Dealing with a friend or relative with Alzheimer's Disease.

[Nobunaga]

Aloha!
I know that I am at the age where more people suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Fortunately, no one in my family has it, or had it to my knowledge. However, I do have a friend who is now in the middle stages of it. He is 87 years old, and I wasn't aware of the symptoms which are:

1. Loss of short term memory.
2. Changes hin normal habits.

If I had known that these were the early symptoms, I would have had my friend's family take him to a doctor right away. Alzheimer's Disease cannot be cured, but it can be treated with medication which will slow the process.

If you have any input on this, I would surely appreciate it.
Aloha,
Nobu

[craigwatanabe]

There was a study that was conducted on two groups of alzheimer's patients. Both had healthy diets and exercise programs, both had a daily regiment of events and jobs to do.

But in the end one group showed more dementia than the other. The difference? The one group that seemed to stem the onset of alzheimer's disease...read long novels. It seemed that reading long novels forced the brain to remember events and call them up.

So it seems that reading a good book helps.

[Nobunaga]

There was a study that was conducted on two groups of alzheimer's patients. Both had healthy diets and exercise programs, both had a daily regiment of events and jobs to do.

But in the end one group showed more dementia than the other. The difference? The one group that seemed to stem the onset of alzheimer's disease...read long novels. It seemed that reading long novels forced the brain to remember events and call them up.

So it seems that reading a good book helps.

Hi Craig,
That is true. Also, games and puzzles seem to help a lot as far as prevention. I have a friend that has Alzheimers, and I did not detect the symptoms. If I knew what they were, he wouldn't be as bad off as he is now. There are medications that will detain the progress of Alzheimers. The trick to it is to first identify it.
Nobu

[Leo Lakio]

Also, games and puzzles seem to help a lot as far as prevention.

After thinking this for a while, based on some research, now the medical profession has done longer-term research showing that this may only be anecdotal, and not necessarily true.

In other words - they still don't know.

But beyond that, I'm of the opinion that keeping active (both physically and mentally) is likely to have a wide range of health benefits as we age.

[Nobunaga]

After thinking this for a while, based on some research, now the medical profession has done longer-term research showing that this may only be anecdotal, and not necessarily true.

In other words - they still don't know.

But beyond that, I'm of the opinion that keeping active (both physically and mentally) is likely to have a wide range of health benefits as we age.

Hi Leo,
I understand that to be true, but when I was living on Oahu, I used to go to the chess tables in Waikiki. There were a lot of older men playing chess and bridge there, along with several different card games. None that I know of suffered from Alzheimer's... Of course, most of the ones I knew are gone now. and being that I moved to Kauai, I haven't been to those tables in over a quarter century.

One thing for sure, is when it comes to our brain, if we don't use it, we lose it.

If I ever move back to Oahu, I may, or may not go back to Wakiki to play, getting there is such a hassle and finding parking is ridiculous. I might just hang around the golf courses.
Nobu

[Honoruru]

The one group that seemed to stem the onset of alzheimer's disease...read long novels. It seemed that reading long novels forced the brain to remember events and call them up.

So it seems that reading a good book helps.

Well, that's good news.