I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.
Thanks for coming to the blog.
Bob
Merry Christmas
I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.
Thanks for coming to the blog.
Bob
Alzheimer's Reading Room: What if the person who has Alzheimer's disease doesn't remember who I am?
I recently posting an article about Living Alzheimer's from the Front Row. This refers to the millions of Alzheimer's caregivers that deal with Alzheimer's 24/7. My point is simple, unless you live it you really cannot imagine what it is like.
I just finished reading an article at CNN.com that discusses two issues: how Alzheimer's can present during the holiday season; and, what to do when they don't know you anymore. This is an interesting, helpful, thought provoking article.
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Bob DeMarco—My Profile
A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's disease
High cholesterol levels in your 40s raises Alzheimer's risk
Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow
Knowing that the day is coming when they --won't know you-- is the most horrific feeling of them all.
I just finished reading an article at CNN.com that discusses two issues: how Alzheimer's can present during the holiday season; and, what to do when they don't know you anymore. This is an interesting, helpful, thought provoking article.
Holiday reunions can be a time to check the well-being of older relatives
It's normal to feel sad, abandoned when a person forgets memories, loved ones
Remind person with memory issues who you are, rather than quizzing him or her
Engage the person in conversation and speak slowly
Read More
Bob DeMarco—My Profile
A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's disease
High cholesterol levels in your 40s raises Alzheimer's risk
Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow
Alzheimer's Reading Room: Five Ways to Keep Alzheimer's Away
A recent article on CNN.com, Five Ways to Keep Alzheimer's Away, mentions five ways to keep your memory sharp: antioxidants, fish oil supplements, phosphatidylserine supplements, curry, and Cross-training your brain. This was part of a discussion about Alzheimer's and yesterday's news about how herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba doesn't stop Alzheimer's. I believe that supplemnts are a good part of any regimen to improve health. Scientific evidence supports the value of taking supplemens and indicates that supplements can help stave off a long list of diseases including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's.
However, I am starting to get the feeling that people believe there is magic in those pills; and that, they can start taking these supplements in lieu of healthy life practices and get a positive result by pills alone.
It is my belief that supplements are worthwhile and a great way to stay healthy. However, it is also necessary to take good care of you body and address medical issues if you want to stay healthy and disease free in older age.
However, I am starting to get the feeling that people believe there is magic in those pills; and that, they can start taking these supplements in lieu of healthy life practices and get a positive result by pills alone.
It is my belief that supplements are worthwhile and a great way to stay healthy. However, it is also necessary to take good care of you body and address medical issues if you want to stay healthy and disease free in older age.
For example, I recently wrote about how high cholesterol in your 40s increases the odds of contracting Alzheimer's--by 50 percent.
I believe most people know if you suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) the odds of suffering from any number of diseases rises dramatically as you age. Less well known is the fact that if you have a big belly in middle age the chances that you could suffer from dementia are tripled.
Previously I wrote an article about Alzheimer's and the likely devastating effect it could have on baby boomers. I suggested a list of things that are proactive and have measured scientific benefits. In addition to the issues with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a big belly I suggested a few additional ideas that I believe can help.
A recently released study showed that regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia and can help slow progression of Alzheimer's disease. Another recent study at Harvard found that those who regularly drank a cocoa flavanol rich beverage had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks. Studies also show that people with higher levels of vitamin B12 were six times less likely to experience brain volume loss.
These are the kinds of things I believe raise the odds of fighting off Alzheimer's and dementia in older age. Please keep this in mind, the longer you live the greater the chance you will suffer from dementia. Once Alzheimer's or dementia present it is to late. So the time to get started is now.
Previously I wrote an article about Alzheimer's and the likely devastating effect it could have on baby boomers. I suggested a list of things that are proactive and have measured scientific benefits. In addition to the issues with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a big belly I suggested a few additional ideas that I believe can help.
A recently released study showed that regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia and can help slow progression of Alzheimer's disease. Another recent study at Harvard found that those who regularly drank a cocoa flavanol rich beverage had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks. Studies also show that people with higher levels of vitamin B12 were six times less likely to experience brain volume loss.
These are the kinds of things I believe raise the odds of fighting off Alzheimer's and dementia in older age. Please keep this in mind, the longer you live the greater the chance you will suffer from dementia. Once Alzheimer's or dementia present it is to late. So the time to get started is now.
My mother suffers from Alzheimer's and is 92 years old. Prior to the age of 85 she never suffered a major illness, never had an operation, and was still functioning on her own.
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Living Alzheimer's From the Front Row
I often use the term "living Alzheimer's from the front row". This term describes caregivers and others that watch Alzheimer's develop 24/7. Once the disease strikes they get to witness the craziness of it all. On one hand, you have the person suffering from Alzheimer's; on the other hand, you have the person responsible for caring for that person. Unless you are an Alzheimer's caregiver it is almost impossible to either understand or comprehend what it is like living in the front row.Read More
Conscientious people are less prone to Alzheimer's
There is an article circulating around the Internet today about the positive effect that education can have in staving off Alzheimer's disease, Education blunts effects of Alzheimer's. This reminded me of an article I read last year, Conscientious people are less prone to Alzheimer's.The study found that people who were highly conscientious had an 89 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who were less conscientious.
Those are pretty high odds and worth considering.
Conscientious people are less prone to Alzheimer's.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who lead a good clean life -- those who are conscientious, self-disciplined and scrupulous -- appear to be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The finding is the latest from a long-running study of nearly 1,000 Catholic nuns, priests and brothers by Robert Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Wilson and colleagues defined conscientiousness in the study as people who control their impulses and are goal-directed. These people are often considered dependable.
People in Wilson's study did not have dementia when the study started in 1994.
The researchers asked the volunteers to rank themselves on a five-point scale according to a 12-item inventory, with questions such as "I am a productive person who always gets the job done." From this, they derived a conscientiousness score, based on a scale of 0 to 48. The average score was 34.
They were also given various medical and neurological exams, including cognitive testing. Follow-up tests were done each year through 2006. A total of 176 people developed Alzheimer's disease during the study.
People who were highly conscientious -- those in the 90th percentile with scores of 40 or higher, had an 89 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who ranked in the 10th percentile, with a score of 28 or lower.
The researchers also found that conscientiousness was linked with a slower rate of cognitive decline and a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
Why conscientious people are less prone to Alzheimer's is not clear, but Wilson and colleagues suggested it may be because conscientious people tend to be more resilient, making them better able to cope with difficulties.
Such people also tend to have a fair measure of success in school and work, they said.
"These factors might lessen the adverse consequences of negative life events and chronic psychological distress, which have been associated with risk of dementia in old age," the authors wrote.
According to the World Health Organization, about 18 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease, a brain-wasting condition marked by memory loss and confusion that becomes so severe patients lose the ability to care for themselves.
The Alzheimer's Reading Room
A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's disease
High cholesterol levels in your 40s raises Alzheimer's risk
Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow
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