Loving Life Over 60 with Visiting Angels in Las Vegas

Channel 99 - Sun City Anthem - Talks with Visiting Angels in Las Vegas, NV.

Fleurette:  Welcome to Loving Life Over 60. Today we are visiting with
Visiting Angels, the owner and President Michael DiAsio and his wife, who
is the co-owner and Administrator, Jackie DiAsio. Well, thank you for
visiting us. Tell us, how long has Visiting Angels been in Southern Nevada?

Jackie:     We're a non-medical home care agency. We are completing our
                 12th year in business. We have about 225 employees. We
                 assist roughly about 450 clients per day.

Fleurette:  Now how much does Visiting Angels' service cost?

Michael:    The highest price is $20 an hour. If they use us for real long
                 days or shifts, which start at 12 hours a day and go up to
                 24 hours a day, the price per hour goes all the way down to
                 $16.

Fleurette:  Tell us, why would a family want to use Visiting Angels instead
                 of assisted living or a nursing home?

Michael:    Most of our services and our real goal is to keep people in
                 their home. We feel they're more comfortable, they're
                 happier, they're around their surroundings, they're
                 probably more apt to have family and friends come and visit
                 them. To be quite honest with you, it's really more
                 affordable for our typical client than going into a
                 community such as that.

Fleurette:  Now how does Visiting Angels hire and screen its employees?

Jackie:     We ask that our employees have at least one year experience.
                 That could be taking care of a loved one or actually
                 working in a nursing home setting or at an agency. We also
                 do a background check, that would be an FBI and state
                 background check on every employee. They also have to have
                 a two-step TB test, first aid and CPR training, and we
                 offer a 16 hour training program here free of charge for
                 all of our employees before they go out into the field.

Fleurette:  Tell me, is Visiting Angels looking for more employees?

Jackie:     We are always looking for new employees. We're always looking.

Michael:    Males and females.

Fleurette:  Oh yes.

Michael:    Yeah. We have both. We have needs for both. We have many more
                 females, but we're also looking for male caregivers.

Fleurette:  What makes Visiting Angels unique from others in this industry?

Michael:    Well, I would say it's our experience. Not just here at the
                 office. We've been here for 12 years. But it's our
                 caregivers' experience. Our typical employee, or typical
                 caregiver that is, has been with us three or four years. We
                 know these people. They've been providing care for the
                 community here for years. We know what they're capable of.
                 We get tons of compliments on them. I think that's what
                 separates us from many of the others in this industry or
                 even the private caregivers. Our experience. They've been
                 trained. If one of them gets up in the morning and their
                 car doesn't work, we have 250 employees, and we get
                 somebody else over there. They're very responsible and
                 reliable. They make the difference in our agency.

Fleurette:  How long is the training for the employees?

Michael:    It's two days. It's right here. We have a full-time trainer.
                 It's every Tuesday and Wednesday. It's eight hours. Then
                 every year we're required to bring them back through for
                 another eight hours of training here at our community. At
                 that point, even initially, but also when we do the eight
                 hours of in-service training, we spend a lot of time also
                 working on how to assist somebody who has memory loss
                 issues, whether it be dementia or Alzheimer's. We actually
                 bring in the management from the Alzheimer's Association to
                 come in here and train our caregivers on how to assist
                 somebody with that condition.

Visiting Angels
9436 W Lake Mead Blvd, Ste 11F
Las Vegas, NV  89134
(702) 562-3322
http://www.visitingangels.com/vegas/home

Can Regular Exercise Help With Alzheimer's and Dementia?

Alzheimer's disease is known as the leading cause of dementia. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, and medications that are available do not stop the progression of this disease. These medications may improve some of the symptoms experienced for some people, but they are not effective for everyone. Research is showing that there may be an actual preventative measure that can be used to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia. This preventive measure is exercise.

Everyone knows that exercise is good for overall health. Engaging in heart-rate increasing exercise for 30 minutes a few times a week can strengthen the heart, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, help with blood sugar levels in diabetes, help with weight loss, and now, research shows that exercise helps to prevent a decrease in brain function as well.

Exercise that increases heart rate pushes more blood through the body, including the brain. More blood means more oxygen, fluid, and vital nutrients to the cells. This keeps brain cells functioning properly. By improving heart function and decreasing cholesterol, small arteries in the brain can remain open, improving blood flow to all areas of the brain for better health of brain cells.

Studies have show that exercise can increase growth of tissue involved with brain function, allow for regeneration of neurons, increase the brain's resistance to oxidation and stress, and improve memory and cognitive functioning. All of these may help to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease on an aging population.

A study performed by the Mayo Clinic found that regular exercise reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment in more than thirty percent of those studied. Researcher's believe that exercise helps by increasing brain volume, improving connections within the brain, and improving blood vessel health within the brain.

Why do these research studies matter? As mentioned above, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and the related dementia that occurs as a result of this disease. A substantial portion of the population is reaching the age where Alzheimer's becomes a major concern. Because of this, Alzheimer's rates are expected to increase exponentially in the next decade. If Alzheimer's disease risk can be reduced by simply adding daily exercise to a person's lifestyle, this can prevent a lot of expense to people and the health care system as well as personal trauma experienced by Alzheimer's victims and their loved ones.

Prevention of Alzheimer's disease isn't the only benefit that exercise has shown on this disease. A study published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that for persons already diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, exercise can slow the progression of this disease. Patients in a nursing home setting who were given an exercise regimen that included walking, strength training, flexibility training and balance training showed significant results with less decline in cognitive functioning over those who did not exercise.

It is important to note that even if exercise cannot help reverse Alzheimer's disease once it occurs, exercise can help with other symptoms experienced by those who suffer from this disease. Exercise can relieve depression and anxiety, as well as prevent physical decline often associated with Alzheimer's patients. This can reduce the risks of falls and other injuries often experienced at a higher rate in Alzheimer's patients.

Studies are proving the benefits of exercise to the brain and in the prevention of Alzheimer's related dementia, as well as the benefits of exercise to those already experiencing Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Adding exercise to a healthy lifestyle can improve health in many ways and may even decrease your risk for developing Alzheimer's and dementia.

Resources:

Carl W. Cotman and Nicole C. Berchtold; Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity; Trends in Neuroscience

Mayo Clinic; Exercise Best Medicine to Prevent Alzheimer's; Mayo Clinic News; January 25, 2013

Yves Rolland MD, PhD, et. al.; Exercise Program for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer's Disease: A 1-Year Randomized, Controlled Trial; The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Dates of Upcoming Community Meetings for Caregivers

Visiting Angels, one of the largest home health care agencies in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, has just announced the dates of its upcoming community meetings. The meetings, which are designed for family members who are caring for a loved one with memory loss, will help attendees learn more about their options for caregivers.

The Friday community meetings that will discuss Las Vegas caregivers and more will be held over the course of the rest of the year; the scheduled dates are:

• June 21, 2013
• August 2, 2013
• August 23, 2013
• Sept. 6, 2013
• Sept. 20, 2013
• Oct. 4, 2013
• Oct. 18, 2013
• Nov. 1, 2013
• Nov. 15, 2013
• Dec. 6, 2013
• Dec. 27, 2013

All meetings will begin at 1 p.m. and will be held at the office of:

Visiting Angels 
1701 N Green Valley Pkwy, 
Suite 9A
Henderson, NV 89074

The office is located in the Legacy Business Park at the corner of Wigwam and Green Valley Pkwy. Anybody who is interested in attending one of these meetings should reserve a seat by calling Michael at 702-407-1100.

As anybody who has ever had to care for a loved one with memory loss knows quite well, it can be an extremely emotionally stressful situation. Many people are unsure of how to provide proper senior care to someone with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or another type of memory issue.

The founders of Visiting Angels understand how difficult it can be for family members who are dealing with this issue, and how confusing it is to try to determine which home health care option is best. That is why they have scheduled the upcoming meetings; by teaching people about the social services, educational programs and other resources that are available at no cost to caregivers at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, it is hoped that attendees will leave the meeting feeling educated and empowered.