Alzheimer's & Dementia Care

This tender exchange between a daughter and her mother with late-stage Alzheimer's will warm your soul.

Many dementia patients reach a point where they can't separate fact from fiction.

I think most of us would do almost anything to avoid the difficult fate of getting Alzheimer's.So, I was interested to see an article about seven simple things we could do NOW to prevent getting the disease later.

Family members say they don't notice my cognitive impairment; even though I can clearly see how it's affecting my day-to-day life.

Companies are creating robots that can complete household and caregiver tasks, provide comfort in the shape of a cat, as well as call 9-1-1 in an emergency. But where do we draw the line?

Just as many caregivers agonize over what to do about an older adult’s unsafe driving, more families are facing another serious dilemma: taking guns from elderly parents. An experienced caregiver weighs in on concerns about senior gun owners.

There is an entire set of literature about the topic of not feeding at the end of life. It even has its own acronym, VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking).

Soon the idea of artistic interventions like "Living Words" in care homes will become commonplace. These programs enable families to see their loved ones responding when they thought responses were no longer possible, speaking when they thought their words had dried up, and creating a feeling of togetherness when they thought their loved one had vanished into a closed world.

The increased focus on Alzheimer's research is promising, but the efforts have all but ignored one of the most devastating features of this disease: the behavioral symptoms of dementia.

Certain supplements—especially coconut oil and curcumin—generate lots of interest when it comes to the topic of Alzheimer's prevention. Leading neurologist and Alzheimer's expert Dr. Rudy Tanzi weighs in.

The stories we hear and the stories we tell define who we are and how we perceive our world. Alzheimer's is perceived by many as a story-stealer, but a courageous group of caregivers and patients aim to change the view of Alzheimer's disease.

I was trying to cope with all of the horrible things that had happened and Charlie’s lack of compassion wasn’t helping. I am starting to suspect he is losing his empathy along with his mind.

The amount and type of Alzheimer's care training that health care professionals receive varies, depending on where their job description and where they work.

New research claims hundreds of thousands of Americans could be affected by a specific type of Alzheimer's that most doctors and patients don't know about.

People sometimes ask me if depression makes a person more susceptible to Alzheimer's. The question is important and there is certainly an association between the two.

For people with symptoms of dementia, sharing their feelings can give validation and bring relief. It is up to those of us who don't have dementia to allow these individuals to express themselves as they are, without reproach or correction.

Alzheimer's affects some 5.4 million Americans; and it is a disease for which there is not only no cure, but no meaningful treatment. Still, it's fundamentally important to embrace the notion that Alzheimer's is a preventable disease.

There are many ways to learn how to be a better dementia caregiver, but perhaps the most informative are in-person educational experiences that include role-playing exercises.

I recently found a few interesting memory care tricks from an unlikely literary source: "And The Mountains Echoed," by Khaled Hosseini.

It's the question every dementia caregiver has about their loved one: What can I do? Unfortunately, there's no easy answer.