Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common types of dementia, and it now affects more than seven million Americans today. While it is most prevalent in people aged 65 or older, it can sometimes also strike people in their 30s and 40s.
Continue ReadingLearn how a calendar app for Alzheimer's can help manage routines, appointments, and medications, improving life for those with dementia and their caregivers.
Continue ReadingDiscover daily habits to reduce Alzheimer's risk. Exercise, healthy eating, mental stimulation, and quality sleep are key for Alzheimer's prevention.
Continue ReadingUnderstand the connection between dementia and UTIs in Fresno, CA. Learn how urinary tract infections can exacerbate dementia symptoms and how to manage these issues.
Continue ReadingLearn how to manage senior agitation, or 'sundowning,' with calming routines, environmental adjustments, and soothing activities. Discover more.
Continue ReadingLearn about the symptoms and signs of sundowning in Alzheimer's and dementia seniors. Discover practical strategies for managing this challenging condition.
Continue ReadingApathy is defined as a feeling of disinterest, lacking the motivation to do anything or to care about anything around you. It can be a sign of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and some mental health conditions.
Continue ReadingAlthough there are many different causes and types of dementia, one thing they all have in common is that they get worse over time. Advanced dementia refers to the final stage of the disease. For everyone, this final stage comes at a different time.
Continue ReadingAccording to Alzheimer’s Disease International, someone in the world develops dementia approximately every three seconds. By the year 2030, there will be an estimated 78 million people in the world living with dementia, with that number expected to double every twenty years thereafter. With statistics like that, you may find yourself wondering what steps you can take to increase your odds of living a long life of good cognitive health.
Continue ReadingIf you are the caregiver for an older adult with dementia, one issue you may have is difficulty in getting them to sleep. While it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the cause of insomnia in seniors with dementia, it can be exhausting to both the caregiver and the senior in question.
Continue ReadingIf a senior family member or other loved one has cognitive impairment or some form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s, you may have noticed them acting differently in the late afternoon or early evening hours. Sundowning, which is also known as sundowners or sundown syndrome, is a term that refers to a group of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that people with cognitive impairments or dementia can often experience in the late afternoon or evening as the sun sets, but it can occur at other times as well. Sundowning can affect a person’s thinking, memory, personality, ability to reason, and their mood.
Continue ReadingThe holidays are often filled with high expectations, necessitating a lot of energy and engagement to stand up to the onslaught of non-stop activities and functions. But for seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, holidays can be a challenging time filled with high anxiety and stress. Festivities can often confuse, agitate, and overstimulate people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. And for caregivers, the increased difficulty can add to their existing burden of stress and anxiety.
Continue ReadingDementia impacts the lives of an estimated 50 million people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, another 10 million cases are diagnosed each year. Of those living with dementia, Alzheimer’s is by far the most common type, making up nearly 80% of cases. In the United States alone, almost 6 million people have Alzheimer’s. As the population continues to age, researchers believe this number will climb higher.
Continue ReadingThe back-to-school season can be a challenging time for seniors with dementia as they grapple with nostalgia and memory loss. Here's how you can help.
Continue ReadingVascular dementia is a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory, and other thought processes, caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain. You can develop vascular dementia after a stroke blocks an artery to your brain, but strokes don’t always cause vascular dementia. It can also result from other conditions that damage blood vessels and reduce circulation, depriving your brain of vital oxygen and nutrients.
Continue ReadingIn television and movies, the portrayal of dementia has long been fairly stereotypical. The scene is usually an elderly woman, usually in a nightgown in the middle of the evening, wandering around outside of the home. She will appear lost and distracted, and be unable to recognize her own children when they find her and want to bring her to safety, and may even resist them stubbornly or aggressively.
Continue ReadingMore than 5 million people in the United States are living with a diagnosis of dementia. Globally, it is the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases according to the World Health Organization. Societal costs of dementia are estimated at $605 billion per year, and as the population gets older overall, the number of people with dementia is only expected to increase, with estimates of over 7 million Americans living with dementia by 2025, and over 15 million by 2050.
Continue ReadingDaylight savings time may be a minor inconvenience for us but it can be entirely disorienting for seniors with dementia. Learn more about how daylight savings time affects seniors and ways to minimize its effects.
Continue ReadingGrowing older brings with it a more common occurrence of tooth and gum problems. While some seniors think losing some or all of their teeth is inevitable, the truth is that good oral hygiene and care lowers the risk of dental problems. This is even more important than ever, as poor oral health is linked with malnutrition, and a whole host of other issues like heart disease and even dementia.
Continue ReadingFor care providers as well as the family members and loved ones of the elderly, it is important to recognize the warning signs of dementia and how to distinguish them from normal changes brought on by the aging process. Dementia is a collection of symptoms that occur due to a variety of diseases. The symptoms include impairment in thought, communication, and memory. There is, unfortunately at the time of this writing, no cure for the disease. The best way we know to combat it is adopting a healthy lifestyle to hopefully prevent it or slow the progression of symptoms.
Continue ReadingHumans are social animals, and communication is a fundamental aspect of all human relationships and connections. Unfortunately, as loved ones age and the process of aging takes its toll, all too often communication breaks down and becomes difficult due to the many conditions and disabilities that can afflict the elderly. One such disorder that can sever the lines of communication is Alzheimer’s or other causes of cognitive decline such as strokes or other dementias.
Continue ReadingThe aging process is a great unknown for many of us. It’s a subject no one is keen to talk about, despite the fact that it happens to more or less all of us eventually. The truth is that there’s plenty of things you can do to prepare for the process, and tons of information you can find to guide you.
Continue ReadingApathy is defined as a feeling of disinterest, when you’re lacking the motivation to do anything or care about anything around you. While it can be caused by something as simple as a case of the blahs, it can also be a sign of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other more serious mental or emotional health conditions.
Continue ReadingAccording to a 2022 report by the Alzheimer’s Association, there are 6.5 million people in the United States living with some stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Among people aged 65 and older, more than 10% of them have Alzheimer’s, or another type of dementia such as frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, or one or more other types of dementia in various combinations.
Continue ReadingAny one of us can easily lose track of time, forget the date, not know what specific day of the week it is, or even find ourselves unsure of exactly where we are. When we go about our lives and find ourselves getting lost in the daily business of existence, it is normal to find ourselves a little disoriented here and there.
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