Study predicts dementia via driving data
Tracking drivers’ behaviors can predict dementia, according to a recent study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Researchers developed algorithms for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers, according to the study’s findings, published in the journal Geriatrics this ... READ MORE
Should early dementia patients drive?
Dear Savvy Senior, Is there a good rule of thumb regarding when dementia patients should stop driving? My 82-year-old mom has early stage Alzheimer’s disease but still drives herself around town just fine. —Inquiring Daughter Dear Inquiring, Most doctors agree that people with moderate to severe dementia should never get behind the wheel. But in the early stages of... READ MORE
Inadequate sleep raises risk of dementia
The main cause of the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain as we age. Beta-amyloid is a toxic protein that is discharged as a waste product into the fluid surrounding brain cells. If it is not cleared away in a timely manner, it clumps together to form plaques that prevent the brain cells from communicating with one... READ MORE
Horse therapy helps dementia patients
Horses can change lives for the better. A number of residents from a Baltimore retirement community have had first-hand experience with the healing powers of a soft nose and gentle eyes. Each spring and fall, Broadmead, a Quaker Life Plan Community in Hunt Valley, sends four to six of its residents with dementia to the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School (ROSES) in Glen Arm — a... READ MORE
Testing a drug to delay cognitive decline
Do you or a loved one have trouble remembering appointments, conversations or even what happened yesterday? Have you noticed that it’s harder to make decisions or follow a recipe? These are symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). About 15 to 20% of people over the age of 65 have MCI, which some doctors consider an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease or other kind of... READ MORE
Most misperceive likelihood of dementia
Many older American adults may inaccurately estimate their chances for developing dementia and do useless things to prevent it, new research suggests. Almost half of adults surveyed believed they were likely to develop dementia. The results suggest many didn’t understand the connection between physical health and brain health and how racial differences can affect dementia... READ MORE
Hope for nipping Alzheimer’s in the bud
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to nip Alzheimer’s disease in the bud before it got started — or at least nab it in its early stages? This has, of course, been the dream of researchers and medical professionals for several decades. Now it appears the dream might soon become a reality. Last month, an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences... READ MORE
Dementia risk raised by cancer treatment
Alzheimer’s disease may be a risk for older prostate cancer patients given hormone-blocking treatment, a large, U.S. government-funded analysis found. Previous evidence has been mixed on whether the treatment might be linked with mental decline. But experts say the new results stand out because they’re from a respected national cancer database and the men were tracked for a long time ... READ MORE
Lifestyle may offset Alzheimer’s genetic risk
A large study has found that, regardless of how much genetic risk someone had for Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, a good diet, adequate exercise, limiting alcohol and not smoking made dementia less likely. About 50 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type. Genes and lifestyle contribute to many diseases, but researchers only... READ MORE
New Alzheimer’s-like condition identified
Some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it’s critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart. Too often, the word dementia is used interchangeably with Alzheimer’s when there are multiple types of brain degeneration that can harm people’s memory... READ MORE
