Virtual Team Parkinson's Update: Improving Motor Performance

Dr. Jack Harless

We currently have 16 members.  This week we looked at a study published in the journal of Movement Disorders from 2010 that compared three different forms of exercise & their efficacy as determined by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score over a 16 week period.  The type of exercise that was most effective at creating functional change was an intense high-amplitude form of movement derived from the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Halting Toxic Proteins

Dr. Jack Harless Team Captain

Team Parkinson’s has 16 members at this time. This week we looked at preliminary research from Georgetown University Medical Center where tiny doses of a leukemia drug have been used to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.

Virtual Team Brainstorm: Easy Brain Teaser!

Good Afternoon Team Brain Storm:

What a gorgeous day! Enjoy the warmth & sunshine! This pretty day has put me in a generous mood so I thought I would give you an easy brain teaser this time. Here you go…
What phrase does this represent? There is a hint and the answer below!

Take care,

Kelly

Hint Think classic literature

Answer Around the World in 80 Days

(a round "THEWORLD" in 80 "day"s)

Virtual Team Brainstorm: Brain Teaser Update!

We are up to 20 members now with the addition of our other 2 Franciscan Center receptionists:  Welcome Peggy Smith & Robin Shellabarger!

What a gorgeous sunny morning!  This week’s brain teaser is in honor of all the flowers that are starting to bloom on our beautiful campus.  I are going to test your green thumb & see if you can guess what the following flowers are!  Each of the clues make up a type of flower, for example "small container + to allow" would be "vial + let", or "violet."

Can you figure out these five?

1. an implement + flesh around mouth
2. foppish + a large carnivorous wildcat
3. to wed + a soft yellow element
4. a false statement + be deficient in
5. indicates an alternative + child

Answers are below…good luck & Happy Spring!

Kelly

Kelly Lance Team Captain

Virtual Team Brainstorm Update: Tim's Brainstorm Questions!

Good Morning Team Brain Storm!

I want to thank Tim Dressman for passing on the following brain teasers…  they are all great!  Let’s see how many of us are fooled by the answers!  Thanks again Tim!

1. Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May...What was the third child's name? 2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and he wears size 13 sneakers...What does he weigh? 3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered...what was the highest mountain in the world? 4. How much dirt is there in a hole...that measures two feet by three feet by four feet? 5. What word in the English Language...is always spelled incorrectly? 6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer...How is this possible? 7. In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg...Why not? 8. What was the President's Name…in 1975? 9. If you were running a race...and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?  10. Which is correct to say…”The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"? 11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field...how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?  All of the answers are below!  Good luck!  Have a great week!, Kelly Lance Here are the Answers 1. Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April The second child was named May. What was the third child's name? Answer: Johnny of course 2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall, and he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh? Answer: Meat.3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world? Answer: Mt. Everest; it just wasn't discovered yet. [ You're not very good at this are you?]4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet? Answer: There is no dirt in a hole.5. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly? Answer: Incorrectly 6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible? Answer: Billy lives in the Southern Hemisphere 7. In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not? Answer: You can't take pictures with a wooden leg. You need a camera to take pictures.8. What was the President's Name in 1975? Answer: Same as is it now - Barack Obama [Oh, come on...]9. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now? Answer: You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place, not first.10. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"? Answer: Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow [Duh]11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field? Answer: One. If he combines all of his haystacks, they all become one big one.

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Optical Illusions!

For this week’s brain teaser I have chosen 2 optical illusions.  An optical illusion is a visually perceived image that is deceptive or misleading.  I hope you enjoy them!

This optical illusion was first created in 1861. Look at the two thick vertical lines. Do they look straight or curved to you? Hold a ruler up to the screen and you will see that they are indeed straight.

In the next illusion, black spots quickly appear and disappear at the intersections.

 Have a Great Week!

Team Captain Kelly Lance

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Brain Teaser!

I hope everyone is doing well!  Enjoy the warm weather while you can! Team Brain Storm has 18 members…let me know if you have a friend that would like to join!

This week’s Brain Teaser is called An Upside-Down Spotted Striped Box:  This is a Trick Brain Teaser…this type of teaser appears difficult at first, but they have a trick that makes them really easy.

Follow these steps and see if you can figure this out.

1) Get a brown, cardboard box.
2) Get purple, orange, and turquoise paints.
3) Paint the box orange.
4) Paint on purple spots.
5) Paint on turquoise stripes.
7) Turn it upside down.
8) Lie on your side.

What is missing from this sequence?  If you would like a hint, see below.  The answer is also below. Good luck!

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

Hint

The answer isn't to get a paintbrush, wait for it to dry, paint the bottom, or something similar. Remember, this is a TRICK teaser.

Answer

Step 6!

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Update!

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

Team Parkinson’s has 16 members as of 01/29/13.  This week we highlighted the National Parkinson Foundation’s toll free number that is used as a resource to answer questions, provide resources, & help with one-on-consultations.  Included was a breakdown of statistics for utilization of the toll free number.  For example, males placed 56% of the calls to the NPF’s toll free numbers, while females placed 44% of the calls.

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Brain Teaser!

Good Morning:

Now that we are all (hopefully) back to normal routines after the busy holiday season, I thought I would start our brain teasers up again.  The following brain teaser is short & sweet!  Hopefully everyone will get it!  Good luck…the answer is below.

Once there was a night watchman who had been caught several times sleeping on the job. The boss issued the final warning. On the next night he was caught with his head on his hand and his elbows on the desk.
"Aha, I've caught you again," exclaimed the boss. The watchman's eyes popped open immediately and he knew what had happened. Being a quick thinking man, he said one word before looking up at the boss. The boss apologized profusely and went home. What was the one word?

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

Answer

The one word was "AMEN", thus making the Boss believe he was praying rather than sleeping.

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Silent Stroke Update

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

Team Parkinson’s has 15 members.  This week we looked at a study showing that researchers at the university's Faculty of Life Sciences have now discovered that a small stroke, also known as a silent stroke, can cause Parkinson's disease. This is a proposed theory as to why healthy people develop Parkinson’s.  Their findings have been published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Brain Teaser!

It still doesn’t look much look or feel like Winter. Do you think we will have a White Christmas? I hope so!


This will be our last holiday brain teaser before Christmas. Let me know how you do! There are a few hints below the brain teaser if you need help.

My father gave me a brain teaser with two groups of words missing. The four words in each group are anagrams of each other. I've solved the first group, but I'm stuck on the second group. Can you help?

Time to decorate the Christmas tree! Putting up the lights was my job, but after that it was time to ENLIST some help. While the kids were busy adding TINSEL, I put on some music to LISTEN to; my favourite song is "SILENT Night".

After we finished decorating the Christmas tree, I hung the stockings on the __1__. Feeling a chill, I looked down and had to __2__ my __3__ lapse; the fire was out. I threw on my __4__ and stepped out into the cold night to gather some firewood. Upon my return, we were soon roasting chestnuts and sipping eggnog to complete a wonderful evening.
Hint

Here are definitions of the missing words:

1. a shelf above a fireplace

2. to express sorrow

3. relating to the mind

4. a cloak

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

                     










I would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings for the New Year. May the Hope & Joy of God’s gift fill your hearts this Christmas. -Kelly

Answer


1. mantel

2. lament

3. mental

4. mantle

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Update!

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

We have 15 members. This weak we looked at the role brain inflammation plays in initiating such diseases as Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s. We talked about how many lifestyle choices that foster toxicity & deficiency lead to all types of bodily inflammation, whereas choices that lead to purity & sufficiency tend to lead towards greater fun & function on all levels.

Virtual Team Brainstorm: Holiday Brain Teaser!

Good Morning:

It doesn’t look much look or feel like Winter outside with all of the rain we have been having, but Christmas will be here in just over 2 weeks!

Are you ready for another holiday brain teaser? Let me know how you do! Here you go….

You will know that I am coming
From the jingle of my bell,
But exactly who I am is not an easy thing to tell.

Children, they adore me
for they find me jolly,
but I do not see them when the halls are decked with holly.

My job often leaves me frozen,
I am a man that all should know,
But I do not do business in times of sleet or ice or snow.

I travel much on business,
But no reindeer haul me around,
I do all my traveling firmly on the ground.

I love the time of Christmas,
But that's not my vocational season,
And I assure that is because of a sound economic reason.

Good luck! The answer is below. Have a great weekend!

Kelly

Answer Ice Cream Man

Virtual Team Brainstorm: Holiday Brain Teasers!

Good Morning Team Brain Storm:
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family & friends. Now that the Christmas season is upon us I thought I would do a series of Holiday Brain Teasers. We are at 18 members…please invite your friends & family to join us!

I love listening to Christmas music so I thought I would focus on carols for our first Christmas brain teaser.

Below are ten clues, each of which relates to the first line of a different Christmas carol or song. Unlike the title of the teaser, these clues only have the first letters of each of the words.

Can you figure out what songs they are? I will give you the answer to the first one to get you started

Good Luck! Answers are below!
Kelly

1. CROAOF: A Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...)

2. IDOAWC

3. RTRNRHAVSN

4. GGROBAR

5. IHABCWY

6. ISMKSC

7. OTFDOCMTLGTM

8. FTSWAJHS

9. IBMBOJHSSOM

10. JBJBJBR

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

Answers:

1. A Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...)

2. White Christmas (I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...)

3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose...)

4. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (Grandma got run over by a reindeer...)

5. Blue Christmas (I'll have a blue Christmas without you...)

6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus...)

7. The 12 Days of Christmas (On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...)

8. Frosty, the Snowman (Frosty, the snowman, was a jolly, happy soul...)

9. I'm Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas (I broke my bat on Johnny's head, somebody snitched on me...)

10. Jingle Bell Rock (Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock...)

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Brain Teasers!

It has been a few weeks since our last brain teaser, so I have 2 to make up for lost time! The first one is a “Trick Brain Teaser”. It might seem difficult at first and may fool you. Good Luck…


1) A man is sitting in a pub feeling rather poor. He sees the man next to him pull a wad of $50.00 bills out of his wallet.

He turns to the rich man and says to him,

"I have an amazing talent; I know almost every song that has ever existed."

The rich man laughs.

The poor man says, "I am willing to bet you all the money you have in your wallet that I can sing a genuine song with a lady's name of your choice in it."

The rich man laughs again and says, "OK, how about my daughter's name, Joanna Armstrong-Miller?"

The rich man goes home poor. The poor man goes home rich.

What song did he sing? Answer below.

The next brain teaser is a “Math Visualization” problem. Here you go…


2) Visualize a cube. You know it has 6 faces, 8 corners, and 12 edges. Now, imagine a knife slicing away each corner with a straight plane cut. How many total edges are there now?


Let us know how you did!

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

1.) "Happy Birthday". This song can be sung with anyone's name in it.

2) There are now 36 edges. The original 12 edges, plus 3 more for each of the 8 corners, making 36.

Have a great day!

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Trivia!

Good Morning Team Brain Storm:


This week, at one of our members’ requests, we have a few pieces of trivia. Good luck! Share with the team if you are able to solve them! The answers are below.

1) When NASA was considering animals to experiment on in space, they picked birds, because of the low maintenance. Although NASA was aware that most birds require gravity to swallow and would not survive the weightlessness of space, they did manage to find two types of bird that would survive the trip.

Which birds were they?

2) What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

Answers:


1) Doves and Pigeons.

Since most birds swallow water by tilting their heads back and using gravity to let the water run down their throats, they would dehydrate in space. Doves and Pigeons are the only birds that can drink without tilting their heads back.

2) Niagara Falls - The rim is worn down about 1 foot each year because of the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that move over it every minute

Have a great week!

Virtual Team Memory Pillars: Navigating as a Learning and Relearning Strategy.

The team recently explored research that found that you don’t have to be the driver to experience the benefits of driving and route orientation. The 2012 American Psychological Association reports research that indicates that “active navigation is more relevant as a learning strategy than maneuvering the vehicle.” So try involving your residents with the navigation process to enhance orientation and reduce the behaviors associated with confusion. This may be beneficial on outings and during movement from one location to another within the facility. Remember from previous research, outings were instrumental in improving behaviors and long-term memory retrieval.

Virtual Team Brain Storm: Update!

Kelly Lance
Team Captain

Welcome to our newest member: Paula Harrison! Paula is one of our wonderful Franciscan Center volunteers! This week, I have a few Rebus brain teasers. A rebus uses words or letters in interesting orientations to represent common phrases. Good luck! The answers are below.



1. What phrase is shown in the figure below?

S-n-o-w


2. Can you decipher this:

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

issues

Hint: It’s something you wear.

Have a great week,

Kelly
Answer


1. Dashing through the snow.

2. Tennis shoes

Virtual Team Leader Support: Recognizes 38 Leaders!

Virtual Team Leader Support recognizes 38 wellness leaders including staff, volunteers, and  community members.

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

This week we looked at research that examined patterns in the quality of life of Parkinson' disease patients prior to diagnosis. Researchers have documented declines in physical and mental health, pain, and emotional health beginning several years before the onset of the disease and continuing thereafter. The hope is that with future research of this kind, biological markers of the disease process may be recognizable in this preclinical phase, which can lead to early treatment.