A dementia diagnosis might look different from one person to another, including the progression to various stages. There are three primary stages of Alzheimer’s and this is important for you as a family member to recognize the early signs and symptoms and to understand the value of incorporating appropriate estate planning when you can. The… Read More »
Posts Categorized: Dementia
What Most People Misunderstand About Younger Individuals with Dementia
Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s and dementia related conditions can affect people of any age. Although they are certainly more common with older people, there are indications from recent studies that there are thousands of people who have early onset dementia at any point in time. Early onset dementia refers to the symptoms of dementia that occur prior… Read More »
Managing the Puzzles of Alzheimer’s/Dementia
How do we all, as onlookers, family, caretakers and friends, manage the symptoms and improve the quality of life for those enduring this terrible malady? We are presented with so many puzzles presented to us who are bearing witness. We want to solve these puzzles and improve life for all those touched by this disease. … Read More »
Bill’s Blog: Michelle Boiardi, Visiting Angels, Boston Area, “Other Ways to Deal with Dementia”
Michelle, whose career includes more than a decade of working in the “memory units” of assisted living communities, recently joined the Boston area’s Visiting Angels” to advise staff, home health aides, and families on ways to care for people with dementia in their own homes. She brought that experience and significant knowledge to bear… Read More »
Court Rebukes Luminosity: Your Games Don’t Prevent Dementia
Luminosity, the famous “brain game” company, has made a name for itself by claiming to sharpen your mind with online activities. The company has even claimed that a daily dose of those games could help you avoid Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. But can they really back up those claims? Apparently not. The FTC recently took… Read More »
Lewy Body Dementia Is Frequently Misdiagnosed
That news took even Williams’ closest friends by surprise, in part because the actor had kept the diagnosis a secret and also because this particular form of the disease is so poorly understood. Dr. Angela Bentle, a geriatrics specialist with the Methodist Charlton Medical Center, recently sat down for a public-access interview to help people… Read More »
Most People Mistake Dementia For Old Age, A Costly Error
We hear a lot about disease awareness this time of year, but relatively few of those efforts are focused on Alzheimer’s and dementia. It might be time to change that, if the results of a new study are any kind of a wakeup call. A research team at Trinity College Dublin recently found that 75%… Read More »
Music is Making a Big Difference in Dementia Treatment
Even in the midst of a few discouraging headlines in recent weeks, with a new CBS report projecting a sharp rise in dementia over the next 20 years, there is some encouraging news — and it comes in the form of a song. View image | gettyimages.com Purple Angel Music is a company that records… Read More »
Do Good Grades in School Indicate a Low Risk of Dementia?
They call it cognitive reserve — the idea that some people are able to compensate for failing parts of the brain (memory, for example) because they’ve strengthened other parts. View image | gettyimages.com The theory has been around for a while, and scientists know there is something to it… but how exactly does it relate… Read More »
Doctors and Hospitals Sometimes Ignore Advance Directives
Advance directives have been a popular part of estate planning since at least 1990, when Congress passed the Patient Self-Determination Act. Since then, Americans have only grown stronger in their sentiment that they should decide for themselves what kind of treatment they’ll receive in the face of terminal illness. View image | gettyimages.com Advance directives… Read More »