Posts Tagged ‘dementia care’

Loneliness Increases Odds Of Dementia, Study Says

Posted By admin / 14th May 2013

Even adjusting for factors like age, socioeconomic factors, and initial cognitive functioning, researchers found that feelings of loneliness increased the odds of an older adult developing dementia by 64 percent.The research, conducted over the course of three years on more than 2,000 seniors living outside of a long term care setting, found that loneliness was significant predicator of dementia. Nearly half of the study participants lived alone and about 75 percent said that they had no social support. One in five participants also reported feeling lonely.

Over the course of the study, 9.3 percent of those living alone developed dementia and 5.6 percent of those living with another person had developed dementia. When controlling for other variables, researchers concluded that social isolation was not a strong predicator of dementia, but feelings of loneliness was a significant predicator. Those who had reported feeling lonely were 250 percent more likely to have developed dementia than their not lonely peers. When researchers adjusted for other factors, lonely individuals were still 64 percent more likely to develop dementia.

“These results suggest that feelings of loneliness independently contribute to the risk of dementia in later life,” the researchers say in the study. “Interestingly, the fact that ‘feeling lonely’ rather than ‘being alone’ was associated with dementia onset suggests that it is not the objective situation, but, rather, the perceived absence of social attachments that increases the risk of cognitive decline.”

UCLA to launch unique, comprehensive Alzheimer’s and dementia care program Patti Davis, daughter of Ronald Reagan, to co-facilitate support groups

Posted By admin / 30th April 2013

Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5.4 million people in the U.S., some 480,000 of them in California. Nearly half of all people 85 and older will be stricken with the disease. The overall burden of dementia is still higher, with Alzheimer’s accounting for only 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

Yet as devastating as these disorders are to the afflicted, they also have a tremendous impact on family members, friends and caregivers. And while many health systems provide excellent care, and community-based organizations offer supportive services, no comprehensive programs exist to meet patients’ health needs and the needs of those around them.

Family members are often at a loss to find appropriate care and services for their loved ones, and they typically have few, if any, resources to help them navigate their way through the complex health care system.

“UCLA already has top-notch geriatrics, neurology, psychiatry and primary care clinical services,” said Dr. David Reuben, chief of UCLA’s geriatrics division. “But we do not have a comprehensive, coordinated dementia care program. As a result, the many needs of UCLA patients with dementia and their families are commonly unmet.”

To address those needs, UCLA is launching its new UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program, which will provide comprehensive, coordinated care, as well as resources and support, to patients and their caregivers.

Patti Davis, the daughter of former President Reagan and Nancy Reagan and a longtime advocate in the fight against Alzheimer’s, will be an integral member of the program.

Very little was known about Alzheimer’s when President Reagan was diagnosed in 1994. Sufferers and their families were left in the dark about what to expect and how to cope with the ravages of the disease, said former first lady Nancy Reagan.

“People didn’t really talk about their loved ones with Alzheimer’s, as if it were something that had to be kept secret,” Reagan said. “There was no place to go to learn more, no one to talk to and share our feelings with. It was a very lonely — and frightening — time for us. It’s still a lonely time for a lot of people, which is why I’m so glad this new program exists.

 

“I’m pleased and very proud that Patti is a part of it, and I am confident it will help a lot of people.”