Francie Stavish & Associates

"Alexa voice assistant helps seniors with dementia At first glance, Amazon Echo’s Alexa voice assistant might seem like just another tech toy. But in real life, many have found that Alexa devices can improve quality of life for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia as well as for seniors with limited mobility and other health conditions. They’re like intelligent companions and helpers that never get tired, frustrated, or bored. An Alexa voice assistant is also a great tool for caregivers and anyone who enjoys added convenience." Learn more reading "How Amazon Echo Alexa Helps Seniors with Dementia" #AmazonEcho #alexa #seniors #Dementia #YourHealthMatters

"The gift tax exclusion will likely drop in 2026. Estate planners will want to take note this year. With the holidays just around the corner, many people will give the gift that never goes out of style: cash. Those who are considering being especially generous will want to review the federal gift tax rules for 2024. The federal gift tax can range from 18% all the way up to 40%. But most Americans will never end up owing it." Learn more reading "Changing Tax Rules on Gift-Giving" #taxes #Rules #giftgiving #estate #cash #americans

"Because seniors often take multiple medications, they’re at higher risk of drug interactions and negative side effects. Pharmacists are medication experts who can help minimize these risks and keep seniors as healthy as possible. FamilyWize shares 9 essential questions to ask at the pharmacy when picking up your older adult’s prescriptions. They also give 3 tips on how to keep medication organized at home." Learn more reading "Senior Medication Safety: 9 Important Questions to Ask the Pharmacist" #seniors #medication #pharmacist #questions #yourhealthmatters

"Don’t assume unusual behavior is caused by Alzheimer’s If your older adult’s behavior changes, it’s normal to be worried. And there’s often a tendency to jump to the conclusion that it’s caused by Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. But before making any assumptions, it’s important to find the real cause of the problem. That’s because there are many treatable medical conditions that cause dementia-like symptoms." Learn more reading "7 Treatable Diseases That Mimic Alzheimer’s " #behavior #alzheimers #dementia #diseases

"Pop quiz: remember Newton’s Third Law of Thermodynamics? “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” To understand how weight-bearing exercise can build bone density, let’s start with a little physics refresher course. When you jump on a flat surface, thanks to the trusty gravity we can count on here on Earth, the ground is there to meet you. That gravitational force is one of the two main components of weight bearing exercise, according to Margaret Martin of MelioGuide. The other key component is your muscular force, which stops you from collapsing when your body lands after your jump. When the force of the ground meets the force of your muscles, the meeting “create[s] vibrations that talk to your bones,” says Martin. Amazingly, these vibrations stimulate cells in our bones–namely mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells possess the potential to turn into bone, cartilage, muscle, or fat, and the vibrations of jumping encourage them to choose bone. " Continue to read "Jump Around! Best Exercises for Bone Health" #jump #exercise #bonedensity #yourhealthmatters #health

"Two separate studies looking at dementia rates found a drop in diagnoses over time due to higher education and decreased smoking levels but an increase in potential early-onset dementia in Native populations." Continue to read "Dementia diagnoses drop, but early-onset disease may be increasing among some" #dementia #EarlyOnsetDementia #education #ageinplace #yourhealthmatters #health #senior

"When a loved one starts to forget things, starts repeating stories, or is physically ailing, it’s heartbreaking. The country collectively watched an example of this as President Joe Biden’s voice weakened over the past few years; he lost his train of thought during a high-stakes debate and then pulled out of the campaign." Read more about "How to Have Difficult Conversations About Aging With Loved Ones" #conversations #aging #lovedones #Stressful #ageinplace #yourhealthmatters #health #seniors

"When a loved one starts to forget things, starts repeating stories, or is physically ailing, it’s heartbreaking. The country collectively watched an example of this as President Joe Biden’s voice weakened over the past few years; he lost his train of thought during a high-stakes debate and then pulled out of the campaign." Read more about "How to Have Difficult Conversations About Aging With Loved Ones" #conversations #aging #lovedones #Stressful #ageinplace #yourhealthmatters #health #seniors

"Something as simple as how you approach (walk up to or start interacting with) someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can set the tone for the whole interaction. Because the person with dementia’s brain has been damaged, they’re no longer processing information in the same way we do." Continue reading "6 Positive Ways to Approach Someone with Dementia" #dementia #alzheimers #information #slowly

"Many women who’ve been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (EBC) have surgery, subsequent treatment, and go on to live disease-free for decades. But for others, breast cancer can come back, with most EBC recurrences arising within five years of lumpectomy. According to Breastcancer.org, anyone diagnosed with breast cancer has “some recurrence risk,” although doctors don’t know why this happens to some and not others. “That is the subject of millions of dollars of research right now,” says Maryam Lustberg, M.D., the chief of breast medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, CT. Here’s what to know. Continue reading "7 Things to Know About Early-Stage Breast Cancer Recurrence" By clicking the arrow > #women ##breastcancer #risk #patients