Stolen Memories
The losses of Alzheimer’s disease mount for patients and their families Lynn Roberts first noticed her mother’s memory issues in 2007. At 70 years old, her mother still had her quick wit and independence and could fully care for her husband, who had Parkinson’s disease. But her memory was starting to wane. While driving, her […]
What it’s Like to Live with Dementia
Chicago resident Tom Doyle shares with us what living with dementia is like for him. Here are his words, as told to Chicago Health writer Kate Silver. Last year, my husband, Levi, and I were attending a meeting for the Alzheimer’s Association at a downtown hotel, and we took a break for lunch. The waiter […]
7 Foundations for a Healthy Brain
While growing older can bring maturity and wisdom, it can also bring a decline in our cognitive abilities, like memory, processing speed and other brain functions. But healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce the risk of dementia, says Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center and […]
How Different Types of Dementia Affect the Brain
Restituto Miranda Sr. occasionally reminisced about driving a taxicab, working in an office supplies store and riding his motorcycle. But there was one problem: To the best of his family’s knowledge, Miranda — who had worked as a meat cutter with the American Meat Packing Corp. in Chicago — never had done any of these […]
Dealing with Dementia
Types of memory loss vary, but the effects can be profound Rosemary Pagura of Elk Grove Village and her friends thought little of it when Rosemary said she couldn’t remember where she put the dessert for their party. “We all laughed. But the next day, when I found the dessert right in the very front […]
Many with Lewy Body Dementia Also Have Alzheimer’s disease
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What’s the difference between Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s? How is Lewy body dementia diagnosed? ANSWER: Doctors diagnose Lewy body dementia based on the range of symptoms a person shows. Generally, the diagnosis requires an ongoing decline in thinking skills, along with two of the following: visual hallucinations, Parkinsonism or fluctuating alertness. […]
Build an action plan for Alzheimer’s
People who are newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease typically experience a tsunami of emotions: disbelief, fear, anger, depression, sense of loss. But after the initial shock, a person can assert some control over the future by creating an action blueprint that will guide the patient and caregivers as the disease progresses. “When someone is still […]
Brain Drain
As we age, our brains begin to decline, and problems start to arise The brain is the epicenter of our existence. It controls our thought, memory, motion and reasoning. But as our bodies age, our brains do, too. As neurons die, regions of the brain begin to shrink. Some people experience a progressive decline into […]
Don’t Forget About Alzheimer’s
There’s no cure, but researchers are hoping to prevent the most common type of dementia Traffic unexpectedly slowed on Green Bay Road through Winnetka. Glenview resident Jean Buchband was running errands following a workout session across town. After what felt like an eternity of riding her brakes and getting nowhere, the problem car pulled onto […]
Decline in dementia rate offers ‘cautious hope’
Harvard Health Blog According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2015 Facts and Figures sheet: “The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will grow each year as the size and proportion of the U.S. population age 65 and older continue to increase. The number will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom […]
New ways to help dementia patients
By Sally Abrahms, Kiplinger Retirement Report Lynn Porter has helped people with dementia learn to draw and led an American history discussion with elementary-school students. Hardly extraordinary — except that Porter also has dementia. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2006, Porter, a retired jeweler from Cambridge, Mass., spent two years in a pioneering day program […]
Memory lapses — when not to worry
By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: I just turned 70. I have always had a great memory. But now I occasionally can’t remember names. Is this normal memory loss, or something more serious? A: For many of us, these types of memory blips become more common as we get older. Our brains are forming fewer connections […]
Alzheimer’s patients can craft their own care plans
By Eleanor Laise, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report Caring for someone with dementia can present a host of difficult questions. When should the patient be moved to a long-term-care facility? Would she want to participate in experimental drug trials? Under what circumstances would she want life-sustaining treatments? A growing array of advance-planning documents are helping seniors facing […]
