A person with Alzheimer’s disease may have other medical problems over time. These problems can cause more confusion and behavior changes. The person may not be able to tell you what is wrong. One problem, incontinence, means a person can’t control his or her bladder and/or bowels. This may happen at any stage of Alzheimer’s… Continue reading Dealing with Incontinence in Alzheimer’s Patients
Category: Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias
Proteins and Brain Atrophy
Some proteins that circulate in the blood are associated with brain atrophy, researchers have found, and the discovery could be used in Alzheimer’s-related tests in the future. A newly reported study, led by Liana Apostolova, M.D., Barbara and Peer Baekgaard Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine, is believed to… Continue reading Proteins and Brain Atrophy
Heart Drug May Raise Risk of Alzheimer’s and Macular Degeneration
A drug that can halt the progression of heart failure and reduce cardiovascular-related deaths may have serious side effects, including increased risk of Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The drug — a tablet that combines the agents valsartan and sacubitril, sold under the… Continue reading Heart Drug May Raise Risk of Alzheimer’s and Macular Degeneration
Moderate Drinking Linked to Reduced Risk of Death in Early Stage Alzheimer’s
Raise a glass and toast to the discovery that quaffing one drink a day is linked to a reduced risk of death among people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease! That’s the finding of a Danish study published in the online journal BMJ Open in December 2015. A release from the publishers notes that moderate drinking… Continue reading Moderate Drinking Linked to Reduced Risk of Death in Early Stage Alzheimer’s
Are Your Senior Loved Ones Safe to Live Alone?
This week, millions of adult children will head “home” to spend time with their parents and grandparents over the holidays. It’s a time for family celebrations and bonding. And for adult offspring with elder loved ones, it’s also a rare time – with potentially five or more days spent together – to evaluate whether their… Continue reading Are Your Senior Loved Ones Safe to Live Alone?
A Link Between Some Brain Conditions and the Herpes Virus
Researchers have drawn closer to explaining the link between some neurologic condition and certain species of the herpes virus. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebellar ataxia, among other neuropathies, the cerebrospinal fluid teems with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Yet, the nature of that link has remained unclear, as it has been assumed that… Continue reading A Link Between Some Brain Conditions and the Herpes Virus
Researchers Discover Alzheimer’s “Subtypes”
Alzheimer’s disease, long thought to be a single disease, really consists of three distinct subtypes, according to a UCLA study. The discovery could eventually lead to new treatments for the debilitating neurological disorder. Additionally, the study found that one of the three variations, the cortical subtype, appears to be fundamentally a different condition than… Continue reading Researchers Discover Alzheimer’s “Subtypes”
Lack of Vitamin D Shows A Strong Link to Dementia
Researchers have found a strong link between Vitamin D insufficiency and memory loss that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The effect of the insufficiency is “substantial,” according to the experts from the University of California Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Rutgers University. They discovered that people with low vitamin D levels declined at… Continue reading Lack of Vitamin D Shows A Strong Link to Dementia
Delaying Alzheimer’s by 10 Years
Medical research has yet to discover an Alzheimer’s treatment that effectively slows the disease’s progression, but neuroscientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara may have uncovered a mechanism by which onset can be delayed by as much as 10 years. A release from the university notes that the mechanism is a gene variant —… Continue reading Delaying Alzheimer’s by 10 Years
Memories Can Be Lost – And Found
Scientists have identified a process in the brain that may eventually lead to new treatments for people with memory problems. The finding, published in the journal Nature Communications, was made by a team of researchers from Cardiff University in the UK. The investigators found that reminders could reverse the amnesia caused by methods previously thought… Continue reading Memories Can Be Lost – And Found
A Diet That Helps Stop Cognitive Decline
Researchers say that eating a group of specific foods – known as the MIND Diet – may slow cognitive decline among aging adults, even those who aren’t at risk of Alzheimer’s. This finding, by researchers from Rush Medical Center, Chicago, is in addition to a previous study by the research team that found that the… Continue reading A Diet That Helps Stop Cognitive Decline
Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
Taking a person with Alzheimer’s disease on an overnight trip is a challenge. Traveling can make the person more worried and confused, so it’s important to think ahead. Here are some tips from the experts at the National Institute on Aging: Getting Started Talk with the person’s doctor about medicines to calm someone who gets… Continue reading Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
High BP in Your 50’s May Mean Cognitive Decline Later
Having high blood pressure in your 50’s may impact your ability to keep track or plan ahead in your 80’s, according to a study done at Boston University Medical Center and published in July 2015 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. A release from the university notes that life expectancy is on the rise and… Continue reading High BP in Your 50’s May Mean Cognitive Decline Later
Older Men Have More Senior Moments Than Women Do
A Mayo Clinic study of brain aging found that being male was associated with worse memory and lower hippocampal volume in people who were cognitively normal at baseline, while the gene APOE ?4, a risk factor for Alzheimer disease, was not, according to an article published online March 16 2015 by JAMA Neurology. A release… Continue reading Older Men Have More Senior Moments Than Women Do
Some OTC Drugs Linked to Dementia
Researchers say that taking some commonly used drugs at a higher dose for a longer time carries a significantly increased risk for developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s. The drugs include such familiar remedies as nonprescription diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, is the first to show such a link. And it’s the first… Continue reading Some OTC Drugs Linked to Dementia
ThirdAge Health Close-Up: NPH, the Curable Dementia
By Sondra Forsyth
During 2004, when Alicia Harper was 69, her husband began to notice heartbreaking changes in the way his smart, vibrant wife was behaving.
"She was becoming disconnected," Nildo, now 83, says. "She was confused and always forgetting things. And when we would visit with any of our four children and eight grandchildren, she didn't seem to feel anything for them. I just assumed she had the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease. I took her to several doctors and they thought so, too."