Alzhiemers/Dementia

[Azure]

Found this extremely interesting.

Low vitamin D is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to a new report, though whether low vitamin D is a cause of the disorders remains unknown.

The scientists measured blood levels of vitamin D in 1,658 men and women, average age of 73, without dementia at the start of the study. Over an average follow-up of more than five years, 171 developed dementia.

The study, published online in the journal Neurology, controlled for many dementia risk factors — including age, education, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes and hypertension. It found that compared with those who had vitamin D levels of 50 or more nanomoles per liter, those with levels of 25 to 50 had a 53 percent increased risk for all-cause dementia and a 69 percent increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. People with readings of 25 or less were more than twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.

There is little agreement on the ideal vitamin D level, but according to the National Institutes of Health, a normal range is 30 to 74.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/0...zheimers-risk/

Vitamin D is an extremely cheap and safe supplement to take if you're not out in the sun enough.

[redforever]

Another thing to keep in mind is that as they progress, they will reach the "sundowner" stage...so after 4 pm, they will not be as cognizant as they were earlier in the day.

So try and plan your visits accordingly. Early in the day rather than the evening is better.

In regards to vitamins, a lot of seniors are also deficient in B12.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

A question out of curiosity - who pays for their stay in assisted living? I assume they have to pay rent, as well as a caregiver fee. Is this covered by AB Health? If not, how much is it?

[redforever]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

A question out of curiosity - who pays for their stay in assisted living? I assume they have to pay rent, as well as a caregiver fee. Is this covered by AB Health? If not, how much is it?

Yes, you have to pay rent and the like and costs will be dependent on whether your loved one is placed in a private or public facility.

If they are placed in a private facility, most of the costs have to be covered by the family.

If they are placed in a public facility, then it depends on the finances of the individual. Those who are higher income will end up paying more. Those who are lower income will pay little to nothing.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

So if one was in a private facility, how much would it cost annually?

[old-fart]

Unfortunately, I am also going through this right now with my mother, who just turned 82. She progressed quite rapidly this year from some mild forgetfulness to pretty serious - a few weeks ago she was committed to a hospital while we are making arrangements. She went from a 12 on their dementia test scale to a 7 in a matter of three weeks. Apparently, you should normally expect a 2 to 3 point drop a year - the 5 point drop over three weeks likely means another factor at play, but so far the docs have found nothing to point at it.

The first time I went to visit her in the hospital she didn't recognize me at all. In subsequent visits she has recognized me (I think) but has yet to use my name. I'll say something like "I heard <sister's name> was here yesterday" and get a "oh no, I haven't seen her for months" in return, despite the fact I know she was there for a visit. It is very sad, watching her disappear before my eyes like this.

Having said that, she does appear to be in good spirits the times I have seen her, and the reports from other family members seem to support this. It is almost like she doesn't remember that she shouldn't be happy about being in the hospital, and she doesn't remember that she won't ever be returning to her home.

I feel for you...

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

So if one was in a private facility, how much would it cost annually?

It was $2100 per month for a private room in my Dads nursing home. Veterans Affairs paid a portion of that.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

So if one was in a private facility, how much would it cost annually?

That again depends on the facility. A friend of ours placed their mother in a specialized facility for Alzheimer patients and they paid $4500 per month.

[Northendzone]

I believe that my parents are paying around $5,000 per month combined at their respective facilities.

It is my understanding that there are some publicly funded spots available, however they are based on need and financial means.

I took my wife and kids to visit my dad and my sister brought my mom, we just sat outside for about two hours chatting mostly with my sister, but my mom did comment it was very nice to visit to everyone. My mom did not participate in the conversation much, but she did laugh occasionally.

I took her back to her place in time for dinner and when I was leaving she did give off a sad vibe and she asked me when I would see her again.......

[BigBrodieFan]

My FIL has Alzheimer's and it's been progressing for 10 years. My MIL is 81 and he's 84. She takes care of him in Phoenix and refuses to get help or think of a nursing home. To be perfectly honest, it's a nightmare for her but she's a trooper.

He was a football coach/history teacher in Iowa for 45 years and he was also in WWII. We've watched him go from repeating himself, to thinking he was a teacher, to thinking he was back in the war, and now he's at the point where he calls out for his parents who both died when he was 11 years old.

I was a nurse in an Alzheimer's unit in Colorado for a couple of years (about 15 years ago), and to be honest.. and I know this sounds bad, but I wish my MIL would put him in a place like that where he can be watched and cared for 24/7. She is so stressed in dealing with his constant questions over and over and his confusion and care giving. She is miserable but she is hell bent on keeping him home- and to be honest he doesn't even know where he is most of the time.

It's sad and frustrating, but the thing is- they can live for years with that disease because they are basically stress free. They have no bother in the world and if they are in good physical shape, they have absolutely no stress at all. Alzheimer patients are in fact, pretty happy for the most part. They have no clue they are sick and they don't have a care in the world- but they need attention like a toddler eventually. Sorry you're going through it.

[robbie111]

Originally Posted by troutman

Can Coconut Oil Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease?

http://www.skepticnorth.com/2012/02/...0%99s-disease/

What about the evidence? I’d answer that, if only I could find any. I did a Pubmed search on the researcher in Act 2 of the story, and she’s published only one study on the effects of esters on the brain…of rats, not humans.

Then I searched for research connecting coconut oil and Alzheimer’s, and got zero results.

So I checked NCCAM for any articles related to coconut oil and found one reference, which found no association between cognitive decline and saturated fats.

Finally, I checked the skeptical search engine to see if any science bloggers had taken a look at the evidence. Orac at Respectful Insolence refers to making similar attempts to find any evidence on this topic, equally unsuccessfully. In another article, Steve Novella has the same experience over at his Neurologica blog. At least it’s not just me.

So what do we take away from all this? That coconut oil is simply the latest health fad to feature that lethal combination of overblown claims and extremely thin science. That there’s no magic food, despite the marketing hype to the contrary. That our best defense is our ability to pick up on the warning signs that something’s amiss, which hopefully prods us to look at the actual evidence or lack thereof. And that every once in a while, skeptics can actually help someone spot those warning signs and question the bogus claims — even if that someone is only their Mom.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/coconut-oil/

I googled coconut oil and alzheimers like you said and found a couple of studies in the first searches plus a ctv story about it. Maybe you weren't looking hard enough.

All the more reason to celebrate a promising new study soon to be published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease titled, "Coconut Oil Attenuates the Effects of Amyloid-β on Cortical Neurons In Vitro."[i] The study lends fresh experimental support to an accumulating body of anecdotal reports that coconut oil may alleviate and/or regress cognitive deficits associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's.
Medical researchers from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada, undertook a pilot study to investigate the effects of coconut oil supplementation directly on cortical neurons treated with amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in vitro. Aβ peptide is the main component of certain deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease believed to contribute to the disease.
The researchers noted that a recent clinical trial, which we reported on in our article MCT Fats Found in Coconut Oil Boost Brain Function in Only One Dose, reported significant improvements in Alzheimer's disease patients after 45 and 90 days of treatment with medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil. They pointed out that this trial led to the marketing of the FDA-approved 'medical food' caprylidene (trade name Axona), but that the public has shown greater interest in coconut oil itself as a potential therapy, owing to its far greater affordability and availability.
The researchers sought to test the hypothesis that coconut oil is beneficial for neurodegenerative conditions using a cell model. Live rat neurons were exposed to various combinations of Aβ peptide and coconut oil, with the result that Aβ peptide reduced survival of neurons and coconut protected against this Aβ-induced reduction in survival time. The researchers noted that coconut treated Aβ cultured neurons appeared "healthier," and that coconut oil "rescued" Aβ-treated neurons from mitochondrial damage caused by their toxicity. The researchers observed coconut oil preventing Aβ-induced changes in mitochondrial size and circularity. These findings have great significance, as mitochondria function is often compromised in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.
According to the researchers, "The rationale for using coconut oil as a potential AD [Alzheimer's Disease] therapy is related to the possibility that it could be metabolized to ketone bodies that would provide an alternative energy source for neurons, and thus compensate for mitochondrial dysfunction." The researchers proposed that ketone bodies formed as a byproduct of coconut oil metabolism may offset Aβ-induced impairment of mitochondrial function and thus energy metabolism. Considering that the medium chain triglyceride found in coconut known as caprylic acid does cross the blood-brain barrier, and has recently been found to have anti-convulsant, in addition to, ketogenic effects, coconut oil likely does have a neuroprotective effect.[ii]

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how...eimers-disease

here's the link from the quote. Hope this helps the original poster. God bless.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by BigBrodieFan

My FIL has Alzheimer's and it's been progressing for 10 years. My MIL is 81 and he's 84. She takes care of him in Phoenix and refuses to get help or think of a nursing home. To be perfectly honest, it's a nightmare for her but she's a trooper.

He was a football coach/history teacher in Iowa for 45 years and he was also in WWII.

Maybe the Korean War? He would have been 15 in 1945. Once again- not saying you should correct him; but the family might want to know the history of his service.