Life Experience May Offset Cognitive Decline Due to Aging
Could life experience make up for some of the effects of age on the brain? According to researchers from the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Riverside, it can and does. The research group measured a person's decision making ability over their entire lifespan. Using two difference types of intelligence - fluid and crystallized – they found that experience and acquired knowledge from a lifetime of... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 5, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer’s Awareness Activities Promoted During November
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month as well as National Caregiver’s Month. It's fitting to honor both groups during the same month since a substantial percentage of our nation’s family caregivers are struggling to provide the best care possible to their parent or spouse who has Alzheimer’s disease.
While Alzheimer’s awareness activities are conducted year around, special events are being... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - November 3, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Interview With Carol Bradley Bursack Features Sibling Issues While Caregiving
On Monday, November 7, Dr. Anne Hallward of Safe Space Radio interviews Carol Bradley Bursack, Health Guide for HealthCentral/Alzheimer's, about the often emotional subject of sibling conflict while caregiving.
Board certified Psychiatrist Dr. Anne Hallward hosts Courageous Conversations. During her broadcasts, Dr. Anne interviews experts about topics that many people find difficult to discuss. Dr. Anne hopes that by getting these... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - October 31, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Poor Dental Hygiene Linked to Brain Tissue Degeneration
The strongest evidence to date that poor dental hygiene is linked to brain degeneration has emerged from a recent study at the University of Florida Dental College. While cardiologists have long known that the bacteria that causes gingivitis (gum disease) may enter the blood stream adding to heart issues, there had been fewer studies to link Alzheimer’s or other dementia to oral health.
In this latest study, researchers... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - October 29, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Protein Produced During Exercise May Prevent Alzheimer's
Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School have reported that they have isolated a protein called irisin that is produced in the brain during endurance exercise. The scientists introduced the protein to sedentary mice who were then tested for changes in how their brains functioned. What they found is that the protein activated the genes that promote brain health and encourage the growth of new nerves involved in... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - October 26, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Dramatic Documentary Reports On Challenges Faced In Oakland California Emergency Room
A revealing and stunning immersion documentary in the PBS series Independent Lens focuses on the ER waiting room at Oakland California’s Highland Hospital. This safety-net health care facility is the only place available for the uninsured people who pour through the doors and wait hours, sometimes days to be seen, only to be bumped by an ambulance case that is considered even more urgent than their own needs.
Simply and... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - October 18, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Dementia Has Many Faces
Dementia is not a single disease. It’s a non-specific syndrome that affects cognitive areas of the brain that control memory, language, attention and problem solving. To be considered dementia, the problems must be severe enough to affect daily living. Because Alzheimer’s is responsible for 50 to 60 percent of dementia cases, it’s the most broadly recognized form. However, there are up to 50 different known versions of... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 27, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Many Face of Dementia: Knowing the Symptoms
Dementia is not a single disease. It’s a non-specific syndrome that affects cognitive areas of the brain that control memory, language, attention and problem solving. To be considered dementia, the problems must be severe enough to affect daily living. Because Alzheimer’s is responsible for 50 to 60 percent of dementia cases, it’s the most broadly recognized form. However, there are up to 50 different known versions of... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 27, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Diabetes Drug May Reverse Alzheimer's Memory Loss
Once again, diabetes and Alzheimer’s are sharing headlines. A study conducted by researchers from Lancaster University in the U.K. has shown that a commonly used diabetes drug, liraglutide, may reverse memory loss in the late stages of Alzheimer's.
The drug, from a class known as GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) analogue, is prescribed to diabetes patients because it stimulates insulin production. The new study found that... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 23, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
World Alzheimer’s Month Focus On Global Advocacy
September is World Alzheimer’s Month with September 21 being designated as World Alzheimer’s Action Day. While this designation may not make a big difference to your parent or spouse who has already developed Alzheimer’s, it does serve to remind us all that Alzheimer’s is a global issue. Researchers worldwide are working to find a way to prevent or cure this devastating disease that has the potential to destroy not only... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 18, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer's and Caregiving Chat Tomorrow on Facebook/HealthCentral
HealthCentral is sponsoring a Facebook chat about Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving. To join in just log in to your FB account Thursday September 19th around 12:30 ET or a bit later. HC will open the chat for early questions around 12:30. Chat begins at 1:00. Along with me will be Dorian Martin, another HC Alzheimer's health guide. This should be a fun way to learn from each other. We hope to repeat it in the future. Meet you... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 18, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Excess Iron Missing Piece in Alzheimer’s Puzzle?
According to a new study at the University of California, Los Angeles, excess iron may be the catalyst that turns tau and beta-amyloid proteins in the brain toxic, thus starting the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Tau and beta-amyloid proteins are thought to be responsible for the characteristic plaques and tangles found in aging brains. However, autopsies on elderly people with no symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease often show these... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 14, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Promising New Eye Exam to Diagnose Alzheimer’s Early
Scientists and doctors increasingly encourage people to get tested early for Alzheimer’s disease should they have a reason to think they are at risk. Since there is no cure for the disease, many people understandably wonder what the advantage of early diagnosis may be. Considering that testing is often invasive and expensive, such as those tests developed using spinal fluid, there is a reason to be skeptical. Now, however, newly developed... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - September 3, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
New Study Brings Hope For Reversal of Some Forms of Memory Loss
A new study has concluded that a type of age-related memory loss not related to Alzheimer’s disease could be reversible. A team of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers, led by Nobel laureate Eric R. Kandel, MD, has concluded that deficiency in the hippocampus of the protein RbAp48 is likely a significant contributor to age-related memory loss. The great news is that this form of memory loss can be reversed.
For... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 29, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer’s Does Not Diminish Pain Sensitivity
Many people with Alzheimer's disease have been administered less pain medication than peers with no dementia who suffer from similar painful diseases or injuries. Since people in the later stages of Alzheimer’s can’t communicate well other than by generally acting in an aggressive manner, they can’t self-report pain. Some professionals have, in the past, concluded that the neurodegeneration caused by the disease must lower the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - August 28, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
