So often you are rushed and stressed this time of year as you finish  shopping, attend school holiday programs, do extra baking, possibly deal with stormy weather and exercise patience with the Alzheimer’s patient under your care.
While you’re scurrying about, remember the importance of a smile.
1. Smiling makes you feel better.  Yes, admit it…even if you don’t want to!
2.  A smile comes through in your voice.
3. A smile and “smiling” voice helps improve the mood of those around you.
4.  Smiles erupt into laughter and humor.
5. Alzheimer’s patients enjoy smiles and laughter, too.  “We don’t laugh enough,” my mom once remarked, when hubby …read more

A new study published in the September 4, 2007 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, indicates that people who currently smoke are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or dementia than those who smoked in the past or are non smokers.
Study author Monique Breteler, MD, PhD (Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands) states that “Smoking increases the risk of cerebrovascular disease, which is also tied to dementia…Another mechanism could be through oxidative stress, which can damage cells in the blood vessels and lead to hardening of the arteries. Smokers experience greater oxidative stress …read more

According to researchers at the University of Edinburgh, mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, are more common in domestic cats that previously thought.
Apparently, the researchers found signs of senility in over 50% of the cats they study. The cats in question were over the age of 15 (which translates to 85 plus in human years)
Danielle Gunn-Moore, head of the Feline Clinic at the Hospital for Small Animals, says that cats with senility may display signs of ‘…inappropriate inappropriate vocalizing, forgetting commands, breaking housetraining, pacing, wandering, sluggishness, unusual interest or disinterest in food, and decreased grooming and confusion, such as “forgetting …read more

A six month multi-nation study involving over 300 patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease ‘…found that cognitive function stabilized or improved in 63 percent of people taking donepezil in comparison to 39 percent of people taking placebo. In comparison to the placebo group, those taking donepezil showed improvement in memory, language, attention, and recognizing ones name. The donepezil group also showed less of a decline in social interaction, skills needed to complete a jigsaw puzzle, and arranging sentences in comparison to the placebo group.’(reference)
Results of the study were published in the July 31, 2007 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of …read more

It’s not a new idea. Remember the old saying ‘use it or lose it.’
A recent study, the Rush Memory and Aging Project, focused on the connection between engaging in mentally stimulating activities and how that is related to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 700 participants with the average age of 80 were involved in this longitudinal study over a period of five years.
The results:
“The study found a cognitively active person in old age was 2.6 times less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than a cognitively inactive person in old age. This association remained after controlling for …read more

Study Title: Alzheimer’s Disease and Cost-effectiveness Analysis: Ensuring Good Value for Money?
Alzheimer’s Note’s received the following press release:
The study was sponsored by ACT-AD, a coalition of 49 national organizations representing patients, providers, caregivers, consumers, older Americans, researchers and employers and shows that the U.S. could save trillions of dollars by 2050 if critical Alzheimer’s treatments were available.
The report will be revealed during a press briefing on Monday, May 14 from 12-1pm EDT at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The paper will also be posted with the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Results of studies continue to be released concerning the issue of diet and how it affects Alzheimer’s victims…whether certain foods or diets promote the formation of Alzheimer’s or whether some help prevent and slow the disease.  A recent study performed by researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City considers that cutting down on calories may slow down or even stop the development of Alzheimer’s.
These results of the study performed with squirrel monkeys is expected to appear in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Diseases, November issue.  To read more about this news, check out the announcement on Yahoo.com …read more