New research finds that an HIV enzyme plays a crucial role in driving Alzheimer's-related brain pathology by altering the APP gene. The findings warrant "immediate clinical evaluation of HIV antiretroviral therapies in people with Alzheimer's disease," say the authors of the study.
Cold Weather Is Treacherous When You Have Alzheimer’s: 5 Ways to Keep Loved Ones Safe
Do you face an onslaught of snow and ice each winter — or just chilly (or downright cold) temperatures? Wherever you live, if you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you’ll need to help them safely weather those months.
“People with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are especially vulnerable to cold weather risks,” says Christine Nelson, BSN, MSN, a geriatric nurse specialist.
How to make your home dementia friendly
A dementia diagnosis is life changing, but it doesn’t mean that you have to up sticks and change everything. Instead, making your loved one’s home dementia friendly will ensure that they can remain as independent as possible, helping with the everyday tasks, as even making a cup of tea can be dauting.
Here are a few tips on how to make your loved one’s home comfortable to create the highest quality of life whilst on their dementia journey.
End-of-Life Care: ER Doctor Answers Our Questions
Emergency-room doctor Kevin Haselhorst had an epiphany while he tried valiantly to save an elderly man who’d been through one-too-many traumas. His book, “Wishes To Die For: A Caregiver’s Guide to Advance Care Directives,” was the first step toward a new advocacy. Dr. Haselhorst continues to work toward helping people understand the importance of healthcare directives and the ability to make their own decisions about end-of-life care. Curious about more of Dr. Haselhorst’s views, the Candid Caregiver contacted him through email for the following interview.
10 Things People With Dementia Wish Their Caregivers Knew
People living with dementia are the only ones who really understand what it’s like to live with their form of the disease, whether it’s Alzheimer’s or another type such as frontotemporal (FTD) or Lewy body (LBD). Sadly, the ability to communicate becomes compromised by dementia. That being said, care partners can, if we take time to search out the meaning behind their words or actions, continue to improve the care provided. Here are some tips that can help you.
A Search For New Ways To Pay For Drugs That Cost A Mint
Researchers expect that three dozen new drugs will come on the market over the next few years with astronomical prices — some likely topping a million dollars per patient.
The drugmaker Novartis has told investors it might be able to charge $4 million to $5 million for one of its potential products, a treatment for a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy.
Hundreds more ultra-expensive therapies are under development. They could drive up the cost of medicine and health insurance for everyone. So researchers have started to develop strategies to address that coming price shock.
Alzheimer's Disease and the Microbiome
There are more than ten times as many bacteria and other microorganisms in our bodies as there are human cells. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms reside within the digestive tract, primarily within the intestines, and play a fundamental role in digestive and immune health.
The microorganisms are primarily ‘good bacteria’ and maintain a symbiotic relationship with the host. A balanced diet and active lifestyle can promote and maintain the number of ‘good bacteria’ in the gut. However, these colonies may become compromised by ‘bad bacteria’ leading to an imbalance in the gut flora (“dysbiosis”) that can lead to many health problems ranging from inflammation to colorectal cancer.
Familiar music could give Alzheimer's patients a cognitive boost, study suggests
It's long been known that Alzheimer's patients often retain musical memories, even when recall of names, faces and places has been lost as the disease relentlessly destroys key areas of the brain.
Now Canadian researchers believe they know why, thanks to the power of MRI brain scanning.
"I Want to Go Home"
Dear Candid Caregiver:
My dad is having around-the-clock home care, which was his choice early on when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He’s in the later stages now, but he keeps telling his caregivers, including me when I take a shift, that he wants to go home. I read an article that you wrote where you said that asking to go home didn't necessarily mean any particular home, but your comments were directed toward the idea of someone living in a nursing home. Since Dad is in the home where he lived for nearly 40 years, you'd think he'd feel some comfort from that. In fact, that's one reason we've continued to stretch the finances to keep all of this care in his home. What could he possibly want that we aren't delivering?
– Sad and Bewildered
Alzheimer's awareness: What it's like to be a caregiver and how to get support
November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month, when millions of people who care for loved ones with the disease are recognized for a job that can take a serious toll.
“I worry about my mom, but then like, she has to worry about me. So I just wish there was more of a balance,” 14-year-old Hailey Corum told NBC News special anchor Maria Shriver.
Mounting Evidence Links Sleep Disturbance To Alzheimer's Disease
Once again researchers have found evidence of the critical role quality sleep plays on our overall health. And addressing the common causes of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) could have huge implications for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
From sleep apnea which, left untreated, can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and other ailments, to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers continue to discover why we need to sleep. Now investigators from the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) are saying feeling excessively sleepy during the day could be a sign of increased risk for the brain pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.
How The Business Of Caregiving Is Evolving
Lindsay Jurist-Rosner had a secret. One she’d kept since she was a kid.
Her mother had multiple sclerosis, and Jurist-Rosner was her on-again, off-again caregiver.
“It took on many different forms over the years,” said Jurist-Rosner, now 38.
As she grew up, Jurist-Rosner’s role intensified from helping around the house to making sure her mom was up, dressed, and fed in the morning—all before rushing to her full-time job in marketing.