We've previously discussed on this blog the potential memory-preserving benefit of listening to familiar music for seniors with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia spectrum disorders, and how memory care specialists are increasingly turning to music therapy as a method for promoting the conservation of cognitive function.
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Dementia and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease are of major concern to senior healthcare experts. Back in 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month— a month dedicated to raising the public profile of Alzheimer's and other dementia sufferers, and also dedicated to promoting research on new treatment methods and more effective memory care measures.
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Alzheimer's disease is a notoriously difficult cognitive disorder to deal with. For people in the advanced stages of the disease, little other than providing supportive care and memory care can be done — there is no known cure and, to date, no known medicine that could be given to reliably slow its advance.
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A 2014 poll conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association (following up on a 2010 poll it performed in association with The Shriver Report) found that women are more likely to feel the effects of Alzheimer's disease than men.
With over 5 million Americans facing Alzheimer’s disease, it is no wonder that it is a disease that has been put in the senior healthcare spotlight as more and more prominent men and women in our country step up as advocates.
In February of 2014, comedian Seth Rogen sat before a U.S. Senate subcommittee to tell the story of how early onset dementia is affecting his family. With this address, Rogen joined a long list of famous names such as Penny Marshall, Maria Shriver and Bryant Gumbel in calling for more funds to go into research aimed at fighting the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
Across the country, more than 5 million men and women suffer from dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. As the population ages, the agency predicts more than 7 million people will have the disease by 2025, representing a 40 percent increase. By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association says that number could top 13.8 million, assuming no treatment has been found to prevent the disease or slow its progression.
National movements to make communities dementia-friendly is a concept that has taken hold in Europe, but has been slower to take root in the U.S. But some states, and individual communities, have begun to take matters into their own hands, creating their own programs and holding collaborative summits to share knowledge and gain a better understanding of the needs of people with dementia.
There’s a moment of stunned disbelief when a parent or spouse or other loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Though you struggle with the diagnosis, you you’ve already noticed a few red flags— obvious memory loss or other indicators of cognitive decline.
The old wisdom surrounding brain fitness for seniors can best be summed up with the maxim— use it or lose it. To stay sharp, seniors were told that they must continually work to improve brain plasticity through lifestyle habits, exercise and environment.
Did you know that if you’ve suffered a head injury earlier in life, you may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in your senior living years?
