Category: mind

2/20/2015 - Are Women at Greater Risk for Alzheimer’s?

Of the 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, nearly two-thirds are women. When it comes to adults over the age of 65, one in six women are likely to develop Alzheimer’s in contrast to one in 11 men. Why do females seem more susceptible to this disease? Read/hear the interview with Professor of Neurology and… Read more 2/20/2015 - Are Women at Greater Risk for Alzheimer’s?

2/11/2015 - If You Have Dementia, Can You Hasten Death As You Wished?

If you make a choice to hasten your own death, it can actually be pretty simple: Don’t eat or drink for a week. But if you have Alzheimer’s disease, acting on even that straightforward choice can become ethically and legally fraught. Read the full article at National Public Radio (NPR).

2/10/2015 - How Reducing Social Isolation Protects Older Adults

social isolation is associated with, and a powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, institutionalization, stroke, re-hospitalization, depression, and increased risk of suicide, just to name a few. It is linked to everything from a higher risk of contracting the common cold to faster tumor growth in cancer patients. All in all, socially isolated people… Read more 2/10/2015 - How Reducing Social Isolation Protects Older Adults

2/9/2015 - Fully Equipped Village Allows Dementia Patients To Lead Normal, Independent Lives

A Dutch village allows patients with dementia to live their lives normally while also receiving proper care. From the outside, Hogewey, located in the Netherlands, seems like any other village. It has a small grocery store, a theater and various restaurants and shops. But its residents all have dementia, and the town itself is actually a… Read more 2/9/2015 - Fully Equipped Village Allows Dementia Patients To Lead Normal, Independent Lives

2/5/2015 - Is It Really Dementia? Maybe Not.

Behind that dementia diagnosis may actually lie a treatable condition: normal pressure hydrocephalus. While an estimated 700,000 adults are living with normal pressure hydrocephalus, fewer than 20 percent of those with the condition receive an appropriate diagnosis. Read the full article at U.S. News and World Report.

1/21/2015 - Robot caregivers aim to improve seniors' quality of life

Tangy the bingo-playing robot will make its debut as part of pilot study at a long-term care facility in Toronto in the coming weeks. Statistics Canada estimates people aged 65 and older will account for almost a quarter of the population by 2051. Prof. Goldie Nejat at the University of Toronto says health-care robots represent… Read more 1/21/2015 - Robot caregivers aim to improve seniors' quality of life

1/20/2015 - AAA invests $12 million in study of older drivers’ needs

Researchers will soon be tracking 3,000 senior drivers as part of an unprecedented project to better understand the safety and transportation needs of aging Americans. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is directing $12 million to Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health so researchers there can study driving behavior and health factors affecting older… Read more 1/20/2015 - AAA invests $12 million in study of older drivers’ needs

1/20/2015 - Complexities of Choosing an End Game for Dementia

Dementia, though a terminal diagnosis, presents unique obstacles for those who want some control over the way they die. It generally kills slowly, over years, and “there is often no plug to pull,” said Dr. Stanley Terman, a psychiatrist in Carlsbad, Calif., who specializes in end-of-life decision-making and estimates that several hundred people have requested… Read more 1/20/2015 - Complexities of Choosing an End Game for Dementia

1/15/2015 - Hibernating hints at dementia therapy

Neurodegenerative diseases have been halted by harnessing the regenerative power of hibernation, scientists say. Bears, hedgehogs and mice destroy brain connections as they enter hibernation, and repair them as they wake up. A UK team discovered “cold-shock chemicals” that trigger the process. They used theses to prevent brain cells dying in animals, and say that… Read more 1/15/2015 - Hibernating hints at dementia therapy

1/14/2015 - These Common Mood Changes Can Signal Early Alzheimer’s

The vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease will experience changes like depression and anxiety. But a new study published in the journal Neurology shows that behavioral changes like these start well before they begin to have memory loss. Read the full article at Time.