you for your support this year
The end of the year is often a hectic time—there are get-togethers to plan, meals to prepare, purchases to make. But it is also the time of year to reflect and recognize on all the past year has meant. And this past year has meant a lot to us in the Greater Illinois Chapter and throughout the Alzheimer’s community as we witness the generosity of all those who have contributed to our mission.
Your support is not only valued, it is vital to the work we do every day for individuals and families impacted by dementia. In the United States, someone develops this incurable disease every 68 seconds, adding to the more than 5 million Americans—and 210,000 Illinoisans—living with Alzheimer’s disease.
As CEO and President of the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter, I know all too well the frustrations and hardships faced by those whose lives have been affected by Alzheimer’s. But I also know the hope that so many have for more effective treatments, a better quality of life and, one day, a cure for this devastating illness.
Your support continually enables us to provide compelling community-based education programs, provide care consultation and bring greater awareness to this critical issue. It allows us to facilitate support groups for both people with the disease and their caregivers as well as fund innovative research.
And for that, I cannot thank you enough.
To learn more about the work of the Greater Illinois Chapter, please take a look at our most recent Impact Report.
Wishing you a very happy New Year.

Erna
Erna E. Colborn, President and CEO
Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter

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Recharge Your Life with Creativity
Creativity can be a boon for older adults, adding to positive emotions that can extend lives, according to research. There are many ways to be creative and multiple programs that can help stimulate your creative juices. Click here to view article.

You don’t have to look too far to see examples of creative people who had long lives. Pablo Picasso was still painting at age 90. Frank Lloyd Wright started designing New York City’s Guggenheim Museum at age 76. Stravinsky was still composing music in his 70s. And, when artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s eyesight deteriorated, she took up pottery in her 90s.

Increasingly, aging experts are expressing the belief that creative activity is important as we get older. Writing, painting or even cooking can be a way of expressing emotions, processing the challenges of our lives and opening up new pathways in our brain. Creative activity has been shown to reduce depression and isolation. It can offer older adults freedom of expression and even provide a feeling of power or control over lives that may sometimes seem uncontrollable. In addition, activities such as drawing or playing the piano can produce a sense of accomplishment at an age when we have few outlets for that feeling, especially for those who are retired. Perhaps best of all, people who participate in creative activities report a sense of joy and stimulation.

Some research is even showing that creativity is linked to longevity. While being creative doesn’t by itself mean you will live longer, the trait is related to openness—that is, being flexible and open to or willing to change; having an open personality can indicate a longer life, as well as higher self-rated health and stress management.

Recent Studies

A study published in the Journal of Aging and Health found that creativity was the most effective aspect of openness in causing health benefits, as creative participants in the study lived longer than others. Using data collected between 1990 and 2008 from more than 1,000 older men, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that creative individuals approached stress as a controllable challenge rather than a troublesome obstacle (“Creativity Predicts a Longer Life,” Sept. 9, 2012, Scientific American). Stress can damage overall health, including cardiovascular, immune and cognitive systems.

Because openness is a sign of cognitive flexibility and willingness to entertain novel ideas, it has emerged as a lifelong factor for protecting health. Creativity draws on a variety of neural networks within the brain, says study author Nicholas Turiano. “Individuals high in creativity maintain the integrity of their neural networks even into old age,” he says, a notion supported by a study from Yale University that correlated openness with the robustness of study subjects’ brain cells.

A different study on creativity measured the impact of artist-conducted cultural programs on the physical health, mental health and social well-being of 166 people older than 65 in Washington, D.C. (“Creative Aging – Transforming the Lives of Older Americans,” about.com). It found a “positive impact on overall health, number of doctor visits, medication use, falls, loneliness, morale and activities [constituting] a reduction of risk factors driving the need for long-term care.”

Dr. Gene D. Cohen, author of The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life (Harper Collins) and the lead researcher of a 25-year study on creativity and aging, gives his reasons to stay creative (“Creativity, Activity and Longevity,” David Gunderman and Andrew Raskopf):

• Creativity reinforces essential connections between brain cells, including those responsible for memory.
• Creativity strengthens morale. It alters the way we respond to problems and sometimes allows us to transcend them. Keeping a fresh perspective makes us emotionally resilient. Challenging the brain can relieve sleep and mood disorders.
• Reading, writing and word games increase one’s working vocabulary and help to fend off forgetfulness.
• Capitalizing on creativity promotes a positive outlook and sense of well-being. That boosts the immune system, which fights disease.
• Having an active, creative life makes it easier to face adversity, including the loss of a spouse.

“Creativity is a natural, vibrant force throughout our lives, a catalyst for growth, excitement and forging a meaningful legacy,” says Cohen, director and professor of Health-care Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry at the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities, George Washington University.

Creative Activities

Being creative doesn’t mean you have to be a great writer or artist. There are many way to express creativity. The important thing, say experts, is to drop your self-judgment (“I’m not good enough”) and do something that provides satisfaction and pleasure. In other words, have fun. If at first you don’t find something you enjoy, it’s OK to try a different activity. Being creative can encompass a wide range of activities:

Music: Join a choral group or chamber ensemble, or take a dance class to connect with others. If nothing else, sing in the car or shower

Cooking or baking: Don’t be afraid to alter recipes, add different spices, substitute ingredients or make a mess. Create a special evening with friends or family, taking care to design just the right table settings. If you feel unsure of your culinary abilities, take a cooking class.

Gardening: A garden can be more than fruits or vegetables; it can include design elements such as stones, bricks and other decorations. If you don’t want a large garden or don’t have room, use container pots or grow plants inside the house. If you don’t have yard space, rent a plot at the community gardens or join local gardening clubs, which often work on public outdoor spaces. Indoors, create arrangements of plants using different pots.

Art: Express yourself at home with crayons, oil paints, watercolors or colored pencils, following the guidance of instructional books or websites, if needed. Or, take a local class; many senior centers offer workshops, as do other local organizations. You can even learn to draw or paint online. Several programs offer classes, with free demos before you buy; for example, Digital Artist or Softonic. Don’t limit yourself to a canvas or drawing pad; have fun repainting an old bench or garden fixture. For aging eyes, follow Georgia O’Keeffe’s lead and take up pottery.

Writing: Write your life story (see “Benefits of Telling Your Life Story,” Senior Spirit, Aug. 2013), a poem or a drama inspired by your favorite TV show or character. Write a review on Amazon of a book you liked, or start a blog about the challenges of aging (designing the blog is also a creative pursuit). Contribute to a local neighborhood or senior center newsletter. You can also take a class or join a writing group.

Scrapbooking: This endeavor can be as simple as taking old photos scattered around the house, compiling them into a scrapbook and putting them in some kind of order (chronological or thematic, for example). You can also create online scrapbooks using programs such as Pinterest.

To find out which creative programs are offered near your home, look in the local paper and community center bulletins or websites, and check out your local Council on Aging. (For examples of programs across the country, see the sidebar.)

Sources “The Age of Creation,” Sage Crossroads

“Creativity, Activity, and Longevity,” New Lifestyles

“Creative Aging – Transforming the Lives of Older Americans,” About.com

Finding a Creative Outlet: Choose Something You’re Bad At,” Liberto Network

“How to Tap Into Your Inner Creativity,” Hebrew Senior Life

Creative Arts Programs Thrive

All over the country, programs aimed at older adults are helping seniors learn or relearn to be creative.

In the Washington, D.C. area, Anthony Hyatt uses his talents as a violinist, speaker and teaching artist to offer free music and dance workshops. His program is part of the non-profit Arts for the Aging, which offers free workshops at senior centers and nursing homes in the D.C. area.

In New York City, Naomi Goldberg Haas uses public spaces such as Times Square, the Highline and Washington Square to combine formal dance with everyday gestures for older adults to perform together.

In 14 states, poet Gary Glazner directs the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, which helps people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers create, read and relish poems together. The project has held more than 300 programs at 75 facilities, reaching 9,500 patients and 800 health care workers and family members.

In Oakland, Calif., Stagebridge Senior Theatre Company, the country’s oldest senior theater company, offers classes in theater, dance and storytelling. Said one participant: “Stagebridge is the best thing that’s happened to me since retirement. I started with acting classes in 2009 (wanted to act as a teenager, but life got in the way). Then got brave and tried musical theater. NEVER sang before (was told not to as a child). Then a singing class, then summer camp. Even dragged my husband in. We are both having a ball, being challenged, learning new skills. Now, I would be lost without it.”

In Brooklyn, the Mark Morris Dance Group conductsDance for PD, in which dancer-artist David Leventhal and his team urge people with Parkinson’s disease to move more fully by engaging them in specialized dance classes with live music.

Source: “Creative Aging – Transforming the Lives of Older Americans,” About.com

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Ensuring Your Financial Legacy
A financial legacy can mean that your children will be taken care of, as well as determining whether you want to equitably distribute your assets among them, or that your favorite charity will have more funds to carry out its mission. Writing a will is the first step.Click here to view article.

A recent letter to “Ask Amy,” an advice columnist, illustrated the benefits of making sure that you leave the financial legacy you want. The writer said her recently departed mother had organized her final wishes in a three-ring binder more than a decade before she died. The binder included her will, do-not-resuscitate order, bank/investment statements, insurance policies and how she wanted her funeral planned. She then sat down with her four children, showed them the binder and told them her exact wishes and plans.

She leavened all this with a sense of humor, inspiring her children to create their own binders and stories “to help our survivors cope in similar fashion.” Not only did the woman’s planning ahead make the process easier once she was gone, but it also helped prevent family squabbles and possibly estrangement among her children fighting over her assets.

Most of us hope to make the world a better place while we are alive, and, if we are able, to continue that responsibility after we pass on. A will makes sure you are leaving the financial legacy you want, whether you are leaving your estate to your children or charity—or both.

Making a Will

Financial and legal experts stress the importance of not only creating a will but making sure your survivors know of your intentions. This is especially helpful if you are dividing your estate unequally or giving to charity.

A will should include both tangible and intangible assets. intangible assets include bank accounts, stocks, insurance policies and mutual fund shares owned in your name. Once you bequeath certain items to particular people, you can then divide the rest of your estate in precise ratios to specific heirs.

If you don’t make a will, state law dictates how your estate is distributed. Probate is the often-lengthy legal process to determine your rightful heirs. Because the law only recognizes blood relatives and spouses as heirs, that means only your family will get your assets after your death, ignoring friends or charities that may be more meaningful. For example, without a will, a sibling you are estranged from may get assets that you would rather have given to your best friend. If you have no will and no relatives, all your assets will pass to the government, which may not be your first choice.

You can take steps to avoid problems later. One recommendation is to have an estate lawyer prepare or review your will rather than using a document you downloaded from an Internet site, especially if your will is complicated. Witnesses (usually, at least two) are required to validate your will. (In states that allow handwritten wills, witnesses may not be required.) When you divide your assets, be precise in your wording so your intentions cannot be misunderstood. For other methods to make sure your will survives any legal challenges, see the sidebar. For general help with leaving a financial legacy, a good place start is with your Certified Senior Advisor.® (For more information about CSAs, see bottom of article).

Fairly Dividing Assets Among Children

Parents face a difficult choice when deciding how to allocate their estate to their children. The easiest way is to divide it equitably, so each child gets the same percentage. (Dividing personal items is a bit more complicated). Equal division thwarts a lot of family discord, hurt feelings and confusion such as, “Why did they leave more to my sister? Did they love her more?”

But it can also mean that one successful sibling gets the same amount as a son who is struggling or who has medical problems that rack up huge bills. Or, the son who provided the bulk of care will receive the same amount as the daughter who lives on the other side of the country and never bothers to call. Parents face the dilemma of being fair yet ensuring that their children will be taken care of. If they give more to the struggling sibling, are they “punishing success”? Or, by dividing their estate equally, are they failing to help the sibling who needs more help?

It’s helpful to remember that the situation could change later. One child who is doing well financially could suffer unforeseen losses, while the other may find better work and more money. One way to deal with this situation is to divide your assets equally and set up a trust, administered by a trustee, that can provide funds later if one of your children encounters financial difficulties.

While there are no easy answers, discussing your allocation with your children can help keep the family peace later and avoid hurt feelings. If you find it difficult to talk to your children, another option is to videotape your reasoning or express yourself in a letter.

As for tangible assets, ask your children if there is a special item they would like. If you want to be absolutely fair, you can have each item assessed to make sure they are all worth the same monetary value. From there, you can make a list of what goes to which child. If not every item is claimed, the will could contain a provision that everything else be sold, and the money divided up among the children or given to charity.

In the case of unequal distribution, especially, make sure your will is ironclad, because it’s more vulnerable to legal challenges from the hurt party, experts say.

Finally, HeirSplit is an iPhone app that allows you to easily inventory and then split up the belongings of the deceased, or it can help aging parents decide “who should get what” to avoid family arguments after they are gone.

Charity

For many people, a financial legacy also includes charity—causes that you believe in and may have supported during your lifetime, and want to include in your will. Some people may give to their alma mater, others to a political or environmental cause, or to a group that helps the less fortunate. More than 80 percent of Americans contribute to nonprofit groups of their choice throughout their lifetimes. However, only around 8 percent chose to continue this support through a charitable bequest, according to research conducted in 2000 by Leave a Legacy.

One way to donate to charity is to make a bequest in your will. Some people may be reluctant to not give their whole estate to their children or heirs, but leaving a gift to charity may reduce the estate tax burden on your heirs, depending on the current tax laws, according to Leave a Legacy. You should consult with a financial advisor or attorney about charitable donations.

Passing on Financial Values

Making sure your loved ones or favorite charity inherits your assets is not the only way to leave a financial legacy. You can also pass on your financial values: for example, your beliefs about saving money, working hard or building a business. This can be done in the form of a business history or story, recorded on videotape or documented on paper. Answer questions such as, “What are your beliefs about wealth and saving money? What were your experiences—both good and bad—during your career? Do you have knowledge that you want to share with your heirs?” You can let your loved ones know that you believe your values had a positive impact on others (“How to leave a financial legacy,” Globe and Mail).

Note: Certified Senior Advisors ® (CSAs) are professionals who come from a multitude of industries including senior care, estate planning, transition services, insurance and real estate, as well as other professions that work with older adults. CSAs are valuable sources of knowledge about the health, social, legal and financial aspects of aging and know where to find the necessary resources needed for seniors and their families. Located around the U.S., CSAs can be found by using the CSA Locator at www.csa.us/CSAVerifier.

Sources

“Dividing your assets in a will,” Free Advice: Law

“How to avoid fights over Mom’s stuff,” MSN Money

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Increase Your Chances of Avoiding a Heart Attack
As we age, changes occur in the heart and blood vessels, increasing our risk of having a heart attack. For that reason, it’s important to be aware of symptoms and to take preventive measures. Click here to view article.

Last month, a report by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommended extending statin drugs to a wider pool of people to prevent heart attacks as well as strokes. Previously, a high cholesterol level was the main criterion, but the new guidelines encourage people with normal cholesterol levels but higher risk factors related to age, gender and race to consider the cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The guidelines also promote more traditional preventive measures: 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise four times a week and a diet focused on vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Reinforcing the need for exercise to prevent heart attacks, new research from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggests simple activities can reduce the risk of a heart attack (as reported in the online British Journal of Sports Medicine, October 28, 2013). Researchers found that those who were most physically active reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by 27 percent and decreased their risk of all-cause mortality by 30 percent, when compared with the least active participants in the study.

Aging Factor for Heart Attack Risk

Taking preventive measures becomes more important as we get older, because aging increases our risk factors. In fact, the number one cause of death in adults over the age of 60 is heart disease, including heart attacks. Heart disease can strike anyone, but older adults are hit the hardest for several reasons. For one, people who smoke or have a history of smoking have a much higher risk. Smoking is the leading cause of heart disease. (For help quitting smoking, you can call 1-800-QuitNow.)

The medical term for a heart attack is myocardial infarction, in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly and severely reduced or cut off, causing the muscle to die from lack of oxygen. This often happens as plaque, a fatty material, builds up over the years on the inside walls of the coronary arteries, which supply blood and oxygen to your heart; this build-up is often due to smoking. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die.

As we age, changes normally occur in the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease, including heart attacks. The heart becomes more vulnerable to various injuries, and its “pump” capabilities begin to deteriorate.

The heart’s decrease in elasticity and ability to respond to changes in arterial-system pressure means escalating resistance to its pumping action. This increases the effort needed to drive blood to various organs. In addition, as the arterial wall thickens, the arteries stiffen. Rigid arteries lead to high blood pressure, which is especially dangerous for the elderly. (See the sidebar for other heart disease factors associated with aging.)

Heart Attack Symptoms Vary

People experience the symptoms of an oncoming heart attack differently. Women and those older than 75, especially, are less likely to feel any chest pain and more likely to suffer what is known as a silent heart attack. The problem is that silent heart attacks don’t exhibit the traditional warning signs but are equally deadly. In fact, they are even more common in older adults than heart attacks that immediately come to the attention of doctors and patients, according to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (as reported in “The Deadly Threat of Silent Heart Attacks,” New Old Age blog, New York Times). Silent heart attacks are hard to diagnose because the symptoms can be vague: prolonged fatigue, confusion, shortness of breath.

In general, common symptoms of a traditional heart attack include:

• Chest pain and pain that originates in the chest and spreads to the back, jaw or arms. People may also feel pain in all of these places and not the chest, or they may feel pain in the stomach area and mistake it for indigestion. The pain is like that of angina but usually more severe and longer lasting, and it does not get better by resting or taking a nitroglycerin pill.
• Faintness
• Sudden sweating
• Nausea
• Heavy pounding of the heart
• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), which occur in more than 90 percent of people who have had a heart attack
• Loss of consciousness, which sometimes is the first symptom of a heart attack
• Feelings of restlessness, sweatiness, anxiety and a sense of impending doom
• Bluishness of the lips, hands or feet

Certain symptoms are mostly seen in older adults:

• Shortness of breath
• Progressive fatigue
• Heartbeats that are too fast, too slow or irregular
• Dizziness
• Pain in the left chest, or more commonly, “chest tightness,” especially if brought about by physical or emotional stress
• Symptoms that resemble a stroke, such as feeling disoriented

Because half the deaths from a heart attack occur in the first three or four hours after symptoms begin, it’s important to take these symptoms seriously and get medical treatment as soon as possible.

Preventive Measures Can Help

It may be too late to change lifelong patterns (such as smoking and eating fat-rich foods), but you can still take measures to help your chances of preventing a heart attack.

The general advice for staying healthy also pertains to avoiding a heart attack, whether you are young or old. Controllable heart disease risk factors include high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity and smoking.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet with reduced amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Lose weight.
• Follow your health care provider’s recommendations for treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
• Reduce or stop smoking.
• Exercise moderately and regularly, which will reduce blood pressure and help you lose weight. Consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.
• Have your blood pressure checked every year. If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems or certain other conditions, your blood pressure may need to be monitored more closely.
• Recheck your cholesterol level every five years, if it’s normal. If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems or certain other conditions, your cholesterol may need to be monitored more closely.

(From “Aging changes in the heart and blood vessels,” Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health).

Sources

“Aging changes in the heart and blood vessels,” Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.

“Aging and Diseases of the Heart,” American Heart Association Cardiology Patient Page.

“The Deadly Threat of Silent Heart Attacks,” New Old Age blog, New York Times.

“Heart Attack: Myocardial Infarction,” Cedars-Sinai.

“Heart Attack: Warning signs and risk factors,” National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, National Institutes of Health Agingcare.com.

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