Dementia Affects Nearly 10 Million People In OECD

Dementia is a devastating disorder both for the individual, the family and caregiver. The disorder is progressive slowly resulting in loss of speech, reasoning, memory and other cognitive functions. The risk of Dementia increases with advancing age but not everyone who gets old develops the disorder. Despite extensive research for the past 30 years, no cause or cure has been found. The few drugs available to control the symptoms often have potent adverse effects and are not well tolerated. What is not always appreciated is that dementia numbers are on the rise. Prevalence of dementia globally has increased. Once thought to be a disorder of western society, Dementia rates are rapidly increasing globally. This degenerative disorder is expected to place enormous demands on the healthcare system and long term providers as the population ages.
Dementia has a slow onset and initially is very difficult to diagnose. There is no laboratory parameter which can be used as maker. Healthcare workers use their clinical judgement to make the diagnosis of the disorder. Unfortunately the initial memory loss and confusion are often attributed to normal effects of aging and are simply ignored.
In fact many cases of Dementia remain undiagnosed and hence the prevalence rates are gross underestimates. A recent cross national survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates that dementia affects nearly 10 million people in OECD countries which is about 7% of the population over age 65.
The study also revealed that Dementia was the most common form of dementia and accounted for nearly 80% of cases of dementia in OECD countries. World-wide there are anywhere from 30- 36 million individuals with Dementia.
While the numbers of Dementia cases are low at age 65, they nearly double every 5 years after age 65.
The cost of looking after Dementia patients is not minuscule. The world-wide costs for dementia care are more than $600 billion. This costs include informal care provided by family, social welfare provided by social workers and direct costs of medical care. The key caregivers for patients with Dementia are family members, especially during the initial stages of the disorder. In the USA, it is estimated that such informal care for patients with dementia costs over $18 billion/year and is rapidly increasing.
As the disease progresses, care of these patients becomes very difficult for most families and caregivers. There are mounting social and financial costs, which can be challenging even in most western countries. The challenge is even greater in less developed countries where the numbers of people with dementia appears to be growing rapidly. Newer studies project that by 2050, there will be over 115 million people globally living with Dementia. Because of the seriousness of the illness, there is now a global effort to determine the cause and hopefully find a cure.
Dr. David Tal has more than twenty years of clinical experience. He strongly believes that medical treatment can improve the life of Dementia and memory loss patients.

There are various types of Dementia

Dementia is a medical term, which is generally used for a condition in which a person experiences decline in the mental ability severe enough to interrupt the normal workings of a person. There are various types of Dementia and it is only through a talk with your doctor, you can figure out which type of dementia you are suffering from. There are various clinics and medical institutions running, which provide adequate care and attention to the dementia patients so that they can get back to their normal life as soon as possible. It is only through proper care, support of loved ones and medication, can one begin to cope with this disease.
If a doctor has informed you that you are suffering from dementia, it does not mean that you have a brain condition which will impair your memory, thinking abilities and concentration day by day. There needs to be an understanding that there are various types of dementia. Essentially, if you have been diagnosed with dementia, it does not necessarily mean it will affect your memory and concentration. One of the common types of dementia, which affects a large number of people is the Vascular dementia. In this, a person usually gets strokes, which may come in the form of major strokes or silent strokes, which can happen without realization or warnings. The early symptoms of vascular dementia can be seen as poor judgement, difficulty in planning and hardships making decisions.
Another type of dementia is "Dementia with Lewy Bodies". In this type of dementia, the sufferer forms lewy bodies, which are nothing but the deposits of protein that take place in the cortex (part of the brain). The symptoms of DLB can be seen as disturbed sleep patterns, having visual hallucinations, memory trouble and impaired decision making.
Another common type, which is found in the majority of the people, is Parkinson's Disease Dementia. It is mostly the same as DLB and both share a majority of the same symptoms. Mixed dementia is another medical condition in which a person suffers from more than one type of dementia at a time. It is usually a combination of the vascular dementia and Alzheimer’ disease.
Frontotemporal dementia is a condition in which the sufferer develops cell damage in those areas of the brain, which play a pivotal role in planning, speech and judgement. In this type of dementia, a person exhibits personality and behavior changes, finds difficulty in using the right words mid conversation and develops balance problems.
No matter which type of dementia is involved, however, the various symptoms remain the same like memory loss, difficulty in planning, organizing and decision making, change in personality and behavior and concentration problems. It is advisable to consult your doctor when you notice such problems in your daily life, or in those of your loved ones. Early diagnosis and treatment can control the disease to an extent and avoid further degeneration of the mind and your well-being.

Air Pollution & Brain Aging

In recent years, the connection between Alzheimer's Disease and the environment has been growing ever-stronger. The world around us has become far more dangerous than it used to thanks to industry and the use of noxious gasses and chemicals in many of our activities. However, air pollution has become a big problem in recent years for environmental studies and it has been shown to have caused an increase in the risk of ailments such as strokes to occur.
A study carried out in the May edition of popular magazine Stroke used 943 males and females over the age of 60 who had participated in a previous, wider, health study. Carrying out MRI examinations on each patient, as well as discovering their living proximity to large roads and highways, the group also used satellite information to measure matter which was smaller than 2.5micrometers (PM2.5) - small enough to enter the blood and the lungs.
As well as looking into lifestyle, profession and overall health condition, it was found that those who were exposed to the lowest of PM 2.5 levels had a significantly smaller chance to deal with covert brain infarcts. These are more commonly known as silent strokes, and are 46% more likely for those in the study who were around PM 2.5 particles on a regular basis. However, more importantly for Alzheimer's sufferers, a correlation was made between PM 2.5 - for every 2 micrograms per cubic meter - and brain aging. In fact, brain reductions were noted to be the equivalent of around a whole year of natural aging.
These large scale changes are becoming a significant problem for environmentalists and those involved with illnesses such as Alzheimer's. However, noted individuals have praised the time and funding used to conduct studies on these problems to find the most common causes. Now, there is a clear connection between air pollution and what could be considered unnatural brain aging. Now, there can be deeper studies into correcting this problem.
Noted author, also a member of the research team at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, stated that "This helps us to better understand the mechanisms related to air pollution and clinically observed outcomes."

Eating Well and Healthy Brains

Out of all of the clichés out there, one of the most important to remember is "you are what you eat". When it comes to things like the overall neurological power of your body, and how you stand against combatting the onset of illnesses like dementia, this could not be truer.
A recent study carried out by the American Academy of Neurology took in a study of 27,860 people all over the age of 55. In this study, they looked to find people who had varied diets that could be categorized. Each person was then monitored for a period of five years to see how they progresses and how they seemed to be coping with the world in general.
Out of everyone who took part over the 5 year period, around 4,700 participants suffered from a decline of more than 3 points out of 30 in their memory and their overall cognitive function. However, the proportion for that was actually losing the most from their minds came from those with the worst diets.
Those who had the healthiest diets suffered the least, with just 14% of their members showing a significant drop in their ability. Compare this with the 18% within those on what would be considered poor diets, and it's easy to see why eating problems are so prevalent when it comes to health issues.
The link between eating well and having a healthy mind have been around for many years, and various other studies over the years have points to much of the same evidence along the way. This makes it a lot easier to believe in for many people, too, and can be a good reason as to why many people are beginning to change their diets; the idea of living in a dementia clinic is not something that many people enjoy!
The increase in vitamins and nutrients that your body will be receiving plays a big role in ensuring that you can start to see a significant shift in the biological reasoning's behind this. For example, dietary intake makes a big difference because it modifies the risk of cognitive decline thanks to giving the body more key things like B vitamins and vitamin C, as well as help to improve any deficiencies that their body was suffering from previously.
This makes a massive difference, so making sure that your diet is on point will be vital in future!

Aging & brain injuries are connected

It's always estimated that banging our heads can lead to the increased chances of things like dementia taking hold, and for most of us that can be quite a terrifying thought. Aging and brain injuries are very much connected in various ways, as a new study shows; it's believed that continuous brain injuries can accelerate the aging process in our bodies and make ourselves feel and look older than we actually are.
Whether it's through contact sports or your form of employment - the military, for example - a long-term period of hits and damage will eventually create a build-up of beta-amyloid within the brain.
This, in turn, leads to a variety of negative conditions and can also increase the chances of dementia starting. Aging should be something that we go through naturally, but it appears that a few knocks to the head will really change the situation and make things go even faster.
Out of all sports people and athletes, boxers are estimated to suffer from this the most as well as military veterans who have suffered extensive head injuries at one stage - or multiple stages - throughout their career.
It's important to understand, though, that aging won't get faster; your days won't suddenly count for two, for example. Instead, it speeds up the process as the age dependent factor within beta-amyloids comes into play. Whilst it's hard to give any exact characterizations it's now been noted quite freely that damage to the head can cause serious problems in the growth of amyloid B peptide levels.
Therefore, it's vital that anyone involved in fighting or any kind of physical involvement is extremely careful about how their brain is treated. Those with beta-amyloid deposits suffered from a greater level of mental drain as they got older, and therefore it's vital to be able to avoid a buildup of this problem as it can leave you with life-changing conditions in the future.
However, this breakthrough offers a new chance for a development of the correlation between both aging and the beta-amyloid deposits that can build up through head trauma. This will be vital to ensuring there is a way to combat these problems and hopefully offer some kind of long-term solution against things like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
There is a lot more to be learned and gained from studies like this, but it's vital to actually have a starting place that makes a strong reference point.

Many Alzheimer's Patients Not Told About Their Diagnosis

One in five Canadians suffers cognitive impairment over the age of 65. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the more prevalent conditions and the patients are often not told of this diagnosis.
Due to the nature of Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms don’t begin appearing until the mid- to late stages of progression. If the disease were diagnosed early enough and the patient informed of it, steps can be taken to slow the progression and help the patient and his family work through the disease. Yet according to a study conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association only 45% of people with Alzheimer’s have been told of their diagnosis! This leaves 55% of those diagnosed not being told by their physician.
The study goes on to reveal the reasons doctor are not disclosing to their patients the diagnosis and they fall into three general categories; not wanting to cause emotional distress, lack of support services and not enough time to discuss treatment options. It is also mentioned that the stigma surrounding the Alzheimer’s diagnosis prevents patients from being told.
As the disease progresses patients are more likely to be told of their diagnosis creating a real dichotomy in care, because if they had been informed in the earlier stages, care and steps could have been taken to prepare and being told in later stages, the nature of the disease makes it more likely to be forgotten.
In the U.S. doctors are not required by law to disclose the diagnosis which raises the question of morality of informing someone of a fatal disease yet being told of other fatal diseases the numbers increase significantly to the 90 percentile so this is endemic to Alzheimer’s.
Taking the stigma out of Alzheimer’s is a primary goal to enhance treatment in Alzheimer’s disease and make the transitions easier for the patient and family. There should be no stigma around a fatal disease and support can be found with Alzheimer’s clinics like AGE Matters Clinic in Toronto.
At the AGE Matters Clinic, a leading Alzheimer’s Clinic in Toronto, we believe in working with the patient to provide the necessary tools to optimize life with Alzheimer’s.
AGE Matters Clinic realizes there is a lack of support services and is filling the gaping support hole. They specialize in the many phases of Alzheimer’s and the memory impairment that progress with the disease. Complete cognitive and memory assessment is performed and an individualized treatment plan put in place for the patient and family.

How Staying Tech Savvy Can Actually Help Boost Your Memory

Technology is all around us. From the monitor on the refrigerator to our digital alarm clocks, PVRs, computers, tablets, and of course, our smart phones. It seems that technological gadgets have taken over our day-to-day lives. For some, this is a great thing. For others, it can be difficult to keep up. However, there might be one advantage of staying tech savvy. It can help boost your memory. That's right. Taking advantage of gadgets and gizmos can actually improve your memory and slow down long-term memory loss. Does it sound too good to be true? It's not! Here are a few ways to improve your memory by making the most of technology.

Use Brain Boosting Apps On Your Tablet

There are so many uses for a tablet. You can get work done, entertain yourself, or stay connected with friends and family. Depending on how you use your tablet, you can also keep your memory sharp. There are a number of great apps to choose from. (You can also download them on your smart phone if you wish!) Things like puzzle games, memory trainers, brainteasers, math questions, quizzes and more can be found with just a few taps of the screen. Some of the most popular apps include the Luminosity Brain Trainer and My Personal Memory Trainer. Whether you have a few minutes in between appointments or are stuck on public transportation...you can make the most of it. Try downloading a few of these brain-boosting apps and get ready to stay sharp.

Read New Things - And Learn Skills Online

One of the great things about the Internet? There are so many things on there. That includes everything from social media to promotional websites. There is also a wealth of information online. That means you can opt to do more than just scroll through Facebook posts. That can actually help you learn something new. This is important! Research studies have proven that learning new things can keep your memory strong. It could be researching a historical event, finding out how to create your own website, watching a DIY video, or reading the newspaper online. Get creative, get out of your rut, and get ready to boost your memory!

Make To-Do Lists On Your Computer

Using technology can preserve your memory for longer, if used correctly. It can also help keep you organized and allow you to stay on top of things. It's easy. Try using programs on your computer to create a daily or weekly to-do list. This will help you keep track of everything you need to get done. From your grocery shopping to that meeting downtown. It will all be there in black and white. This is important because making note of things forces you to remember. Organizational tools can prevent forgetful situations.... and improve your memory in the process.
No one wants to deal with memory loss. So, stay connected! Using brain-boosting apps, learning new things online, and using tools to stay organized can help you function at your best day after day. Say so long to memory loss and hello to technology.
Dr. David Tal has more than twenty years of clinical experience. He strongly believes that medical treatment can improve the life of Alzheimer's and memory loss patients.