Adaptive Minds

"We cannot control the wind but we can adjust our sails" Read my story: http://realist-e.tumblr.com/post/103550692564/so-whats-the-point

[awhirlpoolofinspiration]

RIP Sir Terry Pratchett

[realist-e]

[realist-e]

Tip 7. For some people with dementia remembering their PIN number when shopping can be a problem (care workers do not like to know this number for obvious reasons). Therefore think about taking cash so it won't be embarrassing for the person if they can't pay. When they remember their pin get them to take money out for these occasions and keep separate for emergency use only. 

[baltimoresun]

"Even if she doesn’t know I’m here I can’t think of not being here." 

On love and Alzheimers: Martin Glass, 78, and his wife, Joyce, 73, have been married for 53 years. Joyce lives in Sunrise of Pikesville, and Martin comes to see her often and says it is the most important part of his day.

[thebrightside-project]

"I remember" is a blessing most of us take for granted. Share your memories and help to fight Alzheimer’s disease. Tell a memory:

http://i-remember.fr/en

[neurosciencestuff]

[realist-e]

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease suffer a selective and early breakdown of so-called cholinergic nerve cells, which require a specific nerve growth factor (NGF) – essentially a group of proteins...

[realist-e]

Tip 6. When going to the library, ask for a print out of books that have been borrowed to help you keep track. When you get the books home, put a book mark (plain card will do) in the book with the word 'new' at the top. Make another with 'reading' for the one started and one that says 'finished'.  It makes it simple the next week when collecting books to take back. It also helps the person with dementia keep track of the books they are currently reading and the ones they have finished. 

*Also note most library charges drop on overdue books for people over the age of 75.

[realist-e]

Help people with dementia like me get the support we need

225,000 people will develop dementia this year - that’s one every three minutes. But far too many of them will get no information, support or treatment to help them manage this devastating condition and plan for the future. In a recent survey by Alzheimer’s Society, 90% of people said were dissatisfied with the support they received after their diagnosis. And I am one of them. Being told I had dementia was hard. I’d gone to the hospital on my own and was with the doctor for less than five minutes. He delivered this life-changing news with so little compassion and tact - it was as if I was being told I had tonsillitis. But the hardest thing wasn’t the diagnosis itself, it was that there was no support and very little information. I simply went home and hid under my duvet. I am lucky though. I have a loving family who have been there to support me both during my diagnosis and throughout the four years I have been living with dementia. But not everyone is as lucky as me. That’s why I want everyone diagnosed with dementia to be properly supported . They should be given information about their condition, about potential treatments that may help with the symptoms and about any local services available. They may also just need someone to talk to. Everyone diagnosed with dementia should have access to a Dementia Adviser or Support Worker who can help with all these things. This isn’t too much to ask. So I’m asking the three main party leaders to commit to this in their General Election manifestos . Surely the least people with dementia can expect is a little help after their diagnosis. If we can get all of our political leaders to recognise the importance of this issue now, then they have to do something about it in the next parliament when they’re in office.   If you agree please sign this petition and let’s make sure no one faces dementia alone. You can leave a comment about why you’re supporting the campaign below. Thank you.   Shelagh Robinson  

[realist-e]

[realist-e]

Tip 5. Going shopping with someone with dementia can be a real struggle. Make a list of items that you will always need, the brand and size they prefer. A second list of things that can vary from week to week and can be used as a prompt for choosing meals. Let the person see the list whilst going round and let them choose, this ensures independence and involvement.

[realist-e]

A Positive Spin on Dementia

We just finished up a unit on dementia in my class on cross-cultural aging, and I realized that I had never really thought of it before-- I had never really even known what dementia was before. If ...

[mindblowingscience]

New Alzheimer’s test detects disease 10 years before diagnosis

A new blood test for Alzheimer’s can detect the onset of the disease up to 10 years before symptoms start to appear, and claims to have a rate of 100 percent accuracy.

Researchers in the US have developed a new Alzheimer’s blood test that could pick up on the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease with 100 percent accuracy when tested on 174 individuals. 

Announced at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington last weekend, the test allows for Alzheimer’s treatment to begin much faster than ever before.

While other Alzheimer’s blood tests were announced just months ago - including one that claims 90 percent accuracy by identifying 10 specific proteins found in affected brain tissue - this new test is more efficient, as it only needs to examine a single protein. The protein, called IRS-1, plays a key role in insulin signalling in the brain, and the reseachers think it’s defective in all Alzheimer’s patients.

To test this, the team, led by neuroscientist Dimitrios Kapogiannis from the US National Institute on Ageing, recruited 70 volunteers with diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease, 20 elderly volunteers who were mentally fine but had diabetes, and 84 healthy adults. They collected blood samples from everybody, and analysed these with samples that had been previous taken from 22 of the Alzheimer’s patients up to 10 years prior to them being diagnosed. 

According to told Sarah Knapton at The Telegraph, they found that the volunteers with Alzheimer’s had much higher levels of inactive IRS-1 proteins in their blood samples, which also showed up clearly in the samples taken prior to their diagnoses. “These levels were so consistent that the team could predict whether a blood sample came from an Alzheimer’s patient, healthy individual, or a diabetic - with no errors,” says Knapton.

“We were able to perfectly classify patients and controls,” Kapogiannis said at the conference.

The team is now working on expanding their study to evaluate the blood test in a much larger pool of volunteers over a longer period of time. “We will need replication and validation, but I’m very optimistic this work will hold,” Kapogiannis said.

Source: The Telegraph

[realist-e]

Tip 4. Group texting or emailing the family with dates of appointments and check ups can spread the load and may encourage other people to get involved; without those lengthy conversations and awkward requests.

[realist-e]

5 top tips for caregivers this Christmas

1. Take a Break  Reducing stress is vital to your health. Family caregivers have higher illness rates than non-caregiving peers. Respite care offers short-term care for dependent adults and provides you some relief – even more important during the holidays. Types of respite include adult day care, in-home help, and assistance from family and friends.

2. Ask for Help  Many caregivers avoid asking for help and try to do everything themselves. But once you ask for help, you might find it is easier than you expected. Many times, family members and friends are willing to help, but don't know how. Here are some tips for getting family to help out.

3. Make a "To-Do List"  Making daily lists helps you stay organized during this busy season.

4. Simplify  Pare down the cookies, leave the bookcase full of Santa figures for another year – but keep the Christmas tree. You can "decorate lite." Let family and friends know that the holidays are being simplified this year.

5. Accept Imperfection  You might not feel you're not doing enough, that someone else would do better. But no one is perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect caregiver. Do your best, then accept and forgive yourself for imperfections.

These tips ensure you will have time to enjoy the holidays, while also taking care of yourself. This is vital for your health and well-being. And it can help you to be a better caregiver who is more rested, healthier -- both physically and mentally -- and less apt to feel resentful. It might even make caregiving a little easier.

[realist-e]

A Christmas Album Designed for People with Alzheimer's - AgingCare.com

For most people Christmas is a happy and exciting time of year, a chance to spend quality time with family and loved ones. For me personally as my grandparents get older, each year we have them around feels like a gift. That is not to say that Christmas is not a difficult time for carers and loved ones of someone with dementia. The disruption in their routine as well as the built up hope that this festive season may make a sudden difference to their state of mind can cause stress and upset for all involved. 

I have read many articles that claim music can have a real effect on someone with Alzheimer's, due to it triggering old memories and connecting with a part of their life that feels more familiar than the times they are now in. This year I have bought my Nan a favourite album of hers to play during Christmas Day. The above article looks deeper into this idea and recommends a company that has created an album specifically for people with dementia. I found this a fascinating idea and read. See what you think...  

[realist-e]

Tip 3. Make a folder and divide it into sections, one for each aspect of care and for the professionals involved. Keep correspondence and appointment dates in it. At the front make a clearly labelled phone list, so anyone can use the folder to chase up appointments and check information. A second folder for everything financial is also helpful when dealing with benefits, pensions, bills etc.

[realist-e]

Chancellor to pledge £15m for dementia research

Chancellor George Osborne is to announce a £15 million boost for research to find new treatments to slow down or prevent the onset of dementia.