Social situations help you to grow, allow you to be more relaxed, and help to build happiness in your soul. As seniors age, they find comfort in relaxing by themselves, tucked away in their homes or senior living facilities, being anti-social, and not wanting to do activities they once loved to do. This is not always a sign of depression, although it could lead to a serious condition such as early-onset of Alzheimer’s Disease or Obesity.
One in every eight people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease is the 7th leading cause of death for Americans. Given these statistics, we want to learn more about how to prevent this debilitating disease. As for seniors who are all ready diagnosed with this disease and are receiving Alzheimer’s Care in a senior care facility, it may be too late to reverse the effects of the disease. But, for those who have not been diagnosed, especially those in their younger years, there can be a possibility of avoiding Alzheimer’s Disease.
Assisted living facilities offer housing alternatives for older adults who may need help with dressing, bathing, eating, and toileting, but do not require the intensive medical and nursing care provided in nursing homes.
Assisted living facilities may be part of a retirement community, nursing home, senior housing complex, or may stand-alone. Licensing requirements for assisted living facilities vary by state and can be known by as many as 26 different names including: residential care, board and care, congregate care, and personal care.
When faced with senior care, whether happening in a home care setting or assisted living, the ravages of aging begin to debilitate a person’s physical being, the situation is even more compounded and cruel when there are mental issues involved. This isn’t a Baby Boomer issue — it’s a human issue.
There has been a great deal written about Alzheimer’s Disease as well as Dementia, that affects the brain and overall personality for many of the elderly. However, what happens when a person has battled depression or other psychological disorders all their life, and they’re faced with their body (and life) starting to ‘shut down’? How does a person who is helping with the caregiving, especially children and relatives, deal with a sad situation that is now more magnified?
When considering home care for your parents or a loved one, there are a few basic things that you want to know in order to evaluate your options in choosing the best senior care provider:
Offering Services You Need:
Check That Your Provider Is:
A team led by researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory Care has pinpointed the exact gene responsible for a recent breakthrough in which mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease regained long-term memories and the ability to learn.
The researchers found that drugs that work on the gene HDAC2 reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s and boost cognitive function in mice. Both the gene and its protein are promising targets for treating memory impairment.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s has been a process of elimination, but new research shows the potential for a diagnostic blood test. Researchers have found a direct relationship between two specific antibodies and the severity of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.
A recent study compared antibody levels in blood samples from senior adults with the study participants’ level of dementia, and found that the concentration of two specific proteins that are involved in the immune response increases as the severity of dementia increases.
Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just take a toll on the memories and general quality of life for a senior diagnosed with the disease. Total health care costs for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are more than three times higher than for other people age 65 and older, the Alzheimer’s Association’s said in their recently released Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.
The report shows that Medicare payments alone are almost three times higher for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia than for others age 65 and over. And Medicaid payments alone are more than nine times higher.
Seniors who suffer from a common heart rhythm problem show an increased likelihood to develop Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. Researchers at Utah’s Intermountain Medical Center found:
• Patients with atrial fibrillation were 44 percent more likely to develop dementia than patients without the heart disorder.
• Younger patients with atrial fibrillation were at higher risk of developing all types of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s. Atrial fibrillation patients under age 70 were 130 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
• Patients who had both atrial fibrillation and dementia were 61 percent more likely to die during the study period than dementia patients without the rhythm problem.
The better you understand the different kinds of dementia the better you’ll be able to help an aging parent or loved one who may become afflicted. The symptoms they may be suffering from are determined by the kind of dementia they have, and how far it’s progressed. These are the most common types of dementia: