It seems wrong to think of this as a problem, but people are now living long enough to develop memory problems. Fifty or sixty years ago, when life expectancy was shorter, people passed away before they could develop the memory problems that now plague them as they live into their eighties or nineties and beyond. The incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia has risen sharply, as have the number of older people. One of the results is the explosion of retirement centers with the interesting side development that many of them have Memory Care wings, and there are even whole facilities devoted to patients needing memory care.
That term acknowledges that one of the most important marks of deteriorating mental faculties is loss of memory. Without memory, we cannot make sense of our lives and of the sequencing of our ordinary days. What could be more central to our identity, or our sense of self and how we connect to the world and the people around us, than our memory? Without it we are not ourselves.
But memory issues are not confined to the very old. How often have you heard someone in their thirties or forties say they can’t remember what they were about to do? Or they remark that there is a word on the tip of their tongue they just cannot get to? Or they complain that sometimes there are names they cannot remember?
The good news is that there are many things we can do to support and enhance our memory power by strengthening and energizing our brain.
This month’s main article, “Memory — the complex, remarkable web,” is devoted to how the brain works to create memory. The follow-up article gives ideas for “Exercising body and brain to enhance mind and memory.”
Our insurance focus this month is virtual medicine, sometimes called telemedicine. And to make you smile, we’ve included a few jokes and cartoons related to the challenge of remembering stuff. To keep your brain sharp, try this month’s brainteasers.
As we move into March, we know that winter here in the northern hemisphere will soon draw to a close, and the earth will renew itself as it has been doing each year throughout our lifetimes. We wish you a happy transition into spring, and hope you soon enjoy longer days and milder temperatures, just as new life begins to break forth across our beautiful landscape.
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Reminder - Do you know your RealAge?
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A word on the new coronavirus
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As everyone knows, the coronavirus is moving across the globe. As of today, March 11, the total cases reported worldwide are more than 121,700 with 4,382 deaths. In the U.S. there have been 1,016 cases reported with 31 deaths. The U.S. Senate has approved $8.3 billion in emergency spending.
Coronaviruses are common throughout the world, and there have been several, including one named SARS that appeared in 2003, that have caused concern. This present coronavirus is called COVID-19. The symptoms, which can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, may appear from two to 14 days after exposure. Older people, especially those who have existing medical conditions, are at greater risk of the illness becoming serious and leading to death.
We are monitoring the news on this virus daily and we will give updates on it in future issues as a matter of public information.
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In medicine there is a growing field called
virtual medicine or
telemedicine. Picture a patient with a computer or smart phone connected through a secure network to a physician many miles away in a lab or clinic — and they are looking at each other, with the help of this technology. The doctor can view the patient’s symptoms, ask the patient questions, and in some cases, even take the patient’s vitals. They may even make a diagnosis and e-mail a prescription to the patient’s nearby pharmacy.
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Memory - a complex, remarkable web
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Many things can impair memory
When you think of memory loss, you probably think of Alzheimer’s, dementia, or stroke. And you would be right. The incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia is rising as our population ages, and we know that strokes often affect memory. But the memory is a more fluid reality than we think. Many things can have an adverse effect on it.
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Exercising body and brain to enhance
mind and memory
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There are many things you can do to keep your brain healthy, and in the process, to strengthen your mind and improve your memory.
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Eight memory tricks you can really use
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Jokes and things to ponder
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For your long-term care needs
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Brethren Insurance Services offers Long-Term Care Insurance all through the year.
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If you're interested in purchasing coverage, you should know that eligibility for benefits is determined by the inability to meet at least two of these six activities of daily living
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bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, continence, or transferring. Cognitive impairment can also trigger benefits.
It's difficult to think about the fact that a debilitating condition or a disabling injury might leave you unable to care for yourself, or that when you reach your twilight years, the time will come when you will need some extra care. Long-term care insurance makes sure that you will get the care you need. It helps assure that the cost of your custodial care will not eat up your savings. Finally, and this is one of the best things about LTCI, it can help protect your children and other relatives from having to use their resources to care for you.
Brethren Insurance Services offers Long-Term Care Insurance for all members and employees of the Church of the Brethren and their family and friends; and also for employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities and their families and friends.
If you are interested in obtaining this coverage, contact Brethren Insurance Services at
insurance@cobbt.org
or 800-746-1505 for a free, no-obligation proposal.
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Church of the Brethren Insurance Services provides the following products - dental, vision, basic life and accidental death & dismemberment, supplemental life and AD&D, dependent life and AD&D, long-term disability, short-term disability, accident insurance, and Medicare supplement for eligible Church of the Brethren employees.
Dental, vision, and Medicare supplement coverage may also be available for eligible retired Church of the Brethren employees.
For eligibility information, call Connie Sandman at 800-746-1505, ext. 3366, or contact your human resources representative.
Medical and ancillary plans (named above) may be available to Brethren-affiliated employer groups.
Long-Term Care Insurance is available for all members of the Church of the Brethren, their family and friends, and employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities.
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A not-for-profit ministry of
Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust Inc.
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Contact Us
1505 Dundee Ave
Elgin, IL 60120
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