elderly care

alzheimer's sign

2006-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Alzheimer's sign

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive fatal illness that causes areas of the brain to shrink. The resulting symptoms start with memory loss and other cognitive deficits, advancing to major personality changes and eventually loss of control over bodily functions.

Sign of alzheimer's disease ( 10 warning of sign)

People with alzheimer's experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning. Problems severe enough to have an impact on an individual's work, social activities and family life.

10 warning sign of alzheimer's are :

1. Memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common early signs of dementia. A person begins to forget more often and is unable to recall the information later.
What's normal? Forgetting names or appointments occasionally.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. Individuals may lose track of the steps involved in preparing a meal, placing a telephone call or playing a game.
What's normal? Occasionally forgetting why you came into a room or what you planned to say.

3. Problem with language. Often forget simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand.
What's normal? Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

4. Disorientation to time and place. May bocome lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.
What's normal? Forgetting the day of the week or where you were going.

5. Poor or decresed judgment. Those with alzheimer's may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in the cold.
What's normal? Making questionable or debatable decision from time to time.

6. Problems with abstract thinking. May have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting what numbers are for and how they should be used.
What's normal? Finding it challenging to balance a checkbook.

7. Misplacing things. May put things in unusual places such as an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
What's normal? Misplacing key or wallet temporarily.

8. Changes in mood or behavior. May slow rapid mood swings-from calm to tears to anger- for no apparent reason.
What's normal? Occasionally feeling sad or moody.

9. Change in personality. May change dramatically, may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member.
What's normal? People's personalities do change somewhat with age.

10. Loss of initiate. May become very passive, sitting in front of the tv for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities.
What's normal? Sometimes feeling weary of work or social obligations
By. Alzheimer's association

elderly skin care

2006-08-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

elderly skin care .........

principles of cronic wound care

It's common question, how is elderly skin care?.........there are three principles about it :

1. Cronic wounds are frequently encountered problems in elders.
Cronic wound care characterized by loss of skin or underlying soft tissue and do not progress toward healing with conventional wound care treatment.

2. There are four basic principles (elderly skin care) of cronic wound care :
Remove debris and cleanse the wound, provide a moist wound healing environment through the use of proper dressings, protec the wound for futher injury, and provide substrates essential to the wound healing process.

3. Underlying the care of cronic wound is the necessity to assess the wound on an ongoing basis. Changes in wound care must be based on changing wound parameters, and timely, complete, accurate wound assessments must be documented.
By. Frantz RA, Gardner S

Dementia is a sypmtom

2006-08-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Dementia is a symptom......

Definition : An impairment in cognitive function manifested by long and sort term memory loss with impaired judgement, abstract thingking, and behaviour, resulting in self-care deficit.
Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction, leads to a gradually increasing restriction of daily activities. The most well-known type of dementia is alzheimer's disease.

What is difference between dementia and alzheimer's?........It's common question, and doctors are some of the best at confusing us. Somehow dementia symptom is having sounds less, frigthening to many people, and now even the experts have started using the words interchangeably.

Dementia is a symptom, pain is symptom, and many different injuries and illnesses may cause pain. we are going to know what is causing the pain, and how to treat it?
Dementia simply means the symptom of deterioration of intelectual abilities resulting from an unspecified disease or disorder of the brain. Alzheimer's disease is one disease/disorder that causes dementia. Many other illnesses or syndrome may also cause dementia, like parkinson, a stroke or even dehydration.

If your physician has diagnosed dementia, it's time for second opinion. You are probably dealing either with a physician who is not comfortable with the truth, or one who doesn't know how (doesn't want to bother) to differentiate between all the possible causes of dementia.
By. Molly Shomer

elderly care

2006-08-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Four key principles of elderly care

What do you expect at your age ?
.............................You are not getting any younger !
It's very important that older, adults, their families, friends and health care provider understand several key concepts to ensure that older receive timely and appropriate health care services and advise.

1. Sudden change comes from sudden problems
An older person that suddenly becomes confused, but was alert and oriented, is having an acute problem such as an infection, medication side effect or even heart attack. These and many acute problem can be treated effectively if diagnosed properly and in timely manner.

2. Gradual decline may not be Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease symptoms develop slowly. However, there are many other problems that develop slowly and may cause gradual decline. Loneliness and social isolation can also cause gradual decline.
................ Medication use in elderly is a major drug problem in America. Many older people see several doctors, each of whom may prescribe different medications. It's not hard to see how medications may pile up and how difficult they may be to ttrack. They should make sure their doctors know about all medication they are taking, are they necessary? what side effect should I watch for? The doctor should also know about alcohol, cigarette and coffe use.

3. Ageist attitudes are harmful
They are unjust generalizations and prejudicial statement that assume all order adults naturally become weak, sick and forgetful. Older people get sick from disease, not "old age".

4. A story to remember.
Think about it. Don't sell older people short. There is always something that can be done to help an older person lead a happier, more functional life, even in extreme old age.
By Robert S. Stall, M.D.