Category: Dementia

Tips for Changes in Communication and Behavior for People With Dementia

Communication can be hard for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias because they have trouble remembering things. They also can become agitated and anxious, even angry. In some forms of dementia, language abilities are affected such that people have trouble finding the right words or have difficulty speaking. You may feel frustrated or impatient, but… Continue reading Tips for Changes in Communication and Behavior for People With Dementia

End-of-Life Care for People With Dementia

People often live for years with dementia. While it can be difficult to think of these diseases as terminal, they do eventually lead to death. Caregivers often experience special challenges surrounding the end of life of someone with dementia in part because the disease progression is so unpredictable. Below are some considerations for end-of-life care for people with dementia. Making… Continue reading End-of-Life Care for People With Dementia

Tips for a Healthy and Active Lifestyle for People With Dementia

Eating healthy and staying active is good for everyone and is especially important for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. As the disease progresses, finding ways for the person to eat healthy foods and stay active may be increasingly challenging. Here are some tips that may help: Consider different activities the person can do to… Continue reading Tips for a Healthy and Active Lifestyle for People With Dementia

Can I Prevent Dementia?

A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease. Some risk factors can be controlled while others cannot. For example, a person is not able to control their age, which is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Another uncontrollable risk factor is a person’s genes. Genes… Continue reading Can I Prevent Dementia?

Memory and Aging

Many older adults worry about their memory and other thinking abilities. For example, they might be concerned about taking longer than before to learn new things, or they may sometimes forget to pay a bill. These changes are usually signs of mild forgetfulness — often a normal part of aging — not serious memory problems.… Continue reading Memory and Aging

Is It Just Forgetfulness?

Many people become worried about forgetfulness as they age. Mild forgetfulness, such as losing things from time to time, can be a normal part aging. Consider these techniques to help manage memory and changes in memory: *Start and follow a daily routine *Stay in activities that help both mind and body *Get enough sleep, generally… Continue reading Is It Just Forgetfulness?

Intensive Blood Pressure Control and Dementia

Intensive blood pressure lowering has an impact on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) but doesn’t lessen dementia risk, according to the final results of two large, federally funded studies. The peer-reviewed findings of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT MIND) were published on Jan. 28, 2019 in the… Continue reading Intensive Blood Pressure Control and Dementia

Coffee May Help Fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

The newest weapon in the battle against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson just might be coffee – and dark-roasted at that, new research says. “Coffee consumption does seem to have some correlation to a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Donald Weaver, co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute, in Toronto. “But we… Continue reading Coffee May Help Fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Intellectual, Social, Physical Activities Can Reduce Risk of Memory Loss Among Blacks

Blacks have nearly twice the rate of dementia as whites, putting them at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. But a new study shows that blacks with mild cognitive impairment – often a precursor to dementia – can reduce the risk of memory loss through a “behavioral intervention” that involves increasing social, cognitive and/or physical activity.… Continue reading Intellectual, Social, Physical Activities Can Reduce Risk of Memory Loss Among Blacks

The Aged Brain and Dementia

Researchers working with aged human brains have discovered details that will help experts better understand the biological bases for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The analysis, from the Allen Institute for Brain Science, University of Washington Medicine and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, was published in the journal eLife. The investigation also highlights surprising variability… Continue reading The Aged Brain and Dementia

Poor Sense of Smell May Be Linked to Dementia Risk

A poor sense of smell appears to be linked in elderly adults to the risk of dementia, new research shows. The long-term study of nearly 3,000 adults, aged 57 to 85, found that those who could not identify at least four out of five common odors were more than twice as likely as those with… Continue reading Poor Sense of Smell May Be Linked to Dementia Risk

Diagnosing Dementia

Editor’s note: Although much is reported about dementia and its effects on patients and caregivers, there may be less to read about how dementia is diagnosed. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, is an explanation of how that works: To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying treatable condition such… Continue reading Diagnosing Dementia

Help for Caregivers of Dementia Patients

States could save tens of millions of dollars — and help more Americans with dementia remain in their communities — if their caregivers took part in a program designed to improve their emotional and physical well-being, according to new research published in The Gerontologist. Although estimates of the prevalence and incidence of dementia in the… Continue reading Help for Caregivers of Dementia Patients

At-Home Dementia Patients Can Face Risk in Using Antipsychotic Meds

“Off-label” use of antipsychotic medications to treat patients with dementia has been reduced dramatically in recent years due to education programs warning of increased risk of death. Bu those campaigns have not focused on care settings outside of nursing homes, leaving community-dwelling adults with dementia at risk of potentially fatal side effects, according to research… Continue reading At-Home Dementia Patients Can Face Risk in Using Antipsychotic Meds

6 Tips to Reduce Dementia Risk

Nearly 50 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia, and this is set to almost double by 2030, and more than triple by 2050. Alzheimer’s is the best known, most common form of dementia, the 6th leading cause of death in America, and once diagnosed with it, the average remaining lifespan is only 8 years.… Continue reading 6 Tips to Reduce Dementia Risk

Caffeine and The Anti-Dementia Enzyme

Researchers have discovered that caffeine may have the potential to protect against dementia. The finding comes from Indiana University experts and was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study identified 24 compounds, including caffeine, with the potential to boost an enzyme in the brain shown to protect against dementia. The protective effect of the… Continue reading Caffeine and The Anti-Dementia Enzyme

The Dementia that Isn’t Alzheimer’s

Non-medical people sometimes use the term Alzheimer’s to describe different types of dementia, but that isn’t accurate. In an article from the Mayo News Network, Dr. Neill Graff-Radford, Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, explains the difference between Alzheimer’s and another kind of dementia called Lewy body dementia: Doctors diagnose Lewy body dementia based on the… Continue reading The Dementia that Isn’t Alzheimer’s