Tag Archives: Alzheimer’s – Unraveling the Mystery

Anemia in the Elderly a Potential Dementia Risk Factor

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By: Sue Hughes @ Medscape

Anemia in the Elderly a Potential Dementia Risk FactorAmong older adults, anemia is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, a new study shows.

“We found that if there was anemia at baseline, the risk of dementia was increased by about 60%. This was slightly reduced after adjusting for other factors. But there was still a 40-50% increase in risk which was still quite significant. Anemia is of course a marker of general frailty, which will also correlate with dementia but we tried to control for this,” senior author, Kristine Yaffe, MD, University of California San Francisco, told Medscape Medical News.

She acknowledged that this is not enough evidence to say that correcting anemia will reduce the risk for dementia.

“We need another study where the anemia is treated to make this claim, but we could say that this is another reason to check for anemia more often in older people and to treat it.”

“I am not suggesting that these results should prompt people to rush out and start taking large doses of iron. If they want to rush out and do anything they should make sure they have an annual check up and get their hemoglobin measured, and if it is low get it corrected, under medical supervision,” Dr. Yaffe added.

Read more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/808776

Related Online CEU Courses:

Alzheimer’s Disease – Overview is a 1-hour online CEU course that provides an overview of the prevalence, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as information about caregiving and caregiver support.

Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease is a 3-hour online CEU course that discusses practical issues concerning caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease who has mild-to-moderate impairment, including a description of common challenges and coping strategies.

Alzheimer’s – Unraveling the Mystery is a 3-hour online CEU course that describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments.

Professional Development Resources is approved to offer continuing education courses by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the National Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Illinois DPR for Social Work; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

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Alzheimer’s ‘Epidemic’ Could Hit the US by 2050

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The number of people with the brain disease could nearly triple during the next three decades.

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY

An Alzheimer's 'epidemic' could hit the USA by 2050A new government-funded report confirms what advocacy groups have been warning for years: The number of people in the USA with Alzheimer’s disease will almost triple by 2050, straining the health care system and taxing the health of caregivers.

Numbers are projected to rise from about 5 million now to 13.8 million. The disease robs people of their memory, erases personality and makes even routine tasks like dressing and bathing impossible.

“We’re going to need coordinated efforts for this upcoming epidemic,” says lead author Jennifer Weuve, assistant professor of medicine at Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago. “People have trouble getting their heads around these numbers, but imagine if everyone in the state of Illinois (population 12.8 million) had Alzheimer’s. I look around Chicago and can’t imagine it.”

The study is published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. Researchers analyzed information from 10,802 black and white Chicago residents, ages 65 and older, from 1993 to 2011. Participants were interviewed and assessed for dementia every three years. Age, race and level of education were factored into the research. The projections are similar to a study done 10 years ago but include new data from the 2010 Census about death rates and future population rates. An upcoming study will examine the effect on health care costs, which are expected to exceed $2 trillion, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“These numbers are more credible because they involve new Census data,” says Dallas Anderson, director of population studies and epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease at the National Institute on Aging. “If you know anyone who has Alzheimer’s disease now, you know how dire this projection is for the nation.”

The three-fold increase is largely the result of the aging Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. The main risk for Alzheimer’s is age. The population of people 65 and older is expected to more than double from 40.3 million to 88.5 million, according to the 2010 Census.

“We’ve had great success in this country when we’ve decided to focus on a condition,” Weuve says. “We’ve done it with good research in heart disease, cancer and HIV, but we are in our infancy when it comes to Alzheimer’s research.”

Alzheimer’s is the only disease among the top six killers in the USA for which there is no prevention, cure or treatment. The government boosted funding last year and made prevention a 2025 goal. Funding for the disease was $606 million — exceeding $500 million for the first time in 2012. But it trails other diseases: HIV at $3 billion and cancer at $6 billion. An additional $100 million for Alzheimer’s research for 2013 is awaiting approval, the Alzheimer’s Association says.

“We need to put the pedal to the metal on research,” says George Vradenburg, chairman of USA gainst Alzheimers, an advocacy group. “We need to find a way to prevent this terrible disease.”

Former president Ronald Reagan, who left office in 1989, disclosed in 1994 that he had Alzheimer’s. Others include Robert Sargent Shriver, actress Rita Hayworth and singer Glen Campbell. In 2011, the University of Tennessee’s legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt revealed she has Alzheimer’s.

The study was financed by the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer’s Association.

“There is great urgency for meaningful, timely and comprehensive action,” says Maria Carrillo, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/06/alzheimers-dementia-epidemic-numbers-to-triple/1881151/#

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If You Knew Then What You Know Now: Hindsight for Caregivers

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They say hindsight is 20/20. If you could go back in time: what would you now as seasoned caregivers say to your novice self about how to be a caregiver?

 

If You Knew Then What You Know Now: Hindsight for CaregiversAs a seasoned caregiver of multiple elders, I can choose to torture myself with my perceived failures at being a perfect caregiver, or I can choose to forgive myself for being imperfect, and recognize that I did the best I could at the time. You have the same choice.

 

Much like an adult who realizes that he or she has a “wounded child” living inside – a child who suffers from unearned self-blame or low self-esteem because of life events – many adult caregivers carry the guilt from their “infant” caregiving years to their grave. They spend precious time thinking about how they should have understood someone’s needs better, could have been more patient, would have done any number of things better, if only they knew then what they know now.

 

The very people who take on caregiving roles are often the most sensitive to other’s needs. Many also tend to be overly sensitive in other ways. Let’s face it. Whatever we do as caregivers seems to be wrong in the eyes of some lookers-on, generally people without all of the facts, and often people who couldn’t do what we do no matter what. Still, we are sensitive to their judgment.

 

We can decide not to be bothered by criticism from the outside. The problem is, we often aren’t aware that we are judging ourselves even more harshly than outsiders may judge us. This is particularly true in retrospect. We look back and beat ourselves up for slips, real or imagined, because we were novices and didn’t know what we know now.

 

What tips would you give yourself if you were starting fresh? You’d do your research, of that I’m sure. Government websites such as the Administration on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, plus disease specific websites and support sites such as AgingCare.com, all offer a wealth of information. Also, you’d use your local resources for in person support. You’d call your community Alzheimer’s organization, your Area Agency on Aging and watch for educational workshops. You’d take advantage of help that is available.

 

What Comfort Would You Give Your Novice Self?

 

You went into caregiving out of love and didn’t have the education to cope with specific issues, so you made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Move on.

 

Believe that if your care receiver could be the person he or she was before getting ill, you would be told, “job well done.”

 

Remember precious moments rather than perceived mistakes. Remember the intimate times – times that remind you that you were fulfilling an important calling. Remember that you made a difference. Write yourself reminders of those rewarding times and read the notes when you start criticizing your earliest caregiving blunders – or even later ones.

 

Understand that imperfection is human, and your best was – and still is – good enough.

 

Please forgive the suffering caregiver inside of you as you would a friend. Again, I say you did your best given what you knew. Give that novice caregiver a spiritual hug, and a pass for being imperfect. If you do, you’ll leave room for your brain to focus on loving moments with the people you took care of.

 

Move on from self-imposed blame and admire yourself for stepping into the difficult role of being a caregiver and seeing it through to the best of your ability. What’s important in not what you did wrong along the way, but in the end, what you got right.

 

If you could go back in time: what would you now as seasoned caregivers say to your novice self about how to be a caregiver?

 

Source: http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/about-caregiving-in-hindsight-147804.htm

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New Online ASHA CEU Course!

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Alzheimer’s – Unraveling the Mystery

CE Credit: 3 Hours (0.3 CEUs)
Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Registered Dietitians
Learning Level: Introductory
Introductory Price: $22 (Reg $27)

Alzheimer's - Unraveling the Mystery

Click on image to view course webpage

Course Abstract:

This is a web-based course requiring an internet connection to access the online reading materials. Alzheimer’s dementia is a growing concern among the aging Baby Boomers; yet, modern science points the way to reducing the risks through maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This course is based on a publication from the National Institute on Aging, which describes healthy brain functioning during the aging process and then contrasts it to the processes of Alzheimer’s disease. Full of colorful, detailed diagrams, this educational booklet describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments. Strategies for caregivers and reducing caregiver stress are also discussed briefly. Course #30-54 | 2011 | 21 posttest questions | 5 page course download includes instructions, link to online document (2008, 43 pages) and posttest questions


Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe major features of the healthy brain, including structures, metabolism & functions of neurons
  2. Identify lifestyle factors related to maintaining healthy brain functioning during the aging process
  3. Describe risk factors, common symptoms and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
  4. Identify general strategies for preventing, diagnosing, and treating Alzheimer’s disease
  5. List types of care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease
  6. Identify strategies for supporting caregivers

About the Author(s):

National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this legislation designated the NIA as the primary Federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research.


Accreditation Statement:

ASHA-Approved Provider 

This course is offered for .3 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level, Professional area).

ASHA credit expires 3/9/2014. ASHA CEUs are awarded by the ASHA CE Registry upon receipt of the quarterly completion report from the ASHA Approved CE Provider. Please note that the date that appears on ASHA transcripts is the last day of the quarter in which the course was completed.

CE Sale + Additional 10% Off!

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New 3-Hour Web-Based Course: Alzheimer’s – Unraveling the Mystery

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Alzheimer's - Unraveling the Mystery - New 3-hour online continuing education courseOne person out of eight will get Alzheimer’s by the age of 65 – and nearly half by the age of 85. Such shocking statistics drive the need to know all we can about Alzheimer’s, so we can better help our patients, their families, and ours.

Alzheimer’s dementia is a growing concern among the aging Baby Boomers; yet, modern science points the way to reducing the risks through maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

This new continuing education course, Alzheimer’s – Unraveling the Mystery, is based on a publication from the National Institute on Aging, which describes healthy brain functioning during the aging process and then contrasts it to the processes of Alzheimer’s disease.

Full of colorful, detailed diagrams, this educational booklet describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments. Strategies for caregivers and reducing caregiver stress are also discussed briefly.

Course #30-54 | 2011 | 21 posttest questions | 5 page course download includes instructions, link to online document and posttest questions

CE Credit: 3 Hours

Learning Level: Introductory

Cost: $24.30 (includes 10% off coupon on right)

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