Clipmarks | BobbyDelray's Alzheimer's collection

Pratchett Funds Alzheimer's Research

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:27:48 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray

Terry Pratchett said Thursday he is donating $1 million for research into Alzheimer's

The best-selling fantasy writer said it's "a shock and a shame" that less money was spent on Alzheimer's research than on fighting cancer.

He said Alzheimer's was "a nasty disease, surrounded by shadows and small, largely unseen tragedies."

The 59-year-old writer said he had reacted to his diagnosis with "a sense of loss and abandonment (and a) violently coherent fury that made the Miltonic Lucifer's rage against heaven seem a bit miffed by comparison."

His donation will go to the Alzheimer's Research Trust, a British charity.

Pratchett, best known for his satirical "Discworld" fantasy saga, has sold more than 55 million copies of his books worldwide.

Who Are the Sandwich Generation?

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:39:04 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray

Clip Source: carestation.agis.com

If the term Sandwich Generation leaves you feeling hungry, you may not know about the new buzz surrounding a subset of caregivers nicknamed the “Sandwich Generation”. This colorful name refers to caregivers who find themselves squeezed between caring for younger loved ones (usually children) and elderly parents or family members. This may be nothing new, but these caregivers are becoming a rising interest within American society.

Who are the Sandwich Generation?

hey are the nearly 10 million boomers that are now raising kids, teenagers or young adults while providing financial support for an aging parent.

According on one survey, 70 percent of the Sandwich Generation are providing care simultaneously for parents and children

“You either are a caregiver, will be a caregiver or someone will be caring for you between now and whenever you die,” Donna Schempp, of the National Family Caregivers Alliance

Tags: caregiver, elder care, family, caregiving

I missed the early signs of Dementia (Alzheimer's) in my mother, will You?

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:19:14 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray

Clip Source: iamanalzheimerscaregiver.blogspot.com

Looking back, there is little doubt in my mind I should have realized my mother was suffering from dementia sooner. Sadly, I didn't have the proper education, information, or frame of reference.

Most people tend to ignore the early symptoms of the disease believing they are simply signs of "old age"

Anyone who ends up in my shoes knows and understands that a person in the early stages of Alzheimer’s can function normally

even drive a car

Behavior changes slowly in the elderly

as they begin to suffer cognitive impairment these changes are hard to detect

If my mother had been enrolled in any of the studies listed below, I feel certain she would have been diagnosed sooner. This would have allowed me to get her in an exercise program, get her proper nutrition, and insured that she was taking her medication as prescribed

I learned in the last four years how important these factors are in the quality of her life

The woman in the picture is my 91 year old mother

She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease

Tags: alzheimer's, dementia, early signs

Anti-Alzheimer's Mechanism In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Found

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:58:07 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Many Alzheimer's researchers have long touted fish oil, by pill or diet, as an accessible and inexpensive "weapon" that may delay or prevent this debilitating disease. Now, UCLA scientists have confirmed that fish oil is indeed a deterrent against Alzheimer's, and they have identified the reasons why.

Greg Cole

associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and his colleagues report that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in fish oil increases the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients and which is known to destroy the protein that forms the "plaques" associated with the disease.

We found that even low doses of DHA increased the levels of LR11 in rat neurons

Based on the positive results, the National Institutes of Health is currently conducting a large-scale clinical trial with DHA in patients with established Alzheimer's disease.

This research is reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, now online.

Tags: alzheimer's, omega 3, fish, oil, fatty, acid

The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with Alzheimer's Type D

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:12:25 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray
clipper's remarks: Here ya go Sahara.

Thank you for your very nice comments.

Clip Source: alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com

You might get the impression from the title that this book is only for professionals; this is not the case. The validation theory works and it is simple to apply. The case studies are invaluable and provide you with specific situations that you are sure to encounter. I am convinced everyone involved with elderly parents suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's will benefit greatly from this book.

If you live with or care for someone with Alzheimer's or other age related dementia, you must read this book ! What an eye-opener! For the first time I finally understood why Alzheimer's patient say what they say and do what they do.

Gives practical ideas and techniques for helping people with dementia deal with issues from paranoia and blaming to sadness and helplessness.

"It works," she told me. "Validation Breakthrough" shows a new way of relating to people with dementia of Alzheimer's type.

I give The Validation Breakthrough five stars

You will certainly reduce stress by learning these technique

Tags: alzheimer's, dementia, frustration, communication

Reversing Symptoms of Alzheimer's?

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:06:48 GMT

clipped by: BobbyDelray
clipper's remarks: Might be a breakthrough. We can only hope.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

A patient with Alzheimer's disease had their condition improve hugely just minutes after receiving a special injection of a prescription drug approved to treat psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, according to a new study.

The drug, co-marketed in the U.S. by Amgen and Wyeth under the name Enbrel, dramatically reversed symptoms of an Alzheimer’s disease sufferer minutes after it was injected into the patient's spine, researchers in the U.S. discovered. The drug, sold in Australia as Etanercept, has also been used off-label for treating Alzheimer's.

an “exciting” breakthrough, which provided a greater understanding of the disease. “It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention,” Griffin said.

this report details rapid cognitive improvement, beginning within minutes, using this same… treatment modality, in a patient with late-onset Alzheimer's disease.”

Tags: alzheimer's. treatment, enbrel, cognitive improvement