Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

  • Alzheimers
    Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder (disorder of the nervous system) in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. 
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 11 September 2015

Can Alzheimer's be prevented?

Currently there's no proven way to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Research into prevention strategies is ongoing. The strongest evidence so far suggests that you may be able to lower your risk of Alzheimer's disease by reducing your risk of heart disease.

Many of the same factors that increase your risk of heart disease can also increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Important factors that may be involved include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, excess weight and diabetes.

Keeping the patient active physically, mentally and socially will make their life more enjoyable and may also slow down the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

Related reading: http://www.patientsengage.com/healthy-living/what-can-you-do-prevent-dementia

 

Community
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Condition
Alzheimers
Changed
Fri, 12/18/2015 - 19:17

Stories

  • I never wanted my mother to go into a dementia care home
    Carol D’Souza, a consulting psychologist, recounts her mother’s advancing dementia and how she and her family made peace with the agonizing decision to put her in a care home. Putting my mother in a Home was one of the most difficult decisions made by my family and me. Onset of dementia seemed so sudden for her; it started with bizarre behavior of her staying awake all night – worrying about all sorts of things she absolutely did not need to.  Her life had turned into a…
  • The case for Palliative Care
    An awareness film made by Indian Association of Palliative Care based on excerpts from over 200 interviews conducted with working and retired nurses across India  
  • Palliative care in Kerala - lessons and answers
    With a palliative care policy formulated in 2008, Kerala has become a path-breaker and a model for the rest of the country. Professor Devi Vijay of IIM Calcutta provides some insights into this community-based aspect of health care.  1. What can the rest of the country learn from the success of the Kerala palliative care story?How can other countries and communities leverage this community-based model?  There are several elements of the Kerala palliative care movement worth examining…
  • Tis in my memory lock'd
    For Alzheimer's Awareness Day on Sept 21, we share a poignant snapshot of memory loss via JoyBhattacharjya  Sambit Chatterjee, Soumitra Chatterjee's brother passed away this year. He was an Alzheimer's patient and my father often met him while helping out at the day care centre in Salt Lake. I once wrote about how daddy knew from my mother's stories how Sambit and Soumitra also grew up in Krishnanagar around the same time as my mother. Knowing that Alzheimer's patients' memories…
  • 10 Tips on Communicating with a Patient with Dementia
    Ekta Hattangady became her mother’s primary caregiver when she was 13. Her mother had Early Onset Alzheimer’s at age 43. Hindsight is always 20-20. I was an Alzheimer’s caregiver between 18-15 years ago. The world was a different place then. The internet was not as big as it is today and nor was Alzheimer’s a household name. Not in India, anyway. As time has passed, my work with families and people with dementia has increased and my level of knowledge about the disease has grown…
  • Alzheimer’s – a most wretched disease
    Balbir Singh Rawat, now 87, looked after his wife who had Alzheimer’s Disease. He talks of the challenges, learnings and what we, as a society, need to do to tackle this scourge of the elderly. My wife’s troubles started sometime in 2005 when she was hardly 70 yrs old, the prime age of a grandma. The disease crept in so slowly that none noticed the subtle changes in her behaviour by way of reactions to external stimuli.  When we did notice, it was too late to avail of any chance of…
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
    What is Alzheimer's disease? Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder (disorder of the nervous system) in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. The disease starts mild and gets progressively worse. Mostly, it’s the neurons (nerve cells) that are destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease. Our thoughts and memories move through nerve cells as electrical charge. Alzheimer’s disease disrupts electrical charges within the cell and also the activity of…
  • Alzheimer's Stages and Complications
    What are the stages of Alzheimer’s disease? The disease progresses differently in different individuals, but the following offers a rough guide to the various stages: Stage 1 – Mild/Early (lasts 2-4 yrs)  This stage may be marked by frequent memory loss, particularly of recent conversations and events. The person may repeat the same questions and show some difficulty in understanding conversation. Mild coordination problems, like writing and using objects. Depression and apathy can occur,…
  • Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
    How can you keep the patient well: Creating a safe and supportive environment: You may need to modify the home depending on the needs of the patient. This may include locking doors (if the patient is prone to wandering), installing gates in front of stairs to prevent falls, removing rugs or other objects that one could trip over, use of bright lighting or labelling the kitchen or the bathroom to reduce confusion for the patient.  Regular exercise: This has known benefits for heart health…
  • Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention
    Can Alzheimer's be prevented? Currently there's no proven way to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Research into prevention strategies is ongoing. The strongest evidence so far suggests that you may be able to lower your risk of Alzheimer's disease by reducing your risk of heart disease. Many of the same factors that increase your risk of heart disease can also increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Important factors that may be involved include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol,…