Dementia is an illness that can affect everyone that it comes in contact with. Everyday can be a new challenge for both dementia patients receiving outpatient services and their loved ones. It may also be harder for some to accept the diagnosis than others, but it doesn’t lessen the effects of the disease. Although progression in patients is slow, family members can use the time that they spend with their loved one to understand the diagnosis and communicate to the rest of the family the changes that are gradually taking place. Dementia can be managed if properly handled, allowing loved
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Archives for mental health
16 initiatives that define the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was established as long ago as 1636 when the early Americans were warring with the local Pequot Indians. The goal was to support disabled soldiers and show respect for the duty they had provided. Since that time, the United States has developed the world’s most comprehensive system of assistance for veterans. erectile dysfunction cures In 2009, President Obama spearheaded a transformation of the VA, enacting three guiding principles to allow the agency to be people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking. Along with those principles, 16 initiatives were put in place, including: Eliminating Veteran homelessness Enabling 21st
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Being aware to take care – identifying the risk factors behind dementia
As we’ve mentioned in past blog posts, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease vary in the sense that one is an effect of the other. Although Alzheimer’s is a disease that to date has no cure, there are many factors that lead to dementia that can be controlled. Some, of those factors, such as being genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s, can’t be changed. However, there are ways to reduce the chances of experiencing dementia. The Mayo Clinic has multiple suggestions as to how to do so and offered up the following guidelines: Alcohol use. Consuming large amounts of alcohol appears to increase the risk of
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Freedom Home Care offers relief to family caregivers
The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one can weigh heavily on a family member. Often times, these caregivers hold full-time jobs on top of the full-time obligation that comes with providing support to those who can no longer care for themselves. And as many know, this type of situation can produce a large amount of stress. No matter the factors, stress is a powerful force that can wreak havoc on the body and mind if not tended to properly. Although it may sound implausible, taking a break from caregiving is essential to alleviate growing strains on a person’s
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Understanding how dementia differs from Alzheimer’s
As people get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember things. For most elderly individuals, it is an unfortunate fact of aging. In recent years, the term senility, which once referred to difficulties with cognizance, has now been replaced with the term dementia. The problem, however, is that now dementia is too often confused with conditions such as Alzheimer’s. In reality, dementia is merely a symptom of Alzheimer’s and other diseases associated with the brain. “A good analogy to the term dementia is ‘fever,’” explained the editors at AlzheimersReadingRoom.com. “Fever refers to an elevated temperature, indicating that a person is
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FHC takes a moment for Mental Illness Awareness Week
This week, between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, marks a time for all of us to increase our understanding and sensitivity for those suffering from mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Illness Awareness Week was established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress. It was set in place to recognize the efforts that the NAMI places on mental health advocacy. Mental Illness Awareness Week
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Laughter does the body (and brain) good
Memory loss is a common side effect of aging. As our bodies (and brains) grow older, it becomes more and more difficult to remember where we put our car keys or when we were supposed to water the plants. In the following video, posted on the official AARP YouTube channel, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and animator Walt Handelsman puts a lighthearted spin on the forgetfulness that most of us will experience later in life. In fact, the old saying “laughter is the best medicine,” actually holds true when it comes to improving our memories. “Unlike emotional responses, which are limited
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Superagers – defying age in a single bound
Last night, if you were watching the 9 o’clock nightly news, you might have noticed a spry, good-looking older gal cruising the shops of downtown Chicago. And then, if you continued watching, you would have learned that that older woman was, in fact, 85 years old. According to a study taking place at Northwestern University, 85-year-old Barb Shaeffer falls under the category of superager – men and women in their 80s or older who exhibit remarkable memory and energy for their age. Since discovering this category of age-defiance, Northwestern researchers examined 12 individuals from the Chicago area who fit the
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Flexing the mental muscles to maintain a healthy brain
As most of us know, the brain is like a muscle, and if you don’t flex it from time to time, valuable functions like memory can be weakened. And just as exercise stimulates the body, exercising the brain will help to keep it healthy and strong. grow grape vines Our brains are constantly hungry for new information and so is definitely true later in life. One way to feed the brain, so to speak, is to learn a new language. Taking on tasks like learning simple French of Spanish can give the brain the workout that it needs and can
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How do I talk to my loved one about bringing a caregiver into their home?
No matter how difficult it may seem, there comes a time when you will have to talk to your aging parent or loved one about hiring an in-home caregiver. Many people in this situation do their best to avoid the conversation, fearing a loved one will respond with denial and refusal or perhaps worse, combative behaviors. Ignoring the situation because of potential hurt feelings is the worst approach possible, considering health and safety are already at risk for candidates of in-home care. The sooner they can get help taking care of themselves, the less possibility there will be for an
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