Dementia & Alzheimers

Handing the anger and aggressive behaviors in someone suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s is one of the biggest challenges for family and caregivers. Whether the aggression is verbal and/or physical, there are several things that may contribute and there are definitely some things you can do to diffuse the situation. Aggressive behavior can occur suddenly, with no apparent reason and often builds up over time. All of the sudden a mother who has always been meek and calm may have an outburst of rage. That is because it is the deterioration of the brain [...]

When words fail, music speaks. This is especially true for loved ones suffering with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Music has been shown to connect with individuals in a way that words cannot. Several studies show that music therapy for dementia is able to evoke response or a memory in people with memory loss. Your mother may not be able to tell you what she had for breakfast, but she might sing every word of her favorite song every time she hears it. Benefits of Music Therapy for Dementia Patients Music is a universal language, but [...]

When mom keeps losing her keys (that are still in her purse), we brush it off and joke about getting older. When dad is always asking the same question (that you already answered), we pat him on the back and call it “old-timers”. The truth is, memory loss is NOT a normal part of aging and yet the magnitude of this problem is growing across the country. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get some form of Dementia. That means if you live [...]

As medical advances allow us to take a deeper look at the brain, we are learning more and more about the mysteries of the human mind and how to better treat memory related illnesses. Although there are some medications available, there is one treatment becoming increasingly popular that is therapy based and does not use prescription medication. Behavior Based Ergonomics Therapy, or BBET for short, concentrates on using the part of the brain unaffected by the illness to engage dementia patients and give them a better quality of life. In this article, we will [...]