By Fern Marder

(Photo Credit: Pat Newman)

Every semester, Rutgers students from various programs are welcomed to Parker, often as volunteers or interns. You may think that only the elders benefit from interacting with the students–however, the students also benefit from their interactions with Parker elders, and sometimes in life-changing ways.

Rutgers University and Parker Health Group have a long-standing relationship with each other, which most likely began with our proximity to their campus. One of the requirements of majoring in Public Health at Rutgers is to volunteer at an organization that provides services to the public, which makes Parker a perfect fit for those Rutgers students. Parker President & CEO Roberto Muñiz is also an instructor at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Healthcare Administration, and an advocate for volunteerism and internships at our locations.

One of his students, pictured above, far right, is Charis Chukuka. She and her Rutgers classmates Dajah Thomas, Rachel Glazar, Samantha Orefice and Zainab Moosavi recently spent the afternoon at Parker at Stonegate, under the direction leaders in various departments such as recreation and nursing. They had a blast getting to know residents and staff alike.

Volunteers toured our Pavilion, the building next door to Stonegate, which is the location of Parker Adult Day Center, Parker Rehabilitative Services, and Parker Health & Wellness Center. While touring the Adult Day Center, the group of volunteers met Madison Surian (pictured above, far left), a Rutgers intern majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health & Society. Madison told the volunteers about her experiences as an intern at the Adult Day Center’s social club, which will end next month.

“It’s so interesting to see all the planning and work, behind the scenes, that goes into the adult day program each day,” Madison remarked. “The program is so beneficial for the participants; I’ve learned so much during my internship, both from Parker employees and the elders themselves,” she added.

Madison is planning to become a Parker volunteer after her internship, to continue interacting with the program’s participants who have made as much an impact on her life as she has on their lives.

So, who benefits more? Elders or volunteers / interns? It’s evident that everyone benefits from the relationship!

By Julie Pfitzinger for Next Avenue

Credit: Pazit Oz

Keren Etkin, 32, calls herself “a gerontologist by training and a tech enthusiast by nature.” In 2015, Etkin, who lives in Tel Aviv, received a master’s degree in gerontology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and two years later, founded TheGerontechnologist.com. Etkin recently left Intuition Robotics after 3 ½ years, where she worked as a researcher and “robot tamer” and helped develop ElliQ, the social companion robot for older adults.

 

Etkin is now doing public speaking and working as a consultant to several organizations looking to implement technology for aging populations. She’s also creating additional content for The Gerontechnologist, including video and a podcast.

 

Next Avenue: Can you define the term ‘gerontechnologist’?

 

Keren Etkin: Gerontology is a very traditional profession. In recent years, however, with the advent of new technologies, tech solutions for older adults have become a hot button issue in the field. The technologies are increasingly known as “Gerontechnology” or “Age Tech.”

 

Although my professional training is in gerontology, technology for the older adults is at the very heart of what I do.

 

 

“The way older adults are usually depicted in the media is, unfortunately, ageist and not truly representative of that demographic.”

 

 

In a post you wrote for TheGerontechnologist.com, you make the case that older adults have great interest in technology and trends. Often, there is a perception that this isn’t true. Where do you think that misconception comes from?

When I wrote “Who Said Older Adults Don’t Like Technology,” my intention was to challenge what is a common misconception.

The belief that older adults aren’t receptive to new tech has several origins.

First, the way older adults are usually depicted in the media is, unfortunately, ageist and not truly representative of that demographic.

Second, we have a tendency, as a society, to associate old age with frailty, sickness and disability, when in fact many older adults still have a healthy and active lifestyle in their seventies and eighties.

Finally, we have to remember that the term ‘older adults’ refers to people sixty-five years and older, which includes baby boomers as well as centenarians. It’s a very heterogeneous population and we can’t put everyone in the same box and assume they all share the same needs and aspirations.

Tell us about ElliQ, the social robot designed by Intuition Robotics. What are the specific ways she can help reduce feelings of loneliness in older adults?

Anyone working with older adults over a prolonged period of time knows that loneliness and social isolation are huge issues with real ramifications for emotional and physical health and well-being.

I first encountered this during my work with nonprofits. So, when Intuition Robotics offered me a position as their in-house gerontologist [and first employee] to help develop a proactive social robot for older adults, I jumped at the opportunity.

Many people have the misconception that ElliQ and other social robots are meant as replacements for real social interaction. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Essentially, ElliQ facilitates easier communication between the user [the older adult] and family members — through text messages, photo sharing and video calls. The fact that she’s voice-activated means that it’s all very intuitive. This leads to better communication with family and friends and helps the user stay engaged in society.

ElliQ can also keep users entertained with curated music and videos, tell them what’s on the news, provide cognitive stimulation and fun with trivia games, offer facts and quotes and fetch information from online resources like any conversational AI [artificial intelligence] agent.

Do you think people are skeptical about the ways social robots can have an impact on the lives of older adults? If so, why, and what would you say to change their minds?

One of the biggest challenges that social robot technology faces today is prejudice.

One place where this isn’t the case is Japan, where people have been taught to think of robots as friendly helpers rather than scary Terminator-type entities. I think that just like any other prejudice, this needs to be addressed consciously, and is part of a broader discussion about the role technology ought to have in our society.

That being said, I find that although people resist social robots by saying that they’re no alternative to human interaction, those same people usually admit they don’t spend enough time with their older relatives. The reality is, many older adults today already rely on a machine to help them feel less alone: their TV.

Personally, I view ElliQ and other products like her as a means of bridging the gap between generations. And having seen this technology in action, I’m a true believer.

Prior to your work with Intuition Robotics, you worked with underprivileged older adults. Can you describe that work? How did that experience help lead you to want to continue to work with an aging population? 

I worked in several NGOs [non-governmental organizations] with older adults, some of whom were Holocaust survivors. The main purpose of my work was to provide them with the basic daily needs of adequate nutrition and access to medical services, as well as making sure they got all their rights from the government.

What I found was that loneliness and social isolation were huge issues, and that the most important thing our volunteers provided them with, even more valuable than the material aid, was companionship and human interaction.

That experience led me to continue working with the aging population because I realized just how much impact one person can have if they are in the right place at the right time.

As someone who is quite a bit younger than the demographic you serve, what do you uniquely bring to your role as a gerontologist with expertise in technology?

Since I grew up with technology, it has shaped the way I view the world, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to live without it or not have access to everything that it has to offer.

I think this is what I bring to the role; tech is such an integral part of my life that I’m unwilling to accept the idea that others simply can’t access it. That, by the way, includes myself. While I’m just thirty-two, I will grow old one day as well — and I’d like to do so in a technological setting.

You live in Tel Aviv. Do you perceive that there are differences in how loneliness and social isolation are manifested among older adults in Israel versus in the United States?

Yes and no. On the one hand, Israel is a very small country, and people usually live fairly close to their family, within driving distance. In the U.S., families can be much farther apart. The long distance can make it challenging for them to meet often, so they may only get to see each other several times a year during the holidays.

On the other hand, because we’re so geographically close here in Israel, there’s an expectation that we’ll see our parents and grandparents more often. And while that does happen, it doesn’t necessarily meet the needs of the aging population.

Everyone is working long hours; Israelis work longer hours than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] average, and most families don’t see each other more than once a week.

Older adults in Israel are not immune to social isolation and loneliness.

In ten years, how will technology help older adults thrive? What kinds of changes can we expect to our daily lives?

Hopefully, we’ll have broadband and Wi-Fi in every home, and in every senior living community. That is a baseline requirement for most of the products that I deal with and cover. But even without these basic requirements, I believe that AI and the continued miniaturization of electronics, as well as intuitive voice-first interfaces, will help us create smart, efficient products that will serve everyon

 

 

By Roberto Muñiz



Parker at Somerset, our post-acute rehabilitation and nursing home, is about to undergo a major expansion and renovation that has been years in the making. I'm excited to announce that we recently broke ground on what will be a remarkable, new state-of-the-art post-acute care center and long-term care home. It will include a small home model that is similar to our Evergreen Way home – 16 residents, all in private rooms, sharing common areas and enjoying meals together. Additionally, I am thrilled to share that we are bringing a new service to Somerset – an Adult Day Center – which will be modeled after our current successful programs in Highland Park and Monroe.

 

The new Parker at Somerset will be a model for Parker and others in the aging services field. A more spacious environment, combined with opportunities for varied support services and hospitality, will create a better work environment for our employees to provide the best care possible to those we serve.

 

The existing building will be fully renovated to promote the small home model and provide more space for residents to live and staff to perform their tasks. There will be new common areas including a cafe, lounges, multi-purpose rooms for residents and visitors to enjoy, an education suite, and administrative spaces. Similar to our Parker at Monroe home, each 16-room neighborhood will have its own dining and activities area. For more direct access to nature, we are adding outdoor patios. On top of all this, there will be a new rehabilitation center with state-of-the-art equipment for those who we serve in post-acute. We are especially excited for the hydrotherapy pool, which is the first of its kind at Parker. Hydrotherapy treatment will help with various conditions, such as arthritis, rheumatic complaints and other ailments.



I'm very proud of this residence. Even before becoming part of the Parker family in 2016, this community has consistently been rated 5 stars. Why? The staff is exceptional, the care that we provide is second to none, and now, especially with Parker at Somerset becoming an Eden Alternative™ home,

we are really setting the standard for what person-directed care should look and feel like.

 

I always talk about embracing change. This will be a welcomed change and a new era at Parker at Somerset.

 

With appreciation, 

Roberto

By Liz Seegert



(Credit: Adobe)

When is Alzheimer’s disease not Alzheimer’s disease? It’s a riddle that finally has an answer.

Researchers recently pinpointed another form of cognitive decline with many of the same hallmarks as Alzheimer’s, but which actually involves different brain processes.

This newly discovered dementia may partly explain why some people haven’t been helped by current Alzheimer’s drugs or why some drugs being tested haven’t been as successful as scientists have hoped.

Despite the lack of diagnostic tools for LATE, this study helps explain why certain medications don’t seem to work for people who are told they have Alzheimer’s.

The disorder, dubbed “LATE,” stands for limbic-predominate age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy. Like Alzheimer’s, LATE affects short-term memory and causes cognitive impairment. It also shares some of the same disease traits as frontotemporal dementia.

However, LATE affects a different brain protein than those associated with Alzheimer’s and mostly occurs in people older than 80, according to a working paper developed by researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging in Lexington for the National Institutes of Health. It was published in the journal BRAIN.

Figuring out whether someone has Alzheimer’s or LATE can be difficult. There’s no blood test yet for LATE; it can only be diagnosed with certainty during an autopsy.

Same Symptoms, Different Biomarkers

“We found a large proportion of people during life who had some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease didn’t have the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Peter Nelson, who led the University of Kentucky study.

LATE has probably affected clinical trials, because people may be getting treated for a disease they don’t have, Nelson says.

“We need to get better at diagnosis and to be a lot more savvy about the fact that there are multiple different conditions underlying this clinical syndrome that we call dementia,” he says.

While Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia — affecting an estimated 5.8 million people in the U.S., according to the Alzheimer’s Association — there are other forms of dementia leading to cognitive impairment. These include vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s with dementia.

“We approach them differently, we treat them differently and they respond differently,” says Dr. Sami Barmada, a physician specializing in dementia at the Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the University of Michigan in East Ann Arbor, Mich. “Now we have another entity that we can discuss with patients.”

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can usually be made through biomarkers in a patient’s spinal fluid or through a type of brain scan called positron emission tomography (PET). The disease leaves telltale signs of protein fragments, known as amyloid plaques, or tangles of another protein called tau, in certain areas of the brain.

But the University of Kentucky study found that some people who experienced short-term memory loss lacked these proteins. Instead, they had buildup of another brain protein: TDP-43.

A Great Need for Dementia Diagnostic Tools

For now, determining whether someone may have the LATE form of dementia is more a process of elimination than a definitive diagnosis, after testing eliminates conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

“While you can’t say it definitely is there, the chances of it being LATE, go way up,” says Dr. Barmada, who is also an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Despite the lack of diagnostic tools for LATE, this study helps explain why certain medications don’t seem to work for people who are told they have Alzheimer’s.

“They may exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but underneath the hood, there’s a fairly good chance — especially in people over 80 — that maybe it’s something else,” Barmada says.

An increasingly aging population puts more people at risk for some type of dementia, according to the University of Kentucky report. However, many gaps exist in our understanding and diagnosis of LATE, such as identifying biomarkers or more precise brain imaging.

The lack of diagnostic tools will have a massive impact on our public health system, Nelson says. “It’s causing so much strain, not only on patients, but on the caretakers; it’s brutal,” he says. “It’s something we really need to address.”

More research funding is necessary to help define risks and features of LATE to better diagnose and eventually treat the disease in progress, Nelson says.

Adding to this challenge is that LATE-type dementia can develop alongside Alzheimer’s.

“We need to get more older people into clinical trials so we can develop therapies to have any hope,” Nelson says. “Having really well-trained clinicians is important, too, and there aren’t as many as are needed.”

In the meantime, what can you do if you suspect a loved one may have LATE rather than Alzheimer’s dementia?

If you feel that person isn’t responding well to a medication for Alzheimer’s, don’t be afraid to question whether it could be something else, Barmada says.

And, he cautions, existing Alzheimer’s therapies can only slow progress of the disease in some people; they can’t prevent or cure it.

What Can You Do to Help Prevent Dementia?

Regular physical activity, proper sleep and challenging our brains daily at every age can help slow memory loss over time, experts say.

Additionally, ask your health provider for a medication check-up. “You don’t need to be on medications that aren’t going to help you or are going to cause side effects,” Barmada says.

Other lifestyle changes, like lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol and controlling blood sugar, can help change the prognosis for some forms of dementia.

Improving your heart health is another thing you can change right now. It’s known to lead to better brain health, Nelson says.

Someday, we will likely have personalized therapies tailored to specific types of dementia, as we do with many cancer drugs, Nelson says. We may even have preventive therapies for those at risk.

But, as Nelson’s report concludes, it will take extensive and proactive collaboration between academic researchers, pharmaceutical companies, clinicians and consumers to push those efforts along.

New York-based journalist Liz Seegert has spent more than 30 years reporting and writing about health and general news topics for print, digital and broadcast media. Her primary beats currently include aging, boomers, social determinants of health and health policy. She is topic editor on aging for the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Consumer Reports, AARP.com, Medical Economics, The Los Angeles Times and The Hartford Courant. @lseegert