Tag Archives: memory
A Blood Test to Detect Memory Decline
Increasingly, researchers are thinking of Alzheimer’s as a disease that begins years before the onset of memory loss and thinking problems become obvious. Now, they are moving closer to a blood test that can predict mental decline, and possible Alzheimer’s, … Continue reading
Completing the Circle: The Montessori Method for Alzheimer’s Care
He first stacked the pink tower cubes from the largest to the smallest, very slowly and carefully placing the smallest cube right in the center on top. He leaned back and smiled at this accomplishment. Then the pink tower was … Continue reading
People With Alzheimer’s Can’t Clear Plaque
Scientists have long been studying beta-amyloid, the sticky protein that builds up in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone makes beta-amyloid, but in those with Alzheimer’s disease, the protein accumulates to toxic levels, eventually forming clumps in the … Continue reading
Blood Poisoning’s Toll on the Brain
Every year, some 750,000 Americans suffer from sepsis, a life-threatening ailment that many have never heard of. The condition, sometimes called “blood poisoning” though no poison is involved, is an inflammatory response to serious infection that can cause damage to … Continue reading
Is Dementia Considered Contagious?
A fellow caregiver recently asked me, “Is dementia contagious?” She explained to me that since she has been caring for her mother who is stricken with Alzheimer’s, she believes that she herself has become more and more forgetful. The stressful … Continue reading
Brain Changes May Be Early Clue to Alzheimer’s
Researchers are discovering subtle changes in different areas of the brain that may be early clues to the onset of Alzheimer’s. The findings could lead to earlier diagnosis of the disease, which doctors are coming to realize may affect the … Continue reading
Speaking Two Languages May Help Keep the Brain Sharp
Men and women who are fluent in more than one language may be protected in part from the memory ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that intellectual challenges like … Continue reading
Just Forgetful, or Is It Dementia?
Everyone becomes forgetful from time to time: forgetting where you placed the car keys, not remembering to pick up an item at the grocery store, forgetting to return a friend’s phone call. And as we age, most of us become … Continue reading
Heavy Smoking Increases Alzheimer’s Risk
If you need another reason to quit smoking, here it is: People who are heavy smokers in middle age have nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in old age, a new study reports. Smoking, long known to be … Continue reading
The Long Goodbye
Just when a person’s memory really begins to matter most in life, this cruel and heartless disease comes along, disrupting everything and everyone that is close. The fact is, Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease and, unacceptably, has no known cure. … Continue reading
