Alzheimer’s disease carries an annual price tag of $148 billion, not to mention the personal toll that it takes on more than 5.3 million patients and their families.

More than 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and every 71 seconds someone in America develops the disease. Approximately 50 percent of people aged 85 and older have Alzheimer’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds and there will be nearly a million new cases per year.

“With the country facing unprecedented economic challenges and a rapidly aging baby boomer population, now is the time to address the burgeoning Alzheimer’s crisis that triples healthcare costs for Americans aged 65 and over,” said Harry Johns, Alzheimer’s Association CEO.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of memory and cognitive function. It destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking, and behavior that are severe enough to affect everyday life. It is the disease that causes approximately 80 percent of all dementia.

Experts believe that early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and early intervention with improved therapies provide the greatest opportunities to modify or halt disease progression. Most current therapies for Alzheimer’s treat the symptoms associated with it and not the disease itself.

“There is a rich, diverse variety of treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s that scientists are exploring, offering great hope that drugs that may slow or even reverse disease progression could be on the horizon — saving millions of dollars in public health programs,” said Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association Medical Scientific Advisory Council Chair. On World Alzheimer’s Day, we renew our commitment to early diagnosis and aggressive Alzheimer’s research in order to improve the health outcomes for people living with this disease.

Dr. Robert A. Stern, Co-Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical and Research Program at Boston University School of Medicine, and other local clinicians and researchers are currently studying potential new treatments for Alzheimer’s patients that target causes of the disease, such as amyloid plaques in the brain. The buildup of these plaques is thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease. Some of these investigational drugs use antibodies, or immune system proteins, to dissolve the plaques. “We are now at an exciting new point in the science and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. For the very first time we are getting close to having a treatment that actually alters the course of the disease, thus providing incredible hope for the millions of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s as well as their family members and other caregivers,” Stern said.

“There are too many lives, there is too little time, and there is too much at stake for anything less than an aggressive plan to address the threat of this disease,” Johns said.

Source: CAREPAC


Most Americans consume too much salt, contributing to the risk of heart disease and stroke, reports the September issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

“Many people probably are aware that too much sodium can cause or aggravate hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” says Gary Schwartz, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hypertension specialist. “They may be less aware that a high sodium intake can increase the risk of stroke even without an increase in blood pressure.”

High sodium intake also can increase the risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones. Studies have shown a relationship between a high-salt diet and stomach cancer.

How much salt is too much? A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a maximum of 1,500 milligrams (mg) daily for most Americans. That recommendation has been in place since 2005 for people with high blood pressure or at risk of high blood pressure. However, it’s new — and lower — for most Americans. The previous guideline was 2,300 mg daily, the equivalent of about a teaspoon of salt.

Dr. Schwartz says the average American is eating at least two to three times the recommended daily amount of sodium, and most don’t realize it. That’s because most sodium isn’t coming from the kitchen salt shaker. About 80 percent of consumed salt comes from foods that are processed, canned or purchased in restaurants.

The best way to reduce sodium intake is to eat more fresh foods and less canned and processed foods.

Other sodium-reducing tips include:

– Cut back on eating in restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants.
– Use unsalted spices in cooking, for example, garlic powder instead of garlic salt.
– Rinse canned vegetables to remove sodium.
– Check grocery labels for sodium content and opt for those products with low sodium.

Source: Mayo Clinic


Brain training keeps older drivers safe behind the wheel

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Sep 16,2009

Two Studies Indicate Seniors Drive Longer and Drive Better after Cognitive Exercises

Posit Science co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Michael Merzenich spoke today as the keynote speaker at The Eye and The Auto international conference, held at General Motors Technical Center campus. Dr. Merzenich spoke about the impact brain fitness training has on helping drivers maintain their ability to keep driving longer safely and under varied conditions. These clinically-validated results are based on two studies led by cognitive aging and driving expert Jerri D. Edwards, PhD, and recently published in The Gerontologist, a leading journal on aging issues, and in the Journals of Gerontology, Medical Sciences.

The first study, The Staying Keen in Later Life (SKILL), funded by the National Institutes of Health, included 500 healthy adults aged 60 and older. Researchers divided the participants and followed them for three years. The group of drivers who were at higher risk for an accident engaged in computer-based cognitive training exercises over five weeks for a total of ten hours. Researchers found that the high-risk drivers who did the brain fitness training lowered their risk similar to the low-risk driving control group. This high-risk group of drivers continued throughout the three years to maintain the amount they drove and improved their confidence in driving under varied conditions such as poor weather, driving at night and in high traffic.

The second study combined data from the SKILL study with the same inclusion criteria from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study to measure driving cessation. Dr. Edwards and her team in the combined study found that brain training delays the end of driving for older drivers who have speed of processing difficulties. Prior studies have found that the interactive software exercise improved older drivers’ ability to respond quickly to driving decisions, which helped them maintain their ability to continue driving safely and with confidence.

“Science has brought us new ways to improve and extend driving,” said Dr. Edwards, assistant professor at the University of South Florida and lead author on the studies. “It does not need to be a choice between uneasiness about continued driving and negative outcomes that come from taking away the keys because we can now train older drivers to improve their driving skills.”

The brain fitness exercises used in the two studies are now commercially available to the public in a software program called DriveSharp from Posit Science. DriveSharp, which retails for $139, is recommended by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and is available from AAA auto clubs at the introductory price of $99.

Source: www.drivesharp.com


Seniors may think they can’t, but they can

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Sep 16,2009

A most unusual home health care firm is marking its 15th anniversary of helping seniors do more than they think they can do.

When an aging relative gets a dreaded diagnosis or has a health crisis, family members often are thrust into their first experience with home health care. Often, says Nicci Kobritz RN, head of Youthful Aging Home Health Care, the caregivers simply react to problems, and expectations are low. Her people don’t.

She established Youthful Aging 15 years ago, intending to scrap the old model and starting from scratch. A lifelong medical professional, Kobritz desired to create a longevity-based service that would leave her clients healthier, more mobile and more independent than they expected to be.

Ms. Kobitz spent four years researching how to promote longevity and better health outcomes. She spoke with several top doctors and researchers in the United States. She sought out Sarasota’s progressive practitioners and developed a five-point assessment for every client. Ten years later, Youthful Aging’s service combines traditional medical care with the latest health and longevity-enhancing therapies and techniques.

She has learned through day-to-day successes and failures that frail elderly patients can achieve a higher quality of life. Over the course of seeking out and testing the latest therapies with her clients, Kobritz has debunked myths about aging. She’s found that:

– Driving skills can be improved, even in seniors in the 80s and 90s.
– Even homebound or bedridden patients can do simple exercises that can stave off the loss of mobility.
– Dementia patients can do for themselves and stay in their homes longer if given specific cognitive and physical therapies designed with that aim.
– Professional art therapy can help Alzheimer’s or dementia patients reconnect with their former hobbies, professions and identities.
– The first place to look to determine the root cause of memory loss is in the patient’s medicine cabinet — some common prescriptions are known to cause brain fog.
– Depression — a leading cause of lack of motivation to exercise or participate in mind stimulating activities — is one of the biggest challenges caregivers face.

Source: Youthful Aging Home Health Care


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