Alternative Solutions in Long Term Care and Susan Berg Team Up

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Susan Berg, Certified Dementia Practitioner and author, announces that her book, is now available at Alternative Solutions in Long Term Care. Learn about this premiere website and Susan Berg
Susan Berg, Certified Dementia Practitioner and author, announces that her book, Adorable Photographs of Our Baby Meaningful Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals is now available at Alternative Solutions in Long Term Care http://www.activitytherapy.com/store/books.html (Go to the bottom of the page)
Susan Berg, is a seasoned dementia healthcare professional. She has much experience engaging those with dementia in meaningful activities. She shares some of these.....read the whole story

Dementia Information blog is write on

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

New center to tackle obesity epidemic

Chicago Tribune
By Deborah L. Shelton Tribune reporter
Health professionals fear life expectancy may fall for 1st time
a major initiative aimed at addressing a local and national health epidemic, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine recently opened a center to research the causes of obesity and find new ways to treat it.The Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity will focus on treatment, research, education and advocacy, officials said.More than one-third of U.S. adults and about 17 percent of children and adolescents have a body-mass index that qualifies them as obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A high body-mass index indicates a weight greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height.Some health professionals fear that so many adults and children are becoming obese that life expectancy could fall for the first time in the nation's history. Obesity has been tied to a wide range of health problems, including type II diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer and possibly Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
"This is the major epi- demic of our time," said Dr. Lewis Landsberg, founder and director of the center. "Obesity and its complications threaten to replace smoking-related diseases as the pre-eminent health problem that we face."Obesity has root causes that are evolutionary, biological, psychological, sociological, economic and political, Landsberg said."We recognize there are metabolic differences between those who are obese and those who are lean," he said. "It's not just gluttony and sloth, despite what people think. What maintains the weight of one person will cause somebody else to gain weight, independent of activity."One mission of the new center, which is in the new Center for Lifestyle Medicine in the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, is to combat stigma by educating medical students, physicians and the public.One program targets obesity and weight gain during pregnancy, a critical time for excessive weight gain and developing complications as a result, said Dr. Robert Kushner, director of clinical care for the new center and co-director of its obesity and pregnancy program.The idea that pregnant women can eat anything and as much as they want is faulty, he said."Currently, there has been very little focus on restricting weight gain in women who are pregnant or on counseling women who are overweight and about to become pregnant," Kushner said.Women who pack on too many pounds during pregnancy increase their risk of developing high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. They also are more likely to have a Cesarean delivery.In 2007, almost half of the women who.......read the whole article
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Submitting to the Science of Prevention

Wall Street Journal
By LAURA LANDRO
I've had clothes custom-tailored by a seamstress. I've had vacations custom-planned by travel agents. And now, I've received a custom-designed personal health plan from medical experts.
Recently, I joined a group of volunteers at Emory University submitting to an exhaustive -- and exhausting -- "predictive health assessment" that researchers used to determine the specific health risks I face and to prescribe changes to my behavior and lifestyle with the aim of reducing those risks.
On two separate visits, researchers measured everything from the thickness of my arteries to the density of my bones. I answered countless questions about my social functioning, my emotional health, my eating habits and the quality of my sleep. I gave up samples of blood and other bodily fluids for standard tests, like cholesterol and hemoglobin levels, and more experimental tests, such as the levels of inflammation in my body and my ability to regenerate stem cells. After developing a personal health plan based on some of the results, I agreed to be nudged on a regular basis by a health coach to make sure I was adhering to my regimen.
Emory's Center for Health Discovery and Well Being, a partnership between Emory's Predictive Health Institute and the Georgia Institute of Technology, is part of an effort to answer one of the most pressing questions for health care in the U.S.: how to reverse the growing burden of chronic disease.
Many experts believe the answer is...........read the full article

In case you missed this comment, http://www.blogger.com/profile/11110241396415155655 said...
I'm sorry but all 'ways to keep Alzheimer's away' simply aren't plausible. Alzheimer's is a physical brain disease. You can do all the brain exercises you want but it will still happen if you are so genetically disposed. If brain exercises work then why did intelligent authors like Terry Pratchett get it and Iris Murdoch who continued writing with it too? And countless others who kept their brain active?More research needs to be done. Alzheimer's is a disease just like cancer and heart disease. You can do an amount in terms of diet in the hope you won't get ill but what is needed is real recognition that this disease is endemic and needs the best drugs available to help fight it. These drugs must not be spurned because of expense. More practical help is needed for sufferers and carers and this costs money. Governments need to recognise Alzheimer's is as prevalent (if not more so) than cancer and deserves the corresponding attention.



Sally is right Alzheimer's disease is a disease like cancer. Just like with cancer, heart disease, and other seious illnesses, if you take good care of yourself physically and mentally, you will get the disease later than you would if you did not take care of yourself.



True some highly intelligent people came down with Alzheimer's disease. However what about their lifestye. Was it healthy?



Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are complex. Like cancer, it is going to take a lot of research and clinical trials to finally find a cure. It will be expensive. It will take time.



Healthy lifestyle habits are something you can do right now. Although it may not prevent Alzheimer's disease if you are genetically predisposed to getting it, it will delay the onset and slow the progression.



Comment please

10 Steps to Avoid Alzheimer's

By SixWise.com
Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2008 Facts and Figures. While over 5 million people in the United States are already living with the disease, it's estimated that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's during their lifetime -- and this number is expected to triple by 2050.
.............................The Most Common Form of Dementia
Dementia is a loss or decline in memory and other cognitive abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 percent to 80 percent of cases............................read the whole article

How Red Wine Compounds Fight Alzheimer's Disease

ScienceDaily — Scientists call it the "French paradox" — a society that, despite consuming food high in cholesterol and saturated fats, has long had low death rates from heart disease. Research has suggested it is the red wine consumed with all that fatty food that may be beneficial — and not only for cardiovascular health but in warding off certain tumors and even Alzheimer's disease.
Now, Alzheimer's researchers at UCLA, in collaboration with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, have discovered how red wine may reduce the incidence of the disease. Reporting in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, David Teplow, a UCLA professor of neurology, and colleagues show how naturally occurring compounds in red wine called....read the whole article

Cannabis 'could stop dementia in its tracks'

Mail Online

Fione Macrae

Cannabis may help keep Alzheimer's disease and other dementias at bay.In experiments, a marijuana-based medicine triggered the formation of new brain cells and cut inflammation linked to dementia.The researchers say that using the information to create a pill suitable for people could help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's.
For some sufferers, drugs can delay the progress of devastating symptoms such as memory loss and the erosion of ability to do everyday things such as.......read it all

Five ways to keep Alzheimer's and other dementias away

CNN.com/health

CNN) -- Blanche Danick may be 86 years old, but she's pretty hip. She keeps up with all the latest health news, and a while back, she called her daughter wanting to know whether she should start taking the herb ginkgo biloba. She'd heard it might stave off Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
"I told her not to bother, that it wouldn't make much of a difference," says her daughter, Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "On the basis of what I've read, I don't think it staves off dementia."
London's advice makes a lot of sense, according to a study out this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ginkgo is a top-selling herb and has been hailed by some as a memory-booster, but the new University of Pittsburgh study found it didn't help prevent Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia in more than 3,000 elderly study subjects.
Ginkgo manufacturers say this isn't the first -- or the last -- word on the herb. "There is a significant body of scientific and clinical evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of ginkgo extract for both cognitive function and improved circulation," said Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council.
London's still skeptical. "But I do tell my mother there are other things she can do," says London, who's studied the brain and aging. "I tell her to go out and do things and see people every day and be active." Studies have shown that physical exercise, the kind that keeps the........read the whole article

Growth Hormone Boost May Not Slow Alzheimer's

'US News&World Report

Friday, November 21, 2008

HealthDay
promising approach in mice disappoints in human trial

By Alan MozesHealthDay Reporter
A compound that boosts growth hormone levels in Alzheimer's patients may not slow the disease, new research suggests

The study, funded by drug giant Merck, was spurred by promising animal research that had suggested that the compound, called MK-677, might help curb Alzheimer's effect on the brain.
However, "the study suggests that targeting this hormone system may not be an effective approach at slowing the rate of Alzheimer's disease progression," said study author Dr. J.J. Sevigny, associate director of clinical neuroscience at Merck Research Laboratories in North Wales, Pa. His team reported its finding in the Nov. 18 issue of Neurology.
"In a similar vein, the study challenges a commonly held theory that hormones may attack beta-amyloid plaque in the brain," Sevigny added. "That was the premise of this research: that by giving this medication we'd be able to influence .......read the whole thing

New Approach To Screen Individuals For Early Alzheimer's Disease

ScienceDaily
Science News
— With millions of baby boomers entering late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is expected to drastically rise over the next several decades.

A team of national researchers, led by Emory University, has developed a rapid screening test to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) -- often the earliest stage of AD. The findings are published in the online edition of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
The study shows that the combination of a very brief three-minute cognitive screening test, called the Mini-Cog (MC), with a Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) -- administered to a family member or friend -- could accurately identify individuals with....read the whole article

Can you recognize Alzheimer's and related dementias?

By KAREN GARLOCK - McClatchy Newspapers


If you've ever forgotten the name of a business associate or lost your keys, you might have wondered, even just fleetingly, if you have the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease.
Everyone has heard heart-rending stories about this progressive brain disease. But as much as we think we know about Alzheimer's disease, a recent survey of more than 1,000 seniors found a lack of knowledge of the symptoms and how to respond.
Forty-seven percent of respondents said they have a close friend or family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and 83 percent thought they could recognize the disease in themselves or a loved one. But 99 percent were unable to tell the difference between symptoms of early disease, late disease, and non-Alzheimer's dementia. ...read the whole article

Key Contributor To Alzheimer's Disease Process Identified

Science Daily
Science News

Walter J. Lukiw, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the lead author of a paper identifying, for the first time, a specific function of a fragment of ribonucleic acid (RNA), once thought to be no more than a byproduct, in regulating inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Lukiw's lab at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence has shown that this tiny piece of RNA, or microRNA, called miRNA-146a is found in increased amounts in stressed human brain cells and in Alzheimer's disease, and that it plays a crucial role in the....read the whole article

Brain bank appealing for donors

Press Association

One of Britain's largest human brain banks is suffering from a shortage of organs and is appealing for more donors to help them find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
The South West Brain Bank has 800 brains in store which have been donated by people who had suffered with Alzheimer's.
But doctors say they need "normal" brains to develop drugs which could lead to a cure for dementia, which affects 700,000 people in the UK, a figure that is expected to double in the next decade.
Professor Seth Love and his team, the Bristol Dementia Research Group, have been awarded £340,000 from the Alzheimer's Research Trust.
Along with money from local charity BRACE the team will buy a new state-of-the-art microscope with which to look at healthy and diseased brain tissue.
The brain is taken within 72 hours of death, cut in half and preserved for further........read the whole story

Berries 'may help Alzheimer's' and other dementias

Press Association



Compounds in black currants could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, food researchers have said.
Scientists are working on a project to find a cost-effective way of developing the compounds as.....read the whole story

Allan Appel: View people as living with, not dying from, Alzheimer's disease

TC Palm
By Allan Appel
The most significant concern of those with the early stage of Alzheimer's is the effect on daily life. The key here is one's independence.
Friends and relatives of people with the early stage of Alzheimer's disease face a major adjustment in their lives. But the patients must deal with their own distinct issues.
The Alzheimer's Association recently released a report entitled "Voices of Alzheimer's Disease: Summary Report on the Nationwide Town Hall Meetings for People with Early Stage Dementia."
The report focuses on the opportunity of those with the early stage of Alzheimer's to actively participate in their own course of treatment. Memory loss and functional decline are well-known aspects of Alzheimer's, but this report focuses on the patients' remaining abilities and especially how they wish to be treated and viewed by medical professionals and by the public.
One of the biggest issues is the stigma of the disease and its impact on relationships. A contrast is drawn between focusing on patients living with the disease, rather than dying from it.
Dealing with the diagnostic process and follow-up care are also major concerns for those with the early stage of Alzheimer's. There seems to be a general lack of direction for those newly diagnosed. There is no "road map," if you will, to guide patients through the maze of medical care.
A diagnosis of Alzheimer's can be really scary. So much is unknown and lack of knowledge results in fear, and that fear extends......read the whole article

Movies about Alzheimer's and related dementias to go

Daily Herald
Arlington, Illinois
Your health
By Anna Madrzyk Daily Herald Staff

Movies to go
You've heard of pocket books. Now, a series of portable "pocket films" about Alzheimer's disease is available for download on your iPod, cell phone, PDA or PC.
"A Quick Look At Alzheimer's" and related dementiasis narrated by David Hyde Pierce, Emmy Award-winning actor and advocate for Alzheimer's research. The films are animated, just two to three minutes long and explain the disease in layman's terms.
"These pocket films will increase awareness and understanding of Alzheimer's, its impact and the importance of research," said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation, which provided the grant.
You can download the films from.....read the whole story

This May Be the Most Useful Alzheimer's Advice

Caring.com
Posted by Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor
Here's the first step to solving countless behavior problems presented by someone with Alzheimer's: Ask, "Why is this happening?"
I'm not referring to the rhetorical question, "Oh why is this happening to me?" although it's sure understandable if that one crosses your mind. But when you're faced with upset, a refusal to cooperate, or even a catastrophic reaction, don't write it off to the craziness of the disease. You can usually solve the matter by stepping back to consider, "Why is this behavior happening? What might be triggering it"
........ You can't rehabilitate someone with Alzheimer's, but you can habilitate them -- step into their world and adjust things accordingly in order to help them be as capable as possible............Why is this happening?'"
Some examples of this idea in action:
* A man stops using the toilet and has an increase in accidents."
Why is this happening? Depth perception fades for someone with Alzheimer's. A white commode fades into a beige wall and is easily overlooked -- therefore not used.
Solution: .....read the whole post

Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

nbc Los Angeles

More than 5.2 million people live with Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S., and that number is expected to double by 2030. Tommy Lasorda is trying to help cut that number.

There is no cure... But there are ways to protect yourself, Dr. Bruce reported on the Anti-Alzheimer’s prescription.
Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a lot of things to keep track of.

“I make a lot of speeches, when you're 81 yrs old, it's tough for you to get up there and make speeches, recall it,” Lasorda said.

That's why he turns to Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, Clinical Professor of Neurology at USC, for tips on keeping his memory sharp....read the whole story

Dementia Care Focus of Nurse Luncheon

News Channel 34
Binghamton, NY

Nursing in the 21st century and the problems facing the profession took center stage at a recent Binghamton Rotary Club meeting.
Joyce Ferrario -- Dean of BU's Decker School of Nursing -- hosted the discussion.
She says the biggest issue is a pending nursing shortage -- a shortage that is expected to double everywhere within the next five to ten years...Read the whole story

Training for those with dementia is not adequete

What can we do about this?

Doubts cast over common dementia screening tool

Nursing Times
The most widely used primary care dementia screening tool – the Mini Mental State Examination – is less easy to administer and less effective than alternatives, claim Kent University researchers.
They conducted a study that included a review of research evidence, a systematic clinically informed evaluation of the most commonly used screening measures, and a survey of measures employed in primary care in Kent.

They concluded in favour of three less commonly used methods – the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, the Memory Impairment Screen and the Mini-Cognitive Assessment Instrument.

Study author Dr Alisoun Milne, a researcher in the field of gerontology, said: 'Although the MMSE is widely used in the UK, this project identifies the GPCOG, MIS and Mini-Cog as clinically and psychometrically robust and more appropriate for routine use in primary care.

'The study highlights a need for.....read the whole story

Mitochondria Could Be Target For Therapeutic Strategy For Alzheimer's Disease Patients

ScienceDaily
Science News
(Nov. 5, 2008) — A study in the Sept. 21 on-line edition of Nature Medicine describes the function and interaction of a critical molecule involved in cell death in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

These new findings reveal that blocking this molecule, called Cyclophilin D (CypD), and development of surrounding mitochondrial targets may be viable therapeutic strategies......read the whole story
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Form of Vitamin B3 May Help Alzheimer's

WebMD
Study Shows Nicotinamide May Fight Memory Loss
By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDNov. 4, 2008 -- Nicotinamide, a form of the vitamin B3, may help Alzheimer's patients retain their memory, a study shows.

The study was conducted on mice, not people. But clinical trials on humans are under way.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine dissolved nicotinamide in drinking water and fed it to mice with Alzheimer's. The researchers found that nicotinamide prevented mental deficits in mice with Alzheimer's. It also seemed to improve.....read the whole article

Is dementia affected by your job?

The News
"University graduates who perform mentally demanding jobs could be helping to ward off the symptoms of Alzheimer's," The Daily Telegraph reported. It said a study of over 300 people with varying levels of memory loss, including those with and without Alzheimer's and other dementias, found that those with stimulating occupations and higher educational level were less likely to suffer from memory problems associated with the condition.
This study used brain imaging to compare functional decline between people with probable Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment and healthy controls. It found that, in people with probable Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment that converted to
Alzheimer’s, there was a significant association...read the whole story

Dementia rate in WA's Indigenous population world’s worst

The West Australian
3rd November 2008, 6:00 WST

Indigenous West Australians have the highest rates of dementia in the world and are five times more likely to suffer from the debilitating mental condition than their non-Indigenous neighbours, new research finds.
WHY???...read why

Are you aware of all the latest information about Alzheimer's?

November is Alzheimer's awareness month
What are you doing to find out all you can about this mind robbing disease and related dementias?
Visit this blog often to find out the latest news.
Here is what the president had to say
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
During National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, we recognize the dignity and courage of the men and women living with Alzheimer's disease. We also honor the devoted family members and caretakers who bring them love and comfort, and we underscore our dedication to finding a cure for this tragic disease
...read the whole proclamation
Become an Alzheimer's advocate

Alzheimer's blog carnival

Here is another chance for you to comment and post the latest news you have seen about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

News comes out daily. Knowledge is power. Be informrd. Be informing

Help others prevent Alzheimer's disease with relavent information whether it is personal information or information you have heard about in the news.

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