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Recently another new dementia drug has been found ineffective in clinical trials and some researchers are arguing for focusing on known risk factors now rather than waiting for that miracle drug.  Emphasizing lifestyle risks such as high blood pressure, hearing loss and smoking represents a radical change says Dr. Julio Rojas, a neurologist at UC-San Francisco.  “We are changing how we understand the way dementia develops.”

How does vision and hearing loss contribute to dementia?  Dr. Rojas explains “a neural system maintains its function through stimulation from sensory organs.”  Without that stimulation, neurons die and brain function is diminished.  Hearing and vision loss affect cognition by limiting older adults’ participation in physical and social activity.  When you quit reading, going to movies, taking walks, doing crossword puzzles or meeting friends for cards because you can’t see or hear well, you are losing hours of that necessary brain stimulation. 

The link between dementia and hearing loss is well established and the first line of defense is getting the correct type of hearing aid, a fairly expensive item, and not covered by Medicare.  As for vision issues,  Medicare will pay for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration, but will not pay for eye exams and glasses.  These are examples of policy changes that are needed for this new approach to preventing dementia by addressing modifiable lifestyle risks.

Admittedly, changing any given risk factor is going to affect a small percentage of people.  Researchers estimate that 1.8%, about 100,000 cases, could have been prevented through healthy vision, not a lot compared to the 6.5 million cases in the U.S. right now.  But small percentages add up to real reductions in the cost of health care.  More importantly, each case is a tragedy for an individual and changes the life of the caregiver, usually an unpaid family member, forever.

Look for future articles in the “Preventing Dementia” series to learn about risk factors such depression, physical inactivity, lack of education, obesity, diabetes, poor diet and low levels of social contact.

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This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park.  

https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/273/Seniors-In-the-Park

 More resources for patients and caregivers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/health/dementia-treatment-behavior-eye-care.html

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/dementia-risk-reduction-june-2022/

Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the city of Whitewater Public Works Department.

Chip sealing will be taking place on Caine Street, Clark Street and Gault Street Thursday, August 25. If the
weather does not allow for the work to be completed on Thursday, it will be completed on Friday, August 26.
No parking will be posted on these streets in order for the work to be completed. There will be minimal
inconvenience of a few minutes to the traveling public from the time the oil is sprayed on the street to the time
the chipped stones are placed. The project will be completed in one day. Sweeping of the loose stones will
occur within a few days of completion.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Per Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Anthony P. Hansen, 34, of 137 N. Cherry Street was charged in Walworth County Circuit Court on August 15 with five counts of sex assault of student by school staff, a class H felony, and two counts of child enticement – sexual contact, a class D felony.

As was reported in a previous Banner article, Hansen was arrested on July 22 by the Whitewater Police Department. His employment in the instructional technology department of the Whitewater Unified School District was terminated immediately by action of the school board on August 8.

Hansen was released on bond with conditions that include no contact with an alleged victim. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 19, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. The police department indicates that it does not release its reports until after the preliminary hearing.

As is noted on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, “This case has not been concluded. Unless a judgment of conviction is entered, the defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.”

The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) is looking for a person to be responsible for The Community/University Ministry Free Lunch program. The Coordinator will oversee the ordering of food and supplies as well as the menu planning, food preparation, serving and cleanup for the weekly free lunch. Volunteers will be available for help with this program. If you are interested please call FUMC at 262.473.2131 or stop by the church, 145 S Prairie Street, Whitewater for more information. The office is open Tuesday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. This is a paid position.

UW-Whitewater Children’s Center Earns National NAEYC Accreditation
Program recognized among the top in the nation by earning accreditation

UW-Whitewater Children’s Center, which serves families of UWW students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater Whitewater community, has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)—the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.

NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, UW-Whitewater Children’s Center went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years.

In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 6,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.

“NAEYC-Accredited programs have committed to a process that takes time, energy and dedication to complete” states Alissa Mwenelupembe, Senior Director Early Learning Program Accreditation. “UW-Whitewater Children’s Center has demonstrated their commitment to young children and their families.”

For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit the NAEYC website.
For more information about UW-Whitewater Children’s Center visit UW-Whitewater Children’s Center website.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the American Association of University Women Fort Atkinson.

In preparation for its annual book sale AAUW Fort Atkinson is now accepting book
donations from the public until September 3rd. Donations can be made on Mondays from 4:00 p.m. –
6:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Donations can be dropped off at the sorting station located in the Jones Dairy warehouse next to the
Fort Food Pantry. Turn West off Janesville Avenue at 7th Street, then left on Jones Avenue and follow the
signs. If you need assistance loading or someone to pick up the books, please call 920-309-2668. There
are no longer barrels at the local grocery stores.

Please limit donations to books in good condition. We do not accept encyclopedias, Readers Digest
Condensed Books, magazines, or textbooks more than 10 years old. Understand that if books do not
meet these guidelines they will be thrown away.

The 2022 AAUW book sale will be held September 16 and 17 at the Fort Atkinson Municipal Building,
North Water Street, West, entrance. The proceeds from this annual event fund academic scholarships
for local women.

AAUW has been advocating for girls and women in the classroom and the workplace for 141 years. For
65 years AAUW Fort Atkinson has been working at the local level to promote education and the
advancement of local girls and women through scholarship, grants, and educational programming. For
more information about AAUW Fort Atkinson, call Kathy Marr at 920-309-2668.

We appreciate the use of the image on the homepage by ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay.

“Harold and Maude”

Wednesday, August 24, 1 p.m.

(Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Rated PG; 1 hour, 31 minutes (1971). 

This dark comedy focuses on the relationship between a 20 year old man, obsessed with dying and death, and how his life is forever changed by meeting a lively, 79 year old woman very much alive and enjoying life. This film has become a cult classic. (A personal aside from Mark: I saw this film when I was 20. We still talk about it).