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Analyn Sanders grew up in the Phillipines and came to Central Texas when she married Mr. Sanders from Valley Mills and immigrated in October 2002. Even though she had earned her BA in Accounting from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in 1991, she was encouraged to enroll in the CNA class at LSM by Ms. Seay, a former LSM nurse. She began her career in healthcare in 2003.

Over the last twenty years, Analyn has served our residents as a CNA, but she wears many hats.Recently, she has also been promoted to central supply manager and nursing scheduler.

Analyn has a deep passion for working with older adults. “It’s like taking care of family. In the Philippines, we take care of our own,” she said. “There are no nursing homes in the Philippines. I love helping these people, and I consider them my grandparents.”

In addition to her dedication to our residents, Analyn lists unannounced appreciation benefits, the religious aspect of the ministry, beautiful facilities and appreciation received from the administration as other reasons that she stays at LSM.

In her free time, Analyn loves gardening, cooking for family and friends, and organizing and making places tidy – which she has done to our Central Supply Room, seen in the photo above.

We are grateful for Analyn and her work at LSM!

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On a lovely Friday in March, we headed across the street to the Bosque Art Center for our 7th annual LSM Resident Art Show! After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the resident-favorite event made a triumphant return with a great turnout, food and some beautiful art.

Out of the 12 entries, ranging from animals to flowers to a lighthouse and even a margarita, Patsy Parrish’s piece was awarded the People’s Choice Award.

“Our activities team did a great job with this event,” said LSM President Rodney Rueter. “It’s a highlight for residents and staff, and we’re so glad we got to have it this year to celebrate our talented residents!”

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As COVID spread in 2020, the call was put out to former nurses: we need your help. One of the many retired nurses who heeded this call was Nicki Foxx.

“The governor said come on, so I did!” she said.

Nicki and her husband have lived in Clifton for three years, coming to central Texas from Las Vegas. A former coworker convinced her to make the move, and it was a perfect fit. 

As a longtime nurse who had worked in many roles, including obstetrics for more than 25 years, Nicki knew her fellow nurses were struggling. 

“I just wanted to be around my peers and wanted to be in the situation where I could talk to people and be involved,” she said. 

She wanted to be in the trenches with them, so she got her license back at 81.

“[LSM] saw my age and didn’t have any preconceived ideas. They might have thought I wanted a room,” she joked. “It’s good. It’s been kind of my salvation to come here. This is a nice place to work. I really love it. I love the people – the people are really good.”

Working in a nursing home for the first time during a pandemic was an unusual experience for Nicki, especially when Sunset was operating under strict protocols.

“The first day when the residents were able to gather and a couple came in and played music, everyone was so excited and it made me cry,” she said. “It was a side of the place I hadn’t seen. It was a big deal to me.”

She’s really connected with the residents and had many moments where she’s been glad she was there since she has a perspective that a younger person may not understand. Now, even though the COVID storm has calmed, Nicki still shows up at work every day with a smile on her face.

“I worked on the floor for six months until I was passing pills using a walker,” she says with a laugh. Now, Nicki has taken on a different role working with medical records. “I love coming to work. And truthfully, I know there’s a time when I won’t be able to come, and I will cry when I have to leave.”

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Our Sunset Home activities team created an incredible photo project of our residents’ hands holding something special to them — a Bible, paintbrushes, an American flag, a bingo card — you name it!

For Grandparent’s Day, these photos were displayed in our halls so everyone could see them, but these photos aren’t just meant for us to enjoy. These photos have proved to be meaningful for those our residents care about the most: their family.

“For the residents it is a special gift to give to loved ones and for the families it is a gift to have for a lifetime,” said Activities Director Amy Arthur. “Consider all those hands have done throughout our lives!”

Jamie Jones-Middleton, grandaughter of longtime nurse and Sunset resident Faye Wallace, let us know how much the photo of her grandmother holding a stethoscope meant to her family, especially after she passed.

“Y’all have no idea how much that means to all of us. That photo is priceless. There aren’t enough words. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

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Adobe

What the latest research says about the burgeoning science, and selling, of longer, healthier life.

By Rashelle Brown (provided by Next Avenue)

Aches and pains. A growing waistline. Diminishing eyesight, hearing loss, memory lapses. These are the woes of growing older for some people, once considered inevitable. But recent, exciting discoveries in the fast-growing field of longevity science have some doctors and researchers pronouncing that these “symptoms” of aging may one day be treatable with pharmaceuticals, gene therapies or other yet-to-be-discovered medical technologies.

Many people haven’t been content to wait, though. Dozens of commercial producers are selling hundreds of so-called longevity supplements right now, and sales data suggest an awful lot of people are trying them. But do they work? Are they even safe?

To find out, we scoured the latest research and interviewed two top scientists in the field. What we learned suggests that you may want to hold off on ordering a supply, or at least do your research very carefully.

Why All the Fuss?

There is a solid handful of compounds that look very promising in the scientific quest to slow the aging process. One of the most exciting is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, which has been shown to extend both the lifespans and youthful function of yeast and animals in clinical trials. Human trials are ongoing, with only a handful published to date.

NAD (also often written as NAD+) is a substance found in every cell in your body, which controls all kinds of metabolic processes, including the regulation of sirtuins, the so-called “longevity genes.” As you age, your NAD+ levels decline, and scientists think it is perhaps this decline that leads to all sorts of other age-related declines.

The working theory, then, is that if we can boost our NAD+ levels as we age, we can slow our decline tremendously. Lab studies on yeast and rodents lend strong support to that theory. The most recent studies have primarily involved the administration of either nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is then converted into NAD in the body.

“At the end of the day, we just need more knowledge, through more research.”

To learn more about NAD, Next Avenue talked to Dr. Shin-Ichiro Imai, professor of developmental biology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Along with Leonard Guarente, Imai discovered the link between NAD and sirtuin control in 1999. He’s been studying the molecule ever since.

Are NAD-boosters Safe?

“There have been ten human clinical trials using NR, most at very high dose, with no safety issues,” Imai said. Most of those trials, however, lasted for a duration of weeks or months at most.

Is it safe to take NAD-boosting supplements continuously, for years?

“NMN and NR have already been available in Japan and the U.S. since 2015, and some people have been taking it since then,” Imai noted. “Anecdotally, I haven’t heard of any side effects from the taking of these supplements.”

Some trials, however, have recorded mild side effects including headaches, nausea, diarrhea and skin flushing.

More troubling, however, is the conclusion of a 2019 study that showed a possible link between elevated levels of NAD and tumor growth in isolated cells and animals. Rugang Zhang, deputy director at the nonprofit Wistar Institute Cancer Center in Philadelphia, was the lead researcher on that study. The study, published in the UK journal “Nature Cell Biology,” did not find that NAD causes cancer, rather that elevated levels appeared to accelerate oncogenesis (tumor formation) already in motion.

“We don’t want to oversell the results of our study,” Zhang said. “Lots of studies in the literature have clearly demonstrated that as normal cells age, there is lower NAD. So, supplementing NAD could be beneficial. It’s possible that NAD boosters could help people live longer and healthier. We’re not saying that if people take NAD boosters they will get cancer. This was a very early study on mouse models, and more study is needed.”

He suggests a course of action grounded in a deep preponderance of evidence: “At the end of the day, we just need more knowledge, through more research. We need the scientific community to come to a consensus. The risk to potential benefit remains to be seen.”

“I didn’t think it helped at all.”

Mucking up the risk/benefit ratio further is the fact that supplements are only very lightly regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the testing, evaluation and labeling of such products left up to manufacturers. This presents another dilemma for those considering longevity supplements: there’s no sure way of knowing exactly what you’re getting.

What’s Really in That Bottle?

The results of the few published human clinical trials to date unequivocally show that taking NR boosts levels of NAD in the body. But apparently, more NAD doesn’t translate to more youthful function.

“Unfortunately, those studies have not yet shown any significant efficacy,” Imai said.

And that’s when the substance administered is of lab-grade purity. So what about the typical supplements available online?

“There are so many products out there,” Imai lamented, “particularly for NMN, but I’m concerned about the quality.”

Indeed, a 2020 meta-analysis of NAD trials surmised: “it seems likely that side effects linked to interventions that target NAD metabolism more likely arise from impurities rather than the supplements themselves, since this industry generally operates without rigorous control of quality and standardization.”

Imai’s lab has evaluated a number of commercially available NAD-boosting supplements, but found only two of lab-grade purity. Imai wouldn’t disclose the names of the products (both Japanese-made), as he doesn’t endorse supplements. But he did note that “they are extremely expensive.”

Finally, we asked someone who’d taken an NAD-booster to share her experience. Kim Oberdorfer, an air traffic controller in Oakland, Calif., wasn’t impressed.

“I took [a popular NR supplement] for about two months and it just gave me these dull headaches. I was having hot flashes last February, and when I told my sister — I’m forty-seven, she’s fifty-three — about how horrified I was to be having them so young, she goes, ‘Are you sure it’s not just a reaction to an NAD supplement?” said Oberdorfer. “At the time I wasn’t really working out much, but my sleep schedule was really messed up and I heard it was good for that as well. I didn’t think it helped at all.”

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Why the pandemic is an opportunity to recognize their strength as a resource in waiting.

By Paul Irving, a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging.

It has been a year of living dangerously for older adults, and it appears far from over. Vaccines are coming to the rescue, but COVID-19 still rages, and the waiting is hard.

From the first days of the pandemic, older people — particularly those with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease — have been at high risk, much more likely to end up in intensive care and to die than their younger and healthier counterparts.

Isolation has weighed heavily. With their vulnerability to the coronavirus, social distancing has been a critical safety measure for older people. But it has separated them from friends and colleagues, children and grandchildren. As health experts know, that isolation endangers physical and mental health.

Rough Times for Older Adults in the Pandemic

The pandemic has also jeopardized the financial security of many older people. Workers over 55 have been disproportionately impacted, and millions have been pushed out of the labor force, according to The New School’s Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA).

Many job losses will be permanent, leaving people little time to recover. “Four million people potentially pushed into retirement before they are ready will increase old-age poverty and exacerbate the recession,” SCEPA researchers have warned.

Deep social and economic gaps have been exposed this year. Older women (particularly those of color) often work in physically risky environments, such as hospitals and nursing homes, and in the service businesses most susceptible to the economic ravages of the virus.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, COVID-19 has given oxygen to a range of ageist tropes.

The health crisis has exposed an information crisis as well. Many older people lack access to the digital technologies and skills that are expected in a time of virtual meetings, distance learning, telehealth and on-line shopping.

While there is hope for policy intervention, months of government gridlock and seeming inability to address immediate needs has been distressing. Over the longer term, income inequality, high levels of public debt, a weakened economy and other factors exacerbated by the pandemic imperil the services and health and pension safety nets that so many older people rely on.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, COVID-19 has given oxygen to a range of ageist tropes. Widely shared social media posts suggest that if it was not for old people, the impacts of the virus would have been minimal. Negative stereotypes of older individuals as frail and dependent are being reinforced.

Proponents of “focused prevention” to achieve herd immunity have argued that life can return to normal if young people are exposed to the virus and those who are old and vulnerable are locked down and quarantined from the rest.

After years of progress in making the case that older adults are a valuable resource with roles to play and contributions to make, COVID-19 has done its damage, and the news can be dispiriting.

The Resilience of Elders

Yes, risk might be the word that comes to mind today when one thinks about aging and older people. But that misses what many of us know. The word that should come to mind is resilience. The evidence can sweep away the misplaced notion that older adults are nothing more than a liability and an inconvenience.

Even in the midst of a pandemic, older adults are supporting companies, communities and families. They are innovating, providing care and paying taxes.

AARP’s reporting on the longevity economy underscores the power of older workers and consumers.

As Richard Eisenberg wrote about Next Avenue Influencer in Aging Jean Accius and his AARP report on The Longevity Economy, AARP determined that the nation’s 117 million people who are 50+ contributed $8.3 trillion in economic activity in 2018 and another estimated $745 billion in unpaid benefits. If the U.S. 50+ population was its own country, AARP said, its Gross Domestic Product would be the world’s third largest, after America and China.

Older volunteers remain a central resource in communities and direct service organizations. When state and local officials put out calls this year for retired doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to help, thousands responded.

How can we make sense of these uplifting realities at a time when older people face such daunting health risks?

A Look at Older and Younger People in COVID-19

Experts believe that older adults are at least as resilient as young people. The coping skills, experience and wisdom gained over the years seem to protect them, providing stability in times of adversity. They maintain more positive outlooks and generally seem to be weathering the pandemic storm relatively well. University of California, San Diego researchers determined that despite declines in physical and cognitive functioning, mental health actually seems to improve over time.

A 2020 Stanford University survey of Americans between ages 18 and 76 found that aging is associated with greater emotional well-being, even in the face of prolonged stress. And a University of Georgia study determined this year that the people 71 and above seemed to be handling stress much better than younger participants.

Edward Jones and Age Wave recently surveyed 9,000 people across five generations. The older respondents reported the highest percentages of coping “very well” in the pandemic.

Older adults remain a significantly under-utilized resource, and this might be the time to change that.

Older adults have experienced pain before — the shocks and disappointments that come over the years, the failures and rejections that have made them stronger. They have rebounded from setbacks and overcome hardships, and they know loss.

When all are struggling to survive and thrive during this difficult time, the research tells a very different story about the resilience of age. Just as important, it reveals pathways to healing that offer hope.

Despite their known contributions, older adults remain a significantly under-utilized resource, and this might be the time to change that. Their resilience — their wisdom and perspective — can be put to good use.

Even when the pandemic subsides and we are left to confront the damage in its wake, older people can be called on to help younger people who are struggling in very significant numbers. Intergenerational bonds and mentoring programs can help with the stresses of this extraordinary time. Connections and conversations can promote well-being.

The coping methods and support systems that older adults have developed over years of living can be shared — generation to generation.

Rather than seeing older people as a burden, this is an opportunity to recognize their age as an asset and a source of strength. In this year of living dangerously, many older Americans stand at the ready, wanting to help and waiting to be asked, a resilient resource in waiting in a time of need.

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Candid reflections on cancer, family, his role on “Jeopardy!” and finding peace.

By Richard Harris. Provided by Next Avenue.

 

Credit: Jeopardy! Productions Alex Trebek:  The Answer is… Reflections on My Life is not your typical autobiography or standard memoir. Rather, it’s what the 79-year-old Jeopardy! host calls “a series of quick look-ins, revelations.” Trebek has been a public figure for most of his professional life. But since he moved to Southern California from Canada in 1973, he has not lived the “see and be seen” Hollywood celebrity life. Late last year, Trebek openly questioned whether he should have disclosed that he was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in March 2019. “There are moments when I regret going public with it, because there’s a little too much of Alex out there right now. It does place a responsibility on me that I feel I’m not deserving of,” he said. Trebek last recorded fresh episodes of Jeopardy! in March when the pandemic shut down production. Still in treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer, he managed to record show opens a few weeks ago at his home for some special Jeopardy! broadcasts airing this month and next. But because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no telling when tapings for the 37th season of Jeopardy! will begin. The New York Times reported that if the current course of his cancer treatment fails, Trebek plans to stop treatment. “There comes a time when you have to make a decision as to whether you want to continue with such a low quality of life, or whether you want to just ease yourself into the next level. It doesn’t bother me in the least,” he said. The following are excerpts from Trebek’s new book: On Why He’s Never Written an Autobiography or Memoir Until Now My life was not particularly exciting. I’m the typical product of my generation: a hardworking breadwinner who looks after his family; does all the repairs he can around the house; enjoys watching television and thinks a simple dinner of fried chicken, broccoli and rice is just fine, thank you very much. I’ve shown up to work at the same job for thirty-six years and have lived in the same house for thirty years. I respect and like my colleagues, and have a family that I dearly love. I have never seen myself as anything special. That’s why if you listen to Johnny Gilbert’s announcement at the opening of Jeopardy!, I’m introduced as “the host” rather than “the star.” I insisted on that when I took the job back in 1984. But then early in 2019, all of that changed when I was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. On Toughness Following His Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis I have become in many ways the de facto spokesperson for pancreatic cancer; there are a lot of expectations. I feel a lot of pressure to always be tough — to be stoic and show a stiff upper lip. But I’m a goddamn wuss. I start to cry for no reason at all. I have no idea what sets it off, and it embarrasses me. The thought that I don’t measure up compared to people’s expectations is difficult. Not long ago, when I was going through a significant bout of depression, I called my doctor and expressed my concern about not being strong enough. “No, no, no,” he said, trying to reassure me. “You’re a great survivor. You’ve helped a lot of people. You don’t know how many people whose lives you have saved just by being out there, speaking out about the disease, what it does to you and how to maintain a more positive attitude.” “I don’t think the will to survive is a constant. I think there are moments — and there are certainly moments in my life — when that will to survive disappears and I’m ready to pack it in.” Interestingly, the longer I’ve lived with the cancer, the more my definition of  toughness has changed. I used to think not crying meant you were tough. Now I think crying means you’re tough. It means you’re strong enough to be honest and vulnerable. It means you’re not pretending. And not pretending, being willing to let your guard down and show people how you truly feel and admit that you’re a wuss, is one of the toughest things a person can do. It’s also one of the most helpful things a person can do. It demonstrates an interest in developing an understanding. It demonstrates a caring. Because you have to figure there are some people out there who are going through the same stuff. On the Will to Survive I don’t think the will to survive is a constant. I think there are moments — and there are certainly moments in my life — when that will to survive disappears and I’m ready to pack it in. Because understand that death is part of life. And I’ve lived a long life. If I were in my twenties with years ahead of me, I might feel differently. But when you’re about to turn eighty, it’s not like you’re missing out on a great many things. I don’t have much stamina anymore. It’s not even a question of physical activity that tires me out. Just being awake is enough to exhaust me. Some days are better than others. I had a couple of good days, then yesterday didn’t go so well. Today is fair. Just pain and fatigue and, well, different kinds of agony. Each day brings a new set of challenges. I don’t like to use the terms “battling” or “fighting” when talking about cancer. It suggests that there are only two outcomes: “winning” and “losing.” That’s nonsense. I understand why we human beings choose to see cancer in these terms. It’s easier to comprehend and less scary if we see the experience as a boxing match and the disease as an opponent who might be subdued by sheer force of will and determination. However, cancer doesn’t get demoralized. It doesn’t require a pep talk from its trainer between rounds. It is a fight, that’s true. There are days when I feel like Mike Tyson just dropped to the canvas by a Buster Douglas uppercut. But it is by no means a fair fight. Not even close. It is simple biology. You get treatment and you get better. Or you don’t. And neither outcome is an indication of your strength as a person. Yet I still believe in the will to live. I believe in positivity. I believe in optimism. I believe in hope, and I certainly believe in the power of prayer. On Retirement For years, studio audiences have asked me, “Have you ever thought about retiring?” And I’ll respond, “Yes, I’ve thought about it. Why? Do you know something I don’t?” Or they’ll ask, “How do you motivate yourself to do the same job year after year?” And I’ll respond, “They pay me very well.” One of the elements of my personality has always been — and I’m keenly aware of this — that if something was that important to me, that much of a driving force, then I would do something about it. The fact that I have not done something about changing my job is an indication that maybe I’m pretty satisfied, pretty content with where I am. It’s not hard to be content with being the thirty-six-year host of Jeopardy! You get a lot of respect. And, as I’ve discovered since the diagnosis revelation, you get a lot of love. There really is no downside to it. It’s not like I trudge to work every week and say, “Oh gosh, I’ve gotta do Jeopardy! again.” It invigorates me. “It’s not hard to be content with being the thirty-six-year host of ‘Jeopardy!’” No matter how I feel before the show, when I get out there it’s all forgotten because there’s a show to be done. Yet I know there will come a time when I won’t be able to answer that bell. I know there will come a time when I can no longer do my job as host — do it as well as the job demands, as well as I demand. Part of it is physical. Standing on your feet for eleven hours two days in  a row  is difficult for someone who’s  about to turn eighty, even without getting worn down by chemotherapy. My eyesight has also deteriorated over the years. It’s not as easy for me to read the clues. The chemo has caused sores inside my mouth that make it difficult for me to enunciate. One treatment also turned my skin dark brown, and the chemo, of course, caused my hair to fall out. But part of it is mental too. I’m the first to admit I’m not as sharp as I once was. I have more and more brain skips. What I call “senior moments.” And in this job, concentration is imperative. You can have those slip ups in casual conversation with friends. But you can’t get away with that as the host of Jeopardy! Whenever it gets to that point, I’ll walk away. And Jeopardy! will be just fine. There are other hosts out there who can do equally as good a job as me. I think Jeopardy! can go on forever. On Getting Your Affairs in Order — and Death I keep reading about people who have different kinds of cancer, and they see their doctor and say, “Well, what’s the prognosis?” And the doctor says, “I think you better get your affairs in order.” My doctor has not said that to me. He has told me he is there for me, no matter what my decision is. There are different decisions, of course. I could decide to begin a new chemotherapy protocol. I could decide to try a new immunotherapy. Or I could decide to go to hospice. The other day, I talked to my doctor for the very first time about this last option. He explained that hospice is basically there to make you comfortable on your way to the end. They’re not there to administer health care, but palliative care. But when death happens, it happens. Why should I be afraid of it? Now, if it involves physical suffering, I might be afraid of that. But, according to my doctor, that’s what hospice is for. They want to make it as easy as it can possibly be for you to transition into whatever future you happen to believe in. Am I a believer? Well, I believe we are all part of the Great Soul — what some call God. We are God, and God is us. Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about that old  line they used to use in the military:  “No one’s an atheist in a foxhole.” If ever there was an opportunity to believe in God — a god — this might be a good one, Trebek, now that you’re on the verge. What have you got to lose? On Life My life has been a quest for knowledge and understanding, and I’m nowhere near having achieved that. And it doesn’t bother me in the least. I will die without having come  up with the  answer to many things in life. I’m often asked how I would like to be remembered. I don’t think about it much. “Yep, I’ll be perfectly content if that’s how my story ends: sitting on the swing with the woman I love, my soul mate, and our two wonderful children nearby.” But I suppose if I had to answer I would say I’d like to be remembered first of all as a good and loving husband and father, and also as a decent man who did his best to help people perform at their best. Because that was my job. That is what a host is supposed to do. You are there to make the contestants relax enough that they can demonstrate their skills. They are the stars of the show. They are the ones the viewers tuned in to see. And if you do that,  if you put the focus on the players rather than on yourself,  the viewers will look on you as a  good guy.  If that’s the way I’m remembered, I’m perfectly happy with that. With the coronavirus, [our family] can’t go out to eat, we can’t go out to public places, even the park next door has limited its use. Here I am wanting to enjoy what might be the last of my days, and, what, I’m supposed to just stay at home and sit in a chair and stare into space? Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad. Credit: Andrew Eccles   Except instead of a chair, I’ll sit on the swing out in the yard. That’s my favorite spot on the whole property. I used to do it with Mom. Just sit there and rock. No need to talk. It’s just very peaceful. I suppose the feeling I have sitting on that porch swing is similar to what people feel when they meditate, though I would never call it meditating. I just consider it goofing off, not doing anything. Yep, I’ll be perfectly content if that’s how my story ends: sitting on the swing with the woman I love, my soul mate, and our two wonderful children nearby. I’ll sit there for a while and then maybe the four of us will go for a walk,  each day trying to walk a little farther than the last.  We’ll take things one step at a time, one day at a time. In fact, I think I’ll go sit in the swing for a bit right now. The weather is beautiful — the sun is shining into a mild, mild looking sky, and there’s not a cloud in sight.

 

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