A report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) calls upon governments, policymakers and other stakeholders to make dementia a global public health priority.via alzheimersreadingroom.comRead more in the Alzheimer's Reading Room -- Dementia Must Be A Global Health Priority - World Health Organization
Alzheimer's Reading RoomThis new report provides the most authoritative overview of the impact of dementia worldwide.
Dementia: A Public Health Priority To prepare the report, the World Health Organization and ADI commissioned reports from four working groups of experts and sought additional inputs from nearly two dozen international contributors and more than 20 expert reviewers.
In addition to valuable best practices and practical case studies from around the world, it contains the most comprehensive collection of data, including hard-to-get statistics, thereby dramatically underscoring that this is truly a global problem and not just a “disease of the industrial world.”
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
Dementia Must Be A Global Health Priority - World Health Organization | Alzheimer's Reading Room
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Obama Administration Presents National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease | Alzheimer's Reading Room
To contact us Click HERE
“This is a national plan—not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”via alzheimersreadingroom.com
Alzheimer's Reading Room
The plan, presented today at the Alzheimer’s Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention, was developed with input from experts in aging and Alzheimer’s disease issues and calls for a comprehensive, collaborative approach across federal, state, private and non-profit organizations.
More than 3,600 people or organizations submitted comments on the draft plan.
I would be interested in your comment on the HHS’ new website, www.alzheimers.gov . The website offers resources and support to those facing Alzheimer’s disease and their friends and family.
You can comment in the Add New Comment box below this article.
Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Obama Administration Presents National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease.The plan was called for in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) which President Obama signed into law in January 2011.
The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease sets forth five goals, including the development of effective prevention and treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by 2025.
In February 2012, the administration announced that it would take immediate action to implement parts of the plan, including making additional funding available in fiscal year 2012 to support research, provider education and public awareness.
Today, the Secretary announced additional specific actions, including the funding of two major clinical trials, jumpstarted by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) infusion of additional FY 2012 funds directed at Alzheimer’s disease; the development of new high-quality, up-to-date training and information for our nation’s clinicians; and a new public education campaign and website to help families and caregivers find the services and support they need.
To help accelerate this urgent work, the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget provides a $100 million increase for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease. These funds will support additional research ($80 million), improve public awareness of the disease ($4.2 million), support provider education programs ($4.0 million), invest in caregiver support ($10.5 million), and improve data collection ($1.3 million).
“These actions are the cornerstones of an historic effort to fight Alzheimer’s disease,” Secretary Sebelius said. “This is a national plan—not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”The plan, presented today at the Alzheimer’s Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention, was developed with input from experts in aging and Alzheimer’s disease issues and calls for a comprehensive, collaborative approach across federal, state, private and non-profit organizations. More than 3,600 people or organizations submitted comments on the draft plan.As many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is likely to double in the coming years. At the same time, millions of American families struggle with the physical, emotional and financial costs of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
The initiatives announced today include:
Research -- The funding of new research projects by the NIH will focus on key areas in which emerging technologies and new approaches in clinical testing now allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the disease. This research holds considerable promise for developing new and targeted approaches to prevention and treatment. Specifically, two major clinical trials are being funded. One is a $7.9 million effort to test an insulin nasal spray for treating Alzheimer’s disease. A second study, toward which NIH is contributing $16 million, is the first prevention trial in people at the highest risk for the disease.
Tools for Clinicians -- The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $2 million in funding through its geriatric education centers to provide high-quality training for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers on recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and how to manage the disease.
Easier access to information to support caregivers -- HHS’ new website, www.alzheimers.gov, offers resources and support to those facing Alzheimer’s disease and their friends and family. The site is a gateway to reliable, comprehensive information from federal, state, and private organizations on a range of topics.
Visitors to the site will find plain language information and tools to identify local resources that can help with the challenges of daily living, emotional needs, and financial issues related to dementia. Video interviews with real family caregivers explain why information is key to successful caregiving, in their own words.
Awareness campaign -- The first new television advertisement encouraging caregivers to seek information at the new website was debuted. This media campaign will be launched this summer, reaching family members and patients in need of information on Alzheimer’s disease.
Today’s announcement demonstrates the Obama administration’s continued commitment to taking action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2013, the National Family Caregiver Support Program will continue to provide essential services to family caregivers, including those helping loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. This program will enable family caregivers to receive essential respite services, providing them a short break from caregiving duties, along with other essential services, such as counseling, education and support groups.
For more information on the national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease, visit: www.alzheimers.gov.
__________________________National Alzheimer’s Project Act http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/
National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/NatlPlan.shtml
Alzheimers.gov http://www.alzheimers.gov
More Insight and Advice from the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
To contact us Click HERE
Alzheimer's and anesthesia don't mix well. Some physicians are advising their patients that are already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to avoid surgery unless absolutely necessary.
By Sydney S. Farrier, LCSW
Sydney S. Farrier
How often have you heard the comment about an older person who recently underwent a major surgery, "She was fine until she had that (hip surgery, knee replacement, cardiac surgery, etc) but now she seems confused."
This week I was visiting with an attractive woman in her 80's who had a knee surgery under a general anesthesia a couple of years ago. About six months after the first surgery, another surgery with general anesthesia had to be done due to some problems with the knee. She stated she has never recovered.
Her knee is fine, but the cognitive problems she experienced following these surgeries has resulted in her having to give up her home and the gardening she loved, move to a retirement community near her daughter, forgo driving, and lose the sense of independence she so valued.
Both she and her daughter believe the two general anesthesia significantly contributed to her cognitive changes. She is angry that the possibility for cognitive changes was never discussed with her.
Continue Reading Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
By Sydney S. Farrier, LCSW
Sydney S. Farrier
How often have you heard the comment about an older person who recently underwent a major surgery, "She was fine until she had that (hip surgery, knee replacement, cardiac surgery, etc) but now she seems confused."
This week I was visiting with an attractive woman in her 80's who had a knee surgery under a general anesthesia a couple of years ago. About six months after the first surgery, another surgery with general anesthesia had to be done due to some problems with the knee. She stated she has never recovered.
Her knee is fine, but the cognitive problems she experienced following these surgeries has resulted in her having to give up her home and the gardening she loved, move to a retirement community near her daughter, forgo driving, and lose the sense of independence she so valued.
Both she and her daughter believe the two general anesthesia significantly contributed to her cognitive changes. She is angry that the possibility for cognitive changes was never discussed with her.
Continue Reading Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
 The Alzheimer's Action Plan |  300 Tips for Making Life Easier |
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
- 100 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- Alzheimer's Disease and the Five Stages of Grief
- What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?
- Alzheimer's Disease CareGiving -- Insight and Advice (20 articles)
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Disease (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Alzheimer's Disease Statistics
- Is it Really Alzheimer's Disease or Something Else?
- Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease
- Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Hospital Stays Can be Catastrophic for Alzheimer's Patients
To contact us Click HERE
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Evidence has shown that older patients with Alzheimer's disease [AD] are much more likely to be hospitalized than other older patients," says lead author Tamara Fong, MD, PhD, assistant scientist in the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Assistant Professor of Neurology at BIDMC. "Because our previous research had found that AD patients experienced a three times faster decline in mental function if they had experienced delirium, we wanted to determine if AD patients who are hospitalized are at greater risk for poor outcomes than AD patients who are not hospitalized, and if there is any additive negative outcome when hospitalized AD patients develop delirium."
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
"Among the hospitalized Alzheimer's patients, a substantial proportion of risk for adverse outcomes could be attributed to delirium, including 6.2 percent of deaths, 15.2 percent of institutionalization, and 20.6 percent of cognitive decline," says Fong. "The bottom line is that delirium can be a big problem for patients with AD," she adds.There are, however, effective prevention strategies for delirium for hospitalized elders, notes Fong.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
"Going forward, we plan to conduct formal studies to determine if these types of interventions can help improve outcomes for this vulnerable group of patients," she explains.Adds senior author Sharon Inouye, MD, PhD, Director of the Aging Brain Institute at HSL, Harvard Medical School Professor of Medicine at BIDMC,
"Our confirmation that hospitalization and delirium play important roles in adverse outcomes may ultimately influence care and management of patients with AD.___________________________________________
Interventions to prevent hospitalization and hospital-associated delirium may be appropriate for all patients with AD. The cost savings to Medicare would be far greater than the amount from current treatment options for AD."
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
- Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- What is Alzheimer's Disease?
- What is Dementia?
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You
- Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease
- Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Baby's 1st Post-Surgery UTI And Needs Hospitalization
To contact us Click HERE
...but she's on home leave, which means the doctor has given us consent to bring her home. However, I have to bring Baby to the hospital 3x a day for antibiotics jabs. This is Baby's first UTI since her Ureteral Reimplantation surgery more than 6 months ago. Both the surgeon and I are perplexed as to why Baby would get a UTI since the post-surgery MCUG scan in August 2009 showed that she has no more Kidney Reflux. I am suspecting that the UTI is caused by her swimming in the pool at Hard Rock Hotel Penang 2 weeks ago. Our paed told us that public pools during public holidays / school holidays are the dirtiest as they are flooded with people and the hotel maintenance staffers may not have ample time to clean the pool.
Long story cut short, Baby was braver this time. She screamed and bawled for a short while when the paed inserted the IV line on her left hand. It was quite a fast one and took under 15 minutes for everything to be completed - finding the vein, IV line inserted and hand bandaged. In the past, her doctors needed at least half an hour to over an hour to fix the line. Baby even allowed the doctor to carry her after the procedure, which was very, very uncommon of her to allow a doctor / nurse to carry her, what more the doctor who had just poked her, swaddled her so tightly with a cloth and caused her so much pain. I guess preparing her mentally before the procedure helped.
Before she went into the procedures room, while we were waiting in our room for the doctor to arrive, I told her this "Baby, the doctor will give you an injection on your hand. There will be very little pain, please don't cry ok? Mummy will wait for you outside the room. Mummy can't go in. You don't cry ok? Mummy loves you" Baby nodded her head and smiled!
Baby has to be in the hospital again for her 2nd antibiotics jab for today. She needs another jab at 10:30pm tonight.
Long story cut short, Baby was braver this time. She screamed and bawled for a short while when the paed inserted the IV line on her left hand. It was quite a fast one and took under 15 minutes for everything to be completed - finding the vein, IV line inserted and hand bandaged. In the past, her doctors needed at least half an hour to over an hour to fix the line. Baby even allowed the doctor to carry her after the procedure, which was very, very uncommon of her to allow a doctor / nurse to carry her, what more the doctor who had just poked her, swaddled her so tightly with a cloth and caused her so much pain. I guess preparing her mentally before the procedure helped.
Before she went into the procedures room, while we were waiting in our room for the doctor to arrive, I told her this "Baby, the doctor will give you an injection on your hand. There will be very little pain, please don't cry ok? Mummy will wait for you outside the room. Mummy can't go in. You don't cry ok? Mummy loves you" Baby nodded her head and smiled!
Baby has to be in the hospital again for her 2nd antibiotics jab for today. She needs another jab at 10:30pm tonight.
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
Obama Administration Presents National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease | Alzheimer's Reading Room
To contact us Click HERE
“This is a national plan—not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”via alzheimersreadingroom.com
Alzheimer's Reading Room
More than 3,600 people or organizations submitted comments on the draft plan.
I would be interested in your comment on the HHS’ new website, www.alzheimers.gov . The website offers resources and support to those facing Alzheimer’s disease and their friends and family.
You can comment in the Add New Comment box below this article.
Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Obama Administration Presents National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease.The plan was called for in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) which President Obama signed into law in January 2011.
The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease sets forth five goals, including the development of effective prevention and treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by 2025.
In February 2012, the administration announced that it would take immediate action to implement parts of the plan, including making additional funding available in fiscal year 2012 to support research, provider education and public awareness.
Today, the Secretary announced additional specific actions, including the funding of two major clinical trials, jumpstarted by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) infusion of additional FY 2012 funds directed at Alzheimer’s disease; the development of new high-quality, up-to-date training and information for our nation’s clinicians; and a new public education campaign and website to help families and caregivers find the services and support they need.
To help accelerate this urgent work, the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget provides a $100 million increase for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease. These funds will support additional research ($80 million), improve public awareness of the disease ($4.2 million), support provider education programs ($4.0 million), invest in caregiver support ($10.5 million), and improve data collection ($1.3 million).
“These actions are the cornerstones of an historic effort to fight Alzheimer’s disease,” Secretary Sebelius said. “This is a national plan—not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”The plan, presented today at the Alzheimer’s Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention, was developed with input from experts in aging and Alzheimer’s disease issues and calls for a comprehensive, collaborative approach across federal, state, private and non-profit organizations. More than 3,600 people or organizations submitted comments on the draft plan.As many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is likely to double in the coming years. At the same time, millions of American families struggle with the physical, emotional and financial costs of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
The initiatives announced today include:
Research -- The funding of new research projects by the NIH will focus on key areas in which emerging technologies and new approaches in clinical testing now allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the disease. This research holds considerable promise for developing new and targeted approaches to prevention and treatment. Specifically, two major clinical trials are being funded. One is a $7.9 million effort to test an insulin nasal spray for treating Alzheimer’s disease. A second study, toward which NIH is contributing $16 million, is the first prevention trial in people at the highest risk for the disease.
Tools for Clinicians -- The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $2 million in funding through its geriatric education centers to provide high-quality training for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers on recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and how to manage the disease.
Easier access to information to support caregivers -- HHS’ new website, www.alzheimers.gov, offers resources and support to those facing Alzheimer’s disease and their friends and family. The site is a gateway to reliable, comprehensive information from federal, state, and private organizations on a range of topics.
Visitors to the site will find plain language information and tools to identify local resources that can help with the challenges of daily living, emotional needs, and financial issues related to dementia. Video interviews with real family caregivers explain why information is key to successful caregiving, in their own words.
Awareness campaign -- The first new television advertisement encouraging caregivers to seek information at the new website was debuted. This media campaign will be launched this summer, reaching family members and patients in need of information on Alzheimer’s disease.
Today’s announcement demonstrates the Obama administration’s continued commitment to taking action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2013, the National Family Caregiver Support Program will continue to provide essential services to family caregivers, including those helping loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. This program will enable family caregivers to receive essential respite services, providing them a short break from caregiving duties, along with other essential services, such as counseling, education and support groups.
For more information on the national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease, visit: www.alzheimers.gov.
__________________________National Alzheimer’s Project Act http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/
National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/NatlPlan.shtml
Alzheimers.gov http://www.alzheimers.gov
More Insight and Advice from the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Dotty is Still With, 7:13 AM, You Who I'm Awake You Know
To contact us Click HERE
Was Alzheimer's an automatic death sentence? No, it was not.via alzheimersreadingroom.com
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Right now Dotty is still with us. I'm going to spare you some of the details, but Dotty has stopped urinating.
This comes as no surprise as the amount of liquid intake yesterday was at the minimum.
It seems to me as if Dotty's body is shutting down in an orderly, yet slow, progression. Her spirit has yet to soar out of her body.
Yesterday can best be described as hair raising. None of this was caused by Dotty.
Continued on the Next Page
Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
To contact us Click HERE
Alzheimer's and anesthesia don't mix well. Some physicians are advising their patients that are already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to avoid surgery unless absolutely necessary.
By Sydney S. Farrier, LCSW
Sydney S. Farrier
How often have you heard the comment about an older person who recently underwent a major surgery, "She was fine until she had that (hip surgery, knee replacement, cardiac surgery, etc) but now she seems confused."
This week I was visiting with an attractive woman in her 80's who had a knee surgery under a general anesthesia a couple of years ago. About six months after the first surgery, another surgery with general anesthesia had to be done due to some problems with the knee. She stated she has never recovered.
Her knee is fine, but the cognitive problems she experienced following these surgeries has resulted in her having to give up her home and the gardening she loved, move to a retirement community near her daughter, forgo driving, and lose the sense of independence she so valued.
Both she and her daughter believe the two general anesthesia significantly contributed to her cognitive changes. She is angry that the possibility for cognitive changes was never discussed with her.
Continue Reading Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
By Sydney S. Farrier, LCSW
Sydney S. Farrier
How often have you heard the comment about an older person who recently underwent a major surgery, "She was fine until she had that (hip surgery, knee replacement, cardiac surgery, etc) but now she seems confused."
This week I was visiting with an attractive woman in her 80's who had a knee surgery under a general anesthesia a couple of years ago. About six months after the first surgery, another surgery with general anesthesia had to be done due to some problems with the knee. She stated she has never recovered.
Her knee is fine, but the cognitive problems she experienced following these surgeries has resulted in her having to give up her home and the gardening she loved, move to a retirement community near her daughter, forgo driving, and lose the sense of independence she so valued.
Both she and her daughter believe the two general anesthesia significantly contributed to her cognitive changes. She is angry that the possibility for cognitive changes was never discussed with her.
Continue Reading Alzheimer's and Anesthesia
| The Alzheimer's Action Plan | 300 Tips for Making Life Easier |
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
- 100 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- Alzheimer's Disease and the Five Stages of Grief
- What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?
- Alzheimer's Disease CareGiving -- Insight and Advice (20 articles)
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Disease (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Alzheimer's Disease Statistics
- Is it Really Alzheimer's Disease or Something Else?
- Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease
- Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Hospital Stays Can be Catastrophic for Alzheimer's Patients
To contact us Click HERE
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Evidence has shown that older patients with Alzheimer's disease [AD] are much more likely to be hospitalized than other older patients," says lead author Tamara Fong, MD, PhD, assistant scientist in the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Assistant Professor of Neurology at BIDMC. "Because our previous research had found that AD patients experienced a three times faster decline in mental function if they had experienced delirium, we wanted to determine if AD patients who are hospitalized are at greater risk for poor outcomes than AD patients who are not hospitalized, and if there is any additive negative outcome when hospitalized AD patients develop delirium."
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
"Among the hospitalized Alzheimer's patients, a substantial proportion of risk for adverse outcomes could be attributed to delirium, including 6.2 percent of deaths, 15.2 percent of institutionalization, and 20.6 percent of cognitive decline," says Fong. "The bottom line is that delirium can be a big problem for patients with AD," she adds.There are, however, effective prevention strategies for delirium for hospitalized elders, notes Fong.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
"Going forward, we plan to conduct formal studies to determine if these types of interventions can help improve outcomes for this vulnerable group of patients," she explains.Adds senior author Sharon Inouye, MD, PhD, Director of the Aging Brain Institute at HSL, Harvard Medical School Professor of Medicine at BIDMC,
"Our confirmation that hospitalization and delirium play important roles in adverse outcomes may ultimately influence care and management of patients with AD.___________________________________________
Interventions to prevent hospitalization and hospital-associated delirium may be appropriate for all patients with AD. The cost savings to Medicare would be far greater than the amount from current treatment options for AD."
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
- Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- What is Alzheimer's Disease?
- What is Dementia?
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You
- Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease
- Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Baby's 1st Post-Surgery UTI And Needs Hospitalization
To contact us Click HERE
...but she's on home leave, which means the doctor has given us consent to bring her home. However, I have to bring Baby to the hospital 3x a day for antibiotics jabs. This is Baby's first UTI since her Ureteral Reimplantation surgery more than 6 months ago. Both the surgeon and I are perplexed as to why Baby would get a UTI since the post-surgery MCUG scan in August 2009 showed that she has no more Kidney Reflux. I am suspecting that the UTI is caused by her swimming in the pool at Hard Rock Hotel Penang 2 weeks ago. Our paed told us that public pools during public holidays / school holidays are the dirtiest as they are flooded with people and the hotel maintenance staffers may not have ample time to clean the pool.
Long story cut short, Baby was braver this time. She screamed and bawled for a short while when the paed inserted the IV line on her left hand. It was quite a fast one and took under 15 minutes for everything to be completed - finding the vein, IV line inserted and hand bandaged. In the past, her doctors needed at least half an hour to over an hour to fix the line. Baby even allowed the doctor to carry her after the procedure, which was very, very uncommon of her to allow a doctor / nurse to carry her, what more the doctor who had just poked her, swaddled her so tightly with a cloth and caused her so much pain. I guess preparing her mentally before the procedure helped.
Before she went into the procedures room, while we were waiting in our room for the doctor to arrive, I told her this "Baby, the doctor will give you an injection on your hand. There will be very little pain, please don't cry ok? Mummy will wait for you outside the room. Mummy can't go in. You don't cry ok? Mummy loves you" Baby nodded her head and smiled!
Baby has to be in the hospital again for her 2nd antibiotics jab for today. She needs another jab at 10:30pm tonight.
Long story cut short, Baby was braver this time. She screamed and bawled for a short while when the paed inserted the IV line on her left hand. It was quite a fast one and took under 15 minutes for everything to be completed - finding the vein, IV line inserted and hand bandaged. In the past, her doctors needed at least half an hour to over an hour to fix the line. Baby even allowed the doctor to carry her after the procedure, which was very, very uncommon of her to allow a doctor / nurse to carry her, what more the doctor who had just poked her, swaddled her so tightly with a cloth and caused her so much pain. I guess preparing her mentally before the procedure helped.
Before she went into the procedures room, while we were waiting in our room for the doctor to arrive, I told her this "Baby, the doctor will give you an injection on your hand. There will be very little pain, please don't cry ok? Mummy will wait for you outside the room. Mummy can't go in. You don't cry ok? Mummy loves you" Baby nodded her head and smiled!
Baby has to be in the hospital again for her 2nd antibiotics jab for today. She needs another jab at 10:30pm tonight.
23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi
Brush up your knowledge on urinary tract infection and its cure
To contact us Click HERE
If your strong urge to pass urine does not meet the end when you enter the toilet to relieve yourself, then you need to think seriously about it. It can be the symptom of urinary tract infection. It takes place when any part of a person’s urinary tract gets affected due to the bacteria that enter his kidney or bladder.
If you are avoiding any of your urinary troubles today out of shyness or due to lack of guidance, then you may regret it later. Going to doctor is the only solution for any such problem that leaves you clueless. There are various urinary tract infection cures that can relieve you from the troubles of urinating problems. All you need is to take initiative before it gets too late.
There is so much written and talked about uti cures but you may still find it hard to get rid of your problem until you see a healthcare professional. The most prevalent reason behind the increasing cases of urinary infections is that most of the people lack information regarding this problem.
Cures for Urinary Tract Infection are classified into three categories i.e. uncomplicated UTI, Pyelonephritis and recurrent UTI. It is very easy to diagnose the uncomplicated infection. It can be treated with trimethoprim and nitrofurantoin. To avoid any allergic reactions, it is imperative that the probabilities of complications should be detected in advance.
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| Urinary Tract Infection |
If you are avoiding any of your urinary troubles today out of shyness or due to lack of guidance, then you may regret it later. Going to doctor is the only solution for any such problem that leaves you clueless. There are various urinary tract infection cures that can relieve you from the troubles of urinating problems. All you need is to take initiative before it gets too late.
There is so much written and talked about uti cures but you may still find it hard to get rid of your problem until you see a healthcare professional. The most prevalent reason behind the increasing cases of urinary infections is that most of the people lack information regarding this problem.
Cures for Urinary Tract Infection are classified into three categories i.e. uncomplicated UTI, Pyelonephritis and recurrent UTI. It is very easy to diagnose the uncomplicated infection. It can be treated with trimethoprim and nitrofurantoin. To avoid any allergic reactions, it is imperative that the probabilities of complications should be detected in advance.
Urinary Tract Infection Cures
To contact us Click HERE
There are many tales related to Urinary Tract Infection Cures that one can come across. All these myths can be clarified only if and when you consult a doctor. Turning over the pages of a book may or may not come in your aid. Commonly, it is seen that cures for Urinary Tract Infection include antibiotics. After a doctor comes to know about the condition of a patient, then only he identifies the treatment needed for him.
All the factors that define the time of treatment are not always similar in every case. It depends on the patient’s health how a practitioner solves his problem. Usually people experience loss of water or tend to vomit, if the situation gets worse. Such people need to be hospitalized as soon as the complications arise. There are fluids and antibiotics that help the sufferer to fight with this troublesome situation.
UTI is not a matter to ignore, one should rather get cautious as early as he can, or else the consequences can bother him unreasonably. The symptoms of UTI differ in different age groups but there are some common problems that are seen in all of them. One of those problems is the feeling of burning after urinating. Going to toilet frequently is another thing that bothers most of people.
There are no significant symptoms that can tell you when you develop this problem. Therefore it is advisable to make a habit of not overlooking any of the changes that you discover in your urine habits. It may not cure the problem but give you a chance to take steps to cure it.
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| Urinary Tract Infection Cures |
All the factors that define the time of treatment are not always similar in every case. It depends on the patient’s health how a practitioner solves his problem. Usually people experience loss of water or tend to vomit, if the situation gets worse. Such people need to be hospitalized as soon as the complications arise. There are fluids and antibiotics that help the sufferer to fight with this troublesome situation.
UTI is not a matter to ignore, one should rather get cautious as early as he can, or else the consequences can bother him unreasonably. The symptoms of UTI differ in different age groups but there are some common problems that are seen in all of them. One of those problems is the feeling of burning after urinating. Going to toilet frequently is another thing that bothers most of people.
There are no significant symptoms that can tell you when you develop this problem. Therefore it is advisable to make a habit of not overlooking any of the changes that you discover in your urine habits. It may not cure the problem but give you a chance to take steps to cure it.
Proven ways for Urinary Tract Infection Relief
To contact us Click HERE
Urinary tract infection is among the most common and most painful infection that women have to go through in their life. A urinary infection can happen to women of any age. This infection usually comes unnoticed and sudden. You feel this sudden pain your body and you don’t know how to get over it. In order to get a quick urinary tract infection relief you can try some natural remedies to get rid of this pain. Women are highly susceptible to get this infection even more than men that’s why almost every woman suffer from this urinary tract infection at some point in her life.
If you are tired of this pain, you need to take careful precautions to make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t allow this infection control your life. You need to learn some natural urinary tract infection relief remedies to fight against it. It is not important and necessary to take pills; you can start the cure from your own home with simple and effective remedies. With natural remedies you can start noticing its effects from the very first day. First thing that you can do is heat treatment. Heat works to relieve your tense muscles by opening them up and allow fresh blood following through them. Fresh blood helps to kill all the attacking bacteria’s in the body that cause the infection which will be a great relief in pain.
If you are tired of this pain, you need to take careful precautions to make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t allow this infection control your life. You need to learn some natural urinary tract infection relief remedies to fight against it. It is not important and necessary to take pills; you can start the cure from your own home with simple and effective remedies. With natural remedies you can start noticing its effects from the very first day. First thing that you can do is heat treatment. Heat works to relieve your tense muscles by opening them up and allow fresh blood following through them. Fresh blood helps to kill all the attacking bacteria’s in the body that cause the infection which will be a great relief in pain.
Urinary Tract Infection Relief
To contact us Click HERE
This infection can also be cured by taking vitamin C. Vitamin C strengthens your immune system which further helps to fight against harmful bacteria’s in the body. With this precaution you can easily get rid of urinal tract infection and from the pain. A strong immune system is very important to fight off the harmful bacteria’s in the body and its helps to overcome from the infection faster. Hot water bath is another way that acts as a urinary tract infection relief remedy. Feeling warm water all around your body will make you feel relaxed. Adding a little bit of Epsom salt to your bath will double your power of fighting against the infection. Salt water acts as a very helpful relief and it kills the harmful bacteria’s as well.
Always try to use natural remedies to get the kind of relief you are looking for and to cure infections as these natural methods are much safer to use and they are very effective as well. You can easily escape from urinary tract infection with these simple steps. They act as great urinary tract infection relief remedies and also help you to get rid of this infection forever. When you have all the cures available at your home it is of no use to take pills because you can get the same relief from natural curing methods.
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| Urinary Tract Infection Relief |
Always try to use natural remedies to get the kind of relief you are looking for and to cure infections as these natural methods are much safer to use and they are very effective as well. You can easily escape from urinary tract infection with these simple steps. They act as great urinary tract infection relief remedies and also help you to get rid of this infection forever. When you have all the cures available at your home it is of no use to take pills because you can get the same relief from natural curing methods.
Home remedies for prevention of urinary tract infection
To contact us Click HERE
Urinary tract infection is very common among women and it is one of the most painful infections that they go through. The main reason behind this infection is the bacteria and women can get this infection at any age because there is no specific age for it. The bacteria are entered in the urinary system of the body and there they cause urinary tract infections. This infection is more common in women than men and women get to feel the sudden rush of pain in the body and in order to get away from this pain, it is important to take necessary steps for the prevention of urinary tract infections. Prevention is important because if you come across these infection ones in your life, there are chances that you might experience it again and that the reason you need to take important steps before hand in order to avoid the pain caused by the infection. There are different methods that can prove to be very beneficial for prevention of urinary tract infections, out of which some are helpful home remedies that can reduce the pain and make you feel at ease.
There are different remedies and their benefits can vary from person to person and since they all are home remedies there are no chances that you will face any side effects from them which make them safe to try. One of the most common and the easiest thing that people do to get the bacteria out of their body is to drink a lot of water. In order to get rid of the bacteria, you should make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of water and with the help of more water you will be able to flush out bacteria in your body. Also, in order to treat the infection properly it is important to take a lot of calcium in the diet. There are a lot of ways by which you can include calcium in your diet like supplements or raw fruits. Vitamin C is the only factor that is responsible for the growth of urine acidic and also it helps in stopping the growth of bacteria.
Cranberry juice is another factor that can play an important role in the prevention of UTI infection; therefore you can choose to take cranberry tablets because they have good amount of cranberry form without any sugar content. These are considered very helpful to cure the infection and another important factor that you need to keep a track of is to make sure that you never hold on to your urine and make sure that you urinate after every 2-3 hours because that will help you to flush out the bacteria because if you will hold on to urine you will grow bacteria inside your body. Also, there are a lot of people who use different type of hygiene sprays and douche bags; you need to avoid using all of this stuff because all of this material contains fragrance which may be irritable to urethra. Hot baths in such cases can be beneficial; they will make you feel relaxed and calm.
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| Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections |
There are different remedies and their benefits can vary from person to person and since they all are home remedies there are no chances that you will face any side effects from them which make them safe to try. One of the most common and the easiest thing that people do to get the bacteria out of their body is to drink a lot of water. In order to get rid of the bacteria, you should make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of water and with the help of more water you will be able to flush out bacteria in your body. Also, in order to treat the infection properly it is important to take a lot of calcium in the diet. There are a lot of ways by which you can include calcium in your diet like supplements or raw fruits. Vitamin C is the only factor that is responsible for the growth of urine acidic and also it helps in stopping the growth of bacteria.
Cranberry juice is another factor that can play an important role in the prevention of UTI infection; therefore you can choose to take cranberry tablets because they have good amount of cranberry form without any sugar content. These are considered very helpful to cure the infection and another important factor that you need to keep a track of is to make sure that you never hold on to your urine and make sure that you urinate after every 2-3 hours because that will help you to flush out the bacteria because if you will hold on to urine you will grow bacteria inside your body. Also, there are a lot of people who use different type of hygiene sprays and douche bags; you need to avoid using all of this stuff because all of this material contains fragrance which may be irritable to urethra. Hot baths in such cases can be beneficial; they will make you feel relaxed and calm.
21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
Hospital Stays Can be Catastrophic for Alzheimer's Patients
To contact us Click HERE
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Alzheimer’s patients experience adverse outcomes, delirium
These findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The state of acute confusion and disorientation known as delirium can stem from a serious illness, surgery or infection, and often develops while patients are in the hospital.
Now a new study confirms that for patients with Alzheimer's disease, hospitalization and delirium pose a particular risk and can lead to adverse outcomes, including hastened cognitive decline, institutionalization and death.
Led by researchers at Harvard Medical School affiliates Hebrew SeniorLife and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study appears in the June 19 on-line issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Evidence has shown that older patients with Alzheimer's disease [AD] are much more likely to be hospitalized than other older patients," says lead author Tamara Fong, MD, PhD, assistant scientist in the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Assistant Professor of Neurology at BIDMC. "Because our previous research had found that AD patients experienced a three times faster decline in mental function if they had experienced delirium, we wanted to determine if AD patients who are hospitalized are at greater risk for poor outcomes than AD patients who are not hospitalized, and if there is any additive negative outcome when hospitalized AD patients develop delirium."
The researchers, therefore, analyzed the records of 771 patients over age 65 who were examined between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Registry (MADRC), a clinical registry based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We looked at patients with and without hospitalizations who were seen at least three times in the MADRC during the study interval period," says Fong.
The authors additionally analyzed data from medical records and other data sources, including Medicare and the Social Security Death Index, to determine outcomes of hospitalization and delirium.
As predicted, their findings showed that in patients with Alzheimer's disease, any hospitalization was associated with increased risks for institutionalization, cognitive decline and death, and for those patients who developed delirium, there was an incremental increase in risk for these adverse outcomes, even after controlling for other cofactors.
"Among the hospitalized Alzheimer's patients, a substantial proportion of risk for adverse outcomes could be attributed to delirium, including 6.2 percent of deaths, 15.2 percent of institutionalization, and 20.6 percent of cognitive decline," says Fong. "The bottom line is that delirium can be a big problem for patients with AD," she adds.There are, however, effective prevention strategies for delirium for hospitalized elders, notes Fong.
These include the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a patient care program designed to prevent delirium by keeping hospitalized older people oriented to their surroundings, meeting their needs for nutrition, fluids and sleep, and keeping them mobile within the limitations of their physical conditions.
"Going forward, we plan to conduct formal studies to determine if these types of interventions can help improve outcomes for this vulnerable group of patients," she explains.Adds senior author Sharon Inouye, MD, PhD, Director of the Aging Brain Institute at HSL, Harvard Medical School Professor of Medicine at BIDMC,
"Our confirmation that hospitalization and delirium play important roles in adverse outcomes may ultimately influence care and management of patients with AD.___________________________________________
Interventions to prevent hospitalization and hospital-associated delirium may be appropriate for all patients with AD. The cost savings to Medicare would be far greater than the amount from current treatment options for AD."
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the MADRC.
Study coauthors include the following investigators from the Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, HSL: Sharon K. Inouye, MD, PhD (senior author), Richard N. Jones, ScD, Doughlas Tommet, MS, Alden L. Gross, PhD, MHS, Daniel Habtemariam, BA, and Eva Schmitt, PhD; BIDMC Investigator Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM; and MGH Investigator Liang Yap, PhD.
About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a recognized national leader in the field of senior care dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit www.hebrewseniorlife.org
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
- Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- What is Alzheimer's Disease?
- What is Dementia?
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- How the Loss of Memory Works in Alzheimer’s Disease, and How Understanding This Could Help You
- Learning How to Communicate with Someone Suffering From Alzheimer's Disease
- Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Cat Urinary Tract Infection - Symptoms
To contact us Click HERE
The urinary system is an organ system that comprises of the kidneys, two ureters, bladder and the urethra. This system manages the production, storage and elimination of urine in a mammal. The fluid status in the body determines the rate at which the kidney will need to function and the production of urine. The urine is passed through a pair of thick-walled tubes called ureters and reaches the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ, shaped like a balloon. It stores urine.
The end point of the urinary tract is the urethra. It emerges from the end of the penis in males and between the clitoris and vagina in females. This is the part of the urinary tract system from where urine is eliminated from the body. In common parlance, the urinary tract is understood as the tract that extends from the urethra only up to the bladder and referred to as lower urinary tract. This is so because the ureters are rarely affected due to a urinary infection. The kidneys on the other hand can be affected due to causes other than urinary infection and are covered under a medical stream called nephropathy.
Although urine contains a variety of liquids, salts and waste products, it is normally sterile and does not have bacteria in it. When bacteria get into the bladder or kidney and multiply in the urine, they cause urinary tract infections in cats. In cats urinary infections are not as common as they are in dogs. However, the incidence of urinary infection in cats is increasing. The most common form of feline urinary tract infection is cystitis, usually known as bladder infection.
The most prominent symptoms of urinary infection in cats include:
* Frequent urination often out of the litter pan. This should not be confused with spraying that cats indulge in to mark territory.
* Discomfort or pain during urination. The cat strains to urinate but is unable to empty its bladder.
* Blood in urine, normally a sign of prevalence of bladder stones or tumor or severe urinary infection.
* Cloudy or foul smelling urine.
* Sometimes increased thirst.
* Feline urinary incontinence, an inability to hold urine or involuntary urination.
These symptoms of feline urinary infection can surface accompanied or unaccompanied with inflammation. Bladder infections are highly localized and rarely produce any symptoms of infection. This means that there is no fever and no loss of appetite. Even the blood tests do not reveal any prevalence of infection.
The urine in the bladder is sterile but the genital area from where the urine is expelled is usually abundantly filled with pathogenic bacteria. The urinary tract gets infected when bacteria from here travel upwards and are able to defeat the natural defenses of the urinary system like the forward urine flow, the bladder lining and inhospitable urine chemicals. The female urethra is much small than the male organ, which makes female cats more prone to urinary infections.
Get More Info on PetAlive UTI-Free for Bladder and Urinary
Tract Infections in Pets
Natural products for your pet's health are available from Pet Alive, a branch of Native Remedies. Visit the site to learn more about how you can protect your pets' health and ensure that they live long and healthy lives. Click-here NOW!
The urinary system is an organ system that comprises of the kidneys, two ureters, bladder and the urethra. This system manages the production, storage and elimination of urine in a mammal. The fluid status in the body determines the rate at which the kidney will need to function and the production of urine. The urine is passed through a pair of thick-walled tubes called ureters and reaches the bladder. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ, shaped like a balloon. It stores urine.
The end point of the urinary tract is the urethra. It emerges from the end of the penis in males and between the clitoris and vagina in females. This is the part of the urinary tract system from where urine is eliminated from the body. In common parlance, the urinary tract is understood as the tract that extends from the urethra only up to the bladder and referred to as lower urinary tract. This is so because the ureters are rarely affected due to a urinary infection. The kidneys on the other hand can be affected due to causes other than urinary infection and are covered under a medical stream called nephropathy.
Although urine contains a variety of liquids, salts and waste products, it is normally sterile and does not have bacteria in it. When bacteria get into the bladder or kidney and multiply in the urine, they cause urinary tract infections in cats. In cats urinary infections are not as common as they are in dogs. However, the incidence of urinary infection in cats is increasing. The most common form of feline urinary tract infection is cystitis, usually known as bladder infection.
The most prominent symptoms of urinary infection in cats include:
* Frequent urination often out of the litter pan. This should not be confused with spraying that cats indulge in to mark territory.
* Discomfort or pain during urination. The cat strains to urinate but is unable to empty its bladder.
* Blood in urine, normally a sign of prevalence of bladder stones or tumor or severe urinary infection.
* Cloudy or foul smelling urine.
* Sometimes increased thirst.
* Feline urinary incontinence, an inability to hold urine or involuntary urination.
These symptoms of feline urinary infection can surface accompanied or unaccompanied with inflammation. Bladder infections are highly localized and rarely produce any symptoms of infection. This means that there is no fever and no loss of appetite. Even the blood tests do not reveal any prevalence of infection.
The urine in the bladder is sterile but the genital area from where the urine is expelled is usually abundantly filled with pathogenic bacteria. The urinary tract gets infected when bacteria from here travel upwards and are able to defeat the natural defenses of the urinary system like the forward urine flow, the bladder lining and inhospitable urine chemicals. The female urethra is much small than the male organ, which makes female cats more prone to urinary infections.
Get More Info on PetAlive UTI-Free for Bladder and Urinary
Tract Infections in Pets
Natural products for your pet's health are available from Pet Alive, a branch of Native Remedies. Visit the site to learn more about how you can protect your pets' health and ensure that they live long and healthy lives. Click-here NOW!
Pet Health A–Z Ailments CCC
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Pet Health A–Z Ailments List
Calicivirus
Natural calicivirus treatments to help prevent the feline flu and reduce stomatitis in cats.
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Canine Demodicosis
Information on the symptoms of and natural treatments for demodectic red mange on dogs.
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Canine Distemper
Natural treatments to help control and prevent the canine distemper virus in dogs and puppies.
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Canine Ear Mites
Natural remedy to treat dog ear mites and its symptoms; excessive head shaking or ear scratching.
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Canine Fur Mites
Information on the symptoms of fur mites and natural remedies to kill walking dandruff on your dog.
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Canine Scabies
Natural remedy for the treatment of Sarcoptic mange mites in dogs, commonly known as canine scabies.
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Canine Skin Parasites
Information on the symptoms of and natural remedies to treat common external skin parasites on dogs.
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Car Sickness
Natural remedies for cats and dogs to help stop and prevent canine and feline car sickness.
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Cat Bathing
How to give your feline a bath and natural shampoos for cleaning and washing dirty cats and kittens
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Cat Cleaning
Information on how to clean and wash out foul smells from your cat's or kitten's fur during bathing.
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Cat Distemper
Natural feline panleukopenia treatments to help treat and prevent distemper in cats and kittens.
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Cat Flu
Herbal treatments for feline influenza to help treat and relieve the flu in cats and kittens.
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Cat Grooming
Cat Grooming - Tips on how to groom your cat and wash out foul smells during bathing.
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Cataracts
Natural treatments for cats and dogs to reduce cloudy eyes and prevent canine and feline cataracts.
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Cestodes
Natural treatments to de-worm and eliminate stomach bloating due to round worms in cats and dogs.
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Charging (Horses)
How to stop horses from charging and calming supplements to relax aggressive or spooky behavior.
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Chest Infection
Natural remedies for cats and dogs with colds to relieve canine and feline respiratory infections.
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Chewing
Natural remedies to help puppies and kittens stop biting and chewing on things such as furniture.
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Cholesterol (High)
Treatments to lower high levels of cholesterol and help relieve hyperlipidemia in cats and dogs.
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Cleaning (Cats)
Information on how to clean and wash out foul smells from your cat's or kitten's fur during bathing.
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Cleaning Anal Glands
Remedies for cleaning canine and feline scent glands to support anal gland health in cats and dogs.
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Cleansing (Detox)
Natural detox remedies to help eliminate toxins and promote healthy detoxification in cats and dogs.
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Cold and Flu - Immunity Support
Natural remedy to boost your pet's Immune Functioning and Resistance to Illness
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Cold and Flu - Respo-K
Natural remedy treats the symptoms of upper respiratory infections in puppies, dog cough & cat sneezing
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Cold and Flu - Sinu-Rite
Homeopathic remedy relieves sinusitis and nasal congestion for optimal respiratory functioning
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Colic
Natural treatments to help soothe and relieve stomach pains related to colic in cats and dogs.
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Colic (Horses)
Natural treatments for equine colic symptoms, such as cramps, gas and digestive problems in horses.
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Concentration
Remedies to keep cats and dogs focused by increasing the concentration and attention span of pets.
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Congestive Heart Failure
Natural treatments for cats and dogs to relieve canine and feline congestive heart failure (CHF).
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Conjunctivitis
Natural treatments for cats and dogs with conjunctivitis (pink eye) to relieve red and swollen eyes.
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Constipation
Natural laxatives for constipation to help relieve bowel obstructions in constipated cats and dogs.
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Constipation (Horses)
Natural equine gastric remedies to help prevent large colon impactions and constipation in horses.
CLICK here
Coughing
Natural respiratory health treatments to help suppress coughing and reduce gagging in cats or dogs.
CLICK here
Cracked Hoof
Natural cracked hoof remedies to care for and repair cracks, splits or dry horse hooves.
CLICK here
Cramping (Stomach)
Natural treatments for abdominal cramps to help soothe cats and dogs with stomach aches and pains.
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Cushing's Disease
Natural treatments for cushing's disease to help reduce elevated cortisol levels in cats and dogs.
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Cuts (Horses)
Equine first aid to help care for and promote the healing of minor skin wounds and burns on horses.
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Cystitis
Natural treatments to help prevent infections of the kidneys and urinary tract in cats and dogs.
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Pet Health A–Z Ailments List
Herbal and Homeopathic Remedies for Your Pets
The same care and research that is in Native Remedies range of Herbal and Homeopathic Remedies for adults and children --- to the development of pet-friendly, safe and effective natural remedies for animals. As always, all remedies are formulated to the highest therapeutic standards and manufactured under strict pharmaceutical conditions for your peace of mind and the well being of your pets.Pet Health A–Z Ailments List
Calicivirus
Natural calicivirus treatments to help prevent the feline flu and reduce stomatitis in cats.
CLICK here
Canine Demodicosis
Information on the symptoms of and natural treatments for demodectic red mange on dogs.
CLICK here
Canine Distemper
Natural treatments to help control and prevent the canine distemper virus in dogs and puppies.
CLICK here
Canine Ear Mites
Natural remedy to treat dog ear mites and its symptoms; excessive head shaking or ear scratching.
CLICK here
Canine Fur Mites
Information on the symptoms of fur mites and natural remedies to kill walking dandruff on your dog.
CLICK here
Canine Scabies
Natural remedy for the treatment of Sarcoptic mange mites in dogs, commonly known as canine scabies.
CLICK here
Canine Skin Parasites
Information on the symptoms of and natural remedies to treat common external skin parasites on dogs.
CLICK here
Car Sickness
Natural remedies for cats and dogs to help stop and prevent canine and feline car sickness.
CLICK here
Cat Bathing
How to give your feline a bath and natural shampoos for cleaning and washing dirty cats and kittens
CLICK here
Cat Cleaning
Information on how to clean and wash out foul smells from your cat's or kitten's fur during bathing.
CLICK here
Cat Distemper
Natural feline panleukopenia treatments to help treat and prevent distemper in cats and kittens.
CLICK here
Cat Flu
Herbal treatments for feline influenza to help treat and relieve the flu in cats and kittens.
CLICK here
Cat Grooming
Cat Grooming - Tips on how to groom your cat and wash out foul smells during bathing.
CLICK here
Cataracts
Natural treatments for cats and dogs to reduce cloudy eyes and prevent canine and feline cataracts.
CLICK here
Cestodes
Natural treatments to de-worm and eliminate stomach bloating due to round worms in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Charging (Horses)
How to stop horses from charging and calming supplements to relax aggressive or spooky behavior.
CLICK here
Chest Infection
Natural remedies for cats and dogs with colds to relieve canine and feline respiratory infections.
CLICK here
Chewing
Natural remedies to help puppies and kittens stop biting and chewing on things such as furniture.
CLICK here
Cholesterol (High)
Treatments to lower high levels of cholesterol and help relieve hyperlipidemia in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Cleaning (Cats)
Information on how to clean and wash out foul smells from your cat's or kitten's fur during bathing.
CLICK here
Cleaning Anal Glands
Remedies for cleaning canine and feline scent glands to support anal gland health in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Cleansing (Detox)
Natural detox remedies to help eliminate toxins and promote healthy detoxification in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Cold and Flu - Immunity Support
Natural remedy to boost your pet's Immune Functioning and Resistance to Illness
CLICK here
Cold and Flu - Respo-K
Natural remedy treats the symptoms of upper respiratory infections in puppies, dog cough & cat sneezing
CLICK here
Cold and Flu - Sinu-Rite
Homeopathic remedy relieves sinusitis and nasal congestion for optimal respiratory functioning
CLICK here
Colic
Natural treatments to help soothe and relieve stomach pains related to colic in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Colic (Horses)
Natural treatments for equine colic symptoms, such as cramps, gas and digestive problems in horses.
CLICK here
Concentration
Remedies to keep cats and dogs focused by increasing the concentration and attention span of pets.
CLICK here
Congestive Heart Failure
Natural treatments for cats and dogs to relieve canine and feline congestive heart failure (CHF).
CLICK here
Conjunctivitis
Natural treatments for cats and dogs with conjunctivitis (pink eye) to relieve red and swollen eyes.
CLICK here
Constipation
Natural laxatives for constipation to help relieve bowel obstructions in constipated cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Constipation (Horses)
Natural equine gastric remedies to help prevent large colon impactions and constipation in horses.
CLICK here
Coughing
Natural respiratory health treatments to help suppress coughing and reduce gagging in cats or dogs.
CLICK here
Cracked Hoof
Natural cracked hoof remedies to care for and repair cracks, splits or dry horse hooves.
CLICK here
Cramping (Stomach)
Natural treatments for abdominal cramps to help soothe cats and dogs with stomach aches and pains.
CLICK here
Cushing's Disease
Natural treatments for cushing's disease to help reduce elevated cortisol levels in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Cuts (Horses)
Equine first aid to help care for and promote the healing of minor skin wounds and burns on horses.
CLICK here
Cystitis
Natural treatments to help prevent infections of the kidneys and urinary tract in cats and dogs.
CLICK here
Pet Health A–Z Ailments List
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