Caregiver Committed to Fighting Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's Weekly
WHEN SHIRLEY Leon Garrison says "Alzheimer's is a cruel disease," he speaks with the voice of grim experience.

He recalls noticing the first signs of the disease in his wife, Mildred, back in 1991 - their 50th wedding anniversary year - and he was by her side for the next 15 years, facing every stage of the disease with her until her death in May 2006.

Along the way, he became perhaps the most committed man in America to finding a way to stop Alzheimer's disease.

He and his wife donated $1 million....read the whole story

Research on mice links fast food to Alzheimer's

This should not be a surprize to anyone
Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - Mice fed junk food for nine months showed signs of developing the abnormal brain tangles strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease, a Swedish researcher said on Friday.
The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, show how a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol could increase the risk of the most common type of dementia.
"On examining the brains of these mice, we found a chemical change not unlike that found in the Alzheimer brain," Susanne Akterin, a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, who led the study, said in a statement.
"We now suspect that a high intake of........read the whole article

Caregiver Stress Check

Alzheimer's Association
Caregiving can be stressful. Get the help you need

Are you a caregiver for someone with a disabling condition such as Alzheimer's or a related dementia? Do you feel overwhelmed? You may be putting your own health at risk. Take our Caregiver Stress Check, and then get resources that can help.

Do you regularly . . .read the whole thing

Writely Applied at Thanksgiving(dementia information blog)

Today.com
I have to compliment Dr. Susan Berg at Dementia Today. She has been running a couple of post series at her site dedicated to dementia. The first was Top ways to enjoy Thanksgiving with those who have dementia (ten parts). The second has been Creativity and dementia which has covered a wide range of creative ideas to share with those close to you who suffer from dementia. This is such an important time for families and in many instances a difficult time to celebrate with those suffering from dementia. I want to bring Dr. Susan' Berg's work into the creative spotlight since her dedication to the topic of dementia should be commended. I hope all enjoy their time with friends and family this Thanksgiving, especially those dedicating a special amount of time to those in need. ........read the full article

Study confirms benefit of combination therapy for Alzheimer's disease

EureikAlert
Sue McGreevey
Massachusetts General Hospital
First long-term study finds that treatment slows symptom progression, benefits last for years
Extended treatment with Alzheimer's disease drugs can significantly slow the rate at which the disorder advances, and combination therapy with two different classes of drugs is even better at helping patients maintain their ability to perform daily activities. Results from the first long-term study of the real-world use of Alzheimer's drugs, published by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in the July/September issue of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, support a level of effectiveness that may not be immediately apparent to patients or their family members.
"There has been the impression that these drugs only work for... read the whole article

Aging gracefully: Connection among caregiver, hospice, Alzheimer's big

News-press.com
Fort Meyers Florida
.............................Once a person is experiencing middle and then late stages of Alzheimer's disease, he will be dependent on a caregiver for daily care and assistance. In most cases, that caregiver is a family member.
Finally, the connection between the person with Alzheimer's, the family caregiver and hospice evolves as the person progresses to the late stage of the disease, which can last for several years during which the person requires total care.
In late, or end stage Alzheimer's, the person is not able to............................read the whole article

Doll Therapy Works Wonders For Some Women With Dementia

By LYN ROCHE Tribune correspondent
The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 22, 2008
Dear Lyn: My mother is 82 and was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2002. She lives with my husband and me. She currently believes she has two little children other than her five grown children. She has these spells in which she starts worrying about them and is afraid they are outside alone and can't get into the house. Sometimes she thinks they are ages 9 and 10. Other times she thinks they are about 2 years old.
Dear Upset: Talk with your mother's doctor about the possibility of drug interactions. Ask him to review her medications. She could be experiencing hallucinations and delusions. She may be "seeing" children outside the house. She believes they are hers and they can't get inside to be with her.
However, it could be as basic as her mind taking her back........read the whole thing

Clinical trials could help find a cure for Alzheimer's

The DenverChannel.com
Patients Enroll In Clinical Trials
By Christine Chang, 7NEWS Anchor
POSTED: 9:54 am MST November 21, 2008
UPDATED: 10:06 pm MST November 21, 2008

DENVER -- With close to five million people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the United States, researchers continue to work hard to find treatment for those suffering from the brain disorder.
"You have people who get Alzheimer's disease and it's very severe and they can die in a few years. On the other hand, you can have people with Alzhimer's disease live 10 to 20 years," said Dr. Michael Wasserman of Senior Care of Colorado.
Wasserman said there are many different Alzheimer's medication out right now and the reaction
click here to read the whole story

Podcast: Caregiving tips for Alzheimer's disease and relaied dementias

MayoClinic,com
Medical expert: Glen Smith, Ph.D.Total time: 0:10:51 minutes

beginning of transcript
Welcome to Mayo Clinic podcast. Our topic today is tips about caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. I'm your host, Rich Dietman.
In today's podcast we're talking about some things that you can do to be a more effective caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's disease. My guest is Dr. Glenn Smith. Dr. Smith is a Mayo Clinic neuropsychologist who specializes in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. He's also a consultant in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo and a professor of psychology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Smith, thanks for joining us.
....podcast

Forget it: Ginkgo found ineffective at helping memory, preventing dementia

USA Today

Ginkgo biloba did nothing to prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older Americans, according to the longest and largest test of the herbal supplement.
"We don't think it has a future as a powerful anti-dementia drug," said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study. It appears in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Los Angeles Times and WebMD Health News have details about the study.
Extracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Earlier research showed mixed results.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the .....
read the whole post

Practical recommendations on preventing aggression in dementia patients by screening for and treating predictive factors.

Modern Medicine

Geriatrics
Persons with dementia often present with non-cognitive clinical symptoms, such as aggression, which can be distressing and dangerous to both caregiver and patient. Depression, pain, caregiver burden, and the quality of the caregiver-patient relationship can contribute to the onset of aggression. Given the risks involved with medication, there is a strong need for preventive and nonpharmacological interventions before such behaviors occur. This article gives practical recommendations for primary care physicians on how to prevent aggression in dementia patients by screening for and treating predictive factors. Clinically useful assessment instruments and treatment options are discussed, in addition to referral sources.
Nguyen VT, Love AR, Kunik ME. Preventing aggression in persons with dementia. Geriatrics. 2008;63(10)21-26.
Key words: aggression, dementia, geriatric assessment, pain, depression, caregiver, psychotherapy
Drugs discussed: acetaminophen, citralopram, sertraline
Dementia is a major public health concern, especially with the growing aging population. The incidence of dementia increases with age, and it was estimated to affect 24.3 million individuals worldwide in 2005 and predicted to rise to 81.1 million by 2040.1
Dementia is a multidimensional...read the whole article

Engage With Grace Provides Valuable Tool for End-of-Life Discussion with Dementia

Our Alzheimer's.com
by Carol Bradley Bursack

From there, I became an advocate for caregivers and seniors, beginning with a newspaper column and expanding with a book, then blogs and articles. I wrote often about the conversations adult children and their parents should have. It is important to discuss these issues when your loved one is in the early stages of dementia or other disease processes

I reviewed books about making good wills. I had an estate attorney be a guest columnist to explain to my column readers the need for a will and the Powers of Attorney for health and finances. I also wrote often about how people should discuss with their family anything in the news that brought up end-of-life issues. I've been very vocal on about this whole concept.

There was just one teeny little problem I kept hidden under the rug......read the whole article

Researchers Explore New Technologies, Treatments for Dementia Patients

Read about allthenew technologies on the horizon for dementia patients
PBS Online News Hour


RAY SUAREZ: Now, diagnosing and treating dementia. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports for our Health Unit, a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
SPENCER MICHELS, NewsHour correspondent: Keith Jordan, an environmental activist and software innovator -- shown here several years ago -- suffered from an often misdiagnosed neurological condition that attacks the front part of the brain and produces very strange behavior. Doctors say the condition is more common than previously thought.
Eventually Jordan's brain atrophied....read all about it

Dementia Alzheimer's patients given brain implants

Barchester

Healthcare News
Scientists reveal details of ongoing research into potential new treatment.
Six people with Alzheimer's disease have had small capsules implanted into their brains as part of a radical new attempt at treating the condition.The impants contain cells which produce a protein known as nerve growth factor, which can stimulate the survival and growth of cholinergic nerve cells, according to the team based at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.Cholinergic nerve cells, which break down in Alzheimer's and other dementia patients, are said to play a vital role in memory, problem-solving and other cognitive functions."Although implantation of encapsulated cells is a new method for treating Alzheimer's disease, our extensive experience in stereotactic surgery at Karolinska University Hospital enables us to perform the procedure in a safe and controlled manner," said Professor Bengt Linderoth at the department of neurosurgery.No complications were reported during the implantation of the capsules.A team of American scientists reported that they had identified four genes which may be linked to a significantly.......read the whole story

Care for the Caregiver of those with Alzheimer's Disease:Managing Stress

Alzheimer's Disease Research
A program of the American Health
Assistance Foundation

The caregivers of Alzheimer’s
patients face unusual pressures
and shoulder an enormous amount
of responsibility. The job they do is
both physically and emotionally
exhausting. As the disease progresses,
caregivers are called upon to
adapt to constant change in both
the patient and in the range of skills
they need to care for them. Add to
that the need for endless vigilance
and 24-hour-a-day care, and it’s
no wonder that the caregivers of
Alzheimer’s patients suffer a high
level of stress.
Severe stress that is sustained over a
long period of time can take a major toll
on both mental and physical well-being.
If special steps are not taken to periodically
relieve the pressures of caregiving,
caregivers face a high risk of.....
read and download the whole book

Grape seeds could ward off Alzheimer's and other dementias

News-Medical.Net
Medical Research News
Australian scientists are suggesting that grape seeds may be a potential treatment in warding off Alzheimer's and other dementias
The scientists at Flinders University have found that adding grape seed extract to the diet prevented the formation of deposits of amyloid proteins in the brain.
The discovery was made by a team of medical scientists in the Department of Human Physiology, headed by Professor Xin-Fu Zhou, in trials with mice.
Professor Zhou says the over-production of amyloid-beta proteins, or the body's failure to degrade them, leads to the formation of clumps or snarls in the brain......read the whole story

Hormone shows promise in reversing Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, and stroke

EurekAlert
Contact: Nancy Solomon

SLU researchers find strategy to get it past vigilant blood-brain barrier

ST. LOUIS -- Saint Louis University researchers have identified a novel way of getting a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, and stroke into the brain where it can do its work.
"We found a unique approach for delivering drugs to the brain," says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics and pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University. "We're turning off the guardian that's keeping the drugs out of the brain."
The brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a gate-keeping system of cells that lets in nutrients and keeps out foreign substances. The blood-brain barrier passes no judgment on which foreign substances are trying to get into the brain to treat diseases and which are trying to do harm, so it blocks them without discrimination.
"The problem in treating a lot of diseases

Win $2,000 of Free Housecleaning if you are an Alzheimer's or dementia caregiver

AgingCare.com
Editor
As a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, your loved one is your number one priority. At AgingCare.com you are our number one priority. In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, we want to make a deserving caregiver’s life a little easier.
So we’re holding a contest. The prize? $2,000 of free housecleaning! Just share your caregiving story for a chance to win. It could be a sweet moment you’ve shared with your loved one, some upbeat wisdom that might help others, or a funny story that takes the edge off.
Here’s your chance to take some of the burden off of your caregiving duties. The contest winner can use their Merry Maids gift card for housecleaning at their own home, their parents’ house…whatever they choose.
How to enter: Click Here

The use of "therapuetic fibs" and dementia

Alzheimer's Weekly
Secrets from a Caregiver's Support Group

ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA --

Sometimes there is great comfort in sharing a simple, little story. Especially when both the teller and the listener are caring for a parent with Alzheimer's disease.

"Before my mom had a stroke, she did a lot of hallucinating," Carlsbad resident Lynne Smith, 55, told a support group for adult children of an Alzheimer's patients at the Glenner Center in Encinitas last week. "She'd call me at 6 in the morning to tell me that her mom and sister had come by for a visit, but that they had left when she had gone to the bathroom."

But what really worried her mother, Smith said......read the whole post

Common vitamin may protect against Alzheimer's disease

3news.com.nz

Researchers in the US say a common vitamin found in meat, fish and potatoes may help protect your brain from Alzheimer's disease.

They found in tests on mice that vitamin B3 lowers the level of a protein which is linked to Alzheimer's damage and the animals also performed better in memory tests.

They say this indicates that.....read the whole story

Computerized carer lessens dementia load

Eureka Alert
Alex Mihailidis, Jennifer N Boger, Tammy Craig and Jesse Hoey
BMC Geriatrics
An artificial intelligence coaching system has been developed that will help carers of older adults with moderate dementia. The COACH system (Cognitive Orthosis for Assisting aCtivities in the Home), described in the open access journal BMC Geriatrics, uses a camera and computer to deliver interactive advice - lessening the workload on often-overburdened carers.

Alex Mihailidis led a team of researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, who tested the COACH's ability to help a group of six older adults with dementia remember how to wash their hands. Mihailidis said, "COACH employs various computer vision and artificial intelligence techniques to autonomously provide the user with verbal and/or visual reminders as necessary during their activities of daily living".

When COACH was used, the participants with moderate dementia showed......read the whole story

New program aids dementia patients

Ventura County Stat
County News
Device emits signal to help locate person

By Kitty Dill
In the United States, most of those with dementia who wander are found within a mile and a half from their homes or care facilities, says Norma Featherston, area director for the Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

But "about 40 percent are not found alive," she said.

That's one reason she is excited about a new tool available to help the estimated 12,400 people with dementia in Ventura County and their families.

On Tuesday, opening ceremonies will launch Project Life Saver, a safety program that will have its kickoff in Camarillo and is expected to expand.....read the whole story

Cure Alzheimer's Fund touts research

By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 2, 2008

Research funded by a local foundation might hold promise toward new and better treatments of Alzheimer's disease, officials said.

The Cure Alzheimer's Fund, with offices Downtown and in Boston, gave $3 million to a team at Harvard Medical School in Boston, which combed the human gene map and found four more areas that affect the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Some of the genes, associated with the most common form of Alzheimer's, appear linked to.....read the whole story

Study says binge drinkers risk dementia

UPI.com
Health News
LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Binge drinkers of all ages face a greater risk of dementia in later life, say British psychiatrists who warn of damaged brain tissue.

The problem is so serious that bottles of alcohol should carry cigarette-style health warnings, Drs. Susham Gupta and James Warner write in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Since the 1960s, alcohol consumption in Britain has doubled, Warner and Gupta said, warning British residents may become the highest alcohol consumers in Europe within the next decade, The Times of London reported Saturday.

The time lag between alcohol abuse and the onset...read the whole story

Forum helps people with dementia take back control and find hope

ExchangeMorningPost
WATERLOO - People living with early-stage dementia and their partners in care will share advice and tips next month in order to become stronger advocates and more in control of the disease.

A Changing Melody, held in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 15, is an annual forum, now in its fifth and final year, that focuses on the experiences of those living with dementia. The theme of this year's forum is Joining Forces: Building Supportive Dementia Communities.

The one-day event offers a learning and sharing forum designed specifically by and for persons with early-stage dementia and their partners in care. Key areas covered include discussion and sharing on topics such as living with and transforming grief after diagnosis, living in meaningful ways, and building stronger dementia communities.

"Together we can join forces to amplify the voices of persons with dementia and continue to change the perceptions and misunderstandings of living with dementia," said Sherry Dupuis, director of the Kenneth G. Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) at the University of Waterloo. "We can and should be working together to create communities that are better able to support....read the whole article