Happy New Year for dementia caregivers

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Huffington Post

For the 11 million Americans caring for a husband, wife, family member, or friend with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, this New Year's Eve will be more hopeful than usual because Congress has finally voted to establish the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA). From all of us who worry about the people who have this disease, and their family and friends, all of whom are coping heroically every day, a grateful toast to Congress and our passionate plea to President Obama to sign the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA; S. 3036) swiftly into law.
NAPA would require HHS to create a strategic plan for the federal government's role in fighting Alzheimer's disease, form an advisory council, and coordinate research, care, institutional services, and home- and community-based programs.

This is good news and long overdue. America will be one of the last developed nations to make dementia a national public health priority and develop a strategic plan, lagging behind Australia, South Korea, Norway, France, England, Scotland, India, Malta, Cyprus, and Wales, even though Alzheimer's Disease International identifies, "develop[ing] national plans to deal with the disease" as the top priority in combatting the disease worldwide.

Now we must work together to create the best possible plan, drawing on all available research about what works and is available today to help families managing this degenerative disease, as well as what holds promise for the future.

We still have no cure for Alzheimer's, and the vast majority of research funding focuses on the search for drugs to prevent, delay, or reverse the course of the disease. This work is indisputably important; we are all hoping for a cure and rooting for our colleagues in the pharmaceutical and biomedical research field to succeed.

But drug research should not be allowed to overshadow excellent treatment options that are available right now -- options that too many never hear about.

We are glad to see that the bill mandates coordinating "care and treatment of citizens with Alzheimer's." This may sound obvious, but sadly, it is not. Many families have difficulty obtaining a diagnostic evaluation and most families are left on their own to manage daily care challenges as the disease progresses. America's strategic plan must include expanded availability of proven non-pharmacologic treatments and expanded funding to support researchers and providers of that care.

As the name suggests, rather than prescribing drugs, non-pharmacologic treatments (NPTs) employ counseling, skills training, activity engagement and occupational therapy-based strategies to provide families with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to protect their own health and cope with the intense demands of caregiving, while helping people with dementia maintain the best possible quality of life and stay independent and safe for as long as possible.

Several NPTs have been proven in randomized trial and peer-reviewed studies to improve patients' and families' quality of life and reduce the cost of care. Unfortunately, despite their proven effectiveness, NPTs have consistently received a fraction of the research funding and clinical reimbursement of drug therapies, which have so far done much less to help Alzheimer's patients. (The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving states that these programs are actually "more effective" than any known AD drugs.)

The evidence-based services provided by Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson Elder Care and New York University's Caregiver Intervention are two examples of NPTs that answer World Alzheimer's International's call for policies and plans with "an explicit focus on supporting family caregivers." Families interested in finding out more about promising programs that can be helpful now can consult the excellent resource databases of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving and the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.

Waste: Is that the key reason for Alzheimer's

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Washington Post
Amy Marcus

Biological waste material normally is broken down by the part of the cell known as the lysosome. If something goes wrong in the process, toxins, made up largely of various proteins, start to build up and cause cells to deteriorate and die. When this happens in the brain, the accumulation of cellular waste products includes amyloid beta-protein, which has been linked with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.

Researchers suggest that problems in the lysosome represent an early event in the dementia process that, if treated or reversed, could stop the disease from taking hold.

Ralph A. Nixon, professor of psychiatry and cell biology at New York University's Langone Medical Center and the Nathan Kline Institute, says experiments with mice with Alzheimer's disease have helped to support this theory. Dr. Nixon says he and his colleagues were able to prevent cognitive decline in the animals by improving the functioning of the enzymes in the lysosome so that the waste proteins were degraded and processed faster. Ideally, Dr. Nixon says, drugs would repair the defective mechanism intended to eliminate toxic proteins before damage is done to the brain.

Traditional drug development in Alzheimer's disease is taking too narrow an approach by focusing intensively on the buildup of amyloid beta-protein in the brain, Dr. Nixon says. That's because amyloid, although important, is just one of the many toxic proteins that swell the neurons when the lysosomal system breaks down. "The sheer bulk of waste proteins that are accumulating within the neurons in Alzheimer's disease brains is enormous,'' Dr. Nixon says.

Dozens of rare genetic conditions affecting children lead to the buildup of cellular toxins, which without treatment can cause neurological problems and sometimes death. Among the best known of these are Tay-Sachs disease and Gaucher disease. Moreover, a better understanding of how the lysosome functions could lead to treatments for other maladies, such as Huntington's disease and Niemann-Pick Type C.

Researchers are trying different approaches to target the lysosome as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's and other diseases. In some cases, they are trying to increase the activities of certain enzymes in the lysosome that help degrade the waste products. In other instances, they are trying to get the lysosomal system to work faster or more efficiently at recycling the waste products before they have a chance to build up and cause problems in the cell.

David C. Rubinsztein and a team of researchers at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research in Cambridge, England, are taking a similar approach to target Huntington's disease, a fatal hereditary disorder that leads to a loss of neurons in the brain. Dr. Rubinsztein, a professor of molecular neurogenetics, says that one way to slow down or delay the onset of Huntington's disease may be to enhance the removal of the mutant huntington protein that is toxic to the cells.

Researchers screened a group of compounds already in use for various conditions and found that two hypertension drugs, clonidine and rilmenidine, speed up the removal of the mutant huntington protein from mice. In a study testing rilmenidine published earlier this year in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, mice with Huntington's disease were given the drug starting at five weeks and then tested from 12 weeks of age. The mice that got the drug did better than the mice that didn't get the drug, showing improvements in limb strength and tremors.

Early next year, a safety trial involving people who have early symptoms of Huntington's disease will be launched. Ultimately, if the drug appears to have an effect, Dr. Rubinsztein says they would like to give it to people before symptoms appear in the hopes that it could delay onset of the disease.

At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, researchers led by Yiannis A. Ioannou have been studying cyclodextrin, a compound that has extended the lives of mice with a lysosomal storage disorder called Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC). Although the exact mechanism for this effect isn't fully understood, Dr. Ioannou argues that the substance may work by stimulating the lysosomes in the mice neurons to dump out all of the stored waste products at once. This could be helpful for other neurodegenerative disorders that also have lysosomal involvement, he says.

Cyclodextrin is already being tested in mice with Alzheimer's disease by researchers including Dr. Nixon and is being given on an experimental, individual basis to a small number of children in the U.S. and Brazil who have NPC disease. Still, one reason why doctors haven't yet set up a clinical trial in NPC patients is because they aren't sure how the drug is working, since cyclodextrin is believed not to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier that separates circulating blood from neuronal cells.

In a paper published earlier this month in Plos One, Dr. Ioannou and his colleagues demonstrated that cyclodextrin pokes holes in cell membranes, triggering lysosomes to empty their contents in an effort to repair the damage. Now the Ioannou lab is studying whether this signal can also be transmitted across the blood-brain barrier to the lysosomes in brain cells to tell them to empty their stored waste products. Understanding how this works may make it easier to develop drugs that may help not only patients with NPC disease but a number of other neurodegenerative disorders, Dr. Ioannou says.

Opinion: Is it better to know your Alzheimer's risk

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New York Times

A few prominanr doctors weigh in on the subject

The decision to offer a test for Alzheimer’s disease should be based on its accuracy and reliability, not on concerns about causing psychological harm by giving a grim diagnosis.

In my experience as a physician, patients are resilient in the face of adversity. When confronted with bad news, they make positive changes in their lives, strengthen their relationships with others and make preparations for the future. They do not need our protection, but rather our support.

At some point I may be told I have the disease that will be my undoing. When that day comes I hope that my doctor will respect me enough to tell me the truth so my family and I can face the future with courage and dignity.

Mahesh Swaminathan
New York, Dec. 20, 2010

The writer is an infectious-disease specialist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

•

To the Editor:

I understand that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and that little if anything can be done to postpone it or to treat it once it is manifest. But that is a clinical, medical rationale for withholding the diagnosis.

I am all too aware of what having that information means since my mother died of Alzheimer-related causes. Nevertheless, I most definitely do want to know if the same fate is in store for me so that I can begin to plan the rest of my life while I am still “in charge.”

Most important, I would invest my savings in a supportive, long-term living arrangement, one that I would choose, on my own terms. And I would decide myself what to do with all my “stuff” — my books, collections, clothing and furniture.

And then I would try to live every hour of every day with eyes and ears wide open, savoring the sights and sounds of this life as best I can, for as long as I possibly can.

Lois Bloom
Sandestin, Fla., Dec. 19, 2010

•

To the Editor:

Thinking of elderly patients whom I’ve known for years, I am nearly certain that informing patients of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease as early as possible, or telling them of an increased risk of the disease, will be harmful on the whole.

We don’t exactly know what Alzheimer’s disease is. There are lots of different kinds of dementia, and the concept of “normal” human aging is very poorly understood.

Further, the harms can be serious; some patients may even consider assisted suicide. Several studies have been done about patients who are worried that they have Alzheimer’s. There is very real suffering involved in the anticipation, and the suffering can begin years before there is any demonstrable abnormality or disability. The diagnosis is sometimes and inexplicably shameful.

If I am to get Alzheimer’s at age 70, at what age would I like to know this? Never. I would like to notice at age 75 that my wife and kids are becoming at once oddly solicitous and a bit patronizing.

Thomas E. Finucane
Baltimore, Dec. 18, 2010

The writer is a doctor specializing in geriatrics and a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

•

To the Editor:

Anyone who has seen Alzheimer’s disease in the vacant eyes of his or her loved ones fears nothing more than seeing it in the mirror. As the caregiver for the past 17 years for both my husband (early onset Alzheimer’s) and my mother (late onset), I had a genetic screening three years ago that indicated a gene variant that puts me at increased risk.

So when doctors ask why we should test until we can effectively treat, I would respond that we, as a baby boom generation of potential victims, own that decision — not our doctors.

We should test and count ourselves among the “worried well.” Because putting our own lives on the line can take the Alzheimer’s debate out of the closet of private suffering and into the town hall of political action. We should test because hiding from the future is no longer smart living.

Knowing our risk, we would be more inclined to enlist for clinical trials. Early diagnostic testing is one way to act against Alzheimer’s, rather than waiting to be acted upon.

As a generation, we must refuse to forget who we are. This means daring to know our future.

Meryl Comer
President, Geoffrey Beene
Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative
Washington, Dec. 19, 2010

Top Ways to Successfully Calm an Agitated Person with Dementia

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ementia is a brain disorder that affects a person's short term memory initially. However as this condition progresses other parts of the brain are affected. This can affect a person's communication skills and
ability to do tasks he has done before,

He can also experience hallucinations and delusions. Because of these things, a person with dementia may become agitated. So it is best to know this person well, whether he is a family member, client, or a patient at a long term care facility. By knowing him, you will realize what things set him off and what things calm him down. Careful observation and asking those who are with this individual with dementia for most of the day, help you to know what strategies will work when trying to calm this person.

Your goal is to calm or soothe the person with dementia who is agitated. You do not want to exhibit behavior that may further agitate a dementia person. The best way to soothe an agitated person with dementia is not to have him get agitated in the first place. This requires that you anticipate his needs and wants. It also requires that you approach him in a certain way. You should use slow, deliberate movements and approach this individual from the side. Also you should make sure not to use gestures that may be misinterpreted as being threatening. In addition you need to know what the beginning of agitation looks like in this particular person with dementia. He may pace, ask repetitive questions, call out, grimace, become silent or a variety of other things.

If this person with dementia has trouble communicating, he may be experiencing pain, hunger or fear, He may be bored, tired or having an adverse affect from a medication he is taking.

You should always note the time, duration, frequency, severity and special features of a dementia person's agitation.

These strategies work to maintain calmness in a person with dementia, Always call the dementia person by name and introduce yourself.You may need to remind him who you are. Never ask......read all of Top Ways to Successfully Calm an Agitated Person with Dementia

Memory problems with dementia explored

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allvoices

Findings recently published in the journal Science reveal new research from the University of Cambridge has shown that memory problems like those seen in dementia may happen because the brain forms incomplete memories that are more easily confused.

Scientists found that the ability of the brain to maintain complete, detailed memories is disrupted.

The scientists are hopeful that their research could lead to new treatments that should reduce the confusion between memories,

"This study suggests that a major component of memory problems may actually be confusion between memories, rather than loss of memories per se,” said Dr Lisa Saksida.

"This is consistent with reports of memory distortions in dementia - for example, patients may not switch off the cooker, or may fail to take their medication, not because they have forgotten that they should do these things, but because they think they have already done so," she added.

As part of the research, animals were shown an object and then, after an hour, were given a memory test in which they were either shown the same object again, or a new object.

Normal animals spent more time exploring the new object, indicating that they remembered the old object. Amnesic animals, performed poorly on the memory task, because they spent the same amount of time exploring the old and the new object.

Interestingly, some amnesic animals looked at the new object less than the normal animals did, showing false memory for the new object.

Saksida continued, "One thing that we found very surprising about our results was the extent of the memory recovery, achieved simply by reducing the incoming information prior to the memory test.

"Not only does this result confound our expectations, but it also gives us a....read all of Incomplete Memories Formed with Dementia

Recent New Discoveries in Alzheimer's Disease Research

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A group at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute is now working on a diagnostic test that would be as simple as checking a blood sugar level. to see whether or not a person has Alzheimer's disease. The scientists are working on new technological procedures to discover useful diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease. They are also working on methods to evaluate the usability of potential drug treatments.

Because of more diagnostic accuracy, there will be improved patient care and better research toward the discovery of new drugs. As a result, the research laboratory at the University of Deleware is working on the development of next-generation tools for protein profiling.

In 2006, the discovery of a.....Read more about New Discoveries in Alzheimer's Disease Research

No-Fail Strategies For A Happy Chanukah With Someone Who Has Dementia

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ezine

Chanukah is a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with a loved one, friend or client with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. Here are some ideas that will put a smile on everybody's face and make all involved feel good.

Carry on family traditions

One such tradition most family do, is candle lighting. Even those with advanced dementia may spontaneously recite portions of the blessings for the candles.

Also retell the story of why Chanukah is celebrated. Maybe you and persons with dementia can reenact the story. If you are not sure of the story, visit your local library or visit Judaism 101 on the web.

Perhaps third you can play dreidel. This activity is a lot of fun. If you are even slightly clever, you can help folks with dementia make an adapted dreidel that is easy to spin. You can even put extra gimmels on it so winning is easier. For directions visit Alzheimer's ideas on the internet.

This is a game the whole family can play. Make sure to involve children. Most folks with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, love children. This game is the perfect opportunity to bring these two groups together.

There is a good book out there that...Read all of No-Fail Strategies For A Happy Chanukah With Someone Who Has Dementia

Pestisides linked to Alzheimer's

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The Independent

Long-term exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to a study released Thursday.


Workers "directly exposed" to bug and weed killers while toiling in the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux, France were five times more likely to score less well on a battery of neurological tests than those with minimal or no exposure, the study found.

As revealing, this high-exposure group was twice as likely to register a significantly sharp drop in a key test - frequently used to diagnose dementia - repeated four years after the initial examination.

The drop "is particularly striking in view of the short duration of follow up and the relatively young age of the participants," mostly in their late 40s or 50s, the authors said.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chronic use of pesticides in agriculture boosts the risk of neurological disorders.

France has the highest use of insecticides and herbicides in Europe, and the fourth highest worldwide after the United States, Japan and Brazil.

More than 800,000 people in France are exposed in the agriculture sector, as were another 800,000 who are now retired.

Worldwide the number of labourers who work regularly with pesticides is counted in the tens, if not the hundreds, of millions.

In the Bordeaux study, led by Isabelle Baldi of The French Institute for Public Health, Epidemiology and Development, 614 workers were enrolled in 1997 and 1998 and re-evaluated four or five years later.

On both occasions they completed a detailed questionnaire on their work history, along with nine tests designed to measure memory and recall, language retrieval, verbal skills and reaction times.

The subjects were divided into four groups depending on their level of exposure to pesticides over the previous 20 years or longer, ranging from "directly exposed" to "not exposed".

"The mild impairment we observed raises the question of the potentially higher risks of injury in this [exposed] population, and also of the possible evolution toward neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or other dementias," the researchers concluded.

The same cohort is undergoing a third evaluation, 12 years after the baseline examination. Results will be published in 2012 or 2013.

"This time lag should enable us to better understand cognitive impairment and its evolution, and observe the first cases of Alzheimer's disease among a population close to 65 years of age," the researchers said in a companion briefing paper.

Top Ways to Stay Healthy

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Staying healthy delays dementia so from

allvoices........

The thing to do for optimum health is something your grandparents probably did, but we, in our fast paced society, tend to overlook because we say that we are just too busy to do it.

The first thing you should do, at least one hour everyday, is exercise.

Daily exercise is key to preventing heart disease and stroke by making your heart muscle stronger. Exercising also lowers your blood pressure. In addition, daily exercise raises your high density lipoprotein levels (HDL). This is your good cholesterol. Your bad cholesterol, low density lipoprotein or LDL, is lowered. This in turn improves the blood flow to your heart thus increasing your heart's working capacity.

Exercising also strengthens and boosts your immune system. Some recent studies have suggested that exercising improves the functioning of your immune system. Exercise is a strong natural immune cell stimulator. This is really important for older men because their immune system progressively declines as they age. This can lead to a poor response to vaccinations and an increased risk of developing infectious diseases.

Luckily regular, moderate workouts, like jogging, walking or cycling, can, at least in part... Read all of Top ways to Stay Healthy

Tips for interacting with those who have dementia and others

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Exercpt from the book Adorable Photographs of Our Baby

Successful groups have great beginnings, meaningful middles and excellent endings




Each group should have a beginning where you:

1. Introduce yourself.

2. Say how glad you are to be there.

3. Thank everyone for coming.

4. Tell the group members your favorite something (flower, color, food, shape, smell, etc.). Try to relate it to the upcoming group.

5. Then ask group members to introduce themselves and tell their favorite something. Give a choice of two, if necessary, or say: This is Mary, and I think she likes apples. Right Mary?



Meaningful Middles..Foe more refer to the book Adorable Photographs of Our Baby or sign up for Current Activities in Geriatric Care

Culprit in Alzheimer's Disease Identified

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Results of a recent study may indicate that a protein superstructure called amyloid beta what is responsible for the damage in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists doing research at the University of California have seen that amyloid beta stops an anti-oxidant protein in the brain.They have found a way to protect that protein, and maybe even others, from harmful effects of amyloid.

"Amyloid seems to cause damage to cells. We have reported in a very detailed way one potential interaction of how amyloid can cause disease, and we found a way to stop it," said Jerry Yang.

The study of the reseachers focused on catalase-an enzyme that absorbs excess oxidants. Catalase normally helps to prevent the kind of damage seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease. Work done before had found catalase proteins deposited within the amyloid plaques.

Lila Habib, the first author of the report, added amyloid to cultured neural cells and looked at its effects.

"We were able to determine that......Read all of: Culprit In Alzheimer's Disease Identified

How Beet Juice Prevents Dementia

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Drinking beet juice can enhance blood blow to the brain in aging adults according to researchers doing a new study..This has been demonstated for the first time and could hold increased potential for fighting the progression of dementia.




"There have been several very high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain," said Daniel Kim-Shapiro. "There are areas in the brain that become poorly perfused as you age, and that's believed to be associated with dementia and poor cognition."



The concentrations of nitrates found in beets is high.,High nitates are in celery, cabbage and other leafy green vegetables like some lettuce and spinach. When you eat high-nitrate foods, good bacteria in your mouth turn nitrate into nitrite. Researchers have discovered that nitrites can assist in opening up the blood vessels in your body. This increases ....Read all of How Beet Juice Prevents Dementia

Communication tips for those with dementia

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Anna Ortegara, RN, MS, Director, Residential Care Services, Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, Chicago

I had the opportunity to hear her speak on the care of Alzheimers patients. Knowledgeable, articulate- EXCELLENT. This is her article on Communication

Challenges on Communications

• Since persons with dementia may have limited attention spans, they may find it difficult to follow long conversations
• Persons with dementia may attempt to describe an object that they cannot name or create a word to describe the object
• Since person with dementia are only able to focus on one thought at a time, multiple step instructions may lead to confusion
• Short term memory problems often lead persons with dementia to lose their train of thought or to repeat thoughts again and again. They may quickly forget what the did understand a the beginning of the conversation
• Background distractions such as television, noise or nearby conversations can compete for attention and impair conversations and communication
• Persons with dementia usually need much more time that the average person to respond to a question. Staff and family caregivers must be patients, allowing these people enough time to process questions and formulate responses
• Communication challenges and the resulting frustrations may cause many of the difficult behaviors that commonly occur in persons with dementia
• Persons with dementia may have additional hearing or visions difficulty that impair their communication ability.

Communication: Focusing on Abilities

• People who suffer with dementia are individuals, with individual needs and wants. Furthermore, the disease progression associated with dementia occurs at different rates for different people. The staff, and family caregivers must be flexible with their communication techniques, adapting their strategies to reflect each persons changing cognitive levels and needs.
• In order to improve communication with persons who have dementia, staff and family caregivers must become creative listeners, studying both verbal and nonverbal communications
• Staff and family caregivers must be creative, and adapt communication strategies to meet each persons unique needs
• Persons with dementia will often communicate to family and staff through their behaviors and expressions of emotion.

Communication Strategies: Helping the Person with Dementia Communicate

• Self expression is vital to a person well being. Make every effort to show interest in what the person with dementia is communicating or attempting to communicate
• Never interrupt a person who has dementia when he or she is trying to communicate an idea because this distraction may cause them to lose their train of thought. It may be helpful to supply a word that the person with dementia is struggling to find
• Eye contact and touch are excellent methods to let person know their thoughts are being heard.
• Never contradict or argue with a person with dementia because this may lead to a catastrophic reaction such as yelling, crying or striking out. Staff must be sensitive to the limited understand and comprehension of the person
• Look a the emotional meanings and subtexts behind statements made by person with dementia. As an example, persons waiting for their mothers are most likely feeling lonely, insecure and fearful

Communication Strategies: Helping the Person with Dementia Understand You

• Because it is critical to get a person with dementia attention before saying anything to them, staff and family caregivers should begin a conversation by making eye contact. Next it is important to identify yourself and call the resident by name.
• Staff and family caregivers need to speak slowly and clearly, and in a low pitched voice, while maintaining an open, calm and friendly communication manner
• It is important to remember to break down tasks into clear and simple tasks.
• Staff and family caregivers must also be aware of what words are familiar to the person and remember to use them often. Using words from a persons native language can be extremely helpful in communication efforts
• When communication with a person who has dementia, avoid open ended questions. Offer a yes or no question or a choice between no more than two items
• If a person with dementia does not understand the question, repeat it or rephrase it.
• Persons with dementia need more time than the average person to process a question and may require extra time and patience to respond
• Most importantly, simple expressions of caring communicate to any person that they are loved and appreciated. A smile or a hug speaks volumes to a person with dementia.

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Allvoices

Two Human Ecology professors are using custom-built furniture and digital photos to help families connect with loved ones suffering from Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.
The ideas arose because of their inability to communicate with their parents who have dementia,
Paul Eshelman and Franklin Becker are professors of design and environmental analysis (DEA). With a team of 10 students, they constructed a "conversation corner" which consisted of a padded, high-backed bench to help nursing home residents and their families block out surrounding distractions during visits. They also designed a portable, wood-finished stand on which dementia patients can view digital pictures that evoke happy memories. Finally, the research team taught family members how to interact "in the moment" and overcome communication lapses associated with short-term memory loss.
In initial studies of the Family Visit Program over the past three years, supported by $75,000 in federal Hatch funds, the researchers have seen read all of....

How to succeed in dementia communication

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Allvoices

According to new visual perception research from a team at Boston University, using brightly colored tableware helps those with severe dementia to eat better because they have diminished sensitivity to visual contrast.. With bright "frames" for the food and beverage in front of them, those in the study increase d their food and beverage intake by 25 percent or more.

Appearing in a recent issue of the journal Clinical Nutrition, the study's findings could lead to great improvements in the nutritional welfare of individuals with advanced dementia.

The team, led by Tracy Dunne, a former postdoctoral fellow at BU's Gerontology Center and at the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) of the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Bedford, Mass., included Alice Cronin-Golomb, a professor in BU's Department of Psychology; Sandra Neargarder, an assistant professor of psychology at Bridgewater (Mass.) State College and BU research assistant; and, Patsy Cipolloni, an assistant research professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University Medical Center.

Although 40 percent of individuals with severe dementia show a health-damaging degree of weight loss, reasons for this drop in weight have not
 Read all of 

How to Get Those with Advanced Dementia to Eat

$2.6 Million To Develop Alzheimer's Treatment Using Umbilical Cord Blood Cells

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Allvoices

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $2.6-million grant to the University of South Florida and Tampa-based biotechnology company Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., to establish dosing and safety guidelines for transplanting human umbilical cord blood cells (HUBC) into animal models of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hope to use the pre-clinical data to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to carry out clinical trials with patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

"Our immediate goal is to move our beneficial findings with cord blood cells into clinical trials for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease," said the grant's principal investigator Dr. Jun Tan, a USF neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry.

The NIH Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant is based on the success of an ongoing research partnership between USF and Saneron aimed at determining the therapeutic benefits HUBCs offer when transplanted into animal models of a variety of neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

"Our next stage of research is

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Algal DHA Improved Memory and Learning in Healthy Adults Age 55 and Older

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The Memory Improvement with Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Study (MIDAS) published online in March 2010 and in the November print issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association showed that algal DHA improved memory function in healthy aging adults, by giving them memory skills of someone three years younger..
MIDAS is the first large, randomized and placebo-controlled study demonstrating the benefits of algal DHA in maintaining and improving brain health in older adults. The goal of MIDAS was to evaluate the effects of algal DHA on cognitive outcomes in healthy elderly people with a mild memory complaint. The study was funded by Martek Biosciences.
MIDAS found that healthy people over age 55 with memory complaints who took 900 mg algal DHA capsules for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory performance versus those who took a placebo,. The DHA was tolerated well and the people taking the DHA also had a lower heart rate, providing a benefit to their heart.
Another study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), conducted by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) group, found that treatment with DHA did not show statistically significant benefit in cognitive function over placebo in a population that already had an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and was also receiving concomitant prescription therapy. However, the study authors noted that intervention with DHA might have been effective if initiated earlier in the course of the disease in patients who do not have overt dementia. An editorial published in JAMA accompanying the study noted the same, stating that effective treatment strategies to prevent progression of Alzheimer's disease will likely need to be initiated earlier and that the treatment of mild to mo derate AD may be "too late."
Of great interest, the ADCS study demonstrated a significantly

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Strategies to support dementia veterans this Veteran's Day

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PRLog

Dementia,including Alzheimer disease, affects about 1 in 13 seniors,many of them veterans. As you remember our war heroes on Veteran's Day,think about what you can do for them.They did so much for us



PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 03, 2008 – Veterans who suffer from various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer disease, often have very specific care needs. It is important that these veterans are cared for by people who understand their condition and have the appropriate instruction and skills.

Therefore encourage family members of veterans to gain the training they need to care for their loved one with dementia.

All people, including those with memory loss, need human contact. They need to be hugged. They need to hear your voice. They may not know you but as long as you know who they are, that's all that matters.

Talk to them about their service to our country. Often they will share stories with you because their time in the service made a huge impression on them

Tell them how........read all of support dementia veterans this Veteran's Day

For those in nursing homes and other institutions, make sure veterans with dementia are visited often.

Is Omega 3 Effective in Treating Alzheimer's Disease?

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Digital Journal

Omega-3 has been promoted as a brain boosting drug for memory even for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The latest government funded study shows different results.


However, as reported in the Washington Post,

Omega 3 did not slow mental and physical decline in older patients with Alzheimer's disease. This was a huge disappointment in a multimillion-dollar government-funded study.

"We had high hopes that we'd see some 

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Big Pharma looking for cure for Alzheimer's

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Digital Journal


Nearly 100 drugs are in the clinical trial phase or under federal review for use in treating Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, pharmaceutical industry analysts report.

UPI.com reports American pharmaceutical companies are focusing in on 98 new drugs for dementia, mostly Alzheimer's disease, a report released Monday by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry's main lobbyist, BusinesWire.com reported.

PhRMA said that the medications are either in clinical trials or are being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, This work shows a major commitment to Alzheimer's disease, since each new drug costs, on average

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Is There Another Cause of Alzheimer's Disease?

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Digital Journal

Scientists doing research at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal have uncovered one of the root causes of Alzheimer's disease.
This information has raised the hopes of having a drug to slow down or cure or the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a devastating neurodegenerative disorder; as reported in the Montreal Gazette
A neuroscientist named Andrea LeBlanc and other scientists working with her have found that an enzyme in the brain that normally plays a role in inflammation will in certain individuals start Alzheimer's disease process. The enzyme is called Caspase-6. It causes an over-production of amyloid beta plaques that clog up the brains of Alzheimer disease victims thus impairing their memories and cognitive abilities.
LeBlanc thinks that an "estrogen-type" drug might be able to stop Caspase-6. This would effectively treat Alzheimer's disease. Right now, the research is in the early stage, It will take at least 10 years to come up with a potential drug.
"If we could slow the progression of the disease for a few years, we would win a big part of the battle," Leblanc said. "What we want to do is keep people cognitively intact for as long as possible."
Until this time, neuroscientists have focused on the "amyloid theory" as the root cause of Alzheimer's disease. However, Leblanc developed another theory: what if the amyloid plaques were not


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Potential New Alzheimer's Drug Shows Promise

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Digital Journal

Intellect Neuroscience announced that a Phase 1b clinical trial of OXIGON (OX1) showed that this Alzheimer’s drug is safe and well tolerated at all dosages.

OX1 is a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It inhibits the activity of beta amyloid acids. These acids are a type of amino acid that is thought to be related to the development of harmful protein plaques found in Alzheimer's disease patients. This drug,OX1, has also been shown to protect

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Heavy smokers have much greater risk of developing dementia

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Digital Journal

Heavy smoking increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia at least 157 percent, according to a new study.
In this study as Reuters reports, more than 20,000 men and women were found to have a 157 percent higher risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. For vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, these smokers had a 172 percent increased risk. The people in this study were heavy smokers who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day.
"Dementia is a disease that crops up in late life, and that becomes clinically apparent, but I think people really need to think about risk factors for it over the life course," said Rachel Whitmer, study co-author and research scientist with Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.
The study is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
Many other researchers say there is a strong Read more about Heavy smokers have much greater risk of developing dementia

Is Alzheimer's Disease Contageous?

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Digital Journal

Alzheimer's disease is caused partly by the build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. Scientists already know that one of these abnormal proteins, amyloid peptides also called beta amyloids, can be infectious.
It seems that Alzheimer’s disease is easier to catch than first thought.

Neurologist Yvonne S. Eisele and her team of fellow scientists had already proved that mice could catch Alzheimer’s disease from each other; however this only happened when the brain of a healthy mouse was injected with amyloid peptides from mice that already had Alzheimer's disease symptoms.
Now a new study shows about Is Alzheimer's Diseaase Contageous

Alzheimer's CSF Test: Useful or Useless?: The Future

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Medscape Today

Andrew Wilner, MD

When a disease-modifying therapy becomes available, early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and diagnostic testing will be enthusiastically embraced by patients and neurologists. At that point, the relative advantages and disadvantages, including patient comfort and cost, of CSF testing and other diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's disease, such as genetic testing, neuropsychological testing, and neuroimaging, including magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal lobes, 2-deoxy-2-[F-18] fluoro-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET), amyloid radioligand Pittsburgh compound B (PiB), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and their possible combinations, must be evaluated. This day may not be far off; a review of ongoing studies at clinicaltrials.gov reveals multiple candidate drugs under evaluation. For now, neurologists should keep a lumbar puncture tray handy, but they needn't stock up.

Alzheimer's CSF Test: Useful or Useless?: Does It Matter?

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Medscape Today

Andrew Wilner, MD

The second question, is does any additional diagnostic accuracy provided by the CSF test matter? In clinical practice, a laboratory test that confirmed Alzheimer's disease would remove ambiguity in early cases and limit consideration of other disorders that may present with symptoms suggestive of Alzheimer's dementia such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, frontotemporal dementia, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease with Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and depression. In some of these diseases, prompt diagnosis could lead to earlier effective treatment, such as shunting for normal pressure hydrocephalus or antidepressive medications for depression.

The truly persuasive argument for CSF testing in clinical practice would be the reality of a disease-modifying therapy that prevents or slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease. However, not only is there no "magic bullet" for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, there is no bullet at all.[4] The current treatments offer modest, temporary, and symptomatic improvement at best. For most patients with mild cognitive deficits concerned about the development of Alzheimer's disease, a careful history, physical, and neurological evaluation with close clinical follow-up (a "wait and see" approach) is practical and appears cost effective.

Once people become demented, they can no longer plan for their financial future or dictate their end-of-life care. An early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, rather than late, permits a person more autonomy in directing his or her future. However, an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may have negative psychological consequences in an otherwise well-functioning person who must now consider an inexorable decline towards a state of personal oblivion. Consequently, the pros and cons of early diagnosis must be carefully weighed in each individual prior to such a confirmatory test.

The success of clinical trials requires not only that the treatment be effective, but that all subjects have the disease in question. Subjects who have other diseases contaminate the sample and confound results. To improve the likelihood of successful clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, potential subjects should be considered for CSF and other diagnostic testing. Revision of research criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease that includes abnormal biomarkers has been proposed.[5]

Current Indications for CSF Testing
At present, CSF and other biomarker Alzheimer's testing should be reserved for patients who present a diagnostic dilemma, patients with suspected dementia for whom a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease would provide more solace than worry, and patients entering clinical trials.

Is Vitamin B12 the Answer to Reducing Alzheimer's Risk?

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DIGITAL JOURNAL

A Finnish study suggests a diet rich in Vitamin B12 protects your brain from Alzheimer’s disease but the trial small.
The findings of a recent study in at the Aging Research Center in Stockholm, Sweden seemingly suggest once again that vitamins can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Studies other than this one have shown mixed results, the researchers said.
"Previous studies have reported that vitamin B12 deficiency is a common condition in the elderly," said lead researcher Dr. Babak Hooshmand, a research assistant with the Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Our results indicate that.....read all of Is Vitamin B12 the Answer to Reducing Alzheimer's Risk?

Walking to save your brain

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DIGITAL JOURNAL


Brain
By Susan Berg.
+




New research suggests that walking at least six miles per week maintains your brains volume and preserves your memory as you age.
Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and his colleagues reported these findings in the October 13 issue of the journal, Neurology.
Dr Erickson found the results quite astounding. He said that


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