Misconceptions, early warning signs and the latest reseach that offers hope… PatientsEngage interviews Dr.Jacob Roy Kuriakose, Vice President, Alzheimer’s Disease International on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Month.
62% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries. Why is this? Is it due to lifestyle, diet or lack of awareness? What can be done to lower the numbers?
With increasing life expectancy, number of people with dementia is going up. …
Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, announced he would be joining the growing ranks of Google Life Sciences. Insel has served as NIMH's director for 13 years. He wrote in his statement, "The [Google Life Sciences] mission is about creating technology that can help with earlier detection, better prevention, and more effective management of serious health conditions. I am joining the team to explore how this mission can be applied to mental…
Swapna Kishore was a caregiver for her mother for many years. She has created many online resources for dementia caregivers in India, including an English website, Dementia Care Notes and its Hindi version Dementia Hindi. Here, she answers some questions by PatientsEngage. Please tell us about your mother's early dementia symptoms and how her condition progressed. My mother's early symptoms included mild disorientation, memory problems, and repeating herself…
You’ve been asked to take a terminally ill loved one home. Are you ready for this? Dr. R. Akhileswaran, Medical Director, HCA Hospice Care, Singapore tells you how to make the last days as comfortable as possible in this interview with PatientsEngage. Plus, talking about death and other questions we are too afraid to ask. 1. Patients in their last stage of life are often advised by doctors to take the patient home but family members are often afraid to do so. …
Cerebral Assessment Systems has received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Cognivue, a cognitive-assessment tool that functions somewhat like a video game. A patient can perform the inexpensive and simple test while a time-strapped primary-care physician tends to other patients. The 10-minute, noninvasive examination can detect subtle lapses in the brain’s perceptual ability that may signal the early stages of mental decline caused by dementia. The…
Botox injections can be a great alternative for people with leaky or overactive bladders. Overactive bladder (OAB), is a condition where the nerves send wrong signals to the bladder at the wrong time, leading to a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate (urinary incontinence). "Anticholinergics is the main treatment option but their side effects, for example, dry mouth, constipation, and blurring of vision, are some of the reasons why patients stop treatment", said Dr. Colin Teo, head and senior…
By Valerie Koh for TODAY, Singapore, 30 MAY 2015 A third and more devastating stroke left retiree Madam Chan’s father-in-law bedridden in a nursing home for more than a decade, incapable of eating, speaking or moving. 15 years after her father-in-law died, Mdm Chan, 61, remains shaken by the memories of his ordeal, and more importantly the guilt of whether they should have revived him. “I’ve decided not to have artificial life-sustaining treatment and not to have CPR (cardiopulmonary…
The delay in diagnosis changes the prognosis, treatment approach, and the cost associated with it, dramatically By Jame Abraham, M.D, FACP, Cleveland Clinic Arathi is a 47-year-old, highly successful systems engineer from Mumbai. About six months ago, she noticed some discomfort in her left breast. When she raised her arm above her head to comb her hair, she noticed some skin changes on the left breast. But she chose to ignore that, too. When she developed a constant nagging pain in her…
Says Dr V Shanta, cancer specialist and the Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Lung cancer, which is related to smoking, is today the top cancer in the country. Within the year, 15.5% of 13 to 15-year-olds are going to start smoking. Don’t let your child be one of them. Plus, how smoking harms non-smokers, too. 1. How grave is the health problem posed by tobacco use in India? How much of it relates to smoking cigarettes, beedis and how much is it due to consumption of gutka,…
