Photo: Pia Christensen/AHCJBrent P. Forester
While scientists are getting closer to understanding the various causes and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementias, there’s still no cure.
However, that doesn’t mean life is hopeless for millions of people who have the disease, or their families. There’s a lot we can do improve their quality of life, according to panelists at a Health Journalism 2019 session on Alzheimer’s. Continue reading
Photo : Kelsey Kremer, Des Moines RegisterLinnea and Gailen Clausen share a moment outside the central Iowa nursing home where he lives, three hours away from their northwest Iowa home. Other nursing homes rejected Gailen Clausen, 55, because his early onset dementia caused confusion and anxiety, which sometimes led him to be aggressive toward staff.
Nursing homes are supposed to be places that care for ill, frail adults — many of whom also suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The disease takes a terrible toll on those who have it, whether it’s forgetting who their loved ones are, forgetting how to eat or use the toilet, or sliding into a state of agitation and violence. That’s the time when more nursing homes are saying “enough.”
And, as Tony Leys writes in this article for the Des Moines Register last fall, they’re kicking them out, sometimes even if there’s nowhere else for them to go. Continue reading
Despite the partial government shutdown, some wheels in Congress keep turning. Among them, the BOLD Act (Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s) was signed into law on December 31.
The BOLD Act authorizes $100 million over five years to develop a public health approach for improving prevention, treatment and care for Alzheimer’s patients by creating a national public health infrastructure to combat the disease and preserve brain health. Continue reading
Photo: Ian Iott via Flickr
There is no cure for dementia, a devastating group of diseases that eventually rob people of their memory, personality and quality of life. Only a few drugs are approved in the U.S. for short-term use to treat symptoms such as memory loss and confusion. A recent analysis found that many patients remain on these drugs much longer than recommended, resulting in potential health risks and thousands of dollars in additional costs. Continue reading
Photo: Liz SeegertActress Jane Krakowski, talking to Katie Couric, teared up as she spoke about her dad’s diagnosis of early onset dementia at age 61.
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. Despite decades of research, there’s still no cure, and few options to slow or minimize symptoms. The last Alzheimer’s drug was approved more than 15 years ago, but a new campaign, called Disrupting Dementia, hopes to drive new diagnostics and treatments while also supporting patients and families affected by this devastating condition.
Photo: Ann via Flickr
The population of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to more than double by 2060, according to a new study by UCLA researchers. By 2060, an estimated 15 million people in the United States will have Alzheimer’s, dementia or mild cognitive impairment, up from about 6.08 million this year. The researchers used computer models to analyze data from the largest studies available on rates of Alzheimer’s progression to estimate the number of people in preclinical and clinical disease states. Continue reading