Category: Senior Health News

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Could your personality as a teen forecast your risk for dementia a half-century later?

Very possibly, say researchers, who found that dementia risk is lower among seniors who were calm, mature and energetic high schoolers.

“Being calm and mature as teen were each associated with roughly a 10% reduction in adult dementia risk,” said study co-author Kelly Peters, principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. “And vigor was associated with a 7% reduction.”

Latest Alzheimer’s News

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Dealing with the agitation, anxiety and aggression that often come with dementia is one of the most challenging aspects of caring for someone with this brain disorder. But new research suggests that massage and other non-drug treatments may be more effective than medications.

Even just taking people with dementia outdoors can help, said study author Dr. Jennifer Watt, a geriatrician and clinical scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital-Unity Health in Toronto.

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Are some tests designed to measure memory declines missing signs of trouble in women?

New research suggests that might be the case.

More women than men were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) when sex-specific scores were used on memory tests, researchers report.

They explained that women generally score higher on verbal memory tests than men, even when they have the same levels of brain changes. Therefore, memory scores based on gender, rather than averages for both men and women, may be more revealing for women with possible brain issues.

Latest Alzheimer’s News

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Many older people show evidence of mental decline, called mild cognitive impairment, but doctors often miss this sometimes early sign of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

To help doctors get a better handle on their patients’ mental state, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is urging physicians to assess patients aged 65 and older at least once a year.

The academy recommends that doctors use a mathematical tool that helps quantify their patients’ memory and thinking skills.

By Adam Townsend on 09/24/2019 2:47 PM

Source: MedicineNet Health News

THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, working out a couple of times a week might at least slow the onset of the illness, new research suggests.

Regular exercise over a year slowed the degeneration of the part of the brain tied to memory among people who had a buildup of amyloid beta protein in their brain. These protein “plaques” are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, noted researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Sleep loss is a problem for people who care for loved ones with dementia, which can put both caregivers and patients at risk, researchers say.

Investigators at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, found caregivers lost between 2.5 to 3.5 hours of sleep a week due to difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.

“Losing 3.5 hours of sleep per week does not seem much, but caregivers often experience accumulation of sleep loss over years,” said review lead author Chenlu Gao, a doctoral candidate of psychology and neuroscience.