The upset displayed by John Suchet is a prima facie illustration – albeit a particularly harrowing one – of the feeling of desolation and isolationism that we as a company see only too often when people initially approach us for help in dealing with this condition.

Hugely helpful as the Admiral Nursing initiative is, as Mr Suchet points out, it remains unavailable to the vast majority of us and so the prospects for most sufferers of this awful disease continue to look ever more bleak – and even more so for their spouses or offspring who are almost invariably left to try and care for them.

The situation is not actually as bleak it might seem however.

By far the most significant factor in relieving the pressure and stress felt by relatives who would otherwise be left to deal with this condition on their own is having someone around who can basically shoulder a lot of the actual day-to-day burden of it on a hands-on basis rather than through counseling alone – or at all in fact. In other words, someone who can shoulder all the behavioural and physical demands of the person actually suffering from the disease and engage them emotionally also.

Time and again I have seen the lives of both sufferers and carers utterly transformed by this measure alone, and finally I have now experienced the benefits myself:

My own mother has for some while been afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, a problem which was for a time exacerbated by her steadfast resistance to accepting any support at all outside of the family, which is often the case incidentally. But now we have a competent team of carers looking after her, it is hard to describe not only my own feeling of exaltation and well-being in seeing her being properly looked after by proper dementia-trained carers who take all this in their stride, but in witnessing also the distinct recovery in my mother’s own physical and emotional well-being.

And the moral of this story? Even the sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease don’t necessarily have to live a life of misery because of it.

In a workshop entitled “Who cares? Reforming Long-Term Care” Professor Jon Glasby said that the current system placed an unfair burden on individuals.

He said that alternative methods of funding long-term care needed to be considered, including:-

? Introducing compulsory long-term care insurance
? Abolishing long-term care fees
? Drawing on the value of homes through equity relief

Professor Glasby said that he hoped that the government’s Green Paper on care and support, due this year, would provide an opportunity to stimulate debate on the issue and lead to the overhaul of the system. He said: “There is the risk that we retain the status quo, with a few tweaks, but I believe the existing system needs a radical overhaul to fund long-term care for older people. It is a fundamental personal and political issue that is at stake and we really need to think and talk about where we may go next.”

“I personally think that it does not make sense that we distinguish between people who are “sick” and those who are “frail” or “disabled”. One service is free and the other is means-tested, which has significant implications for who pays and who provides. It does not make sense that someone who has cancer and is being treated in hospital pays nothing, while someone who is in a care home and is being treated in a similar way for Alzheimer’s is charged for their care. It is not meaningful to have a separate system of health and social care.”

For some this may only be small things such as appointments but in other cases it can be worse, such as forgetting the faces of loved ones or precious memories. This can be extremely distressing for those who are close to the sufferer.

There are a few things that can be done to help remember the appointment or perhaps even jog the memory into remembering some of those past events or faces.

Having a white board with the date and the events that are due to happen that day such as doctor’s appointments or friends visiting will be very useful.

Also, regularly looking through photos, letter or perhaps scrap books from the past may help bring back some of the memories that have been lost. Visiting as often as possible and asking questions about past homes, friends and pets may also help.

Also, music is a very powerful memory jogger and there are certain songs that will always take us back to a time when the same song meant something to us. It has also been discovered that music can be a help to dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers.

Alzheimer’s is a form of Dementia and in the UK alone there are over 700,000 dementia sufferers! It has been shown that exercise can hold back the advance of Alzheimer’s, US researchers have established.

The preconception is that dementia only affects the elderly but research shows this not to be the case. According to the Alzheimer’s Society website there are over 11,500 under 65 year olds in the UK who also suffer from this.

Dementia is a disease of the brain. When someone has dementia their brain cells die faster than they normally would.

Dementia is not curable and memory loss and confusion are often the first symptoms. It may be useful to keep a diary with keys dates in for the sufferer to refer to if necessary. Gradually over time sufferers may also lose the ability to do tasks they would normally carry out without hesitation. Tasks such as washing, eating and toileting can be become increasingly difficult as the symptoms progress.

Caring for someone with dementia can be very difficult as sufferers may feel vulnerable and require a great deal of reassurance and support. It is essential that sufferers remain as fit and healthy as is possible. A nutritional diet will help the sufferer to feel happier.

There are many different types of dementia with Alzheimers being the most common. Symptoms vary depending on the type of dementia.

Their study, published in the journal Neurology, looked at 121 people aged over 60, around half of them in the early stages of the disease.

Those with Alzheimer’s who were less fit had four times more signs of brain shrinkage than those who were fit.

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust said other research showed exercise reduced the risk of dementia.

“People with early Alzheimer’s disease may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly” Dr Jeffrey Burns University of Kansas School of Medicine

Some 700,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, with this number predicted to grow quickly over the next two decades, as the proportion of older people in the population increases.

Other studies looking at the relationship between dementia and exercise tend to focus on whether being active can reduce the risk of the condition developing in the first place.

Dr Jeffrey Burns, from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said his was one of the first to look at whether exercise could affect the progress of the illness.

His volunteers underwent a treadmill test to see how fit they were and then their brains were scanned for shrinkage, which is one way of measuring the severity of their Alzheimer’s.

Brain volume

While there was no relationship between brain size and exercise in people tested who did not have Alzheimer’s, Dr Burns said the four-fold difference in those who did was evidence that exercise might help.

He said: “People with early Alzheimer’s disease may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly and potentially reducing the amount of brain volume lost.

“Evidence shows decreasing brain volume is tied to poorer cognitive performance, so preserving more brain volume may translate into better cognitive performance.”

Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients to brain cells.

“This is one possible explanation why dementia progresses slower in people who are physically fit.

“Exercise also reduces your risk of developing dementia so it’s important to take regular exercise. A healthy heart means a healthy brain.”

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “This adds to previous research showing that exercise helps reduce the risk of dementia and slows down its onset.

“A balanced diet and regular exercise can improve the quality of life of older people with dementia, as well as those who do not have the condition.”

News reported by The BBC

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society

One woman, who helps care for her husband at home, talks about her fight for help.
Freddie was 64 when he was diagnosed with dementia

Freddie Smith was just 64 when he was diagnosed with a form of dementia brought on by a series of mini-strokes.

“It suddenly became clear,” says his wife, Angela.

“For a while he had been asking me what the time was or keeping bags of change in his pocket – he didn’t know what they were worth so kept paying with notes.”

That was 11 years ago and ever since his condition has been deteriorating, so that now he struggles to move and cannot communicate.

The 49-year-old, from Kent, said she soon found herself asking for help caring for her husband.

But despite his diagnosis, she was told she would have to pay for the help he needed dressing, eating and going to the toilet.

“Mrs Smith, who works as an exercise instructor and in a post office, says: “In the end all my wages, about £200 a week, was going on paying for his carers. What gets me is that this is a medical condition, he was diagnosed, and yet he did not get the help he needed” Angela Smith

“I even had to rely on my mother, who was in her 80s, to help him out, make him drinks and drive him to the day centre.

“What gets me is that this is a medical condition, he was diagnosed, and yet he did not get the help he needed from the NHS. My life was a nightmare.”

However, that has now changed. Four years ago, after many years of battling, she finally convinced the NHS to fund Freddie’s care.

He now has what is called a continuing care package, which means carers are now funded to look after him at home.

Mrs Smith even gets respite care meaning she can put him in a home while she goes on holiday.

“It has made the world of difference. Like many people, I would not want him to go in a home full-time, but to do that you do need help.

“I am getting that now, but I know I am one of the lucky ones. So many people don’t get what I do and I think that is wrong.”

News reported by The BBC

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society

Dutch researchers found Alzheimer’s was 2.5 times more likely in people with a history of depression.

Similarly, US researchers, examining Catholic clergy, found those with signs of depression were more likely to go on to develop Alzheimer’s.

The Dutch appears in the journal Neurology and the US study in Archives of General Psychiatry.

The Dutch study was small – 486 people over an average of six years, with just 33 people developing Alzheimer’s.

But it found that people who showed signs of depression before the age of 60 were four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

“We don’t know yet whether depression contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, or whether another unknown factor causes both depression and dementia” Dr Monique Breteler Erasmus University Medical Center

The researchers, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said more work was needed to fully understand the link between Alzheimer’s and depression.

Lead researcher Dr Monique Breteler said: “We don’t know yet whether depression contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, or whether another unknown factor causes both depression and dementia.”

One theory is that depression leads to the loss of cells in two areas of the brain, the hippocampus and the amygdala, which then contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.

However, the latest study found no difference in the size of these two brain areas in people with depression and people who had never developed the condition.

Second study

The findings were echoed in a second study by Rush University in the US published in Archives of General Psychiatry.

The researchers followed more than 900 members of the Catholic clergy for up to 13 years during which time 190 developed Alzheimer’s.

They found that those with more signs of depression at the start of the study were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

But there was little evidence of an increase in depressive symptoms during the early stages of disease.

Even after the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s was made there was no general increase in depression, but rather an increase that was confined to individuals with certain personality traits.

The researchers said their findings suggested that depression was a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease – rather than a subtle early sign of its underlying pathology.

Researcher Dr Robert Wilson said: “Depressive symptoms may be associated with distinctive changes in the brain that somehow reduce neural reserve, which is the brain’s ability to tolerate the pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said the research was interesting, and potentially useful.

She said: “Identifying people at higher risk could lead to ways to reduce the number of people who develop dementia, help researchers to understand more about dementia and create new avenues of research.”

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “More research is needed to clarify the relationship between dementia and depression and determine whether depression causes changes in the brain that make dementia more likely.”

News reported by The BBC

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society

A study of 900 people aged over 60 found early onset was most likely in those who also had a high-risk gene.

A second US study found people with high cholesterol in their early 40s are one and a half times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

The research was presented at an American Academy of Neurology meeting.

It has been estimated that a delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by five years would lead to a 50% drop in the number of cases.

“It’s possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer’s at any point in time” Dr Ranjan Duara

The researchers said their findings showed heavy drinking and smoking were two of the most important preventable risk factors for the condition.

Those taking part in the study had been diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer’s disease and smoking and drinking history was obtained from family members.

Risk factors

Heavy drinking, defined as more than two drinks a day was found to lead to an almost five-year earlier onset of Alzheimer’s.

And those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day developed the disease two years sooner.

People with a specific gene – APOE variant 4 – developed Alzheimer’s disease three years earlier than those without the gene variant.

All three risk factors together were associated with onset of the disease 8.5 years earlier than those with none of the risk factors.

Study leader, Dr Ranjan Duara, from Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida said: “It’s possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer’s at any point in time.”

In the second study, 9,700 men and women were followed from the age of 40.

Those with cholesterol levels higher than around six millimols per litre (mmol/L) had a one and a half times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those with low cholesterol.

“High mid-life cholesterol increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease regardless of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and late-life stroke,” said researcher Alina Solomon.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society said the research added to the weight of evidence on drinking and smoking habits and the risk of developing dementia.

“The best way to reduce your risk is to eat a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins and to exercise regularly.

“Not smoking, drinking only in moderation and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly throughout life are also important ways people can reduce their risk of dementia.”

News reported by The BBC

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society

Two studies support a link between high blood pressure and dementia risk – with one by an Imperial College London team suggesting treatment could cut this.

This study, by published in the Lancet Neurology journal, found blood pressure drugs reduce dementia by 13%.

The Alzheimer’s Society said better control could save 15,000 lives a year.

“Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works” Professor Clive Ballard Alzheimer’s Society

As many as one in four people has high blood pressure, in many cases undiagnosed or untreated.

The precise reasons why high blood pressure might increase the risk of dementia are not fully understood although many scientists believe that it can starve the brain of bloodflow and the oxygen it carries.

Patients suffering this restricted bloodflow are often described as having “vascular dementia”, and account for approximately a quarter of dementia patients.

Other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have no obvious link to bloodflow, but some experts think that blood pressure may still be somehow contributory in some cases.

The Lancet Neurology study looked at a trial of elderly patients with high blood pressure to see if those who were receiving treatment were less likely to develop any form of dementia compared with those left untreated.

Clear benefit

The trial was stopped early after the benefits of treatment in terms of reducing strokes and heart disease were so obvious it became unethical to deny them to everyone.

Although this meant that no benefits in terms of dementia could be found, when these results were combined with other similar studies in different age groups, the incidence of dementia was 13% lower in the treated groups.

Dr Ingmar Skoog, from the Institute of Neurosciences at Sweden’s Goteburg University, said that the need to treat high blood pressure, reducing heart attacks and strokes, was clear, even without the additional results on dementia.

Rebecca Wood, from the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said the finding was an “exciting development”, which, if repeated, could offer hope to the 700,000 people in the UK with dementia.

Healthy living

The Alzheimer’s Society, however, stressed the need to try to prevent the disease.

Its own unpublished research suggested that vascular dementia was six times more likely to develop in people who had high blood pressure in their 40s and 50s.

If “best practice” in blood pressure treatment was applied to the UK population, it said, with every case detected and treated appropriately, this would save 15,000 lives a year.

Professor Clive Ballard, its director of research, said: “Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works.”

The charity’s chief executive, Neil Hunt, urged everyone, even those in middle age, to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks.

News reported by The BBC

Alzheimers Research Trust
Alzheimers Society