Minding Our Elders®

More Evidence That Mediterranean Diet Could Combat Alzheimer's

Scientists researching several diseases have been studying the effects of a Mediterranean diet on health. The most recent study results came from collecting the diet information from more than 17,000 men and women whose average age was 64.

Cognitive ability, which is our interest in this article, was one of several elements studied. The participants took tests that measured their memory and thinking skills. During the four year study, seven percent of the individuals developed problems with cognitive skills.

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Researchers Isolate Olive Oil Component That Protects Against Alzheimer's

Midlife Experience and Alzheimer's Disease

Midlife Experience and Alzheimer's Disease

Dear Readers: I rarely run guest posts, however this offer was too good to pass up. Dr. Michael Mullan of the Roskamp Institute is a biomedical researcher in the field of neurodegenerative disorders and CEO & President of the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota, FL., a non-profit research center whose main goal is to discover new and effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Read on to learn more about lifestyle and Alzheimer’s:

Although AD is regarded largely as a disease of the elderly, in fact, the seeds of the disorder can be sown quite early in life. We now know that a wide variety of influences during midlife can influence our subsequent risk for the disease. In some cases, the link between midlife activities and medical conditions and late-life Alzheimer's are obscure but, in other cases, the underlying biological reasons for these associations are being established.

Broadly, late-life risks for AD determined by midlife experiences can be divided into four categories:  midlife medical conditions; midlife mental activity; midlife diet; and physical activity. Under the category of midlife medical conditions, it's now well established that midlife diabetes, hypertension and obesity are all risks for late-life AD. To be clear, it is not a diagnosis of hypertension per se that increases risk of late onset AD, but, rather, uncontrolled high blood pressure. Thus in several large population based studies including the Honolulu Asia aging study and the Kuopio study in Finland raised diastolic (above 95 mm Hg) and systolic (greater than 160 mm Hg) were associated with late-life risk for dementia.

Elderly Mom Losing Appetite and Weight

Dear Carol: I’m worried about my mom. She’s 89-years old and has very little appetite. At one time she was quite heavy and ate as much as my dad, but now she says just looking at food fills her up. She’s in a good nursing home and she goes to their dining room for three meals a day. They also offer snacks between meals. She’ll sometimes eat the snacks, but she just picks at her main meals. Granted, the meals are rather institutional, but they try to present them well and the atmosphere is friendly. The nurses hate seeing Mom lose weight, too, and they all encourage her to eat. Her health problems don’t explain this loss of appetite. What more can we do? Robin

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Researchers Isolate Olive Oil Component That Protects Against Alzheimer’s

The Mediterranean diet is widely recommended by health professionals as a way to promote heart health as well as for possible Alzheimer’s protection. For most people, the fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and olive oil-based salad dressings that make up the bulk of a Mediterranean diet are excellent foods for general health. However, the liberal use of extra virgin olive oil used for cooking and as flavoring for bread and salads may be the real key to why the Mediterranean diet is considered protective against Alzheimer’s.

Read more about the isolated component of olive oil that may prevent Alzheimer's:

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Mayo Clinic Advice on Integrative Medicine

Dear Readers: While traditional health care saves lives and cures many illnesses, prescription drugs and many surgeries also have risks and limitations. Because of this knowledge, or simply out of the need to take a more active role in their healthcare and that of their elders, many people are using the Internet and other resources to research historic, alternative methods of preventing or controlling illness and pain. According to the National Institutes of Health, close to 40 percent of the adults in the U.S. use some form of alternative health care. Alternative health care includes herbs, massage, meditation, acupuncture and many other techniques that have been used for centuries by other cultures.

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Compound from Grapes Could Fight Alzheimer’s

There’s no prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease at this point. The best many experts can do is to suggest that people adopt healthy habits such as reducing stress, exercising, weight control and a good diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables.  However, researchers are working hard to find an answer to the Alzheimer’s puzzle.

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Individual Attention May Be Important Benefit of Alzheimer’s Eating Study

It’s natural for caregivers to worry if their loved one is getting sufficient nourishment. People with dementia are often a challenge because they forget to eat, or they may have problems remembering how to transfer food from the plate to their mouths. Some people have trouble chewing and swallowing, especially during later stages of dementia. 

Read mores individual attention helping people with Alzheimer's eat:

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Green Tea Molecules Interfere With Formation of Plaques That May Cause Alzheimer’s

For the second time in less than a month I’ve found myself drawn to reports on the efficacy of green tea extract as a possible prevention or treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. In February, I wrote about a study conducted in the UK using purified extracts from green tea and red wine in early animal studies to interrupt the pathway that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease. The result of this study was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Read more about green tea extracts and Alzheimer's prevention:

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Nutrition One Weapon to Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s

In recent years, stories about Alzheimer’s disease have led a significant number of news broadcasts. Whether the story is about researchers discovering a promising new treatment or daunting statistics about what Alzheimer’s in the future will look like without a cure, few adults haven’t heard about the increasing numbers of people developing the disease.

Read more about how nutrition may affect your chance of developing Alzheimer's:

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Caregiving and Emotional Eating

Somewhere deep in our subconscious most of us learn to connect food – at least certain types of food – with nurturing, comfort and solace. Caregivers, stressed to the max from trying to stay ahead of the needs of elders or others who depend on their care, often turn to food to comfort themselves or to relax. There tends to be a "I deserve this" mentality, and caregivers do, indeed, deserve to be pampered somehow. It's human and actually very good to want to comfort ourselves when we are stressed or even bored.

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Vitamin D, Mediterranean Diet Help Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s

Two different studies have highlighted natural weapons we may have at our disposal in our fight against developing Alzheimer’s disease. One is Vitamin D and the other is our diet.

We’ve long known that vitamin D, generally absorbed through sun exposure but often supplemented, is necessary for bone strength. During the last few years, evidence has been accumulating showing that a low level of vitamin D likely contributes to cardiovascular disease, some cancers, strokes, depression and some metabolic disorders.

Read more about Vitamin D3 and a Mediterranean Diet as weapons against Alzheimer's disease:

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Tips on How To Cope With Elder's Eating Problems

Often, whether from physical problems or lack of appetite, eating loses its appeal to frail elders. Regardless of the reason their loved one has for not eating well, caregivers can be stressed by the situation. We know the value of nutrition. We know the feeling of hunger. We want to help them stay nourished.

Professional caregivers, such as those in nursing homes, also struggle with the issue. However, nourishment needs to be provided in the right way, which often depends on why the person has trouble eating.

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Olive oil continues to show preventive properties for stroke and Alzheimer’s

I’ve made it my personal motto to say “moderation in at least most things” – not that I always, or even mostly, succeed. Some people may say that I’m lazy, or stubborn about my diet, or that I need to do more research. All could be true. But I do feel that there’s enough evidence piling up to show us that olive oil should replace many of the fats we use, that I need to hop on this bandwagon with this.

Read more aobut olive oil and how it may help prevent strokes and Alzheimer's:

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Dementia Boot Camp: Training to Be a Caregiver, Part 1

Please wipe this mess off of my face. Please! 

Don’t go so fast, I can’t swallow! I’m not ready for a drink yet. 

Is this bite going to be hot or cold? Sweet or bitter? Pureed meat or pudding?   

Please wipe my face! 

Let me start at the beginning: A couple of weeks ago, I attended a training program at Bethany Homes, a care facility near my home. They make this sensitivity training program mandatory for their staff. Bethany uses a combination of “Dignity & Sensitivity: The Ultimate Boot Camp,” from Gemini Consulting and the “Virtual Dementia Tour” (VDT), a program from Second Wind Dreams. 

Because I am an elder care columnist, I volunteered to go through the training. When I arrived at my appointed time, I was excited and a bit stressed. I knew it wouldn’t be a picnic, but I also knew I wanted to have this experience. 

So it began.

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How to cope with difficult eating issues in elders: some tips

Whether from physical problems or lack of appetite, eating often loses its appeal to frail elders. Regardless of the reason their loved one has for not eating well, caregivers can be stressed by the situation. We know the value of nutrition. We know the feeling of hunger. We want to help them stay nourished.

Read on for tips on helping our loved ones eat better:

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Emotional eating: why caregivers often do it

Somewhere deep in our subconscious most of us learn to connect food – at least certain types of food – with nurturing, comfort and solace. Caregivers, stressed to the max from trying to stay ahead of the needs of elders or others who depend on their care, often turn to food to comfort themselves or to relax. There tends to be a "I deserve this" mentality, and caregivers do, indeed, deserve to be pampered somehow. It's human and actually very good to want to comfort ourselves when we are stressed or even bored.

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Loneliness can cause some elders to turn to alcohol

Many an elder who only drank socially, or with a spouse, finds that a nice glass of wine at the end of the day helps ease loneliness. The once concrete rule that only alcoholics drink alone is rationalized away. When aren't they alone? The death of a long-time spouse leaves a huge hole in an elder's life. Could your elder be filling that hole with alcohol? If so, how much? What can you do to help?

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Study shows diabetes doubles risk for Alzheimer's disease

A multitude of studies, some dating back to the late 1990s, have suggested a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, as well as other types of dementia. However, those studies had some inconsistencies in the definition of both diabetes and dementia, thus making the results less convincing than they could be.

According to an article on Yahoo.net:

"The authors of the new study, led by Yutaka Kiyohara, MD, an environmental medicine researcher at Kyushu University, in Fukuoka, sought to address this weakness by using the gold standard of diabetes diagnosis, an oral glucose tolerance test."

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Mother’s alcoholism root of her health issues

Dear Carol: My mom is 64 years old and had a stroke three years ago. She lives alone and I feel she cannot take care of herself. She has been an alcoholic for many years and it is putting her health at high risk, as well as her safety. Mom recently fell and lay on the floor until I found her two days later. After finding her, I called 9-1-1, but she denied any medical attention. She is very stubborn, depressed and she never leaves her home. Can I put my mother into a nursing home without her consent? Daniel

Dear Daniel: If living conditions are unsafe, a social service welfare check may help get her some help. However, as sad as this is for you, if social services can’t help, you may just have to live with her situation until it gets worse. Alcohol is a depressant. She’s isolating and she’s had a stroke. You are worried for good reason.

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Watching Your Loved One’s Fluid Intake Vital Task for Caregivers

During my mother’s last month’s of life, she continually complained to me that the nursing home staff was always pushing liquids. Mom’s appetite was poor, and had been for quite awhile. The staff at the home was concerned about Mom’s weight loss, but they were less pushy about food than fluids. I tried to tell Mom how important it was that she drink plenty of fluids, but she’d wrinkle her nose and say she didn’t want more. Thus, preventing dehydration was a constant battle when caring for Mom.

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