dementia

Great (free!) resource for family members and professional caregivers about observing and talking about pain in people with dementia, including an on-line presentation and resource packet.

An interesting, but also disturbing, article on the complex issue of dementia and sex.

Interesting opinion article on the training medical doctors receive for working with older adults. Much of the same can be said about the training that most psychologists obtain as students and interns.

The Alzheimer's Association has come out with a new easy-to-understand list for helping people to determine whether or not the memory problems they are experiencing may be due to Alzheimer's Disease. Each item on this list includes an example of what might suggest Alzheimer's and what might suggest typical changes that come with aging.

Beginning this Sunday, May 10th HBO is showing a series of documentaries called "The Alzheimer's Project." I haven't seen any of them yet, but I hear from colleagues on geropsychology listservs that they are "powerful and well produced."

Most people don't like thinking about, let alone actually planning for, the end of their lives. The legal aspects of end-of-life planning are confusing, even for those who think their wishes are clear (see How Clear Are Your Last Wishes). Fortunately, there are many resources on the web that can help to make the process more understandable. Here are a few to check out:

1) The Mayo Clinic: has definitions for living wills, advance directives, and treatment decisions that need to be made

2) Caring Connections: program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, has links to state-specific documents and information on how to talk with your loved ones

3) Five Wishes: a popular living will document with easy-to-understand language

Caregivers of people with dementia have to make countless decisions throughout their caregiving career. One of the decisions that isn't frequently discussed is how to assist a care recipient with the process of voting. The Alzheimer's Association has posted an article with points for caregivers to consider and tips for facilitating the vote of someone with dementia.

NPR had an interesting story this morning on adults with dementia volunteering at a school in Cleveland. As of yet there are no research data on this specific program; however, it appears that older volunteers without dementia benefit from their volunteer experience in schools through increased social interaction and cognitive activity (see articles on Experience Corps).

CNN.com put out an article today on older adults and the dangers of polypharmacy (see "Is Grandma Drugged Up?"). It includes several links to websites where you can find lists of medications that often cause problems for older adults, check drug interactions, and find professionals who review medications. While these resources can help older adults and their caregivers become more informed, obviously, no changes in medication should be made without consulting a physician.

One of my clinical rotations at the CU Aging Center this year was in the Memory Clinic. The Memory Clinic provides brief cognitive screening for individuals who may be experiencing problems with their memory. This type of testing is less extensive than a standard neuropsychological assessment and can determine whether an individual's cognitive abilities are within a "normal" range for their age, if clear cognitive impairment is present, or if further testing is indicated.

As it turns out, most of the clients who I've assessed this year have had emotional problems that were contributing to their memory difficulties, rather than dementia. This is good news in the sense that depression, anxiety, and sleep problems are potentially treatable. Other individuals were having no memory problems, but wanted a baseline measure of their functioning in case they experience a decline in the future (a current fear of thousands of baby-boomers).

If you are in the vicinity of Colorado Springs and are interested in a memory assessment, you can contact the CU Aging Center at 719-471-4884 to schedule an appointment.