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Studies Find Mixed Results for Dementia Units
By their euphemistic names, ye shall know them: The Memory Care Unit. The Reminiscence Neighborhood. Homestead.
These special units for residents with dementia have spread throughout the American nursing home industry; more than 16 percent of nursing homes now include one.
The laudable idea was to move patients with dementia out of the typically over stimulating and understaffed nursing home into a separate wing, a calm and secure environment where well-trained staffers would offer tailored activities, handle problematic behaviors and provide greater support.
But I’ve always wondered whether these units actually live up to their promises and their higher price tags. In a competitive nursing home market, they may provide an edge in attracting paying customers. But do they provide better care, or mostly a reassuring name and a locked door?
The research provides some intriguing findings but, sadly, no clear thumbs-up for families trying to figure out if this is the solution for someone who wanders, gets frightened or obstreperous, or needs more attention.
Full story on dementia units at The New York Times
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Care homes use ‘doll therapy’ for residents with dementia
The image of an older person cuddling and singing to a child's doll can be strange and disturbing, yet doll therapy is being used by a growing number of care homes across the UK for people with dementia.
Four Seasons Healthcare, which frequently uses doll therapy in its homes, has found that residents have become so attached to the dolls there have been tussles over them. It has even had to go as far as introducing baby high chairs into the dining halls so residents could feed their dolls while eating their meals.
Despite its growing use, doll therapy is still a controversial intervention as it can be extremely upsetting for families to see their relatives in this infantilised state. Four Seasons Healthcare admits that there has been opposition from both relatives and staff.
Caroline Baker, head of quality and dementia care at Four Seasons Healthcare, said: "On a few occasions we have had relatives question it and we always make sure we fully explain what doll therapy is to the relatives."
Full story of doll therapy for dementia at The Guardian
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Dementia and Driving
A new clinical pathway provides health workers with clear guidelines to help and advise dementia patients who still drive.
The pathway was developed by assistant psychologist Kirsty Carter and Dr John-Paul Taylor from Newcastle University. They will present their work today, Thursday 11 April 2013, at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Harrogate.
In the UK 1 in 14 people over the age of 65, and 1 in 6 people over the age of 80, have a diagnosis of dementia. This is set to rise by 2025 to over one million people in the UK. Many patients who receive a diagnosis of dementia continue to drive with numbers estimated at over 40 per cent. Although key guidelines have been issued for dementia these have failed to satisfactorily address the issue of driving, and offer no supporting guidance for health professionals.
Full story of dementia and driving at Science Daily
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Why Your Loved One’s Dementia Doesn’t Have to Be a Death Sentence for You, Too
You finally convince your spouse to go to the doctor with you. He's only in his late 60s, but lately he's been forgetting where his car keys are, losing words and getting lost when he goes out alone. You've been worried for a while, so you're relieved your spouse is willing to see a professional.
The doctor, a neurologist, is a tall, distinguished researcher in his late 50s. He wears a long, starched white lab coat and sits behind his cluttered desk. He tells your husband to remember three things: a ball, a toothbrush and a pen. You memorize them, hoping your brain is still working. Then he asks your husband to subtract seven from 100 and continue subtracting sevens down to zero if he can. Your husband says,"93, 82." What? You sit up straighter and try not to blurt "93, 86." Your husband was a math major in high school and studied engineering in college. He taught you calculus, but all of a sudden he doesn't know 93 minus seven is 86?
You start thinking about how you've been in denial about his dropping things and tripping around the house. Your husband can't remember the three things he was supposed to remember 10 minutes ago. You're glad you can, but your heart is beating too fast.
Full story of dementia care at Huffington Post
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Foods can help stave off Alzheimer’s, dementia
We love our hearts. But what are our brains – chopped liver? Neal Barnard, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, says how we eat can improve not just the function of our tickers, but also the longevity of our noggins.
In his new book, “Power Foods for the Brain” ($27), and his PBS special, “Protect Your Memory” (debuting on public television on Saturday; check local listings), he outlines his nutrition plan to stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia. Barnard took us shopping to point out some smart choices. And, no, chopped liver wasn’t one of them.
* Walnuts: Vitamin E can be a brain booster, Barnard says, noting a Dutch study that showed that people with the most vitamin E in their diets cut their risk of Alzheimer’s by 25 percent. The best sources are nuts and seeds. Barnard generally opts for walnuts, which he enjoys shaved over a salad. (That also helps him limit his intake so he doesn’t overdo it with calories.)
Full story of foods and dementia at Staten Island Live
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Health Alerts: Can physical fitness lower your risk for dementia?
Being physically fit in midlife is associated with a lower risk of dementia in old age, a new study reports.
Between 1971 and 2009, 19,458 healthy adults younger than age 65 took a treadmill fitness test as part of a broader health examination. Researchers followed the subjects through their Medicare records for an average of 24 years.
After adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol and other health factors, the researchers found that compared with those in the lowest 20 percent for fitness in midlife, those in the highest 20 percent had a 36 percent reduced risk of dementia.
The reason for the association is unclear.
“Dementia is a disease with no cure and no good therapies,” said the lead author, Dr. Laura F. DeFina, the interim chief scientific officer at the Cooper Institute in Dallas. Physical activity may be “a preventive way to address dementia instead of addressing the costs of a disabled elder.”
Full story of fitness lowering dementia chances at Dallas News
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Minding Our Elders: Dementia aggression difficult to control
DEAR CAROL: My 79-year-old mother is on medication for aggression due to her dementia, but she still has periodic violent outbursts where she kicks and hits me. Her psychiatrist has tried several drugs in small doses to avoid side effects, but most of them leave her sleepy and have had little positive effect. Zyprexa has helped her the most, but that only means the outbursts have been cut in half. We haven’t found any specific triggers. Her physical aggression is wearing me out and I’m tired of this medication rollercoaster that’s been going on for three years. Am I expecting too much from these drugs? – Jeannine
DEAR JEANNINE: It’s likely that someday a physician will be able to order a blood test which will identify the exact medication needed to balance a person’s brain chemistry. Unfortunately, we are a long way from that ideal. Your mother’s doctor is trying his or her best to find a medication that will help, but considering your mother’s age as well as any possible health issues she may have, finding the optimum medication is difficult.
Full story of controlling dementia at Inforum.com
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8 Ways to Spot Your Denial About Dementia
At first, denial can be a healthy defense against admitting that your loved one has dementia.
Denial involves not acknowledging what you see or hear and/or unconsciously negating what you see or hear. Denial helps you block the more painful aspects of reality. However, if denial continues too long, then it can be life-threatening to you and your loved one.
Here's what happened to me, a psychiatrist, and my husband who died seven months ago from Lewy body dementia.
One day he tried to cut my bangs, something he always did for me in between hairdresser appointments. We both enjoyed this ritual. Although he was an attorney by trade, he was pretty handy with scissors, knives, and other tools. I combed my hair and sat down in front of him, ready for my bang trim. With his usual confidence, he grabbed my bangs and moved the scissors toward me. My eyes were closed, but fortunately I opened them just before he began to cut. He had the angle all wrong. I was shocked as I grabbed his hand and asked what he was doing. I saw a blank stare. My husband was a gentle man and would never hurt me, that's why I'd chosen to be with him, but he was unaware of how close he'd come to gouging my eyes out. His senses of distance, danger, and appropriateness were all thrown off.
Full story of dementia denial at Huffington Post
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Study links dementia to sleep loss
The behavior of research participants was found to vary according to how much sleep they had received.
In older volunteers, a shortage of good quality, or slow-wave sleep, was found to be linked to future memory problems.
This was subsequently linked to disappearance of neurons in the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) area, which often occurs with age.
The study, which has been featured in the journal Nature Neuroscience, asked participants to memorize a list of words and recall them after having slept through the night.
Dr Matthew Walker, from the University of California at Berkeley, US, and his co-researchers said in the report: “These data support a model in which age-related mPFC atrophy diminishes SWA (slow-wave activity), the functional consequence of which is impaired long-term memory.”
Full story of sleep loss and dementia at Nursing Times
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Rock Star Nearly Loses Career With ‘Curable’ Dementia (VIDEO)
Dick Wagner had enjoyed a successful life on stage, playing lead guitar for bands like Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and Kiss, when he had a stroke and a heart attack in 2007.
"I woke up from a coma after two weeks with a paralyzed left arm," said Wagner, now 70 and living in Arizona. "My profession as a guitarist, I thought was over."
He and Cooper co-wrote the majority of the band's top-selling songs, including the 1975 hit, "Welcome to My Nightmare."
But Wagner's own personal horror show had just begun. He worked hard at rehabilitation, but new symptoms began to appear: mental fuzziness and an odd gait.
"I couldn't turn to the left as I walked, only to the right, and I would do a spiral and fall," he said. "I fell completely flat on my face in the driveway on the concrete. I didn't know what had happened to me."
Full story of rock stars curable dementia at ABC News
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