Do these things cause dementia?

Caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

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

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

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

Which of these cause Alzheimer's: 
1) Flu shots?
2) Aluminum?
3) Statin drugs?
See the latest research. 

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Video on Aluminum and Flu Shots

Statins

Researchers question whether there is substance to the US Food and Drug Agency's recent warning that statins could affect the memory, attention span and other cognitive abilities of people who take this drug to control high cholesterol. This follows a systematic review of 25 clinical trials incorporating nearly 47,000 people. It was led by Brian R. Ott, M.D., director of The Alzheimer's Disease & Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital and professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in the U.S. The review findings¹ appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine², published by Springer. 

Since 2012, the FDA regulates that labels on statin packaging should warn that the drugs could change users' cognitive abilities. These cognitive changes could include attention span, problem solving, memory, and language or visuospatial abilities. The warning was based on surveillance and case reports, observational studies and randomized trials.

Subsequent reviews of available research have cast doubts on the cautionary stance taken by the FDA. Ott's team therefore set out to do a more comprehensive analysis using well-studied analysis methods. They scrutinized the data of 25 relevant randomized clinical trials that investigated a possible link between statin therapy and mental ability. Combined, these studies included the test results of 46,836 patients. Ott and his colleagues also contrasted and combined the results of 14 of these studies through a meta-analysis, which in total included 27,643 participants.

The review found no significant effect of statin use on the mental capacity of either people with normal brain functioning or even those with Alzheimers' disease. The results suggest that the FDA's statin warning should be re-evaluated. Ott also believes there is a need to investigate the reasons behind the differences in the review results and the initial reports on which the FDA warning was based. It could be that some of the mental changes that were reported in the case studies were the result of overdosing with statins.

The review findings are congruent with the 2013 safety statement made by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association Cholesterol Guideline. It advises that patients on statins who seem to be confused or who might have memory problems should be evaluated for causes other than their cholesterol medication. This could include the use of other drugs or systemic and neuro-psychiatric causes.

The researchers believe that there is more benefit to be had by sticking to statin therapy to manage heart-related diseases and prevent strokes than worrying about the possible adverse mental effects of these drugs.

"We found no significant effects of statin treatment on cognition," concludes Ott. "Given these results, it is questionable whether the FDA class warning about potential cognitive adverse effects of statins is still warranted.."

How to pick the right gift for those with dementia for Mother's Day

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals.

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



Choosing the right present for someone with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia is certain to give him/her joyful times independently or with a loved one. Here are some tips on how to pick a perfect gift. You can give a gift anytime, but Mother's Day is coming soon which is a perfect opportunity to give that special someone a special gift.

Over 5.4 million Americans are living with dementia. Is one of them someone you know or a client of yours? Get him/her or anyone with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia, a gift that will keep on giving
Of course, person appropriate offerings are the best. This means matching a gift to a person's interests and abilities, However, there are some presents that will make them smile no matter what.

One such gift 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. Mothers especially love babies

Another gift dementia persons will fancy is a classic musical video or DVD especially a musical love story. A classic movie of this type is Rogers and Hammerstein's movie, Carousel (1945) or South Pacific (1949)


click here for the whole story

Important in dementia diagnosis

Caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

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

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

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

University of Kentucky

DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA: Find out how people diagnosed with Alzheimer's may lack Alzheimer's plaques and actually have P.A.R.T. Dementia. (That is, Primary Age-Related Tauopathy, or PART for short). Learn why this matters in treatment & research.

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LEXINGTON, Ky — A multi-institutional study has defined and established criteria for a new neurological disease closely resembling Alzheimer’s disease called primary age-related tauopathy (PART). Patients with PART develop cognitive impairment that can be indistinguishable from Alzheimer’s disease, but they lack amyloid plaques. Awareness of this neurological disease will help doctors diagnose and develop more effective treatments for patients with different types of memory impairment. 

The study, co-led by Peter T. Nelson, MD, PhD, of the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and John F. Crary, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai Hospital, was published in the journal Acta Neuoropathologica.

Yes Tangles, No Plaques

“To make an Alzheimer's diagnosis you need to see two things together in a patient’s brain: amyloid plaques and structures called neurofibrillary tangles composed of a protein called tau,” said Dr. Nelson, a professor of neuropathology at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. “However, autopsy studies have demonstrated that some patients have tangles but no plaques and we’ve long wondered what condition these patients had.” 

Plaques in the brain, formed from the accumulation of amyloid protein, are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Until now, researchers have considered cases with only tangles to be either very early-stage Alzheimer’s or a variant of the disease in which the plaques are harder to detect. However, previous in-depth biochemical and genetic studies have failed to reveal the presence of any abnormal amyloid in these patients. Although tangle-only patients can have memory complaints, the presence of plaques is a key requirement for an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

No Plaque? You're PART

In the current study, investigators from the United States (including five from Sanders-Brown), Canada, Europe, and Japan came together to formalize criteria for diagnosing this new neurological disorder. The study establishes that PART is a primary tauopathy, a disease directly caused by the tau protein in tangles. Many of the neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer’s brain, in contrast, are thought to arise secondarily to amyloid or some other stimuli. The researchers propose that individuals who have tangles resembling those found in Alzheimer's but have no detectable amyloid plaques should now be classified as PART.

PART is most severe in patients of advanced age, but is generally mild in younger elderly individuals. The reason for this is currently unknown, but unlike Alzheimer’s disease, in which the tangles spread throughout the brain, in PART cases the tangles are restricted mainly to structures important for memory.

It is too early to tell how common PART is, but given that tangles are nearly universal in the brains of older individuals, it might be more widespread than generally recognized. While further studies are required, new diagnostic tests using brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for amyloid and tau are finding surprisingly high proportions of patients (as many as 25% in some studies) with mild cognitive impairment that are positive for tau but negative for amyloid.

DIAGNOSING PART: More Targeted Therapy, Improved Accuracy

“Until now, PART has been difficult to treat or even study because of lack of well-defined criteria,” said Dr. Nelson. “Now that the scientific community has come to a consensus on what the key features of PART are, this will help doctors diagnose different forms of memory impairment early. These advancements will have a big impact on our ability to recognize and develop effective treatments for brain diseases seen in older persons.”

Identifying the type of neurological disorder in the early stages of disease is critical if treatment is to begin before irreparable brain damage has occurred. However, in the absence of clear criteria, different forms of neurological disorders have been hard to distinguish. As a result, PART patients may have confounded clinical trials of amyloid-targeting drugs for Alzheimer’s disease as these treatments are unlikely to be effective against tangles. Along with the development of better biomarkers and genetic risk factors for dementia, the new diagnosis criteria will help PART patients to receive more targeted therapy and improve the accuracy of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s drugs. 

SOURCE: 
University of Kentucky

MORE INFORMATION:
The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging http://www.centeronaging.uky.eduwas established in 1979 and is one of the original ten National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Alzheimer’s disease Research Centers. The SBCoA is internationally acclaimed for its progress in the fight against illnesses facing the aging population. 

The article is titled, “Primary age-related tauopathy (PART): a common pathology associated with human aging.” The other contributors are: John Q. Trojanowski, Steven E. Arnold, Jonathan B. Toledo, Juan C. Troncoso (University of Pennsylvania); Julie A. Schneider (Rush University Medical Center); Jose F. Abisambra, Erin L. Abner, Gregory A. Jicha, Janna H. Neltner, Masahito Yamada (University of Kentucky); Irina Alafuzoff (Uppsala University); Johannes Attems (Newcastle University); Thomas G. Beach (Banner Sun Health Research Institute); Eileen H. Bigio (Northwestern University); Nigel J.Cairns, Walter A. Kukull, Thomas J. Montine (University of Washington); Dennis W. Dickson, David S. Knopman, MelissaE. Murray (Mayo Clinic); Marla Gearing (Emory University); Lea T. Grinberg (UC San Francisco and University of Sao Paulo); Patrick R. Hof (Mount Sinai); Bradley T.Hyman (Harvard Medical School); Kurt Jellinger (Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Vienna); Gabor G. Kovacs (Medical University Vienna); Julia Kofler (University of Pittsburgh); Ian R. Mackenzie (University of British Columbia); Eliezer Masliah (University of California, San Diego); Ann McKee (Boston University); Ismael Santa-Maria, Michael L. Shelanski, Jean Paul Vonsattel (CUMC); William W. Seeley (UC San Francisco); Alberto Serrano-Pozo (University of Iowa); Thor Stein (VA Medical Center & Boston University); Masaki Takao (Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital); Dietmar R. Thal (University of Ulm; Charles L. White 3rd (University of Texas); Thomas Wisniewski (New York University); and Randall L. Woltjer (Oregon Health Sciences University).

The study was supported by grants from: the Society for Supporting Research in Experimental Neurology, Vienna, Austria; the National Institutes of Health; Medical Research Council ; National Institute for Health Research ; the Dunhill Medical Trust; Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK), and the Alzheimer's Society, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Foundation; Alzheimer’s Association, FP7 EU Project Develage, Comprehensive Brain Research Network, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, and Daiwa Health Science Foundation, BrightFocus Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association NIRGD-12- 242642, Alzheimer Forschung Initiative; German Ministry for Research and Education (BMBF) FTLD-Net, Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program of the Mayo Foundation.

Will you get dementia?

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]

NewsMax Health

Experts say that dementia, the general term for a severe decline in mental ability, affects 47.5 million people worldwide and the numbers are growing. Dementia, like cancer, is an umbrella term that includes Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia which occurs after a stroke, and many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
However, new research shows that many cases of dementia are triggered by treatable conditions. Incredibly, experts say that one-third or more of the Alzheimer’s and dementia cases may be prevented by better management of lifestyle factors.

"Dementia is the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century," Dr. Dean Hartley, Ph.D, Director of Science Initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association tells Newsmax. "One in nine people at age 65 suffers from dementia and that number leaps to one in three by the age of 85. Now that we know the scientifically proven lifestyle factors to prevent the disease, the earlier we adopt these changes the more we can reduce our risk."

 And top neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon, a sports medicine expert who served as the team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers for over 20 years, tells Newsmax that in his best selling book, "Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life", he outlines the steps we can take to stay clear minded and healthy.

"Too many people take not only a fatalistic but also a nihilistic approach to getting old and dementia," he says. "There are scientifically proven ways to markedly contribute to brain health and the prevention of dementia." Here are five fixable factors that can lead to dementia:

1. Drinking alcohol. Alcohol when used in moderation may not pose significant impairment but as we age, it interacts differently with our bodies. Experts say that prolonged alcohol abuse in older adults can result in deficiencies in memory and damage to the kidneys, liver and brain.
2. Eating lots of sugar. Eating too much sugar in your diet is dangerous, says Maroon. Sugar is directly involved with the brain and can cause major changes including increased risk for stroke which can lead to vascular dementia.
3. Lack of exercise. Maroon, a renowned triathlete, says that exercise saved him from depression. But it can also help stave off dementia by boosting immunity and tamping down inflammation, he says. "Even Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, emphasized the mind-body connection," he says.
4. Not getting enough sleep. Your brain needs time to rest and recuperate, just like your body, so it is essential to get a good night’s sleep to keep the brain healthy. "Keep a sleep journal and practice good sleep hygiene," says Maroon. "Establish regular sleep patterns and turn off all electronics at least an hour before bedtime.
5. Spending too much time alone. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that older women who maintained large social networks reduced their risk of dementia or prevented cognitive impairment. The results showed that the women were actually 26 percent less likely to develop dementia -- a case in point for keeping socially active as we age, says Maroon.

© 2018 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved. 

How Snoezelen Rooms help those with dementia

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

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

By: Elizabeth Bemis


"Those with dementia enjoy calming colors, even test your memory. Snoezelen Rooms offer a sensory diet designed for dementia patients. "We have found with more stimulation, it slows down the progression of the disease process."

The Benefits of a Snoezelen Room for Alzheimer’s Care

If you’ve never heard of the Dutch term Snoezelen (pronounced “snuzelen”), formed by the words “sniff and doze,” you’re probably not alone! Snoezelen is a type of therapy originally founded in Holland for individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities. 

A Snoezelen Room is a therapeutic environment created for the express purpose of delivering high levels of stimuli to patients with dementia. A private room displays optical illusions with combined lighting effects, aromas, colors, textures and sounds to stimulate a person’s olfactory, auditory and gustatory systems.

A Snoezelen Room is often used for Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and its reputation as a safe, mood- enhancing environment is catching on in several leading-edge assisted living communities. Some of the benefits of using this form of therapy are provided:

1. Increased Resident and Caregiver Communication
One of the key benefits of this therapy is its ability to reduce an individual's fears and enhance their trust in the people closest to them. Snoezelen can be specially adapted to meet the needs of the individual, delivering stimuli to seven of the senses (which include the vestibular for balance and proprioception for body part awareness). The environment facilitates better communication (both verbal and non-verbal) during and after therapy and is thought to deepen the relationship shared between caregivers and the individuals receiving care.

2. Increased Knowledge and Understanding of the Environment
In a controlled multi-sensory environment, patients receive a steady stream of stimuli that automatically increases their awareness (autonomous discovery) and understanding of their surroundings. The average person touches 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes; however, someone with profound dementia may average out at only three (3) different surface touches in 30 minutes. This shows in magnitude just how sensory-deprived many Alzheimer’s patients are and the benefits of clinically engaging their senses during senior care.

3. Improved Behavior and Mood
Sensory therapy has proven effective in calming aggressive behavior and improving mood. It is believed that this non-threatening environment offers gentle stimulation that reduces tension (Snoezelen settings include dimmed lighting, intriguing aromas and soothing sounds), replenishes the spirit and allows recuperation. Snoezelen has been used as an effective “Sundowners” intervention and for treating other Alzheimer’s manifestations.

4. Improved Self-Esteem
The benefits of Snoezelen may differ between each person, but may include improved self-esteem. The rationale is that with an elevated sense of awareness (of both self and the environment) coupled with reduced inhibitions; candidates often display a sense of self acceptance.  A small research study also claims a 75% reduction in self-injury.

Note: Clients suffering from other non-Alzheimer/dementia symptoms (that is, bipolar and schizophrenia) are excluded from this type of therapy, so too, are patients who suffer from epilepsy.

Key Takeaways:
A Snoezelen Room is a therapeutic environment created for the express purpose of delivering high levels of stimuli in patients with dementia.
Sensory therapy has helped to reduce the fears of participants and enhance their trust in the people closest to them.
With a steady stream of stimuli participants’ autonomic response increases along with an awareness of their surroundings.
Sensory therapy has proven effective in calming aggressive behavior and improving mood.

The benefits of Snoezelen may include improved self-esteem.

Chocolate for dementia

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]

Take cocoa's flavanol phytonutrients, leave out the sugar and fat, and you get a health food that improves arterial function. That's a great way to fight strokes and atherosclerosis, common triggers of vascular dementia. See NutritionFacts.org analyze the latest research. 

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TRANSCRIPT:Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. 

The problem with publishing research on chocolate is that the press jumps on it, oversimplifying and sensationalizing the message. Then, the money starts rolling in from candy companies, muddying the message. But, lost in all that is an important idea—that the flavanol phytonutrients in cocoa do appear to be beneficial. 

The sugar in chocolate isn’t good for us; the fat and excess calories in chocolate aren’t good for us; but, “natural cocoa powder can be [considered] a health food.” So, adding cocoa to a smoothie, or oatmeal, or whatever, would be health-promoting. But, ideally, choose unprocessed, un-Dutched cocoa, since the flavanols are what give cocoa its bitterness. So, they try to process cocoa with alkali to destroy them, on purpose. Thus, when it comes to cocoa, “bitter [appears to be] better.” 

In my video on chocolate and artery function, I showed how dark chocolate could improve the function of coronary arteries in the heart within two hours of consumption, using fancy angiography. But, there are some blood vessels you can visualize with your eyes—the blood vessels in your eyes. Two hours after eating dark chocolate; significant improvement in the ability of the little veins in your eyes to dilate. 

What about the blood vessels in your legs? Peripheral artery disease—atherosclerosis in the arteries feeding your limbs, leading to claudication, a crampy pain in your calf muscles when you try to exercise, due to impaired blood flow. So, maximal walking distance and maximal walking time were studied in 20 peripheral artery disease patients, two hours after eating dark chocolate, with a respectable 85+% cocoa, or after eating wimpy milk chocolate. After the dark chocolate, they could walk about a dozen more yards, and about 17 more seconds, than before the dark chocolate. 

But, after the milk chocolate they weren’t even able to walk as far as baseline, and not a single second more. So, there does seem to be something in cocoa that’s helping, but a few seconds here or there aren’t going to cut it. 

How about reversing the atherosclerosis—which we didn’t even think possible, until 1977? Wait—what happened in ’77? Dean Ornish didn’t start publishing on heart disease reversal until 1979. Well, actually, the first demonstration of atherosclerosis reversal with a cholesterol-lowering diet and drugs wasn’t on the coronary arteries going to the heart, but rather the femoral arteries, going to the legs. 

What about the arteries going to the brain? Well, there’s a noninvasive way to measure arterial function within the brain, using transcranial ultrasound. If you ask someone to hold their breath, the brain says uh-oh, and starts opening up the arteries to increase blood flow to compensate. But, if the arteries in our brain are stiffened and crippled by atherosclerosis, they’re unable to open as much and as fast as they should—and so, are said to have a smaller “breath holding index,” which can be a risk factor for stroke. So, researchers designed an experiment in which they compared the results of a target food to something neutral, like oatmeal. So, did they choose like a spoonful of cocoa powder, or something? No. A randomized crossover trial of oatmeal, versus a “deep-fried Mars bar.” 

Wait, why a deep-fried Mars bar? Well, this was published in the Scottish Medical Journal, and, evidently, deep-fried Mars bars are “a snack…strongly [associated] with Scotland.” Wait, is this just an urban legend, or something? No. “627 fish and chip shops in Scotland [were called] to ascertain the delicacy’s availability,” and more than one in five said yeah, we’re selling up to 200 a week. Just follow the signs. Comes out a little something like this. Batter-dipped and deep-dried Snickers bars and pizza were, evidently, less popular. The researchers conclude that it’s “not just an urban [legend]. Encouragingly, [they] did find some evidence of the penetrance of the Mediterranean diet…albeit in the form of deep-fried pizza.” 

Could this be contributing to Scotland having among the highest stroke rate in Europe? Well, they put it to the test, and, interestingly, there was a significant drop in men, compared to women. Maybe men are from Mars, women are from Snickers? 

Regardless, what about chocolate that’s not deep-fried? There’s been a few population studies that have followed people over time, and found that those who ate chocolate appeared to have lower stroke rates—since confirmed by another study. 

But, maybe chocolate consumption just happens to be related to other behaviors that are heart- and brain-healthy? Like hey, people that exercise a lot have to eat more food, period. So, maybe they eat more chocolate? They didn’t see any evidence of that, but you can’t account for everything. To prove cause and effect, you’d have to like randomize people into two groups, and make half eat chocolate, and the other half not, and follow them out for a decade or two—to which one researcher replied, fat chance; you try to get people into a study where they could be randomized to 16 years without chocolate. 

SOURCE:

• NutritionFacts.org

• 
  

Best ways to communicate with those who have dementia

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]

SOURCE:
SunriseSeniorLiving.com 

Good communication is critical when families and friends get together. Communicating may be difficult between people with memory-loss and their loved ones. Check out these 5 helpful communication tips and books. 

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The following tips can help make communications with those experiencing memory loss meaningful:

1. Center yourself. As soon as you start to get upset or frustrated, stop and concentrate on taking deep, slow breaths while focusing on something that makes you feel calm and collected.
   
2. Use empathy. Using empathy to connect includes focusing on the experience of your loved one with memory loss. It is important to connect with their feelings, rather than the context of their words.
   
3. Enter their world. Unless your loved one is in the very early stage of memory loss and wants to be reminded of a date, time or other reality based topic, join their journey rather than force reality on them.
   
4. Ask open questions. Use open-ended questions to redirect the conversation and to show that you’re interested in exploring what is important to them. For example, if your loved one is insisting on visiting their deceased mother, rather than reminding them that she passed away, ask her to tell you about her mother and listen with empathy as she expresses her feelings.
   
5. Try asking the extreme. Asking the extreme means that you ask the person to tell you the best or worst thing about what they are expressing.

Late night snacks help wandering in those with dementia

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]

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

 Find out how late-night munchies solved the wandering and behavior challenges of a highly dedicated nurse. 

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On the Move

Like many nursing homes, the Parker Jewish Institute in New Hyde Park, N.Y., was having problems with some of its dementia patients wandering at night. The staff worried about falls, but they didn't want to hand out more psychotropic medicines to make the patients sleepy. The medications often had harsh side-effects and actually increased the risk of falling. 

At the same time, of the 42 residents, 8 to 10 were constantly moving.

But one night, a certified nursing assistant accidentally stumbled on a solution.

"Off We Go..."

Her boss, Aura Gordon, an RN manager, told the story this week at the Aging in America conference in Chicago. A patient, "a lovely man," got out of bed around 2 a.m., as was his custom, picked up his newspaper and headed down the hall. He was preparing to "go to the market," which had been his pattern when he was working. The nurse saw him and figured if he thought he was going to work, he should eat a little something. She gave him a slice of cake and a cup of coffee. He ate the cake, drank the coffee, and then went back to bed.

Thus began the midnight snack program at 8 South, a unit at Parker. Within weeks, Gordon has persuaded the home to provide snacks for the nighttime wanderers: cake, sandwiches, cookies, pudding, Jell-O, juices, coffee. They added bananas when they discovered that one very agitated woman -- who didn't want to eat the nursing home food because she thought it was poisoned -- immediately calmed down when she had a banana. They don't know why, but now they always have bananas on hand. And they make sure some of the snacks are sugar-free, for their diabetic patients.

Munchies Mean Fewer Sores, Falls and Injuries

Gordon says patients with dementia often don't know what time it is, which causes some to get up at all hours, ready to go. They get confused, and sometimes even violent, when they are urged back into their rooms and to bed. She reported that, since the snack program began, they saw falls and related injuries decrease by 50 percent. And, they also saw a decrease in pressure sores (also known as bed sores, or nosocomial ulcers). Now, she says, there are no sores in all of 8 South. 

It's not rigorous scientific research, but 8 South is much calmer now, 24 hours a day.

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A new perspective on Alzheimer's disease

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

ABC News
View by the Bay

A new perspective on Alzheimer's disease -- learn how it affects your family in a whole different way.

We as a society have spent so much money on trying to cure Alzheimer's disease and have yet to come with anything concrete, it is Dr. Shabahangi's belief that we need to focus on the care of these individuals and how we treat people them while we try to help them live in the "moment."
Forgetting is an incredible human invention, you can learn to be in the moment, and sometimes it's actually better when you do forget (especially when it concerns previous stress or trauma). When you are around people with Alzheimer's disease you learn to be in the present, you talk about what is happening now, and not what has happened in the past.

It changes your entire perspective for you and your loved ones.
It's not easy when a grandma doesn't remember your name. It's not easy when your 10-year-old laughs at your uncle or your 5-year-old is crying because grandpa doesn't remember her gifts last Christmas.
What can you do to make sure that the younger generation understands those with Alzheimer's and the elders who are forgetful are still included in your family celebrations?
Dr. Shabahangi believes you can follow these steps to reach so acceptance and understanding, and hopefully, you'll find peace and joy along the way for yourself as well:
Be grateful. Holidays is the time to reflect and be thankful for having all the people in your life - those who are forgetful and those who are not.


Be a good example. Model good behavior and inclusionary gestures for your children - they will notice and follow your lead. This is a great way to reduce fear in kids as it relates to Grandma's forgetfulness. Explain that forgetfulness doesn't = death.


Be in the moment. Those with dementia have a single point of focus, so don't dwell on "remember this" and "remember that." It may trigger unpleasant awkwardness and sense of embarrassment, and disappointment in young children. Instead talk about the here and now - the food, flowers, weather, pet, etc.


Be accepting. Alzheimer's is not contagious, but a welcoming attitude towards those dealing with it, is. It may require some patients and that's something to talk about with the younger members of your family.


Be curious. There's so much to learn from people with forgetfulness. They focus on one thing at a time&In fact, Alzheimer's is like a Zen teacher who reminds you to stay with the moment. It's a timely lesson for all of us, especially, during the busy holiday season.
About Dr. Nader Shabahangi:
Dr. Nader Shabahangi, a licensed psychotherapist, is a dedicated advocate for the elderly and focuses on creation of programs and environments that address physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the older population. He is a founder of Pacific Institute for Aging and has served as President and CEO of AgeSong since its formation in 1995.
In 1992, Nader established Pacific Institute, a nonprofit organization that helps the elderly enjoy meaningful and rewarding lives in the comfort of their home or in caring, therapeutic residential communities. Driven by his mission to transform the concept of eldership and improve the field of eldercare, Nader is the guiding spirit and visionary behind the founding of AgeSong.
Nader earned his doctorate degree from Stanford University, where he researched the philosophical assumptions that formed present-day psychotherapy approach.
Nader conducts frequent lectures across the San Francisco Bay Area and has presented at international conferences addressing the challenging and unique aspects of aging, mental health, and dementia.
He is the author of Faces of Aging and Deeper into the Soul: Beyond Dementia and Alzheimer's Towards Forgetfulness Care.

Have a Merry Christmas with Great 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

Learn what activities and gifts will make those with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia smile this holiday season. These activities and gifts ensure you and your loved one or client a delightful Christmas, this year

PRLog – Over 5.5 million people in the US now have Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. We all benefit from sharing Christmas with someone we care about. The smells, the sounds, and the sights bring back happy memories. People with dementia should have this opportunity too. Following these tips will ensure you and your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia a pleasurable holiday season. Use these tips to help you choose a gift they will enjoy now and in days and months to come.
The gift of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give so do things together.
One thing you can do .....read all of Great Gifts For Those With Dementia

Memory Coat for dementia

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]

Wi-Care

A new "Memory Coat" solves common memory problems: recognizing your jacket, remembering the keys, closing the jacket and finding the way back home. Learn more.

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GELDERMALSEN, The Netherlands, /PRNewswire/ -- The dementia jacket 'my-DBuddy' helps individuals with memory deficiencies maintain independence longer, while preserving dignity. The jacket solves common memory problems experienced by those who would otherwise not feel comfortable going out: recognizing their own jacket, remembering to take keys, closing the jacket and finding the way back home. Of every jacket sold, €50 will be contributed to local Alzheimer's organizations.

The dementia jacket my-DBuddy an innovative and useful tool which resulted from a challenge: 'Can you design a jacket for people with dementia?' asked Helga Rohra, a world famous dementia activist promoting a better life for people living with this condition. Ms. Rohra's question inspired Wilma Verhoeks, owner of Wi-Care BV, a Dutch company specialized in designing clothes for people with a disability. This jacket is now ready and was presented at the European Alzheimer Conference in Berlin, on October 2nd.

Just like other designs by Wi-Care, my-DBuddy is a concept that combines practical solutions with clothes people like to wear:

• How do I recognize my jacket? Room for a picture on the strap for hanging the jacket.
• How do I close the jacket? High-tech hook and loop straps in self-indicating colors.
• How to avoid forgetting my keys, or leaving them in the door? Key cord in jacket.
• What if I get completely lost? Discretely hidden pouch for name and address.

But the innovation does not stop here. Much like a smartphone, my-DBuddy is an open platform and Wi-Care welcomes novel ideas for extra applications which can be developed and marketed by others under my-DBuddy's umbrella. my-DBuddy must evolve into a cluster of solutions for people with memory problems world-wide.

Of every jacket sold, €50 will be contributed to local Alzheimer's organizations in the countries where my-DBuddy is sold, thereby helping both the population in need as well as financially aiding associations dedicated to providing care and support for all those living with Alzheimer's disease.

Wi-Care will be at REHACARE in Dusseldorf, Germany, 4-7 October 2017 (Hall 6, booth 6B24)

SOURCE:

• SOURCE Wi-Care
• CONTACT: For information: Wi-Care, Mrs. Wilma Verhoeks, +31-61-091-5646; Mr. Edgar Kasteel, +31-62-293-1945, Rijnstraat 24, 4191 CL Geldermalsen, The Netherlands, http://www.wi-care.com, wilma@wi-care.com

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