Not only did a recent study suggest that antibiotics are overused for people with advanced dementia, it also reveals the importance to the senior living industry of having clear directions for end-life care. The Harvard-affiliated Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research in Boston conducted the study, an overview of which appeared in the Associated Press on Feb. 25. More than 200 people with advanced dementias were followed for 18 months or until their deaths. The study addresses ethical questions regarding when to withhold treatment and let people die in a time of the proliferation of drug-resistant superbugs. In doing so, it implicitly drives home the importance to the senior living industry of instituting policies for having unambiguous end-life care instructions from family members for their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

A recent article in The Birmingham News highlights the financial difficulties that can arise as a result of an Alzheimer’s or other memory impairment diagnosis. Businesses would do well to recognize that potential clients and their families might have concerns over financial vulnerability and address those worries accordingly.

An accidental discovery during brain surgery in Britain might help people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to an article in the Independent. A man’s memory was increased when electrodes were placed deep in the brain and electrical currents were applied. The purpose of the surgery was to diminish the patient’s appetite but the unintended results started scientists thinking that electrical stimulation of certain areas of the brain could improve memory. The theory is that an ongoing electrical stimulation similar to how a pacemaker works would help patients retain and recall memories. Three patients have been treated with this procedure and initial results are promising according to the story. Deep electrical brain stimulation for the treatment of various diseases is a relatively new procedure that has grown over the last ten years.