The holidays can be a stressful time for us all, but those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s face an added set of challenges, both practical and emotional. Dealing with grief during this cheery season, whether you’re grieving a deceased loved one or grieving the many daily losses of dementia, is very difficult. Furthermore, attending to holiday shopping, hosting …
November Caregiver Connection: Different Types of Dementia
Sometimes, you hear the words “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing. Dementia is a condition that can be caused by many different diseases or medical conditions, of which Alzheimer’s disease is one. Learn more about the many other types of dementia after the jump!
Nobel Prize Winning Research Sheds Light on Alzheimer’s
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine is being awarded to three scientists for their contributions to our understanding of the brain’s internal “GPS system.” Their findings may have groundbreaking implications for Alzheimer’s disease research. The research shows that certain cells in the brain help us mark our position, understand where we are in space, and help us learn spatial …
October Caregiver Connection: Shadowing
Many caregivers can relate to this unsettling experience: waking up in the middle of the night, still in the hazy with sleep, to find the person you care for standing over your bed watching you. This is one of the behaviors associated with “shadowing,” when the care recipient wants to remain near the caregiver at all times. Living with the …
How to Help a Family with Alzheimer’s
As a friend of a family care team facing the challenge of Alzheimer’s disease, it can be hard to know how to help. You may not know how to communicate with the person with dementia, or how to respond to their worsening symptoms. You may not be able to spend as much time with their caregiver as you used …
Basic Communication Tips
One of the most persistent struggles for family and professional caregivers is communicating with a person suffering from dementia. As language and reasoning abilities decline, frustration, agitation, and arguments are more likely to arise. Here are some basic tips to remember when you interact with a person with dementia. People with Alzheimer’s not only lose the ability to organize thoughts into sentences …
August Caregiver Connection: Partnering with Facility Staff
As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the person’s needs change, and the time will likely come when you aren’t able to care for your loved one at home. Ensuring that your loved one receives the care they need by finding an appropriate long-term care setting doesn’t mean that you’re no longer a critical component of their care team. On the contrary, you …
Experimental blood test predicts Alzheimer’s with 87% accuracy
In a potentially massive step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s, researchers at Queen’s College in London have made a discovery that could lead to the development of a blood test to predict Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia: the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, successfully identified 10 proteins that predict the development of Alzheimer’s After analyzing …