Alzheimer's breakthrough

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting Corrier-journal.comactivities

Here is a dementia music activity

It turns out that:

Your Diet is the Single Biggest
Influence on Your Alzheimer's Condition!

Here is someone who states that Alzheimer's Disease is NOT a disease at all,
but rather a symptom of a much larger problem.

Health Matters: The Latest Research About Dementia.

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

Triston Sanders-Medical Anchor

New research out of the UK's Cambridge University has identified a gene that increases the risk of the second most common type of dementia in people under 65 fronto-temporal dementia, or FTD for short.

Getting it can result in a complete personality change.
Researchers looked at the brains of more than 500 people with FTD And compared them to more than 2500 others.
They found the gene mutation on the seventh chromosome of about half the people with FTD.

Researchers think the gene makes the disease progress faster.
They call the finding "exciting," because it helps doctors further understand how this disease develops.
The study appears in the journal "Nature."

Financial and Legal Planning for Someone with Alzheimer's

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

Excerpted from The Comfort of Home: A Complete Guide for CaregiversTM

There are many legal tools that can help you and the person in your care now and in the future. Financial and legal planning is necessary and should be started early. Planning for the future should include looking at income tax issues, protecting existing assets, saving for the future, and paying for care. Long-term planning will help you and the person with AD feel more secure, no matter what the future brings.

You should also seek advice about insurance, employment rights, and state-assistance programs. If possible, discuss all options with the person in your care.

Caregivers need to understand the Social Security benefits and insurance policies of the person in their care, including medical insurance, Medicare, and private disability insurance. Familiarize yourself with the covered expenses, copayments and deductibles. Caregivers also need to understand the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other laws that are designed to protect housing, transportation, recreation, and employment.

When planning for the future, expert advice can be helpful, as the laws change and depend on where you live. It may feel overwhelming to have to make all these arrangements. Many community agencies offer legal and financial planning services. Contact your local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association for information and resources.

NOTE. Financial planning will assure that your property--no matter how little you have--goes to the people you choose as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

Computer problems

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

I will be posting less frequently due to computer problems. Sorry for any inconvenience

Improving and Extending Quality of Life Among Older Americans (part 5)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

CDC

Healthy Brain Initiative
In 2007, CDC and the Alzheimer’s Association released The Healthy Brain Initiative: A National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health (http://www.cdc.gov/aging/roadmap). This publication outlines specific actions for addressing cognitive health, a major public health issue that is increasingly affecting individuals, communities, and states. CDC supports several projects including supporting the HAN to increase understanding of the public’s beliefs about cognitive health (including those of caregivers and health care providers) and developing and implementing measures to assess and monitor the impact of cognitive impairment to guide national and state strategies.

Future Directions
State and local health departments, the aging services network, and other groups that serve older adults look to CDC to provide scientific and programmatic expertise and strategies that reduce long-term care needs and preserve health and quality of life for older adults. In response, CDC and its partners are working in several areas including the following:

•The Healthy Aging Program conducted research to identify health disparities. They examined the health and characteristics of American Indian and Alaska Native caregivers and included a “call to action” in The State of Aging and Health in America 2007 report to address health disparities among older adults.

•Working with the NACDD, the Healthy Aging Program examined state health departments’ needs, priorities, and activities related to older adult health to better support state-based efforts.

Top Valentine Gifts for those with Dementia

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

Healthnews-stat.com

Over 5.1 million Americans are living with dementia. Is one of them someone you know or work with? Get him/her or anyone with Alzheimer's disease a Valentine's Day gift that will keep on giving long after the holiday is gone.

First on the list of gifts is a book by Susan Berg called Adorable Photographs of Our Baby -- Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals, This book features baby photographs that seniors with dementia love. This book shares a plethora of ideas and resources for you.

Another gift dementia persons will fancy is a love classic musical video or DVD. They will enjoy watching something from the good old days and singing the songs played throughout the picture. Here are a few suggestions: Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis, or Shall We Dance

Next is a sing a long CD or audio cassette of their favorite love songs. There is a series of these called, Old Time Favorites by Nancy Pitkin

You may want to get a sing a long video where your loved one can see and hear performers singing songs they love and are about love. A good one is, Sing-Along with Phil Bernardi: Songs We Know and Love

Here is another idea. Give a friend with dementia some hand lotion. Any kind will do. Just be aware of any allergies or pain issues he/she might have. If he/she can tolerate it, those with a pleasant scent work well. Give him/her a relaxing hand massage talking about how good the hand massage feels, how much you love this person, and a Valentine's Day experience you both share from the past.

If you cannot afford or do not have time to get these gifts before Valentine's Day, give the gift of yourself. No matter how hard it is for you to visit a dementia person, he/she will appreciate your company even though he/she may not be able to express it. Take him/her for a walk, sing some of your favorite songs together, or share some messages of love. Just spend some quality time with a dementia person. Both of you will feel better. Do remember to be upbeat animated and excited about visiting.

A phone call or a Valentine's card will do if there is no way you can visit in person. At least they will know you are thinking of them. Then visit on another day.

So no matter what you do, do not forget the person with dementia this Valentine's Day because it will make you and him/her feel good. What could be better than that!

Order any of the products mentioned in the article at Amazon.com. Order the book, Adorable Photographs of Our Baby -- Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals, the audio CDs and cassettes and the videos and DVDs at seabaygame.com

These gifts are simple, inexpensive or free, and can be enjoyed by all.

Improving and Extending Quality of Life Among Older Americans (part 4)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a great Valentine's Day Activity for those suffering from dementia

CDC



•Expand efforts to integrate public health and aging services and enhance outreach for health promotion and disease prevention for older adults. The Healthy Aging Program aims to integrate public health’s expertise in research, health tracking, and prevention programs with the experience and reach of the nation’s aging services network. For example, through the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), CDC funds SENIOR (State-Based Examples of Network Innovation, Opportunity, and Replication) grants in several states (see map) to assist selected health departments in working with aging network colleagues to promote integrated strategies for healthy aging.

The Healthy Aging Program partnered with NACDD in 2008 to release The State of Mental Health and Aging in America Issue Brief 1: What Do the Data Tell Us? (http://www.chronicdisease.org/files/public/IssueBrief_TheStateofMentalHealthandAging
inAmerica.pdf). This brief presents national and state data on six indicators of mental health for older adults. A second brief in 2009 will present interventions addressing depression.

The Healthy Aging Program sponsors The State of Aging and Health in America report series and interactive Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/aging/saha.htm). These tools enable public health and aging services professionals, journalists, and researchers to evaluate key indicators of older adult health at state and national levels. In 2009, the Web site will be updated with the most current data.


•Promote health and preserve health-related quality of life for older adults within health care and other systems. Promoting the broader use of preventive services by older adults is a key public health strategy. A recent analysis showed that in 2004, no more than 25% of adults aged 50–64 years were up-to-date on immunizations and cancer screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

In 2008, CDC collaborated with the American Medical Association and AARP to develop Building Clinical and Community Bridges to Promote Preventive Services for Adults Aged 50–64 in the United States. This tool includes easily referenced national and state data on preventive services, effective community-based strategies, and “calls to action” designed to ensure that adults aged 50–64 years receive potentially lifesaving preventive services.

The Healthy Aging Program, partnered with key collaborators to fund a scientific examination of the effectiveness of community-based interventions for treating depression in older adults. Based on these findings, The Guide to Community
Preventive Services Task Force made three new recommendations concerning mental health and older adults (http://www.thecommunityguide