I NEVER PURCHASED long-term-care insurance, even though the personal finance magazine I wrote for in the 1990s often recommended it. To the magazine’s editors, it seemed like another logical step in retirement preparation. I had two reasons to decide against it, however.
First, it seemed a huge expense. We were advised to buy it around age 60, long before any presumed decline. I was younger than that and unprepared to pay hundreds a month for decades when I didn’t know if I’d ever use the coverage.
Second, I simply don’t want to end up in a nursing home. Why, I wondered, would I buy an insurance policy designed to pay my way there?
I realize, of course, that I’m playing with fire. That’s why I take so much interest in behaviors that may ward off Alzheimer’s disease, one of the greatest reasons that people find themselves in nursing homes.
Alzheimer’s can begin with simple memory loss and builds to the point where people can’t manage their lives. It affects nearly seven million Americans and its incidence is growing. If current trends continue, as many as 13 million Americans will suffer from the disease by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
For many years, I have roughly followed the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables. That diet is associated with a 23% lower incidence of dementia among Europeans who follow it closely.
I also exercise five or six days a week, as vigorous people have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s, too. I like to run but, when it gets too hot, I swim at my gym. I also began lifting weights last year at the recommendation of a friend who’s in his 80s and doing well.
These efforts of mine take time and energy and, even if I follow them religiously, there’s no guarantee I’d avoid dementia. That’s why I was so interested to learn of new research that suggests that a drug already on the pharmacist’s shelf might lower the incidence of Alzheimer’s dramatically.
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic sifted through the medical records of thousands of Medicare patients to see if men taking sildenafil—the active ingredient in the drug Viagra—lowered the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. The surprising answer is yes, though the researchers caution that the findings need to be confirmed by randomized clinical trials.
Still, the preliminary findings seem remarkable. In one medical records database, men who had taken sildenafil had 30% lower incidences of Alzheimer’s disease than the general population. In a second database of patients, the reduction in the occurrence of Alzheimer’s was 54%. You can read the research paper here.
In my limited understanding, the drug appears to increase blood flow into the neural pathways of the brain. That, in turn, may clear out some of the metabolic waste that collects over time, reducing brain function as we age.
It’s too soon for doctors to prescribe Viagra to treat Alzheimer’s prophylactically (pun intended). Yet if the research findings are confirmed, this off-label application could become the biggest reason to prescribe it.
This has happened once before. Viagra was originally formulated to treat chest pain. Research trials showed it didn’t reduce the incidence of angina. But male test subjects did report a surprising side-effect: long-lasting erections. Here’s hoping the drug has a second unexpected use.
my LTC policy is the VA they will pay to make my home more adaptable if needed and in home Health Care……..as for the Viagra for other effects I use it weekly and so far no memory loss
There’s a clinical paper mentioned that Alzheimer is considered diabetic type 3. My mother is currently in memory-care facility and has been diagnosed with this mental disease. You can buy LTC policy but I question this decision. The best we can do now is taking care your physical health (exercises and eats right) and your mental health (read a book, learn something new).
I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension at age 60 (while undergoing heart valve repair). Since then my cardiologist has me taking 1/2 a 20 mg sildenafil every morning and every night.
This is now the second unintended side effect of his prescription 😇
I have a hybrid LTC policy that I bought in my 50’s. To say it is only for Alzheimer’s care seems a little off. Yes it would pay for that but it pays for in-home care if I am also immobile. I play pickleball 5x a week but haven’t tried the viagra booster. Thanks for the tip.
Greg — one minor nit. I think you misspoke when you said “…to see if men taking…”. I wondered if it worked for women. When I looked at the paper and several of the related papers, I realized I had wrongly assumed they were just looking at men. But sildenafil is also prescribed to women for pulmonary hypertension for which it was originally developed. The effect on male sexual function was an accidental discovery when it was in human trials as a researcher noticed a smaller than normal amount of the drug was returned by trial participants at the end of the trial. The subsequent investigation as to why disclosed the (unreported) sexual performance side effect on the male participants. So my understanding is that various studies looking at sildenafil for Alzheimer’s disease are looking at both men and women.
Years ago I was watching CBN and a female doctor was talking about her husband with Alzheimer’s where he could not draw a clock. Through her research she started him on coconut oil and it didn’t take long before he could draw a clock. Attached is the article referencing the tv segment.
https://www2.cbn.com/article/not-selected/coconut-oil-may-reverse-alzheimers-and-prevent-it
This is also another article supporting the use of coconut oil.
https://bebrainfit.com/coconut-oil-alzheimers-dementia/
Fascinating. Thanks for the info. I’m loving these recent not-strictly-money-centered articles.
You alluded to diet, which I think can be a huge component. Alzheimer’s is being called Type-3 Diabetes. The theory is that the same things that cause type-2 may also cause Alzheimer’s. That is: being overfat, hyperinsulinemia, metabolic syndrome, overconsumption of (particularly processed) carbohydrates and sugar. The Mediterranean is a fine diet. I try to limit my carb consumption as they fatten me easily. I also use time-restricted eating or “fasting.” Also helps clear the junk in the body.
and what is your ‘time-restricted’ duration, please?
Will, though I’m curious about Ben’s response I’m also curious to hear your experience and the experience of others. I try to maintain a daily fast from 7pm to 1pm – 16 hours – and have recently tried a 36 hour fast – 7pm to 7am – on alternating days or every two days. I like the way it makes me feel and it sheds pounds. The hunger doesn’t really bother me. It’s mostly mental; meaning I miss the pleasure and activity of food in my day. The trick is to fill that time with other enjoyable activities.
Wonder what it does for women.
I’m not stressing too much about dementia, no-one in my family has had it. I already have an emphysema diagnosis so I have other things to worry about. If I do develop dementia my plan is a one-way trip to Switzerland, not a nursing home.
Some people naturally have less or more lifetime dementia risk: Do you know your APOE genetics? If you have the APOE2 variant, you have somewhat lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s. However, with one copy of the APOE4 variant, you have about 20% higher risk by age 85. And two APOE4 copies means almost twice the risk.
One more thing: mono-unsaturated oils like olive oil are not healthy, they are just less unhealthy. Minimizing all oils and saturated fats is far better for your vascular system than liberal use of any oil. And a healthy vascular system lowers your risk for Alzheimer’s, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
Some LTC policies also pay for in-home nursing care which can be useful for years before someone might need the highest level of care.
Thanks for the update Greg. This is encouraging news. It’ll be interesting to see if this turns into an effective prevention treatment, and if so, what dosing regime is necessary.