Alzheimer's Cure Just Got Closer!! Breakthrough Study

It would appear that this breakthrough will have more application to those of you who are now caretakers rather than those in your care.  However, any good news regarding the various types of debilitating brain diseases is a time for celebration.  

Here is an article from the BBC website.

Alzheimer's breakthrough hailed as 'turning point'

Professor Giovanna Mallucci says the hope is to arrest the process of brain cell death

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• Stopping brain death breakthrough
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The discovery of the first chemical to prevent the death of brain tissue in a neurodegenerative disease has been hailed as the "turning point" in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

More work is needed to develop a drug that could be taken by patients.

But scientists say a resulting medicine could treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other diseases.

In tests on mice, the Medical Research Council showed all brain cell death from prion disease could be prevented.

Prof Roger Morris, from King's College London, said: "This finding, I suspect, will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent Alzheimer's disease."
He told the BBC a cure for Alzheimer's was not imminent but: "I'm very excited, it's the first proof in any living animal that you can delay neurodegeneration.

"The world won't change tomorrow, but this is a landmark study."

Please visit http://BrightStarCare.com/jupiter for more information on Alzheimer's and on services that we can provide regarding companion care or skilled nursing care for your loved one.

Continue reading the details here

New Early Diagnosis Test for Alzheimer's Include Peanut Butter and a Ruler

 

University of Florida Says More Testing Needed, but Simple, Inexpensive Test Works

In a recent post, we tried to sort out some of the myths surrounding Alzheimer's, especially as those misunderstandings apply to other forms of dementia or, in some cases, just normal old absent mindedness.

One thing that isn't a myth:  Doctors have very few reliable ways to determine who has Alzheimer's early in the progression of the disease.  It is this very inability that leads to care givers and loved one's trying to second guess which lapses are normal and which are evidence of the early stages of the dreaded Alzheimer's diseases.

Now enter a small study conducted by the UofF as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A plop of peanut butter on the end of a ruler could be the key to an early Alzheimer's diagnosis, claims new research coming out of the University of Florida. 

Graduate student Jennifer Stamps reported her group's findings from a small study in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

The university reported that she came up with the idea of using peanut butter to test the smell sensitivity after noticing that patients were not tested for sense of smell.  The ability to smell is associated with the first cranial nerve, often one of the first nerves affected in cognitive decline. 

But why peanut butter?  Stamps said it's a "pure odorant" that is only detected by the olfactory nerve, and peanut butter is easy to get.
Click here to read the complete report.  

While the various reporting on this test concludes that more testing is needed to confirm this small effort, the results are very promising.  Most articles also advise against using this test as a home diagnosis tool, no matter how tempting. 

10 Signs of Dementia Reported by Jupiter Home Health Care Agency

Not All Forgetfulness Is Evidence of Dementia.  Not All Dementia is Alzheimers

As part of a small group of mostly seniors, the wife's admitted that they were painfully aware of even the slightest behaviors that might be evidencing oncoming dementia.  The husbands immediately

became defensive (of course), and the women attempted to show them that it wasn't any type of criticism, but rather just concern that sometimes created anxiety.

I suspect that there are many middle age and senior adults who are anxiously wondering whether their loved one's failure to remember a date or the name of a famous movie star is normal or evidence of the first stages of much worse to come.

♦ Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60-80 percent of all cases of dementia in Americans.

Other Dementias

In addition to Alzheimer’s disease, there are several other diseases that are characterized by dementia symptoms, including vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

• Vascular dementia is a common cause of dementia and is a result of brain damage from cerebrovascular or cardiovascular problems, such as strokes or endocarditis
• Lewy body dementia is a progressive form of dementia that involves the death of cells in the brain’s outer layer and part of the mid-brain. Many of the surviving cells in these areas contain abnormal structures called Lewy bodies
• Frontotemporal dementia is associated with the degeneration of nerve cells in the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain
• Huntington’s disease is a hereditary disorder that causes degeneration in the brain and spinal cord
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is believed to be caused by an abnormal form of the prion protein^.

Dementia - Other Causes

Other conditions can also cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms include:

• reactions to medications
• nutritional deficiencies
• infections
• poisoning
• brain tumors
• and anoxia or hypoxia (conditions in which the brain’s oxygen supply is either reduced or cut off entirely)

Many of these other causes of dementia can be temporary or treatable.

One in nine people age 65 and older (11 percent) has Alzheimer’s disease. About one-third of people age 85 and older (32 percent) have Alzheimer’s disease.  A total of 15% of the population over 65 will suffer from some form of dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth-leading cause of death for those age 65 and older. One in three seniors will die with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.

As you review the list below, please pay special attention to the What's normal portion of each item.
We all want to be vigilant and quick to respond to actual illness.  But it is so easy to take the most normal activity out of context.  I don't want to be flip about so serious a subject, but a quick reading of this list would have had my mom and wife both thinking I had dementia from a very early age.

If you need help caring for a loved one, whether merely companion care, or even skilled nursing in the home, Bright Star Care can be a great resource for you.  Please don't hesitate to call or visit us at

BrightStar of Jupiter/Martin County
725 North A1A suite E-109
Jupiter, FL 33477
561-741-1200
http://brightstarcare.com/jupiter

	Memory loss
	Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia. A person begins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later. What’s normal? Forgetting names or appointments occasionally.

	Difficulty performing familiar tasks
	People with dementia often find it hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. Individuals may lose track of the steps to prepare a meal, place a telephone call or play a game. What’s normal? Occasionally forgetting why you came into a room or what you planned to say.

	Problems with language
	People with Alzheimer’s disease often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand. They may be unable to find their toothbrush, for example, and instead ask for "that thing for my mouth." What’s normal? Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

	Disorientation to time and place
	People with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost in their own neighborhoods, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home. What’s normal? Forgetting the day of the week or where you were going.

	Poor or decreased judgment
	Those with Alzheimer’s may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold. They may show poor judgment about money, like giving away large sums to telemarketers. What’s normal? Making a questionable or debatable decision from time to time.

	Problems with abstract thinking
	Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are and how they should be used. What’s normal? Finding it challenging to balance a checkbook.

	Misplacing things
	A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. What’s normal? Misplacing keys or a wallet temporarily.

	Changes in mood or behavior
	Someone with Alzheimer’s disease may show rapid mood swings – from calm to tears to anger – for no apparent reason. What’s normal? Occasionally feeling sad or moody.

	Changes in personality
	The personalities of people with dementia can change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member. What’s normal? People’s personalities do change somewhat with age.

	Loss of initiative
	A person with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities. What’s normal? Sometimes feeling weary of work or social obligations.

from http://www.10signs.org/ten_signs.asp

Studies: Amazing Evidence of Decline in Incidence of Dementia

Dementia Rates Are Declining According to Two Studies.  Outcome Predicted by Some

Watch Researchers See Decline in Dementia, Offering Optimism on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

 Partial Transcript.  For the full transcript go to:  Researchers See Decline in Dementia, Offering Optimism for Power of Lifestyle

GWEN IFILL: New research suggests there may be some good news in the struggle against dementia.
Two recently released studies show severe memory loss declining among healthier and better educated populations. In England and in Wales, dementia rates over the last two decades have dropped by 25 percent among those 65 and older.

And in Denmark, the percentage of elderly whose cognitive abilities were severely impaired also dropped between 1998 and 2010.
In the United States, about five million people have Alzheimer's disease, but that number is expected to rise sharply as baby boomers age.

>>> If you are a caregiver of an individual and need help with any aspect of their care, from companion care to skilled nursing in the home, give us a call at Bright Star Care - Jupiter