Category: dementia

Different types of dementia respond to different treatments. While none can cure the underlying brain disorders or significantly slow their progression, both drug and nondrug interventions can help reduce symptoms and improve a patient’s quality of life. Nondrug treatments are generally the first line of defense for people with dementia. Commonly prescribed nondrug therapies include:… Continue reading Dementia Treatment: Medications, Therapy, Music, and Others| Everyday Health

Few understand dementia, a term used to describe conditions associated with a severe decline in mental ability. This Is Dementia, a new documentary available on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Google Play, aspires to raise awareness of the condition that affects 5.8 million people in the United States. John DenBoer, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist in Scottsdale,… Continue reading 'This Is Dementia' Documentary Offers Hope and Practical Tips for Healthy Brain Aging

For years, doctors have used a number of different testing tools to screen for cognitive impairment in older adults. Examples include the verbal fluency test, in which your doctor may, for example, ask you to list as many animals as you can in 60 seconds, or the Sweet 16 test, which quickly assesses several types… Continue reading USPSTF Gives Cognitive Impairment Screening an ‘I’ for Insufficient Evidence

Are there benefits to taking a multivitamin? Although the over-the-counter daily supplements are considered safe, many health institutions and experts consider them unnecessary unless a person has been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency. In spite of that, vitamins are quite popular — it’s estimated that about 1 in 3 Americans take supplements, and the classic… Continue reading Taking a Daily Multivitamin May Help Prevent Dementia

People who stayed married to one person for many years in mid-life had a lower risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Aging and Health. “Being married can have an influence on risk factors for dementia,” said lead author Vegard Skirbekk, PhD, at the Norwegian… Continue reading Brain Health Linked to Long Marriages

When it comes to keeping the brain in working order, don’t underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. Research by Stanford University scientists, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, found that too little sleep — or too much — can be disruptive to brain health. Scientists discovered that sleeping six hours or less was… Continue reading Sleeping Too Little May Heighten Dementia Risk in Older Adults

As the population ages and the number of people with dementia rises, work intensifies to find tools for making early and on-target diagnoses of the illness. An article published in Neurology online February 21, 2018, adds to this body of research by showing how a simple analysis of how people walk — their gait —… Continue reading Simple Walking Test Helps Diagnose a Cause of Dementia

The most common types of dementia — Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal disorders — are all progressive. People lose their cognitive skills over time, finding it more and more difficult to meet the demands of everyday life. Yet every person with dementia will experience it in a unique way. Some hold steady… Continue reading How Dementia Progresses

Heredity influences whether or not a person develops dementia; having a parent or sibling with dementia is a risk factor. But with the exception of rare diseases caused by specific gene mutations, experts believe that environment and lifestyle also play a significant role. Researchers are actively studying these variables in clinical trials around the country… Continue reading Preventing Dementia: Steps to Take to Reduce Risk

The risk of suicide is nearly seven times higher after a diagnosis of young-onset (under the age of 65) dementia, according to a new UK study published online October 3 in JAMA Neurology. The risk of suicide was also higher within the first few months of diagnosis and in people who had previously been diagnosed… Continue reading People Diagnosed With Early Onset Dementia Are at Higher Risk for Suicide