Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Delivering a successful model of memory care

With 91 people on its wait list, the word has spread that Silverado San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is doing some very good things in its community. And, as its proponents maintain, getting Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t have to mean the end of living—for residents or their loved ones. Read More »

HHS drafts strategic national plan for addressing Alzheimer’s

The Alzheimer’s Association said in a statement that the HHS draft “highlights many solutions” and is a “significant marker” in the process of addressing the disease. Read More »

Nicotine patch improves mild cognitive impairment, study finds

While the study’s authors noted that nicotine stimulates receptors in the brain that are important for thinking and memory skills, they cautioned against unsupervised use of the substance. Read More »

Remembering Alzheimer’s

Job’s Way is Kirby Pines Retirement Community's award-winning Alzheimer’s and dementia residence—winner of more than six national and international awards. The unique circular facility is designed to minimize confusion and frustration as residents move about during their daily activities. Read More »

Free tool kit promotes Alzheimer’s/dementia education for staff

NCCDP offers a free downloadable tool kit, including PowerPoint in-services on many topics, which can be accessed through March 1. Read More »

‘Silent strokes’ linked to memory loss in older adults

New research offers clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory. Read More »

Diet and nutrition linked to cognitive ability, brain shrinkage

New study shows that elderly people with higher levels of some vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids had better cognitive performance, while poor diets produced the opposite result. Read More »

Geriatric nursing assistant brings home top honors

Congratulations to Tyrone Stanley, who was awarded the Cynthia Steele Caring Hands Award by the Maryland Chapter of the National Gerontological Nursing Association. Read More »

Research shows statins may be beneficial in treating Alzheimer’s

Results of a new study showed improvement in cognition and other outcome measures following atorvastatin treatment. Read More »

Magic or mayhem: What’s ahead? Part 2

Editor's note: Last month, Long-Term Living readers were treated to five of Richard Peck's predictions for the industry in the coming years Read More »

What are the implications to care and design if Alzheimer’s becomes Type 3 diabetes?

Currently you can find research back as far as 2005 relating to the connection between Alzheimer’s and insulin production in the brain. Read More »

NYC art museum offers tours designed for people with dementia

The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is projected to increase as the Baby Boomers continue to age. Over the years, giant steps in Read More »

Begin with a circle…

AnnaMarie Barba (third from left) and residents relax and socialize in the comfortable Summer House lounge. The heartbreaking, yet gradual, Read More »

Prepare for a rise in Alzheimer’s and dementia

Recently, the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association released new guidelines for Read More »

Mouth care: Reducing resistant behaviors

More elders are entering long-term care with their natural teeth, and those who develop dementia will require Read More »

The effects of Snoezelen intervention

Snoezelen interventions originated in Denmark as a means of encouraging physical and social interaction among children with developmental Read More »

What can be learned from caring for residents with dementia

While most of what we hear in mainstream media about those who work in long-term care is not positive, what we have experienced is that employees who Read More »

Family history collages for residents with dementia

The daughter stopped me as I began to walk into her mother's room. “My mother says a lot of things that are fabricated, but in her case, the Read More »

Online tool helps seniors determine dementia risk

Attention to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia issues has ratcheted up significantly in recent months. Whether it’s a result of effective lobbying by Read More »

Evidence-based design for dementia

There is growing evidence that the design of the built environment, by itself and in combination with organizational policies and procedures, has a Read More »

Eliminate restraints

Why do we use restraints? The usual response is that we use them so people will not fall. Do restraints, including alarms, prevent falls? Maybe Read More »

Developing a therapeutic recreation dementia program

At a glance… Through dedicated staff training, assembling these “pieces of the puzzle” yielded many facility-wide benefits. Village Nursing Home Read More »

‘Use it or lose it’: The importance of ‘brain exercise’

Recent discoveries about the health of active brains have many implications for people as they age. We now know that the mind, like the body's Read More »

Bringing the past-and Alzheimer’s residents-to life

As senior living communities look for ways to improve the quality of life for their residents, “life skill stations” offer the opportunity to engage Read More »

Waging war on Alzheimer’s disease

On July 29, U.S. Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) introduced legislation to create an Office of the National Alzheimer's Project Read More »

Mental illness trumps dementia in nursing home admissions

Cleveland-A study has found more nursing home admissions suffer with mental illness than dementia, underscoring the need for nursing homes to have Read More »

Managing Alzheimer’s in the Green House

The Green House is certainly not a new concept anymore-there are now some 56 such homes on 18 sites in 14 states, with a further 100 being developed Read More »

They call it a nursing home for a reason

I remember a television advertisement not too long ago for an Alzheimer’s drug that has a middle-aged woman narrating about her fear that she would Read More »

Advanced dementia care is vital to quality of life, Part 2

Often people working with those with advanced dementia don't see the importance of doing activities with them because they believe there is no point Read More »

Advanced dementia care is vital to quality of life, Part 1

Until recently, very few people knew how to really take care of people with advanced dementia. New approaches were designed and quality of life and Read More »