Latest news with #LewyBodyDementia
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
A retired professor finds the ‘golden years' may come with health issues. Plus, your pension funds may be underperforming
Content from The Globe's weekly Retirement newsletter. Sign up here 'I retired at the end of 2016 at age 66 after a career in academia,' says Christine Overall, 76, from Ottawa in the latest Tales from the Golden Age. 'I was a professor of philosophy at Queen's University in Kingston. Teaching and dealing with the academic bureaucracy were becoming stressful, and I wanted to spend more time with my children and grandchildren.' Some people say academics never retire, and that was true of Ms. Overall. 'Philosophy is one of the great loves of my life, so I haven't given it up,' she says. 'I'm still writing and researching, but my output isn't as high as it was, partly because so much of my time and energy now is taken up with caregiving for my husband, Ted, who has Lewy body dementia and Parkinsonism.' The couple had a vision of retirement together – that they would continue what they had been doing pre-retirement, just incorporating the best bits, such as travel and pursuing their interests, says Ms. Overall. 'I would go on writing, and he would continue engaging with the arts, mostly by volunteering with various arts organizations. Unfortunately, his health started to deteriorate, and extensive travel is no longer possible.' In March, 2024, the couple moved from their condo in Kingston to a retirement residence in Ottawa, so that she could get some support – meals, housekeeping, medical backup if necessary – and be closer to one of their children. 'I never imagined we'd be living in a place like this in our 70s, but it was a relief to know that if there were a crisis, somebody would be around to help.' Ms. Overall worries about money in retirement – after having to move her husband into a long-term facility, she's now paying for two separate homes. And, longevity runs in her family: her mother is almost 99, so Ms. Overall knows she needs to make sure she has enough as she ages. Read the full article here. Are you a Canadian retiree interested in discussing what life is like now that you've stopped working? The Globe is looking for people to participate in its Tales from the Golden Age feature, which examines the personal and financial realities of retirement. If you're interested in being interviewed for this feature and agree to use your full name and have a photo taken, please e-mail us at: goldenageglobe@ Please include a few details about how you saved and invested for retirement and what your life is like now. Lucas is 59 years old and makes $220,000 a year in sales. His wife, Reena, is 57 and makes $85,000 a year in research. They plan to retire next year and want to help their two children, both in their mid-20s, with housing. Lucas and Reena have a mortgage-free home in a Western province and a rental unit with a mortgage that generates positive cash flow. They wonder if it makes sense to pony up $250,000 for a down payment on a duplex for their children to live in. The children would then pay rent to Lucas and Reena. Lucas and Reena both have work pensions, not indexed to inflation, and substantial savings. They also wonder how best to draw down Lucas's big holding in his company's stock. Their retirement spending goal is $100,000 a year after tax, some of which would go to travelling more than they do now. For this Financial Facelift, Kaitlyn Douglas, a certified financial planner and investment adviser at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth in Winnipeg, looks at Lucas's and Reena's situation. Ms. Douglas also holds the chartered financial analyst designation. Get some free financial advice from The Globe and Mail by e-mailing finfacelift@ to be part of our Financial Facelift series. You don't have to share your real name and our photographers will obscure your identity in one of our trademark Financial Facelift photos. Here are some recent facelifts for you to read. We're especially keen to hear from Canadians worried about how the trade war with the U.S. will impact their ability to retire. Have you changed your investment strategy? Your retirement timeline? Your travel plans? Hopefully our advice can help you weather these stormy times and ensure a secure financial future. Last year wasn't a great one for Canada's major pension funds, writes John Rapley. Of the four big ones, three – the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan – all underperformed their benchmarks. They're hardly losing money, he adds. All three delivered percentage increases in their assets in the high single digits, retaining their status among the world's best-managed pension funds. However, flush as they always are with new contributions, they have to deliver high returns if they're to guarantee current contributors the same future benefits that present beneficiaries now receive. And while their long-term returns are such that they can absorb a year or two of subpar performance, the risk is that this slump may not be a one-off. Apparent points of vulnerability lurk in each of them, he notes, particularly the CPP. Read the full article here. John Rapley is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail. He is an author and academic whose books include Why Empires Fall and Twilight of the Money Gods. The Trump administration's tariff war and threats to make Canada the U.S.'s 51st state have some Canadians considering selling their U.S. property. Advisers say rising property values and a lower Canadian dollar compared with the U.S. greenback are making the decision to sell even more attractive, writes Globe contributing editor Brenda Bouw. 'People are saying, 'I have a pretty good gain on my property and the currency is working in my favour, so maybe now's the time to sell,'' says Darren Coleman, senior portfolio manager with Portage Cross Border Wealth Management at Raymond James Ltd. in Oakville, Ont. He says the rising cost of living, including travel expenses and higher insurance premiums in hurricane- and fire-prone areas across the U.S. sunbelt, have also made owning real estate south of the border more expensive. 'Some clients say, 'I have U.S.-dollar expenses against my Canadian-dollar income. Owning this place is getting harder,'' Mr. Coleman says. Furthermore, some older baby boomers aren't planning to pass the property on to the next generation, deciding to unload the asset instead. Regardless of the reason, Mr. Coleman says there are tax effects that Canadians who are non-U.S. persons need to keep in mind before listing their U.S. real estate. Read the full article here. For decades, Susan Van Norman's family cottage in Muskoka, Ont., was a cherished summer retreat, writes retirement reporter Meera Raman. Her parents built the cottage in 1973, and it was later inherited by Ms. Van Norman and her sister, Christine Ransom. It has been a gathering place for their three kids and seven grandchildren, who have spent long summer days fishing off the dock and have etched each person's height and age on a measuring stick in the small kitchen. But at 71, Ms. Van Norman is retired and no longer able to shoulder the burden of maintaining it. The next generation isn't in a position to take it on either. After a harsh winter made the upkeep feel especially daunting, she and her sister decided it was time to let the property go. Ms. Van Norman plans to list the property within the next month, hoping for $800,000 to $850,000, but she's anticipating she may need to drop the price closer to $750,000 to make a sale before the season ends in October. Ms. Van Norman is part of a wave of retirees looking to off-load recreational properties, but they're running headlong into a challenging market for sellers. Read the full article here. Q: My spouse and I are in our mid-50s and hoping to retire in about 10 years. We've been saving diligently, but we're not sure if we're on track. Our combined annual income is $150,000, we have $800,000 in our RRSPs, $100,000 in TFSAs, and our house is worth about $600,000 with $200,000 left on the mortgage. Do we have enough money to retire comfortably, or should we be ramping up our savings? We asked Angela Fennelow, a financial planner with Sun Life, and CEO of Fennelow Financial Solutions Inc., BBA, CFP®, CHS™, to answer this one. A: It really depends on what comfortable living in retirement means to you, and how much income you will need to meet your lifestyle and living expenses. Having positive cash flow in retirement years when you are no longer earning income is key. Now is a great time to spend some time thinking about what you want your lifestyle to be; will you need the same level of annual income you have now to be able to pay your bills and do the things you enjoy doing? Do you want to live in your current home in retirement? Do you want to travel, play more golf, buy a boat or RV for fun? Once you have your desired retirement income determined, you can take a closer look at your current situation with your adviser to see where you are in relation to your income goal, and if you need to save more. The amount you have already saved is a solid foundation, and you have 10 years to continue to save and for that money to grow! If it is affordable to keep saving between now and your last day of work, you can consider amping up and using your TFSAs to grow this source of tax-free income in retirement. The more you have available in retirement, the more flexibility you have. Interested in more stories about retirement? Sixty Five aims to inspire Canadians to live their best lives, confidently and securely. Read more here and sign up for our weekly Retirement newsletter.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- USA Today
Ex-Abercrombie CEO unfit for trial on sex trafficking charges, judge rules
The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is mentally unfit to stand trial on charges he and two others operated a secretive, international sex trafficking scheme, a federal judge ruled on May 2. Michael Jeffries, 80, who served as CEO of the clothing company from 1992 to 2014, along with Matthew Smith, 61, and James Jacobson, 71, were arrested in October 2024 in what prosecutors said was an organized interstate prostitution enterprise that involved transporting young, aspiring male models to events in New York and other places around the world and coercing them into having sex. Jeffries' attorneys said in April that he had dementia and would be unable to stand trial, prompting Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury of the Eastern District of New York to order a competency hearing. Choudhury ruled on May 2 that Jeffries was mentally unfit and will be hospitalized for treatment and re-evaluated for up to four months. Legal representation for Jeffries previously "vehemently denied" any wrongdoing, according to the BBC. Two forensic psychologists said in an April court filing that Jeffries has Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia and is suffering from residual effects of a traumatic brain injury, the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. In the filing, Dr. Cheryl Paradis said said Jeffries' conditions make him unable to recall key events, and he can't understand the charges against him or the legal consequences. Jeffries' attorneys claimed his condition makes it unlikely he will ever be able to stand trial because of the degenerative nature of his condition.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mike Jeffries, ex-Abercrombie CEO charged with sex crimes, has dementia, lawyers say
Attorneys for former Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries said he is unable to stand trial in a federal sex trafficking case because he has dementia. Jeffries, 80, was CEO of the Columbus-based Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014. He and Matthew Smith, 61, of West Palm Beach – his romantic partner – and James Jacobson, 71, of Wisconsin, were indicted in October on federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges. The case is filed in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York before District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury. The men transported young, aspiring male models to events in New York and around the world, according to federal prosecutors. The aspiring models believed the events would further their careers, but they were coerced into having sex with Jeffries and Smith, the indictment says. Sex, drugs and Abercrombie: 5 things we learned from former CEO's indictment In Thursday's court filing, two New York-based forensic psychologists, Alexander S. Bardey and Cheryl Paradis, said Jeffries has Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia and is suffering from residual effects of a traumatic brain injury. Pardis said Jeffries' conditions make him unable to recall key events, and he can't understand the charges against him or the legal consequences, so he can't participate in his legal defense, according to the records. Pardis suggested in his filing that Jeffries might blurt out inappropriate or self-incriminating statements at trial or behave erratically, which could undermine his credibility and prejudice the jury against him. The doctors conducted forensic psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluations on Jefferies. They said numerous neuroimaging studies over the past several years have been consistent with the dementia diagnoses. Because Jeffries' condition is degenerative, the doctors expect these symptoms to worsen over time and not respond to treatment. That means Jeffries will likely never be able to stand trial, his attorneys said in the filing. His attorneys are asking the court to place Jeffries in state custody and hospitalize him for treatment for four months and evaluated to see if his condition improves. The three defendants each face one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. The men transported 15 young, aspiring male models to events in New York and around the world, prosecutors said. The aspiring models believed the events would further their careers, but they were coerced into having sex with Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson, according to the indictment. The three defendants intentionally recruited young heterosexual men and tricked them into meeting with Jeffries and Smith for supposed modeling opportunities before convincing them to hand over their phones, having them sign NDAs, and supplying them with drugs and alcohol, prosecutors said in the indictment. Prosecutors said there's no indication Jeffries used Abercrombie resources, and the events didn't happen on company property. Abercrombie's headquarters are in New Albany. Jeffries has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was placed under house arrest at his Palm Beach apartment after posting $10 million in bail. More: Mike Jeffries led Abercrombie's meteoric rise. He also oversaw its downfall Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries can't stand trial for sex crimes: Filing
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Feinstein Institutes Reveals Brain Changes Seen Years Before Parkinson's Symptoms in Sleep Disorder Patients
The study was published in Nature Communications MANHASSET, N.Y., January 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New research from The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research reveals that brain imaging can detect subtle abnormalities in brain circuitry in people diagnosed with isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) years before they manifest symptoms of a degenerative brain disorder. While involuntary movements are normally inhibited during REM sleep, individuals with iRBD act out their dreams, and come to medical attention. This condition is often a precursor to progressive neurodegenerative disorders, most notably, Parkinson's disease and a related disorder known as Lewy Body Dementia. In a study led by David Eidelberg, MD, head of the Center for Neurosciences at the Feinstein Institutes and Susan and Leonard Feinstein Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, published this week in Nature Communications, investigators used positron emission tomography (PET) to track abnormal metabolic network activity and dopamine loss in the brains of people with iRBD, but no other signs of brain disease. Longitudinal imaging studies were conducted over four years, after which subjects were followed clinically for an additional 6.5 years to see whether other neurological symptoms had appeared. The investigators found that abnormal brain networks associated with the motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease were present at baseline in iRBD, progressing steadily over time, while dopamine, the essential neurotransmitter for movement, concurrently declined. The study also found that iRBD patients with high network activity were at greater risk for the subsequent development of a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome. "This study is a significant advancement in Parkinson's disease research because it provides a window into the earliest stages of disease development, even before the onset of typical motor symptoms," said Dr. Eidelberg. "By identifying brain changes in individuals with iRBD, we can potentially determine who is at highest risk for the subsequent development of a progressive, disabling brain disorder. This may pave the way for earlier interventions and ultimately, more effective disease-modifying therapies." Scientists have been searching for ways to predict when iRBD might progress. This study found that the connections between critical brain regions changed over time in individuals with iRBD, disrupting the normal flow of information through motor and cognitive networks many years before Parkinson's symptoms appeared. The results also suggest that the likelihood and timing of conversion from iRBD to Parkinson's or Lewy body dementia may be accurately predicted using brain networks in conjunction with the dopamine imaging. "This research holds immense promise for earlier diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. "It suggests brain imaging is a valuable tool for tracking the effectiveness of new treatments designed to slow or prevent disease progression." About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on Contacts Julianne Mosher Allen516-880-4824jmosherallen@
