Family inHome Caregiving Blog

The Sunset Center in Carmel may be getting a complete makeover in its operations.  Sunset Cultural Center Inc., the current operator, has its contract up for renewal effective June 30 but the city has issued a request for qualifications for the lease and operation.  This signals that any newcomers may apply.  The move could be just a negotiating tactic to try and get better terms out of Sunset Cultural Center Inc., but it's quite possible that a new operator may be chosen.  With funds extremely tight for local government, the city is under pressure to pull in as much revenue as possible.  Mayor Jason Burnett told the Monterey Herald that the city has identified areas where the operation could be strengthened.  He said the city has issued performance measures and wants more accountability, which translates into the move being all about money.  According to the city's request for bids, the new operator would have to have the best possible management services and maximize the facility's event booking audiences and revenue potential, including ensuring the facility is a versatile, year-round venue.  Currently, the city spends about 10% of its budget or $1.3 million per year to operate the 718 seat location.  According to the latest non-profit form 990 with the I.R.S., the Sunset Cultural Center raised $1.1 million in 2011 via donations and grants ($750K from the government, presumably the city of Carmel), and pulled in $1.3 mil. in revenue from the venue.  I hope that the result of all of this is that more attractive performances will be shown at the center.  However, the city has to realize that the business is very seasonal and it may not be reasonable to expect the Sunset Center to be putting on shows every week year-round.

Comments (0)     

I am always on the lookout for good news on the Alzheimer's research front.  Unfortunately, there hasn't been much of it recently, although there are a lot of exciting potential projects going on.  It was interesting to read the latest research project which found that drinking two or three glasses of champagne per week could fight off the memory loss which comes with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.  The scientists believe that phenolic acid which is found in Pinot noir and Pinot meunier grapes boosts spatial memory.  I grow Pinot noir and who doesn't like champagne, so I thought this was great news.  The experiment which was conducted on rats, had them run through a maze searching for food.  Five minutes later, the exercise was repeated to see if the rats remembered where they had gone.  Those which had been eating champagne laced food had a 70% success rate, while those who didn't had only a 50% success rate.  Those are pretty good odds!  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away, and I have been working diligently with the Monterey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to raise money to find a cure.  In addition to being the largest private funder of Alzheimer's research in the United States, they have support groups and a 24-hour hotline (800-272-3900) where a dedicated staff can help you if you are struggling with caring for a loved one with the disease.  Family inHome Caregiving will be sponsoring the Monterey Memory Walk on October 12.  For the past two years, we have been the number one fundraising team in Monterey and we hope we will be again this year.  We have just started our fundraising team.  If you would like to walk with us, to join our team or to donate, please click here.

Comments (0)     

There have been a number of exciting developments on the cancer research front recently.  The latest comes from two early stage studies from drug companies which found that our own immune systems can be powerful tools to fight cancer.  Bristol-Myers recently used a two drug combination therapy which was used to target the immune system to combat skin cancer.  They found that in nearly one-third of the patients treated there was a rapid and deep retreat in the cancer tumors.  The drugs were Yervoy, which is currently on the market, paired with the experimental drug Nivolumab.  Roche Holding also did an experiment using a drug known only as MPDL3280A which was used on patients with advanced lung, kidney and skin cancer.  The research project found that 21% of patients responded to the drug while nearly 20% had no increase in the size of the tumors.  The interesting thing about these studies were that they basically stimulated the patient's own immune system in order to recognize the cancer and fight it off.  This, paired with the recent development in studying genes which I have written about recently, are important developments which could have implications fighting many different types of cancer.

Comments (0)     

There has been quite a bit of controversy about the numerous tests which can be done to detect genetic patterns which will make you predisposed to getting a certain disease, particularly when there is no cure for it if it's something like Alzheimer's disease.  Angelina Jolie made headlines this week by announcing she has had both breasts removed and plans to have her ovaries removed because she is at a high risk of getting cancer.  In her case, it made sense because she was at extremely high risk (90%) of getting breast cancer and the double mastectomy reduced these odds to just 5%.  Research to solve many serious medical conditions continue to get better on almost a daily basis and many which have a long history of a certain disease in their family are just waiting for the next breakthrough.  The New York Times recently ran a story about a family which is plagued by heart disease at an early age.  Rick Del Sontro, at just 47, has heart disease despite leading a very healthy life as does his sister, who is only 43.  He and his family have now joined a federal research project which uses genetic sequencing to find factors which increase the risk of heart disease which aren't the ones you would normally think of like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.  Because so many in his family get heart disease at an early age, researchers have high hopes for analyzing the genes of the whole family to get to the bottom of the matter.  "With the right family, you may need only one family," Dr. Robert C. Green of Harvard Medical School told the Times.  This story reminds me of one I wrote years ago about an extended family in a village in Columbia where, because they have a specific gene and have inbred, many of them start developing dementia in their 30's, 40's and 50's. It's one of the most heart breaking stories I have ever read and it profiled a woman who, at the age of 82, was forced to take care of three children between the ages of 48 and 55 who all developed early onset dementia. The woman had to feed them and change their diapers as she did when they were children. When the Times profiled them in 2010, researchers were very excited about studying this pool of about 5,000 people. However, drug cartels made the area too dangerous to travel in and the studies never came to fruition. Thankfully, the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) was later able to begin a $100 million five year study on 300 of these family members, some of whom are in their 30's.  Dr. Reiman traveled there and saw the heartbreak himself, meeting with over 1,000 of these people who have or likely will soon have Alzheimer's disease.  BAI has raised more than $150 million from a combination of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Genentech and private donations.  What's amazing is that Reiman was able to convince Genentech to release data on blood samples, cognitive functioning tests and other data to other researchers so that hopefully studies on other promising vaccines can be developed. This is extremely rare for drug companies to do this because there is a risk competitor's will reverse engineer the drug.  But it's so critical that a cure for this disease is found, Genentech has agreed to release the data.  Dr. Reiman believes this will open the door to a flood of new research projects, all looking for a vaccine.  I'm so happy to hear that.  A cure for this disease can't wait. In addition to the pain and suffering inflicted on those who have the disease and their family members, it could in fact bankrupt Medicare if something isn't done soon.  Hopefully, the myriad research projects being done will solve the mystery of many fatal conditions like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away, and I have been working diligently with the Monterey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to raise money to find a cure.  In addition to being the largest private funder of Alzheimer's research in the United States, they have support groups and a 24-hour hotline (800-272-3900) where a dedicated staff can help you if you are struggling with caring for a loved one with the disease.  Family inHome Caregiving will be sponsoring the Monterey Memory Walk on October 12.  For the past two years, we have been the number one fundraising team in Monterey and we hope we will be again this year.  If you would like to walk with us, to join our team or to donate, please click here.

Comments (0)     

The stock market has soared in recent months, causing many baby boomers and seniors to ponder whether they should cash in on their gains and put their funds in something safer like T-Bills or bonds.  Unfortunately, neither of these financial instruments are yielding much currently.  Some people are investigating other avenues to invest in like convertible preferred stock and annuities which can provide a bit more peace of mind than traditional equities.  Surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal reported recently that many policy holders which have variable annuities, a way to invest in stock and bond funds while saving taxes, are refusing to accept more money.  This product guarantees steady income for the policy-holder's lifetime, even if the value of the investments falls.   Five major insurers have notified annuity holders over the past year and a half that they will not accept additional funds or are restricting the amount of new money which can be put into their best policies.  Although they are legally allowed to do this, the clause is rarely used by insurance companies and it's taken many financial advisers and their clients by surprise.  One senior, Alma Sanford a 70-year old widow with such an annuity, told the Journal, "Angry would be one way to describe it.  It cuts off options for us to plan for the future.  You thought you had Plan A, and you have to create a Plan B and C," she said.  Well stated Alma.  If you find yourself in such a pickle, see a financial advisor.  There are fairly low risk products out there which pay more than CDs and T-Bills but you do need to look hard to find them.  If you aren't comfortable doing this on your own, a financial advisor can be a great help, although fees can vary widely so you will need to research the quality of the advisor and their fees before choosing one.   Also, pay close attention to any mail that you receive from a company you have a financial product with.  Many people throw these mailings in the trash if they aren't bank statements.  This can be dangerous because what looks like junk mail could actually be a change in terms to your account which could cost you a significant amount of money. 

Comments (0)     

Salinas, CA Cholesterol Levels Linked To Financial Health?  View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside And Soledad California

There have been recent reports showing that a family can eat a healthy diet for a fairly low cost rather than rely on fast foods to get by on a budget. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently stated that a family of four can be fed for $146 to $289 per week and that this included a diet of healthy things like lots of fruits and vegetables.  Some have questioned whether a budget of around $20 per day could possibly provide three meals per day for four people, however.  A new study found that during the recession, when people were obviously spending much less money on food and other day-to-day expenses, cholesterol levels didn't decline, which they had been doing amongst the population for many years prior to 2008.  This suggests that cutting back on spending on food may result in a less healthy diet, one which is probably loaded with processed foods which are high in salt and fat.  Interestingly, the study wasn't a scientific one but rather it was done by one of the biggest processors of blood samples, Quest Diagnostics.  They looked at 247 mil. tests of cholesterol which were processed.  These came from 105 mil. adults which were tested between 2001 and 2011.  Although the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) declined 13% during this time frame, the levels had been steadily going down until 2008 when they flattened out.  "It's a red flag that something dramatic happened," Dr. Harvey Kaufman from Quest told a reporter.  I think this study shows that people will pay more attention to what they eat when stress levels are lower and money is not a major issue.

Comments (0)     

There are remarkable advances being made in medical technology and I was amazed to read that we may be close to being able to grow human bone in a petri dish.  Researchers published a report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that they have made bits of human bone in a laboratory setting and successfully transplanted them into mice.  This was done using stem cells to build new bones, an approach which has already been used to make arteries and windpipes. Dr. Giuseppe Maria de Peppo, a tissue engineer at the New York Stem Cell Foundation, said that they have been able to build tiny bits of bone, each about .16 square millimeters (0.025) square inches.  Although this is small, it does show that it can be done and I am sure that over time the process will be improved.  Scientists are still working on the procedure, which they worry may have the side effect of creating cancerous tumors.  Therefore, the process is probably years away from being tested on human subjects.  However, no tumors were found in any of the mice tested after 12 weeks, so this process does hold promise.  With the huge number of seniors getting hip and knee replacements each year paired with the well-publicized fiasco with faulty metal-on-metal hip parts, this may become a viable option in the future. 

Comments (0)     

There has been so much strife at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH) that one can only hope that they can get on with business as usual now that they have a new CEO in place.  Another chapter is about to come to a close next week after it was announced that the former CEO, Sam Downing, is likely to pay a $5,000 fine to the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).  The proposed settlement, which will be heard before the commission on May 16, is for failing to disclose that he owned $50,000 in stock in First Capital Bank when the hospital board transferred $1 million to the financial institution.  He also waived a security limit for the benefit of the bank and did not disclose his interest in First Capital Bank on his 2007 statement of economic interests form.  The FPPC has stated that Downing should have recused himself from deciding any decisions regarding the bank while on the board, and I agree.  The bank was relatively new at the time (March of 2008) that the hospital opened an account with it, and $1 million is quite a chunk of change for a new bank to land.

Comments (0)     

I've written many times before on my blog about exciting medical breakthroughs which have been made by studying our genetics.  The most recent discovery will help those diagnosed with prostate cancer, many of whom found out by having a PSA screening test.  More than 200K men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and now they can undergo a new genetic test which will tell their physician whether they will get aggressive or low-risk prostate cancer.  This may allow some to delay or forgo surgery altogether.  If the cancer is extremely slow growing and the patient is elderly, for instance, it simply may not be worth the risk of surgery to try and go in and remove it.  Instead, their doctors can use what is called "active surveillance" where the tumor is regularly monitored for changes.  The test, which is being developed by Genomic Health, showed in a panel of 395 patients that 26% could use the active surveillance strategy and not undergo surgery right away.  This is quite a breakthrough as doing invasive surgery is very risky for the elderly. 

Comments (0)     

Many doctors are going completely electronic with medical records and prescriptions.  Some have taken this one step further, writing blogs, newsletters and even sending out emails to patients.  New guidelines posted in Annals of Internal Medicine, however, urged physicians to use caution recommending that they not friend patients on Facebook, text them with extreme caution and e-mail them only if their patient understands the risk of lost privacy.  Issued by the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards, the recommendations are likely to carry a lot of weight.  They say that because of the abbreviated content used in text messages, the contents could be misconstrued by the patient.  The guidelines are aimed mainly at younger doctors who may be so used to using social media that they don't think twice about texting or emailing a patient.  I think a better way to communicate electronically is using encrypted online web sites.  There are many software packages available that allow physicians and patients to communicate online while still ensuring their privacy.  My personal physician has such a service.  He's able to share medical records with me, and I can email him back with questions.  It works quite well.  I agree that texting or emailing confidential medical information could be extremely risky and it certainly could result in a backlash from the patient if the physician hasn't gotten their permission before hand.   

Comments (0)