Alzheimers Texas's blog

AlzCare in Texas

Submitted by Alzheimers Texas on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 4:53pm

Alzheimer’s Treatment in Texas

AlzCare began in New Braunfels, Texas. We’ve expanded to San Antonio, Waco, Victoria, San Marcos, and Temple.

Alzheimer's often misdiagnosed

Submitted by Alzheimers Texas on Sun, 02/27/2011 - 5:11pm

Alzheimer’s Facilities in Texas

The American Academy of Neurology has released an important study that shows that Alzheimer’s Disease is often misdiagnosed. The study found that Alzheimer’s Disease is often attributed to dementia without deeper study and has become a kind of generic diagnosis.

The study goes on to note that as the numbers of elderly American’s grow, the need for careful diagnosis of all conditions that present dementia will become critical.

Diagnosing specific dementias in people who are very old is complex, but with the large increase in dementia cases expected within the next 10 years in the United States, it will be increasingly important to correctly recognize, diagnose, prevent and treat age-related cognitive decline

Read the study here…

Alzheimer’s Treatment and Facilities in Texas. AlzCare.

Alzheimer's Treatment Tips: Get Young and Old Together

Submitted by Alzheimers Texas on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:21pm

agingOne of the downsides to living in the modern world is a fragmentation of our generations. 200 years ago, your grandparents would have sung the same songs that you sing, dated and found a mate in the same ways that you date and fall in love, and probably had the same occupation that you have. Culture and technology changes so quickly now that people have a hard time relating to their parents’ generation, much less their grandparents.

As a result, we have far less mixing of generations than we used to. 100 years ago, grandparents often lived at home or near grandchildren. Nowadays, some kids only see their grandparents a few times a year. And that’s too bad. Because humans benefit greatly from the insight and wisdom of our elders. Grandpa may not understand Twitter, but he probably has a few things he could teach his grandchildren.

I recently read about a new Alzheimer’s treatment that involves getting young people connected with older people with Alzheimer’s. The amazing thing is, BOTH GROUPS BENEFIT.

Forgiveness and Alzheimer's Disease

Submitted by Alzheimers Texas on Thu, 02/10/2011 - 6:26pm

forgiveBecause of the nature of Alzheimer’s Disease, those living with it and their caregivers are often forced to deal with something that we talk a lot about but often misunderstand:

Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a greatly misunderstood concept in our culture. With the age-old and very unhelpful adage in our minds – “forgive and forget” - we often don’t want to forgive because it feels like we’re being asked to forget the truth. If someone has wronged you deeply, does forgiveness mean there are no consequences for that? If you forgive them, is it the same thing as saying that what happened didn’t matter?

A new approach to Alzheimer's Treatment: Let them eat chocolate!

Submitted by Alzheimers Texas on Sat, 01/08/2011 - 1:11pm

Creative Approaches to Alzheimer’s Care

chocolateRecently the New York Times ran an article about a creative assisted living center in Phoenix called Beatitudes. What began as a ministry of a church has turned into a fascinating and open-minded approach to elder living and helping people with Alzheimer’s Disease. What makes their approach different is their willingness to be flexible and bend rules to bring emotional and physical comfort to their residents. Recently an Alzheimer’s patient came to them after being kicked out of several facilities for not being cooperative with the program. The woman, as it turns out, wanted to shower at 2 am, eat chocolate at every meal, and have a doll. The caregivers at Beatitudes thought the solution was pretty simple. Give her a doll and some chocolate. If she wants to bathe at no, that’s fine. She’s been a model resident ever since.

I mean, the dear woman is 94 years old. Let her eat chocolate at every meal if she wants.

Dementia patients at Beatitudes are allowed practically anything that brings comfort, even an alcoholic “nip at night,” said Tena Alonzo, director of research. “Whatever your vice is, we’re your folks,” she said.

“The state tried to cite us for having chocolate on the nursing chart. They were like, ‘It’s not a medication.’ Yes, it is. It’s better than Xanax.”

Read the whole article here.

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