"Granny's in a muddle: Granny needs a cuddle"
A six year old grandson's response to Joy losing the thread due to young onset Alzheimer's dementia. Alzheimer's is a common form of dementia associated with amyloid plaques and nerve fibre tangles. It begins with short term memory difficulties and is associated with wasting of the hippocampus which plays a part in immediate memory. The other common form of dementia is a mixed picture associated with multiple small strokes.
I heard Joy Watson speak recently and thoroughly recommend her approach to living well with dementia. Dementia-friendly design is important and would benefit us all, with fewer accidents and better demarcation of boundaries.
Details here.
Glass tables and visual illusions on the wall disorientate people with difficulties estimating distance due to poor vision, people who've had a stroke and those of us who walk about with a mobile in our hand.
Wendy Mitchell talks here about her diagnosis with Alzheimer's despite living a healthy life 'nothing can protect you," she says. She's keen to encourage people to contribute to dementia research. You can follow Wendy's twitter feed here:
@WendyPMitchell
The greatest challenge is to create whole communities that are sympathetic to people with dementia. People who 'get in the way' by walking slowly along the pavement may be doing the best they can to stay active.
Regular physical exercise is reported to preserve the hippocampus, a region of the brain which thins in association with Alzheimer's dementia. The Cochrane review is guarded in its summary of the value of exercise in dementia:
There is promising evidence that exercise programs may improve the ability to perform ADLs [activities of daily living] in people with dementia, although some caution is advised in interpreting these findings. The review revealed no evidence of benefit from exercise on cognition, [thinking] neuropsychiatric symptoms [delusions, hallucinations], or depression. There was little or no evidence regarding the remaining outcomes of interest (i.e., mortality, caregiver burden, caregiver quality of life, caregiver mortality, and use of healthcare services).
Social contact seems the most important factor in helping people with dementia to function at their best. Particularly as people with dementia commonly withdraw and become isolated. Dementia Action Alliances are springing up all over the country. You can find out your nearest initiative here.
A six year old grandson's response to Joy losing the thread due to young onset Alzheimer's dementia. Alzheimer's is a common form of dementia associated with amyloid plaques and nerve fibre tangles. It begins with short term memory difficulties and is associated with wasting of the hippocampus which plays a part in immediate memory. The other common form of dementia is a mixed picture associated with multiple small strokes.
I heard Joy Watson speak recently and thoroughly recommend her approach to living well with dementia. Dementia-friendly design is important and would benefit us all, with fewer accidents and better demarcation of boundaries.
Details here.
Glass tables and visual illusions on the wall disorientate people with difficulties estimating distance due to poor vision, people who've had a stroke and those of us who walk about with a mobile in our hand.
Wendy Mitchell talks here about her diagnosis with Alzheimer's despite living a healthy life 'nothing can protect you," she says. She's keen to encourage people to contribute to dementia research. You can follow Wendy's twitter feed here:
@WendyPMitchell
The greatest challenge is to create whole communities that are sympathetic to people with dementia. People who 'get in the way' by walking slowly along the pavement may be doing the best they can to stay active.
Regular physical exercise is reported to preserve the hippocampus, a region of the brain which thins in association with Alzheimer's dementia. The Cochrane review is guarded in its summary of the value of exercise in dementia:
There is promising evidence that exercise programs may improve the ability to perform ADLs [activities of daily living] in people with dementia, although some caution is advised in interpreting these findings. The review revealed no evidence of benefit from exercise on cognition, [thinking] neuropsychiatric symptoms [delusions, hallucinations], or depression. There was little or no evidence regarding the remaining outcomes of interest (i.e., mortality, caregiver burden, caregiver quality of life, caregiver mortality, and use of healthcare services).
Social contact seems the most important factor in helping people with dementia to function at their best. Particularly as people with dementia commonly withdraw and become isolated. Dementia Action Alliances are springing up all over the country. You can find out your nearest initiative here.
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