Columns

It seems that almost everyone knows someone with Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re reading this column, you’re likely either acquainted with a friend or loved one in the fight, or you’re fighting the battle yourself. About 6.5 million people age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s…

Dementia affects communication, and as it progresses, sometimes into Alzheimer’s disease, it can eventually lead to a loss of the ability to communicate. This progression usually begins in the mid-stages of the disease. Aphasia is the medical term for the loss of speech, comprehension, and more. Healthcare…

I live in Florida with my family. As I write this, shortly after Hurricane Ian made landfall, more than a million people at points north and west of us are without power. My thoughts and prayers are with those folks hunkered down in dark, shuttered homes and shelters. By the…

Dementia and Alzheimer’s groups around the globe are now closing out World Alzheimer’s Month. In 2012, when this observance began to bring awareness to the most common form of dementia, only 5.4 million people in the United States had the disease. If it seems odd to connect the…

If only there were a magic pill that quelled dementia, ending Alzheimer’s disease and restoring the cognitive ability of more than 6 million people in the United States and nearly 55 million globally. Medical science has advanced significantly, and perhaps a pill is on the distant horizon, but…

Pregnancy and dementia are conditions we rarely associate with each other, but sadly, there appears to be a connection. According to a study published in 2019 in the Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for pregnant women and…

If your diet includes ultra-processed foods, “you are what you eat” may take on new meaning. By definition, ultra-processed foods have multiple ingredients that help to improve the taste. Ingredients often include food additives and processed raw materials, like modified starches and hydrogenated fats. These foods are “mainly of industrial…

Between 2015 and 2020, the number of unpaid caregivers in the United States increased from 43.5 million to 53 million, and one in five of those care for family members. According to a Pew Research Center study, the most significant percentage, 44%, provides care for aging parents. Of…

Blazing through a magazine or newspaper is an activity most of us take for granted. However, someone with cognitive impairment may have difficulty devouring content. Deciphering small print and graphics is challenging, and words on a glossy page can suddenly become incomprehensible. Before she had Alzheimer’s disease, my mother…

Older adults haven’t backed out of traveling this year. Some 67% of those older than 50 plan to get away in 2022, compared with 54% last year. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, that was a significant number taking off to visit family, vacation, or simply day trip at least 50…