Dementia is a neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move. Find tips for dealing with dementia and its most common cause: Alzheimer's, an irreversible brain disease that slowly destroys memory, executive and motor function.
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Dementia Symptoms | Memory Loss
Alzheimer’s and Incontinence: Strategies for Caregivers By: Julie Davis Caregiving for a loved one with one medical condition is stressful enough. When you’re helping someone manage both Alzheimer’s and incontinence, you need targeted strategies.
Home Care Alzheimer’s Safety Awareness Guide? If your loved one with Alzheimer’s still lives at home, take these Alzheimer’s safety steps to prevent wandering.
10 Ways to Boost Your Cognitive Fitness and Longevity Want to stay on top of your game mentally? Try these 10 fun brain health activities to ward off cognition problems.
The Sage Test for Screening for Memory Disorders: An Update By: Douglas Scharre The Ohio State University memory disorders researcher and Parentgiving adviser Dr. Douglas Scharre and his team confirmed the effectiveness of their SAGE test, a 15-minute cognitive assessment test you can give yourself at home. Find out how it works.
Posit Science This company was started seven years ago in San Francisco and is based around the work of neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich.
Dakim BrainFitness This company was started in 2002 and is based in Santa Monica, California. Their program was developed for active seniors and for people with mildly diminished brain function.
Helping Young Children Understand Alzheimer’s Disease By: Crystal Roberts Anyone who has a family member that lives with Alzheimer’s disease can tell you this is not a disease that affects just one person—it affects the whole family.
CogniFit This software company was established in 1999 and is based in Israel. CogniFit offers a program called "Personal Coach" that creates a brain fitness program for you based on a 45-minute baseline assessment. After this assessment the program designs a series of brain exercises to strengthen your areas of weakness.
HAPPYneuron Based in Mountain View, California, this company offers entertaining games that are designed by neurologists and neuroscientists. HAPPYneuron says that its game users have shown significant brain performance improvement when compared to non-users. The games are designed to stimulate attention, language, memory, visual-spatial skills and executive function.
Caring for an Alzheimer’s Patient at Home Estimates of the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease often vary, but the U.S. National Institutes of Health puts the range between 2.5 million and 4.5 million. One thing is certain — the number of Alzheimer’s disease cases will rise significantly as the baby boomers swell the numbers of the over 65s. It is projected that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease.
Summer House: A Personalized And Caring Approach To Alzheimer’s Walnut Village is a full-service Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) that officially opened in October 2009 in Anaheim, CA.
An Expert’s Advice When Caring For A Loved One With Alzheimer's By: Kathy Johnson Given the seriousness of their symptoms, people with Alzheimer’s often require around the clock care. But their caregivers need assistance, too.
Common Misbeliefs about Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia is derived from Latin and literally translates into “mind gone,” (de means “gone” while mens refers to “mind”). The most common cause of dementia, accounting for at least 60% of all dementia cases, is Alzheimer’s disease.
The Differences Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Many a patient (or the family) has asked, “What is Alzheimer’s disease, and what makes it different from dementia?” The term dementia refers to a health condition marked by a progressive loss of cognitive or intellectual abilities. There are many types of dementia, arising from different causes, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease.
A New Survey Sheds Light On Caregiver’s Needs & Attitudes A new, national survey sheds light on the difficulties felt by America’s Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers.
Denial: A River Of Problems When Alzheimer’s Strikes By: Scott Eckstein We are all in denial about something at some point in our lives. The dictionary defines denial as "the refusal to admit the truth or reality." My favorite definition is "the negation of logic."
A New Service For Tracking A Person With Alzheimer’s By: Julie Davis As a source of information and support, the Alzheimer’s Association provides invaluable services to people with AD and caregivers who are faced with significant challenges on a daily basis and is known for its commitment to educating families about keeping people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia safe, active and independent for as long as possible.
Six Surprising Signs That Impaired Seniors May Wander By: Steve Barlam Preventing seniors with Alzheimer's from wandering is key to protecting them. Know the 6 signs that wandering could be imminent.
Overcome Wandering Worries To Keep Loved Ones at Home Longer Caring for an ailing loved one can be exhausting—physically, mentally and emotionally—especially for spouses who may be aging as well.
The Home Safety Checklist For Loved Ones With Dementia Minimizing household dangers and providing safe home health care for dementia patients can be simple and effective with proper preparation.
Antisenilin: Is This The Future of Alzheimer’s Treatment? By: Chris Iliades For now the best way to treat Alzheimer's may be with drugs like Aricept that increase chemical messengers in the brain, but what if a treatment could use the body's own defenses to remove the protein that causes Alzheimer's from the brain before it damages nerves cells?
Alzheimer's Disease: The Future Just Got Brighter By: Chris Iliades Did you know that after reaching the age of 85 your chance of having Alzheimer's disease is almost 50 percent? As the baby boomer generation becomes the senior generation, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease is expected to rise.
Alzheimer’s Caregiving With The Validation Method By: Julie Davis With the increasing number of people falling victim to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, new and innovative ways to care for patients has become a priority, especially in dementia care facilities.
Programming For Seniors: It’s Not Just About Your Great Grandmother’s Bingo! By: Scott Eckstein Assisted Living Community. To some, these words don’t sound or represent a place where people are active. But, actually, they are. From our standpoint, we look at activities as an opportunity to engage our residents in meaningful activities for mature adults.
Alzheimer’s and Holiday Celebrations: Planning Savvy The holidays are a time for families to gather and celebrate generations coming together to enjoy each other’s company. Though for those caring for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, this time of year can bring increased anxiety as they strive to create a calm holiday environment while keeping family traditions alive. For that reason, Emeritus Senior Living, a national provider of assisted living and Alzheimer's and related dementia care services to seniors, has put together helpful guidelines and suggestions to make this holiday season a memorable one for the whole family. Planning holiday celebrations for Alzheimer’s patients calls for some adaptation, but this preplanning can be good for everyone.
Tracking Devices May Boost Quality Of Life For Alzheimer’s Sufferers By: Julie Davis Using GPS technology on a wide scale reduces the chance of Alzheimer’s patients getting lost while allowing them to regain freedom of movement.
The Silver Alert System: Finding Our Missing Elderly Like a missing child, a missing elder can be a family’s worst nightmare. Time is of the essence in these situations. The Silver Alert System is one way to help get seniors back before any harm can come to them.
Optimizing Quality of Life with Alzheimer’s Once a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the family member realizes that providing care will now be a permanent task. This is a crucial moment for both the loved one and the family.
Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease In Alzheimer’s disease, the nerve cells in a person’s brain gradually die off. The changes in the person may be very subtle at first as progression is slow. The disease can last over a period of eight to 20 years, depending on the health and particular circumstances of the affected individual.
Counseling Spouses of Alzheimer’s Patients Alzheimer’s disease afflicts more than 5.2 million Americans in 2008. And, as aging baby boomers swell the ranks of the over 65s, public health officials expect a steady increase in Alzheimer’s disease.
Art as Mechanism of Expression When Verbal Skills Fail When Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia cause a loved one to lose the ability to speak, the lack of communication may become frustrating to the family members and, presumably, to the patient. Researchers have found that art can be used to give the patient a means of self expression when verbal skills fail.
Managing Sundowner's Syndrome Sundowner's Syndrome (also known as sundowning) is a condition that occurs in the late afternoon or early evening when the sun goes down — generally between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. It is not a separate disease but is one of the symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Sundowner's Syndrome involves confusion, disorientation, agitation, anger, depression, restlessness, paranoia and mood swings. Some of the behaviors may include wandering, rocking, crying, pacing, hiding things and acting out aggressively.
Music as a Tool to Improve Communications Skills in Alzheimer’s Patients For people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, the body’s functions degenerate as the brain’s functions deteriorate. Among the most affected are the five senses, but the sense of hearing is usually the first to go. Before hearing finally shuts down, music therapy can be a valuable therapeutic tool to promote interactive communication.
Ten Symptoms of Dementia The onset and development of memory loss and dementia can be your biggest concern as a child and caregiver for your parent. Sometimes taking care of the physical and organizational aspects of your parent's aging process are tiring, but the idea of losing that person cognitively can be almost unbearable. Unfortunately, many of us have to deal with the reality of our parents' memory loss and dementia.
Memory Loss: Does it Mean Alzheimer's? Some memory loss is a normal part of aging, but certain memory problems may be related to other problems such as depression, dehydration or medical issues such as Alzheimer's. The good news is: many types of memory loss are treatable. The following article will guide you in determining if your parent's memory loss is normal or more serious, and what you can do to help.
What Types of Treatments are Available for Persons With Dementia and Alzheimer's? The basic goal in the management of individuals having Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is to preserve their autonomy and ability to function. Treatment also seeks to preserve quality of life not only for patients but also for those who provide care.
What Diagnostic/Assessment Techniques Are Used to Diagnose Alzheimer’s or Dementia? Particularly in the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms are very subtle, making diagnosis difficult. Indeed, the only truly definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can be done through an autopsy performed after death, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
What Should Prompt Me to Have My Parent Tested for Dementia and Alzheimer's? Ideally, both the patient and the family would benefit from an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (which is by far the most common cause of dementia). This allows everyone involved to make workable plans for the future, while your parent can still be an active participant in the decision making.
Dealing With a Parent With Dementia It is not easy to deal with a parent with dementia or its most common type, Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 10 million American adults have to cope with the responsibility of caring for a family member suffering from various types of dementia.
The Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia A good way to understand Alzheimer’s disease is to look at dementia. According to the National Institutes of Health, dementia is a generic term that refers to the symptoms that arise from a variety of brain diseases and disorders. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (60% to 70% of all demetias), there are more than 100 types of this condition. Dementia impairs more than one domain of cognitive function, which makes it different from brain disorders that affect only one domain such as amnesia (affects memory) and aphasia (affects language skills). It is not loss of memory; rather, it involves the loss of the mind as a whole.