Retired pro football players seem to have higher-than-average risks of dying from Alzheimer's or Lou Gehrig's disease, states Reuters. In a study of more than 3,400 retired National Football League (NFL) players, the researchers found that death rates from the two brain diseases were four times higher than those in the general U.S. population. The researchers, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), cannot be sure of the reasons. But they suspect they could be looking at the long-term consequences of repeat concussions during players' careers. "This study cannot establish cause-and-effect," said lead researcher Everett J. Lehman….
Researchers found that women with Alzheimer's disease consistently scored worse than men across the five cognitive areas they studied, particularly in verbal skills, according to findings published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. The latest findings are important because it goes against the general profile for the healthy population where women have a distinct advantage. Lead researcher Professor Keith Laws of the University of Hertfordshire conducted a comprehensive review of neurocognitive data from 15 previous studies and found "a consistent male advantage on verbal and visuospatial tasks and tests of episodic and semantic memory," researchers wrote. Episodic memory…
Caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease typically suffer deeply when their loved ones are upset or agitated about something, states a Huffington Post article. But there is a way to reduce that emotional distress. It's very simple. You just have to be aware that most people with cognitive impairment live only in the present (although they may maintain memories of emotionally-charged incidents.) This means that people with Alzheimer's have the following traits: 1. They usually quickly forget unpleasant things that happen to them 2. They often adapt to change faster than their caregivers do 3. They typically don't worry about…
It's important for everyone to execute advance directives and powers of attorney. An advance directive, otherwise known as a living will, documents a person's desires related to end-of-life medical decisions. A medical power of attorney, is where someone is appointed to make healthcare decisions if the person is no longer able to do so, due to either a physical condition or reduced mental capacity. Also, a financial power of attorney is similar to the health care power of attorney but deals with financial issues banking, property, taxes insurance etc. It's especially important for people with Alzheimer's to have these documents…
CBS reports that a new radioactive dye may change how Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed and could potentially catch the degenerative disease earlier than ever, see attached video. Typically a doctor will diagnose Alzheimer's in patients when certain symptoms such as memory or cognitive decline are present and other conditions are ruled out, since physical signs of Alzheimer's are often not present on MRI or other scans until later stages of the disease. With the help of this new dye, called florbetapir (Amyvid), researchers at Duke University were able to detect early evidence of the disease in patients with mild or…
The ravages of Alzheimer's disease — memory loss, mood swings, depression and poor judgment, to name just a few — not only affect the 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's but also the 15 million-plus unpaid men and women who care for them. Symptoms of the disease can manifest themselves differently in each patient, but ultimately most people living with Alzheimer's will end up unable to function independently. They will have to rely on spouses, siblings, children, friends, neighbors or paid professionals for help. If you're a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's, here are some recommendations: The power of engagement Mental…
Summer vacation is a time to be enjoyed with family and friends, but for the 15 million people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, however, vacations and holidays can be conflicted, stressful and difficult. Many people are already balancing the responsibility of caregiving with everyday life and now have to change their routine significantly and worry about traveling, organizing and changing environments. The added pressure of a vacation or holiday can be very overwhelming. Here a few coping strategies and guidelines for enjoying and surviving one’s summer vacation and other holidays throughout the year. Even though summer vacation may be a…
One of the overlooked elements in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is that, beyond the individual mandate (and the politics), the act has a number of innovative ideas, and pilot programs easing the lives of people with serious health problems i.e. Alzheimer's Disease. A pilot program for 10,000 people called the Independence At Home program. This is a technique first developed by the Veterans Administration — by which a patient with a chronic disease, like Alzheimer's Disease, is treated in his or her own home by a team of doctors, nurse practitioners, geriatric pharmacists, and any other health professional…
Caring for an elderly loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s is a difficult thing, often both for the caregiver and the patient. This is especially true when it comes to effective communication. Enter “art therapy.” According to a recent article in The New York Times (The New Old Age Blog) titled Art Therapy For Alzheimer's Patients, art helps to comfort and often even invigorate a patient by giving them “something” with which to associate that does not require verbal interaction. As a result, various museums have begun programs with care professionals to provide guided tours for patients. These tours through…
Millions of people are affected by dementia, and unfortunately many of them do not have all their estate planning affairs in order before the symptoms start. If you or a loved one has dementia, it may not be too late to sign a will or other documents, but certain criteria must be met to ensure that the signer is mentally competent. In order for a will to be valid, the person signing must have "testamentary capacity," which means he or she must understand the implications of what is being signed. Simply because you have a form of mental illness or…
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