Minding Our Elders®

New studies reveal knowledge about the path Alzheimer’s disease may follow

Recent news that the path Alzheimer’s disease travels in the brain may finally have been nailed down has created a lot of excitement. Researchers believe this discovery may lead to a new direction in developing a way to prevent or cure the disease. A New York Times article reports on two independent studies, both of which concluded that Alzheimer’s disease seems to spread like a viral or bacterial infection by a “distorted protein known as Tau.” These studies were done on mice.

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Early on-set Alzheimer’s challenges people under 65

The news is everywhere. Pat Summitt, a virtual legend in women’s basketball who has won more games in her coaching career than any other college coach, has been diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s disease. The news is rocking the college sports world because it seems so unbelievable. This active, healthy, intelligent woman, just 59-years-old, now has a brain disease that will forever change her life.

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Basketball legend Pat Summitt diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease

A combination of intelligence, drive, competitiveness and leadership, all in a homespun Southern voice that took women’s basketball (and women’s sports in general) from forgotten to the forefront.

These words, written by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, beautifully describe Tennessee Lady Vols’ basketball coach, Pat Summitt, who–at age 59–has been diagnosed with early on-set dementia. Summitt had experienced months of what she labeled “erratic behavior” before she scheduled an examination at the Mayo Clinic last May. Her diagnosis was early on-set dementia. This type of diagnosis is life changing at any age, but at age 59, the effect is even more unnerving.

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Managing stress hormones to protect our brain

It's no secret that the fight and flight response our bodies have as part of our DNA can quite often get stuck in overdrive. No longer does this response, which causes the body to pump out hormones to help us flee danger, kick in only in life threatening situations. For many of us, daily life keeps these hormones flowing at top speed. Gradually, as we age, the overload of stress hormones can take a toll on our cardiovascular system or/or our brain. Heart attacks, strokes and memory issues can be the result. 

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Study suggests liver connection with Alzheimer’s disease

In the ongoing search for causes and/or a potential cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are always surprises. Most Alzheimer’s research still leans toward examining the hallmark beta amyloid deposits that create the plaques in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

Recently, a study was published in The Journal of Neuroscience Research that indicates, “…significant concentrations of beta amyloid might originate in the liver, circulate in the blood, and enter the brain. If true, blocking production of beta amyloid in the liver should protect the brain.”

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Senior centered emergency rooms designed to minimize trauma a step forward

Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) has been on my radar for quite awhile. Who or what is NICHE? I’ll let the organization speak to that:

“Started in 1992, Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) is the only national geriatric initiative to improve the care of older hospitalized adults. The NICHE program comprises nearly 300 hospitals throughout North America. NICHE is a program of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing.”

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Micro-bleeds in the brain may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to study

Lately, I’ve been reading about doctors finding “mixed dementias,” as they attempt the tricky diagnosis of people with dementia symptoms. This makes sense to me. Several people have told me about an aging parent who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, only to find out later that the diagnosis should have been vascular dementia with some additional symptoms that could point to possible Alzheimer’s disease.

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Nasal Insulin Could Help People with Early Alzheimer’s or Mild Cognitive Decline

Evidence continues to accumulate that shows a correlation between overall health and Alzheimer's. Now, insulin, given in the form of a nasal spray, is being tested on people with Alzheimer's disease, with good preliminary results.

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Contradictory Studies: What Do We Believe?

Here’s a mind-bender folks. I very recently wrote about an article published in Scientific American titled, Alzheimer's Prevention Strategies Remain an Elusive Challenge, which stated, “In late April a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including gerontologists, nutritionists, neurologists and geneticists, found that various postulated approaches to prevention, ranging from use of prescription drugs, dietary supplements and avoidance of toxins, have ‘no evidence considered to be of even moderate scientific quality' to back recommendations that these steps can be used to stop the onset of the disease."

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Alzheimer’s Journal Reports on Quick Test to Spot Early Alzheimer’s

With new awareness of Alzheimer’s can have us feeling as though the disease is lurking around every corner, ready to devour any one of us at any time. It’s easy to get paranoid. We wonder with every memory glitch, is this Alzheimer’s? We wonder even more, if we have Alzheimer’s in the family. We wonder more yet if we have early on-set Alzheimer’s in the family.

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Preventing Alzheimer’s: Exercise, Diet and Brain Games Show Promise

People want to know. Can we prevent Alzheimer's? Certainly, there are no guarantees. Throughout my years writing for this site, I've written about studies on exercise, diet and brain games. All have shown some promise, but none say "this will prevent Alzheimer's." Now, a Wall Street Journal article titled "How to Outsmart Alzheimer's: New Effort Tries to Fight Disease With Word, Math Games, even Wii for Exercise," shines an even brighter light on this approach.

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Scholars Coming Forward with Their Alzheimer’s Stories Helps Reduce Stigma of Dementia

Brilliant people get Alzheimer's and other dementias. Three rather public figures that come to mind are recent Nobel prize winner, physicist Charles K. Kao, retired psychologist, professor and Alzheimer's activist Richard Taylor and the husband of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Most of us can name a few lesser known figures, though to us they are far more important. My dad's dementia was much like Alzheimer's, however it was brought on by brain surgery that was meant to correct the effects of a World War II brain injury. We all probably know and love others who may not have been well educated, or achieved public acclaim of any kind. What better recommendation can anyone have but to be loved?

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Aging and Psychology Marry in Book on Aging and Illness

Tamara McClintock Greenberg has written an important book on aging and the medical community. Psychodynamic Perspectives on Aging and Illness gives readers much to think about. Hopefully, many of these readers will be members of the medical community.

People are living longer but not always better. Aging carries with it many psychological challenges. Medicine is still more about curing rather than helping people cope with challenging medical futures. Greenberg's book challenges medical people to look at the whole person they are treating. It challenges medical people to look at the medical system. It challenges readers to consider the trauma elders are subjected to while the system treats them as just another cog in the wheel. And it examines many psychological traumas elders must endure.

This book is not light reading. However, the information included is important and the humanness of some of the material is surprising, given the rather imposing title and scientific appearance. I would recommend it to anyone interested in how elders are treated in our medical system, but I'd be down right pushy in recommending it to medical professionals. Greenberg's book, published by Springer, can be found in bookstores and online.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors Shown to Have Side Effects Serious to Some Alzheimer’s Patients

All drugs have side effects. That's pretty much a universal factor. Most drugs that pass through rigorous testing and gain FDA approval are determined to have enough benefit to make any known risks acceptable. Often, however, it takes time for all side effects to become clear. Often, too, the significance of the effects isn't absorbed by the doctors prescribing the drugs. From Canada comes a story titled, "Dementia drugs may put some patients at risk, Queen's study shows," that reports on a study about the side effects of some Alzheimer's medications.

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Consumer Reports Launches New Hearing Aid Site

Hearing aids. Most people put off the decision to buy or not to buy hearing aids as long as they can. The equipment keeps getting better (and more confusing and more expensive). Also, there's a certain amount of ego deflation involved in admitting hearing loss due to aging, though much hearing loss is due to our noisy society and is occurring at younger ages.

Consumer Reports has launched a very good site about hearing aids, how to rate them, buy them and what to look for in the business you trust to help you with your hearing problem. If hearing loss troubles your or your loved one, check out this site. There's a lot of good information.

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Ten Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Aging takes its toll, but way too often certain changes people experience are chalked up to "just normal for the aging process." While we don't want to panic every time we have a memory slip, we do want to catch Alzheimer's early, if that is what's happening. There are now drugs that can slow the decline and preserved quality of life for a much longer time. The Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) has an excellent list of 10 warning signs. This is well worth checking out.

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HBO Series on Alzheimer's begins May 10

HBO's "The Alzheimer's Project" airs starting today continuing through Tuesday (May 10- May 12). The Web site provides you with all the information you need about the series, plus indepth information on Alzheimer's. You'll find, on the site, information about the project, films to watch, basic information on Alzheimer's, hope through research, the national impact, how to get involved and how to get help.  This HBO series should be superb. Maria Shriver, who has written a children's book on the subject, hosts one part, called, "Grandpa, do you know who I am?" There's a phone number for help - just tons of information. Even if you miss the series, check out the site soon.

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Statin Study Shows Promise for Alzheimer's Disease

"This stuff ought to be in the drinking water!"

I remember hearing that from doctors when they first found out how effective the early cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, were. Of course, I also read a couple of articles where at least one doctor thought Prozac, an anti-depressant that belonged to a new class of  drugs, ought to be given to everyone - that way everyone could be happy all the time (true, I did read that, though it was short-lived). I think most doctors and researchers have gone beyond that jubilant mentality.

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Study Shows Insulin Can Help Protect Brain From Alzheimer’s

My area of the country has a relatively high rate of diabetes. When I was spending a good portion of every day in a local nursing home, taking care of the needs of family elders, I would often see quite young folks in wheelchairs, recovering from foot surgery or even an amputation due to diabetes. Blindness and other serious consequences of diabetes are well known. My area of the country has a relatively high rate of diabetes. When I was spending a good portion of every day in a local nursing home, taking care of the needs of family elders, I would often see quite young folks in wheelchairs, recovering from foot surgery or even an amputation due to diabetes. Blindness and other serious consequences of diabetes are well known. Now, however, there is evidence that a type of Alzheimer's can also be a consequence of diabetes.

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Can An Oil From the Coconut Tree Help Alzheimer’s?

Dr. Mary Newport, who has spent her practice taking care of babies, is also the wife of a man with early-onset Alzheimer's. Newport contacted me and asked if she could send me an article, along with some links to newspaper stories, about an oil found in the coconut tree and its effects on Alzheimer's disease. I said sure. I'm always happy to learn about new ideas in development. When the article arrived, I was impressed by how promising this sounds and excited that there may be one more product, already available, that could protect brains and even help the quality of life of those with Alzheimer's disease.

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