Mead Johnson, Maker of Enfamil, Loses Multi-Million Dollar False Advertising Case Against Store-Bran

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December  2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of   Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula.  Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

 

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands.  PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®.  The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

 

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning.  “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

 

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM's infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that "It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development," and "there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition."  The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM's store brand infant formula.  

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

 

·      http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

·      http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

 

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development.  Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil. 

 

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil.  PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®. 

 

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products.  It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

 

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning.  “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

 

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®.  It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.   

 

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

 

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980.  This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

 

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.  Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.  

 

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA.  PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

 

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

 

Celebrate Veteran's Day with a person who has dementia

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PRLog

Dementia,including Alzheimer disease, affects about 1 in 13 seniors,many of them veterans. As you remember our war heroes on Veteran's Day,think about what you can do for them.They did so much for us



PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 03, 2008 – Veterans who suffer from various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer disease, often have very specific care needs. It is important that these veterans are cared for by people who understand their condition and have the appropriate instruction and skills.

Therefore encourage family members of veterans to gain the training they need to care for their loved one with dementia.

All people, including those with memory loss, need human contact. They need to be hugged. They need to hear your voice. They may not know you but as long as you know who they are, that's all that matters.

Talk to them about their service to our country. Often they will share stories with you because their time in the service made a huge impression on them

Tell them how........read all of support dementia veterans this Veteran's Day

For those in nursing homes and other institutions, make sure veterans with dementia are visited often.

Family caregivers, faith and waiting

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Sharon Brothers MSW

Support, ideas and tips to make caregiving easier and to help families find the joy in caregiving

Three years ago, on a dark, late fall night, I sat in the parking lot of the ballet school waiting for my 14 year old daughter to emerge.

My phone rang, and I heard news that would change my family's life.

"Your parents have been in an accident," the voice said. "You need to drive to the trauma center to meet the ambulance with your mother."

"Where's my father?" I asked.

"He's been taken to another hospital. You can call there and get more information."

With that, our lives changed. I was thrown into the whirlwind of planning my father's funeral, while trying to visit my mother as often as possible in critical care. We hosted visiting relatives, and tried to sort out tasks with siblings, all the while keeping everyone on speaking terms.

Every time I tell this story I hear similar stories from families who experienced the phone call that changed their lives.

Families whose loved one had a car accident, a heart attack, a stroke, or diagnosis of a terminal disease.

Families who got the news they never wanted to hear about the death of a young son or daughter serving overseas.

One thing I remember about those early days was the difficulty of waiting.

We waited, that night, in a "family counseling room," my husband, daughter and I, for nearly 4 hours while the doctors tried to stabilize my mother enough for us to see her.

Then we waited, often hours at a time, for her to go through the numerous surgeries that would fix one bone after another in the weeks that followed.

We waited for a doctor to explain to us what to expect next, or a social worker to find out what resources might be available to help her.

Those moments of not knowing, of waiting for tests results or news of survival from another surgery, are some of the hardest moments of all. When we have the facts we can make a plan and start taking action.

How do we cope with the minutes, hours and sometimes days of not knowing?

This is, perhaps, time when our faith must take over. It is the time that we look deep inside and know that, whatever happens, we will face it somehow. We will find the strength to make a plan, to take a step, to continue going. Our family, our friends, our church and our beliefs will help us handle whatever is going to happen.

It's easy to look back and think how very precious and fragile the gift of life is, but perhaps the most precious and fragile thing is the inner strength we must uncover so that when the phone rings, late on a dark, fall night, we can face the voice - and the challenge - on the other end.

Best Designs for Comfortable Eating Part 3

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Alzheimer's and Dementia Weekly

Transcript

The LOW ASSIST objects are all about color-contrasts. In this comparison image, the left plate is a color which contrasts the food. People need to be able to locate the food in order to pick it up.

This logic follows through to the cup, allowing people to easily locate handle and rim.

The MEDIUM ASSIST pieces address dexterity. It can become quite difficult to pick food up.

This plate offers an overhang to help push the food onto the spoon.

This cup challenges the need to provide two handles, avoiding it resembling a baby-cup, as shown earlier. The easiest grip to offer is that of putting your hand around the entire cup. The grip is thus insulated with neoprene to facilitate the drinking of hot liquids.



In this comparison image, the left plate is a color which contrasts the food. People need to be able to locate the food in order to pick it up.

The HIGH ASSIST range is aimed at creating a set of tools for assisting residents who can no longer feed themselves.

They are designed to be light and easy for carers to hold, which encourages them to bring the food into the sensory range of the residents, so they can see and smell what they are eating.

Another area that we have been looking at is the table. When used in a common area, it should be set 30 minutes in advance of mealtimes to encourage anticipation and appetite.

Use objects and patterns which are synonymous with dining to reinforce what activity is about to take place.

We have also made the underside flat, for wheelchair access. Existing tables like this one, which have support structures underneath, make it difficult for residents to get close to the food.

This means they have to lift the food over their laps, leading to spillages. This, in turn, could lead to having to wear rather stigmatizing bibs.

Finally, we have been looking at hanging additional lighting directly over tables, some older people needing three-times as much light as that of a younger person.

The light toggles through three light-levels by passing one's hand closely underneath, the idea being that a carer can tune each table-light to the residents' need, without having to run around to locate dimmer switches.

I have talked about eating, but we are only half-way through what we are planning. Next year, I will be joined by another designer, Nick Reisenbury and together we will be looking at activities and bedrooms. The results will join our findings in eating and culminate in design-guidelines this time next year.

go to Best Designs for Comfortable Eating for the video

Best Designs for Comfortable Eating Part 2

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Alzheimer's and Dementia Weekly

Transcript

Esthetics matter because people can't help but judge the identity of a person through the objects they surround themselves with.

By creating a coherent table service, we can reduce the stigma attached to using assistive products.

In order to design a range that will help the widest amount of residents possible, I looked at disabilities which are common to aging, such as arthritis and visual acuity.

This area includes cataract, the yellowing of the lens with age, or the loss of depth-of-perception, which is common to Alzheimer's.

We then combined these findings with the degenerative nature of dementia to create three distinct groups that we felt could benefit from assistive tableware.



In this comparison image, the left plate is a color which contrasts the food. People need to be able to locate the food in order to pick it up.

LOW ASSIST is for people who can eat competently but may have sight problems.

MEDIUM ASSIST is for people beginning to lose their skills.

HIGH ASSIST is for those who can no longer feed themselves

go to Best Designs for Comfortable Eating for the video

Best Designs for Comfortable Eating

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's and Dementia Weekly

Transcript

This year, I have been working with BUPA (British Healthcare) to improve the quality of eating for elder people with dementia in care.

Although dementia is not limited to older people, the chances of getting a form of dementia increase with age. Recent figures suggest that as much as one in three people over the age of 65 will be affected in their lifetime.

There are currently an estimated 700,00 people in the United Kingdom with dementia, over a third of which live in care homes.

In a recent interview with the Alzheimer's Society, Barbara Pointon said that the brain controls absolutely everything that we do, think and say. When that master computer goes wrong, it cannot be mended. The whole body starts to disintegrate.

In care homes across the country, you will find some of the most extraordinary people who daily have to overcome high levels of mental disability, physical disability and dependency.

This year, with the help of BUPA, we have humbly entered the world of care to understand it more deeply and see what role design can play.

I adopted an immersive research method which included background reading, interviews with residents, interviews with carers, and observation. I also attended carer training.

A resident remarked to me last week, "I may be an invalid, but I do not want to be treated as one."

It has been our aspiration to improve the lives of older people with dementia in care, and use design even in the smallest way to help them live at the highest level of their ability.

The focus this year has been on eating in particular, that is, assistive technologies. Today, I am going to briefly talk about some of the prototypes completed and that you will be able to see on this website.

There are plenty of assistive technologies on the market, but few have been specifically designed for the care environment.

This means they have some basic failings. They don't stack, they age badly, or they make the food look un-appetizing.

As a result, they don't fit in a commercial kitchen, people don't buy them, or if they do, they get frustrated and throw them out because they are not doing their job.

The negative side of this is that residents are not getting the tools they need to retain their eating skills for longer.

So I have adapted some of the tried-and-tested features already on the market and looked at how they could be used to improve existing tableware.

go to Best Designs for Comfortable Eating for the video

When to Stop Treatment for Advanced Dementia Patients

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eHow

Deciding when your loved one with dementia is ready to die is difficult. Letting go is a challenge. Understanding what advanced dementia is and preparing for it go a long way in dealing with this hard process. Grieving for your loss is necessary and will bring meaning, healing and wholeness back into your life.

Advanced Dementia
In the last stage of dementia, people lose the ability to react to their surroundings, the power to speak and at the very end the ability to move. Often those affected are unable to understand the meaning of words and the ability to speak except for occasional words that make no sense. These folks need assistance with eating and may not have the ability to recognize or swallow food. They cannot control their bowels or bladder. People with advanced dementia lose the ability to sit without support. They cannot smile or hold up their head. Their reflexes become abnormal and their muscles grow stiff. They may be in pain but cannot express it.

Prepare Early
There are many things you can do to prepare for the time to stop treatment. When your loved one still has the capacity to make his wishes known, make sure he picks the person to make health care decisions when he can't. In other words, execute a health care proxy. Second, be certain he makes known the kind of medical treatment he wants or does not want. Third, get all finances in order, seeking financial and legal advice while your loved one is able to participate in the process. Doing these things makes everything easier.

Care Options
If you are choosing to care for the person with advanced dementia at home, understand that the process is going to become increasingly difficult, Physical needs and the 24-hour care requirements of the final stages of caring often prompts outside help. If, as a caregiver, you want to keep your loved one at home, make sure you have the stamina, space and support from others to do so. You may choose to place your loved on in a skilled nursing facility. You can be there as many hours a day as you want. You have the option to take a break if you need to. You can still direct the care of your loved one without the physical burden to yourself. Many resources are available to help you with placement and service options. Contact your local area Alzheimer's Association for help.

Manage Pain
Managing pain and discomfort necessitates daily observance and re-evaluation of not-so-obvious nonverbal indicators. Especially after a dramatic decline, you may choose to discontinue all other medical interventions and focus on soothing and calming care for the discomfort and symptoms related to dying. Small behavioral changes often indicate unmet needs. Keeping a journal may help you keep track of this. The soothing comfort of massage, touch, music, pleasant smells and your loving voice can also reduce pain. Try different techniques and watch your loved one's response.

Hospice Care
Hospice care concentrates on the management of pain and the comfort of your loved one at the end of life. Hospice is available anywhere, including a nursing home. Hospice offers family support during and after the dying process. Stop hospice care at any time if you so choose.

Family Issues
Your family may have difficulty,,,,read all of When to Stop Treatment for Advanced Dementia Patients

How to Care for Elders With Senile Dementia

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eHow

Senile dementia, an incurable brain disease, affects thinking, memory, communication and behavior. Because of the brain changes associated with senile dementia, caring for these elders presents many challenges. Achieve success with knowledge, patience, planning and flexibility.

1Learn all you can about senile dementia and the elder with senile dementia as well.

Step 2Establish a routine because those with senile dementia respond best if you do things in the same time frame everyday. Because each elder with dementia is different, the time for doing everyday tasks is different. Observation determines the most successful way to establish a schedule.

Step 3Keep potentially dangerous and fragile objects out of a dementia sufferer's reach.

Step 4Console the elder with senile dementia by helping him cope with day-to-day challenges of not remembering things.

Step 5Develop a positive attitude by having a support system so when the task of care giving is overwhelming, you have people who will help out.

Step 6Join a local support group or become a member of an online group.

Step 7Learn how to communicate, by breaking down tasks into small steps and speaking in short simple sentences. If you have to repeat something, say it the same way or simpler.

Step 8Manage problem behaviors by careful observation of triggers for the unwanted behaviors. Do not take aggression against you personally. It is the disease talking, not the elder with senile dementia.

Step 9Provide healthy meals and snacks. Allow the elder the opportunity to help in planning and preparing simple meals and snacks. Keep things simple. For many this is a meaningful activity.

Step 10Engage those with senile dementia in.....read all of
How to Care for Elders With Senile Dementia

Family caregiving brings joy with support

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Sharon brothers MSW

I've been a part of a neighborhood book group for several years now. We meet once a month, rotating homes, and spend a few minutes chatting about our lives, families and work before plunging into what usually turns out to be a rousing discussion of our month's book.

All of the members are women roughly similar to me in age and life situation. Most of us are mothers or grandmothers; most of us can readily identify with the life of the family caregiver.

Last evening as we discussed John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," we shared stories from our parents and grandparents of the hardships of the depression. Many stories brought tears to our eyes, as we talked of parents recently lost, or parents we're currently caring for in one way or another.

One thing we each acknowledged was the life changing experience of being a caregiver for our parents. We talked of how hard it is at first, how the role-change is awkward and unwelcome initially. We shared how, in the end, the rewards of caregiving can far exceed the challenges.

The shift in roles from child to adult, from care recipient to care provider requires each of us to find our way through sometimes challenging, unknown territory. As we support each other, sharing our stories and offering support and encouragement, the way seems less overwhelming and just a little easier to bear. Knowing we're not alone makes all the difference in navigating our way to a place where we find joy and reward in the role of caregiving.

Progress towards Alzheimer's vaccine: Israeli researcher

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The Gazette



JERUSALEM - An Israeli researcher working on a vaccine to combat Alzheimer's disease said on Monday he had made important progress following tests on gene-altered laboratory mice.


"We have been able to stimulate an immune response and forecast the effects in inoculated mice carrying human genes," Alon Monsonego, who works with British and US researchers, told AFP.


"It is an important development" that could help find vaccines which could be used for individuals with a predisposition to Alzheimer's, the University of Beersheva researcher said.


Monsonego added that "inoculated mice were able to reduce plaques of beta-peptides, as well as inflammations and neuronal damage associated with the disease."


Monsonego's work which is aimed at finding a vaccine capable of reinforcing the immune system were published in the specialised Journal of Immunology.


A report on Monday by the Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), which groups Alzheimer associations around the world, predicted that cases of the disease and other forms of dementia are expected to soar in the next few decades, due largely to a spike in cases in developing countries.


Just under 36 million people will be living with dementia in 2010, an increase of around 12 million on how many suffered some form of dementia in 2005, the report said.

How Long Can a Person Live With Alzheimer's?

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eHow

After a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a person lives from three to 20 years. Many factors influence how long he will live. Knowing the life expectancy of someone with Alzhemer's is valuable information for helping him and his family. Quality of life is key

Age of Diagnosis
Life expectancy with Alzheimer's depends a lot on the age of the person when it is first diagnosed, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found. The older the person is at the time of diagnosis, the less time she will survive on average..

Gender
Seattle's Group Health Cooperative and University of Washington researchers have found that following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, women tend to live longer than men, surviving about six years compared with mens' four years. But this difference between the sexes is less noteworthy as people age.
Severity of Symptoms
Other diseases and conditions shorten the life of a person with Alzheimer's. Poor survival is noted in those who have diabetes or congestive heart failure. Another health problem that lowers life expectancy is trouble walking and a history of falls.

Drs. Kenneth Covinsky and Kristine Yaffe of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco, say that someone who receives a diagnosis of Alzheimer's through specialized memory tests will likely have a longer life because these tests pick up changes in memory long before noticeable symptoms appear.

Catastophic Event
Many with Alzheimer's are able to function because they have a routine and know what to expect every day. When something happens to seriously change this, the result can be devatating to the Alzheimer's sufferer. An example: Someone falls and breaks a hip, arm or other bone requiring surgery or rehabilitation.

Surgery of any kind is difficult for a number of reasons.The person with Alzheimer's is in a strange environment, which can cause panic and uncertainty. Anesthesia is difficult because it takes Alzheimer's patients longer to recover from its effects. Sometimes they do not recover at all.

Rehabilitation is difficult too, because people with Alzheimer's have trouble learning new things. If they suddenly cannot get up alone or have to use a walker, they may forget and further injure themselves. They may become combative because they do not understand what is going on. Often they do not remember the initial fall no matter how often you remind them of it.

Quality of Life
It is not only how long people with Alzheimer's live, but how comfortable and happy they are in daily life. Here are some questions to ask about people with Alzheimer's. Do they.......read all of How Long Can a Person Live With Alzheimer's?

Sleep Problems & Alzheimer's Type Dementia

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eHow

Inability to get a good night sleep and resulting daytime drowsiness is displayed in many older adults, especially those with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Sleep problems contribute to physical deterioration and mood problems. Caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease have difficulty getting a good night's rest because of the patient's wandering, getting out of bed repeatedly and talking in bed.
A program of stimulating daytime activity for those with Alzheimer's disease and education for their caregivers may be helpful in controlling sleep problems. Prescribing sleep medicines is an option, too.

Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease, a brain disorder, is the most common form of dementia. Dementia, a general term for memory loss, difficulty learning and behavior changes, seriously interferes with daily life including problems sleeping. Many people with Alzheimer's disease exhibit changes in their patterns of sleep. Scientists do not completely understand why this occurs.

Normal Aging Sleep Changes
As we age our sleep changes. Sleep quality, quantity and type of sleep change. Older people have more trouble falling asleep and sleep for a shorter period of time. The time you are in deep sleep decreases, as well, as you age.
Sleep changes in Alzheimer's disease
Many people with Alzheimer's disease wake up more often and stay awake longer during the night. Brain wave studies display decreases in both dreaming and non-dreaming stages of sleep. Those who cannot sleep may wander, be unable to lie still or call out, which disrupts the sleep of their caregivers.
Daytime napping is common because of Alzheimer's medications. Because of napping during the day, night time sleep diminishes. Persons with Alzheimer's disease often become restless or agitated in the late afternoon or early evening. This is called "sundowning." As Alzheimer's disease progresses, these individuals spend more time in bed sleeping during the day and less time sleeping at night

Treatment Without Medication
There are some simple lifestyle changes that can help a person with Alzheimer's sleep better at night, according to a study called Nighttime Insomnia Treatment and Education for Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Trial, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in May, 2005. Learning about good sleep habits, the benefits of moderate exercise and spending time in the sun helped those with Alzheimer's disease, this study reports.
Caregivers should encourage loved ones with Alzheimer's disease to go to bed at the same time every night. By observing a person with dementia, a good bedtime is discovered.
Finding triggers that awaken patients at night are identified. These problems include snoring by a bed partner, playful pets, or traffic noise, just to name a few. After learning what the triggers are, steps to eliminate these problems should be taken.
Eliminate daytime napping. Keep those with Alzheimer's disease mentally and physically active during the day. Adult day care programs help a great deal.
Remember to go outside with the person with Alzheimer's disease. Have him sit in a sunny room while watching television or other sitting activities. Some have suggested using a light box if there is not enough sun naturally
At night, make sure the room is dark. Keep heavy shades on the window to block early morning sunlight.

Treatment With Medication
In some cases, non-drug therapies do not work or the sleep changes are accompanied by difficult nighttime behaviors. Experts feel that.....read all about Sleep Problems & Alzheimer's Type Dementia

Quality of Life (part 5)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

What can be done to enhance the quality of life of people who provide care?
Strategies to enhance the caregiver's quality of life include:

Learning about Alzheimer's disease, understanding how it progresses and learning how to communicate with people with the disease.
Talking to close friends about one's needs, the needs of the person being cared for and where the two sets of needs conflict.
Finding ongoing support from groups or from one-on-one relationships.
Taking regular breaks from caregiving, for a few hours, days or weeks, and finding activities that help one get away from caregiving responsibilities and tasks.
Recognizing the signs of stress and developing ways to deal with them.
Taking satisfaction in the work one is doing to provide quality care.
Learning to ask for and accept help.
Making sure the doctor knows that one is caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease, to ensure that one's health is monitored and appropriate treatments obtained.
Becoming aware of one's own feelings and reaction to stress. Taking care of one's needs throughout the course of the disease.
Planning for changes, recognizing that there may be difficult decisions ahead.
Acknowledging the need for companionship and physical intimacy. Relationships with family and friends should be fostered as much as possible.
Listing the negative and positive aspects of caregiving, and seeking help from others to increase the positives and decrease the negatives.
Learning about available community resources by contacting the local Alzheimer Society.
In closing...
The quality of life of the person with Alzheimer's disease must be a central focus of care. It is vital that those providing care respond to that person's needs, wishes and values. The ultimate goal of care must be to provide a sense of well-being for that person.

At the same time, it must be recognized that the quality of life of the caregiver can be as important as that of the person with Alzheimer's disease. When conflicts arise, communication, information, self-awareness, support and understanding can help caregivers find solutions to ensure that their own quality of life does not become a casualty of the disease.



Resources:

From the Alzheimer Society of Canada:

Are You Caring for Someone with Alzheimer Disease? Remember to Take Care of Yourself Too!
Guidelines for Care
Other:

The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care. Virginia Bell and David Troxel, Health Professions Press, Baltimore, MD, 1997.
Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First (Rethinking Ageing). Tom Kitwood, Open University Press, 1997.

read more about quality of life and come back for more information

Quality of Life (part 4)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

What can be done to enhance the quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease?
People with Alzheimer's disease are individuals and need to be treated with respect, integrity, compassion, dignity, and with concern for their privacy and safety. People with mild to moderate symptoms may need support in finding opportunities to enhance their quality of life. As the disease progresses, preserving the quality of life of the person with the disease will require the provision of appropriate social and physical environments.

Some key elements to consider include:

Learning about Alzheimer's disease, understanding how it progresses, and knowing how to communicate with the person with the disease; for instance, learning how a particular person's facial expressions convey emotions such as joy and fear.
Consulting the person to learn more about particular likes, dislikes and opinions; and, when the person is unable to communicate this, talking to someone close to the person who can.
Knowing the person and being aware of people, activities and things that are known to give pleasure to the person.
Providing the necessary support to preserve as much independence as possible.
Building on the person's strengths and abilities, and encouraging a sense of feeling useful and valued.
Giving the person opportunities to make choices.
Ensuring that the person's overall health is monitored and assessed, and that appropriate treatments are given. A diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease does not automatically prevent the presence of other health concerns and diseases. Failure to treat other illnesses can worsen the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Providing living space that is safe, familiar and provides a sense of security, while allowing the person to maintain remaining abilities.
Respecting the need for companionship, including physical intimacy. Relationships with family and friends should be fostered as much as possible.
Providing care that responds to each person's needs and focuses on abilities rather than losses.
Acknowledging and recognizing that the person's interests may change over time rather than trying to impose former values and expectations.
Ensuring that all who provide care for people with Alzheimer's disease recognize that people with the disease are to be valued and should be treated as individuals.
Recognizing that all actions and behaviours of people with the disease are meaningful and reflect a desire to communicate something.
Recognizing that the quality of life of the person with the disease is closely linked to the quality of life of the caregiver. As the disease progresses, the connection between the two becomes stronger.
What can be done to enhance the quality of life of people who provide care?
Strategies to enhance the caregiver's quality of life include:
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Quality of Life (part 3)

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Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

For health-care professionals:

Lack of understanding, training and human resources: Some health-care professionals who provide care for people with Alzheimer's disease lack an understanding of the issues relating to quality of life in Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, they fail to implement preferred care strategies. Long-term care facilities may also lack appropriate educational, human and financial resources to provide quality care for people with Alzheimer's disease.



Preferred choices
Quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease
All those who participate in the lives of people with Alzheimer's disease should know or learn that, despite changes and loss of abilities, people with Alzheimer's disease are able to find pleasure and experience satisfaction. The disease does not remove a person's ability to appreciate, respond to and experience feelings such as anger, fear, joy, love or sadness. Recognizing an individual's abilities, interests and life-long skills helps to maintain and enhance that person's quality of life.

Quality of life for family members and caregivers
Family members and caregivers must strike a balance between their own quality of life and the quality of life of the person they are caring for. If they are unable to do so, then those close to them should help them recognize this need for balance. If a balance is not struck, the quality of life of both the caregiver and the person with the disease might suffer.

Care strategies for health-care professionals
Health-care professionals who provide care to people with Alzheimer's disease must recognize that they play a role in influencing the quality of life of both the person with Alzheimer's disease and the caregiver. Professionals should try to devise care strategies that enhance the quality of life for both.

What can be done to enhance the quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease?
People with Alzheimer's disease are individuals and need to be treated with respect, integrity, compassion, dignity, and with concern for their privacy and safety. People with mild to moderate symptoms may need support in finding opportunities to enhance their quality of life. As the disease progresses, preserving the quality of life of the person with the disease will require the provision of appropriate social and physical environments.

Some key elements to consider include:

Learning about......read more about quality of life and come back for more information

Quality of Life (part 2)

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Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

For family members and caregivers:

Determining someone else's quality of life: Determining how another person would define quality of life is not easy, but it is extremely important. It is vital to avoid imposing one's own personal values and interpretation of quality of life on someone else. The abilities and interests of someone with Alzheimer's disease will change over time. However, every effort should be made, especially as the disease progresses, to provide an optimum quality of life for the person.

Effects of caregiving: Many caregivers derive a sense of satisfaction and growth from caregiving but may have difficulty balancing their own needs and those of the person with the disease. The tasks and responsibilities of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease can have positive and negative effects on the quality of life of family members and caregivers. The degree to which their quality of life is affected may be influenced by:

the nature (parent, spouse, friend, lover) and strength of the relationship between the person with Alzheimer's disease and the caregiver;
the personalities of the person with Alzheimer's disease and the caregiver, and the ability of each to adapt to changes caused by the disease;
the psychological, physical, spiritual and financial resources of the caregiver;
other day-to-day roles and expectations, such as being an employee, parent, business person, volunteer;
the caregiver's location and place of residence, in relation to that of the person with Alzheimer's disease;
the opinions, views and demands of people outside the caregiving relationship;
a health-care system that seems to be placing more responsibilities on caregivers while providing less and less support.
Young children in a caregiver's family may find their own quality of life affected, as they may need support and attention that the caregiver is unable to give.

For health-care professionals:

Lack of understanding, training and human resources: Some health-care professionals who provide care for people with Alzheimer's disease lack.....read more about quality of life and come back for more information

How Long Do Most Patients Live in the Severe Alzheimer's Wing?

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eHow

Many people with late-stage Alzheimer's disease live in the severe Alzheimer's wing of a long-term care facility. They live there from several weeks to several years, depending on the reasons for their decline to this stage of the disease. Maintaining dignity and comfort for them is key.

Severe Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease, a brain disorder, robs people of their memory, thinking skills and normal behavior. People with severe Alzheimer's disease lose the ability to respond to their surroundings. Often they don't recognize what is being said to them or how to say things to other people. They need help eating and using the bathroom. Eventually they cannot swallow and have no control of their bladder or bowels. Many lose the ability to walk by themselves. In time, sitting is difficult without support. Their reflexes become abnormal, and their muscles grow rigid.

Preventing Skin Breakdown
Because people with severe Alzheimer's disease often become bedridden or chair-bound, their lack of movement causes skin breakdown and rigid joints. Staff on the severe Alzheimer's wing relieve body pressure by changing their position every two hours and providing them with special cushions and pillows.

Eating and Drinking
People with severe Alzheimer's disease often develop trouble swallowing, which can lead to pneumonia and even death. Staff on a severe Alzheimer's wing have to be alert for this.

Hospice Care
A person with severe Alzheimer's disease requires 24-hour care. Many caregivers choose hospice. A hospice facility provides, care, comfort and support services for people with terminal illnesses and their families. People with severe Alzheimer's symptoms qualify for hospice benefits under Medicare if a doctor determines that they have less than six months to live. Contact a local hospice group for more information.

End of Life
Try to make sure.....read all of Live in the Severe Alzheimer's Wing

Quality of Life (part 1)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Care
Ethical Guidelines

Background
For each person, the definition of quality of life is different and deeply personal. One person may define quality of life as enjoying the beauty of a sunset. Another person may describe it as sharing a holiday celebration with family; worshipping at a church, synagogue or mosque; playing a game of bridge; washing a car; listening to music or solving a crossword puzzle. Each person has a unique standard of what has value and what gives quality to life.

In defining quality of life, many different factors may be considered, such as:

the ability to think, make decisions and have control in one's daily life;
physical and mental health;
living arrangements;
social relationships;
religious beliefs and spirituality;
cultural values;
a sense of community;
financial and economic circumstances.

The issues
For people with Alzheimer's disease:

Influencing one's own quality of life: As Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia progresses, a person will lose many of the abilities considered important to quality of life. Some people think that quality of life is lost once a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Others feel that quality of life can be maintained well into the disease process.

People with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer's disease usually know what gives them pleasure and contributes to their sense of well-being. They may seek help to adapt to changing abilities and participate in meaningful activities. However, if the person can no longer communicate or make choices and decisions, then caregivers, family members or health-care providers will need to make them.

For family members and caregivers:

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Reduce the risk of falling (part 2)

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San Diego Union Tribune
R.J. Ignelzi



IMPAIRED VISION. Age-related vision diseases such as cataracts or glaucoma can alter depth perception, peripheral vision and susceptibility to glare, which increase the risk of falls.
Prevention tips:
Have regular checkups by an ophthalmologist.
Use color and contrast to define balance-aiding objects in the home, such as grab bars and handrails.
Clean eyeglasses often.


MEDICATIONS. Sedatives, antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs can contribute to falls by reducing mental alertness, worsening balance and gait.
Prevention tips:
Know the common side effects of all medications taken.
Talk with your doctor about how to reduce your chances of falling by using the lowest effective dosage, regularly assessing the need for continued medication and using a walking aid while taking some medications.
Limit alcohol consumption when taking medications.


ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS. At least one-third of all falls involve common hazards in the home.
Prevention tips:
Repair cracks or gaps in sidewalks and driveways.
Install adequate lighting by doorways and along walkways leading to doors.
Avoid throw rugs.
Maintain night lights or motion-sensitive lighting throughout the home.
Install grab bars on walls around the tub and beside the toilet.
Add nonskid mats or appliqués to bathtub or shower stall. Add a bath or shower seat.
Avoid using floor polish or wax to reduce slick surfaces.
Use television remote controls and cordless phones to minimize having to rush to get the phone or getting up to change channels.
Spread out large furniture so you can easily move around it.
Adjust the height of the bed to make it easy to get in and out of.
Install tightly fastened handrails running the entire length and along both sides of stairs. Apply brightly colored tape to the face of steps to make them more visible.

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Reduce the risk of falling (part 1)

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Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

San Diego Union Tribune
R.J. Ignelzi



When a senior citizen falls, the impact is more than the pain and impairment of a broken hip or head injury. For many aging adults, a fall could mean the beginning of the end of independence.
“Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among older adults. But even if falls aren't fatal, they're life-changing for this age group,” says Pam Smith, director for San Diego County Aging and Independence Services.
Falls are reported by one-third of all people 65 and older every year. Two-thirds of those who fall will fall again within six months. About 50 percent of the elderly who sustain a fall-related injury will be discharged to a nursing home rather than return home.
“Falls aren't inevitable as you age. People need to know that falls are preventable,” Smith says. “There are many things (seniors) and caregivers can do to minimize the risk of falls and improve safety. This can be life-saving stuff.”
Here's a look at the five key risk factors of falls among older adults and how to prevent them.


OSTEOPOROSIS. A decrease in bone density makes bones more prone to fractures. Brittle bones not only break after a fall, but can also break when stressed and in turn cause a fall.
Prevention tips:
Eat or drink sufficient calcium.
Get enough vitamin D to enhance the absorption of calcium.
Do weight-bearing exercise regularly.


LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Failure to exercise can result in poor muscle tone, decreased strength and loss of bone mass, all of which contribute to falls.
Prevention tips:
Walk, swim or do other exercise at least every other day to increase muscle strength and improve balance.
Practice gentle stretching or yoga with a class or DVD.
Wear proper-fitting, supportive shoes with low heels or rubber soles.

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