Dementia / Alzheimer's

There’s little doubt that pets can provide loving companionship, especially to seniors living alone or those with impaired cognition. But attending to the real needs of pets- the walking, feeding, vet visits- often means that owning a pet is beyond the ability of many. Now Hasbro, the venerable toy company,…

September is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. As the recent death of Gene Wilder reminds us, Alzheimer’s afflicts millions of people every year.  In fact, as the 6th leading cause of death in the US, more people die of Alzheimer’s than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. However, the latest word…

Many of us who have watched family members battle with Alzheimer’s have wondered if we, too, will someday succumb to that fate. In a certain percentage of Alzheimer’s cases, genetic inheritance does play a role. For those at high genetic risk there’s now a new research protocol to try to…

We all sometimes feel like we’re losing it: “it” being our minds or at least our memories. For most of us, it’s just the distraction of everyday life or “normal” aging. But some cognitive decline can’t be dismissed that easily. To help begin to sort out the normal from the…

In a small but exceptionally important study (for those of us who can’t live without chocolate), Portuguese researchers have found a link between long term regular chocolate consumption and a reduced risk of cognitive decline. Studying people over 65, these researchers determined that in the 309 people enrolled in the…

Is it possible to make Alzheimer’s Disease go up in smoke? Well, if the smoke is from marijuana, that may possibly be the outcome. In a new study, researchers at the renowned Salk Institute in California have determined that THC, the primary ingredient in marijuana, removes the toxic build-up of…