“I’m forgetting,” a caregiver exclaims  “Could I have Alzheimer’s, too?”
Sometimes I wondered when the burden of caregiving left me exhausted and Mother had yet one more repeated question (she’s asked it just five minutes before), plugged the toilet with newspaper (because she was back in the outhouse days), or emptied the leftovers from the refrigerator in the night for her cat. 
Do you ever say to yourself, when wondering why this disease affected your loved one, “Will I come down with it, too?  Will my family have to care for me like this?”  Do you look at your parent and wonder if the genes …read more

A group of researchers in the United Kingdom contend that many of those with early stage Alzheimer’s disease are safe to drive providing they are closely monitored.
According to Dr. Desmond O’Neill, who co-wrote the analysis published in the June 20th edition of the British Medical journal, the clinical evidence led them to a conclusion that “…with frequent assessment of driving skills, the risk of accidents among older people with dementias was acceptably low for up to three years after diagnosis.” (Driving and Alzheimer’s)
Want to know more about whether someone with Alzheimer’s should be driving or not? Check out this ‘Practical …read more

Another study, this one conducted by researchers from the University of Washington, indicates there may be a connection between lung function of persons in the 65+ age range and the liklihood of developing dementia. This is summarized in OT Practice (Aug. 14, 2006 issue) as reported at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (www.alz.org ).
After doing lung capacity tests on these patients, the researchers followed up 5 years later and conclude there may be a possibility of using lung funciton as a predictor for dementia risk.  They also indicate that prevention of lung disease might be a factor in decreasing this …read more