In the world of caregiving, sibling issues abound. Any problems that were around when you were growing up will likely turn up again, as your parents age. The pecking order rarely changes. The "girl" work and the "boy" work rarely changes. There are exceptions, of course. read more..
...Now, Eli Lilly has also announced that their contribution to the Alzheimer’s battle, solanezumab, did not meet the primary endpoints, both cognitive and functional, in either of the two Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on the drug. read more..
As 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. read more..
...Whatever the case, we do have the right to question a doctor's advice or diagnosis, ask for an explanation, and if we aren't satisfied, look for a second opinion. But the issue becomes more complicated when we question a life-long family doctor that our elders trust. read more..
...If you find yourself exhibiting disturbing symptoms that you notice yourself, or friends and family gently bring up to you, don't immediately decide that you, too, have dementia. Other issues that can make you feel as though you are having dementia symptoms are medication reactions or interactions, infections and lack of sleep. read more..
Could non-aerobic exercise help prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementia? Possibly. A recent article in The Atlantic reported on a study involving a group of seniors residing in Shanghai, China and the practice of the ancient art of tai chi as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s. read more..
The Framingham Offspring Study found that Vitamin B12 Deficiency is a big problem. How bad? As many as forty percent of the population might be at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency.By Bob...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news and information for the entire Alzheimers and Dementia community. read more..
Even though there are many, many difficulties, having Alzheimer’s does not mean you are less than you were; having dementia does not mean you are dumb...By Tom and Karen...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news and information for the entire Alzheimers and Dementia community. read more..
Caregivers frequently turn their lives inside out in order to care for their loved ones in decline. I know, because I've done it. The number of elders who depended on my help increased throughout the years, to a total of seven, though the most I cared for at one time was five. I also had two children and work part time writing as a freelancer. read more..
I love stories. When I was a teenager, I’d encourage grandparents to relate stories of their young years struggling to survive on the wind-swept prairie. When I grew older, I was fascinated by the stories my parents and in-laws told of their early years of growing up during the Great Depression. read more..
Every week we scour the news for the latest headlines in Alzheimer’s stories, care, treatment and prevention. Here are this week’s biggest stories for the week of June 18, 2012-... read more..
As a result, the molecules have great potential as a therapeutic agent to prevent or delay injury in individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
John VossUC Davis researchers have found novel compounds that disrupt the formation of amyloid, the clumps of protein in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease believed to be important in causing the disease's characteristic mental decline.
The so-called "spin-labeled fluorene compounds" are an important new target for researchers and physicians focused on diagnosing, treating and studying the disease.
The study, published today in the online journal PLoS ONE, is entitled "The influence of spin-labeled fluorene compounds on the assembly and toxicity of the Aß peptide."
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UC DAVIS RESEARCHERS CREATE MOLECULE THAT BLOCKS PATHWAY LEADING TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
"We have found these small molecules to have significant beneficial effects on cultured neurons, from protecting against toxic compounds that form in neurons to reducing inflammatory factors," said John C. Voss, professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the principal investigator of the study. "As a result, they have great potential as a therapeutic agent to prevent or delay injury in individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before significant damage to the brain occurs."Amyloid is an accumulation of proteins and peptides that are otherwise found naturally in the body. One component of amyloid - the amyloid beta (Aß) peptide - is believed to be primarily responsible for destroying neurons in the brain. Fluorene compounds, which are small three-ringed molecules, originally were developed as imaging agents to detect amyloid with PET imaging. In addition to being excellent for detecting amyloid, fluorenes bind and destabilize Aß peptide and thereby reduce amyloid formation, according to previous findings in mice by Lee-Way Jin, another study author and associate professor in the UC Davis MIND Institute and Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
The current research studied the effects of fluorene compounds by attaching a special molecule to make their activity evident using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. This technology allows researchers to observe very specific activities of molecules of interest because biological tissues do not emit signals detectable by EPR. Since Voss was interested in the activity of fluorenes, he added a nitroxide "spin label," a chemical species with a unique signal that can be measured by EPR.
The group found that spin-labeled compounds disrupted Aß peptide formation even more effectively than did non-labeled fluorenes. In addition, the antioxidant properties of the nitroxide, which scavenge reactive oxygen species known to damage neurons and increase inflammation, significantly contributed to the protective effects on neurons.
"The spin-labeled fluorenes demonstrated a number of extremely important qualities: They are excellent for detecting amyloid in imaging studies, they disrupt Aß formation, and they reduce inflammation," said Voss. "This makes them potentially useful in the areas of research, diagnostics and treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects some 5 million Americans. Current medications used to fight the disease usually have only small and temporary benefits, and commonly have many side effects.
A major obstacle in developing Alzheimer's disease therapy is that most molecules will not cross the blood-brain barrier, so that potential treatments given orally or injected into the bloodstream cannot enter the brain where they are needed. Fluorene compounds are small molecules that have been shown to penetrate the brain well.
"We have br read more..
A very important part of being a good caregiver for someone who has Alzheimer’s is taking care of you – that means exercising. The benefits of exercise are well documented... read more..
Then I say, can you give her a shot of penicillin...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
“I know God will not give me anything I can't...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Precise measurement of changes in brain networks...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Guide dogs for the mind, the holy grail, and...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
The Alzheimer's caregiver deals with a disease...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Dear Readers: Do you or a loved one use age as an excuse to not bother with taking off weight? In a recent phone interview with Dr. Travis Stork of the television talk show “The Doctors,” I asked how we can encourage our aging loved ones to lose weight and exercise when they say it’s too late to do much good. read more..
Elder care has a way of sneaking up on people. Generally, if there is an adult child living in the same town as the aging parents, it is this child who becomes, at the first sign of need, the default caregiver. That usually makes sense. You live in town. Your folks need some help with their Medicare forms, so you stop over. read more..
Dear Pdy, my mother told me to get out, and told...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
In this illuminating workshop, learn how the...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Are you an Alzheimer’s translator? Do you have...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
He helps out too much. Ann's dad had owned his own business and had employees. He was very successful. Ann's mom used to complain that after he retired, he wanted to run the house, but it didn't seem too serious. Then, when Ann's mom got sick, her dad's energy went into caregiving. He was a wonderful caregiver all the way through. read more..
There’s no prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease at this point. The best many experts can do is to suggest that people adopt healthy habits such as reducing stress, exercising, weight control and a good diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables. However, researchers are working hard to find an answer to the Alzheimer’s puzzle. read more..
It's natural for adult children to love their parents and even want to care for them as they age. But, if your parents abused you when you were a child, how do you care for them without harming yourself by being subjected to ongoing criticism and abuse? read more..
You and I travel to the beat of a different drum Oh can't you tell by the way I run Every time you make eyes at me Wo-oh
You cry and moan and say it will work out But honey child I've got my doubts You can't see the forest for the trees
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Banyan TreeEvery time we drive through Sherwood Forrest Dotty marvels at the size and shape of the Banyan trees. The Banyan trees are about 60 feet tall. Maybe taller.
I would estimate that Dotty has seen the same exact trees over 7,000 times. But now, each time its for the first time.
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Five years ago it would be unsettling to me when Dotty would start talking about those trees. She would marvel, look at those trees. Look how big they are. I can't believe it. I have never seen so many trees.
What did I do? I would remind Dotty that she had seen those trees thousands of times. It was somehow important for me to remind her. Of course, this would sometimes cause Dotty to become confused. It might even cause her to tell me that I was full of poop. Her words were not kind.
Eventually, I made my way into Alzheimer's World. After I made it into the World I started looking at things from Dotty's point of view. Why should I be upset if she asked me what day it was ten times? If she needed to know what day it was, she needed to know. After all, don't we all need to know what day it is? How would you know where to be, or where to go, or what to do if you never knew what day it was?
Once I made it to Alzheimer's World, I started to look at the world from Dotty's point of view. I tried to think and feel like she was thinking and feeling. I often asked myself, why? Why is she acting this way? Why is she feeling this way? I also stopped making it all about me. Instead, I made it about Dotty, and about us. I stopped complaining and saying, can you believe she does this, and she does that. I replaced words like she, me, and you, with words like we and us.
Once into Alzheimer's World, I started listening to Dotty. The sound of her voice. What was I hearing? Confusion? Anger? Happiness? Joy? I listened.
Today when Dotty starts marveling at the size or the number of trees, I'll be listening to her voice. I'll hear how amazed she is. How happy she sounds. I'll listen to her words. I'll feel happy. I'll also notice that those banyan trees are big and beautiful. Amazing looking in fact. Each and every time if you pay attention.
Way back when, when Dotty would act like she never saw those trees before in her life I would get sad. I would need to remind her she had seen them thousands of times. I was burdened.
Now, I listen to Dotty's sweet voice. Hear how really amazed she is feeling. It makes me feel happy. We get along better these days.
I finally learned to look at the trees.
More Insight and Advice from the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Elders in need of constant care feel their own pain. They generally feel a lack of control over their lives, as bit by bit their abilities slip away. This can make some of them disagreeable and bossy. Generally, the answer to this is to learn to detach with love. read more..
By Carol Blackwell Alzheimer's Reading...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
“What’s she doing?” “What did she say?” “What...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
