Health Expert Christine Kennard shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/index http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160871/caregivers-depression Wed, 15 May 2013 10:24:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Caregivers are at risk of depression. The problem with being a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s is that it is unremitting. Day in, day out, and often for years, you are needed to provide support, give varying levels of help with activities of daily living, and make the life of the person you care for as fulfilling as possible. There are good times of course but anxiety, isolation, the pressures and fears of supporting someone with... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160871/caregivers-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160790/study-reduction-cautious Fri, 10 May 2013 12:11:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Dementia is not a disease but the term describes a set of symptoms. Alzheimer’s is one type. These symptoms can include memory loss, mood changes, problems with communication and reasoning and difficulties with day to day activities.   A Swedish study published in April in the journal Neurology shows that the risk of developing dementia may have declined over the past 20 years. Three thousand people over the age of 75 living in... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160790/study-reduction-cautious http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160495/anxiety-caregivers Fri, 03 May 2013 13:55:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Anxiety is often automatically linked with stress. I suppose that is because those of us who have been, or are caregivers, know what a difficult job it can be at times. Although anxiety is different to stress, the features can overlap and the so too the response to self-help or other therapy strategies.   Anxiety, when we do recognise it, is an emotion we feel that gives us a sense of apprehension. It occurs when we are physically or... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160495/anxiety-caregivers http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160386/importance-mealtimes Thu, 02 May 2013 15:44:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Finding purposeful activities and a focus for enjoyment in the lives of people with Alzheimer’s can be difficult. Most people with dementia continue to enjoy their food however. Mealtimes are also one of the regular times for people to move from their own rooms and from communal sitting areas to meet others in a social setting. Mealtimes give the day a regular and predictable structure.   There are some fundamental rules to successful... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160386/importance-mealtimes http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160011/fluctuating-awareness Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:28:00 -0400 Christine Kennard I recall a psychiatric nurse telling me about a patient with dementia who had not spoken for years and appeared to show little awareness of changing circumstances. They were on a trip out from the hospital and the bus they were sitting in was backing up very near a sheer drop. The patient suddenly swore and cried out that the driver should '....... stop or we will all die.' Everyone was shocked.   Most caregivers will be able to tell you... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160011/fluctuating-awareness http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160120/darker-humor-dementia Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:56:00 -0400 Christine Kennard We use humor a lot in dementia care. It is a great caregiver coping tool when things get stressful. Provoking laughter and providing amusement helps us form relationships and bond with patients. Humor can also defuse tensions and enlist the cooperation of people with Alzheimer’s to carry out activities of daily living. Humor has the power to do good, but it can also present a number of ethical issues.   Humor can be... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/160120/darker-humor-dementia http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159848/continence-alzheimer Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:42:00 -0400 Christine Kennard As Alzheimer’s diseases progresses urinary incontinence can be a common problem. People with these types of neurodegenerative diseases become more disoriented and confused. They may no longer recognize the signs that they need to pass urine or they forget to go to the bathroom or don’t remember where it is.   Jed (aged 75) lives at home and his main caregiver is his daughter. Two years ago he was diagnosed with... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159848/continence-alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159651/understanding-caregivers Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:31:00 -0400 Christine Kennard George used to stand in a corridor for hours - counting. "One, two, three, seven, one, ten". He was a resident in a nursing home and when he was doing his counting he would refuse to eat and it was very difficult to get him to engage in any sort of activity. Then, one of the nurses talked to a relative. George had been a pig farmer and he regularly counted out the pigs going to slaughter. Knowing this staff could say to him, “George the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159651/understanding-caregivers http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159393/development-alzheimer Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:53:00 -0500 Christine Kennard Researchers from Oxford University in the UK have, for the first time, explained why some brain cells seem to have the ability to protect themselves. It offers hope to stroke victims as well as to people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.   As early as 85 years ago it was noticed that some cells in an area of the brain called the hippocampus can survive when starved of oxygen and glucose. Scientists, led by... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159393/development-alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159267/caregiver-tips Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:38:00 -0500 Christine Kennard Agitation can be one of the most difficult behaviors for caregivers to cope with. In this Sharepost I want to briefly look at possible causes of agitation and provide some links to more information, as well as the steps you might take to help  prevent, reduce and treat agitation.   Agitation can result from one of these four main causes or a combination of them, so you may need to consider a number of overlapping reasons for your loved... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/159267/caregiver-tips