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- High or Low Blood Pressure May Raise the Risk of Dementia
- How Alcohol Might Affect Your Dementia Risk
- The Hidden Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Susceptible to Scams? It May Be an Early Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers May Benefit from Happiness Training
- Giving Up the Guns When a Family Member Has Alzheimer’s
- Care Management Program Is Reducing Need for Anti-anxiety Medication and Visits to the Hospital/Emergency Room
- 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
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- Anemia Tied to Alzheimer’s Risk
- ‘Squeezed’ Blood Vessels in the Brain May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
- Lack of Deep Sleep Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Inflammation in Middle Age Tied to Thinking and Memory Problems Later
- Frailty May Increase Susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Intensive Blood Pressure Control May Help Keep Memory Sharp
- Inflammation May Spur the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- High Blood Pressure of Pregnancy Tied to Late-Life Dementia
- Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Share Genetic Links
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- Drugs May Not Be the Best Choice for Easing the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Drug May Lead to Life-Threatening Muscle Disease
- Opioid Painkillers Increase Pneumonia Risk in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Drug Companies Halt Trials of Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s Disease
- Diabetes Treatments May Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- Can Mushrooms Help Your Memory?
- Buyer Beware: Dietary Supplement’s Won’t Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
- Experimental Drug, Fails to Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients
- New Drug Shows Promise for Alzheimer’s
- Pain Relievers Present Special Hazards in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Trans Fats Tied to Increased Alzheimer’s Risk
- New Guidelines Urge a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Dementia
- At Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease? A Healthy Lifestyle May Help
- Exercise Can Help Keep the Brain ‘Young’
- Fighting Gum Disease May Aid in Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Aid in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
- For Brain Health, Choose Heart-Healthy Foods
- Keeping Physically and Mentally Active at Midlife May Cut Dementia Risk
- How Exercise May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- 6 Months of Moderate Exercise Can Sharpen the Mind
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- A Rare Genetic Mutation May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
- Income Drops in Young Adulthood May Impair Brain Health
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Grows Closer
- Are We Getting Closer to an Alzheimer’s Vaccine?
- Why More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s Disease
- Scientists get a ‘total surprise’ and a promising new clue for how to cure Alzheimer’s
- Some 44 Million People Have Alzheimer’s Worldwide
- Nearly 14 Million Americans Will Have Alzheimer’s Disease by 2060
- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 8th Consecutive Year
- Fisher Center For Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Wins Fall 2018 Digital Health Awards®
- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- 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
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What are the Goals of Alzheimer’s Treatment?
July 31, 2010
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 significant 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.
