Last spring the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reported that for males, by delaying retirement, the age of onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was also delayed. On average, each additional year of work staved off Alzheimer’s disease by seven weeks.

Not known are questions such as:

• Did retirement somehow bring on the disease?
• Are people who are at risk for Alzheimer’s unlikely to keep working?

The researchers speculate that employment challenges may help to keep the mind healthy and agile as one ages. For many people, it’s a financial necessity to keep working, but it might prove to be a great benefit to the brain. Click here to read the abstract of the study.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is:

• responsible for $172 billion in annual costs in the United States
• the seventh leading cause of death in America
• not limited to the elderly, with people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s developing the disease
• currently affecting more than 5 million Americans, resulting in 11 million Alzheimer and dementia caregivers who provide $144 billion in unpaid care for their loved ones
• a disease someone in America develops every 70 seconds and by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.

The statistics are staggering. If a person enjoys work, then by all means it might be a good way to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, if one does not enjoy working or if it is too stressful, then delaying retirement would not be a good option. There are so many things that one can do in retirement to continue to stimulate the brain.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a booklet called, Maintain Your Brain, and subtitled — there is growing evidence that lifestyle can affect your brain health. You can obtain this 16-page online booklet by clicking here. If you want a quick summary, the 10 ways to maintain your brain discussed are:

1. Head first
   Good health starts with your brain. It’s one of the most vital body organs, and it needs care and maintenance.
2. Take brain health to heart
   What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Do something every day to prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke — all of which can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s.
3. Your numbers count
   Keep your body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels within recommended ranges.
   
4. Feed your brain
   Eat less fat and more antioxidant-rich foods.
5. Work your body
   Physical exercise keeps the blood flowing and may encourage new brain cells. Do what you can — like walking 30 minutes a day — to keep both body and mind active.
6. Jog your mind
   Keeping your brain active and engaged increases its vitality and builds reserves of brain cells and connections. Read, write, play games, learn new things, do crossword puzzles.
7. Connect with others
   Leisure activities that combine physical, mental and social elements may be most likely to prevent dementia. Be social, converse, volunteer, join a club or take a class.
8. Heads up! Protect your brain
   Take precautions against head injuries. Use your car seat belts, unclutter your house to avoid falls, and wear a helmet when cycling or in-line skating.
9. Use your head
   Avoid unhealthy habits. Don’t smoke, drink excessive alcohol or use street drugs.
10. Think ahead — start today!
    You can do something today to protect your tomorrow.

Here are two evils — Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Which would you choose? Of course, neither. I recently read something that said if you have Alzheimer’s you’re not likely to get cancer and vice versa, if you get cancer, you’re not likely to get Alzheimer’s. So that got me researching — is Alzheimer’s disease protection for cancer?

In December 2009, Neurology published a report by Dr. Catherine M. Roe of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis which stated that understanding the link between Alzheimer’s disease and cancer may lead to possible treatments.

Roe and her team studied 3,020 people aged 65 and older. They were followed for an average of five years to see if they developed dementia and an average of eight years for cancer. Here is how the study started:

• 164 (5.4%) had Alzheimer’s disease
• 522 (17.3%) had cancer

Here is what they found:

For people who had Alzheimer’s disease at the outset, the risk of future cancer was reduced by 69 percent compared to those who did not have Alzheimer’s disease when the study started.

For white people who had cancer when the study started, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 43 percent compared to people who did not have cancer at the start of the study.

This effect, however, did not apply to minority populations. In fact, the opposite effect was observed in minority populations — those who started out with cancer at the beginning of the study were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. However, the sample size of minorities starting off with cancer (29 individuals) was too small for the result to be considered significant.

Overall, the results of this study support previous findings that cancer and brain degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease may share common molecular underpinnings. However, Roe noted in an email to Reuters Health, “Since we found no associations between vascular dementia and cancer, we don’t think that cancer is linked to dementia generally.”

Vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, is caused by clogged blood vessels and other conditions affecting the blood supply to the brain. Based on the current study, only the degenerative form of dementia, and not the form caused by lack of blood to the brain, appears to be somehow protective against cancer.

To read the full article, click here.

The American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias recently reported in an open-label pilot study that apple juice improved behavioral, but not cognitive symptoms in moderate-to-late Alzheimer’s disease patients. Although this was a very small study of only 21 institutionalized patients who drank two 4-ounce glasses of apple juice twice a day for a month, the study suggests that apple juice may be a useful nutritional supplement since, as Alzheimer’s disease (AD)  progresses, the mood of AD patients may decline as well. It may help ease the burden for caregivers.

The study said, “Caregivers reported an approximate 27% (P < .01) improvement in behavioral and psychotic symptoms associated with dementia as quantified by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, with the largest changes in anxiety, agitation, and delusion.”

Exactly how apple juice might help remains unclear. It’s possible that the antioxidant nutrients in the apple juice reduces the oxidative damage to the brain tissue.

Since this was a very small study funded by the apple industry with no placebo, the conclusions need to be viewed with caution. However, given that apple juice is a healthy and inexpensive beverage, it would seem a positive thing for caregivers to try.

Freddi Donner

Guest blogger and caregiver, Freddi Donner, shares a poignant remembrance about her mother.

My mom died around noon on December 31st, 1999. She hated New Year’s and I think she decided just to skip the hyped up transition to 2000. Her journey through Alzheimer’s was more difficult for me and my sisters than for her. Of course, she was VERY angry when we told her about her diagnosis and thought my sister and I were so cruel for telling her. As her journey progressed, I began to study the disease. Knowing the “7 stages”, or that there were stages at all, helped me understand what was happening.

We moved her to assisted living for her safety. It was not long after that date she had to be moved to the locked floor. This is when she became childlike. “I have just come back from New Orleans!”, she shares one day. “Mom, why didn’t you let me know? I would have gone with you!” She shared the events of her trip that had an uncanny agenda of a trip she took in her 20’s.

Mom taught me through her journey that imagination is more fun than reality, so let’s just play there. My roles changed as the visits continued (her mom, her sister, an aid, her daughter) but the stories got more entertaining. “I got married last week” was my favorite! She had actually “taken” to one of the male aids who worked the midnight shift. I guess they spent a LOT of time together, because that is who she “married”.  I honestly believe that my mom had more fun in the midst of the Alzheimer’s disease than she had in real life. She loved life and got to relive all her favorite memories and recreate the life she really wanted. God bless her.

Freddi Donner
Unlock your possibilities
for better health and more wealth
E-mail: freddi@forhealthandbalance.com
Co-Chair, Health and Wellness Committee
Dulles Regional Chamber
_______________________
www.nikken.com/freddi
www.forhealthandbalance.com
NEW: www.livewellvirginia.org

Continuing my highlights of Alzheimer’s Care with Dignity by Frank Fuerst, in today’s post I list 6 caregiver products that Fuerst considers specifically helpful for people with dementia. You may be able to get them free or at a reduced cost. Ask your contacts such as members of your support group or see if it’s a Medicare-qualified item.

Consult his guide for a complete list, but the following are those that solved major physical and psychological challenges for him. Having gotten them sooner he feels would’ve prevented a good deal of stress.

1. Bathroom transfer bench
2. Geriatric chair
3. Plastic runner
4. Hand-held shower
5. Stair lift
6. Wheelchair

A bathroom transfer bench is one where two legs remain inside of the tub with suction cups and two legs are outside of the tub.  It comes with a backrest. Since the person remains seated while bathing, a hand-held shower works well. (Hand-held showers work well for cleaning the tub as well).

A geriatric chair is like a wheelchair except that it is larger and more comfortable. Get one with a tray that can swing down and out of the way.

Plastic runners will help to keep your carpet in good condition in case of accidents. They have spikes on the bottom to hold it in place. Not all plastic runners are alike even though they may look alike. Since you need to walk on the runner, a softer plastic might be more  comfortable than a stiffer one. Use them in areas where there are likely to be accidents such as from the bed to the bathroom and in eating areas.

Stair lifts are expensive, but might still be a less costly alternative to other home alterations. Fuerst suggests that you check the Internet. One source is http://silvercross.com for more information. They also sell used equipment and will buy back equipment, but don’t expect to recover much of your purchase price.

Finally, wheelchairs are available everywhere, but if you’ve never ridden in one, they are not exactly comfortable. Be sure to add a cushion, preferably a high quality gel cushion as mentioned in this post.

In my last post, I reviewed Alzheimer’s Care with Dignity by Frank Fuerst. It’s a book that I believe should be at your fingertips. In this post and others to follow, I want to highlight some of the chapters that were especially interesting and helpful. One of the most important members of your team is your doctor and in this post, I highlight how to choose a doctor for Alzheimer’s disease patients. However, Fuerst quotes the Alzheimer’s Association in the June 2006 report to Congress:

When a person under age 65 goes to a doctor with symptoms of dementia, the doctor may not even think of dementia as a possibility or may not know how to diagnose it. As a result, getting an accurate diagnosis can be a long, difficult, and frustrating process.

For Fuerst, it took almost three years and he states:

If one suspects early onset dementia, one should choose a doctor who can distinguish between depression, menopause, and dementia. A neuro-psychiatrist may be more likely to recommend tests that will give a more accurate diagnosis. The best choice for most people is a doctor whom other doctors highly recommend.

What makes an ideal doctor? A Mayo Clinic study suggests the following:

1. Confident
2. Empathetic
3. Humane
4. Personal
5. Forthright
6. Respectful
7. Thorough

Are there any other traits you could recommend?

Caregiving at a Glance

The Alzheimer’s Family Day Center has a wonderful booklet for Alzheimer’s disease caregivers called Caregiving at a Glance. It’s designed with tabs that you can simply slip your finger under and get to the information you need. Sample topics covered include:

• Sleeping
• Bathing
• Car and Home Safety
• Activities … What to do Between Meals
• Hostility and Aggression

On the topic of “Wandering,” for example, they suggest you register your loved one with the Safe Return program sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. You can call them toll-free at 1.888.572.8566 or on the Web at www.alz.org/safereturn.

“Troublesome Behaviors” is another section of this booklet. This covers a wide gamut, but they talk about things like screaming, repetitive phrases, or picking at clothes, tearing paper into tiny shreds, and other behaviors that develop in the middle to the late stages of the disease.

This wonderful resource is available at the Alzheimer’s Family Day Center by calling 703.204.4664 or e-mailing them at AFDC@alzheimersfdc@org.  The booklet is free – one copy per person. It was published with the permission of the Alzheimer’s Association. The project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Administration on Aging, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 20201.

Last month a friend gave me an issue of  Woman’s World magazine. In it was a tiny article, Ward off Alzheimer’s with the new “Memory” Pill! As the author of this Alzheimer’s disease blog, that certainly caught my attention. It’s called phosphatidyl serine (PS) or more commonly spelled as one word in the scientific community, phosphatidylserine. It says, “it’s a supplement proven to prevent age-related memory loss and help your brain function as if it were 12 years younger!” Now, wouldn’t that catch your attention, too? Could we all use a memory booster?

Since it’s such a short article, let me share the rest of it.

PS helps restore the brain’s supply of acetycholine, a neurotransmitter that’s crucial for memory, reports Thom Lobe, M.D., of Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, California. In one study, folks who took 100 mg., three times a day, scored 30% higher on memory tests after just 12 weeks! Your Rx: 200 mg. to 300 mg. daily in supplement form (find it in health-food stores). Important: Ask your doctor before taking this or any supplement, especially if you also take an anticoagulant drug.

If phosphatidylserine is such an impressive supplement, shouldn’t all Alzheimer’s patients be on it? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Several studies involving phosphatidylserine indicate a benefit — improved cognitive abilities and behaviors. However, improvements in memory lasted only a few months and were seen in people with the least severe symptoms.” They go on to say that earlier studies were based on brain cells of cows. However, because of concerns about mad cow disease, most manufacturers now produce phosphatidylserine supplements from soy or cabbage derivatives. So it’s not really known if the plant-based supplements are equally effective.

WebMD adds that phosphatidylserine is a chemical that the body can make, but it gets most of what it needs from foods. Side effects include insomnia and upset stomach for doses over 300 mg. They warn that there could be drug interactions. Click here for more information and click on Interactions.

So the old adage, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is, appears to be in effect here. Have you ever taken phosphatidylserine? What is your opinion?