Explore the stages of dementia, including cognitive and physical changes, and learn effective caregiving strategies. Understand how to assist with daily activities, the importance of promoting independence, and the difference between habilitation and rehabilitation in dementia care
The person with dementia’s verbal skills may be deteriorating, but their non-verbal communication skills are still in tact. Read for a better understanding
Memory loss in the elderly can be a challenging journey, not just for the individuals experiencing it, but also for their caregivers. This guide delves into understanding the different types of memory…
Explore key strategies for managing dementia confusion and Alzheimer's. Learn about recognizing signs, using the Confusion Assessment Method, and adapting daily routines for better care of affected individuals
Discover the importance of routine in dementia care. Learn how structured daily activities can provide stability and comfort for those affected.
Home care can help an aging senior with aspects of daily life.
Should you provide daily care to those living with dementia? Will this work to enhance their health? Read this article to find out how and what you can do?
Expert dementia treatment: Relief from hallucinations and agitation. Compassionate care for improved quality of life. Specialized support you can trust.
Definition Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, with an increasing incidence as a function of age. It typically destroys neurons of the brain and their different connections in parts of the brain involved in memory power, including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. What is Alzheimer's Disease (AD) AD is the most frequent cause of dementia. It's a deadly neurological illness that causes an increasing decrease in cognition and memory, and also progressive impairment in everyday tasks, and a variety of neuropsychiatric and behavioral changes. Epidemiology AD continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and fatality worldwide. The disease has a significant detrimental impact on families, communities, and healthcare providers. Currently, more than 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year (WHO, 2021). Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally. In India, more than 4m people are estimated to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Causes Traumatic brain injury Participants exposed to traumatic brain injury (TBI) had an elevated chance of acquiring Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the Danish study. A Swedish study, which may be enhanced by certain particular TBI discoveries such as severe and numerous TBIs, The first few months after the trauma occurs occurrence, younger persons with the injury, and TBI affect the skull or spine. According to their death certificates, athletes who had had several years of head injuries were more likely to die from Alzheimer's disease. Obesity When obesity is factored into prediction models, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias rises dramatically. Longitudinal studies have found that the following AD risk variables had a 6-fold additive effect: Midlife obesity High total cholesterol High systolic blood pressure Cross-sectional research of more than 1100 healthy late-middle-aged people yielded three prediction models for cognitive performance regarding metabolic indicators. Excess body fat was linked to poor cognitive performance, while BMI and cognitive function were inversely connected. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of observational studies indicated that obesity in middle age raises the risk of dementia later in life. Smoking According to several cross-sectional research backed by the tobacco industry, smokers had a decreased prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. However, when incident cases were examined and the tobacco industry connection was taken into account, It was discovered that smoking continually raised the likelihood of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. Both APOE 4 allele carriers and non-carriers were shown to have elevated risk. Mid-life smoking, in particular, was linked to an elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease. Smoking has been shown to have negative impacts on cognition at several levels. Middle-aged, active smokers have worse neurocognitive performance in executive domains than non-smokers (processing speed, learning, and memory). Diminished volume and thickness in the hippocampus, cortical, and subcortical regions, reduced neuronal and BBB integrity, and neurobiological abnormalities similar to those seen in early-stage AD were all linked to cognitive dysfunctions, with a dose-dependent impact. When compared to non-smokers, elderly active smokers had inferior executive functioning, processing speed, learning, and memory, as well as more cortical atrophy and reduced grey matter density in certain brain locations. Former smokers had anomalies that were halfway between smokers and non-smokers. High cholesterol High total blood cholesterol levels in middle age have been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease later in life. High total cholesterol in middle age is a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 20 years later, but decreasing serum cholesterol levels in late middle age could be due to ongoing disease processes and could be a marker for later Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. The usage of statins has been shown to reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in various cross-sectional and case-control studies. While one analytical analysis demonstrated that statin usage was linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, other prospective trials reported either no benefit or only a modest reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Statins have been shown to reduce beta-amyloid formation both in vitro and in vivo in animal experiments. Statins have several different actions that may be advantageous to the CNS and hence reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms Memory loss which can interfere with daily activities Challenges in planning or solving problems Difficulty completing easy tasks Confusion about the time or the plane Trouble in understanding spatial relationships and visual images Difficulty with words in speaking or writing Losing the ability to retrace steps Misplacing things and forgetting to recognize Decreased or poor judgment Absenteeism from the workplace or social situations Mood and personality changes Types of Alzheimer’s disease Early-onset Alzheimer’s This kind of effects persons under the age of 65. They are usually in their 40s or 50s when they are diagnosed with the condition. It is uncommon; up to 5% of all Alzheimer's patients have early onset. People with Down syndrome are more likely to develop it. Scientists have discovered a few differences between early-onset Alzheimer's and other varieties of the illness. People who have it have more of the brain abnormalities associated with Alzheimer's. The early-onset type appears to be associated with a problem in a specific section of a person's DNA: chromosome 14. Myoclonus, a kind of muscular twitching and spasm, is also more frequent in early-onset Alzheimer's. Late-onset Alzheimer's This is the most frequent type of disease, affecting adults aged 65 and up. It might run in families or not. So yet, researchers have not identified a specific gene that causes it. Nobody knows why some individuals get it and others don't. Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) FAD is a kind of Alzheimer's disease connected to genes, according to physicians. Members of at least two generations have had the illness in afflicted households. FAD accounts for fewer than 1% of all Alzheimer's cases. The majority of persons with early-onset Alzheimer's have FAD. Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease Doctors conduct tests to asses memory impairment and other thinking skills, judge functional abilities, and identify behavior changes. Computed tomography (CT) MRI Positron emission tomography Treatment Pharmacological (allopathic drugs) Non-pharmacological (ayurvedic drug) Pharmacological treatment Choline Esterase Inhibitor The cholinergic hypothesis states that AD is caused by a decrease in acetylcholine (ACh) production. One of the therapy options for improving cognitive and neural cell performance is to enhance cholinergic levels by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE). AChEIs work by preventing acetylcholine breakdown in synapses, resulting in a buildup of acetylcholine and activation of cholinergic receptors. Tacrine (tetrahydroaminoacridine) was the first FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitor drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Tacrine works by increasing ACh in muscarinic neurons, but it was quickly taken off the market due to a high rate of side effects such as hepatotoxicity and a lack of benefits, as seen in several trials. Donepezil Galantamine Tacrine Rivastigmine NMDA Receptor Antagonist In illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, NMDA-receptor ion channels may thus have an advantage over high-affinity blockers. The fundamental explanation for this is that low-affinity drugs temporarily block activated NMDA receptors, limiting primarily their pathological effects while leaving physiological processes unaffected. The medicine has reignited interest in NMDA antagonists, which were previously deemed to be "too toxic to be employed therapeutically" in humans. Improved cellular energy status and membrane function should be the therapeutic aim in Alzheimer's disease. Ketamine Dextrometraphan Memantine Amantadine Anti-depressants The morphological/biological features of the hippocampus have been known to change during stress, and this has been linked to the development of depression. Antidepressants are thought to play a role in the creation of neurons in the brain by controlling neural stem cells. Despite a proven link between the two diseases, the impact of antidepressant medication on AD remains unknown. Antidepressants, on the other hand, can postpone the onset of AD by affecting inflammatory pathways and neurotransmitter balance. Furthermore, a wide range of antidepressant medicines has the potential to treat depression in Alzheimer's disease. Sertraline Mitrazepam Escitalopram Trazodone Non-pharmacological treatment Meditation Yoga Punch karma
Dementia is known to impact the lives of loved ones, who report reduced social contact, a lack of support and neglect for their own wellbeing as a primary carer for a person with dementia.
Ice cream can work wonders for people living with dementia with symptoms of agitation, stress, and sundowning. Here we discuss how it helps.
Get information and resources for Alzheimer's and other dementias from the Alzheimer's Association.
Dementia is a collective term used to characterize various symptoms of cognitive declines, such as forgetfulness.
The definition of Dementia is a decline in mental ability. The decline is severe enough that it interferes with daily life. One feature of t...
Get information and resources for Alzheimer's and other dementias from the Alzheimer's Association.
Discover peace of mind with our comprehensive Dementia Self Checklist – an essential tool for individuals and caregivers navigating the challenges of dementia. This thoughtfully curated checklist empowers you to stay organized and focused on providing the best care possible, With daily routines, our checklist covers it all. Elevate your caregiving experience with this invaluable resource designed to enhance communication, create a supportive environment, and promote overall well-being. Ideal for those on the dementia journey, our checklist is a compass for navigating each day with confidence. Order now and take the first step towards a more structured and compassionate approach to dementia care
Should you provide daily care to those living with dementia? Will this work to enhance their health? Read this article to find out how and what you can do?
When caring for an older adult with dementia, it is important to help them find meaning in everyday tasks, whether you are a healthcare professional or a family caregiver.
Get information and resources for Alzheimer's and other dementias from the Alzheimer's Association.
Tools to preserve quality of life and to spark memories Continuing my series on Tips and Tools for Lewy Body Dementia in the later stages, we will talk today about maybe the most important and
Create your own dementia care activity kit to help keep loved ones engaged in a purposeful activity. Step by step tutorial.
Caring for a Loved One with Dementia or Alzheimers Disease in Anchorage Alaska. Read our resources and suggestions.
There’s a lot of confusion about what happens during menopause when you’ve got a Mirena intrauterine device (IUD) in place. Some people think that the IUD masks menopause symptoms or makes this change of life easier. We’ll take a closer look at these and other aspects of how Mirena affects menopause.
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Cognitive Development throughout the Lifetime: Age Differences in Memory-Memory gets us far in life. Take care of your memory before it is too late! Work on your memory as part of your daily routine.
Blood Tests Could Become 100% Accurate A biomarker that has been identified in the blood could be key to diagnosing dementia early through a simple blood test,
Dementia is a progressive condition that affects millions of people worldwide, deteriorating cognitive function over time. In its late stages, dementia profoundly impacts a person’s ability to manage daily life, requiring comprehensive care and understanding. This article provides insights into the signs of late-stage dementia, backed by research, and explained in a way that’s accessible […]
from the Daily Sparkle
Get information and resources for Alzheimer's and other dementias from the Alzheimer's Association.
One of the hardest parts of caring for a loved one who has dementia is watching your shared connection slip through your fingers and feeling there is
According to the Alzheimer’s Society there are already more than 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and that number is set to double over the next 35 years.
Engagement of residents in tasks they used to do in their own home. A very calming activity. Ideal for people living with dementia.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the seven most common memory tests used to evaluate if a person has dementia.
National Assisted Living Week is the perfect time to highlight how home care complements those in assisted living communities.
