Welcome to the September newsletter!
Alzheimer's stages: How the disease progresses
Alzheimer's disease tends to develops slowly and gradually worsens over several years. Eventually, Alzheimer's disease affects most areas of your brain. Memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement can all be affected by the disease.
Researchers study alcohol's link to Alzheimer's
Nearly one century after Alzheimer's disease (AD) was discovered, doctors are still searching for its causes. Age is certainly a factor: Alzheimer's usually develops in people over age 60, and about half of people over 85 may have it. Family history also plays a role.
Dehydration and Malnutrition in Alzheimer's Disease
Occasionally you read about people with dementia who have died from malnutrition or dehydration, even when being cared for in a nursing home, hospital, or by caregivers. You cannot believe that such a situation has occurred, that it must be an obvious case of abuse.
Validation Therapy for Dementia
Developed in the 1960s and 1970s by Naomi Feil, validation therapy for dementia offers holistic therapy that empathizes with elderly patients by helping to connect with them through listening and dignified care in their final stages of life. With a little patience and observation, validation therapy also offers a glimpse into the human brain, stages of dementia, and the desire for peace before death.
Validation Therapy, Redirection
If you have a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia, then you know how difficult it can be to communicate with him or her. Maybe there are good or bad days. Maybe there are certain times of the day that are better or worse. The following are techniques that can be used improve communication with the person you love.
