A New Font that Boosts Your Memory
Stephen Banham and his team created a new font to help people remember. Based at RMIT, a research university in Melbourne, the team named their font Sans Forgetica. “The font is based on the psychological principle of ‘desirable difficulty’ and improves memory retention by disrupting normal reading patterns… it also boosts people’s engagement with the words and leads to deeper cognitive processing.”
Thank you, Eric Riddle for sharing this with The Caregiver’s Voice.
The Butterfly Model of care is raising red flags for dementia experts.
According to CBC (Canadian) News, “The Butterfly Model developed by David Sheard has been adopted by more than 30 care homes worldwide, most of which are located in England.” While three homes in Canada are also adopting this model, researchers argue there’s no peer-reviewed scientific data that this model works. A reminder for all of us: Before you implement the newest initiative, perform your own due diligence. Keep in mind that even those with solid research are criticized until they achieve mainstream momentum.
Thank you, Ontario Dementia Advisory Group for your tag alerting me to this article on Facebook.
Two Herpes Viruses in Brains with Alzheimer’s Disease
While herpes (notably, HHV-6 and HHV-7) have not been found to cause Alzheimer’s, researchers believe these viruses interact with the genes that increase one’s chance of getting Alzheimer’s. Twice as many of these herpes viruses were found in the brain tissue of people who lived with Alzheimer’s.
Pros and Cons of Long-term Care Insurance
Dr. Amy Osmond Cook, executive director of the Association of Skilled Nursing Providers, offers a clear perspective of what long-term care insurance (LTCI) encompasses and offers three pros and cons well worth reviewing. While LTCI offers families an emotional and financial benefit, one downside is paying rising premiums while living on a fixed income.
Our Crisis of Heart
Psychologist, Jack Kornfield, trained as a Buddhist monk, gifts us with the important role compassion plays in the oft-suggested mindfulness. Research finds that both mindfulness and compassion have an anti-aging effect by lengthening our telomeres. “Neuroscience has shown that human beings are born with innate compassion and care for self and others. It also shows that human beings are born with survival circuits, which, when activated, operate from fear, aggression, selfishness, and hate. It’s up to us which one we let create our future.”
