Family Caregivers are the Heart of Alzheimer's Care
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According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2015 nearly 16 million family and other unpaid caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias provided an estimated 18.1 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at $221.3 billion. This is with caregiving being valued at only $12.25 per hour. Similar statistics are posted by the International Alliance of... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 12, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Optimistic Thinking May Help Preserve Memory and Judgement
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It should come as no surprise that optimistic thinking is, for the most part, better for one’s health than negative thinking.
In fact, negative thinking has been connected to poor health for some time. A recent study confirms what was previously suspected, linking optimistic thinking to the preservation of memory and good judgement. Both of those traits bode well for staving off, if not preventing,... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 7, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
People with Dementia Are Often Undertreated for Pain
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When people lose their ability to articulate what is causing them pain, this pain is often overlooked by doctors.
A recent Slovenian study presented at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Copenhagen and conducted by Dr. Martin Rakusa investigated this problem. It involved 452 patients with an average age of 65 who had been treated for diabetes over a period of many years.
Some 44... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 26, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Is Forgetfulness A Precursor of Alzheimer ’ s?
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Millions of aging boomers wonder if their memory lapses are from normal aging, or a sign that they are developing Alzheimer’s. There’s some basis for the worry. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million people in the U.S. are living with it. One in three seniors will die with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
While these statistics are scary, you shouldn't let... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 16, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Ancient Technique Shown to Alter Brains of People with MCI
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In an example of ancient meeting modern, researchers at UCLA and their colleagues tested whether or not yoga and meditation could alter the brains of some people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to help them think more clearly. MCI is often a very early stage of Alzheimer's disease. Their answer was yes.
A technique using a yoga pose while mediating was shown by modern methods to be as effective as memory... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 10, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Toronto AD Convention: Where You Work Matters
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The latest research released at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto suggests that people who work closely with fellow humans, rather than machines or data, may be better positioned to manage the onset of Alzheimer's.
The study data shows that a cognitively stimulating lifestyle may even counteract the negative cognitive effects of an unhealthy diet, which has been associated with... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 1, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Toronto AD Convention: Where Your Work Matters
Credit: Thinkstock
The latest research released at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto suggests that people who work closely with fellow humans, rather than machines or data, may be better positioned to manage the onset of Alzheimer's.
The study data shows that a cognitively stimulating lifestyle may even counteract the negative cognitive effects of an unhealthy diet, which has been associated with... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 1, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Monitor Your Blood Pressure to Avoid Vascular Dementia
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If the risk of a stroke or heart attack doesn’t scare us into controlling our blood pressure, surely a heightened risk for vascular dementia should. While Alzheimer’s is consented by experts as the most common form of dementia, vascular dementia follows closely behind in ranking. The two mixed together are also common, so we should consider ourselves at risk for dementia unless we have a healthy... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - July 27, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Group Activities Reduce Depression among Older Population
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When our elders are suffering from physical pain, mental stress, loneliness or the effects of ageism in our society, the result can be depression. Research done at Sweden’s Umeå University and reported on by Medical News Today finds that when group activities were introduced into the elders’ environments, depressive symptoms were often improved and the need for medication reduced or... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - July 12, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer ’ s Symptoms: Navigational Skills May Deteriorate Long Before Memory
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Typically, when we think of the early signs of Alzheimer & rsquo;s disease we think of memory problems. Words go missing, names escape one's grasp, daily tasks are forgotten. Now, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have shown that making mental maps of where we have been and where we are going is a process the brain may lose before memory problems begin to show. People with these early symptoms can no... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - July 6, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Study: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Can Reverse Fructose Damage
This study shows that omega-3 fatty acids, known as docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, seem to reverse the harmful, genetic changes caused by fructose. DHA is found... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - June 22, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Driving and Memory Loss: Tips to Help Elders Give Up Driving
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For many of us, a car is a sign of independence. But this emotional connection to our automobiles is part of what makes convincing a person that he or she is no longer capable of driving such a volatile battle. The longer adult children or others wait to discuss driving issues with a loved one, the harder it can be.
Occasionally, people in the earlier stages of cognitive or physical decline will recognize the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - June 7, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
June is Brain Awareness Month: Helping Caregivers Cope
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June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month. What better time to become educated about how to help people who have dementia live a better quality of life, help caregivers with support and resources, and teach others about the many types of dementia and other brain diseases?
The National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) was signed into law in 2011. Since that time, milestones have been identified to meet the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 31, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer's Disease Impairs Insulin Signaling, May Increase Diabetes Risk
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According to the latest research, the long-held theory that diabetes may cause Alzheimer’s could prove to be the reverse, at least in some cases.
In the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published study results suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) impairs insulin signaling in the area of the brain that is responsible for regulating... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 23, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
Insulin Resistance Puts Women More at Risk of Alzheimer's Than Men
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For many reasons, some identified and others still a mystery, women seem to be more at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men are. A recent study, led by Dr. Laura Ekblad at Finland's University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, has discovered one physical issue that could be added to the list of Alzheimer's risks for women: insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance, which is a... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 17, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders Source Type: blogs
