The United States has fought many wars throughout the world since that time to keep freedom here at home and continues to do so. From the beginning our country has established a program to care for the men and women of our military who fought in those wars.

The veterans assistance program goes back to 1636 when Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony fought with the Pequot Indians. The Pilgrims enacted a law from English law that reads, “If any man shall be sent forth as a soldier and shall return maimed, he shall be maintained competently by the colony during his life.” In 1789 U. S. congress passed as law that pensions were to be provided to disabled veterans and their dependents and in 1811 the first domiciliary and medical facility for veterans was completed.

Since that time the Department of Veterans Affairs has opened a multitude of care facilities nationwide. An article from the US Department of Veterans Affairs website states:

“VA’s health care system has grown from 54 hospitals in 1930 to 157 medical centers in 2005, with at least one in each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia . More than 5.3 million people received care in VA health care facilities in 2005, a 29 percent increase over the 4.1 million treated just four years earlier.
VA operates more than 1,300 sites of care including nearly 900 ambulatory care and community-based outpatient clinics, 136 nursing homes, 43 residential rehabilitation treatment programs, nearly 90 comprehensive home-care programs, and more than 200 Veterans Centers.”

State veterans homes have been built or are approved for future construction in many states. For a list of state veteran nursing homes go to http://www.longtermcarelink.net/ref_state_veterans_va_nursing_homes.htm#List

Here are some of the benefits provided for Veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs:

• Health Care Clinics
• Mental Health
• Counseling
• Job training
• Burial and Memorial benefits
• Education
• VA Home Loan
• DIC
• Compensation
• Pension
• Care Management
• Home Renovation for Disability
• Assisted Living
• Prosthetics
• Rehabilitation
• Weight management
• Nursing Homes
• Prescriptions
• Hospitals
  and much more

Thomas Day, founder and Director of the National Care Planning Council, has a deep gratitude for the services provided by the VA. He served as an Air Force pilot during Vietnam. Later he developed a crippling auto-immune disease. It was the doctors at the George A Wahlen VA Regional Medical Center who prescribed a new treatment that saved his life. Many of the VA programs continue to improve his life.

Tom is passionate about the Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit and the relief it brings to veterans and their families who need care services and ways to pay for it in their elder years.

“Aid and attendance” is a commonly used term for a little-known veterans’ disability income. The official title of this benefit is “Pension.” The reason for using “aid and attendance” to refer to Pension is that many veterans or their single surviving spouses can become eligible if they have a regular need for the aid and attendance of a caregiver or if they are housebound. Evidence of this need for care must be certified by VA as a “rating.” With a rating, certain veterans or their surviving spouses can now qualify for Pension. Pension is also available to low income veteran households without a rating, but it is a lesser dollar amount.

Pension is an underused benefit.

There are different income categories for Pension, but the highest could pay as much as $1,949 a month in disability income to a qualifying veteran household. A study commissioned by VA in 2001 estimated, over the next 14 years, only about 30% of eligible veterans would apply for Pension. This is likely due to the fact that most veterans simply don’t know about it. In fact, about a third of all seniors in this country, age 65 and older, could become eligible for pension under the right circumstances. That’s how many elderly war veterans or their surviving spouses there are.

To receive Pension, a veteran must have served on active duty, at least 90 days, with at least one of those days during a period of war. There must be a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. Single surviving spouses of such veterans are also eligible. If younger than 65, the veteran must be totally disabled. If age 65 and older, there is no requirement for disability. There is no age or disability requirement for a single surviving spouse.

There are income requirements, but a special provision does allow household income to be reduced by 12 months worth of future, recurring medical expenses. Normally, income is only reduced by medical expenses incurred in the month of application. These allowable, annualized medical expenses are such things as insurance premiums, ongoing prescription drug costs, out-of-pocket cost of monthly medical equipment rental, the cost of home care, the cost of paying adult children to provide care, the cost of adult day services, the cost of assisted living and the cost of a nursing home facility. These are all considered medical costs and they can be deducted from income to receive this benefit.

According to Mr. Day,

“I talk to a number of people every day who are inquiring about this benefit. In many cases they don’t know that the benefit can pay members of the family to take care of the veteran, the veteran couple or the surviving spouse at home. I have literally had people who are sacrificing dearly to take care of their loved ones at home, break down and cry when they find they can receive some money from the government for that sacrifice.”

Thomas Day has written two books for the National Care Planning Council to educate and help veterans obtain this long term care benefit. The first, “How to apply for the Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit” is to educate the public what the benefit is and how to get it. The claims process for pension is described and information is provided to help understand what documentation is necessary to provide evidence of recurring medical expenses. All forms necessary for filing a claim are included in the form support section of the book. Here is a link to the book. http://www.longtermcarelink.net/a16Veterans_standard_book.htm

Although this is a do-it-yourself book, Tom recommends if you have excessive assets and income or are not sure how to apply medical deductions, use the services of a qualified consultant.

The second book, “Aid & Attendance Handbook for Professionals & Consultants,” is for the professional consultant. It is 782 pages of rules, forms, instruction on the submission process and Medicaid planning strategies as well as software for calculating income, benefit and medical expenses. Here is a link to that book. http://www.veteranbook.com

The secret for receiving a successful award for aid and attendance or housebound ratings is not in filling out the form but in knowing what documents and evidence must be submitted with the application. Knowing the secrets for a successful award — with the special case of long term care recipients — is 95% of the battle. Even though the form is challenging, filling out and filing a claim is a formality.

A knowledgeable consultant can provide information to shorten VA’s decision window of 6 to 12 months to possibly 3 or 4 months. The consultant also understands how to maximize the benefit or avoid a denial. The consultant can also provide guidance for meeting the asset test. Finally, the consultant can provide the actual strategies for reallocating assets and he or she can arrange for trusts or income conversions to allow for the best possible accommodation of assets for beneficiaries thus avoiding or reducing taxes, family disputes and Medicaid penalties.

“I would like to see every eligible veteran obtain the Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit for their long term care needs.” Thomas Day, Director, National Care Planning Council.

Every November 11, ceremonies are held throughout the United States honoring Veterans of wars. A National Ceremony is held at Arlington Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the laying of the presidential wreath and military playing of “Taps” is presented.
Since its establishment in 1930, the Department of Veterans Affairs has evolved to supporting and aiding the nation’s veterans in numerous ways. One of these services for example, the Veterans Health Administration, is the largest single provider of medical care in the United States. Its 22 regions with 154 hospitals and their associated 875 outpatient clinics offer the following services.

Hospital, outpatient medical, dental, pharmacy and prosthetic services
Domiciliary, nursing home, and community-based residential care
Sexual trauma counseling
Specialized health care for women veterans
Health and rehabilitation programs for homeless veterans
Readjustment counseling
Alcohol and drug dependency treatment
Medical evaluation for disorders associated with military service in the Gulf War, or Treatment for exposure to Agent Orange, radiation, and other environmental hazards
HISA grants
Other special benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides three types of long term care services for veterans.

The first are health care benefits provided to veterans who have service-connected disabilities, who are receiving VA Pension or who are considered low income. These services include free medical care, possible free prescription drugs, orthotics and prosthetics, home renovation grants for disabilities, home care, assisted living, domiciliary care, nursing home care, and a possible host of other services or benefits.

The second benefit is state veterans homes. The majority of these homes offer nursing care but some may offer assisted living or domiciliary care. The Department of Veterans Affairs in conjunction with the states helps build and support state veterans homes. Money is provided to help with construction and a federal subsidy of $72.71 a day is provided for each veteran using state veterans nursing home services. These homes are generally available for most veterans and sometimes their spouses and in some cases for so-called “Goldstar parents.” Veterans homes are run by the states, sometimes with the help of contract management. There may be waiting lists in some states.

The third benefit for veterans is disability income programs. The most familiar of these benefits is an income for service-connected disabled veterans called “Compensation.” The least known of these is a program officially called “Pension” but popularly known as the “aid and attendance benefit.”

• All active-duty veterans who served at least 90 days during a period of war are eligible for Pension and the additional income from aid and attendance or housebound allowances. A single surviving spouse of such a veteran is also eligible.
• All qualifying veteran applicants over the age of 65 are eligible for pension but must meet income and asset tests. Applicants under the age of 65 must in addition be totally disabled to qualify. Disability does not have to be service-connected.
• A surviving spouse can be any age and there is no need for disability.

The aid and attendance benefit can pay additional income to provide for the costs associated with home care, assisted living, nursing homes, adult day care and other unreimbursed medical expenses. It can also pay for a family member other than a spouse to be the care giver. The amount of payment varies with the type of care, recipient income and the marital status of the recipient. Here are some examples of how this benefit can help veterans.

Example #1
The National Care Planning Council receives many calls from family members of veterans, asking if there is any help available to them. One such call came from a woman who had been juggling her job and caring for her father in her home for over five years. She had just lost her job and with no income, did not know how she would keep her home or give her father the care he needed. She read an article that had been written by the National Care Planning Council and published in her local newspaper and called their phone number. The article mentioned that a member of the family — not including a spouse — can be paid through VA to provide care for a loved one at home who is either a war veteran or the surviving spouse of a war veteran. Her father is a war veteran. When told that she could get an additional $1,644 a month through her father by providing her father’s care she was shocked. She was also extremely grateful and ended up sobbing into tears over the phone when she found out about the benefit and realized it would help her keep her home and her father may probably get a check for her retroactive previous care from VA worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Example #2
Another recent caller’s mother is 89 years old and has been in assisted living for four years. As a widow of a veteran she did not qualify for the Aid & Attendance Pension 4 years ago because her assets were too high. In the meantime she has been using up her assets along with her income to pay for the assisted living. The local veterans service office has not been helpful in getting this claim approved even though she had reached the allowable asset limit over two years ago. The family was considering putting her in a less desirable facility under Medicaid. The family knew this would be devastating for their mother. Her health was still good and she had many friends and comforts at the assisted living.

The National Care Planning Council directed the caller and his family to a more cooperative veterans service office that will submit the claim and likely get it approved retroactively so that this woman can get a check for roughly $40,000 worth of previous care costs for which she was not reimbursed. In addition, she will likely get the full benefit of $1,056 a month to help pay the cost of the assisted living where she is happy.

These types of claims require medical evidence in order to receive a rating for aid and attendance or housebound allowances. These ratings must be received or certain non-medical expenses associated with long term care are not deductible from income. Special rules also allow for deducting the annual anticipated cost of month-to-month long term care from household income in order to meet the income test. This special treatment requires special documentation and evidence. In addition, those households with substantial assets will be denied for a Pension income unless those assets are below a certain level determined for each case by VA. The personal residence, personal vehicles and personal property are exempted from this asset test. Finally, evidence must be supplied every year in January that the anticipated costs for the previous year were actually incurred or VA will likely demand for its money back.
The National Care Planning Council has compiled the necessary forms, rules and information about claims together in one book titled “How to Apply for the Veterans Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit.”

This book contains information about how a typical applicant receives a successful pension award. VA often tells callers to go ahead and fill out the application but generally provides no information on the special treatment of annualization of anticipated recurring medical costs. The claims form also contains no information on this important issue. One simply has to know how to do it. This crucial information can make the difference between a successful award and being declined. All necessary forms for filing a claim are in the book.

Veterans who have substantial assets may need to do some estate planning and realigning of assets to qualify. An expert in this area should be sought to help with the application in order to avoid lengthy delays in awarding a benefit or a possible denial of benefits. For a list of individuals or companies in your area who understand how to get this benefit go to http://www.longtermcarelink.net/ref_veterans_consultants.htm

To learn more about this benefit go to http://www.veteransaidbenefit.org/

Published: August 31, 2007

Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke. As you imagine or remember this sensation do you find yourself wondering if it is morning or night? Are you trying to remember where you are? Do you have a startle reaction and think for a moment that you are late for work or forgot to pick up your children at school? I have had that upsetting feeling if I wake up in the middle of the night or even after a nap. Now imagine that same fog every moment of your life…

So many care givers find themselves frustrated with an Alzheimer’s sufferer. They may say things like “He just doesn’t seem to care if I am with him or not” or “He doesn’t enjoy doing anything any more.” I know that it is so hard to accept the changes in your loved one and know that this is going to be your reality. If you can remind yourself that the behaviors are organic it will help. The plaque is building up and spreading over the surface of the brain just as a grassfire moves across a dry field. As it covers more areas your loved falls deeper into that fog. Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t show up like a broken one or a surgical scar but the effects are just as real.

When the things they say or do cause you to feel angry or sad do you best to remember that it is the disease…not your loved one. That’s when it is time for some care giver TLC.

Care giver burnout is a very real occurrence. If you are caring for someone you must include your own needs each day. Your health may decline at a faster rate than the person you are caring for if your dietary, emotional and physical needs are not met. Skipping your checkups with Dr.s is not an option.

You may be asking “How am I supposed to do all of this all by myself?” The answer is simple. You can’t do it all alone. The first step to healthy care giving is accepting the fact that you have limitations. Every human being does. You can only stay awake, maintain your health and keep up with the demands for a limited amount of time. When you reach your limit you may find yourself suffering from care giver burnout. You may have trouble concentrating, experience nervous tension, and you may find it difficult to fight off resentment toward your loved one or others in your family that you feel should be assisting you.

Reach out. Call upon your family, friends, church and community organizations. Your local hospitals will have information regarding community resources. This information can usually be found by contacting the Social Services Department. Another good resource is the Alzheimer’s Association. By taking care of your health you will, in turn be a better care giver.

Deborah Uetz

Author of Into the Mist, When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s Disease

Deborah Uetz
Author of Into the Mist, When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s Disease website http://www.intothemist.us

Published: June 22, 2007

It’s not a surprise that thousands of families across the nation are facing the challlenges of an aging population. The “sandwich” generation, those who are caring for their children as well as their parents, have been feeling the financial pinch of caring for loved ones. Paying the high cost of Elder Care can cost a family thousands of dollars a month. Too many families are unaware of how utilizing a loved one’s life insurance policy can not only pay for Assisted Living and Nursing Home care, but can maintain the standards of living for the remaining spouse.

Not too many financial specialist inform their clients who have purchased life insurance policies with a death benefit over $250,000 that they can utilize a somewhat unknown option on their life insurance to pay for the high cost of Elder Care. It is called a Life Settlement and it can fully take the financial burden off of families who struggle to keep their loved one in a quality facility.

A policy owner has the right to sell his or her life insurance policy to an institution for signifantly more than the cash value of the policy. For example, a life insurance policy with a $500,000 death benefit and a $75,000 cash value can be purchased for $250,000 and up. This money can be used now to pay for assisted living, nursing homes as well as in home services also. The procedure is relatively quick with minimal paperwork. It is senseless to struggle financially to pay for the needs of elderly loved ones when they can utilize their life insurance policy to pay for care. Many, many times life insurance policies lapse when a loved one goes into assisted living or a nursing home just out of financial neccessity as well as through medicaid planning.

Instead of letting a policy lapse or into surrendership, smart families are looking into life settlements as a funding source for the high expense of Elder Care.

Chuck Bongiovanni, M.S.W. has been helping seniors and their fanmilies for over 20 years in the assisted living industry. Chuck can help your family investigate your options for paying for Elder Care through a Life Settlement. You can go to his website at http://www.LifeTransitionsOnline.com or call him directly at 480-703-7005.

Number one on the list for senior safety and fall prevention is a recliner lift chair. Lounging in a recliner can be very comfortable for seniors. But these big chairs are typically very difficult to get out of and even sit down into. If the senior has a lift recliner that can be very helpful and help ensure their safety.

A lift recliner has the ability to raise and tilt to a position where the senior can get in and out of the chair in a standing position. These chairs are electronically operated by a simple hand control. They come in different versions all with different degrees of recline.

Another helpful tool for seniors that will help prevent slip and fall accidents is a walker with wheels. This is also called a rollator.

As a person ages it is a cane that is the first tool to be used for stability when walking. Then as mobility and balance decline further there is a need for a walker. The traditional walker can be a little challenging to use as it must be lifted slightly with each step. A rollator has wheels. Some versions have wheels on all four legs, others have wheels on just one set of the legs.

Some versions of this helpful tool also have hand brakes for added safety. Many also come with a seat so if the user gets tired they can easily sit down for a quick rest.

A stair chair or stair lift can also be a very helpful item that will aid a senior with mobility challenges. Stairs can be especially difficult for an elderly person to manage and that can be a very dangerous place for a fall to occur. A stair lift is built like a chair and it is attached to a rail and transports the senior, in a sitting position, up and down the stairs.

The stair lift is easy to use and can be operated with a simple rocker switch on most versions. For added safety many also come with a seat belt so the user doesn’t have to worry about falling out of the chair.

Many slip and fall accidents occur in the bathroom and that can be a very hazardous place for the elderly. Most everyone knows that there should be railings put in place in showers baths and around toilet areas. But another important tool for seniors in this area of the home is a bath lift.

If the senior has trouble raising and lowering themselves into a bath that is exactly what a bath lift will do for them. Most bath lifts are plastic, though some are inflatable. They are powered by rechargeable battery systems and they are safe to use around the water.

These are all senior safety tools that can be a big help for seniors and keep them falling. If you would like to learn more about the very popular lift recliners you can go here to: Electric Lift Chair. Also, here is where you can go for a great selection in the very popular Recliner Lift Chairs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_S_Myers

In almost all cases, there are going to be reasons that your loved one may not want to consider the option of in-home health care. Therefore, it is important before relying on home care Durham NC to provide part or full responsibilities for the patients care to listen to your loved one’s concerns. Take time to note what they may be worried about and go over these during interviews while searching for just the right care service.

One of the first arguments you may hear is that your loved one doesn’t believe they need help. So, in these cases while discussing senior care Chapel Hill NC that you let your loved one know having outside help is more for your peace of mind- which in almost all situations is the reason for seeking care. Taking care of our loved ones isn’t about physically being there 24/7 but knowing that when we can’t be there someone competent and committed to their wellbeing will be but without taking away their feelings of independence.

Home care not only provides in-home medical care but can also take on some of the errands outside of the home, if the recovering loved one is a bit apprehensive about a new person in the house. As the care worker becomes more familiar to the loved one, trust and friendship is gained and can facilitate a working relationship that benefits both the patient and the family.

While recovering at home, most physicians strongly suggest that the family employ outside assistance. Therefore, if there may be other reasons that the patient balks at this kind of service, the family can simply counter that argument with the physician’s release orders from the hospital. Usually this will end the resistance and facilitate the transition from hospital to home care, in Durham, Clayton, or Chapel Hill NC.

At one time or another, most families will face taking care of a loved one, whether that be during recovery or for end of life care. And there are no easy answers or ways to ease all the burdens placed on those family members. These people are trained in medical or physical care as well as dealing with the inevitable emotional strains. The one saving grace is that there are people trained and ready to take some of the responsibilities from the family and allow everyone to be more at ease with the situation. Today, with these advances in care, many families are able to care for loved ones at home, where both the patient and the family are most at ease.

Written by Jenny Heart. Quality home care Durham NC: Receive senior care Chapel Hill NC, alzheimer’s and elder care through home care Chapel Hill NC, Clayton, Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Heart

Which sounds better? Let’s go, Dad. We need to get you dressed for day care. Or Hey, Dad let’s get you ready. The guys at the club are waiting!

If your Alzheimer’s afflicted dad is dragging his feet about going to adult day services and you need to get to work, which do you think would be more effective? It’s pretty obvious that the more respectful, dignified question would get the best response.

Whether called adult day services, adult day care, the club or volunteer work,- whatever seems right for the sake of the specific elder – these services have been a well-kept secret for years. Far too many people don’t realize they have this care option.

Just for the record, I try to stay away from the day care term, because there is a certain stigma of childhood that goes with it. I am a proponent of treating elders with dignity – no matter how child like they may have become. So, I prefer the term adult day services. Variable terminology aside, adult day services can be extremely helpful. When an elder is in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s, probably able to live at home with some care, but at risk for wandering or leaving a stove turned on if left alone for long periods, adult day services can be a life saver, literally.

Many people will try in-home care for awhile. They will hire an agency to bathe and dress the elder, but then what? What does the elder do all day? Day services can be a good option, at least a few days a week, as the elder gets out and is able to socialize with peers.

In cases where one spouse is healthy but can’t care for the other spouse day and night, or when the well spouse just needs time off, day services can be an option. It can also work well if the elder with Alzheimer’s disease lives with adult children. In most homes, both adults must work. Often there are children of varying ages involved, as well. When everyone must go to school or work, who looks after the elder? Day services can fill the gap.

Many adult services have a handicapped accessible bus that will pick up the elder. There should be someone on the bus trained to work with the elder and who can become a familiar face. Other times, you may have to drop the elder off, or maybe that just works better for your elder. Generally there are choices. Day services provide social stimulation for the elder, as well as activities and safety. Many have a nurse on call or on the premises, to administer medications.

By Carol Bradley Bursack

To learn more about Adult Day Services in Indianapolis and to locate the best providers for your loved one visit Aging Avenues.com or call 317-731-3315.

If your elderly loved one needs special care and attention, you may consider a nursing home. Unfortunately, it’s a shocking reality that nursing home abuse and neglect has become commonplace.

Assessing Nursing Home Safety

A thorough investigation of the facility you are considering is crucial. Asking the right questions and closely observing the facility you are considering can go a long way in preventing nursing home abuse. Ask these questions as you tour the facility:

· Are the nursing home and its current administrator licensed?

· Does the nursing home conduct background checks on all staff?

· How thorough are the background checks?

· Does the nursing home provide special services units for residents with special needs?

· Does the nursing home require abuse prevention training for its employees?

How Common is Nursing Home Abuse?

For the most part, nursing homes and other facilities that care for our elderly do an excellent job in meeting standards of compassionate care in a safe, efficient and sanitary environment. Rather than punishing the entire industry with additional laws that will increase costs, tougher standards imposed on those facilities that blatantly violate the law are needed. However, the facts remain that nursing home abuse continues to rise, with incidents in the thousands.

Congress found that that over 30 % of U.S. nursing homes were cited for abuse violations between January 1999 and January 2001. Over 2,500 of those violations were severe enough to cause serious injury or death. Since the time of that study, the nursing home industry has attempted to reform its policies and procedures to accommodate more thorough background checks of its employees, but is continually hampered by low budgets and high operating costs.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home abuse and neglect can come in many forms, including:

· Bedsores

· Malnutrition

· Failure to thrive

· Physical abuse

· Mental abuse

· Sexual abuse

· Loss of personal hygiene

· Unusual depression

· Unexplained bruises, cuts or broken bones

Taking Every Report Seriously

Sometimes, because of the frail mental condition of the elderly individual, staff and family members disregard their reports of abuse. Investigators believe most cases are never reported. It is our job to protect the victims of abuse and bring the abusers to justice. If your loved one reports nursing home abuse, take the time to listen and investigate.

About the Author

Consult with a qualified nursing home abuse attorney, like Craig Goldenfarb in West Palm Beach, Florida, to understand your rights and your loved one’s rights and to pursue your case according to the law.

(ArticlesBase SC #564515)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Nursing Home Abuse

It turns out that brain fitness exercises work in at least three ways, depending on the kind of exercise we are doing, a thinking exercise or a physical exercise, or a computerized training.

Exercize could mean running or lifting weights or practicing one of the new brain exercise programs or monitoring and changing cognitions, which is what Dr. Judith Beck has shown to be effective in her diet solution plan.

The physical exercise of running or lifting weights encourages neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells.

The cognitive behavioral exerises that Dr. Beck used have been shown to reduce activation in the fear center of the brain, called the amydala.

Her work was done using fMRI or functional magetic resonance imaging to observe differing levels of activation in folks suffering from a spider phobia.

The activation in the amygdala after a regimen of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT was much reduced.

In other words, folks did not experience as intense a fear response to spiders as they had prior to the CBT training

The computerized brain fitness programs have been shown, depending on which research you are looking at,to improve memory and processing speed in Senior Citizens (IMPACT study) and IQ in folks using a different program.

Another program has been endorsed by educators, and another adopted by a major university basketball team, with their team in the NCAA final four last year.

The work of Buschkall and Jaegge using the dual n back task has indicated that IQ can be improved, and that there may be no upper limit to what can be done in that regard. More training increases your scores.

Of course, high IQ does not translate into fame and fortune, or even successful relationships. Just a cautionary note for the needy.

Physical exercise has an excellent positive impact on the brain.

Since the brain is the organ which needs the most food and blood, any exercise which increases blood flow will have a positive impact on the brain.

Recently I read that exercise is the best antidote that exists to the issue of insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes.

That is just one of a plethora of benefits that lifting weights or running or walking will have on your brain.

Just to remind everyone that the current recommendations state that you either engage in: a) 30 minutes/day of moderate intensity 5 or more days of the week; or b) 30 minutes per day of high intensity interval training for at least three days of the week.

A general guideling that people can adhere to is that moderate exercise can get you breathing heavy enough that you can still talk but not sing. High intensity would make a conversation a little difficult.

I have been trying out some HIIT workouts at home, using home made tools, except for an exercise ball, and they do make you breathless, but are not complicated. If you can walk up and down stairs, do push-ups, and or crunches, or walk in your neighborhood, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits of physical exercise, including increased neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells.

Hopefully you are encouraged to work at whatever level you are comfortable with in order to benefit your brain with physical exercise or cognitive exercise or computerized brain fitness exercises.

About the Author

Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. http://www.askmikethecounselor2.com

(ArticlesBase SC #833750)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Discover How Brain Fitness Exercizes Work

The two important types of age related macular degeneration are wet AMD and dry AMD. The forms can attack any one or both of the eyes. A patient diagnosed for dry AMD can later develop wet AMD.

Wet AMD: This type of age-related macular degeneration is caused by the abnormal growth of blood vessels behind the retina. This happens when the membrane underlying the retina breaks and disrupts the oxygen supply to the macula. The new blood vessels, which are very delicate, grow under the macula and often rupture easily leaking fluids and blood. This leaking alters the position of macula and causes scarring. Wet AMD occurs suddenly resulting in the loss of central vision.

Distorted vision and straight line appearing wavy are the initial symptoms of wet AMD. This is the most severe form of AMD and immediate professional advice should be taken.

Of all age-related macular degeneration cases, only 10% is due to wet AMD but it causes the maximum damage and can lead to blindness. If detected early, laser treatment can be effective in stopping the leak of the blood vessels causing wet AMD.

Dry AMD: Macula is made of light-sensitive cells and the breaking down of these cells leads to dry AMD. This type of age-related macular degeneration appears slowly and leads to the blurring of central vision. Of the two types, dry AMD occurs most commonly and is also known as atrophic AMD as it is caused by the death of the cells in macula.

Symptoms include slightly blurred vision, unable to recognize faces, unable to do simple tasks such as reading in normal light and require more light. An early sign of dry AMD is the yellow deposits, known as drusen, under the retina which can only be recognized by an ophthalmologist during an eye exam. Increase in size and number of drusen worsens dry AMD. Thinning of the macula is another symptom.

In the initial stages, dry AMD will go unrecognized as it can only be found by a detailed examination. Most people realize dry AMD during a later stage, when they need more light to do simple day-to-day activities like reading. A blurred spot in the center of vision is also seen by some people. It is wise to take professional advice during this stage.

In the advanced stage their will be a total breakup in vision with only peripheral vision seen clearly. This is mainly due to the increase in the size and number of drusen. Patients also lose color perception and recognizing faces becomes difficult in this stage. One of the major problems with dry AMD is that it impairs a single eye and since the other eye functions smoothly the problem goes unnoticed. Most people recognize the problem only when both of the eyes are affected.

Taking an active role in eye protection is very much necessary. While having an appointment with an ophthalmologist, clear all your doubts. The amount of literature available on eye diseases is huge and most of them can be downloaded from the Internet. Talk to your friends and relatives about your condition, they might offer helpful tips.

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