People who live with dementia and those who care for them are at increased risk of social isolation and loneliness. That can make floods and other emergencies especially distressing and dangerous.
Older people with COVID are at higher risk of a new Alzheimer’s diagnosis within a year of testing positive. Vaccination against viral infection remains one of several important preventative measures.
Action is needed to hold off a wave of dementia cases in an aging population. One of the most effective tools to reduce the prevalence of dementia is to address modifiable factors.
A new theory of Alzheimer’s disease reassesses the role of beta-amyloid in the brain.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Alzheimer’s may not be primarily a disease of the brain. It may be a disorder of the immune system within the brain. Beta-amyloid may not be an abnormal protein, but part of the brain’s immune system.
People who get COVID continue to face increased risks of developing some neurological and psychiatric conditions, like psychosis and dementia, for up to two years afterwards.
Inflammatory cells surrounding amyloid plaque and activation of astrocytes, critical in maintaining the brain health.
Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute
Not all Alzheimer’s research has been compromised by allegations of scientific fraud. But we should interrogate whether the governing bodies of research and drug approvals are truly effective.
The need for friendship does not diminish with age.
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Dementia doesn’t affect everyone equally. Social factors can determine how likely you are to suffer from the illness, including your socioeconomic status, where you live, and your background.
Communities that are underrepresented in research may also be at increased risk for dementia, or tend to experience dementia differently, often with poorer quality of care, later diagnoses and at possibly higher rates than the general population.
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Much dementia research does not reflect ethnically diverse communities. Studies used to make policy, clinical and investment decisions in dementia should reflect the diverse Canadian population.
Because they help to create a shared understanding, metaphors can play a critical role in navigating the gap between the knowledge patients and health-care providers bring.