Male Caregivers Need Unique Support
Traditionally, most men have a harder time sharing feelings and emotions than women do. They seek medical advice less often than women and they tend to resist attending specialized support groups more than women. While the trend for younger men may be leading them toward a more open way of communicating, it’s the older generation whose wives have developed Alzheimer’s that is faced with caregiving. These men are often uncomfortable... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 29, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
High Blood Sugar Levels May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk, Study Shows
Research has repeatedly shown that people with diabetes have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, some studies have demonstrated that intra-nasal insulin, sometimes used to treat diabetes, may help improve memory in those already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This background of knowledge prompted a group of researchers from the University of Arizona to conduct their own research to see if high... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 25, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
High Blood Sugar Impacts Alzheimer's Risk
Research has repeatedly shown that people with diabetes have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, some studies have demonstrated that intra-nasal insulin, sometimes used to treat diabetes, may help improve memory in those already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This background of knowledge prompted a group of researchers from the University of Arizona to conduct their own research to see if high... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 25, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Vitamins B12, B6 and Folic Acid Shown to Slow Alzheimer’s in Study
Could a combination of the vitamins B12, B6 and folic acid be first effective “drug” to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? The concept looks promising. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published information about a study on aging volunteers that has demonstrated how this combination of B vitamins has, in their trials, slowed atrophy of gray matter in brain areas affected by... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 22, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Leukemia Drug May Stop Dementia Related Plaque Buildup
An existing drug already used to treat leukemia has shown promise as a treatment for neurological diseases such as Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Researchers from Georgetown University successfully used small doses of the drug nilotinibin in experiments using mice. This drug, which is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), appears to eliminate abnormal protein build-up in the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 15, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Choosing a Care Facility? Listen To Your Gut
People often ask what to look for when choosing an assisted living facility or a nursing home for a loved one. There are grading sites such as the Medicare Nursing Home Guide, found on Medicare.gov, and I suggest you use them. However, there are many things that go into good care that can’t be measured on a chart. In order to see the heart of a facility, you need to spend some time there. Observe routines and pay attention to the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 11, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Alzheimer’s Treatment Fails in Wider Study
Less than a year ago, I wrote about the promising results in an Alzheimer’s trial of an infusion called Gammagard. A story on CBSNews.com then reported that the experimental drug had been shown to halt the mental decline in some patients. Admittedly, this was a small study, but the results were exciting.
Unfortunately, an announcement this week has given us a very disappointing update. USAToday.com reports that a larger... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 9, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
More Evidence That Mediterranean Diet Could Combat Alzheimer's
Scientists researching several diseases have been studying the effects of a Mediterranean diet on health. The most recent study results came from collecting the diet information from more than 17,000 men and women whose average age was 64.
Cognitive ability, which is our interest here, was one of several elements studied over a four-year period of time. The participants took tests that measured their memory and thinking... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 8, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Evidence Mounting That Mediterranean Diet Could Prevent Alzheimer’s
Scientists researching several diseases have been studying the effects of a Mediterranean diet on health. The most recent study results came from collecting the diet information from more than 17,000 men and women whose average age was 64.
Cognitive ability, which is our interest here, was one of several elements studied over a four-year period of time. The participants took tests that measured their memory and thinking... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 8, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Exercise Could Slow Physical Decline in Alzheimer's
Like it or not, exercise is good for us. Exercise helps to speed up our metabolism and strengthen our bones. Also, we’ve known for decades that exercise is good for the heart, and lately there have been many studies that have shown it’s good for the brain. So good, as a matter of fact, that now, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Researchers at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - May 1, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Going Public with an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Sadly, even after years of work to educate the public about any illness that affects the brain, a stigma remains. No matter that most, if not all, mental illnesses have a biological basis. No matter that people aren’t any more responsible for a brain illness than they are for other illnesses. The fact remains that whether the disease affects the brain occurs at a younger age in the form of depression or bi-polar disease or an older... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - April 27, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Option of Hospice Care Freeing for Many
People who read my work on a regular basis know that I am grateful to hospice for the care of both of my parents. Without the skilled, compassionate care of the hospice staff, both of my parents would have suffered far more than they did. As it was, they’d both had long, slow declines. Pain had become the focus of their lives even though they received excellent care in the nursing home. First Dad, and eventually Mom, qualified for hospice... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - April 25, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Communicating With a Person Who Has Dementia Takes Skill, Heart
Communicating with someone who has dementia can be an ever-changing challenge. But some things never change. One of those constants is that caregivers and friends must fully understand and accept that the person with dementia is not a child any sense of the word.
Dementia may have robbed our friends or loved ones of their ability to understand their own environment, follow a sequence of directions or even understand how to use the... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - April 17, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Where Is the Line Between Caregiver Stress and Burnout?
Every person who becomes a caregiver will have unique personality traits, yet we nearly always share certain feelings and experiences as we travel a road similar to one another. That’s one reason that caregivers often turn to other caregivers for support. It’s a version of the adage that we need to walk in another’s shoes in order to truly understand what they feel.
One of those shared experiences is a certain amount... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - April 10, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
BRAIN Initiative Embraces More Than Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is not only devastating those who develop the disease. It affects the family and others who love the person who must live with the disease, and it affects our nation as a whole because of the high cost of care.
According to research led by an economist at the RAND Corporation, expenses for dementia, including nursing home care, were $109 billion in 2010. To put that into perspective, heart disease costs... (Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts)
Source: Carol Bradley Bursack's SharePosts - April 6, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
