While holiday celebrations are often joyous occasions, they can be challenging and stressful for the millions of families living with Alzheimer’s. Families and friends may be unsure of how to involve their loved one with Alzheimer’s in activities without overwhelming them (or others). The Alzheimer’s Association tells families that with some planning and adjusted expectations,… Continue reading Alzheimer’s Families and the Holidays
Category: Alzheimer’s
The Start of Alzheimer’s: A New Understanding
Australian researchers have shed new light on the nerve cell processes that lead to Alzheimer’s Disease . The discovery overturns previously held ideas of how the disease develops. It may alo pave the way to new treatment options that could halt or slow its progression. The study was published in the journal Science. Studying human… Continue reading The Start of Alzheimer’s: A New Understanding
Changing How We Talk about Alzheimer’s
New research recommends talking about Alzheimer’s in a new way: avoiding war metaphors and focusing on messages of resilience. Framing a health issue through comparisons to warfare – “battle,” “victory,” “fight” – is common in popular media and medical and research communities. While it can motivate efforts to deal with the issue, this type of… Continue reading Changing How We Talk about Alzheimer’s
Six Signs That A Person with Dementia Might Wander
Anyone living with a form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s is at risk of wandering. “It’s predicted that six of 10 individuals with Alzheimer’s will wander during the disease process,” says Monica Moreno, director of Early-Stage Initiatives for the Alzheimer’s Association. That’s why it’s important to watch for the potential signs that someone could be… Continue reading Six Signs That A Person with Dementia Might Wander
On-line Alzheimer’s Suggestions Often Problematic
Online “resources” for preventing Alzheimer’s are not only problematic but could be steering people in the wrong direction, according to research from the University of British Columbia. In a survey of online articles about preventing Alzheimer’s disease, UBC researchers found many websites offered poor advice and one in five promoted products for sale—a clear conflict… Continue reading On-line Alzheimer’s Suggestions Often Problematic
The Ice Bucket Challenge: Did It Work?
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge, the social media videos that went viral during the summer of 2104? What began as a few videos circulated between some charity volunteers snowballed into an internet sensation. Its premise was simple: Make a video challenging friends, family and co-workers to donate money to fund ALS, a rare neurological disease,… Continue reading The Ice Bucket Challenge: Did It Work?
Found: Important Clue to Development of Alzheimer’s
Researchers have discovered a gene signature in healthy brains that echoes the pattern in which Alzheimer’s disease spreads through the brain. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, could help uncover the molecular origins of this devastating disease, and may be used to develop preventative treatments for at-risk individuals to be taken well before… Continue reading Found: Important Clue to Development of Alzheimer’s
Vacation Advice for Caregivers
Summer vacation season is in full swing, and many people are making plans to get away. For some, the most difficult decisions are choosing where to go and when. For caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, there are a host of other things to consider. “Vacations provide a chance to recharge one’s… Continue reading Vacation Advice for Caregivers
The Other Dementias
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely… Continue reading The Other Dementias
Unprecedented Improvements in Alzheimer’s Patients
Results from quantitative MRI and neuropsychological testing show unprecedented improvements in ten patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or its precursors following treatment with a programmatic and personalized therapy. Results from an approach dubbed metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration were published online in June 2016 the journal Aging. The study, which comes jointly from the Buck… Continue reading Unprecedented Improvements in Alzheimer’s Patients
Devices That Make Life Easier for Caregivers and Patients
By Nancy Wurtzel The Alzheimer’s caregiving industry is ripe for innovation. Currently, more than 17 million Americans are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. As our population ages, and the disease affects more and more people, the number of unpaid caregivers will also steadily increase. That’s why companies and entrepreneurs are scrambling to come up… Continue reading Devices That Make Life Easier for Caregivers and Patients
“Alzheimer’s-in-a-Dish” Confirms Amyloid Hypothesis
An innovative laboratory culture system has succeeded, for the first time, in reproducing the full course of events underlying the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Using the system they developed, investigators from the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) now provide the first clear evidence supporting the hypothesis that deposition of beta-amyloid… Continue reading “Alzheimer’s-in-a-Dish” Confirms Amyloid Hypothesis
Hope for Accurate Diagnosis of Memory Problems
More accurate tests could be created to diagnose diseases such as Alzheimer’s or memory problems stemming from head injuries. These tests could lead to earlier intervention, according to findings from the University of East Anglia in the UK published July 30th 2014 in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
New Hope for Alzheimer’s Treatment
A relatively frequent genetic variant turns out to provide significant protection against Alzheimer’s disease and can delay the onset of the disease by as much as four years. That is the finding of research done by Judes Poirier, PhD, C.Q., and colleagues at the Douglas Mental Health Institute and McGill University in Montréal. The discovery opens new avenues for treatment against this devastating disease. Dr. presented the study at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Copenhagen in July 2014.
Glitch in “Garbage Removal” Ups Dementia Risk
An international team of researchers identified a pathogenic mechanism that is common to several neurodegenerative diseases. The findings suggest that it may be possible to slow the progression of dementia even after the onset of symptoms.
AD Drug to Prevent Brain Blood Clots
Experiments done in Sidney Strickland’s Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics at Rockefeller University in New York have identified a compound that might halt the progression of Alzheimer’s by interfering with the role amyloid-β, a small protein that forms plaques in Alzheimer’s brains, plays in the formation of blood clots. This work is highlighted in the July 2014 issue of Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
Music and Alzheimer’s
By Judy Kirkwood
If you've ever felt , or witnessed, the unimaginable despair and sadness that accompanies seeing a loved one with Alzheimer's, there could be good news for you. A new feature documentary, “Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory,” demonstrates the power of music to awaken and revive those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia–and to bring them closer to being themselves once more..