ElderAuthority.com

HOW MEMORY WORKS

MINDSHARE LECTURE SERIES: DR. JOHN HART, JR.
Each year, the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association presents its MindShare lecture series featuring notable speakers from various backgrounds. The topics they cover are all of interest and concern to those dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  Opening the season this year was Dr. John Hart, Jr., a noted neurologist and practitioner of the science of neurotherapeutics.
Dr. Hart… More

ADVANCED ALZHEIEMER’S NURSING HOME CARE

DYING WITH ADVANCED DEMENTIA
Last week I attended a conference at UT Southwestern Medical Center on End of Life Issues for Alzheimer’s Patients“.  A presentation by Janice A. Knebl, DO, MBA, FACP, FACOI, DSWOP, that focused on artificial feeding made me aware of how important it is for medical professionals s well as civilians to understand the science as well as the moral and issues.
Those with Advanced Dementia who die in nursing facilities are not recognized… More

DRIVING AND DEMENTIA CARE AT HOME

 
CHECK OUT www.alz.org/driving
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can impair insight and judgment, making it difficult for people to understand that their driving is no longer safe. Also cognitive diseases can cause mood and personality changes that make reactions more pronounced.
This site includes four wonderful videos that show how families and friends begin the driving discussion.  I urge you to watch all four of them. I include one of them here,… More

HOW CAN WE HELP FIGHT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?

ASK DR. BILL THIES
The Senior Medical Officer from the Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Bill Thies, was in Dallas this week from the Chicago home office. I got to spend some time with him at two different functions where he made comments and took questions. What he said about one question asked of him is something I couldn’t wait to share.
A woman thoughtfully asked the doctor, “What can we do to assist in the fight against Alzheimer’s?”
THREE THINGS WE CAN ALL DO
Dr. Thies… More

DEMENTIA PREVENTION AND RISK FACTORS

CHOOSE YOUR PARENTS WELL
The senior medical officer from the Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Bill Thies, while visiting Dallas, TX, was asked about the primary risk factors and preventions of Alzheimer’s.  The primary risk factor, he reported, is something that none of us can control: Genetics.
As of this writing, medical science still does not allow us to pick our parents.  Our genetic predisposition is the primary risk factor for eventually contracting Alzheimer’s,… More

CARING FOR ALZHEIMER’S AT HOME

Alzheimer’s Numbers 2008 via Alzheimer’s Association
FACING THE FUTURE TOGETHER
Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas board member and ElderAuthority guest author, David Downey, appeared on CBS News this week as part of an interview with Carolyn and Dean Morgan (video).  Dean was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago.
After the diagnosis, the Morgans moved to a retirement community where they continue to support each other while facing… More

LEWY BODY DEMENTIA SYMPTOMS

Lewy Body Dementia is one of the most misdiagnosed of dementias.  It can be confused with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Major Lewy Body Dementia Symptoms include the following:

Alzheimer-like dementia
Mild Parkinsonism symptoms
Hallucinations and delusions
Intolerance to old-fashioned anti-psychotic medications (neuroleptics)

Early signs:

Hand posturing
Change in mobility
Inconsistent gait

More signs:

Fine motor problems
Drowsiness… More

DEMENTIA SYMPTIONS OR NORMAL SIGNS OF AGING?

As we watch ourselves or loved ones get older, a common question is “What behaviors are dementia symptoms compared to typical age related changes?”
DEMENTIA IMPACTS JUDGEMENT
When someone familiar to us begins to exhibit a pattern of poor judgment and decision-making that strikes us as different from what we have come to expect from them, that could be a symptom of dementia or the onset of Alzheimer’s.  Most of us make the occasional bad decision.  If you are… More

DEMENTIA TREATMENT: A FISH TALE

EAT MORE FISH
Those cows who tell us to “eat more chikin!” in the Chick-fil-A ads should be telling us to eat more fish.  At the Radiological Society of North America’s recent annual meeting, research study findings were presented showing people who regularly eat baked or broiled fish experience improved brain health, improved cognitive abilities, and less risk for the development of Alzheimer’s.  Sorry, eating fried catfish or other fried fish do not… More

NO SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA FOR THESE TWO

Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox both have Parkinson’s disease. Yes, they suffer from the symptoms of Parkinson’s, but they go on with their lives, using their special talents to make their lives meaningful.

EDITOR’S NOTE: My mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eleven years before she passed away. During those years she made sure she got every bit of enjoyment possible out of her life.  The people who make the most of whatever cards life deals them… More