“Pastor accused of killing man, 85, for his millions
Police say he plotted double car crash
A FORMER pastor in California has been arrested on suspicion of killing an 85-year-old man in a scheme to inherit his trust fund.
02 December 2006

A FORMER pastor in California has been arrested on suspicion of killing an 85-year-old man in a scheme to inherit his trust fund.

Doug Porter, 55, was detained at a checkpoint near San Diego on Monday as he tried to re-enter the US from Mexico. He was charged with attempted murder, elder abuse and theft.

Porter was the pastor at Hickman Community Church - located about 24km east of Modesto - when he met and befriended Mr Frank Craig.

Mr Craig had up to US$4 million ($6.2m) in stocks and real estate left to him after a brother, Mr JC Craig, died in in 1998.

The elderly man asked Porter to help him build an agriculture-themed museum to showcase farm equipment he had acquired over the years.

The Modesto Bee, a local newspaper, reported that Porter agreed and soon gained control of Mr Craig's finances.

In 1999, Mr Craig made changes to his trust fund. He excluded his two sisters and replaced them with Porter as the trustee and Hickman Community Church as the new heir.

The paper added that Porter set up a board to build the museum but Mr Craig soon became frustrated about the lack of progress.

TWO CAR CRASHES

Police investigators said they believe Porter had intended to kill Mr Craig in two car crashes in order to inherit the latter's trust.

In the first accident in March 2002, both men were in Porter's pickup when it veered off the road and struck an oak tree.

Porter, who was driving, escaped with minor injuries but Mr Craig was seriously injured.

In April, 2004, Mr Craig was again the passenger and Porter the driver when the latter's pickup veered into a canal.

This time, Mr Craig died. Again, Porter escaped death.

The sheriff's department began investigating after friends voiced their suspicions about Mr Craig's death.

They claimed that within days of Mr Craig's death, Porter began removing items from the latter's home.

Eight months later, Porter sold Mr Craig's 6.9-ha ranch for more than US$400,000.

He then used US$469,000 of Mr Craig's money to buy property for the church, including land where the museum was supposed to have been built.

Porter resigned from the church in Hickman last year 'to protect the church from further negative focus', according to an ad the church placed in a local newspaper. - AP.”

“Dementia Awareness Information

Several caregivers have shared with me their frustration with trying to get the person with Alzheimer's to bath. This is one of the more challenging activities of daily living that the care provider encounters as the disease progresses. Plan the bathing time when they used to take one, i.e. the first thing in the morning or just before going to bed.

Here are a few practical things to consider about preparing the bathroom: Have the bathroom at a comfortable temperature; Run the hot water so that when the person is ready for the bath he or she doesn't have to wait for the hot water; Have the towels and toiletries article ready; Unplug the electric razor, hair dryer, etc., and put them out of sight; Use a shower stall if possible instead of a tub for it is easier to get in and out of a

shower; Use a shower chair so that the person doesn't have to stand, for bathing and keeping one's balance can be a challenge. Also it is easier to assist them if necessary if they are seated; Turn the water on and have it adjusted because they may have forgotten how to do this; Purchase and install a hand held shower spray head - having the water hit you in the face can be scary for a person with dementia. They or you will have better control of the water if it is hand held; Have all the clean clothes in the bathroom beforehand have a towel for yourself, just incase you need an extra towel; Have the phone close by;

When everything is ready that is needed for bathing then gently approach the person and calmly take them into the bathroom. Assist them as needed to

remove their clothes and get them into the shower or tub. Assure them that you are they only to assist as needed. Don't take control of the bathing; let him or her do as much as they can for themselves. The elderly do not need to have a daily bath usually for this can dry out their skin. Plan two or three baths a week if bathing is a challenge for both of you. If you say "Let's go and take a bath," they understand that you are going to get into the shower with him or her, so if this is not your intention, don't say "Let's go and take a bath." Instead, say "It's time for your bath." You may not want to give them too much notice that this is the task at hand because they may resist taking a shower then.”

“Mediterranian diet may reduce risk of dementia by up to 40 percent
Published: 21 April, 2006

EATING a "Mediterranean-style" healthy diet may significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study has suggested. The BBC reported that US researchers looked at the diet and health of 2,200 people over four years, and the more people kept to a Mediterranean diet, the less likely they were to develop Alzheimer's, according to the Annals of Neurology study. Alzheimer's experts said the research added to evidence that a healthy diet could have a protective effect. The Mediterranean diet - rich in fruit, vegetables and cereals with some fish and alcohol and very little dairy and meat - has been cited as being generally good for health for some time. The researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center assessed participants' neurological health, and noted their dietary habits. Their food intake was given a "Mediterranean Diet score" of between zero and nine. During the course of the study, 262 people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers accept their findings relied heavily on people's memories of what they ate, but said a tested dietary assessment technique had been used. Dr Nicholas Scarmeas, who led the research, reportedly said: "Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer's disease." Professor Clive Ballard, director of research at the UK's Alzheimer's Society, reportedly said: "This large study in a leading journal adds to the growing weight of evidence that diet and lifestyle are very important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

"It makes an important contribution by suggesting that a strong adherence to a healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 40%, emphasising the importance of healthy eating."”

“Social contact guards against Alzheimer's
By Alex Cukan
Staying in contact with family members and friends offers a protective effect against the damaging effects of Alzheimer's disease, find Chicago researchers.

Physicians at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago say while other studies have shown people with more extensive social networks were at reduced risk of cognitive impairment, this study is the first to examine the relations between social networks and Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Researchers studied elderly people without known dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an epidemiological and clinicopathological study of aging and Alzheimer's disease that involves over 1,100 volunteers across northeastern Illinois. Brain autopsies were done at the time of death and post mortem data was available for analysis from the first 89 people, according to the study published online in The Lancet Neurology.

"Many elderly people who have the tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease don't clinically experience cognitive impairment or dementia," said Bennett. "Our findings suggest that social networks are related to something that offers a 'protective reserve' capacity that spares them the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer's disease."”