Telling children their grandmother is suffering from dementia is not only scary for the children, but also difficult for the adult delivering the message. That message must be sensitive and age appropriate, experts say, with details on what children can expect to witness and how they should respond to it. “It’s good to be honest […]Read More
Tags : Alzheimer’s Disease
Enhancing quality of life for people with dementia Chicagoan Kris McCabe’s Instagram and TikTok accounts are peppered with sweet moments with her grandmother, Mary Padovani. Videos show the two singing a Patsy Cline song and sharing a hug as they swap, “I love yous.” In others, Padovani brushes McCabe’s hair, as she’s done for years. […]Read More
Making music engages the brain and improves mood Nine residents at The Selfhelp Home, a senior living community in Edgewater, gathered in a circle one spring morning, holding frame drums. “I feel like singing,” said Doris, a Selfhelp resident, hitting her drum with a mallet. That was the group’s goal: for residents with dementia to […]Read More
Have you ever spent the day in a city with such bad air pollution that when you blew your nose the mucus had a black tinge? Have you ever coughed as you breathed in diesel fumes from a passing bus and thought to yourself, “Well, that’s a year gone from my life”? Could it actually […]Read More
As the holiday season approaches, finding the right gifts for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease need not be difficult. Look for gifts that relate to the types of activities your loved one enjoyed in the past, while taking into consideration any dementia limitations, says Michelle Brody, executive director of Arden Courts of Northbrook, a […]Read More
When Ann learned about a test that could reveal whether she had a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, the 72-year-old Des Plaines resident decided to take it. Her father and maternal grandmother both had the disease. The test that Ann — who requested that her last name not be used for privacy — took […]Read More
Meg Will began noticing changes in her mother’s behavior when her mother turned 80. Her mother was sharp — after she raised seven kids, she graduated from the University of Chicago and became a licensed clinical social worker. There were small signs at first. Her mother was seeing a limited number of patients in her […]Read More
Would you like reduce your risk of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia? Researchers from around the world have been studying a variety of different factors that might reduce these risks and keep the brain healthy. Old news: The Mediterranean diet is beneficial One factor that a number of studies have converged on is a […]Read More
At the newly opened Covid-19 neurology clinic at Loyola Medicine, doctors treat people suffering from chronic fatigue, headaches, impaired sense of smell and or taste, memory loss, troubles with other mental skills, and brain fog. Some people report having trouble concentrating; others can’t sleep. The symptoms are just a few of the common neurological and cognitive issues that people […]Read More