Care Management
Our Latest Articles
Early-Stage Caregiving
In early Alzheimer's, individuals stay independent but need help with planning. Care partners are vital in daily tasks, fostering independence, and supporting emotional well-being. They should prioritize self-care and seek support. Understanding Alzheimer's aids in effective care and informed decision-making.
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Memory Domain Impairment: Overview for Patients and Caregivers
Memory involves storing, retaining, and retrieving information, primarily in the hippocampus and assisted by the prefrontal cortex. Impairments range from forgetfulness to disorientation, caused by Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, TBI, and substance abuse. Early recognition and support enhance quality of life.
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Executive Function Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
Executive function, crucial for managing thoughts, actions, and emotions, is mainly localized in the prefrontal cortex. Impairment affects decision-making and behavior, caused by dementia, brain injury, or mental health issues. Management includes therapy, support groups, memory aids, routines, apps, and healthy practices.
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Visuospatial Skills Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
Visuospatial skills enable spatial understanding and object visualization, primarily in the right parietal lobe. Impairments, due to conditions like Alzheimer's or stroke, affect tasks such as navigation and object recognition. Management strategies include therapy, environmental changes, adaptive tools, and support for independence.
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Language Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
The language domain involves the brain's ability to process communication, primarily in the left hemisphere. Impairments, such as aphasia, can affect quality of life and are caused by conditions like stroke and Alzheimer's. Management includes speech therapy, AAC, and support to help maintain communication abilities.
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Attention/Concentration Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
The attention and concentration domain involves brain areas like the frontal and parietal lobes, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex. Impairments can stem from ADHD, dementia, TBI, and depression. Management strategies include CBT, mindfulness, routines, and apps. Consulting healthcare providers for personalized strategies is advised.
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Social/Emotional Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
The social, emotional, and behavioral domain involves brain areas like the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, affecting empathy and impulse control. Conditions like ASD and TBI can impair these functions. Therapy, social skills training, and mindfulness, along with caregiver support, can help manage symptoms and improve skills.
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Motor/Sensory Domain: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
The motor and sensory domain involves movement and sensation, controlled by the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Impairments from conditions like Parkinson's, stroke, and MS affect coordination and sensory processing. Management includes therapy, assistive devices, and caregiver support.
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Understanding Dementia Stages: A Journey of Cognitive Change
Alzheimer's and dementia progress through stages, aiding in planning and treatment. Tools like FAST, CDR, and CDR-SOB help stage dementia. FAST focuses on daily living activities, CDR assesses six cognitive areas, and CDR-SOB offers detailed scores. Stages range from early to late, with increasing support needs. Understanding these stages helps caregivers provide appropriate care and support.
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Understanding Different Types of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease includes forms like PCA (visual processing), lvPPA (language), CBS (movement/cognition), Amnestic (memory), and Executive (executive functions). Diagnosis involves cognitive tests, imaging, and neurological exams to create tailored care plans, aiding effective symptom management.
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Understanding Different Types of Frontotemporal Disease
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) includes neurodegenerative disorders affecting the frontal and temporal brain lobes, impacting behavior, language, and motor functions. Types include bvFTD, svPPA, nfvPPA, PSP, and CBS. Diagnosis involves neuropsychological tests, brain imaging, and neurological exams.
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Understanding Different Types of Alpha-synuclein Disease
Synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Parkinson's Disease Dementia, Multiple System Atrophy, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, are neurological disorders caused by abnormal alpha-synuclein in the brain, affecting movement, cognition, and sleep. Diagnosis uses exams, imaging, and studies to guide care.
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What is Mild Cognitive Impairment?
Understanding cognitive decline, from subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, is crucial as the population ages. SCI involves self-reported changes, MCI shows measurable deficits, and dementia severely impacts daily life. Biomarkers aid diagnosis, but early detection and research are vital for better outcomes.
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What is Beta-Amyloid?
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by beta-amyloid protein accumulation, particularly A42, which obstructs the glymphatic system and causes neurodegeneration. Low A42 and high tau proteins in cerebrospinal fluid serve as diagnostic markers. Early diagnosis enables treatments to slow disease progression.
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What is Lecanemab
The text highlights a shift in Alzheimer's treatment to disease-modifying therapies, focusing on FDA-approved lecanemab. It targets amyloid plaques, potentially slowing progression by 30% if started early. Side effects are manageable, and personal risk assessments suggest it as a hopeful option for early intervention.
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The MIND Diet and Brain Health
The MIND diet, created in 2015, merges Mediterranean and DASH diets to enhance brain health, emphasizing leafy greens and whole grains while limiting red meats and sweets. Though studies show positive links, recent RCTs found no significant effects, with outcomes varying by population. Research continues to refine its recommendations.
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Physical Exercise and Brain Health
As the global population ages, dementia prevalence increases, posing public health challenges. Physical activity may reduce dementia risk by enhancing cognitive reserve, protecting cerebrovascular health, and reducing amyloid-. Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. Further research is needed.
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Sleep and Brain Health
Sleep is crucial for brain health, influencing cognition and memory, and helping prevent cognitive decline. Managing sleep issues can involve non-drug methods like sleep hygiene and CBT-I, as well as medications like DORAs. Personalized strategies developed with healthcare professionals are important.
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Understanding APOE: Genetic Blueprint for Brain and Heart Health
The APOE gene, with variants 2, 3, and 4, affects fat processing and brain health. APOE-4 increases Alzheimer's and heart disease risk, but lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and stress management can mitigate this. A diet rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts, and fatty fish, along with regular health monitoring, can help reduce risks associated with APOE-4.
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Your Guide to Understanding Neurocognitive Test Results
The neurocognitive report evaluates brain functions such as memory, attention, language, visuospatial skills, and executive function, comparing them to age and background norms. Scores indicate if you are average, below, or above average, but patterns matter more than single scores. Discuss results with a healthcare provider, monitor changes over time, and maintain healthy habits to support brain health. Stress, mood, and lifestyle can affect scores, and low scores don't necessarily indicate dementia.
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Your Brain on Estrogen: How Hormones, Lifestyle, and Smart Choices Protect Your Mind for Life
Women's brain health deserves special attention as they face unique challenges during menopause when estrogen levels decline, impacting brain energy and function. Estrogen is crucial for memory and mood regulation. Lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, can help maintain brain health. Hormone therapy may aid menopause symptoms but does not prevent Alzheimer's. Women in midlife should prioritize brain health, considering personal risks and exploring options with healthcare providers.
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