Caregiving Relationships Topic of Interview with Carol Bradley Bursack
The Senior Solution, a production of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging will air an interview with HealthCentral's Carol Bradley Bursack at 1:00 p.m., ET, Saturday, February 8. The show will air on WCHB in Detroit -- 1200 AM, 99.9 FM – and be simulcast on www.wchbNewsDetroit.com. This segment of The Senior Solution focuses on caregiving relationships and Valentine's Day. (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - February 4, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Cognitive Training, Novel Reading Offer Lasting Payoff
A report from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study has shown that training to improve the cognitive abilities of older people has lasting effects. The ACTIVE study is one of many ongoing research projects supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
The findings of this randomized clinical trial showed that training involving the ability to think and learn lasted as long as 10... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - February 2, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Fish Oil May Help Preserve Brain Cells
It’s well known that the aging process generally causes the brain to shrink. But there may be hope. A new study of women’s brains is encouraging in that their data show that easily obtained fish oil seems to preserve brain cells and delay shrinkage.
James Pottala is an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls and principal biostatistician at Health Diagnostic Laboratory... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - January 26, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
10 Tips to Ease Alzheimer’s Sundowning
Many people who have Alzheimer’s disease experience times, generally as daylight fades and evening approaches, when their symptoms intensify. This phenomenon is called sundowning. It’s thought that sundowning stems from a combination of factors such as disorientation due to lack of light, natural fatigue and abnormal disruptions in the body clock. While there’s no cure for sundowning some medications can help. Lifestyle changes... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - January 23, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Nighttime Snacks Stop Some Alzheimer's Wandering
Elderly people often eat more food when they are on a program of frequent, smaller meals than the standard three larger meals a day. Available snacks can also help people with Alzheimer’s who tend to wander. An informal experiment at the Parker Jewish Institute in New Hyde Park, N.Y. found that if they provided people with dementia who became anxious and agitated at night with a snack, they would often calm down and return to... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - January 16, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Looking to Other Countries for Alzheimer’s Care
While I wouldn’t even consider sending a loved one with dementia to a foreign country and effectively out of my caregiving reach to obtain care, this practice is becoming an option that some people in developed countries are viewing as a viable choice.
An article in The Star, a Toronto newspaper, reported on this practice. According to The Star, some countries in the developing world, Thailand being one, offer cheaper care... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - January 9, 2014 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Lack of Volunteers Slows Progress of Alzheimer's Research
A lack of volunteers is delaying progress in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. While other health issues were discussed, this was a major part of the takeaway from a Tweet Chat with the National Institutes of Health that I was invited to participate in recently.
Frequently, I hear from people with a family history of Alzheimer’s who fear that they will also develop the disease. Naturally, they are anxious... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - December 27, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Sugar and Saturated Fats Help Set Stage for Alzheimer’s
Most of us know that saturated fats and simple sugars are not good for us. They increase the risk of heart disease. They increase risk of diabetes. Recently, another study has concluded that they may help set the stage for Alzheimer’s disease, as well.
The study, conducted by Angela J. Hanson MD, Jennifer L. Bayer-Carter PhD and colleagues, found that eating a high-fat sugary diet, even for a short time,... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - December 16, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Christmas Visits Can Reveal Elders’ Loneliness
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that elderly people are more likely to be moved into a care home after spending time with their families over the Christmas holiday than at any other time. The reason? Families who live at a distance tend to spend a longer time with their elders during the holidays. After a few days together, adult children notice issues with their parents’ physical or mental health that may not have... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - December 10, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Critical End-of-Life Issues a Holiday Topic for Many
End-of-life discussions may not seem to fit with the commonly cheerful image of the holiday season. After all, who likes to talk about potential death? Yet, too many people die in a manner they would not choose. When we consider that the true reason for this spiritual season is to celebrate our faith, what could be more fitting than incorporating the message that we want the best for our loved ones for their entire life - and that their life... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - December 4, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Are You a Caregiver? Coping with Holiday Stress
While many of us have spent years as family caregivers, some caregivers are new to this challenge. So new, in fact, that they have yet to realize that they are caregivers. So new that they haven’t had time to even consider the stress that they are under – stress that will likely increase, rather than decrease, if they don’t begin to develop some self-care strategies early on.
Self-identifying as a... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - December 2, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Need Volunteers to Move Forward
Many researchers, convinced that Alzheimer’s disease begins in the brain decades before symptoms appear, are conducting clinical studies focused on stopping the disease at this very early stage. Yet these studies lack participants.
One reason that these studies lack participants is that it’s simply not intuitive to volunteer for an Alzheimer’s study if you have no symptoms. However, even if people are interested in... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 18, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
When Life Falls Apart Try Gratitude
I’ve lived a number of decades and had my share of pain, yet I don’t know that any pain cuts more deeply than knowing that someone I love is hurting. Unfortunately, as a family caregiver who over time helped provide care for multiple elders, that kind of soul searing pain is something I know well. Yet, I do my level best to find things to be grateful for even during those tough times. Why? Because, in the end, recognizing all that I... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 16, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Unearned Guilt Intrinsic to Most Caregiving
If ever there’s a group of people who suffer deeply from unearned guilt it’s caregivers. Whether you’re the parent of a vulnerable adult, an adult child of aging parents or the spouse of a vulnerable adult, you are bound to have your “if only” times where you are sucked into the quicksand of guilt. The reality is that most things you could have done differently wouldn’t have made a huge difference overall.... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 12, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Tweet Chat on Early Detection of Alzheimer's Wednesday, Nov. 13
HealthCentral/Alzheimer's and the Alzheimer's Foundation of America will host a TweetChat on Wednesday, November 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The chat will be moderated by Dr. Gary Small and HealthCentral's Carol Bradley Bursack. We'll focus on the benefits of early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Join us by logging on to your Twitter account, then search for #HealthTipsChat. We want to hear what you have on your mind. (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 11, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
