Caregivers of those with Alzheimer's

Caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

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

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter
The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

By Diane Atwood

No matter how much you may care for someone, caring for them when they’re ill is not always easy. Especially when that illness is dementia. If you are trying to care for someone with dementia, this podcast is for you. I talked with Teepa Snow, who is a dementia and Alzheimer’s care specialist. She travels around the world sharing her caregiving wisdom with professionals and families. Now she is sharing it with us.

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For more information about Teepa and the work she does as well as a wide variety of dementia resources, visit her website teepasnow.com.

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About Diane Atwood

For more than 20 years, Diane was the health reporter on WCSH 6. Before that, a radiation therapist at Maine Medical Center and after, Manager of Marketing/PR at Mercy Hospital. Now she writes the award-winning blog Catching Health with Diane Atwood. 

Importance of going outdoors for elders

Caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here is some great information


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


Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire




Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two


Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition

Aging Care

How Elders and Caregivers Can Take Advantage of Summer Weather

By Lori Johnston,


Enjoying a breezy spring day or the warm summer temperatures don't have to be a distant memory for elders whether they have dementia or not, and caregivers. After being cooped up in the house for possibly months at a time, senior adults can breathe in the fresh air, even if they are experiencing mobility problems. It takes some advance planning and choosing an activity that won't seem like a chore, but it's worth getting out of the house, for you and your elderly parent.


The benefits of getting outside


A main advantage of heading outdoors, even for a short period of time, is being able to soak up the sunlight, which generates Vitamin D – necessary for the brain, bones and muscle function, says Dr. Michael Raab, a geriatrician with Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Fla. Some doctors even prescribe sunlight as a source of Vitamin D, which research also finds can improve cognitive function.


Another key benefit is that being outside enables elders to socialize and interact with caregivers as well as other adults, children and animals.


Those activities can give people an extra spring in their step and rejuvenate them, says Christina Chartrand, vice president of training and staff development for Senior Helpers, an in-home senior care agency with offices in 40 states.


Raab adds: "Whatever you can do, it's going to be mentally uplifting."


Although caregivers may be aware of the benefits, sometimes it seems as if the obstacles, such as wheelchair access, bathroom access, frailty and fatigue, are too great to overcome the great outdoors.


Caregivers can start to prepare elders with mobility problems to take the steps to head outside. Your physician can suggest chair exercises to make them more stable and build their muscles, for example.


Even though the temperatures may be pleasant, Raab says it's also important to make sure an elderly family member stays well hydrated; if not, it can impact muscle function and blood pressure and lead to a dangerous situation.


Types of outdoor activities for caregivers and the elderly


Instead of being overwhelmed by the potential challenges, focus on activities and interests that you and the elderly person you're caring for enjoy.


Here are 10 suggestions:


1. Catch a sporting event. The events could be watching a grandchild's soccer game, which are not all-day events, or attending a professional game, like baseball.


2. Fish for fun. For folks who enjoy fishing, you can cast a rod from a pier or other location, even if someone is wheelchair bound.


3. Be a tourist. If you live in a city, take an open-air bus or trolley tour to see the local sights. Another option could be a boat tour, depending on what type of equipment an elder needs to take with them. "It's outside, but you don't have to be walking," Chartrand says.


4. Take a dip. For some folks, it may just be putting a foot in the pool, while others may be able to handle low-impact water aerobics.


5. Stroll around. If a walk is possible, start slow. Raab suggests trying three or four minutes in one direction, turning around and coming back.


6. Be a bird lover. If you have a birdhouse, bird feeder or bird bath in your yard, checking on the those daily give elderly individuals a reason to go outside.


7. Pedal around. Rent a three-wheeled bicycle, which are easier to mount and ride, and also could offer back support.


8. Go fly a kite. Head to a park or beach and get a kite soaring. Let an elderly individual take control, which they can do while sitting down. If children are around, they can get involved by trying to keep the kite in the air.
9. Picnic outdoors. Picnics are another park or playground activity. Elderly individuals can watch children run around or enjoy the buzz of outdoor activity.


10. Celebrate the holidays. From Memorial Day concerts to Fourth of July fireworks, there are plenty of community events this spring and summer with opportunities for elders to get out and be part of the crowd.

Eye Surgery Improves Mood of Alzheimer's Patients(part 2)

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Eye Surgery Improves Mood of Alzheimer's Patients
Study Shows Alzheimer's Patients May Sleep Better, Be Less Depressed After Cataract Surgery (continued)
Benefits for Caregivers continued...

Thies points out that the study was small and there was no comparison group that did not get surgery to compare the results to.

Still, he tells WebMD, there are a lot of things that can contribute to a person's sensory deprivation. "If you can improve those things," he says, "you will improve their ability to perform."

AAO spokesman Jeffrey Whitman, MD, of the Key-Whitman Eye Center in Dallas, says, "I find this study to be a proof of what we may have already suspected -- that poor vision, in an already compromised patient, is a burden to both the patient and the patient's caretaker."

In an email, Whitman, who is the son of an Alzheimer's patient, told WebMD: "I have found that anything that can help mobility, the ability to feed oneself, or ambulate from room to room, is a great boon."

He adds that better vision leads to better nighttime behavior. A person with Alzheimer's often displays what's known as sun-downing behavior, in which forgetfulness and other symptoms worsen at dusk.

In addition, better vision can lead to less depression among people that uniformly become more depressed as the disease advances. "The continued evaluation and surgical management of cataracts should be pursued in these often forgotten patients," Whitman says.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal

Eye Surgery Improves Mood of Alzheimer's Patients

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 way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow Alzheimers1 on twitter

WebMD

Study Shows Alzheimer's Patients May Sleep Better, Be Less Depressed After Cataract Surgery
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

People with Alzheimer's disease should have regular eye tests to screen for vision problems.

That's the recommendation of researchers who found that people with mild Alzheimer's disease who have cataracts may benefit from vision-correcting surgery. The benefits include improved sight, better sleep, and less depressed mood.

Also, people with Alzheimer's often had better communication and interaction with others after the surgery.

According to Brigitte Girard, MD, a professor of ophthalmology at Tenon Hospital in Paris, treatment improved the patients' lives and also the lives of some caregivers.

Girard reported the researchers' findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) at the end of October.

Despite fears to the contrary, Girard says, surgery did not worsen patients' general condition or dementia.

William Thies, PhD, scientific director of the Alzheimer's Association, reviewed the findings for WebMD. He says that general medical care, including vision problems, are often overlooked in people with Alzheimer's.

"The assumption is made they won't benefit," Thies says. The assumption, he adds, is wrong. "The fact that they do benefit is very much the message from this study."

Improvements in Mood and Sleep

More than 1.5 million cataract surgeries are performed annually in the U.S. One in three Americans, most of them older people, will have the surgery at some point in their life.

The surgery is performed to remove the natural lens of the eye, which sometimes becomes clouded over time. A permanent artificial lens is then implanted to replace the natural lens.

The study involved 38 people with mild Alzheimer's disease who underwent cataract surgery. The average age was 86; nine were 90 or older. The majority (82%) were women.

Three months after surgery, all but one patient could see better. Three in four patients had improved or unchanged scores on tests of mood, memory, and their ability to wash, dress, and otherwise function independently. Sleep, in particular, improved, Girard says.

Six of the seven people with depression before surgery were less depressed afterward. The other person's depression was about the same as before.

As rated by the patients and their caregivers, social lives improved or were unchanged in two out of every three people studied.

Girard says "unchanged" scores were considered a mark of success. "As one neurologist told me," she says, "if people with Alzheimer's disease don't get worse over three months, it's a win."

The researchers did find that some people were more agitated after the surgery.

Benefits for Caregivers

The study also found that the surgery eased the burden for one in four caregivers. For another one in four, though, caring for their loved one was harder. The main reason cited was an increased level of agitation.

Happy New Year for dementia caregivers

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 way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities




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.

Financial and Legal Planning for Someone with Alzheimer's

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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.

How to Care for Families of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

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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

eHow

Instructions
Step 1Get Google news alerts, and other information on the Internet about the latest developments in Alzheimer's disease care and treatment.

Step 2Read books about other Alzheimer's disease caregivers' advice and experiences.

Step 3Attend workshops and conferences about Alzheimer's disease. Many have an adult day care option.

Step 4Consider taking Alzheimer's caregiver skills training. Caring for an Alzheimer's disease patient at home requires special expertise that may be new to you and other family caregivers. Training programs teach skills in how to handle loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. These skills minimize frustration, because you learn what to expect and how to deal with difficult behaviors and mood swings.

Step 5Join a support group. Support groups are safe places where family members and caregivers talk about their feelings, get moral and emotional support, find out useful information, and speak with people who can relate to their stress.

Step 6Participate in individual and family counseling, A study reported in the August 2006 issue of "Neurology" said that effective programs of counseling and participation in support groups could yield considerable benefits for caregivers, patients with Alzheimer disease, and society.

Step 7Send your loved one with Alzheimer's disease to an adult day care program. They provide you with some time to yourself and give the family member with Alzheimer's disease a great place to have fun while keeping his mind and body active.

Step 8Consider......read all of How to Care for Families of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

How to Cope With Early Dementia

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eHow

It is normal to experience a wide range of emotions in response to a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, which causes problems in memory, judgment, language and behavior. Early-onset dementia begins before the age of 65. People use a number of coping strategies to deal with their dementia. Keep these things in mind to best cope in ways that help you and your family.

For the Person and the Family
Step 1Get an accurate diagnosis. This means getting a thorough physical and mental exam. Some early dementias may be caused by certain medications or treatable diseases. If you can correct these types of problems, you may be able to eliminate the dementia.

Step 2Join a support group. Whether you are a caregiver, a family member, or the person with early dementia, a support group helps you cope with this condition, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.

Step 3Keep informed of the latest treatment options.

Step 4Rely on humor. Laughter is good for the person with earky dementia and his family and caregivers.

Step 5Keep the lines of communication open. As the dementia progresses, this responsibility falls more on the caregivers and family.

Step 6Consider keeping a journal. Both the person with dementia and family members should do this. Then share the information in the journals. This will be especially useful as the dementia progresses. Write entries together as the dementia gets worse.

Step 7Plan for the future. Get financial and legal matters in order.

For the Person With Early Dementia
Step 1Give up bad habits. Smoking, eating fatty foods or junk foods make dementia worse.

Step 2Continue seeing your doctor on a regular basis; he monitors your dementia and gives you useful information.

Step 3Take all your prescribed medications at the proper time. This becomes more difficult as the dementia progresses.

Step 4Tell your family or caregivers about any problems you are having.

Step 5Accept the assistance of your family or caregivers. They help you with your difficulties.

Step 6Eat a balanced diet. The Mediterranean Diet--rich in fish, olive oil, veggies--is delicious and may slow the progression of dementia, according to a Columbia University study published in the Archives of Neurology. Nikolaos Scarmeas, assistant professor of clinical neurology at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center, said the study showed that the Mediterranean diet is not only protective for cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes--dementia patients who closely followed the diet lived an average of four years longer than those who did not--but is also an aid to brain function.

Step 7Exercise daily. Walking, working out at the gym, or exercising at home, all benefit your body and your mind. You'll sleep better, too.

Step 8Stimulate your brain. Try to do a variety of challenging mental activities. Crossword puzzles and other word games, strategy games like checkers, and reading all stimulate your brain. As the dementia gets worse, this becomes increasingly difficult. Do something for as long as you can.

Step 9Try prayer, meditation, and reading spiritual books to help you cope.

Step 10Do harder tasks at a time of day when you feel the most clarity.

For the Family
Step 1Take care of.......read all of How to Cope With Early Dementia

Alzheimer's Disease: 5 Tips for Lowering Your Risk

Reader's Digest

There's good news and bad about Alzheimer's disease, which affects more than five million Americans. Current medications only minimally delay progression of the disease, says Lon S. Schneider, MD, who directs the Alzheimer's Disease Research and Clinical Center of California at USC. But evidence is piling up that you can lower your risk of Alzheimer's by making some simple changes in your life, researchers say. What matters most:

Skip the chips. Eating too much fat and cholesterol seems to hasten the onset of Alzheimer's, at least in a recent mice study; in human studies, being obese in midlife raises the risk of later memory problems, dementia, and Alzheimer's. The flip side: A 2006 study of more than 3,700 older adults found that those who ate plenty of vegetables slowed the decline of their mental abilities by 40 percent, compared with those who skimped on their greens.

Take a walk in the sun. A study of nearly 2,000 people last year suggests that vitamin D -- the "sunshine vitamin" -- could help keep your brain sharp. Among volunteers 65 years and older, those with the lowest levels of the vitamin were more than twice as likely to have cognitive impairment as those whose levels were optimal. Your skin makes vitamin D when it's exposed to sunlight, but because the process gets less efficient with age, some researchers also recommend supplements; talk to your doctor.

Exercise your brain. Two recent studies found that people who had spent more years in school or had worked in mentally demanding jobs stayed sharper, even when their brains were damaged by the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease. Lifelong hobbies such as playing cards or doing crossword puzzles might also help protect against the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Try a couple of our favorite mind-sharpening games, Word Power and Ken Ken.

Make time for friends. A little chatting can have a big payoff: A Harvard study last year found that socially connected people kept more of their memory intact as they aged -- up to twice as much, according to one measure.

Keep moving. In a study of middle-aged and elderly adults with mild memory problems, those who started walking several times each week scored significantly higher on memory tests after just six months.

Caregivers and healthcare professinals, dementia resource awaits your viewing


Information on being the best you can be caregiver


Here is an interesting dementia activity

Caring for dementia

Bristol News
By DANIEL O. TULLY

In my practice, I see many families who are caring for a loved one who has dementia. This column will explore the basic phases of dementia, the stresses that caregivers go through, and how to lower these stresses. First here are some dementia facts:

People over the age of 85 years of age are the fastest growing segment of our population.

More than 54 million people provided care to a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend in the last year;

4.5 million people are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder in the U.S.A.

The average course of the disease is eight years, but can range from four to 20 years.

Dementia has three stages: early, middle and end stages. In the early stages the patient will experience forgetfulness, become socially awkward and can become lost in familiar settings. During this stage, however, the patient experiences confusion and disorientation, could have speech problems, and will most likely need assistance with their activities of daily living. In the end stages, the patient becomes completely dependent on others.

In most cases, patients live at home and their family members care for them. Usually there is only one caregiver involved. Many times, the caregiver is a spouse or a child. In addition, most caregivers are over the age of 50.

Being a caregiver is extremely stressful. It is so stressful, in fact that the healthy spouse dies before the spouse with dementia more than half of the time. The caregiver frequently experiences depressions, anxiety, anger and poor health (from the stress and self-neglect).

There are also severe financial effects on the caregiver. Many become concerned with having enough funds to pay for their own age-related needs and use substantial resources to provide care. According to the long-term care insurance industry, policy holders with dementia average 18 to 24 months of care at home before they enter a nursing home. Caregivers miss an average of 17 work days per year because of care-giving duties. About a third of caregivers reduced their work hours or report being.....read the whole post

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Have you gotten your mother with dementia a gift yet?

Here are some great ideas
Healthnews-stat.com
First on the list of gifts for mom 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 idea sand resources for you.

Another gift a dementia mother will fancy is a classic musical video or DVD. Your mother 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 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 you loved one can see and hear performers singing songs they love. A good one is, Sing-Along with Phil Bernardi: Songs We Know and Love

Here is another idea. Give your mom some...read the whole storyFor a great resource for those with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professinals, click here


For information on being the best caregiver you can be, click here

For more interesting dementia articles and activities, click here

Ultimate Alzheimer's Rescue Program

Brian Willie

Paying for Alzheimer’s Care can be nearly as devastating as the disease itself, especially now from being sideswiped with dwindling account balances from this recession ... and it's probably one of the last things you want to think about ... but if you can spare a moment I’d like to show you ...

“How Alzheimer’s Families Can Immediately Stop Depleting Assets, Draining Nest Eggs And Finally Gain Back Your Control. ”

24 HOURS AGO … A family battling Alzheimer’s was in a state of panic; worried that they couldn’t afford to adequately care for their loved ones ... but, today, they found help!

If your family is dealing with Alzheimer’s you have more than enough to worry about. Let me help! As the mind and body of your loved one starts to shut down, they will need help-- especially when the need for long-term care is close at hand.

Sadly, the medical symptoms can’t be reversed at this time, BUT THE STRESS AND WORRY OVER THE COSTS, CAN!

We still don’t understand exactly how Alzheimer’s disease damages the brain, but we do know that it strikes gradually and ferociously. And, the financial strain put on families can be just as unkind.

I’m sure you’re more than aware how difficult this disease can be emotionally, physically and financially. It can literally make you feel helpless. The negative impact on your health, employment, income and financial security can cause you to experience high levels of stress and depression.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, almost 10 million Americans act as Alzheimer’s caregivers, providing some form of care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Annually, this adds up to a staggering 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care. A contribution valued at $89 billion.

Yet ironically, with billions paid out in government benefits, close to 57% of Americans receive NO FINANCIAL SUPPORT from Medicare, Medicaid or any other government programs.

Financial support that your family is entitled to know about, apply for, and in many cases receive!

I know how hard this wretched disease is to deal with. Like you, I have watched someone special change before my eyes, and I understand how frustrating and overwhelming the disease can be.

I’ve experienced the stress of dealing with someone who seems deliberately difficult or who fails to recognize that something is even wrong…and how a life that was once filled with exuberance has been reduced to the heartache that they may now not recognize you. I know how hard it is to focus on anything else, let alone money.

But, eventually you will have to prepare for your loved one’s long-term care…and the literally shocking costs that you will face.

Find Comfort in Knowing Your
Financial Options

There are many ways to relieve the financial burden that occurs with Alzheimer’s disease. But getting assistance.....read the whole article

For a great resource for those with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professinals, click here

For information on being the best caregiver you can be, click here

For more interesting dementia articles and activities, click here

Perfect last minute gifts for your mom with dementia

Healthnews-stat.com
First on the list of gifts for mom 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 idea sand resources for you.

Another gift a dementia mother will fancy is a classic musical video or DVD. Your mother 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 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 you loved one can see and hear performers singing songs they love. A good one is, Sing-Along with Phil Bernardi: Songs We Know and Love

Here is another idea. Give your mom some...read the whole storyFor a great resource for those with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professinals, click here


For information on being the best caregiver you can be, click here

For more interesting dementia articles and activities, click here

Readers differ on usefulness of drugs for Alzheimer's

Orlando Sentinal
Bard Lindeman | Special To The Sentinel

The inherent frustrations of Alzheimer's disease, along with the frightening aspects linked to this incurable and fatal anomaly, came tumbling out of our weekly mailbag.

Here were strong voices, demanding to be heard:

"I was disappointed with your [recent] Alzheimer's article, which made it seem totally useless to try to do anything for it," begins an agitated woman in Central Florida. "My [late] husband, a thoughtful, caring individual right up to his death . . . did take Aricept, which I felt helped him immensely . . ."

Perhaps, yet family members in the unwelcome role as caregivers, on call day and night, cannot be expected to serve as objective evaluators. In The Forgetting: Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic, (Doubleday; 2001) author David Shenk paints a scene in which a caregiver... read the whole article

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For a great resource for those with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professinals, click here

New Year's resolutions for caregivers

Now that the new year is here, it is a good time to think about your role as a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia
OurAlzheimer's.com
The promise of a new year may seem daunting if you're caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, but not if you see it as an opportunity for a fresh start.

Take advantage of the 2009 calendar in front of you by finally tackling the issues that frequently get brushed aside.

January is an ideal time to revisit your present and future caregiving situation by addressing:

legal issues( discussed at dementia tips

financial concerns

your loved one's changing needs

conversations with other family members


Update or create a care plan

It may be necessary to work with a professional to review your loved one's long-term plan. A geriatric specialist can help you identify the resources and establish a plan that meets both your needs and those of your loved one, says, Mauri Malka, who manages caregiver training and support groups.


Questions to consider include:

Is the plan still realistic?

Has your loved one's condition deteriorated recently?


Is it still possible to care for your loved one at home?

If not, what other options exist?.......read the whole article

For more information about dementia New Year's resolutions, click here

For Alzheimer's activities see what this expert has to say

Alzheimer’s caregivers exemplify true love

Jacksonville Progress
Dr. Sam Smith, Butterfly Ministry

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

A dear friend sent me this beautiful story. With the prevalence of Alzheimer’s these days, there are so many loving husbands and wives caring for their loved ones who do not even know who they are. If you have loved ones who have been affected by Alzheimer’s, you know how it is. This story helps us realize what you are going through, and the beauty of true love.

• • •
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Say thank you to Alzheimers caregivers this Labor Day

From Fisher Center for Alzheimers
Writing in the December 11 Wall Street Journal, staff reporter Kelly K. Spors addresses many of the issues surrounding extra compensation for a devoted caregiver. Appropriate ways to say “thank you” to someone who has contributed so much to the care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be a concern for any family touched by the disease.

Some families may say “thank you” with a monetary gift, such as a week’s or a month’s salary. Others may find a momento, like a gold watch, or a dinner out more appropriate. But, Spors emphasizes, there is no clear-cut formula for compensating a devoted caregiver, like tipping a restaurant waiter 15% to 20%.

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Read how caregivers should cope with Alzheimers

Finally this Labor Day please think about Alzheimers caregivers because
it is estimated that there are over 50 million caregivers, of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, worldwide. Learn what a hard job they have and why they deserve everyone's praise this Labor Day.

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One-quarter of spouses of those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, depressed

CLEVELAND, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Spouses of husbands and wives with Alzheimer's and other dementias, pay a high emotional toll as they care for their ailing spouse, Case Western Reserve University researchers say.

Kathryn Betts Adams analyzed data from spouse caregivers and compared their responses to non-caregivers at the symptom level to determine which symptoms were especially common.

The study involved 391 caregivers and 226 non-caregivers from the Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

After factoring for age, gender...

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Researchers Find Gene Variant For Alzheimer's That May Lead To Better Treatment

New York, NY (AHN) - Researchers say they've discovered a gene that may make it easier for people for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease and could become a target for drug treatments.

Called calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), the gene controls the flow of calcium in and out of cells, influences the formation of "plaques" composed of clumps of a protein, beta-amyloid, which is believed to damage brain cells in the disease.

The gene is predominantly active in a region of the brain that is hit early in the disease, where it acts as a channel for calcium, researchers say in a new report in the June 27th issue of the journal Cell.

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Lipitor No Help for Dementia of Alzheimer’s Patients

April 18, 2008, 3:40 pm
Posted by Jacob Goldstein
More news from that big neurology meeting : Lipitor doesn’t help slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, researchers said this week.

That’s something of a disappointment, given that it was a big, randomized study, and earlier data had showed promise. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s patients who took Lipitor at least didn’t seem to do any worse than those who took a placebo. All patients in the study also received Aricept, Pfizer’s Alzheimer’s drug.

Despite the fact that statins have been connected to anecdotal reports of memory problems, there were a few reasons to think the cholesterol drugs might help slow cognitive decline
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