Held October 1st at Methuen Village at Riverwalk Park, our Casino Night for Alzheimer’s raised over $4200 for the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Guests were invited to “Roll the Dice for a Cure.”

In regard to this fundraiser, Senior Living Residence’s president Robert Larkin said, “We are continuously looking for ways to promote research toward better treatment and ultimately a cure for this disease. Our contribution to the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is part of this important work.”

SLR is always looking for ways to support Alzheimer’s research and to raise awareness of the good work that programs like BU’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center are doing to promote these shared goals.

Undergoing internal development for the past three years, SLR has worked with leading clinicians and researchers, including staff from the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, to create an array of cutting edge research-based programming designed to treat the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in the residential-style assisted living setting. Compass Memory Support widens the traditional “Alzheimer’s Care” customer base by treating individuals with varying levels of memory loss and diagnoses, and emphasizes addressing the needs of those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

The Compass Memory Support Neighborhood® research-based non-pharmacological programming encompasses discrete disciplines that work together as a whole to treat the symptoms and potentially slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

These programs include:

1. Reconnections, a curriculum-based adult learning program developed by SLR that is backed by research that cognitive stimulation may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
2. Memory Preservation Nutrition® Program, based on research that shows a diet of “brain healthy foods” can actually reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. SLR is the first assisted living company in the nation to offer residents this innovative nutrition program, developed by internationally recognized expert Nancy Emerson Lombardo, PhD, one of the co-founders of the Alzheimer’s Association.
3. State-of-the-art post-hospital Rehabilitation Respite Stay program for seniors with memory loss.
4. Clinical “rounds” with a Boston University Medical School clinician and comprehensive medication assessments with a geriatric-specialized pharmacist in an effort to avoid hospitalizations.
5. Lifetime Achievement Award program designed by SLR to combat the isolation and anonymity experienced by seniors with memory loss.
6. Exercise program based on research that shows aerobic and strength training exercise is associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Additionally, SLR’s strategic affiliation with the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center offers residents top notch clinical consultation and opportunities to participate in clinical research studies, including trials of new treatments.

A new study suggests that walking a mile a day can decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in older adults.

The study monitored the exercise habits of 299 participants over thirteen years in total, beginning in 1989. Participants were evaluated based on an initial measurement of walking, then reevaluated nine and thirteen years after the initial examinations with high resolution MRI scans.

In the past, studies have been completed that focused on the effectiveness of physical exercise on brain function in older adults for periods of six months to one year, but never over such a long time frame. “This is the first study that really looked over a several-year span and was able to assess this,” said study author Kirk Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

It turns out that walking that distance can increase the size of a person’s gray matter, which is beneficial because gray matter shrinks as adults age, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The researchers also found people who walked that distance reduced their risk of cognitive impairment by about half. However, walking more than one mile every day did not further improve brain volume.

At Senior Living Residences, exercise is an important component of Compass Memory Support. All of our communities offer on site Wellness Programs that include supervised exercise and walking groups, and many also feature strength training, dancing, gentle stretching, yoga, tai chi, and more.

“Caregiving has positive aspects, as well as negative ones. If we can boost the positive aspects and reduce the negative ones, we may be able to reduce a caregiver’s risk of developing dementia,” says Peter Rabins, M.D., M.P.H at Johns Hopkins.

Senior Living Residences appreciates the opportunity to help out families in all stages of the disease process, and likewise in all stages of the research process.  For this reason, we offer a support group for families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s, which meets the third Thursday of each month, at 6PM, here at Methuen Village. Often times we have educational seminars on different topics that affect families and our residents.

If you or your family members have additional questions about options for those living with Alzheimer’s Disease, please contact us here at Methuen Village. We have a specialized neighborhood for residents with dementia, called our Compass Memory Support Neighborhood, and our professional dementia practitioner- Heather Carroll, would be glad to meet with your family.

Senior Living Residences Alzheimer’s Care Specialist Erin Whalen writes a blog for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s Disease. She discusses the latest research, offers tips and resources and in general gives a lot of information that can be very useful for families.

I’m proud to work for Senior Living Residences, where we are taking gigantic steps in creating a social and residential treatment model for those living with Alzheimer’s. In our Memory Support Neighorhoods, our residents are stimulated throughout the day with an adult learning program, that allows them to KEEP LEARNING! Imagine that.

We provide a brain-healthy diet, and through our affiliation with the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, our professional program directors are able to offer our residents and their families valuable advice and assistance as they journey through the disease process. We truly are on the cutting edge, and we hope that others are as committed to meeting the needs of the many individuals that will be impacted by Alzheimer’s in the future.