ALZHEIMERS

Coffee Treats Alzheimers? Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:04:00 EDT

Peter Pressman from the Clinical Trial Center talks about what to look for in all stages of Alzheimers and what types of treatments are available.

allaboutalzheimers.orgAs the caregiver to an Alzheimers patient, it is necessary to understand the various stages that a sufferer goes through so that you can adjust your own behaviour accordingly.

In this video, Kristine Watson speaks of her mother's experience with Alzheimer's disease. A 'super mom' of sorts, Kristine's mom was the mother of five and a breadwinner who always took charge of her tasks with command and confidence. It was clear to her family that something was wrong when, in her seventies, Kristine began experiencing difficulties in computing simple math. She was later to become one of 1.4 million people in America diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) said today Quest has agreed to buy Thermo Fishers Athena Diagnostics unit for $740 million in cash. Athena is an esoteric laboratory specializing in generic testing for neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers disease.

John's wife Betty began showing warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, like short-term memory loss, in her late 50's. Eventually Betty's neurologist diagnosed her with probable Alzheimer's. John reached out to support groups and the Alzheimer's Association for help. He now leads two support groups in his community. Betty passed away at age 69.

While it's normal to lose some memory functions, dementia is not a normal part of aging. Dementia, which includes Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, are disease processes.

Although there is no cure for the degenerative brain disorder known as Alzheimer's, the good news is that modern medicine can help slow the disease's progression.

Losing your memory is incredibly frightening, but Americans with Alzheimer's disease are not alone'"they have 5 million companions, a number that is expected to rise rapidly in the coming years.

Alzheimer's disease follows a general pattern as it worsens over time. Learn what to expect as this common disease runs its course.