Top 7 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are:
1. Asking the same question over and over again.
2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.
3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards — activities that were previously done with ease and regularity.
4. Losing one’s ability to pay bills or balance one’s checkbook.
5. Getting lost in familiar surroundings, or misplacing household objects.
6. Neglecting to bathe, or wearing the same clothes over and over again, while insisting that they have taken a bath or that their clothes are still clean.
7. Relying on someone else, such as a spouse, to make decisions or answer questions they previously would have handled themselves.

Source: www.nih.com

A new analysis of a study on an experimental Alzheimer’s drug reinforces the notion that the compound is broadly effective at improving the cognitive function of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s patients.A second analysis of the trial on the medication, known as Dimebon, also reveals that by improving the Alzheimer’s patients’ ability to perform daily tasks, the drug shaves off almost an hour a day in the amount of time the average caregiver must attend to his or her patient.The twin observations raise hope for a new and improved therapy to address both the symptoms and the underlying mechanisms driving a disease that the Alzheimer’s Association says currently affects more than 5 million Americans.

Read the full article on www.msn.com

Source: www.msn.com

 As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s right now.

• It is projected that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.

• Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.

• Alzheimer’s Disease is the seventh-leading cause of death.
The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.
These are just a few of the facts in our new report, 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. The report can be found at www.alz.org and it includes a comprehensive statistical abstract of U.S. data on Alzheimer’s disease that includes: prevalence, mortality, the costs of Alzheimer care, family caregiving and the lifetime risks of Alzheimer’s Disease.

A new study suggests that having a big belly in your 40s can boost your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia decades later.Research has found evidence that obesity in middle age raises the chances of developing dementia later, the new work found a separate risk from storing a lot of fat in the abdomen. Even people who weren’t overweight were susceptible.

The abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped, has already been linked to higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

“Now we can add dementia to that,” said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.She and others report the findings in Wednesday’s online issue of the journal Neurology.

The study involved 6,583 men and women who were ages 40 to 45 when they had checkups between 1964 and 1973. As part of the exam, their belly size was measured by using a caliper to find the distance between their backs and the surface of their upper abdomens. For the study, a distance of about 10 inches or more was considered high.

The researchers checked medical records to see who had developed Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia by an average of 36 years later. At that point the participants were ages 73 to 87. There were 1,049 cases.

Analysis found that compared to people in the study with normal body weight and a low belly measurement:

_ Participants with normal body weight and high belly measurements were 89 percent more likely to have dementia.

_ Overweight people were 82 percent more likely if they had a low belly measurement, but more than twice as likely if they had a high belly measurement.

_ Obese people were 81 percent more likely if they had a low belly measurement, but more than three times as likely if they had a high measurement.

Whitmer said there’s no precise way to translate belly measurements into waist circumference. But most people have a sense of whether they have a big belly, she said. And if they do, the new study suggests they should get rid of it, she said.It’s not clear why abdominal fat would promote dementia, but it may pump out substances that harm the brain, she said.Dr. Jose Luchsinger of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who studies the connection between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease but didn’t participate in the new work, cautioned that such a study cannot prove abdominal fat promotes dementia.

But the study results are “highly plausible” and “I’m not surprised at all,” he said. High insulin levels might help explain them, he said.

Dr. Samuel Gandy, who chairs the medical and scientific advisory council of the Alzheimer’s Association, said the results fit in with previous work that indicates a person’s characteristics in middle age can affect the risk of dementia in later life.

And it’s another example of how traits associated with the risk of developing heart disease are also linked to later dementia, he said.

Source: www.alz.org

Before you send your tax returns to the IRS, make sure you get the tax-savings you deserve as a caregiver. As a caregiver for a loved one, you may qualify for tax deductions and credits.

Tax deductions

Deductible caregiving costs may include:

Medical care, including nursing care
Transportation essential to medical care
In-home care, such as physical therapy
Personal care items, such as disposable briefs and special foods
Nursing home care
Assisted living or other residential care
Home modifications such as grab bars or wheel chair ramps
A caregiver can take federal income tax deductions only if the person with dementia has been certified as chronically ill. This certification must have been made by a licensed health care practitioner within the last 12 months.

Long-term care services must be given under a prescribed plan of care. Be sure to keep records of all your payment for services, and save certifications on the plans of care.

For more details on deducting caregiving costs, see IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses.

A new report predicts that an estimated 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, placing strains on the U.S. health-care system and the already burdened network of caregivers. Currently, there are  least 5.2 million Americans that suffer from Alzheimer’s, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. By 2010, projections say there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.

The report , released Tuesday by the Alzheimer’s Association, also notes that the disease is now the seventh deadliest in the nation and that women are at greater risk than men.

Read more at www.alz.org

People with mild dementia had more crashes and are almost 4 times more likely to fail road tests.

Seniors with early Alzheimer’s disease were involved in more traffic crashes and performed worse on road tests than drivers without cognitive impairment, a new study finds.

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, confirm previous reports of potentially hazardous driving by people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease . The study also shows that some people with mild dementia are able to continue driving safely for short or even extended periods of time.

The study consisted of 84 people with early Alzheimer’s and a control group of 44 age-matched people without any cognitive impairment. The study was conducted over two to three years. The participants’ driving abilities were assessed through self-reports, family reports and a standardized road test.

HealthDay News reported that people taking calcium channel blockers to control high blood pressure may find the regimen has a added benefit. Researchers say long-term use of the drugs also might cut the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

The findings are far from definitive and not yet ready for prime-time medical practice at this point.”There are not necessarily direct clinical implications, but the data support previous hypotheses that calcium channel blockers may have neuroprotective effects,” said study senior author Christoph R. Meier, a clinical pharmacologist with University Hospital Basel, in Switzerland. “This may stimulate additional clinical and mainly basic research in this area.” The findings were published in the Feb. 6 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Read the entire article at health.usnews.com.

This June, join clinicians, researchers and policy advocates to address the issue of Alzheimer ’s Disease prevention and the second Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia.

When: June 3-6, 2008
Where: Washington, D.C.

The Rita Hayworth Galas is held annually in New York City and Chicago. The galas are major fund-raising events for the Alzheimer’s Association. They honor legendary film star Rita Hayworth, who had Alzheimer’s disease. The galas are hosted by Ms. Hayworth’s daughter. The Chicago gala takes place on Mother’s Day weekend, and the New York gala is held in the fall.

Since 1985, the Rita Hayworth Galas have raised more than $48 million. All of the money raised go toward research and support programs.

When: May 10, 2008
Where: Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Illinois