Alzheimer's Category
Integrated PracticesSocialization Important for Alzheimer’s Patients
In the past, whenever Alzheimer’s was mentioned, as a society and community, we focused on the tragedy and sadness of this disease’s inevitable outcome. Today there is a different outlook: While Alzheimer’s is a disease, it is a person with a disease, and the focus should be on that person’s Read more…
Integrated PracticesThe Connection between Alzheimer’s and Diabetes
It would be too easy to simmer the development of Alzheimer’s and other dementias down to a single etiology. Rarely are things so simple. Still the connection between dementia and diabetes has been acknowledged for many years now. Many have gone so far as to use the term “type-3 diabetes” Read more…
Medical NewsLocal Dementia Care Training Offered
While there are over 5.7 million people living with Alzheimer’s today, there are 16 million more caring for loved ones affected. Added to that number are the many paid health professionals who provide care and support for the 24/7 management often required. In the Coachella Valley, it is estimated that Read more…
Medical NewsU.S. POINTER Aims at Change
In summer 2018, the Alzheimer’s Association will launch the first-ever U.S.-based study to examine the effects of lifestyle interventions for seniors at high-risk for cognitive decline. The 2-year clinical trial will enroll 2,500 participants from health systems across the country, and intervention categories will include: healthy nutrition physical activity social Read more…
Desert EventsAlzheimers Coachella Valley Offers Innovative Program
Alzheimers Coachella Valley (ACV), the new community-based nonprofit organization now open at the Berger Foundation Center, launched a new innovative support group called “Traveling the Journey Together.” The first-of-its kind program includes both the person diagnosed with dementia and the care-partner. The eight-week series is facilitated by Edie Keller, Licensed Read more…
Medical NewsCaring for the Caregiver
In the March/April 2017 issue of Desert Health®, Dr. Lu introduced a pilot program being conducted by a team of doctors at Eisenhower Medical Center. The results of that intervention program follow. It is estimated that 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2017. Most people with Alzheimer’s Read more…
Integrated PracticesCaring for the Caregiver
Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. A new case of Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed every 66 seconds. By mid-century, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is projected to grow to 13.8 million. Between 2000 and 2013, deaths resulting from Read more…
Medical NewsNovember is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
November is Alzheimer’s disease awareness month, proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Alzheimer’s disease currently afflicts more than 5 million persons in the United States, and 1 in 3 seniors will die with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. There were over 15 million caregivers treating dementia patients in 2015, Read more…
Integrated PracticesHormones and Alzheimer’s
Do we age because we lose our hormones or do we lose our hormones because we age? This is an interesting question because as a population we are living longer than ever before, but the question really needs to be about our quality of life as we age. Today, everyone Read more…
Through the GenerationsSummer and Senior Care
The average adult human body is made up of 0-65% water, averaging around 57-60%. We need fluid for our systems to properly function; while we must all be alert to our hydration practices, older adults and those living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia need special attention. “Organs pull water from Read more…
Through the GenerationsFiction Tells Real Stories
“So now what do I do?” “Why are they behaving this way?” “Where do I find answers to all the questions I have?” These are outcries I hear from family caregiver/partner clients and audiences regularly. In addition to providing them a general overview and explanation about particulars, I offer my Read more…
Medical NewsAlzheimer’s, Dementia or Just Aging?
It’s very common to fear what we don’t understand and then hide behind blinders, living in denial or buried in fear. This pattern usually causes more problems than are necessary. This is certainly true around the subject of memory loss. We see some changes in ourselves or a loved one Read more…
Through the GenerationsDementia and Alzheimer’s Family Caregiving 101
Your ability to survive the all-consuming role of caregiver /partner for those with memory loss will depend on many things, but expanded knowledge and acceptance are paramount. Knowledge. Know thy enemy. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that there are 85-90 different types of dementias. Alzheimer’s represents some 70% Read more…
Through the GenerationsDementia and Alzheimer’s Caregiving
Did you know that 70% of the family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other dementia will develop a chronic, life-altering condition or succumb before their loved one? This is a fact from the National Alzheimer’s Association. I know first-hand how daunting the role of family caregiver/partner Read more…
Health is a ChoiceHealth is a Choice: Lisa Genova
Lisa Genova had a dream. She wanted to someday write a book, but as a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, her family and colleagues laughed at the thought. Ironically, life circumstances led her to that dream sooner than expected, while her grandmother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s led her to the valuable research that made Read more…
Integrated PracticesReversing Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevalence is on the rise and recent estimates suggest it to be the third leading cause of death in the US behind cardiovascular disease and cancer.1 Affecting 30 million globally, women are at the epicenter of the epidemic and their chance of developing AD is now greater Read more…
Medical NewsAdvanced Imaging Shows Great Promise for Detection of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease affects one in eight Americans over the age of 65. Approximately 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and 82 million are expected worldwide by 2050. Unfortunately there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but researchers are continually working to understand the hallmarks of the disease so that Read more…
Medical NewsNeuroQuant: A Medical Imaging Aid to Early Detection of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a form a dementia that robs millions of people each year of critical thinking capabilities that are needed to live a healthy and happy life. The statistics are staggering in both number of lives affected by the disease and the cost of caring for those individuals. The Read more…
Medical NewsNew Studies Link Sleep Disorders to Parkinson’s and Dementia
Although their genetic foundations differ, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia are all characterized by the untimely death of brain cells. What triggers cell death in the brain? In a recent study, American neurologists and sleep experts suggest that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder could be Read more…