Happy New Year
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Thursday, January 01, 2009
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Alzheimer's Reading Room: Exercise may improve function in dementia patients
If you are a frequent visitor to this Blog then you know I believe one of the most important parts of Alzheimer's care is exercise. My mother, now 92, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The first time she visited a gym she was 88 years old. There is no doubt in my mind that my mother would now be bedridden if not for exercise. The effect is so dramatic that my mother sometimes holds on to the walls or anything she can grab while walking into the gym. On the way out she stands up straight and walks out on her own. Most people that know her are shocked to see this. We get an added benefit when people stop to talk or smile at her. Socialization in the gym is an added benefit.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Using the Internet Promotes Memory and a Healthy Brain
I just finished reading an article about how using the Internet promotes memory and a healthy brain. This should be of great interest to the millions of baby boomers facing the possibility of Alzheimer's disease in their future. A Pew/Internet study showed that seventy five percent of Leading Boomers (age 51-59) use the Internet. The numbers are lower for Matures (age 60-69) at fifty four percent.
The brain study found that Internet savvy users that use search experienced greater brain activity. While there are no conclusive studies at this time, boomers should be thinking about ways to keep the brain healthy and memory sharp as they age. It appears the use of the Internet helps.
"This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the brain -- that it may keep it active and healthy," said Small, whose research appears in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Also see: Ten Million Baby Boomers likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s during their lifetime
Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Workout for brain just a few clicks away
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Searching the Internet may help middle-aged and older adults keep their memories sharp, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles studied people doing Web searches while their brain activity was recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging scans.
"What we saw was people who had Internet experience used more of their brain during the search," Dr. Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging, said in a telephone interview.
"This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the brain -- that it may keep it active and healthy," said Small, whose research appears in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Many studies have found that challenging mental activities such as puzzles can help preserve brain function, but few have looked at what role the Internet might play.
"This is the first time anyone has simulated an Internet search task while scanning the brain," Small said.
His team studied 24 normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. Half were experienced at searching the Internet and the other half had no Web experience. Otherwise, the groups were similar in age, gender and education.
Both groups were asked to do Internet searches and book reading tasks while their brain activity was monitored.
"We found that in reading the book task, the visual cortex -- the part of the brain that controls reading and language -- was activated," Small said.
"In doing the Internet search task, there was much greater activity, but only in the Internet-savvy group."
He said it appears that people who are familiar with the Internet can engage in a much deeper level of brain activity.
"There is something about Internet searching where we can gauge it to a level that we find challenging," Small said.
In the aging brain, atrophy and reduced cell activity can take a toll on cognitive function. Activities that keep the brain engaged can preserve brain health and thinking ability.
Small thinks learning to do Internet searches may be one of those activities.
"It tells us we probably can teach an old brain new Internet tricks," he said.
(Editing by Will Dunham and John O'Callaghan)
Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room
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Friday, August 01, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Dorothy Olive DeMarco
Dorothy De Marco was born in South Philadelphia, June, 1916. She is currently 92 years old and resides in Delray Beach, Florida.
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Exercise slows decline in Alzheimer's patients
I can attest, exercise makes a difference. My mother now has the tendency to sit around all day. On those days when I can get her to go to Gold's Gym with me she is a completely different person. The look on her face, from dull to smiling, is more than enough to tell me that exercise works to her benefit.
"Nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease who participate in a moderate exercise program have a significantly slower deterioration than those who receive routine medical care, researchers have shown."
Read the article in its entirety at the CareGiver: The Book Weblog
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Dorothy and Kids
Dorothy, Kristen (granddaughter) and Ryan (great grandson).
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Friday, June 29, 2007
Happy 91st Birthday Dorothy!
Dorothy and Friends at lunch. Delray Beach Country Club,
June 29, 2007
The CareGiver Blog
Robert T DeMarco
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