My mom called me today to say that my dad was accepted into the local program after the woman in charge talked to some of my dad's doctors and caregivers at Yale. It's 3 days a week, 5 hours a day, for only $15 a day. So $45 a week, plus $2 a day for food and $.25 for coffee. $51.75 a week, and my mom gets all that time to herself. $3 an hour. You can't get any kind of sitting for that price. What a deal. He's not starting for a few weeks because they're going on vacation.
I have no idea what they will do with him. Of course he's already complaining that he doesn't want to go. But he sits home doing nothing, or taking all day to read the paper, or talking to the cat and dog. He needs to get out and be stimulated.
Some recent Alzheimer's news:
Midlife Obesity Raises Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Later People who are overweight or obese in their 40s have a greater risk of developing AlzheimerÂ’s disease later in life....Those with higher skinfold measurements in their 40s were more likely to develop AlzheimerÂ’s disease than those with smaller skinfold measurements. Those in the highest group of shoulder skinfold measurements were nearly three times as likely to develop AlzheimerÂ’s disease as those in the lowest group.....These findings are important because obesity and overweight are treatable and modifiable risk factors....
This is important to me as I am obese, and having a 1st degree relative with AD already gives me a 50% chance of getting it.
Something about this article doesn't ring true. Because I got it through Google news, it's very hard to find the original URL.
Applying brakes to symptoms of Alzheimer's with a tiny implant In what holds promise for a large number of Alzheimer's patients, a breakthrough has arrived in the form of an inch long contraption designed to be implanted under the skin on the abdomen. Indeed a promising treatment option, this implant contains a medicine that is slowly pumped into the patient's blood stream. According to the results of the clinical trails of this implant, the medicine is capable of retarding the progress of the disease for up to a year. Each contraption is designed to last up till 6 months, all the while letting out a consistent dosage to control the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Once the contents of device are completely used up, it simply blends into the blood stream, without causing any harm.
Notice that it really doesn't give any details and is kind of a "sounds too good to be true" scenario. And the use of non-scientific words like "contraption" really raises my doubts. What drug? What drug company? What symptoms? What country?
My parents walk miles every day and have for years. So they're saying my dad would be even WORSE otherwise?! I understand that doing lots of new things and doing old things new ways builds extra brain pathways, but does that really help?
Keeping Mind And Body Active Slows Alzheimer's
Researchers have uncovered the pathways behind the protection offered by environmental stimulation in Alzheimer's disease, further confirming that enhanced mental and physical activity slows neurological decline....Although previous studies have shown that increased mental and physical activity can slow the progression of the disease, how such deceleration occurs has been unclear until now.
Go to the link to read the article, which is about a study done with mouse toys that I don't completely follow. How I wish now I had stayed a biology majfocusedsed in genetics!
This drug sounds similar to the one my dad is testing ,but it's in a pill form. I'm not sure how fast the one at Yale works though.
How one pill a day could beat Alzheimer's Researchers in Australia have developed a once-a-day pill they believe may prove a vital weapon against the illness and provide hope for thousands of victims....The drug stops the build-up of a protein called amyloid, which many scientists accept is a major cause of the disease. The professor said the drug could significantly prevent Alzheimer's developing or delay its onset for many years. Early clinical testing has confirmed PBT2 is fast-acting. Levels of amyloid dropped by 60 per cent within 24 hours of a single dose. It also found it suppressed the impairment of memory function.
Living in the Shadow of Alzheimers
4 years ago
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