Search Results

Gary Kozick is the sole proprietor of Gary Kozick Elder Care Solutions, L.L.C. providing eldercare consultation and geriatric care management for families and older adults. Advisory Council ◄ Back to Members | Gary Kozick LCSW Advisory Council Gary Kozick is the sole proprietor of Gary Kozick Elder Care Solutions, L.L.C. providing eldercare consultation and geriatric care management for families and older adults. Gary has over 40 years of experience in healthcare, mental health, and working with older adults in settings such as home care, assisted living communities, personal care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient mental health/private practice. Gary also knows about dementia from a personal perspective having a 10-year relationship in dealing with his father’s Alzheimer’s disease, and his decline that ultimately leads to his father’s death 4 years ago. Gary Kozick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker having received a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University. He is also a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and the National Association of Social Work. Mr. Kozick is a paid Dementia Society of America part-time independent contractor, tasked with managing certain association liaison activities, as well as performing other pertinent work on behalf of the organization.

Blaine taught for over 35 years at Bucks County Community College and headed his own marketing firm that assisted small- and mid-sized businesses. Upon retirement, he took a new job title: CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer). As such, he is active in community organizations including Asheville SCORE and the Small Business Center at A-B Tech, aw well as several local theaters. In addition, he hosts the BLAINESWORLD podcast; publishes the BLAINESWORLD blog; and writes a humor column for THE FAIRVIEW TOWN CRIER. Blaine now resides with his beautiful wife Cynthia and amazing cat Kismet in Fairview, North Carolina. Sr Vice President ◄ Back to Members | Blaine Greenfield Board Member Volunteer, Board Member, Senior Vice President, Compliance Officer Blaine taught for over 35 years at Bucks County Community College and headed his own marketing firm that assisted small- and mid-sized businesses. Six years ago, he took a new job title: “Rewirement” Expert-in-Training. As such, he continues to teach on a part-time basis, but he is also active in several community organizations- including SCORE, SART and Lessons in Leadership. He publishes an online newsletter, BLAINESWORLD . Blaine now resides with his wife in Asheville, North Carolina.

8cdcbe42-fd0a-46e8-9b12-dbe8b0e0fff7 Blog Author ◄ Back to Authors | Karen Ogden

The health benefits that various foods and diets to improve overall health or lower risk for disease is a newsworthy topic. Some articles promote that eating fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps us to maintain a healthy weight, as well as lowering our risk for colon cancer. Others assert the Mediterranean diet – one which encourages replacing red meat for fish and chicken, saturated fats with olive oil, and refined carbohydrates with whole grains – reduces the risk for heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. There are many research studies touting the benefits of red wine on lowering cholesterol blood levels and thereby reducing the risk for heart disease, strokes, cataracts, and colon cancer. Though a controversial area of research, some studies indicate drinking moderate amounts of red wine may slow declines in brain function. With respect to consuming wine and other alcoholic beverages, moderation is the keyword. However, most people are unsure of how much a moderate amount is. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a low to moderate alcohol consumption is no more than one drink a day for women and older adults, and two for men. One drink is usually 1 1/2 ounces or 15 grams of alcohol, which equals approximately 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. (See Note 1 below.) These dietary guidelines refer to the amount consumed on any single day and not as an average over several days. In other words: Do not save your daily allocation for a weekend binge. Alcohol-related brain damage, (ARBD) conditions that include Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome and alcoholic Dementia, is the result of drinking too much alcohol over the course of several years. Though both types of ARBD exhibit dementia-like symptoms, neither condition is true dementia. The difference between ARBD and Dementia such as Vascular, Lewy body, or Alzheimer’s disease is in the ability to treat or stop the progression of symptoms. Consuming more than the recommended amounts of alcohol does increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia later in life. However, researchers have yet to establish the numerical relationship between alcohol consumption and risk for Dementia. The reasons are many and include research entirely dependent on reported observations and evaluating the variables that, in combination with alcohol consumption, affect the long-term risk for Dementia. However, one can state with certainty the more you drink the greater the likelihood of developing dementia later in life. High alcohol consumption also increases the risk for stroke, heart and liver disease, and depression – all of which are well-known dementia risk factors. Note: 1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015. 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition, Washington, DC; 2015, (accessed June 15, 2015). Content Contributor: Janet Yagoda Shagam, Ph.D., is a freelance medical and science writer and the author of " An Unintended Journey: A Caregiver's Guide to Dementia.", available through Amazon. Please visit our Author's page to learn more and find this title. The opinions expressed by contributing authors are not necessarily the opinions of the Dementia Society, Inc. We do not endorse nor guarantee products, comments, suggestions, links, or other forms of the content contained within blog posts- that have been provided to us with permission, or otherwise. Dementia Society does not provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor. www.DementiaSociety.org

The concept of keeping a gratitude journal has gained attention as a focal point for brain writings and research. Forbes published an article within recent years that explored the value of keeping a gratitude journal. Something happens neurologically when we reflect on our choices, relationships, and special events in our lives. Actively reflecting starts to hardwire neurological changes in the brain. If you’re constantly focusing on emotions that make you fearful, angry and resentful, they eventually get hardwired into your brain. The opposite outcome holds true for gratitude. Research has found that keeping a gratitude journal can help pull you out of negative patterns and start you on a course that leads to positive thoughts and actions. Gratitude journals have been shown to be even more effective than simply focusing on having positive thoughts in your day. Keeping one has many different benefits: One of the biggest improvements comes with the ability to open up new relationships, or to communicate better in your current relationships. Reflecting and being grateful for the people that help you in life expands your empathy, and empathy is one of the cornerstones of healthy relationships. It also improves physical health. Research, published in 2012 in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, found that people stuck in negative emotional patterns feel pain more intensely than people who practice gratitude and positive thinking on a daily basis. Keeping a gratitude journal also helps people manage depression and feelings of aggression. A study published by the Journal of Applied Psychology found that people who wrote in a gratitude journal for 15 minutes at night before going to bed experienced better quality of sleep on a regular basis. It also has a positive impact on self-esteem. Sitting down to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and what you’re grateful for ingrains the value of the experience in your memory. This also helps to reduce social comparisons, because focusing on what you appreciate about yourself impedes the negative impulse to judge others. Gratitude journaling has also been shown to be a therapeutic tool that can help people deal with conditions like PTSD and other stress-related disorders. It costs little more than a cheap composition notebook or simply maintaining a special file on your computer’s hard drive. I think you’ll find if you take the time to reflect on your life and the things you’re grateful for, results will be nothing short of amazing. Contributor: Dr. Michael Trayford is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and Founder of APEX Brain Centers in Asheville, NC. The opinions expressed by contributing authors are not necessarily the opinions of the Dementia Society, Inc. We do not endorse nor guarantee products, comments, suggestions, links, or other forms of the content contained within blog posts that have been provided to us with permission, or otherwise. Dementia Society of America does not provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor.

Hearing connects us to the world, helping us communicate, work, socialize and be alert to potential danger. Hearing impairment, likely affecting over 30% of seniors, touches all aspects of daily living. It contributes to depression, loneliness, poor job performance, and in the long run, may lead to Dementia. It is thought by some, that untreated hearing loss could be responsible for 9% of Dementia worldwide. The good news is that healthy lifestyle choices that include correction of hearing loss, might possibly delay or prevent one-third of Dementia cases. Here is a guide to understanding hearing loss and what to do about it: What causes hearing loss? Age Genetics (family history) Chronic illness (type-2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, autoimmune, and infectious diseases) Medication (diuretics, antibiotics, chemotherapy, others) Environment (noise, pollution, industrial chemicals) Head trauma Smoking And more... We can’t change our genetics, but we can take steps to affect the other factors. What are the types of hearing loss? Peripheral hearing loss occurs in the ear, while central loss involves parts of the brain that process auditory signals. Hearing loss is often a mix of both types. How does hearing loss cause Dementia? It increases social isolation, reduces stimulation to the brain, and/or it may arise from the same brain changes that cause dementia. What does testing involve? To be thorough, take three tests: Ear testing: wear headphones while identifying short sounds played at different volumes and pitches. Central auditory processing (CAP) evaluation: checks speech reception and word recognition using the Staggered Spondaic Word Test (SSW) and the Synthetic Sentence Identification with Ipsilateral Competing Message test (SSI-ICM). Cognition: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), available online, for free, in multiple languages and dialects, is one page and takes ten minutes. MOCA detects mild cognitive impairment and early dementia. What treatment is available? Hearing aids make sounds louder and easier to pick up. Middle or inner (cochlear) ear implants boost signals that go to the brain. Treatment slows mental decline and improves cognitive test scores, so sooner is better. What lifestyle strategies support hearing? : Moderate alcohol consumption Bone-strengthening exercise Antioxidant (Mediterranean, DASH) diets Stop smoking Correcting hearing loss improves life enjoyment, daily function, and brain health. Take action today to help counter this modifiable risk factor for Dementia. References: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29964378 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29735277 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29212633 www.thelancet.com/commissions/dementia2017?code=lancet-site www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29937713 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30011159 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29430246 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28894825 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27806352 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29937713 Contributing Blogger: Jennie Ann Freiman, MD, author of The SEEDS Plan. The opinions expressed by contributing authors are not necessarily the opinions of the Dementia Society, Inc . We do not endorse or guarantee products, comments, suggestions, links, or other forms of the content contained within blog posts that have been provided to us with permission, or otherwise. Dementia Society does not provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor.