It’s not uncommon for people with Alzheimer’s disease to express a desire to go “home.” It can be difficult to understand whether “home” to them is a beloved childhood house, a time from their past life, or a place among the people they used to know. It’s unlikely that your loved one can ever return to this place, but that doesn’t mean caregivers can’t help them feel more comfortable. Here are 10 things you can do when your loved one says they’d like to go home.
The Drug Being Pushed on Nursing Home Residents
In a startling investigation, CNN has learned that the maker of a drug designed to treat an uncommon condition is increasingly pushing it on nursing home residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s — with sometimes dire consequences.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Avanir Pharmaceuticals’ drug Nuedexta in 2010 for pseudobulbar affect, or PBA, a condition marked by bouts of uncontrollable crying or laughing.
What Does Oriented x1, x2, x3 and x4 Mean in Dementia?
Orientation is a term that encompasses a person's awareness of herself, those around her, her location and the date and time. Oriented x1, x2, x3 or x4 is a way of expressing the extent of her awareness. Orientation is often assessed as part of a mental status test to evaluate cognitive functioning and screen for dementia.
Dementia dog study seeks to prove effectiveness of assistance animals
The research takes 20 guide dogs, normally used by visually-impaired people, and re-trains them to assist people living with the condition, as well as their carers.
It is being undertaken by The University of Melbourne, Vision Australia Seeing Eye Dogs, and Dementia Australia, and the early results are encouraging.
Edie Mayhew was diagnosed with younger onset dementia in 2010. As part of the study, she's been paired with a white labrador called Melvin.
Glen Campbell’s Widow on Alzheimer’s Caregiving
Two months after singer Glen Campbell’s death from Alzheimer’s disease, his widow and primary caregiver, Kim, is expanding her mission to help others. She learned a lot about the disease and how to cope with it, as a caregiver, since Campbell’s diagnosis in 2011, and wants to use that experience to educate people on caregiving.
“When the doctor used the ‘A’ word, it just terrified me and shocked me, I really didn’t know much about it,” she said. “But I started to ask questions: Is it fatal? He said, ‘yes.’”
Silent disco fever spreading to give dementia sufferers surprising mental benefits
In a world first, silent discos are being used as dementia therapy in New South Wales and sufferers are reaping huge mental benefits.
With the sounds of The Andrews Sisters, Dean Martin, Elvis and occasionally a bit of Taylor Swift coming through their Bluetooth headsets, patients are transported through music and movement.
Halloween Tips for Dementia Caregivers
If you are the caregiver of someone who suffers from dementia, you know that certain changes in routine or location can cause great anxiety in your loved one. The holiday season is a time that causes welcomed disruptions in most people’s lives, but unfortunately this means that the happiest time of the year can cause painful discomfort for individuals suffering from dementia.
Care or Cure: Where Should Alzheimer's Funding Go?
When you hear the next plea for increased Alzheimer’s funding – and you’ll hear a lot of it during the upcoming Alzheimer’s Awareness months, both global and national – your first thought will likely be that the money should go into to find a cure. However, people who already have the disease, as well as those who care for them, may disagree. A recent survey showed that these people feel that more financial resources should be dedicated to helping them live life with some quality. Funding research is fine, but that will only help people years in the future. They need help now.
How to Prepare to Care for Someone with Dementia
It’s not uncommon to feel ill-equipped to serve as primary care partner for your loved one with dementia. In hindsight, you may think, “I’ve made lots of mistakes,” “I wish I’d done more research,” “If only I’d paid more attention to little signs,” “I should have had an action plan,” “I really didn’t know what was coming,” “Now I have a lot of guilt.”
Family Caregivers Overwhelmed And Undertrained
Adult caregivers looking after aging relatives and friends have little training for their stressful roles but still find the experience rewarding, according to a poll released Thursday.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds that long-term caregivers don’t just provide rides to the doctor and run errands. Nearly half perform some kind of medical care, from changing bandages (30 percent) to inserting catheters or feeding tubes (6 percent).
Elderly with dementia at risk for inappropriate medications
More than half of elderly patients with dementia are prescribed at least one potentially inappropriate medication, a recent study from eight European countries suggests.
Some medicines are not typically given to older patients because the potential side effects outweigh their clinical benefit and because there are often safer or more effective alternatives available.
Brain's Link To Immune System Might Help Explain Alzheimer's
Fresh evidence that the body's immune system interacts directly with the brain could lead to a new understanding of diseases from multiple sclerosis to Alzheimer's.
A study of human and monkey brains found lymphatic vessels — a key part of the body's immune system — in a membrane that surrounds the brain and nervous system, a team reported Tuesday in the online journal eLife.