my aunt has white spots on her mri and was diagnosed with a disease without a cure. she also has memory loss

by someone who had brain damage when they were younger? Any neuro info would help.
ty foshizzle …and that really bites for me.

It helps to understand the difference between these different terms.

* Memory loss is a normal loss of brain cells that starts in our twenties, the slowing down of the production of the chemicals it takes for brain cells to work, and the changes in how the brain stores information.

* Dementia is the overall category of physical changes leading to memory loss, and it can include a variety of forms, including Alzheimer’s. It is caused by destruction of brain cells.

* Alzheimer’s is one specific type of dementia.

Memory Loss

Loss of memory is a normal function of aging, and occurs in a widely varying degree in each of us. There are quite a few ways to help yourself when you start noticing a little normal loss of memory. Some of them are:

* Make a list of anything and everything you need to do, buy, watch… remember.

* Establish routines using a different part of the brain. This helps job the memory

* Making associations is a great way to help you remember

* Keep a calendar, and write in as many details as you can fit in the space

* Put your keys, purse, wallet, and other important items, in the same place every time

* A favorite trick for remembering names is repeating the alphabet in your mind. Sometimes just that one starting letter is enough to job your memory.

Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia today. Like many forms of dementia, it comes on slowly, affecting the very short term memory first. Memories of the distant past can be clear as a bell, but someone’s name or an event from yesterday is lost almost immediately.

It is caused by abnormal protein deposits in the brain, which destroy cells of the brain responsible for memory and mental functions. Contributing to the progression of the disease are lower levels of essential chemicals in the brain that control important brain functions. Sadly, Alzheimer’s is not reversible, and there is currently no cure.

Dementia

Dementia is a category of diseases that impair memory to the point where processing information and the ability to function normally are impaired.

It’s important for everyone’s piece of mind to be able to differentiate between normal memory loss and more severe and progressive memory problems like Alzheimer’s. Red flags that may warn you that a serious memory problem is developing are:

* Personality changes

* Forgetting how to do things you’ve done many, many times before

* Difficulty with problem solving

* Losing track of daily events

* Forgetting everyday things much more than usual

* Problems communicating

* Difficulty with everyday tasks, like handling money

* Difficulty learning how to do something new

* Telling the same stories over and over, perhaps in the same conversation

* Not remembering the date, the month, the current President

Please feel free to Contact us at http://www.seniorhomecareusa.com.

By: Sheila Moody

About the Author:

[carpwp:amazon{alzheimers}][/carpwp]

Mike Briana has been caring for his wife, Betty, who has Alzheimers, at their East Falmouth home for four years. Mike chose the option of keeping Betty at their home, rather than putting her in a nursing home. This video, by Robert Scott Button with the Cape Cod Times, tells their story.

In the new film Is Anybody There? Michael Caine plays a dying man with Alzheimers. Having a close friend who battled the disease gave the actor insight about how best to portray the character. For more information about TimesTalks events visit nytimes.com