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, representing more than 18 billion… Read more »
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 seems to know someone that… Read more »
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 the brain, shrinking it and… Read more »
“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 recommended reading list culled from… Read more »
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 and imagine the worst–something we… Read more »
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% of the diagnoses followed by… Read more »
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 is as my father, and… Read more »
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 Still Alice a New York… Read more »
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 than that of breast cancer.2… Read more »
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 they can find a cure.… Read more »
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 Alzheimer’s Association latest figures are:… Read more »
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?[sup]1[/sup] In a recent study, American neurologists and sleep experts suggest that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder could be an early sign of Parkinson’s… Read more »
There is often confusion and misunderstanding with the terms Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia. Here are the facts: The term dementia is described by the American Psychiatric Association as a group of disorders, or “dementias”. Each of these dementias has a number of symptoms or ‘chief complaints.’ Unfortunately, when it is the brain that is… Read more »
Keep Your Brain Healthy to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease When we think about staying fit, we generally think from the neck down. However, brain health plays a critical role in almost everything we do–thinking, feeling, reasoning, working, playing–even sleeping. The good news is we now know there are things we can do to… Read more »
