Tag Archives: medicare

Relationship between Patient and Caregiver Makes a Difference

A study from Utah State University took a look at the relationship between Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers — and how that relationship can impact the patient’s mental and physical decline. Since 1994, researchers from Utah State University have been following more than five thousand people in order to look at risk factors for dementia. All participants were age 65 or older at the start of the study. Out of the initial five thousand, close to two hundred developed dementia and were being cared for by a spouse or (adult) child. Researchers interviewed the caregivers about their relationship with the patient … Continue reading →

Exercise More Forget Less

A new study says adding even a few minutes of exercise to your daily routine can help improve your memory and brain function by a measurable amount. We all know exercise can help us lose weight, relieve stress and boost energy, but this particular study set out to prove that engaging in moderate exercise (“moderate” being the operative word here, and I will explain why in just a bit) may also be used as a weapon in the fight against diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The study included more than 1,700 adult participants aged 65 and older who didn’t … Continue reading →

Pre-Dementia is on the Rise

A study from the Mayo Clinic looked at a mild type of memory loss that may precede Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers looked at approximately sixteen hundred adults between the ages of seventy and eighty-nine living near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. All of the study participants had normal mental and memory function when they joined the study; within a year, more than five percent had developed some impairment. Men in the study were twice as likely as women to develop memory impairment. However, women often live longer and therefore have more time to develop memory issues. Researchers called this … Continue reading →

Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Tests Well

A new drug for Alzheimer’s disease called Rember is being praised by the National Institute on Aging. This drug is only in the earliest stages of testing, but is showing amazing results. The National Institute on Aging — one of the National Institutes of Health here in the United States — helped fund early research that led to the development of drugs like Rember. These drugs are designed to target tau proteins in the tangles that form in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease. For decades, medical research on Alzheimer’s disease has focused on a different kind of … Continue reading →

An Alzheimer’s Side Effect I Never Expected

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I talk about Alzheimer’s disease a lot here in the Health Blog because it is slowly stealing my grandmother from us. When I’m faced with a problem, my first urge is research. I try to learn what I can (and when it is health related, share it here). So I’ve read a lot about Alzheimer’s disease — the different stages, the history, the treatments, and even some famous people who are dealing with it. But all my research didn’t warn us about this: as my grandmother has progressed through the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, she’s packed on a lot … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Crying on Christmas

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For people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, routines are very useful. Breaking the routine can cause stress and confusion for the patient and the caretakers. The holidays have been especially tough for my grandmother and the rest of the family. Christmas is a big change from the normal routine, from decorations around the house to braving the stores and wrapping the presents. For someone who doesn’t remember what time of year it is, thinking it’s summer and seeing a decorated tree can be a shock. Looking back, I think Christmas 2006 was really the point when I became … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Moments of Lucidity

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Friends and family who have experienced the progression of Alzheimer’s disease say that things get a lot easier once the person with the disease stops remembering. I can definitely see how that can be the case. People with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease are often combative and difficult to deal with. As example, I offer my own experiences as caretaker for my grandmother. In the early days of the disease, she was very defensive about gaps in her memory. If she couldn’t remember something, it was because nobody had told her. Sometimes, her brain would come up with a … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: What’s a Solon?

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Research has shown that one great thing you can do to keep your mind sharp is play games. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, logic problems, and more — they’re all good for your brain. My grandmother — who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease — resists many of the brain workouts we encourage her to do. One thing she’s always loved is playing Scrabble. Lucky for us, Scrabble is a good way to engage the brain… so we can get her to play on a daily basis. The last time I was home for a visit, I sat down for a Scrabble game with … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Where’s the Fruit?

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There were many moments when acting as caretaker for my grandmother was a huge source of stress and frustration. Then, there were moments that were just hysterical. My grandmother and I had been to the food store earlier in the week. It was early summer, so there was plenty of fresh fruit to choose from — we brought home a big bag of nectarines, bananas, apples, and more. I remember the nectarines specifically, because I ate one on the drive home. I couldn’t wait! A few days later, I was browsing through the kitchen cabinets, looking for a snack. Fruit, … Continue reading →

Alzheimer’s Disease: Pet Fixations

My grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease. The first signs of it appeared four or five years ago, while I was living in Vermont. When I moved back home, I moved in with my grandmother because she had space for me and my two dogs. As her mental function began to diminish, she started to get fixated on the dogs. They were her constant companions, and her constant worry. Had they been fed? Were they hungry? Did they need to go out? Did they need to come in? Where were they? Was it time for them to have a snack? (This is … Continue reading →