Light Up The Sky For Breast Cancer

By Debra Fuentes, Victoria House Corporation

One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the course of her lifetime. Every 13 minutes, a woman dies from breast cancer. That woman could be your wife, your sister, your aunt, your mother, or the friendly face working at your favorite grocery store.

As shocking as these statistics are, what can be done about them? Research, education, yearly mammograms, changing one’s diet and lifestyle, early detection and treatment are all a part of the cure. But what about the actual people who have been affected, and who are being affected every day?

In a national effort to raise awareness and funding to eradicate breast cancer, North Park-based Victoria House Corporation (VHC) is hosting an event titled: Light Up The Sky For Breast Cancer. It is a Day of Hope & Remembrance, scheduled during October, national and international Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event is held on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. across the country, spanning four different time zones. That night, nationwide, groups of participants will pause for a moment of silence and then raise their hands to shoot a pink light into the night sky.

Along with this simple act of dedication to the cause, many buildings in the San Diego area will be “lighting up in pink.” Among these are the Marriott Marquis and Marina, Hilton Bayfront in Downtown. The Doubletree Mission Valley will be lighting up for the entire month of October, the Handlery Hotel will light their signature dome, the Ameritrade building is lighting-up, Comfort Inn and King’s Inn will illuminate their marquis with the event information, and other area businesses are jumping on board daily to become involved.

To further get the word out, VHC released its own commercial on Sept. 14. It is meant to “play forward” to everyone you know, and can be seen on the website: lightuptheskyforbreastcancer.org. It’s one of those clips you won’t want to miss.

To participant in this landmark event, visit the website and donate $25. You will receive a pink light, a certificate of participation and a commerative calendar sent out after the event. On our website, locations for the event will be listed, you may “Tell Your Story,” send in a photograph, host a location, volunteer, or sponsor the event. Donations received will be dispersed to organizations that help eradicate breast cancer and raise awareness.

One in Eight. Every 13 minutes. Let’s join together to pause, create a moment of silence and remembrance, and then, lift our hands to Light Up The Sky For Breast Cancer.

When to make the call: you have more options than you think when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia

By Anette Asher, CEO of The Glenner Memory Care Centers

In 1982, Dr. George G. Glenner and his wife Joy received a telephone call from the distraught husband of one of Dr. Glenner’s Alzheimer’s patients. The man could no longer withstand the relentless stress, depression and anxiety that filled his days. He said he was ending his wife’s misery, and then his own.

The Glenners called police, who found the man with a loaded gun. The very next day, the Glenners began to develop what became one of the nation’s first adult day care centers specifically for people with dementia.

At that time, there were very few options for caregivers who needed help. Today, depending on where you live, there are adult day care centers, memory care units within residential facilities and both medical and non-medical care, just to name a few choices. And yet, despite all of the options out there, so many spouses or adult children opt to go it alone and not take advantage of these resources – some free, some affordable and some worth the investment.

Sometimes it’s financial; sometimes it’s cultural. Always, it’s a hugely emotional decision because no one is prepared for the toll it takes to help manage another’s decline over months, years and even decades.

First you must recognize the symptoms. One reason people delay getting needed help is because they cannot or refuse to recognize the change in their loved one.

Here are some signs that it may be Alzheimer’s disease:

•Difficulty performing familiar tasks

•Misplacing things and never figuring out how they got there

•Memory loss that affects their job

•Getting lost following familiar routes (in a car, bike or on foot)

•Problem with language skills, like finding a common word or talking “gibberish”

•Changes in personality, moods and behaviors

•Poor judgment, like wearing a sweater when it’s 35 degrees

Then, you must be open to support. A first step to take is to find a caregiver support group to learn more about the disease and to meet others in a similar situation and discover helpful coping skills. Knowing there are others like you can be a powerful experience.

Most caregiver support groups are free and meet as often as weekly. Some also provide day care for your loved one while you attend the meetings so you are never far from each other and you have one less reason to remain isolated.

Socialization, safety and stimulation are vital. As the disease progresses, caregiving becomes a greater challenge.

If your loved one is up all night, they may be sleeping too much during the day. And they may be nodding off because they don’t have enough activities to keep them awake. They may need more assistance to bathe, toilet or feed them. Physical and emotional strength are required too, since the care recipient may lash out in anger when they become confused. And it is common over time for both of you to become depressed.

Most family caregivers initially rely on other family or friends for assistance. But often, outside help becomes necessary for everyone’s wellbeing.

Most caregivers consider in-home care first, since it’s the least disruptive. Others may decide to place their loved one in an assisted living facility that has a memory care unit.

Another option growing in popularity is the adult day program, which allows a loved one to live at home longer while providing a safe, secure, stimulating place for them to socialize. Structured activities tailored to their abilities keep them active, engaged and feeling successful.

Regardless of what option you choose or the resources you select, take that first step and make the call.

What to know before buying a hearing aid

By Drew Kimbrough

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic condition among older Americans, affecting tens of thousands of California residents and more than 48 million people nationwide. Hearing loss could become even more widespread in the future, in part because of an aging population and the frequent use of ear bud headphones, which can contribute to noise-induced hearing loss.

Hearing loss can affect a person’s ability to stay connected to friends and family, contributing to social isolation, lower earnings and higher risk of falls, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

More than 85 percent of people who could benefit from using a hearing aid do not actually use them, often because of cost, limited knowledge or lack of access to a hearing health professional. The average person with hearing loss waits more than 10 years before seeking treatment, according to the NIH.

Before purchasing a hearing aid, there are many important factors to consider. Here are five tips when evaluating hearing aids:

1. Look for these key features:

•Custom-programming – the sound processor inside the hearing aid is programmed to your hearing test results.

•Automatic gain control – allowing you to hear soft sounds while keeping loud noises at a comfortable level.

•Directional processing – enhances the sounds in front of you while reducing distracting background noise beside and behind you.

•Feedback manager – allows for greater amplification without whistling occurring.

•Noise reduction – improves listening comfort and speech intelligibility by reducing distracting environmental noise such as fans or motors.

•Telecoil – connects to telephones, hearing loops, neck loops and wireless systems.

2. Have reasonable expectations. Hearing aids can’t completely restore normal hearing or eliminate all background noise, but they can improve the quality of life for users by making speech more understandable, amplifying soft sounds and reducing loud background noises. If you are new to hearing aids, it can take a few weeks before you are completely comfortable with them. Be patient as you adjust to hearing sounds you may not have heard in a long time.

3. Evaluate “unbundled” options. Some new companies are changing the way hearing aids are sold, helping to bring down costs. By “unbundling” the price of the device from additional, often unneeded services, people are able to purchase high-quality, custom-programmed hearing aids for less than $1,000 per device: a savings of 60 percent or more compared to devices sold through traditional channels. As technology has improved, fewer visits are needed because the programming has become more precise.

4. Consider other hearing products. In conjunction with hearing aids, there are assistive listening devices that can remove distracting background noise and bring the relevant sound closer to the user. Devices such as neck loops, wireless systems, or loops that can be installed in rooms help transmit sounds directly to people wearing hearing aids, greatly improving the sound quality and clarity, especially when listening at a distance.

5. Check with your insurance plan. Some insurance plans, including employer-sponsored and Medicare Advantage plans, now cover some or all of the cost of hearing aids, helping to make treatment and support more affordable. Check with your health plan to see what coverage is available.

—Drew Kimbrough is a San Diego hearing health professional with hi HealthInnovations. For more information about hearing loss, visit hihealthinnovations.com.