Treatment with the experimental metal-protein attenuating compound PBT2 is a safe and tolerable means of improving executive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggests.

Executive function refers to a set of mental processes used to plan, organize, focus attention and manage time. Defects in executive function are strongly associated with attention deficit and learning disabilities. Individuals with poor executive function also have trouble with memory.

Researchers found that PBT2 altered disease biomarkers, molecules that coincide with the present of disease, in cerebrospinal fluid, but not in plasma. This supports the idea that a central mechanism of action is involved in amyloid-beta metabolism, the researchers report in an online issue of The Lancet, Neurology.

They explain that amyloid-beta is a protein in the body that forms amyloid plaques in the brain, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease. The new PBT2 compound targets the chemical processes of zinc and copper, the metal ions involved in amyloid-beta formation, and thus indirectly prevents the biogenesis of amyloid-beta.

Based on strong laboratory evidence and other convincing research, Dr. Craig W. Ritchie and colleagues from the PBT2-201-EURO study group conducted a phase IIa study of PBT2 that included 78 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. All of the patients were taking a stable dose of an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drug to preserve the brain’s neuroreceptors..

The subjects were randomly assigned to receive PBT2 at a daily dose of 50 or 250 mg or to receive placebo. Although the researchers examined biomarker and cognition endpoints, the main focus was on the safety and tolerability of PBT2, according to the report.

Over half of the patients experienced at least one treatment-related event, but only four patients dropped out of the study, Ritchie, from Imperial College London, and colleagues note. Overall, 50 percent of patients treated with the lower dose of PBT2 and 62 percent given the higher dose experienced a side effect compared with 48 percent of placebo patients. None of the events in the active treatment groups were severe.

Read the entire article at: www.healthcentral.com

Two studies related to experimental Alzheimer’s therapies reported positive results today at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2008) in Chicago.

One Phase II trial, of a compound called AL-108, targeted early abnormal brain changes in a protein called “tau” in a condition related to Alzheimer’s called mild cognitive impairment (MCI: 26.20, +0.25, +0.96%). The researchers saw improvement on various measures of memory. Another study examined brains of people with Alzheimer’s half of whom had diabetes, and half did not. The researchers found that people in the study who took a combination of insulin and oral anti-diabetes medications had fewer Alzheimer’s-related brain changes (amyloid plaques) than all the others in the study. This could be a pathway for developing new treatments.

Plus, a new study from the Mayo Clinic showed higher than expected rates of MCI in a large, older population. People with MCI have ongoing memory problems, but they do not have other losses such as confusion, attention problems, and difficulty with language. People with MCI are much more likely to get Alzheimer’s than the general population.

Source: foxbusiness.com

Alzheimer’s patients may often become upset and even act out when nurses or other caregivers use “baby talk” to converse with them, a newstudy shows.Researchers who taped the interactions of nursing home staff and people with moderate Alzheimer’s found that the residents often became more agitated and resistant to care if they were addressed as infants.

“People who have dementia are trying to maintain their sense of being a person. And if their concept of being a person is that they are a competent person, and someone is talking to them like they are an infant, that might be distressing,” speculates lead researcher Kristine Williams, an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.

The findings were to be presented Monday at the Alzheimer Association’s International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, in Chicago.

Nursing experts have known for years that family caregivers and professional nursing staff alike tend to lapse into infantilizing speech, what they call “elderspeak,” when dealing with the elderly or infirm. This type of speech involves an overly caring but controlling tone of voice, shortened sentences, repetition, the use of inappropriately intimate terms of endearment (”sweetie,” “dear”), and a tendency to treat the person in a childlike or highly dependent manner.

Source: healthdaynews.com

Did you know that Sunrise Senior Living is the largest global provider of senior living alternatives? Below is an overview of Sunrise Senior Living. 

Sunrise Senior Living, based in McLean, Va., employs approximately 40,000 people. As of March 31, 2008, Sunrise operated 441 communities in the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, with a combined capacity for more than 54,000 residents. At quarter end, Sunrise also had 40 communities under construction in these countries with a combined capacity for 5,300 additional residents. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing, rehabilitative and hospice care. Sunrise’s senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents.

Source and to learn more about Sunrise, please visit http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com.

Sunrise Senior Living announced that Paul J. Klaassen, its founder and chief executive officer of 27 years, will become Sunrise Senior Living’s non-executive chairman of the board and transition from his role as CEO, effective at the next annual meeting of Sunrise Senior Living shareholders expected to take place in November 2008. At that time, Mark S. Ordan, Sunrise Senior Living chief investment and administrative officer, will become CEO. Mr. Ordan has also joined Sunrise’s board of directors, effective July 15, 2008. When Mr. Klaassen becomes chairman, Lynn Krominga, the current chairman of the board, will become lead independent director.

As Sunrise Senior Living’s chairman, Mr. Klaassen will serve as an active champion of it’s mission, culture and values. He will continue to support the Company, Mr. Ordan and the board by focusing on key areas including public policy advocacy, product design, leadership training and visiting Sunrise Senior Living communities.

U.S. offical stated Monday that starting next year, doctors can earn additional money from Medicare if they use electronic prescribing systems.The bonus program, which will continue for four years, is designed to streamline the prescription process and cut down on errors. In 2009 and 2010, Medicare will give doctors an additional 2 percent bonus on top of their fee for “e-prescribing.” In 2011 and 2012, the bonus will drop to 1 percent, and in 2013, the bonus will drop again to 0.5 percent, officials said.

Source: www.healthday.com

Some doctors have long suspected that if the plaque that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease could be removed, they could be saved. But a new vaccine that did just that suggests the theory is wrong.

British researchers gave 64 patients with moderate Alzheimer’s disease an experimental vaccine designed to eliminate plaque from their brains. Some patients were followed for up to six years.

Autopsies on seven patients who died of Alzheimer’s during the study showed that nearly all of the sticky beta-amyloid protein thought to be dangerous had been removed. But all patients still had severe dementia.

Source: www.msnbc.com

 

I hear alot about added safety features for residents in Senior Living Communites. This by far is one ofthe best investments.

Philips Senior Living Solutions provides resident safety products, software and services specifically designed for Senior Living communities.  Senior Living Solutions

Philips Senior Living Solutions provides a complete line of resident safety products, software and services specifically designed for Senior Living communities. Our focus is on the safety, health and wellness of residents in independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.

The CarePoint Resident Safety System is a state-of-the-art solution built upon a proven wireless infrastructure. It offers a broad-ranging suite of modular components that fully integrate to work as one. CarePoint is designed to seamlessly integrate with your existing life safety systems - whether fire, security, wandering, or egress - to provide a “bubble” of comprehensive safety coverage over your entire facility. Emergency call options include personal help buttons , fixed help devices , wandering monitors , active and passive resident check-in devices, smoke detectors , pagers , and resident communicators.

Visit http://www.lifelineseniorliving.com for more information. 

Senior Living Communities look to be stable in our downward spiraling market. Industry experts are waiting to see if the slowdown in home sales will force seniors to delay moving into continuing-care communities, but the evidence is spotty. So far, most established communities are weathering the housing downturn without much trouble.

Source:dallasmorningtimes.com

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. fell consistently throughout most of Monday’s trading. At about 1:00 pm ET the stock hit a range which held it for the rest of the day. The stock ended the day at $15.44 down $1.65 from Friday’s close. The decline came on above average volume and accelerated a recent downtrend and took the stock to a new low.

Source: tradingmarkets.com