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- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
- Family Members Provide 100 Hours a Month of Unpaid Care for Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers Should Be Screened for Depression
- Alzheimer’s Care Costs Far More Than Heart Disease or Cancer Care
- Obesity at Midlife May Speed Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hello from my mom
- Easing the Behavior Problems of Alzheimer’s Without Drugs
- When Alzheimer’s Leads to Legal Wrangles
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- Daytime Sleepiness May Be Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Disease Increases the Risk of Falls
- High Blood Sugar Tied to Memory Decline
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Gets Closer
- Worried About Your Memory? Alzheimer’s May Not Be to Blame
- Brain Changes of Menopause May Promote Alzheimer’s
- Predicting Who Will Get Alzheimer’s
- Personality Changes Are Not the Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Midlife Heart Problems Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
- Anemia Tied to Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk
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- Music May Ease the Anxiety of Alzheimer’s
- Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug, Intepirdine, Disappoints in Study
- An Eye Scan for Alzheimer’s?
- Drug to treat Alzheimer’s is Ranked Highest
- Patients Often Fail to Adhere to Alzheimer’s Drug Schedules
- Could Treatments for Diabetes Help Treat Alzheimer’s?
- Pharmacists Can Aid in Alzheimer’s Care
- Two-Drug Combo May Ease the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Are New, More Effective Alzheimer’s Drugs on the Horizon?
- Nasal Spray Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment
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- Eat Fish, Fruit, Vegetables and Nuts for Brain Health
- Beet Compound Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s
- A Single Night of Not Sleeping Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Should Alzheimer’s Patients Drink Coffee?
- Can a Salad a Day Help Keep Memory Sharp?
- Fitness in Midlife Tied to Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age
- Doctor’s Orders: Exercise for the Sake of Your Brain
- Positive Beliefs About Aging May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s
- Brain Training May Help to Ward Off Dementia
- How Art Can Aid People With Alzheimer’s
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- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
- Fisher Center Scientists make two new Significant Discoveries in the battle against Alzheimer’s
- Dementia Rates Are Slowing, but Alzheimer’s Cases Continue to Rise
- Fisher Center Scientists Create a Novel Imaging Technology Allowing the 3D Visualization of Brain Defects That Cause Alzheimer’s Disease
- Negative Beliefs About Aging Could Prime the Brain for Alzheimer’s
- Recognizing Faces Is a Challenge for Those With Alzheimer’s
- Fisher Center Scientists Discover Pathway That may Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Move Closer to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
- Can Vitamin E Slow Alzheimer’s Decline?
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
- Fisher Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and recent activities
- Featured on NASDAQ’s Billboard
- Online Chat on Reddit.com with Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard
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What are the Goals of Alzheimer’s Treatment?
The primary goals of treatment for Alzheimer’s are to improve the quality of life for the person suffering and for his or her caregiver(s). Treatment typically comprises three interrelated approaches:
1.) Slowing the progression:
Treatment in most cases will involve methods of slowing cognitive decline and treating specific symptoms and/or co-occurring conditions with drug therapies.
2.) Managing the behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s:
There are many different strategies for doing this. Non-drug approaches, which should be tried first, are used by families and caregivers in consultation with social workers, nurses or support-group facilitators. Specific strategies that might be recommended for managing these symptoms include:
- Teaching caregivers how to communicate and interact with the person in ways that improve functioning and reduce behavioral problems;
- Involving the person with Alzheimer’s in structured therapeutic activities;
- Modifying the home environment to make it safer and easier for the person to function;
- Maintaining overall health through regular medical care, proper diet and exercise, and using complementary health approaches as appropriate to address specific health needs.
If non-drug approaches fail to adequately manage behavioral problems, talk to your physician about medications that may help. You’ll need to describe any behavioral problems to your doctor. You might want to use a journal to keep track of day-to-day changes in behavior and note when symptoms arise, what might precipitate them, and what, if anything, helps resolve them when they do arise.
Your doctor may recommend appropriate medications, depending on what the symptoms are, from a group of drugs generally referred to as “anti-agitation drugs”. The types of medications that might be used include antidepressants (if the patient has depression); anti-anxiety drugs (also called anxiolytics), anti-psychotic medications (some of which are also called neuroleptics); sedatives, and sleep medications. There are many different drugs within each of these classes of medication. Each acts in a somewhat different way and has different side effects, some of which may be severe. As a rule, doctors generally prescribe the lowest dose possible to alleviate symptoms and adjust the dosage as necessary.
3.) Support and education for the family and caregiver:
Caring for a person who has Alzheimer’s poses tremendous challenges, emotionally, physically and financially. Caregivers are subject to high levels of chronic stress, and caregiver burnout is a major factor in the inability to continue caring for a person with Alzheimer’s at home.
Research shows that when families and caregivers are educated about Alzheimer’s disease and have the appropriate support, care of the person with Alzheimer’s is improved. There are many education and support programs available. Good programs can equip the caregiver with the skills and support necessary to care for a loved one at home and can significantly delay the time when placement in a nursing home becomes necessary. Taking advantage of these programs will improve not only the quality of life of the person with Alzheimer’s, but also that of the family and caregivers.