3GenFamily Blog

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

When my Dad was sent to the ER for a nosebleed that wasn’t stopping, the doctor cauterized the wound and released him to go home. But, the second time it happened, he spent a brief time in the hospital before being released to a rehabilitation facility.

There was a time when most regular hospitals provided long term acute care. But insurance companies and Medicare have put limits on the amount of time that someone can stay in the hospital. They have done this to reduce costs.

So, if the patient is recovering, according to the guidelines, the doctor must discharge him or her. If the hospital keeps the patient, it risks not being paid for the hospital stay.

Still, some people are not fully recovered when the hospital must discharge them. Many nursing homes are now also rehabilitation facilities so they can take many of these patients for a short time. But, not those that still require acute care.

How can someone require acute care but not need a hospital? Well, they might need to be on or close to expensive breathing machines or need kidney dialysis. Perhaps, the patient needs to have staff trained in medical emergencies available 24/7.

If this is the first time you are being told that your loved one can’t go directly home after a hospital stay, you may be stunned. It is not unusual for the social worker or the doctor to tell you, “Your Mother will be discharged the day after tomorrow.”

What do you do? You aren’t trained to give this kind of care!

This is where the Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTAC) comes in. The social workers at the regular hospital will give the family a referral to one or more LTACs when the doctor believes that the patient needs continuing care before going home.

Some LTACs are part of a regular hospital system. Some are part of a nursing home corporation. How do you find out if the one closest to you is any good?

Medicare has a rating system for all hospitals. You can find it at this link on the Medicare website.

Medicare also rates nursing homes. You can find it on the Medicare website at this link.

Your state’s Office on Aging may also have additional reviews and rating systems. For California, you can use http://www.calqualitycare.org/.  This is a free information and referral service.

And, make sure to visit each facility. You don’t have to be an expert on hospitals. Look for order and cleanliness. Listen for staff who aren’t happy being there.

Still not enough information to make a decision?

Another resource is a geriatric care manager for help with care for an aging parent. You can search for one in your area from their association website http://www.caremanager.org/.  An experienced geriatric care manager will know which LTACs are the best in his/her area. They work closely with all the facilities and know which ones are good. 

Using these resources, along with suggestions from family or friends who have been in this situation, will help you find the right location for your loved one.

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© 2010 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. I don’t receive any compensation for the links in this article. Some of my other blog posts contain links that provide a small commission (books from Amazon, for example.) Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

It is one of the smallest things that I do time-wise, yet I learn so much from doing it. As a Health Maven for the Caregiving community on Wellsphere.com, I answer questions from others about a wide range of issues in providing care for loved ones. I don’t get paid to do this.

Recently, I was asked, “How do I get my Mom to take her medication?”

Now, the person asking the question didn’t provide any other information. I only had her question.

It got me pondering.

Why does an aging parent fail to take his or her prescribed drugs?

My Dad was really good about taking his medications until about a year before he died. When I look back on it, almost all of these factors were involved to some degree.

7 Reasons Why Parents Won’t Take Medication

1. Side effects- Is your Mom experiencing any problems after she takes her medication? Does it make her dizzy, nauseous, tired, sore in the muscles, have headaches, etc.? She may not want to take the meds because of some side effect that leaves her feeling worse than before. It is important not to ignore side effects. Let her doctor know as soon as possible. The doctor may want to change the dose or even change to a different medication.
2. Drug interactions – If your Mom is taking two or more drugs, she could be experiencing a problem due to the drugs interacting. Some drug combinations don’t mix. Many pharmacies have special computer programs that alert the pharmacist to possible bad combinations. But, if your Mom gets her medication by mail or from two different doctors/pharmacies, problem combinations can go unnoticed. The Drugs.com website has a drug interactions checker. You put in the name of the medication you want to check and it gives you a list of other medications that may interact with the one your Mom is taking. Some foods and herbs can interact with medications, too. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice is a major culprit. Here is a website run by a pharmacist that lists possible bad combinations.
3. Worried about the cost – Some seniors knowingly miss medication because they are trying to save money. In this case, ask her doctor if there is a generic form of the drug that can be prescribed instead of the expensive name brand. Compare prices at different pharmacies. Walmart and Costco sell some generics at incredibly low prices. Medicare Part D Drug Plans vary widely in the medications they will cover. Is your Mom paying full price for a medication that would be covered under another plan? Here is a document that describes them for each state. It pays to comparison shop.
4. She just forgets – If your Mom is an active volunteer or still works or otherwise has a busy life, she may be forgetting to take her medication because she is busy. Many women devote their lives to helping others but neglect their own health. My Mom was like that. So, if she understands the importance of taking her medication, it is a matter of setting up a reminder routine, like putting the medication bottle out on the counter in a conspicuous spot. Or, put a reminder note on the fridge, the tea kettle, the coffee pot or wherever she will see it. Some cell phones have alarms you can set as reminders during the day. Wellsphere.com, has a way to send yourself text or email messages as reminders. Find the routine that works for her.
5. Your Mom has dementia – Some forgetfulness is normal as one ages. But, if you have explored all of the other options above and she just can’t seem to get her medications on schedule, then she may have more serious problems that you should not ignore. My Dad functioned well on his own until he was 81. Gradually, his capabilities began to slide. He only took some of his medications or only some days. At that point, he needed help. He was mentally no longer able to keep his meds straight. In my Dad’s case, he also had trouble cooking. He would forget that pots were on the stove even when he set a timer. His usually neat checkbook was a mess. Bills weren’t getting paid and he got collection notices. It took a while for me to understand that he had lost his ability to function and needed regular care. If your Mom is at this point, you need to discuss various ways to provide care for her depending on finances. Can a family member or close friend visit to help with medication? Do you need to hire an in-home care provider? Does your Mom qualify for help from your local Office on Aging (in the phone book under “County Offices.”)
6. You are caring for your Mom in your home –She is stubbornly refusing to take the medication you are giving her. This is a most challenging spot to be in. Your roles have reversed — you are the parent but your Mom isn’t cooperating. The best thing you can do is to become detached emotionally from the situation. Your Mom is not fighting you. She is desperately trying to stay in control of some part of her life. It is frightening to be aware that your abilities are slipping. So give her some control. Give her a choice between water or juice with her pills. Create a rewarding situation, “After you take your pills, we will watch your favorite TV show.” This is not manipulation. This is dealing with your Mom at her level today rather than where she used to be.

The best thing you can do is take a step back and try to understand the reason your parent doesn’t want to take the medication. Check to see if the problem is real.

I was shocked to discover that my Dad was right when he refused his medication. After a hospitalization, he was prescribed double doses by mistake! When we checked with his regular doctor, she immediately changed the doses.

As sick as he was, Dad was right!

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. I don’t receive any compensation for the links in this article. Some of my other blog posts contain links that provide a small commission (books from Amazon, for example.) Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

Have you been following the trial in Delaware between eBay and Craigslist?

eBay claims that the officers of Craigslist are trying to reduce eBay’s percentage of ownership of Craigslist and change voting rights. Much of Craig Newmark’s (the founder of Craigslist)  testimony centers around what Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay,  did or did not promise them before he signed the agreement to sell part of Craigslist to eBay.

The attorneys for eBay have gotten Craig to admit in court that the promises were not in writing and “if it is not in writing it doesn’t exist.”

Get Promises in Writing

The same rule applies to agreements for assisted living centers and in home care providers. Get all promises in writing.

When my Dad and I toured a senior care facility that had both independent and assisted living, the marketing director reassured my father that they rarely kept the security deposit when a person moved out.

When my father moved into independent living after being on the waiting list for several months, he didn’t pay attention to the stains on the vinyl floor in the kitchen. He didn’t cause the stains so he was certain that he was not responsible to pay for them.

I visited him a few weeks after he moved in. Of course, I notice the big orange blotch on the floor. No amount of scrubbing got it out. So, I took pictures with my camera phone to record that the stains were there at the time he moved in.

A year later when my Dad was no longer able to remain in independent living, I helped him move to the assisted living side. That meant paying all fees for his previous apartment in independent living.

Have you already guessed that the company tried to charge my father for the damage to the vinyl that was there when he moved in?

You are right! To get the charge removed, I had to make a complaint with the NJ department that oversees assisted living facilities.

What you won’t be able to guess is the major complaint I had with this assisted living facility. I did not get the agreement to move my Dad to the assisted living side until 2 months after he died! I kept politely asking for it and kept getting excuses. But, I trusted the managers. They seemed like such caring people.

Business Is Business

Well, they were caring people.

But, this was a business. They expected me to pay the bills even before knowing what the rules were.  Any and all bills.

The facility had new owners who were intent on having the business make money. You can figure out the rest.

Fortunately, the State of NJ took a dim view of this type of behavior after I made that formal complaint. I might not have made the complaint, though, if my father was still living, for fear of being rejected by other facilities.

Avoid Surprises

The best way to avoid having a problem is to get all promises in writing. You should get a copy of any agreement before you have to sign it. Take time to read it and get help understanding it, if necessary. A geriatric care manager or an elder care attorney can explain things to you. It is well worth the cost.

This advice applies to doctors, clinics and other health professionals, too. Get all fees and charges in writing, in advance if you can. Medicine is a business, too.

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

Each day you get up and do your best to care for a loved one. But, some days it seems impossible not to get discouraged.

If this was one of those days for you, here is a quick video reminder that others have been there, done that, and gone on to better times.

You can too!

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

Baby boomers didn’t invent it.

Family caregiving has been going on for a long time.

My earliest memories include long drives in our shiny, black  Plymouth to visit my grandfather’s older sister wherever she was assigned. Ciocia (aunt in Polish) Pelagia was a nun. She didn’t speak a word of English.   

Until her arthritis made cooking and cleaning impossible, she contributed to her community by tending to the basic needs of the younger sisters who taught in schools or nursed the sick in hospitals. Our family entourage would visit with Ciocia on Sundays and bring her news about our family and small gifts of candy or cookies.

In her later years, my Dad would slip her a tiny bottle of brandy “for medicinal purposes.” I don’t remember how old I was, but I can remember wondering if nuns were allowed to drink brandy. 

When their time came, my parents took care of my grandparents. And, more recently, I did the same for my father.

When my turn came in 2005, there wasn’t much talk about family caregiving. There were websites for nursing homes and assisted living but scarely any information on the Internet about caring for loved ones at home.

Today, the Internet has dozens of blogs and websites dedicated to families caring for family. This blog is part of the groundswell.

On October 30, 2009, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation naming November 2009 National Family Caregivers Month.  The White House proclamation said,  ” I encourage all Americans to pay tribute and support those who are caring for their family members, friends, and neighbors in need of assistance.”

The truth is that we need family caregivers. 

The proclamation put it this way:  ”As the foundation of America’s long-term care system, these individuals give millions of Americans the peace of mind and security that only family can provide.”  No doubt about it.

Creating a safe and comfortable environment for another family member is hard work. It costs money. It takes sacrifices. It can be exasperating and discouraging. You can feel unappreciated.  It is service with a capital “S.”

If you know someone caring for a family member, take the time to express your appreciation and gratitude. Phone call, greeting card, letter, email, text message — whatever means of communication works for you. 

Do it today.

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 © 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

The scientific community is abuzz since the announcement that the 2009 Nobel Prize for Medicine has gone to Drs. Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak. In 1985, they discovered an enzyme call telomerase.

What’s Telomerase?

Our genes have ends on them called telomeres. They are like the plastic tips on a pair of shoelaces that keep the laces from unraveling. If you have ever had that little plastic piece come off your laces, you know what I’m talking about.

Now imagine what would happen if each time you tied your shoes the plastic cap got shorter. Eventually you would be left with no plastic tip. The shoelace would start to unravel. 

Something similar to that happens with cells.  Each time the cell divides, the telomeres get shorter until finally the cell can’t reproduce itself accurately and dies. Each cell has a fixed number of times it can divide.

Except in the case of cancer cells.

They become “immortal” and just don’t die. They keep reproducing more and more cells. 

Dr. Blackburn and her colleagues discovered that this enzyme, called telomerase, protects the telomeres. Their work, which began in the 1970’s, gives us a better understanding of the mechanism by which a cell ages. It offers tantalizing ideas that could become the basis for cures for diseases that cause premature aging and, of course, cancer.

Who Wants to Live Longer?

Blackburn’s research also hints that by manipulating telomerase in the human body, people can reduce aging to live longer, healthier lives. And, several companies have wasted no time in developing small molecule plant extracts that turn on the expression of telomerase in human cells.

Of course, this research is riddled with controversy. Some researchers believe that increasing telomerase in a person’s body could inadvertently encourage cancer cells to grow along with healthy cells.

I know of a very prominent businessman blogger who has chosen to participate  in the clinical trials of one of these molecules. TA-65 was developed by Geron from the Chinese medicinal herb astragalus.

The blogger has written that, although he has only been participating in the trial a short while, his tests indicate that he is getting younger based on his bio markers (telomeres). And, he has noticed he has more endurance and strength.

Natural Solutions

To me, other studies pursuing the connection between nutrients, lifestyle and telomere length are more interesting (and safer). A recent study by Richards and co-workers studied leukocytes (white blood cells). Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a predictor of aging-related disease and decreases with each cell cycle and increased inflammation.

The researchers concluded that higher levels of Vitamin D were correlated with longer telomeres in women. We are just discovering all of the wonderful things that Vitamin D does in our bodies. These results suggest that a combination of sunshine, good nutrition and supplements can be instrumental in living a longer, healthier life.

Did you know that how you perceive a stressful situation is more important than the stressful situation itself?

Dr. Blackburn along with Elissa Espel conducted a breakthrough study of mothers caring for a child with a chronic illness.

“They found that the more stress the women reported experiencing, the shorter their telomeres. Women with the highest levels of perceived stress had telomeres shorter on average by the equivalent of at least one decade of additional aging compared to low-stress women.” Ten years older!

And, the key word here is “perceived”.

No matter what you may be experiencing, if you believe you are stressed out, your body is reacting to that perception. If you don’t react emotionally to the situation, your body doesn’t either.

Huge Implications For Caregivers

Are you caring for an ill parent, spouse or child? If you are feeling stressed, you need to get your stress under control. You could choose: exercise, sharing your feelings with someone who understands, meditation, prayer, or getting away from the situation for a short while.

That, in combination with healthy eating and supplements, will keep you living longer. Your loved one is counting on you. And, you deserve it!

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 © 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

“Here, let me help you try it on.”

The sales clerk had noticed that I had stopped to touch one of the fuzzy blue bathrobes that was displayed on the table near the main aisle.

As the sales person enveloped me with the fluffy, powder blue robe, I admired its cozy feel. “I was thinking that it would make a nice Christmas gift for someone I know,” I smiled. It’s not unusual for me to start shopping for Christmas at the Labor Day sales.

“Oh . . . well . . . who knows what will happen by December.” The sales woman’s mood had suddenly changed. “Who knows if anyone will even have a job in December!”

I put the robe back down on the table, smiled as sweetly as I could and thanked the woman for her help. Then, I maneuvered my shopping cart to the other side of the building as fast as I could without running anyone over.

Fear — Is It Contagious?

We all say the wrong thing sometimes. But, I was dumbfounded by this sales clerk’s remark. Her own fear twisted her words so that she chased me away instead of making a sale.

My vision of the smile on the face of a friend opening her gift on Christmas morphed into the specter of being out of work and broke. Yikes! I’d better save my money. Let me out of here!

Researchers at Rice University are convinced they have identified the scent of fear.  The Pentagon is studying ways to isolate human “fear chemicals” by studying first-time tandem skydivers. (First-time skydivers jump with an experienced skydiver. It is called tandem.) Perhaps someone at the Pentagon has an idea that lives will be saved if we just spray the enemy with this chemical and they run away rather than fight.

But, they are barking up the wrong tree, I think. (Pun intended.) Our canine friends experience the world primarily through the sense of smell, while we humans have come to depend more on vision and hearing. Horror movies and world events, commentary on cable TV or even someone reminding us about the economy are far more effective at making us afraid.

And, any chemical used to attempt to incite fear will most likely create unpredictable reactions because each of us has the ability to counteract fear.

Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Max Lucado’s new book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear , offers a way out of the anxiety and stress through faith. His formula – the mnemonic is P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L – suggests eight actions anyone can take to banish fear, no matter what the cause of that fear is.

His is an confidently Christian approach. You would expect that from a prolific writer who is the minister of a non-denominational Christian church in San Antonio, Texas. (Until now, I was more familiar with his children’s books, which are terrific.)

But, there is nothing “preachy” about Max Lucado’s writing. In a warm, conversational style, he shares anecdotes from his own life and others on the issues that can cause any of us to be afraid: the safety of our children, layoffs at work, violence in the world, or being seriously ill.

Lucado tells us that Jesus takes our fears seriously, urging us to not be afraid. The engaging narrative weaves quotes from Scripture with the pressing issues in our world today.

The bottom line: you can choose to banish fear from your life.

Everyday I meet people like that sales clerk. Fear has a choke hold on them. I have been there, too. We all need help getting free. Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear
is perfect reading for the person who is tired of living with doom and gloom. It’s a great book! I just wish I had it with me when I went shopping. I think that sales clerk would have appreciated it, too.

Note: The publisher provided a free copy of this book to review.  While I appreciate this courtesy, I don’t let that influence me. This review contains my honest opinions about this book.  

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

Dear San Jose Mercury News Editor,

When does comedy and caricature slide into lies and slander? In today’s Mallard Fillmore comic. (It featured a caricature of President Obama and suggests that Obama wants to get rid of old people.)

Publishing outright lies is not being fair and balanced. It is reinforcing the lie to people who have heard it through another news sources. It causes more concern and confusion.

I can understand why seniors and their families would be concerned about any change to the health care system they depend upon daily. We hear so many negative stories about other countries’ medical systems.

But, fanning the flames with fear is just so wrong! In this very same paper, you published a report about research ( Study Finds End-of-Life Counseling Improves Mood ) which showed that patients who received end-of-life counseling had a better quality of life and more upbeat mood.

The care, counseling and support my 83 year old father  (and our family) received from hospice after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer was invaluable. It helped make his final days at home better. How I wish that he, and I as his primary caregiver, could have had access to this type of support much earlier.

The vast majority of families who take care of aging relatives don’t have registered nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and other health professionals as family members to provide information and perspective. We struggle trying to piece the puzzle together from the bits given by the various specialists whose advice or prescriptions often conflict.

Most families don’t have the extra money to hire a geriatric counselor. You try to make the best decisions at the time.

But, in my father’s case, it was a dumbfounding shock to have the doctor who recommended putting my father on dialysis (as his kidneys were failing) later tell me that she knew it was a long shot and probably wouldn’t work!

She did not say that before we started.

Would end-of-life counseling have changed my father’s decision on this?

I honestly don’t know.

Here is what I do know: The doctors and hospital where my father was treated happen to own this dialysis clinic. And as his executor, I can vouch that Medicare paid the huge cost of the dialysis and the special drugs that go with the treatment. And, of course the doctor’s bill.

Please don’t incite more fear in our seniors. Don’t publish comics that spread lies.

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

It always happened on a Sunday in Spring. Right before we attended church services, in fact.

My Mom would slide a small handful of coins into my tiny fist with instructions to give them to the man or woman standing on the sidewalk in front of the church. I would return with two or three stiff, red, paper poppies. Each flower stem carried a paper label emblazoned with “VFW” and “disabled veterans” on it. Then, we would head into the church.

Those were the days before I had any inkling of who disabled veterans were or why they would be assembling paper poppies. Not too many years later, the Vietnam War would provide me with battlefield photos and reports putting the glaring truth out in the open.

Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) was first enacted to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War. It was expanded after World War I to include any war or military action.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) first distributed poppies right before Memorial Day in 1922. The funds raised support veteran’s and their families welfare. In 1924, the VFW trademarked the term “Buddy Poppy” under the category of artificial flowers so that the public would know that any poppies carrying the name of the VFW were actually made by needy and disabled veterans.

Today, the VFW continues to raise funds for disabled vets in VA hospitals who assemble the poppies that are sold by VFW members around this time of year. The poppies were inspired by a poem by Col. John McCrae of Canada.

In Flander’s Field
by John McCrae

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.

I hope you’ll take a few moments out of your day today to silently remember all of those brave men and women who have made watching public fireworks displays and holding backyard barbecues part of normal life for Americans.

Happy Memorial Day!

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© 2009 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.

By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog

“Does your Dad wear dentures?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, partials.” It seemed like an odd question at that moment as the hospital staff were preparing my father for a procedure.

“Is he wearing them now?” the nurse persisted.

“I . . . I don’t know,” I said slowly as I tried to peek in Dad’s mouth.

The nurse poked her fingers in Dad’s mouth and determined that no dentures were there. He was taken downstairs for the procedure.

Back in his regular hospital bed and awake after having the procedure, I asked my father about his dentures.

“Oh, I think I threw them away. They were bothering me.” Dad muttered.

I never did find his dentures, even after an exhausting clean out of his apartment. So, maybe he did toss them in the trash in a moment of extreme frustration.

Denture Cream Can Make You Sick

Approximately 34 million Americans wear dentures. Many frugal seniors don’t give up as easily as my father did on poor fitting dentures. They resort to denture adhesives to hold them in place.

And, a few seniors use too much each day. Some of them end up with neurological problems like loss of balance, weakness in the limbs, pain or tingling in the hands and feet from using too much. It may be misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis or other diseases.

A recent report on ABC News Good Morning America told the story of Ellen Isaacs whose neurologist diagnosed her loss of balance as the result of using denture cream.

Isaacs problems began with tingling in her toes that progressed over four years to total loss of balance.  She has used denture cream regularly for ten years, often leaving her dentures in overnight. She had no idea that it could hurt her!

The culprit in all of this is not some strange chemical but zinc, a mineral our bodies need. The zinc in the denture cream helps it adhere better.  But, too much zinc can deplete our bodies of copper. Both zinc and copper are needed in the right balance to protect the nervous system. Too much or too little of one or the other can cause problems.

Because the most commonly sold denture creams don’t list ingredients, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas tested several for excessive zinc as part of a study to explain why a small number of patients had abnormally high zinc and abnormally low copper levels in their blood. These patients were experiencing neurological problems that could not be explained.

The researchers concluded that these patients were exposed to about 330 mg  of zinc daily over a long period of time. The National Academy of Sciences has stated that the largest daily tolerable zinc intake is 40 mg.

There were four patients in this study.

One patient had weakness in the hands and poor balance, while another had weakness in her arms and legs that kept her in a wheelchair. She also experienced cognitive decline and urinary incontinence.

These patients had “mild neurologic improvement” after they stopped using denture cream and began taking copper supplements. Another patient took copper supplements but didn’t stop using denture cream. His copper levels improved, but his zinc levels remained too high and he showed no improvement in his neurological symptoms.

The fourth patient took copper supplements and stopped using denture cream. This patient showed improvement in copper and zinc levels, but no improvement in neurological symptoms.

The Moral of This Story Is NOT About Lawsuits

Ellen Isaacs attorney is suing the manufacturers of the denture cream claiming that it needs a warning label. While a better product label is always a good idea, this story is really about overusing an over-the-counter product and poor fitting dentures.

Dentures are supposed to be removed every evening, not slept in overnight. And, the denture cream needs to be used in very small dots – not in thick gobs that ooze out around the denture.

If your elderly parent squeezes through a tube of denture cream in a week, it is a sign that those dentures don’t fit properly.

Please schedule a visit with the dentist for your parent as soon as possible. It may be expensive to have the dentures relined or replaced. But it is far better than developing permanent neurological damage. More information about dentures is available on the American Dental Association website.

Denture Cream Without Zinc

You can also get your loved one to switch to a denture product that doesn’t contain zinc. Here is one brand to look for:

• Secure Denture Bonding Cream
• Secure Denture Adhesive Cushion Strips

(This was the only brand I could find that put its ingredient list online.)

Be aware that switching to another brand of denture cream is not a solution for ill-fitting dentures. But, if they fit well, denture adhesive can help them stay in place better to make eating and speaking more comfortable.

If you don’t know whether your parent wears dentures or uses dental adhesives, now is a good time to ask. You may just help your loved one avoid a serious problem.

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P.S. Secure Denture products are available at health food stores and online at iHerb.com and Amazon.com

Take $5 off your first order from iHerb.com. Use code CON570 at checkout.

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