You should try the authors of hippocratech.org
They might be able to refer you to health websites or answer your questions. They only write about finding health resources and they're drug specialists themselves.
Doesn't hurt to try
Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
11–18 of 18 posts
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#12I see it has been mentioned, but I'd also like to recommend omega-3 supplementation. Seth Roberts has experimented a lot and recommends a dose of 2-3 tablespoons every day. You can look at his blog if you're interested: http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/category/nutrition/omega-3/.
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#13Alzheimers is heartbreaking and I don't want to post anything that would give you false hope. These folks are running some clinical trials with curcumin / Turmeric & DHA
http://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/trials.html
these are also available over the counter, so in consultation with her doctor you might have her try one or both of these.
Another source for alternative medicine info is Life Extension Foundation, here is their page for Alzheimers
http://www.lef.org/protocols/neurological/alzheimers_disease...
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#14For what this is worth, I cared for both of my parents through the end of their lives and found something interesting and here's how I try to assemble it in my mind. There seems to be a core connection between people that doesn't change over time. For example, when I met several cousins when I was visiting my mother's country when I was six, there were a few that I had a terrific connection with. Turns out that many years later, when in my twenties, I went back and met up with the plethora of cousins I have there, those same ones I connected well with when I was six were the same ones I connected well with as an adult.
How this plays out with someone who has lost a lot of themselves to dementia came into play with my parents when they could no longer recognize me. It took a lot of mind games on my end to think my way around this, but you can still have fun with them. The connection is still there, but you may have to hunt a bit to find it. If they're hallucinating, think of them as being someone who has taken a lot of hallucinogens and play with them, or if they have no time continuity, love them like a beloved pet who won't remember what you're doing in five minutes (or whatever it takes) and find that connection and experience joy together.
"Hey Mum, do you know who I am?" "Sure I do." "Okay then, who am I?" "Ahhh, you got me on that one." [cue laugh track]
[Actually both parents tried to fake their way out of this one.]
The truth is that you can still enjoy each other throughout this time because the connection seems to still be there, even though all of the overlays the mind and personality provides is not. It might be a way for a child who has been having conflicts can reunite, and while there will never be any closure over conflicts, there still might be peace and they might find the love that they missed.
One of the good things that can happen is that old fears can disappear with dementia. Sourpusses become cheerful. Sedentary people start taking walks and their health improves. People lose their obsessions. They'll often remember lyrics.
My heart goes out to you, because there's no way that this can be easy. You can use this opportunity to forge deeper relationships with your siblings and invest in the dynamics of the family in the future. I wish you the very best.
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#15Thank all of you for your input! I will forward this link to my brothers and sisters and I'm sure we'll follow up on alot of this right away. Spending "quality time" with her and bringing her fresh fruit are no-brainers. I also thought about hiding a reefer in her pack of Marlboro's on the way to the all-you-can-eat buffet. I dunno about that one.
My instincts were right. In less than 24 hours, I got high quality feedback from this group that would have taken much longer googling. (Perhaps there's a business opportunity hidden here somewhere: Need Smart Answers? Ask the Hackers.)
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#16You might like to read this article which discusses the specialist/generalist issue:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/30/070430fa_fact_...
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#17The bad news is that currently available meds are only mildly effective, and by "effective" I mean effective in prolonging disease progression.
The good news is that there is a ton of research being done (I work in this area). Some people are a bit squeamish about getting involved in clinical trials, but if I were in your position, you can bet I would enroll my parent in a trial. The best resource for finding what's enrolling in your area is www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Elan is about to start a phase III trial on their Alzheimer's vaccine, Bapineuzumab, and it has generated quite a bit of buzz.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2153046720070...
As I said, I work in this area and obviously carry a bias. However, I did not see anyone else suggest the possibility of clinical trials, so I thought I should throw it out there to consider among the other options.
Re: Ask YC: Suggestions for Loved One's Dementia/Alzheimer's
#18Here is a recent research result suggesting a possible mechanism of action for DHA (a component of fish oil) lowering the risk of onset for Alzheimers. It's not clear that it would be useful in a case of extreme dementia but DHA increases the level of a brain protein, LR11 (also known as SorLA), that helps clear the brain of amyloid precursor protein(APP), essential for production of the brain-gumming beta-amyloid plaque that clogs the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/52/14299
http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20071226/fish-oil-preve...
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/lr11_and_why...