It seems too good to be true that something as simple as caffeine could improve Alzheimer’s disease, but that may be the case.

New study findings reveal that caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer’s disease. According to University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), memory impairment was reversed when aged mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s disease were given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day (500 mg caffeine).

Caffeine treatment removed the beta amyloid plaques from the brains of mice with Alzheimer's. Photo courtesy of Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Researchers hope to begin human trials to evaluate if people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from caffeine.

“These are some of the most promising Alzheimer’s mouse experiments ever done showing that caffeine rapidly reduces beta amyloid protein in the blood, an effect that is mirrored in the brain, and this reduction is linked to cognitive benefit,” said Huntington Potter, PhD, director of the Florida ADRC.

Please note that caffeine isn’t yet an improved therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. While most patients could tolerate caffeine, some individuals, such as people with high blood pressure, could be sensitive to it. Further research is needed, but these findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, are still very noteworthy!

(Photo courtesy of Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center)

I discovered that my grandchildren had no prejudice when it came to the elderly with Alzheimer’s.  They accepted my mother as she was. 

The fact that she might not know them seemed to have no bearing upon the youngsters, who began visiting her at the nursing home when they were 2- and 6-years old.  They were 8 and 12 when she passed away. 

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To the younger child, Mother’s ramblings were a language he said only he understood.  “Grandma talk to me,” he said, when I wondered what she was saying. 

When asked why she visited a great grandmother who didn’t know her, my granddaughter once replied, “Because it makes Grandma happy.”

Often we think we must shelter the young from illnesses like Alzheimer’s and other conditions of the elderly.  However, these are a fact of life and often seem easier for youngsters to accept than adults.

My mother has been gone for a number of years, yet her great grandchildren remember her with fondness and talk of our visits to the nursing home, highlighted by tea parties.

One of my readers commented on my post, Parenting More Than Our Children, that few things prepare us for the role reversal of caring for our parents.  Often we’re caring for our own children, too.

I agree.  I wasn’t prepared, and it seems so strange at first. However, I learned to enjoy Mother and Auntie as they journeyed through their Alzheimer’s world. There were frustrations, disappointments, but rewards, too. My daughter and her children’s lives are richer, as well, by caring for these ladies. The memories are often bittersweet, but this was a stage in their lives that I hoped we made easier for them.

Some tips on how to prepare yourself:

• Once I realized I’d be caregiver for Mother and Auntie, I took advantage of workshops and lectures offered by a local nursing home.  This gave me insight into various aspects of caregiving.
• I found a support group.  Actually in my case, it was my neighbor who was caregiver for her great aunt.  We discussed the challenges, the joys, and discovered resources.
• I tried to learn all I could from reading and workshops. and look at the world through  Mother and Auntie’s eyes.  They taken ill with Alzheimer’s before there was much on the Internet.  Today, check out Internet resources for information.
• Start your own blog;  visit other web sites and blogs to learn how others are coping.
• Communicate with family members as much as possible and enlist their help.  Discuss the situation and your feelings.

How are you preparing for parenting your parents, spouse or elderly family members?

Many times my mom sat by my bed when I didn’t feel well.  She took my temperature, put cool cloths on my forehead, read and sang to me.  When I was feeling better, but still too ill to attend school, I lay on the couch in our farmhouse kitchen while Mother worked, but was near.

Then our roles were reversed, and I cared for Mother as she developed Alzheimer’s.  I remember sitting beside her bed in the nursing home after she broke her hip.  Mother seemed to become very depressed at that time and was confused about many things . As I sat there, I’d get the sense she didn’t want to make the effort to go on.  So I’d read and talk to her, write letters and nap, too.  I maintained this vigil almost daily for a couple of weeks.

Gradually Mother began to take an interest in her surroundings again as her hip healed. There’s a good chance she was in pain in the early days but couldn’t tell us. She never walked again, but lived eight more years to give us joy and love and be a part of our lives.

Years ago I read an article in my local newspaper, The West Australian, about a study done on nuns and the journals and/or diaries they kept, looking for clues to detect Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve been searching for any information about this study for a little while this afternoon. Well, I finally found this link, which makes interesting reading. Seems my memory isn’t so good, either. The study was on autobiographical samples the nuns wrote in their youth.

Still, I think the study, and others since, suggest keeping our brains excited by learning new things, writing letters, journal and blog entries that are rich in ideas and detail will go a long way towards keeping this degenerative disease from developing. Along with keeping ourselves in general good health it’s certainly not going to hurt and is bound to make life more interesting, anyway. Keeping a journal is one way you can work at keeping your brain fired up and in constant use.

Heather
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