News: Signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be present decades before diagnosis. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News – Biotechnology from Bench to Business

Interesting article here on signs of Alzheimer’s disease year before it it diagnosed.

Signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be present decades before diagnosis
EUREKALERT
Contact: James Mortimerjmortime@health.usf.edu813-857-3163University of South Florida Health

Lower educational achievement may be early sign
James Mortimer, PhD, is a neuroepidemiologist at the University of South Florida.Click here for more information.Tampa, FL (August 11, 2008) Scientists from the University of South Florida and the University of Kentucky report that people who develop Alzheimer’s disease may show signs of this illness many decades earlier in life, including compromised educational achievement. Their research appears online this month in the journal Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders.Participants in the Nun Study were studied to identify those who became demented before death or had characteristic brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease at autopsy. Among nuns who became demented or had evidence of Alzheimer’s disease at autopsy, those with small head sizes had significantly lower educational achievement in earlier adult life. In those dying without a dementia diagnosis or autopsy evidence of Alzheimer’s disease, head size had no relationship with education.

News: Signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be present decades before diagnosis. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News – Biotechnology from Bench to Business

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Tags: alzheimer’sdisease, symptoms of alzheimer’s,

Five Ways Alzheimer’s Caregiving Trends for the Future Include High Tech and Computers

Five Ways Alzheimer’s Caregiving Trends for the Future Include High Tech and Computers

Alzheimer’s caregivers in the future will be spending more time using computers and high tech for everything from Alzheimer’s research to finding internet support groups. Five ways caregivers and seniors will make more use of high tech in the future include the following.

1. ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH. First, surfing the internet for Alzheimer’s research and self-education will provide caregivers with the latest news and advice.

2. INTERNET SUPPORT GROUPS. As the internet becomes yet more interactive Alzheimer’s caregivers will continue to find support from online groups, forums, podcasts, and events.

Read the other 3 ways by clicking the link above. A very good article.

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Tags: alzheimers, symptons of alzheimers

The Complete Guide To Treating And Coping With Alzheimer’s Disease

I wish I had a book to read on Alzheimer’s when my Mom first started displaying symptoms of the disease. You certainly need to understand what is going on and see it from the sufferer’s point of view and think about how you can help and support that person.

Here is a book to help, it’s called “The Complete Guide To Treating And Coping With Alzheimer’s Disease“

It is a comprehensive outline designed to help you explore the options for diagnosis and ongoing care if your loved one is afflicted.

Boy, 2, suffers from Children’s Alzheimer’s – Telegraph

Taylor Smith, from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, has been diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C, also known as Children’s Alzheimer’s.The disease means that the toddler is likely to develop signs of dementia before he becomes a teenager, although the symptoms can appear at any time.

Boy, 2, suffers from Children’s Alzheimer’s – Telegraph

Found this interesting article in the news. I didn’t know there was a similiar disease to Alzheimer’s that can appear in children. Of course it is a different disease but the symptoms are similar.

Tags: alzheimer’ssymptoms, signs of alzheimer’s, alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease

Here is a great summary of Alzheimer’s that explains what it is and the the two types of symptoms. You will find other great resources on the site too.

Summary
Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the brain that gets worse over time. It is the most common cause of dementia among people over the age of 65, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal sign of aging.
Little is understood about what causes Alzheimer’s disease and what can be done to prevent or cure it. The best known aspects of the disease are the symptoms of dementia it produces and the characteristic changes seen in the brains of patients after death. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease occur when neurons (nerve cells) in the brain die or break connections with other neurons. Alzheimer’s Disease is a common form of dementia that often involves memory loss and confusion.. Also, people with Alzheimer’s disease have protein deposits in and around the neurons called beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which are thought to disrupt the function of the neurons.

However, these plaques and tangles can only be identified during an autopsy and their role in the development of the disease or its symptoms is not understood.

Age is by far the most significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Other risk factors include a family history of the disease and a history of severe head trauma.
The signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are usually divided into two categories: cognitive (intellectual) and psychiatric.

Cognitive signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:
* Loss of memory
* Loss of language skills
* Loss of motor function
* Loss of ability to recognize familiar things

Examples of psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:
* Personality changes
* Depression
* Hallucinations
* Delusions

Alzheimer’s disease is usually diagnosed by a physician observing patients’ symptoms and ruling out other possible causes of dementia. In some cases, a mental status examination may be conducted. There is no single diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, although there are medications that can be prescribed to ease or stabilize the symptoms.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Tags: alzheimer’s, alzheimer’s symptoms, symptoms of alzheimer’s, dementia

Mourning meets multi-tasking (phillyBurbs.com) | Courier Times

Mourning meets multi-tasking
By JO CIAVAGLIABucks County Courier Times
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series focusing on the different stages of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia through one family’s eyes.
This week’s focus: caregiving in the moderate stage.
The first time Marjorie Jackson answered a collection agency call about her mom’s overdue credit card bill, she thought it was a mistake.After calls about three other missed credit card payments, a late phone bill and a past-due home heating oil contract, Marjorie added bill paying to her growing to-do list for her mom.By this time, she was handling the grocery shopping, cooking and house cleaning on most days when Lorraine Jackson’s behavior became increasingly erratic and unsafe.

Mourning meets multi-tasking (phillyBurbs.com) | Courier Times

This is a wonderful article about someone coping with her mother is the second  stages of Alheimer’s.

Tags: alzheimerssymptoms, symptoms of alzheimer’s

Impact Lab – Infrared Helmet Designed to Reverse Alzheimer’s Symptoms

When I heard this I didn’t quite believe it so I had to read the whole article. Here is the link.

An experimental helmet which scientists say could reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease within weeks of being used is to be tried out on patients. The strange-looking headgear – which has to be worn for ten minutes every day – bathes the brain with infra-red light and stimulates the growth of brain cells.Its creators believe it could reverse the symptoms of dementia – such as memory loss and anxiety – after only four weeks. Alzheimer’s disease charities last night described the treatment as “potentially life- changing” – but stressed that the research was still at the very early stages.
Alzheimer’s helmet

Impact Lab – Infrared Helmet Designed to Reverse Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Tags: alzheimer’ssymptoms, Alzheimer’s , symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease: Things to Know

Do you know someone who has Alzheimer’s or you think they may have it but aren’t sure of what the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are? Then this is the book for you. “Plain Talk About Alzheimer’s Disease… An In Depth Look for the Layperson”

My mother has Alzheimer’s. Looking back before she was diagnosed, it was a trying and distressing time. We wondered what was wrong with her. My father has been in hospital 5 time that year. The doctor said Mom was suffering from depression. But I knew it was more than that. Each time Dad was in hospital, Mom would come to stay with me. There was so many little things I noticed. She would have her blouse buttoned up wrong and didn’t notice. She would put on clothes that didn’t quite match. This worried me as Mom was always dressed beautifully. She would cry a lot too.

You have to look at the person and decide what could be causing these changes. If the mediation the doctor gave her for depression worked and Mom went back to her happy self then I wouldn’t have worried. The medication did help and Mom was happier and my Dad was well again but there were other signs that told me it could be a memory problem like dementia.

Mom forgot my son’s birthday. A doting Grandma forgetting her grandson’s birthday. No, not my Mom. On the phone she would tell me the same thing every time I rang or ask the same questions. My neighbor who is a nurse, told me to get an aged care assessment done on Mom. Two specially trained nurse came to Mom’s home and interviewed Mom and Dad separately. They did a memory test on Mom. She scored 20 out of 30. This was a sign she could have dementia or Alzheimer’s. She was referred to the local hospital’s memory clinic. After further tests and a CT scan to rule out stroke or blood clots on the brain, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was very hard for the family but a relief at the same time. Now we knew what was wrong and could deal with it.

If you or someone you now has a loved one you think has Alzheimer’s think look at this book.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Things to Know.

Alzheimer’s and Grief

I recently lost my dear Dad after a battle with skin cancer. My Mum who has Alzheimer’s was fully aware and understood that Dad was very ill and was with him when he died. I find that she has been upset especially the first week but doesn’t have the same level of grief that my brother and I are dealing with. In a way it is good that Mum is happy and content in her good memories of her husband. She kisses his photos goodnight at bedtime. She has times when she is sad but mostly she is happy with her activities and friend at the aged care home. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on grief and its affect on Alzheimer’s sufferers. Please leave your comment here.

Stem Cell research – help for Alzheimer’s patients?

Stem Cell Therapy Reverses Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice
Scientists at the University of California in Irvine have for the first time used stem cells to reverse memory problems associated with strokes, Alzheimer’s, and degenerative brain disease in mice. The researchers say that the cells repaired damaged parts of the brain and restored lost memory. They believe that their technique may also work on humans.

Stem Cell Therapy Reverses Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice

Check out this article on the latest ste cell research on mice.