AlzCare News's blog

Welcome

AlzCare was formed in December of 1998 to provide assisted living services to persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. Our purpose was clear from the beginning….to restore some of the quality of life that has been lost due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. AlzCare does this by offering residences that provide safety, security, dignity and independence in a setting that is better than home. According to Dr. Barry Reisburg, “The way we typically care for patients may be precisely the opposite of what they need.” This is especially true in traditional nursing and assisted living facilities that place their priorities in areas that do not have a positive impact on the needs of residents with Alzheimer’s.

AlzCare is committed to its mission of serving individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease in an intimate, home setting; generously staffed by well trained, compassionate and engaging caregivers. Each facility is licensed for no more than 16 to maintain a small, intimate setting in which staff, resident and family alike have the opportunity to form relationships that are a part of the therapeutic milieu of AlzCare..

Hypertension and Dementia

A recent study illustrates the importance of keeping the body healthy, in order to preserve the mind. Participants all began the study dementia free, and were monitored for five years. The development of dementia in subjects with high blood pressure is made apparent.

"We show herein that the presence of hypertension predicts progression to dementia in a subgroup of about one-third of subjects with cognitive impairment, no dementia," wrote the researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

"Control of hypertension in this population could decrease by one-half the projected 50-percent five-year rate of progression to dementia."

The study findings are published in the February issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.

The findings may prove important for elderly people with cognitive impairment but no dementia, the study authors noted.

"Worldwide, neurologic disorders are the most frequent cause of disability-adjusted life years; among these, cerebrovascular disease is the most common risk factor, and dementia is the second most common. There is no preventive or therapeutic intervention to mitigate this public health burden," the researchers wrote.

The Last Big Laugh

An endearing story by Douglas Todd, about his Great Grandmother and dementia’s emotional toll on her. As his Grandmother aged, laughter became rare, in this story Todd recalls his Grandmother’s laugh.

Reading this made me remember the last time that I heard Great Grams laugh. I mean REALLY laugh.

Great Grams had always had a very jolly laugh. When she thought something was funny, and she started laughing, she almost couldn’t stop. Tears would come to her eyes, roll down her cheeks, and she would still be laughing. Sometimes, she would stop for a minute and then burst out laughing again.

Once dementia took hold of Great Grams, we didn’t hear that laugh very much anymore.

Then, one day there was a sale on pajamas at a nearby store. Grandma found some in Grandpa’s size for only $5, and they were the nice soft cotton flannel that he liked. She bought them…

Diet and Mental Health

CNN Health publishes a piece on the benefits of a diet low in meat and dairy, and high in fruits, grains, fish, and vegetables. In addition to many physical benefits, a “Mediterranean” style diet can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Scarmeas' previous research has shown that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Looking at 2,250 individuals from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, researchers found a 40 percent lower risk among those who stuck to this diet, scientists reported in the Annals of Neurology in 2006. The people involved in the brain infarcts study are a subset of that original group.

As many as 2.4 million to 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institute on Aging. Between 1 and 4 percent of people over the age of 65 have vascular dementia, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Other studies have suggested that this food regimen may help in preventing second heart attacks, lowering cancer risk and stopping the need for diabetes drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The new study "gives you better evidence than ever that this is actually protective, and protective against the development of dementia," Cole said.

The risk factors for vascular disease overlap with those of Alzheimer's disease, he said. These include high blood pressure, high-fat diets, type 2 diabetes and low folate intake. People who have both Alzheimer's and vascular disease -- a condition called mixed dementia -- have a more rapid progression of Alzheimer's disease, Cole said.