| Alzheimer's - Long-term care Options |
From the MayoClinic:
Each year, thousands of families in the United States face the difficult task of deciding when it's time to seek additional help in caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other progressive dementias. Early on, many people with AD do well at home, especially when a spouse or other...
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| Speech Pathology Services |
The brain controls many of the complex activities that we perform on a daily basis. Many of these activities, such as comunicating and swallowing, are completed without needing much of our attention. We routinely express ourselves to other people, understand conversations, read, write, eat and drink without thinking about "how to" do these things. Frequently...
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| Becoming Well Again Through Cognitive Retraining |
When we use the word "cognitive" we mean our thinking, reasoning, and perceptual abilites. Cognitive rehabilitation has two parts:restoring the actual cognitive skill, and learning to use strategies to compensate for the impaired ability.
The first part of cognitive retraining - restoring skills - is...
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| Insulin Nose Drops and Memory |
From Rebecca Logsdon, PhD -
Dr. Craft and her colleagues are among the nation's leading experts on the effects of insulin regulation on the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For over 10 years, Craft and the Memory Wellness Program research team at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center of the VA Puget Sound...
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| A Stage of Confusion - Moderate Alzheimer's Disease |
People with dementia slowly move from forgetfulness into confusion and therefore also into a new, different, intially strange and threatenting mode of being. The attempt to keep up appearances and previous life has to be abandoned as memory increasingly dissolves. The person lives more and more in their own dreamlike world in which present...
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| Acceptance - Caring and Sincerity in Dementia Care |
Source: Janssen Pharmaceutical
The basis of the relationship is the absolute and unconditional esteem for the person with a memory impairing disease, the love for them, the struggle for the acceptance of this person with their illness. This emotionally dedicated esteem has to be constantly renewed even in crisis situations...
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| Spirituality Can Be Comforting |
MayoClinic 2006 Report
For someone with a memory impairing illness like Alzheimer's disease, spirituality, faith and religious rituals can be important for overall well-being. If you are a caregiver for someone with AD, helping them continue to observe his or her faith can be beneficial and rewarding...
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| Over time, Memories May Grow More Postivie |
Medline Plus - Reuters Health Info.
When recalling memories of negative or positive events that helped to shape our identity, such as a break-up or marriage, we tend to downplay the fear, anger or other negative emotions experienced at the time and remember more of the positive emotions, a new study indicates. "These findings suggest...
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| Food for Thought (and Mood) |
From Coffee Science : 2006 (Martha McKittrick, RD New York-Presbyterian Hosp)
Although most of us think of food as fuel to help maintain our helath and help us perform the activities we need or want to accomplish, food can have an enormous impact on how well we think and what kind of mood we're in. Here's some handy advice for making food and beverage choices that may...
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| Is Forgetfullness a Normal Part of Aging? |
From an article written by Joanne Singleton, PhD,RN,CS,FNP
Throughout life there are occasions when memory fails us, but undatunted we continue on. Anyone for example who has, or knows children is well aware that they forget things on a regular basis. Parents often ask, "Where did you leave your mittens?" "Why didn't you bring home the books you need..."
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| Research Says Dementia Drugs Not Effective |
The Business Journal : 2005
A Wake Forest University Medical Center researcher has found that most of the 15 drugs commonly used to treat dementia are not effective.
The results of this research, published this week in the Journal of American Medical Association, could have major implications for health care...
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| High Rates of Dementia Found in Assisted Living Facilities |
Psychiatric Times: Arline Kaplan -2006
Assisted Living Facilities are frequently depicted as residential settings for cognitively normal older people with minor functional limitations. However, researchers in central Maryland found almost two-thirds (67.7%) of assisted living residents in central Marylyand have dementia and...
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| Pain Management for Persons with Late-Stage Dementia |
People with dementia have often been excluded from medical studies focused on pain and pain management, but there is evidence that they experience frequent pain, which is often poorly assessed and under-treated. A new treatment plan (called a protocol) has been developed for assessing and appropriately treating pain in patients with late-stage dementia, who typically have
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| Dementia and the Vote |
Florida neurologist Marc Swerdloff was taken aback when one of his patients, with advanced dementia voted in the 2000 presidential election. The man thought it was 1942, and Franklin D. Rossevelt was president. The patient's wife revealed that she had escorted her husband into the booth. She was asked "Did your husband pick his candidate?" and she responded...
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| Caregiver Burden Scale |
Caregivers often suffer burn out related to the changes they must face in their everyday life and routines. Caring for another - although rewarding, can be a very difficult and demanding of a persons' physical and emotional well being. The following questions reflect how people sometimes feel when...
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| Memory Loss : Real or Imagined? |
How often over the course of your life have you misplaced your car keys, forgotten an appointment or birthday, or made a wrong turn? Until recently, most of us would not have been concerned about the everyday things that can slip from our awareness. However, fears of developing Alzheimer's disease may overshadow what were once issues of little concern and instead...
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| Memory skills to enhance learning and recall |
What may seem like a faltering memory may in fact be a decline in the rate at which we learn and store new information. Practice these memory skills to enhance learning and making remembering easier...
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| 'Groan-ups' Need to Laugh for the Health of It! |
From Joan King - Mature Lifestyles:
The other night we watched the 1987 Steve Martin, John Candy movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", tracing these salesmen's odyssey to get to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While we laughed throughout the movie, the characters couldn't always appreciate the humor in the situation until it was over...
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| The Art of Dementia |
From the BBC World Service:
Are people with artistic ability, born or made? If you had to pick a life event, which you thought might trigger a hitherto undiscovered talent such as whistling, it is unlikely that you would answer with the term 'degenerative brain disease', yet it can happen...
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| Keep an Observation Log |
From Health 24.Com:
To help the doctor keep track of how your loved one is doing, use an observation log. Before an appointment with their doctor, fill out an Observation Log based on your most recent observations of your loved one...
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| Brain, Bits and Bytes |
From the Panorama Memory Clinic:
There are many interesting facts about the brain and brain function that are frequently asked of memory care experts and persons in the medical field. The following are some interesting facts about our amazing brain!...
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| Deep Sleep: The Great Rejuvenator |
An article in the June 3 issue of New Scientist says if you ignore your body's natural clock by working and playing at any time of the day or night, you could set a time bomb for illness, injury and even death, according to sleep experts. The price of ignoring your natural sleep patterns can range from aches and pains to heart disease to chronic fatigue syndrome. A regular...
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| Mood Wellness and the Joy of Life |
It is true that for many the aging brain does have a tendency to become less full of the "joy of life". As the brain and body ages, less blood flow, less oxygen, less nutrients, less hormones and less neurotransmitters (brain messenger chemicals) or at least less sensitivity to the last two, all can be the basis for a physiological cause of moodiness, lack of joy and even...
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| Aging Well : A lesson from centenarians |
A look at centenarians, people who live to be 100 years or older, provides some final food for thought on the subject of aging well. Monika White, a world-renowned expert on the subject of aging and President of the Center for Healthy Aging in Santa Monica, California, put together the following summary on some important similarities among centenarians and factors important...
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| Behaviors to Promote Healthy Aging |
Newfound knowledge and ongoing learning about how the body works and what makes it run effectively means that there are a number of ways you can participate in the aging process and give yourself better odds for success.
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| Aging Myths |
A comprehensive study on aging, conducted by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, supports the notion that lifestyle choices are the key to healthy aging. In their book, Successful Aging, Dr. Rowe and Dr. Kahn discuss the results of the study – results which debunk some of the common myths of aging. Below are the myths as well as some interesting...
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| Lifelong Wellness – The Aging Process |
Getting older brings with it an abundance of new physical, emotional and mental challenges. Later life can be a time of rest, relaxation and retirement, and a time to enjoy life with one’s spouse, children and grandchildren. It can also be a time to embark on a new adventure, whether it is travel, a new hobby or a fun job.
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| Selective Hearing or Selective Attention Indicates Risk of AD |
A study from Neuropsychologists in Washington DC establised a psychological test that can pick up early-warning signs of AD. A new study in the Sept. issue of Neurolpsychology explains how the dichotic listening task, which measures how well people process information when they hear one thing in the left ear and another in the right ear, confirms that very early in the
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| More Sensitive Tests for Predicting AD and Cognitive Changes |
Implicit memory tests are stronger predictors than the common Mini Mental exam, as AD may hurt attention well before obvious memory loss.
From Washington: Two recent studies may help clinicians and researchers better predict and understand dementia of the AD type early in its history. Both studies appear in the Sept. issue of Neuropsychology, which is published
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| Gene testing doesn't increase anxiety/depression in adult children |
Boston University medical researchers indicate facts that satisfy the need to know for financial and care decisions.
Adult children of people with Alzheimer's disease were satisfied and unharmed by the experience of genetic risk assessment, even when results suggested they might be at risk, according to new findins presented by Robert Green...
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| Shrinking brains but healthy memory. Does brain matter matter? |
Brain shrinkage, a common symptom of aging when people hit their 60's, appears to have no impact on an individual's capacity to think or learn, according to ANU research. The research is part of a 20 year study by the ANU Center for Mental Health Research called PATH through life and suggests a revision of long-standing views on the impact of age-related brain shrinkage.
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| Iron Deficiency May Play Role in Alzheimer's Disease |
AlzheimerSupport.com
Iron deficiency may play a role in Alzheimer's disease, according to an Oakland, California researcher. The finding could be a big step in understanding and ultimately delaying or preventing the disease. A shortage of a specific type of iron starves brain cells to death, says biochemist...
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| Slow Down AD Naturally? |
ABC News:
You've heard fish and fish oil are good for you. So are antioxidants, but could they help slow the progression of AD? New research is aiming to find out. Doris King, Alzheimer's sufferer: "I used to be really sharp with names and numbers, and poof! it all went." She's in a study to test...
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| Potential for Reducing the Progression of AD Revealed |
University of Florida
Researchers at the University of Florida discovered a way to reduce plaque deposits on the brain - potentially slowing the progression of AD. Their findings, which will be highlighted at the upcoming 2005 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in San Francisco brings renewed hope to ...
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| Protecting the Brain - Enhance the Innate Immune System |
University of California - Los Angeles
The human body has its own defense against brain aging: the innate immune system, which helps to clean the brain of amyloid-beta waste products. However, UCLA researchers discovered that some patients with AD have an immune defect making it difficult to clean away these wastes.
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| How to Keep Your Brain in Shape |
July 2005 Article Canada Free Press
Are there days when you think you need a brain transplant? You're getting those "senior moments" even though you're only 40 years of age? Or at 70 you're forgetting things you shouldn't forget? These days with so much talk about Alzheimer's disease, it's easy to assume you may be "losing it."
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| Frontal and Temporal Lobe Dementia |
AN ARTICLE FROM EMEDICAL.COM
Cases of elderly patients with progressive language deterioration have been described since Arnold Pick's landmark case report of 1892. This case study, "On the relationship between aphasia and senile atrophy of the brain," still serves as a frame of reference for apparently focal brain syndromes in diffuse or generalized degenerative diseases of the brain.
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| Folate Shows Promise in Preventing Alzheimer's disease |
USA Today - August 15, 2005
Nutrient folate shows promise in preventing Alzheimer's disease. It's found in fruits and green vegetables.
Older people who consumed lots of folate, a nutrient found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and fruits such as strawberries, reduced
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| When the Brain, Not the Ears, Goes Hard of Hearing |
The number one complaint among the elderly is that they have trouble hearing speech because of background noise. Someone might hear fine in a quiet environment like their home, but when they go to a restaurant or a meeting or a party, it sounds like chaos to them...
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| Look to the future: Preparing for Baby Boomer Dementia Epidemic |
INDIANAPOLIS UNIVERSITY:
How can the U.S. health-care system and more specifically, primary care doctors - the physicians from whom older adults receive most of their care - prepare for the huge wave of dementia patients expected to engulf...
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| Support Groups Are Essential to Caregiver Wellbeing |
Sometimes the emotional side of Alzheimer's disease is just as hard to deal with as the physical side. You may have fears and concerns or feel overwhelmed by your situation. Everyone has different ways of dealing with these feelings. Your attitude about your loved ones condition...
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| Alzheimer's Disease Brain May Be Able to Heal |
WebMD Medical News 2005
It might be possible for the brain to recover from structural damage seen in Alzheimer's disease. The key could be using antibodies to clear the brain of plaque seen in people with this condition.
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| Can Curcumin Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease? |
Curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, is to be investigated for its potential in prevention of Alzheimer's disease after tests on mice found it to be more effective than drugs currently being investigated for treatment. A dietary staple of India, where Alzheimer's disease rates...
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| Report on Alzheimer's Wandering |
Nearly one in five adults with Alzheimer's disease found wandering unsupervised leave from a nursing home or adult care center according to a detailed report written by Healthcare Review in 2002. Wandering occurs for a variety of reasons but experts reveil that 60% of persons...
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| U.S. Latinos may develop AD symptoms at earlier age |
May issue - Archives of Neurology:
US Latinos develop symptoms of AD earlier, on average, than white non-Latino people, according to a study in the May issue of Archives of Neurology. Although Latino people are a geographic and genetically...
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| Spirituality, religious practice may slow progression of AD |
From the American Academy of Neurology: Spirituality and the practice of religion may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to research that was presented at the American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida April 9th through 16th.
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| Odor Identification Tests Help Doctors Accurately Predict AD |
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NY -
A simple odor identification test might help doctors more accurately predict which indivuals with mild cognitive impairment will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to research funded by the National
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| Creatures of Habit - Easier is not always better |
Human beings are creatures of habit. We find an easier way to drive to work, so we always drive that way, even to the point where we wind up at work without realizing how we got there! We eat the same food, talk to the same people, watch the same TV shows - over and over again...
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| Are Brains Wired for Music Better Built to Last? |
Neuroscientist, Christo Pantev has been studying the effects of playing a musical instrument and vitality in older adults. Persons living in a geriatric center and identified as those who played or once played a musical instrument, were much more active, alert and had less incidence...
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| Enriched environment delays the onset of Alzheimer's in mice |
A research group based at the University of Chicago has found that an enriched environment - in this case more chances to exercise, explore and interact with others - can dramatically reduce the biological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in mice that are genetially predisposed to the
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| Fish oil holds promise in Alzheimer's fight |
From an article in Medical News Today:
Even our grandmothers told us fish was "brain food" - and now scientists have evidence to back the claim. Researcher with the Department of Vetrans Affairs and the University of California at Los Angeles found...
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| Alzheimer's Disease and Exercise |
A person with Alzheimer's disease gains the same kind of benefits from regular exercise as anyone else, including improved cardiovascular fitness, strength and endurance. Research suggests that expercise can also address some of the symptoms associated with the disease.
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| Less challenging jobs increase risk of dementia |
From the American Jounal of Alzheimer's Disease: A recent study suggests that holding a highly challenging job may be beneficial to your health. Individuals employed in these types of positions may have a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementias later in...
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| You Must Remember This... |
Human memory not only stores facts, figures, knowledge - it stores our lives as well. Some psychologists call this "autobiographical memory", the memory of the birth of a child, a first kiss, a cruel slight. In his new book, "Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older", (translated by Arnold...
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| The 10 Warning Signs of Caregiver Stress |
There are many articles and publications advising people about caregiver stress and the health risks involved for persons who ignore the signs of stress. The following is a list of the 10 most common changes a caregiver may be experiencing that indicates signs of stress.
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| Impairment of the Senses |
From Alzheimer's Outreach:
It is common to have impairment of the senses in Alzheimer's disease. The ability for a person to interpret what they see, hear, taste, smell or feel declines or changes as the disease progressess. The following...
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| "Tell me the Truth" |
From a recent study out of the Center for Social Research on Dementia:
There is a great deal of debate around the practice of disclosing the diagnosis of dementia to people with dementia, particularly the question of "to tell or not to tell". The debate tends to focus on the views...
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| An Apple a Day to Keep Alzheimer's Away |
Source: American Chemical Society.
According to a Cornell University study, quercetin, an antioxidant in apples appears to protect brain cells against oxidative stress, a tissue damaging process associated with Alzheimer's disease and other...
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| Chronic Back Pain Shrinks the Brain |
From a Newswise article from Northwestern University:
Chronic back pain, a condition afflicting many Americans, shrinks the brain by as much as 11% - equivalent to the amount of gray matter lost in 10-20 years of normal aging, a Northwestern University research study...
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| Researcher identifies brain protein that halts Alzheimer's progression |
From: The American Journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Researchers have identified a protein in the brain that halts the progression of Alzheimer's disease in human brain tissue. A protein called transthyretin protects brain cells from gradual detereoration...
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| Alzheimer's Disease - Is tube feeding the right way to go? |
Source: Dr. Robert Griffith - Journal of American Geriatric Society:
The use of tube feeding for adults with terminal illness is growing rapidly. There are several methods of artificial feeding, but the one most commonly used today is percutaneious endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG)...
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| Dear Diary: The Benefits of Writing about your Feelings |
Research is starting to shed some light on the thorny issue of talking about trauma. Does it help to talk about traumas you've experienced or not? Is it a good idea for someone to write about traumatic experiences? It turns out, like most things in life, that it depends...
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| How to Talk With The Doctor About Alzheimer's disease |
California Council of Alzheimer's Association / Dr. Robert Griffith: In May 2001, the US Alzheimer's Association commissioned a survey about doctor-caregiver communications. Only one third of caregivers felt they received all the information they wanted from their family physician...
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| Smoking Causes Mental Deterioration in Later Life |
From the American Journal of Public Health: There's been some doubt about whether smoking increases or decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Some studies suggested that the nicotine in cigarette smoke had a protective effect against the disease, while other indicate...
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| Vitamin E and C combo reduces Alzheimer's Risk |
From : Geriatrics - Medicine for Midlife and Beyond:
Taken in combination, vitamin E and C supplements appear to reduce the prevalence and incidence of Alzheimer's disease in older adults, according to Dr. John Breitner, lead author of this study...
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| Bone Marrow May Be Safe, Ethical Source of Stem Cells |
From the American Journal of Alzheimer's disease and Other Dementias:
A person's own bone marrow may one day be used to replace brain cells lost to dementia and other neurologic conditions, according to research presented at the 2004 Academy of Neurology meeting in San Francisco...
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| Potential new treatment for Alzheimer's disease |
Source: University of California - Irvine
Animal studies show that brain lesions that are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease can be cleared up by a new therapy...
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| Psychological distress linked to developing Alzheimer's Disease |
Reported from Health and Aging Neurology Article - 2003.
People who are prone to psychological distress seem to be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. The Religious Orders Study is a large investigation of the mental health of a....
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| Synthetic marijuana helps in Alzheimer's Disease |
SOURCE: American Society of Consultant Pharmacists : Susan Aldridge, PhD
A synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana calms agition in Alzheimer's disease. Up to three quarters of those with Alzheimer's disease suffer from agitation which can show itself in various...
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| Dementia, Aromatherapy, and Bright-Light Treatment |
From the Dementia Center: People suffering from progressive dementia often go through stages where there are signs of behavioral and psychiatric disturbances: hallucinations, sleep disturbance, and wandering. Perscription drugs such as neuroleptics or sedatives are...
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| Gene Therapy for Alzheimer's Looks Promising |
From the American Academy of Neurology : The first patients ever to receive gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease appear to be doing well with no major side effects. It has now been around three years since...
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| Caregiving: Stress Management and Burnout Prevention |
FROM THE CLEVELAND CLINIC INFORMATION CENTER:
Sometimes, the pressure of caring for someone who is elderly or who has a chronic illness can lead to stress and a condition called caregiver burnout. In order to prevent this, managing one' stress levels is essential...
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| Hospice use for the patient with Advanced Alzheimer's Disease |
FROM THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) places incredible amounts of stress on the caregiver. Because of the disease's progressive decline, the burden of this illness is already greater than that of diabetes and equal to that of breast cancer ...
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| Task Strategies & Coping Mechanisims Delay Institutionalizing |
Based on a 3 year study reported in the Gerontologist Magazine:
The ability to sustain care at home over the course of Alzheimer's Disease depends on how well caregivers implement effective strategies to cope with the complexity of caring for someone with dementia day to day...
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| Imagination May Help Older Adults Memory |
SOURCE: an article from the National Institute on Aging:
A healthy dose of "imagination" helps older people remember to take medications and follow other medical advice, according to a new study supported by the National Institute of Health. Researchers found...
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| Counseling and Support Reduce Risk of Caregiver Depression |
From the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias:
Short-term, intensive counseling, in conjunction with readily available support, can significantly reduce the long-term risk of depression among husbands and wives caring for spouses with AD. The positive impact...
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| Caregiving: A Universal Occupation |
From the Family Caregiver Alliance:
Most people will become cargivers - or need one - at some point in their lives. A caregiver is anyone who provides basic assistance and care for someone who is frail, disabled or ill and needs help. Caregivers...
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| Dementia with Lewy Bodies |
From the National Parkinson Foundation and the Institute for Aging & Health
Dementia is a general term for an illness that has caused a patient to become progressively and irreversibly confused. Although the earliest symptoms may vary from patient to patient, depending on the cause...
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| Participating in a Clincial Trial - Questions and Answers |
Rapid advances in our knowledge about Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have led to the development of many new drugs and treatment strategies. However, before these new strategies can be adopted, they must be shown to work in patients. This means that clinical trials - studies in people to rigorously test how...
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| Driving Skills and Safety |
As a person ages, driving skills change due to both muscle and vision degeneration, slowing reaction time, and the effects of illnesses or medications. Although older drivers are among the safest drivers in the United States, car crashes are the leading cause of injury-related...
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| Depression in Caregivers - Don't Let the Blues Hang Around |
Everyone gets the blues now and then. It's part of life. But if you feel little joy or pleasure after visiting with friends or seeing a good movie, you may have a more serious problem. Being depressed for a while...
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| AD Caregiver Research Part 2 - Hope, Hopelessness and Coping |
Caregiver coping is another area of Dr. Farran's research at the Rush ADC. In many ways, hope and finding meaning are closely intertwined. Included among her publications on this topic are her Twelve Steps for Caregivers. The orignial Twelve Steps, developed by...
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| AD Caregiver Research: Hope, Hopelessness, and Coping |
Within the last 20 years, a significant portion of Alzheimer's disease research has focused on understanding how family caregivers adapt to the stress of caring at home for a relative with the disease. Most studies have concentrated on caregiving burden and have found resulting...
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| Making a Trip to the Emergency Room Easier |
Persons with memory impairing illness, such as Alzheimer's disease, require a calm, predictable environment in order to remain at their highest functioning level. Emergency rooms are anything but calm and predictable -however, there are steps that caregivers can take...
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| Summer Safety for the Memory Impaired |
Now that the warm weather is here, people are spending more time outside gardening, walking, bike riding, picnicing and barbecuing. We like to make the most of the limited number of sunny, warm days we have in WNY. Persons with a memory impairing illness are no different...
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| The Three Stages of Alzheimer's Disease |
Many experts agree that Alzheimer's Disease follows a recognizable pattern as it progresses in most people. In each stage of the disease, there are specific symptoms and behaviors that are expected. Knowing what is considered "normal" for the disease progression can sometimes help....
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| Home away from Home - Relocating your Parents |
As you've watched your parents age, perhaps you have struggled with situations such as these: You've traveled to visit your mother for the holidays, and found her refrigerator nearly empty, or her checkbook...
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| Planning Ahead - A Guide to Choosing a Nursing Facility |
The following questions may guide you in evaluating nursing facilities as you begin your selection process. Remember, your family member is unique and has different needs, preferences and desires that should be taken into account in the selection of a facility...
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| Sensory Stimulation for Persons in Late Stage Dementia |
Caregivers report that it can be difficult to interact with a family member who can no longer speak - or rarely has facial expression or rarely makes eye contact. I am often asked to suggest some simple ways in which caregivers can re-connect with their late stage family members...
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| 32 Common Causes for Aggression in the Memory Impaired |
Aggression is a very troublesome behavior that can occur for a variety of reasons. Aggression can be verbal or physical and is often devastating to the caregiver. The following is list of 32 common causes for aggression in the Memory Impaired. The ability to avoid, correct or understand...
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| Urinary Tract Infection, Constipation Can Cause Alzheimer's Dysfunction |
DALLAS - Family Practice News:
Before resorting to medications to control agitation and other behavioral manifestations of advancing Alzheimer's disease, make sure the patient doesn't simply have constipation or a urinary...
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| Music and Alzheimer's Disease - Alternate Therapies |
An article from the Townsend Letter Group for Doctors and Patients reveils positive results in a recent study of 20 male Alzheimer's patients. Dr. Ardash Kumar and colleagues at the University of Miami School of Medicine (Florida) reported this study...
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| What is Pick's Disease? |
Pick's disease is a relatively rare, degenerative brain illness that causes dementia. The first description of the disease was published in 1892 by Arnold Pick. Until recently, it was thought that Pick's disease could not be distinguished from Alzheimer's Disease during life...
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| Mindful Eating - Changing dietary fat patterns may lower the risk of Alzheimer's Diease |
A new study from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging has shown that a diet high in saturated or trans-unsaturated fats raises a persons risk of Alzheimer's disease. The good news is that high intake of unsaturated fats seems to be protective against Alzheimer's Disease!...
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| Challenging Behaviors - Paranoia and False Ideas |
Paranoia is defined as suspiciousness of others that is not based on fact. Progressive brain impairment in persons with Alzheimer's disease affects their ability to interpret information accurately. Suspiciousness is a common response to the persons dwindling control of their world...
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| Helpful hints for dealing with persons who are depressed |
Persons who are depressed require additional support and understanding. If you or your family member has a long period of being sad and blue, be certain to alert your physician. Assist them by...
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| Daily Structure Helps Decrease and Eliminate Behaviors |
A structured, predictable environment helps relieve anxiety commonly known to trigger behavior issues in the memory impaired. Even in the home, a daily activity structure should be planned to help your family member better understand and relate to...
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| Safety Tips For Around the House - Family Caregivers |
Persons with a memory impairing illness, such as Alzheimer's Disease or related disorders, need to feel safe and secure in their environment. Because of their reduced ability to make sound decisions, caregivers need to consider changes to the home environment to...
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| Assistance with Eating / Weight Loss Concerns |
Another very common issue for persons with a memory impairing illness is unplanned weight loss and problems with eating. As the disease progresses, some people may experience loss of appetitie or increased anxiety and wandering. Because of this...
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| Positive Communication Techniques |
Persons with a memory impairing illness such as Alzheimer's Disease begin to loose their ability to understand and speak language as early as the first 2-3 years after diagnosis. It is very important that...
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| Tips for Clothing Changes - Challanges with Dressing |
Similarly to bathing and hygiene, changing clothing can be very difficult for persons with a memory impairing illness to accomplish. They are confused by our seemingly obsessiveness with hygiene and dressing. If they feel comfortable, they cannot understand...
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| Personal Care Issues - Toileting and Incontinence |
The need for assistance with this very private matter is often the most difficult for the caregiver and the memory impaired. Although toileting and incontinence issues are expected as a memory impairing illness progresses, many caregivers...
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| Unresolved Pain may lead to Behavioral Issues in the Memory Impaired |
According to a recent report by the American Medical Directors Association, and the AMDA Clinical Practice Guideline on Chronic Pain Management - unresolved pain issues...
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| Sundowning Syndrome - Interventions and tips |
Sundowning Syndrome is a common set of behaviors for persons with a memory impairing illness. Usually occuring in mid-afternoon to early evening, the person may experience increased anxiety, increased confusion, delusions or paranoia may...
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| Helpful Hints for Dealing with Insomnia or Sleep Disturbance |
It is not uncommon to hear cargivers complain that the person they are caring for chronically wakes during the night. Caregivers often remark that the person they are caring for will wander about the house, may get dressed thinking it is morning and may want to leave the house to "go to work" or "pick up children"...
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| Hints and Tips for Assisting with Bathing |
Bathing and personal hygiene are often the most difficult tasks for caregivers to perform. Their loved one may be resistive, agitated and can become...
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