Are you caring for someone with ALZHEIMER’S disease? SHARE YOUR STORY! I’m creating a documentary series about the affects of Alzheimer’s disease on caregivers, and families. I’m offering free professional assistance for those willing to share their story! Please be a part of raising awareness of this mind-blowing disease. Thank you!
Posts Tagged ‘Alzheimer’s’
Achieving Goals Empowers People With Dementia
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010(Source: Alzheimer’s Society – UK)
“Achieving personal goals can help people in the early stages of dementia manage their condition, Alzheimer’s Society research has found.
Researchers at Bangor University, Wales found that people who received cognitive rehabilitation felt their performance of daily activities improved. Carers of those receiving the treatment also noted an improvement in their own quality of life.
Cognitive rehabilitation is a treatment where people with dementia work with health professionals to identify personal goals and develop strategies for achieving them. Goals were tailored to the participants’ specific needs and included things such as remembering details of jobs to be done around the house, maintaining concentration when cooking, learning to use a mobile phone and remembering the names of people at an exercise class. The cognitive rehabilitation group said they saw an improvement in their ability to carry out all of the chosen activities.”
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with dementia, you might consider setting some short term goals – that can be measured and realistically completed. Small steps works best!
Spinal-Fluid Test Is Found to Predict Alzheimer’s
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Alzheimer’s Disease promising new research: The presence of three specific proteins in spinal fluid may accurately predict Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prior to the onset of any symptoms: Read the whole story here or here
This is NOT a cure – this is a way to predict if you might get or have AD.
The question then is: What do you do if the test reveals you have AD or may get it? There are some medications out now that MAY slow the progression of the disease, but much more research is needed in this area. Some people will not want to know if they may get AD.
Good brain health through physical exercise, brain exercises, and healthy diet may be beneficial in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
Take good care!
Firm Pushed Drug It Knew Didn’t Work
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009AP
Health insurers and states are suing Eli Lilly Co. over the way it marketed Zyprexa, an antipsychotic medication. Zyprexa was the firm’s best-selling drug in 2008.
(June 15) — Phamaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. urged doctors to prescribe its drug Zyprexa for elderly patients with dementia, even though the company had evidence the drug didn’t work in such cases, Bloomberg News reported.
The Bloomberg story is based on company documents that were unsealed in insurer lawsuits against the company over Zyprexa. Lilly began promoting the drug for use in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in 1999, even though it had been approved only as a treatment for schizophrenia. The company also tried to get doctors to prescribe Zyprexa to elderly people struggling with moodiness and insomnia.
It’s unclear whether Lilly accepted the offer, Bloomberg said. It noted that a rival pharmacy company, Express Scripts Inc., also sent out letters touting Zyprexa. CVS and Express Scripts are not defendants in the lawsuit.
Zyprexa was Lilly’s best-selling drug in the U.S. in 2008, bringing in $14.6 billion. The documents were released as part of a $6.8 billion lawsuit over Lilly’s marketing of Zyprexa. Twelve states are also suing Lilly over the same matter.
21 Activities For People with Dementia
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Encouraging people with dementia to stay engaged and active can sometimes be a challenge if you haven’t done it before. Below are 21 ideas to help you succeed. Be sensitive to the person’s abilities and desires. Remember to keep the instructions simple and clear, pick the best time of day to engage the person, offer choices, be patient, flexible and creative and have fun!
1. Physical activity – exercise (group or individual, walking, yoga)
2. Games, puzzles, crossword puzzles
3. Meal preparation (stirring, washing, mixing, tasting)
4. Housekeeping (folding, dusting, make the bed)
5. Music (listening to favorites, singing, live shows)
6. Work-type activities (safe items from the person’s professional work: a desk, papers to sort, tools)
7. Personal grooming (fix hair, do nails)
8. Gardening (watering, planting)
9. Massage (hand or foot, be sensitive to personal space issues)
10. Attending religious services
11. Magazines or books (pictures, familiar people or places)
12. Outings (art museums, coffee shop, beach)
13. TV (approprite and in small amounts, classic movies, Animal Planet, comedies like “I Love Lucy”)
14. Arts and crafts (meaningful and purposeful, not just to fill time)
15. Attend senior center or day care programs (when appropriate and the group’s ability levels match your needs)
16. Pet care (feeding, combing, petting)
17. Sorting (poker chips, coins, cards, silverware)
18. Engage with children (intergenerational activities)
19. Meditation and quiet time (soft music, low sensory input, holding soft animals and blankets)
20. Reminisce (structured discussions about old memories)
21. Eating (going for a favorite meal, ice cream shake)
Do you have other activities that have worked well? Please let me know so I can post and share them with others!
Dementia with Lewy Bodies Often Missed
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009(Source: Alzheimer Research Forum) – Perhaps the biggest, and quintessential, representative of a spectrum neurodegenerative disease is dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). By some counts, this disease is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with patient estimates ranging between one and two million in the U.S.
DLB is a double whammy of a disease. People with DLB have behavioral and memory problems as in AD and, to a varying extent, also suffer motor symptoms, as seen in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the cognitive symptoms of people with DLB tend to fluctuate frequently, their motor symptoms are milder, and they often have vivid visual hallucinations and particular visuospatial (visual perception of spatial relationships among objects) deficits. In short, DLB is neither AD nor PD, and yet defining its distinct identity has been a challenge.
This is Part 3 of a nine-part series.
Go to full story: alzforum.org
Weight Loss and Alzheimer’s
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Researchers have discovered more evidence that rapid weight loss in old age may be an early warning sign of dementia. http://tiny.cc/4yV4Y
Watch the “Alzheimer’s Project”
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009Beginning Sunday, May 10, 2009, tune into HBO’s “THE ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT,” a groundbreaking documentary series that will change the way America thinks about Alzheimer’s disease. This four-part film, airing over three nights exclusively on HBO, gives the public a rare inside look at the faces behind the disease and the forces leading us to find a cure. With Maria Shriver.
Caregiver Resources
Friday, March 6th, 2009Leeza’s Place, for Caregivers
Developed in response to the challenges Leeza Gibbons and her family encountered while seeking specific and needed support, Leeza’s Place is a potent source of information, strength and purpose. Chances are there’s a Leeza’s Place nestled within your own community. Leeza’s Place provides a multifaceted reprieve, for both caregivers and the recently diagnosed, that integrates educational programs, connective social activities, emotional support, and intergenerational programs designed to help you navigate through your community’s continuum of care. Leeza’s Place was designed to ensure that others experiencing what the Gibbons family encountered would have access to new, supportive settings created for the purpose of educating, empowering and energizing. Find the Leeza’s Place nearest you: http://www.leezasplace.org
