“By 2050, the number of Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia may grow to 13.8 million.,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the long-term care insurance organization.  “This represents a steep increase from the estimated 5.8 million Americans age 65 and older who have Alzheimer’s dementia today.”

The Association director was sharing the latest information with specialists who market long-term care insurance protection.   ”The percentage of people with Alzheimer’s dementia increases dramatically with age,” he adds.  According to Slome, some three percent of people age 65‐74 have Alzheimer’s dementia.  The percentage rises to 17 for those between 75‐84 and 32 of those at age 85.

Slome noted that one option available enables the policyholder to begin with a lower growth rate and increase the level in the future.  “Not all companies make an option like this available, which is one reason we strongly recommend working with a knowledgeable specialist who can compare multiple policies from multiple companies,” he adds.

The Association director announced creation of a new updated compilation of information regarding long-term care need.  “So much information available for consumers is out-of-date,” he explains.  “We are going to compile and post the most recent and relevant information as a benefit to consumers as well as insurance professionals.”  Information can be accessed at www.aaltci.org/ltcneed.

The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) advocates for the importance of planning and supports insurance professionals who market different options including short-term care as well as both traditional and hybrid LTC solutions.  To get information or request long-term care insurance quotes from a specialist in your area call the organization at 818-597-3227 or visit their website at www.aaltci.org.

The post Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk Reported appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

“With good accuracy Swedish researchers studied over 50,076 patients,” shares Jesse Slome, director of the long-term care insurance organization.   Patients with dementia were followed starting in 2007 for a maximum of 9.7 years.

The researchers reported that the median survival time from dementia diagnosis was 5.1 years for women and 4.3 years for men,” Slome shared.  Dementia and Alzheimer’s accounts for the most common reason individuals with long-term care insurance claim benefits.  In some cases, they can amount to long-term care insurance claims that in total have exceeded hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Median survival time varied by the age at which the condition was discovered.  For example, for men, the median survival time was 6.1 years for men diagnosed between ages 65 and 75, 4.4 years when diagnosed between ages 75 and 85 and 2.8 years when diagnosed after age 85.  For women, the survival time was 7.5 years, 5.6 years and 3.6 years respectively.

“If you live a long life, the likelihood of dementia or Alzheimer’s increases exponentially and the importance of having some long-term care insurance in place is vital,” states Slome.  “The new findings from these researchers can help insurance agents better educate consumers in terms of how much coverage they may need.”  The researchers said the results are nearly identical to those of a similar study in the United Kingdom.

The Association director stressed that long-term care planning needs to begin well before there is the risk of needing care.  “Far too many people call the Association once their parent has been diagnosed with some condition and their doctor suggests they look into insurance,” Slome admits.  “Unfortunately even physicians don’t understand that long-term care insurance is only available to those who can still meet health qualifications and pass cognitive assessments.”

“If you are worried about what will happen should you ever get Alzheimer’s, the smart move is to talk to a long-term care insurance specialist to find out if you can currently qualify and how much insurance protection will cost,” Slome advises.

To learn more about long-term care planning visit the Association’s website or to connect with a specialist who can explain both traditional and hybrid products contact the Association via their website or call 818-597-3227.

The post New Alzheimer’s Prediction Tool Can Help With Long-Term Care Insurance Planning appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

best long term care insurance website

The nation’s leading long term care insurance trade organization calls on health and consumer groups to heighten awareness of advances in understanding ways consumers can significantly reduce the risk of getting dementia.

“Another major study finds that some simple lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of cognitive decline by 60 percent,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI).   ”If there was a pill that had the same effect, everyone over age 50 would be taking a daily dose.”

According to the long-term care insurance organization, dementia, which can include Alzheimer’s disease, affects 15 percent of the over 70 U.S. population.  “The percentage affected increases as one ages,” Slome adds.  “This is not a nice disease, so when one hears of research that demonstrates simple ways to reduce risk, a call for heightened awareness is called for.”

Slome is referring to recent study reported in the Wall Street Journal.  Conducted at Cardiff University in the U.K., researchers followed 2,235 men for 30 years.  “The study started when these men were initially between ages 45 and 59 years old,” Slome notes.   The report found that men who consistently did a few things on a consistent basis reduced their risk for cognitive decline and dementia by 60 percent.

The activities included eating three or four servings of fruits and vegetables daily, maintaining a normal weight and a body-mass index of between 18 and 25, not smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.  Walking two miles a day or some similar activity proved to have the greatest impact on risk.

“Considering the millions of Americans who will be living into their 80s, 90s and beyond without a financial plan in place to deal with the costs of long-term care, it would be prudent for a massive educational effort,” Slome advocated.  “We’ll do our part to encourage more people to plan and to live healthy lifestyles.  I hope others join in the efforts.”

The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance is a national trade organization that strives to create heightened awareness and understanding about LTC planning.  For more information or no-obligation long term care insurance cost comparisons call 818-597-3227 or visit the Association’s website at www.aaltci.org.

The post Association Urges Heightened Dementia-Prevention Awareness appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

“Nothing like a study to confirm what your mother always told you that exercise is good for you,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.  “We have millions of aging baby boomers who are couch potatoes and these folks face a risk of diseases and a higher rate of needing care.”

Physical activity has many proven benefits, Slome notes.  “Insurers who offer long term care insurance require applicants to meet certain health standards before they are offered this important protection,” Slome notes.  “Weight has an effect on the future risk of cardiovascular disease, bone health and even diseases like Alzheimer’s.”

The study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, located in Dallas, reveals that one can have a higher quality of life improving the way one ages.   According to findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine it is possible that fit people delay the onset of chronic illness.  The director of the project is noted as saying they see reduced chronic disease, rather than just delaying the inevitable.’

Researchers studied over 18,000 healthy men and women, who had undergone a treadmill test sometime around age 50.  Using Medicare claims data spanning an average of 26 years, the researchers then linked the treadmill results to the rate of eight chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and colon cancer.

They found that men falling into the lowest fifth of fitness scores, had chronic disease rates that were 28 percent per year. By contrast, the rate was only 16 percent per year among those men in the top fifth.

“When it comes to baby boomers applying for long term care insurance, if you have some weight or health issues it pays to find out which insurer will accept you prior to applying,” Slome recommends.  “There can be variances between insurers and you want to avoid being declined coverage if it’s possible.”

To learn more about the health requirements necessary to health qualify for long term care insurance, connect with one of the Association’s professionals who are members and available to provide free no-obligation information on the topic.  To connect with one call the organization’s national headquarters  at (818) 597-3227.  For free guides on reducing long term care insurance costs visit the Association’s website.

The post For Boomers Exercise Lowers Long Term Care Risk appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

According to the study by new University of Colorado Boulder research associates, aging rats that ran just over half a kilometer each week were protected against infection-induced memory loss.

Even a small amount of running was sufficient to confer robust benefits for those rats that ran compared to those that did not run, the researchers found.  “This is an important finding because older aged individuals are more vulnerable to memory impairments following bacterial infections or surgery,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “Millions of baby boomers are reaching the age when diminished memory should be of great concern.”

Prior research studies have shown that exercise in humans protects against declines in cognitive function associated with aging and protects against dementia. Researchers also have shown that dementia is often preceded by bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, or other immune challenges.

The OC resesearchers noted that this is the first study to show that voluntary exercise reduced aging-induced susceptibility to the cognitive impairments that follow a bacterial infection.  The researchers found that rats infected with E. coli bacteria experienced detrimental effects on the hippocampus, an area of the brain that mediates learning and memory.   Small amounts of voluntary exercise prevented the priming of microglia, the exaggerated inflammation in the brain, and the decrease of growth factors.

The post New Study Connects Exercize And Reduced Memory Loss Dementia Risk appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

Scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City reported that small clusters of A-beta protein, called “oligomers”, found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, are what poison brain cells and cause the memory loss associated with the disease. 

Today 5.4 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzeimers according to data shared by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, the national trade group that helps consumers get long-term care insurance coverage.  “Alzheimer’s is the most costly long-term care incident impacting individuals and their families,” explains Jesse Slome, the organization’s executive director.

Previous research has shown that grape seed polyphenolic extract (GSPE) slows and may even stop A-beta oligomers from being formed.  As a result, the scientists indicate it also reduces cognitive impairment and the characteristic brain degeneration seen in mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s Disease.

For almost half a year, researchers gave GSPE to mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s Disease.  The mice’s brains had significantly reduced levels of the chemical implicated in the promotion of Alzheimer’s disease memory loss. B

As a result, the researchers concluded that GSPE was a safe, low-cost intervention that can selectively lower levels of memory-impairing A-beta oligomer in live subjects, and “strongly suggest that GSPE should be further tested as a potential prevention and/or therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease.

The lead scientist noted that patients who are already in the first stages of the disease may also benefit from early intervention with such a treatment.  Funds from the National Institutes of Health helped pay for the study.

The post Grape Seed May Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

According to researchers, another study found that blood tests could indicate higher risks of dementia later in life.

Alzheimer’s disease is not curable and existing treatments only have limited effects notes Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of costly long-term care need among seniors.

The ability to precisely diagnose Alzheimer’s disease during life, which is now impossible, could lead to improved research.

The findings from the study were published Jan. 19 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Currently, doctors correctly diagnose Alzheimer’s disease about 85 percent of the time. The illness can be confirmed only through brain analysis after death.

In one of the new studies, researchers led by a team from Avid Radiopharmaceuticals reported that they were able to find signs of Alzheimer’s disease by using PET scanning technology. They had scanned 35 people who appeared to have the disease before their deaths and looked for signs of beta amyloid, a kind of gunk that clogs the brain in people with the illness.

The other study attempted to measure levels of beta amyloid in the blood. It linked lower levels — a sign that the gunk is getting tied up in the brain — to higher cognitive problems in 997 elderly people over a nine-year period.

The researchers also found that people with higher levels of “cognitive reserve” — such as those with higher levels of education and literacy — seemed to be buffered against dementia, said the study’s lead author at the University of California, San Francisco.

The post Tests May Predict Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

The study conducted by Canadian scientists found more dramatic evidence that those who have spoken two or more languages consistently over many years experienced a delay in the onset of their symptoms by as much as five years. 

“We are not claiming that bilingualism in any way prevents Alzheimer’s or other dementias, but it may contribute to cognitive reserve in the brain which appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms for quite some time,” said Dr. Craik, lead investigator and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Memory. 

The brains of people who speak two languages still show deterioration from Alzheimer’s pathology; however, their special ability with two languages seems to equip them with compensatory skills to hold back the tell-tale symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as memory loss, confusion, and difficulties with problem-solving and planning. 

Observations were made on patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s from 2007 to 2009. The patients’ date of diagnosis and age of onset of cognitive impairment were recorded along with information on occupational history, education and language history (i.e. fluency in English and any other languages). 

The researchers found that bilingual patients had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 4.3 years later and had reported the onset of symptoms five years later than the monolingual patients. The groups were equivalent on measures of cognitive and occupational level, there was no apparent effect of immigration status, and there were no gender differences. 

According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, the current study adds to mounting scientific evidence that lifestyle factors – such as regular cardiovascular exercise, a healthy diet, and speaking more than one language – can play a central role in how the brain copes with age-related cognitive decline and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.

The post Speak Two Languages To Delay Alzheimer’s Onset appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

Luteolin is found in many plants, including carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary and chamomile.  The compound inhibits the release of inflammatory molecules in the brain.

According to researchers who examined the effects of dietary luteolin in a mouse model of aging and reported their findings in the Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers focused on specialized immune cells that reside in the brain and spinal cord.   Inflammation in the brain also appears to be a key contributor to age-related memory problems, said the University of Illinois animal sciences professor who led the new study.

Scientists found previously that during normal aging, microglial cells become dysregulated and begin producing excessive levels of inflammatory cytokines.  The researcher has spent nearly a decade studying the anti-inflammatory properties of nutrients and various bioactive plant compounds, including luteolin.

According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which tracks aging research and issues, this is the first study to suggest, however, that luteolin improves cognitive health by acting directly on the microglial cells to reduce their production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain.

The researchers showed that microglial cells that were exposed to a bacterial toxin produced inflammatory cytokines that could kill neurons. When the microglia were exposed to luteolin before they encountered the toxin, however, the neurons lived.

The researchers next turned their attention to the effects of luteolin on the brains and behavior of adult (3- to 6-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) mice. The mice were fed a control diet or a luteolin-supplemented diet for four weeks. The researchers assessed their spatial memory and measured levels of inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important to memory and spatial awareness.

Normally, aged mice have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the hippocampus and are more impaired on memory tests than younger adult mice. Aged mice on the luteolin-supplemented diet, however, did better on the learning and memory task than their peers, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains were more like those of the younger adult mice.

The data suggests that consuming a healthy diet has the potential to reduce age-associated inflammation in the brain, which can result in better cognitive health.

The post Munching Celery Reduces Memory Decline appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

According to a new report the cost will surpass $601 billion by the end of this year; over 1% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product).  The new report published by Alzheimer’s Disease International. 

The report was authored by Professor Anders Wimo of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; and Professor Martin Prince, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK.

“This should be an important wake-up call that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are the single most significant health and social crisis of the 21st century,” declared Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “Individuals are woefully unprepared for the social and economic disruptions this disease will cause.”
The reports highlights the following information:

Global costs of dementia will surpass 1% of global GDP this year

Global costs of dementia will exceed $601 billion for the year 2010

There will be two times as many people with dementia in 2030 as there are today

There will be three times as many people with dementia by 2050 as there arean today

The costs of caring for individuals with dementia will probably increase faster than the increase in prevalence. This will be especially so in developing nations.

Although dementia is one of the costliest illnesses, research and development, as well as investments are considerably smaller than for other major illnesses which do not impact as much on national economies.

One expert nooted that this new Report gives us the clearest, most comprehensive picture yet of the global economic and social costs of dementia. The World Alzheimer Report 2010, merged the best available data and the most recent insights regarding the worldwide economic cost of dementia. This enabled researchers to provide more detailed estimates than before, by making use of recently available data that considerably strengthens the evidence base.

The post Alzheimer’s Tab Surpasses $600 Billion appeared first on American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.