My 90 year old great grandmother is amazingly fit for her age. She goes up and down stairs, walks well and even plays the piano. She was diagnosed however with dementia a few years back, and slowly, we’ve been noticing major symptoms that are just … scary. I remember catching a glimpse of a print ad of a new medicine in the market, that specifically slows down the progression of symptoms. Would anyone know the name of this medicine, or have any other suggestions that could help her live a better life inspite of the dementia ?

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, a degenerative brain disease in which the brain shrinks. Although medical science makes strides toward curing Alzheimer’s, there is no cure on the horizon at this time. Some medical treatments appear to lessen some of the symptoms to a small degree. Society generally anticipates that future studies will find a cure that will repair the damage done in the minds of our loved ones and the hearts of those that care for them.

It should be noted that not all patients show all symptoms, and while there appear to be ten main symptom categories, there are also three phases or degrees of severity. Patients are varied in their responses to the symptoms, responding with denial, blaming others for the results of their actions, to despair or hopelessness and giving in to inevitability.

The 3 Stages of Progression of Alzheimer’s Symptoms:

• Early-stage, also known as mild-stage: The beginning of loss of cognitive skills becomes apparent though the individual can still function.

• Mid-stage, also known as moderate-stage: Large scale decline of mental faculties beginning. Physically the patient starts to lose muscle tone and coordination, causing them to begin to rely on on caregivers both physically and emotionally.

• Late-stage, also known as severe-stage: Here develops a more problematic situation with a complete deterioration of the personality as well as of bodily functions causing an even stronger reliance on caregivers.

10 Alzheimer’s Symptoms

• Forgetfulness or memory loss – as the stages progress so does the intensity.
• Difficulty with abstract thinking – numbers become very problematic
• Disorientation – it is possible to get lost in their neighborhood. They lose their sense of time, date and even recognition of their surroundings.
• Problems with language – simple words are forgotten and the frustration of trying to remember them usually is expressed with anger at the one they’re speaking to; the individual may use descriptive sentences. If they’re asking for a fork they may start describing what the fork does to get the point across.
• Poor judgment – bad decisions are often made as the individual still seems in their “right mind” to others. A recent case in Massachussets focused this problem: A ministry was forced to return over one million dollars to a woman whose family took it to court. The ministry was unaware that the donor was a victim of Alzheimer’s symptoms and unable to judge her actions fully.
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks – unable to turn on the television or use the phone.
• Mood/Behavior changes – may experience extremes in mood changes without explanation.
• Changes in personality – becomes more dependent on the caregivers, along with being fearful, suspicious and confused.
• Losing things – both hides and misplaces things, sometimes accuses others of stealing them when they don’t remember hiding them.
• Lack of participating – becomes very passive as the disease progresses, eventually spending hours watching TV or sleeping.

Alzheimer’s can only be diagnosed by medical personnel. However, learning about symptoms, especially in a family where the disease occurred in previous generations, can help other family members be prepared for inevitably difficult times.

By: Sharon Elrod

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Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia are the most common forms of dementia in older people. Medical tests that are used to test for dementia are laboratory tests for thyroid stimulating hormones, and the level of vitamin b12 in the blood. Usually magnetic resonance imaging is done along with a medical history and physical exam. The family is consulted to check for personality changes.

Almost all people with dementia have personality and behavior changes as the disease gets worse. Psychotic behavior tends to start later in the illness and becomes a terrible weight to bear for caregivers, often resulting in the patient being placed in an institution. Symptoms of dementia include delusions and hallucinations. The most common symptom is cognitive decline. Some other symptoms may include: Anger, restlessness, yelling, wandering and cursing.

The first step in managing the treatment of dementia is finding out what symptoms are causing distress:

1. Pay special attention to the circumstances under which the behavior problems occur.
2. Review the patient’s entire history with regards to psychiatric and social history.
3. Make sure the medication could not be the cause of the behavior issues.
4. Ask questions about the patient’s life and their relationships prior to the illness.
5. Be sure that there are no physical problems causing the behavioral issues.

Case studies show that trazodone, buspirone, and sertraline has been shown to help when irritability is a concern. Quetiapine is another dementia behavior medication that has showed promising results for the treatment of agitation in dementia, but with fewer side effects than other medicines.

The drugs Namenda and Aricept used together may:
1. Improve memory and slow down memory loss.
2. Radically improve the behavior of people with behavioral problems.
3. Helps the patient maintain the ability to manage daily activities on their own.
4. Help delay negative behavioral symptoms like agitation, and aggression.

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s. Most patients live for 8 to 10 years with the disease, and some can live for up to 20.

Another treatment for dementia is stem cell treatment. They are taken out of the patient bone marrow and put back in the body a few days later. Before it is placed back in the body, it is checked in a lab for quality and amount. The re-injected stem cells form new cells which can replace damaged tissue or nerves. The goal for treatment is to stop or slow down the disease.

Dementia behavior medications include: Atypical anti-psychotics, which are started at a low dose and gradually increased until the medicine reaches its effectiveness. The next medication for dementia is typical anti-psychotics. Less frequently, anticonvulsants and antidepressants are prescribed.

Ginko Biloba is used in the treatment of early stage Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. Studies have shown that it is an effective dementia behavior modification, meaning that is helps with the symptoms of the disease.

By: Gary Pearson

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My mother has been reciving this medication for the past 5 years. I’m just wondering for how long this treatment will work for her.