June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and DHEC is joining efforts to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease and brain health. During June, the Alzheimer’s Association is inviting people to participate in The Longest Day® on June 21. The event is held annually on the summer solstice, and The Longest Day invites participants to fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s by wearing purple, fundraising, and engaging in activities that raise awareness.
Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age. Most people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older, but up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer’s, which often develops when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
More than 90,000 residents in South Carolina experience Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, according to the South Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. DHEC’s oversight of nursing homes and assisted living facilities includes support and protection for many of these residents, along with the agency’s partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, and Eat Smart, Move More, SC, among others.
Brain Health While the importance of brain health is well known, there is still a great deal scientists and doctors don’t know about the brain. Fortunately, research is advancing, and evidence shows that people can reduce their chances of decreased brain function by adopting key heart-healthy lifestyle habits.
Here are some steps to take to support a healthy brain:
Fuel up Right and Break a Sweat! Participate in physical activity that raises your heart rate and increases your blood flow. Studies have found that physical activity reduces risk of cognitive decline.
Butt out. Quit Smoking! Smoking increases your risk of cognitive decline. Quitting smoking can reduce risk to levels similar to those who have not smoked.
Follow Your Heart! Risk factors for heart disease and stroke such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes can negatively impact your cognitive health.
Protect Your Noggin! Wear a helmet when playing contact sports or riding a bike or motorcycle. Use seat belts or child restraint systems designed for the age of your child.
Click here to learn more about various types of brain conditions including the signs to watch for. The conditions include mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. In general, each of these conditions can include loss of memory and largely involve, but are not limited to, residents who are 65 or older.
Facts About Alzheimer’s:
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60% to 80% of cases.
More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By the year 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million people.
Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
1 in 3 Seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
1 in 9 people age 65 and older (11.3%) has Alzheimer’s dementia.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and DHEC recognizes the vital work that healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals, and caregivers do in providing treatment and improving the quality of life of those afflicted with brain trauma and disorders. There are currently over 95,000 people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias (ADRD) in South Carolina. According to the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, 25% of the ADRD population in the state resides in a long-term care facility (LTCF), including nursing homes and assisted living facilities, while the remaining 75% live independently or with loved ones in the community.
It comes as no surprise that COVID-19 has been an unexpected hurdle in providing special care to each resident or patient afflicted with these diseases. The risk for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias poses a unique challenge for caregivers, families, and facilities. Changes to routines, use of unfamiliar personal protective equipment (PPE), and disruption to daily schedules can lead to fear and anxiety resulting in increased depression and worsening behavioral changes, such as agitation, aggression, and wandering. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends specific guidance to facilities for infection control and prevention, it also recommends keeping environments and routines as consistent as possible for patients and residents suffering from ADRD and other brain disorders.
As facilities and caregivers continue to care for patients and residents, the following tips can help improve brain health for those afflicted with these diseases while preventing the spread of COVID-19:
Maintain the same environments and routines for the patients or residents while introducing frequent hand washing, social distancing, and use of cloth face coverings (if tolerated).
Introduce virtual games and activities for enrichment and memory care.
Use face coverings wisely. Face coverings should not be used for anyone with breathing issues or who is unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask without assistance.
Keep staff consistent in memory care units at facilities.
Structured activities may need to occur in the resident’s or patient’s room, or be scheduled at staggered times throughout the day in order to maintain social distancing.
Provide safe ways to remain active, such as staff going on walks around the unit or outside with the patient or resident.
Limit the number of people in common areas while practicing social distancing.
Frequently clean often-touched surfaces, especially hallways and common areas.
Those suffering from ADRD may not be able to communicate that they are feeling ill. It is important to be informed and able to recognize symptoms in order to protect our most vulnerable from COVID-19. Early signs to recognize for a patient or resident who cannot communicate their symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, or vomiting. Emergency warning signs are trouble breathing, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, and bluish lips or face.
Family and friends that would still like to visit loved ones in facilities are encouraged to use messaging systems such as emails, phone calls, cards and letters, recorded video messages, care packages, and even song and poem dedications through the facility intercom. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)’s Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment Program is a great funding opportunity for facilities wishing to procure technical equipment for communication purposes. Nursing homes can also benefit from applying to CMS’ COVID-19 Communicative Technology grant that provides funding for residents to communicate with loved ones.
Lexington Medical Center (LMC) Extended Care recently took advantage of this COVID-19 grant opportunity and purchased two iPads and three iN2L tablets for the nursing home. Though the facility encourages families to make phone calls and chat with loved one outside of the facility’s windows, the technology procured through the grant allows more residents the opportunity to connect with loved ones and to do is in the most convenient, readily accessible, and intimate way. The facility already averages 700 calls per month, not including the calls made by residents with their personal devices. The use of the virtual technology for tele-videos, texts, calls, games, and a myriad of other activities connects loved ones together and helps augment the quality of life for these residents, especially those most vulnerable to brain dysfunction and memory loss.
“Without this COVID-19 communicative grant funding and the opportunity for communities to purchase needed devices, our residents might not have the opportunity to see their family nor would their family see them, which could be detrimental to everyone,” states Debbie Bouknight, Lexington’s Life Enrichment Director. “It is both heartwarming and sometimes heartwrenching, but so worth it to see the interactions happen. I feel we would see far more decline in our residents’ physical and emotional well-being if they did not have these video visit opportunities.”
More ideas of how you can connect with loved ones during COVID-19 are available here.
DHEC would like to express its gratitude to all facility staff and loved ones keeping our Alzheimer’s and other dementias population healthy during COVID-19. Residents and patients suffering from these diseases are not just physically vulnerable during this pandemic, but they are also highly susceptible to mental anguish and confusion due to the necessary changes being made at facilities for infection control and prevention. We recognize the extraordinary cooperation between facility staff and families in ensuring excellent care for the quality of life of those afflicted with ADRD, as well as adapting to new forms of communication that keep loved ones both connected and safe.
DHEC and its partners will collaborate on a campaign that encourages people to Take Brain Health to Heart. A key element of the effort is a pledge — which can be found at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealthpledge — that encourages residents to keep their body, heart and brain healthy.
The campaign is designed to educate and mobilize South Carolinians to protect their brain health by being more active, eating better and taking other steps. Research has shown that smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes may contribute to cognitive decline. It has also found that unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity and brain injury may affect the health of the brain.
Message key for S.C.’s aging population
This is an important message in South Carolina, whose population is getting older. While Alzheimer’s and dementia are not a normal part of aging, getting older is the greatest risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2016 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, 84,000 people over the age of 65 are reported to be living with Alzheimer’s disease in South Carolina. By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 120,000, according to the SC Alzheimer’s disease registry report. South Carolina has one of the fastest-aging adult populations in the country, ranking in the top 10. That population is expected to increase to 1.1 million by 2029, resulting in one in five South Carolinians being over age 65.
South Carolina is one of seven states to receive funding to reduce stigma, promote early diagnosis and address risk reduction factors associated with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The effort is funded by a collaborative that includes the Alzheimer’s Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Take the pledge
Over the next few months, DHEC, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association and Eat Smart Move More will jointly focus on messaging regarding heart and brain health and cognitive decline.
The campaign will feature a centralized DHEC Brain Health webpage. Each partner organization will have a link to the page, which will include health education materials, social media messages and a call to action in the form of a pledge about healthy lifestyle changes. People who visit the page and take the pledge will be entered into a monthly drawing for a Fitbit, beginning this month and ending June 30. Please visit the webpage at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealth and take the pledge.
Live Healthy S.C. 