From aggressive patients with Alzheimer’s to frustrated caregivers, dementia is increasingly entwined with violence in private homes and residential facilities.
Higher education for seniors shows promise – for combatting social isolation, increasing well-being and delaying the onset, or slowing the progression, of dementia.
With an ageing population, dementia is becoming more and more prevalent. But what does dementia actually do to the brain to cause changes in behaviour?
Media pioneer Ted Turner’s announcement that he has Lewy body dementia brings the illness into the spotlight, which is rare. A neurologist explains why it’s hard to even get a correct diagnosis.
Large institutions for people with disability and mental illness were once commonplace. These have now been replaced with smaller community-based services. With aged care, we’re doing the opposite.
Older people living in residential aged care often have few friends, no meaningful interactions and feel socially isolated. Most people are depressed and some may no longer wish to live.
Because of their sedative effect, antipsychotic medications are often used – in fact they are over-used – to “manage” people with dementia. This is against clinical guidelines.
Australia’s aged care sector is in trouble. Our experts have previously explored the complex aspects of the system, exposing where the problems are, and have been for some time.
Taking low-dose aspirin daily doesn’t delay the onset of disability in healthy older people. Nor does it prevent heart attack or stroke in those who hadn’t experienced either condition before.
Alzheimer’s disease affects many people under the age of 65. The ‘young-onset’ version of the disease is often misdiagnosed as depression or dismissed as a midlife crisis.
Rachel Buckley, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Have you noticed your thinking ability drops during winter and spring? A new study of healthy adults and dementia patients found cognitive function declines in the colder months.
More than 16 million people in the U.S. take care of people with dementia. Could we learn something from how other cultures view dementia as more of a social disease rather than a lonely one?
Alzheimer’s is not only the third leading cause of death in the U.S. but also the most dreaded diagnosis. Genetic testing can help determine susceptibility, but knowing whether to test isn’t easy.