Light Exercise Prevents Abnormal Heart Rhythm in Elderly

I saw an article today on Forbes.com regarding another benefit of exercise for people over the age of 65. A sedentary lifestyle is killing Americans as a whole, but even a little bit of exercise can have a big benefit. The Forbes article states that light to moderate exercise -- just walking a few blocks or even dancing -- can help prevent the abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation in the elderly. Other than heart rhythm, it is known that exercise can help with weight issues and blood pressure. Check out the Forbes article here.

Meet Right at Home at Beverly Senior Day

Come see Right at Home at the Senior's Day in the Park on August 7th! Right at Home is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of the event. There will be a big band, presentations by state and federal dignitaries, and an award of Senior of the Year. This is the biggest event for the Beverly Council on Aging and we hope you can come visit Lynne Nieman at the Right at Home booth. There is a BBQ chicken lunch and an ice cream social. We hope to see you there!

More Pictures of Fun Night...

Lisa Furtado of Right at Home plating the salads...


Sharing the fruits of our labor....













Here is Audrey Connelly, Francine Dawicki and Nancy Rubin taking a little break from the hot stove...










Erin Higgins and Nancy Hardin are preparing the main course...



















Stephen Spano is preparing our vegetarian options for the evening....














Salem elder care is well represented here by Deb Coddington and Lynne Nieman of Right at Home















Marta Sturm is making the pizza and Francine is preparing the bruchetta.....

Oh What a Night...Fun Night That Is!

Right at Home, In Home Care and Assistance had our first Fun Night for our local elder care network here on the North Shore. Jay and I were thrilled at the turnout. It was such a great event because almost 30 of us were able to mingle and leave work behind. It was a so much fun for all of us at Right at Home. Our invited guests have already sent us emails telling us it was the best networking event they were ever at!

We held the evening at Eurostoves in Beverly, who sells high end appliances and runs a large commercial kitchen. The theme was a summer Tuscan Dinner. The invited guests worked in different teams to create the most delicious dinner. The menu consisted of grilled California pizza appetizers, bruchetta, grilled sirloin, summer tilapia with vegetables, vegitarian risotto, and grilled summer vegetables. The dessert was a berry creme brulee that ended up to be the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

We can see here that Mary Niemi from Hospice of the North Shore is really having FUN! We also had people join us from Brooksby Village, Renaissance Gardens, Rosewood, Woodbridge Assisted Living, New England Rehab in Danvers, Stephen and Francine from The Law Offices Spano and Dawicki, the John Bertram House in Salem, the Marblehead Council on Aging and Sharyn Russell Geriatric Care Management.

Stephen Spano, Joan Tobin and Marta Sturm look like they are enjoying the food and drinks!

Lynne Nieman from Right at Home and Cyndi Chapper are having a great time learning how to cook all those wonderful dishes!



Chef Lars was a real task manager! He showed the ladies how to pan roast the sirloin and fillet the fish! Here he is demonstrating his stovetop skills!

We will add more pictures in a day or so! Save the date for September 18th 2008 for our next FUN NIGHT~

Haven't heard from me in a while...

I have no excuse...busy I guess. The North Shore Alzheimer's Partnership met and we are working on the Caregiver Connections Conference on November 1st. We have confirmed that Dr. Peter Morin from the BU Center for Alzheimer's will be the keynote speaking about Managing Challenging Behaviors. He is also on staff at the Bedford VA Hospital. We are very excited about him being with us. The conference looks like it will be shaping up pretty well.

It is HOT out there! If you are taking care of an elder, please make sure that they stay out of the heat of the day and that they stay hydrated. I love the heat, but I know that many of our seniors are in older homes that heat up terribly and they may not have air conditioners. Stay cool!

POP's Concert In Marblehead this Weekend

I wanted people to know that the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor is sponsoring a POP's concert at Abbott Hall in Marblehead to salute our Veterans on Saturday May 17th. This is going to be a great night and tickets are on sale for $25 and $35 at the Marblehead Reporter office and the Arnould Gallery. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Rotary International and Veteran's charities.

Sandra Day O'Connor talks about Alzheimer's

In today's Boston Globe, ex-justice O'Connor told the Special Committee on Aging in the Senate that more attention needs to be focused on research for this disease. She has become one of the most prominent Alzheimer's caregivers in today's world, next to Nancy Reagan. She states the statistics that we have 5 million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's and it is poised to skyrocket to 16 million. The statistics show that one of the fastest growing age groups in America is those over the age of 80, yet one in every two people over the age of 85 are diagnosed with this disease! This is a health crisis that we cannot ignore, yet we don't seem to have the inclination to really bring Alzheimer's to the front burner.

She talked about the 10 million people who are taking care of relatives or friends with dementia. The loss of income and the added stress to these caregivers is intense. The article says that the Alzheimer's Association values this unpaid care at $89 billion.

Whenever I talk to someone about Alzheimer's- they have a loved one or someone close who is living with the disease. I have a relative living with Alzheimer's- DO YOU?