Testimonials

On Sunday, actress Julianne Moore won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a patient with early-onset Alzheimer's in the film Still Alice. In the movie, Moore's character is just 50 years old when she is diagnosed, and the narrative of the film follows both her and her family's struggle to cope with her mental decline. Up to 5% of Alzheimer's sufferers are under the age of 65—typically in their 40's or 50's. These younger patients diagnosed with the disease are considered to have an "early onset" of Alzheimer's, which is where this form of dementia gets its name. Consulted...

Marian Grunwald, Earl Elfstrom and Verna Matheson (left to right) bounced a balloon back and forth with nursing assistant Rick Pavlisich on Dec. 13, 2013 at an Ecumen nursing home in Chisago City, Minn. Photo Credit: Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune, Minneapolis St. Paulvia NPR Activity staffer Jessica Abbott, of Pathstone Living, a nursing home and memory care facility in Mankato, MN, is responsible for making sure patients at Pathstone have easy and natural access to activities that are both soothing and mentally stimulating. Small comforts like making apple crisp while listening to music help calm patients and give them something relaxing...

Many health professionals working with Alzheimer's patients assure that therapeutic activities should focus mainly on the person's interests before the disease, as well as stimulate both older and more recent memories, while highlighting the patient's remaining abilities and make their compromised abilities easier to manage. Each activity will affect individual patient's differently; not all activities will have a positive effect on every patient. Examples of therapeutic activities proven through various research studies to improve and reduce behavorial problems in people with Alzheimer's include playing their favorite music, one-on-one interactions, playing videos of of family members, going for walks, and spending time...

In the sixth part of their series documenting and reporting the challenges of dementia and Alzheimer's personally faced by families, Observer Reporter looks at the life of Rudy Keron, age 74, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years ago. In Rudy's case the disease progressed rapidly, and he soon lacked the ability to speak, brush his teeth, or recognize family members. For five of these seven years post-diagnosis, Keron's wife Judy, took care of him herself in their home in Washington before finally deciding to move him to the Washington County Health Center in 2012."'I was in denial when we got the diagnosis,'...

With the very recent passing of Tom Magliozzi on November 3rd, one of the hosts of NPR's "Car Talk", due to complications of Alzheimer's, recent reports are quick to try and explain just how Alzheimer's disease causes death. Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease in which deposits of abnormal proteins build up on the brain and cause brain cells to die. However, Dr. Marc L. Gordon, chief of neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York, says that "Alzheimer's disease is not usually a direct cause of brain death — that is, it does not suddenly cause the entire brain to...