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show first aired July 23, 2009
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1112
Sometimes there’s a problem that is getting so large that you want to give a list of huge numbers to try and get the message across. But when it comes to the America’s growing elder population and it’s struggles with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease...number just don’t do the problem justice. On this week’s Health Show, we’ll hear about some new studies into the minds of our elders.
We’ll also hear from a physiologist who works with the elderly who says the fewer drugs the better. And then the story of an environmental health nightmare in the northeast that is still causing controversy even while it’s being cleaned.
listen to this story in RealAudio 25:00
STUDYING THE AGING MIND
By the year 2050, about 30 million Americans are expected to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Experts in the field are trying to determine if sophisticated imaging equipment can help predict the development of the disease. Here is Andi McDonnell with more.
More Talk...Less Actions
While time and manpower are being used to understand and perhaps someday conquer dementia...many elders in nursing homes or assisted living facilities are already experiencing the condition. And many of these facilities lack the staff to give personal care to these patients...so drugs are used to keep them calm and...and this is an unfortunate word...manageable. Psychologist Ira Rosofsky calls this a poor use of resources.
Mental Exercise
So what can be done to keep your mind sharp? According to the Mayo Clinic’s Vivian Williams your brain needs exercise just as much as your body.
PCB Contamination In The Housatonic River
PBCs are not good for your health. For years, Polychlorinated Biphenyls had been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment. Studies showed that workers exposed to large amounts of PCBs showed changes that indicated liver damage and developed skin conditions such as acne and rashes. Babies born to women exposed to the compound, or who ate PCB-contaminated fish had a lower birth weight and also showed abnormal responses in tests of their immune systems and infant behavior. Some of these behaviors, such as problems with motor skills and a decrease in short-term memory, lasted for several years. In 1979, the EPA banned the use and manufacture of PCBs. This brings us, 30 years later, to the Housatonic River, which runs from the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts, through Connecticut into Long Island Sound. The Housatonic has a serious PCB contamination problem. General Electric’s Pittsfield, Massachusetts plant was the primary source of PCB contamination in the Housatonic. The Health Show’s Charlie Deitz reports on PCBs in the Housatonic, then and now.
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