A grat article on the latest understanding regarding depression depression
The family
The family suffers with the loss of a dementia patient. Most have noticed the signs and some may be relieved with the diagnosis. When my father was diagnosised it explained a lot of behavior we were attributing to personality. However, the explanation did not make the diagnosis any easier. Sometimes we think an explanation or a reason makes things easier to take. Not so.
The family will be relieved when their loved one is placed in a care facility, but they will also feel guilty. This is similar to survivor guilt. They may find it difficult to enjoy life or feel bad if they have a good time while dad or mom is suffering. The care facility can help by demonstrating care and love for their family member. Know them by name and smile when their name is mentioned, even over the phone. Our voice sounds different when spoken through a smile then a frown.
Know the patient’s routines and be able to talk to the family about it. This will ensure them that you are watching and caring. Beyond anything else this will make the most difference.
Secondly, stay in touch. It is easier for everyone if the facility initiates the calls. To the family it demonstrate care and responsibility. For the facility, it allows you to call on your schedule instead of interrupting phone calls all day long.
Seniors Who Socialize Report More Happiness, Study Shows
A Gallup poll shows that socialization is linked to happiness and lower stress levels. Seniors (65 and older) report the highest levels of happiness of any age group, and those who spend at least three hours daily socializing are more likely than their peers to report happiness.
The level of happiness reported increases with each hour of social time, to a maximum of about seven hours. Most interesting is that the senior group seems able to maintain their levels of happiness with less social time, provided they are getting at least a few hours each day.
Another reason friends and family matter.
Why older people are happier
ScienceDaily (Jan. 6, 2012) — Older people tend to be happier. But why? Some psychologists believe that cognitive processes are responsible — in particular, focusing on and remembering positive events and leaving behind negative ones; those processes, they think, help older people regulate their emotions, letting them view life in a sunnier light. “There is a lot of good theory about this age difference in happiness,” says psychologist Derek M. Isaacowitz of Northeastern University, “but much of the research does not provide direct evidence” of the links between such phenomena and actual happiness.
It just one possibility more research still needs to be done
Early ID of dementia
Alzheimer’s risk can be detected 10 years before symptoms, study finds.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15647724,00.html
A dream come true if it turns out to be true.
Seizure Disorders
In seizure disorders, the brain’s electrical activity is periodically disturbed, resulting in some degree of temporary brain dysfunction. Many people have unusual sensations just before a seizure starts. Some seizures cause uncontrollable shaking and loss of consciousness, but more often, people simply stop moving or become unaware of what is happening. Doctors suspect the diagnosis based on symptoms, but imaging of the brain, blood tests, and electroencephalography (to record the brain’s electrical activity) are usually needed to identify the cause. If needed, drugs can usually prevent seizures.
Protecting your brain
As baby boomers pass the half century age mark, more and more conversations seem to be related to complaints of forgetfulness.
As we age, the brain does in fact start to change. Recently, numerous studies have focused on this subject to see what we can all do to preserve our brains and reduce the risk of dementias and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
One of the absolute best things you can do for your brain is to exercise. People at all different levels of fitness can maintain some level of physical movement each day. Even those limited by use of a walker or wheelchair can move body parts that send more oxygen and nutrients to their brains.
LA Mental Health Examiner: Meditation and the brain
Approximately 160 people attended the NAMI Ventura County General Meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, to hear Mark Robert Waldman speak about Meditation and the Brain, Recovery from Mental Illness.
Waldman thrilled the audience with his discussion of how to train the brain to think positively, which, is not its normal process. He pointed out that through meditation, the brain can overcome such negative feelings and experiences as anxiety, anger, fear and depression. These points were illustrated with slides of actual MRIs (state-of-the-art brain scans) of the brain.
BBC NEWS | Health | Early warning clue for dementia
Heightened activity in an area of the brain that deals with memory may give a subtle early warning of dementia decades later, UK research suggests.
It was known carrying that a rogue version of a gene called ApoE4 raised the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Now researchers have linked the same mutation with raised activity in an area of the brain called the hippocampus in people as young as 20.
Sand Mountain Reporter
My experience took place recently at Merrill Gardens assisted living facility in Albertville.
On numerous occasions, I have gone there covering special events or providing an hour or so of humorous stories to residents.
This day I was there, ostensibly, to cover a story about Alzheimer’s.
Told that area personal-care providers were going through the tour, I was asked if I would like to participate.
