Antibiotics and Alzheimer's Patients

About 50% of Alzheimer’s patients receive antibiotics in their last two weeks of life. There is no evidence that these drugs provide any benefits such as longer life or better quality of life. There are side-effects and pain associated with receiving antibiotics, so advocates are questioning their use. A new study is reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine that says the answer needs to be determined so proper procedures can be developed for the future.
About 70 percent of the 5 million Americans with dementia will end up in a nursing home at the end of their lives. Repeated infections and fevers are common at the end of life. The decision to use antibiotics or not needs to be made on a case-by-case basis with the family. And, this points to the importance of having an Advance Directive, which allows patients to spell out their wishes for end-of-life care.

A longer article about this issue and the study is available online in the magazine Health Day at http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=612980.

Visit the website of the Alzheimer’s Association to learn what you can do, and how you can help. www.alz.org. Also, check our website for upcoming information about the Memory Walk 2008 and how you can join Team Adamsky Law Offices. www.adamskylaw.com.

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Stratfor - When Things Go Bad

I regularly read reports from Stratfor - an information service that comments on world affairs, terrorism and even personal safety. This report is good reading to help anyone survive a bad situation. I thought it was worth repeating. When Things Go Bad By Scott Stewart Over the past several weeks, we [Stratfor] have discussed a number of different situations that can present a common problem to people caught up in them. First, we discussed how domestic terrorism remains a persistent threat in the United States, and that despite improvements in security measures since 2001, soft targets still remain vulnerable to attack by terrorist actors driven by a variety of motivations. Due to the devolution of the jihadist threat toward the grassroots, there is also a growing trend of jihadist actors using armed assaults instead of bombing attacks. We also discussed the continuing problem of workplace violence , and finally, we discussed last week evacuation plans for expatriates

4 Planning Tips for Parents of Disabled Children

Buy enough life insurance . You can’t be replaced, but someone will have to fill in if you aren’t there. Your family will probably have to pay for some services that you used to provide. You can provide the money necessary, even if you don’t have much now, with life insurance. Set up a trust . Any assets left for a child with special needs, including life insurance proceeds, should be held in trust. Leaving money directly to someone with a special need jeopardizes public benefits. Some families disinherit children with special needs, relying on siblings to care for them. This approach is fraught with potential problems. The best approach is a trust fund set aside for the child with special needs. Write down the care plan . You must write down what a future caregiver will need to know about your special needs child. You may know everything but you need to write it down so it can be passed on. The memo or letter can be kept in the attorney's files or with the parent's estate plan

It's really Spring!

It's clearly Spring around here. On the way to work this morning I saw several groups of Turkeys. In each group there was at least one male presenting his tail for the females. This looks like the classic picture you see of a Turkey around Thanksgiving with his big tail unfurled like a peacock. But, you won't see that in November, it is courting behavior used in the Spring to find a mate. Imagine if we humans had some sort of mating system like that. The males puff themselves up, furl out their tails and strut around waiting for a female to find them attractive ... that would be something ... oh, wait! Three Turkeys at my Bird Feeder - April 2011 (C) Edward Adamsky, 2011

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