Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) has set up this resource and support platform for the caregivers community in the country to seek information, learn how to understand, cope and communicate with a person living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
24TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF ALZHEIMER's DISEASE INTERNATIONAL (ADI)
"dementia : engaging societies around the world"
march 25th – 28TH, 2009
Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre
ADFM are pleased to announce that the above conference isjointly organized by ADI & The Alzheimer's Disease Association, Singapore.
ADI's Annual World Conference brings together scientists, clinicians, care professionals, family carers, volunteers and people with dementia, providing a unique opportunity to examine achievements and priorities in Alzheimer's research, innovative techniques in the management and care of people with dementia, identify policy issues affecting people with dementia and feature training workshops for Alzheimer's associations.
Members and the public who wish to attend are advised to register online by log on to the conference Website at:
(1)ADI 2009 Official Opening and Welcome Reception will take place on the evening of 25 March 2009 at Ballroom, Level 2, Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
(2)Gala Dinner on the evening of 27 March 2009.Each ticket is SGD125 (by 15 December 2008) and SGD145 (After 15 December 2008). To register, please tick the relevant box on the Conference Registration Form or log on to the Conference website at www.adi2009.org.
For more information, please contact Conference Organizers at:
There will be a total of 6 plenary lectures and 25 parallel sessions during the conference, including three workshops based on the conference themes, an ADI workshop and a workshop for free papers.
Themes for the 3 Workshops:
•Engaging People: Caregivers/Persons with Dementia
• Engaging Science: Medical Professionals
• Engaging Quality: Care and Creativity : Services /Arts
The aforesaid workshops will be held concurrently, both in the morning and afternoon of days one and two as well as in the morning of day three.
ADI Workshop are primarily aimed at Alzheimer's associations' staff and volunteers who are a part of ADI's ongoing training and development work, covering a range of topics to help support and develop associations & also the opportunity for open discussion & exchange of ideas.
Free Communications from 26-28 March '09:
1. Poster Sessions
2.Oral Presentations
Industry Sponsored Breakfast and Lunch Symposia may take place during the conference period, providing current information in clinical and related treatments in dementia.
Exhibition & Sponsorship information, please contact Mr. Marc Wortmann at m.wortmann@alz.co.uk CME Accreditation.
Workshop / Parallel Session Topics:
1. Activities for People with Dementia
2. Alternative Drug Treatments (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
3. Arts and Creativity in Dementia
4. Carer Quality of Life
5. Challenging Behaviours
6. Cross-Cultural Issues in Dementia Care
7. Dementia Care and Research in Asian Countries
8. Diagnosis and Treatment - Role of GPs
9. Future Treatments in Alzheimer's (Medical)
10. Lifestyle Intervention
11. Non-Pharmacological Treatment and Intervention
12. Sexuality and Dementia
13. Spirituality and Dementia
14. Support for Family Caregivers
15. Supporting Paid Home Caregivers
16. Technology for People with Dementia
17. Training of Professional Caregivers
18. Younger Onset Dementia
For early Bird Discount – Register Not Later Than 15 December 2008.
Help us change the future for people with Alzheimer's disease, click at:
STUDY REVEALS : ALZHEIMER'S DRUGS ALSO TREAT BEHAVIORAL, PSYCH PROBLEMS
Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's patients' cognitive symptoms are also a safe and effective therapy for behavioral and psychological symptoms such as aggression, wandering and paranoia, according to a study by U.S. Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine, published in the December issue of Clinical Interventions in Aging.
They reviewed nine studies that examined the effectiveness of three popular cholinesterase inhibitors in managing Alzheimer's patients' behavioral and psychological symptoms, and found the drugs were effective at the same dosage used to improve cognitive impairment.
About 90 percent of Alzheimer's patients have behavioral and psychological symptoms.
Cholinesterase inhibitors boost levels of a brain chemical called acetylcholine, which assists memory, thought and judgment.
There is a need for safe alternatives to the antipsychotic drugs currently used to manage the behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The results of the studies analyzed are encouraging and suggestive that cholinesterase inhibitors are safe and effective alternatives.
However, cholinesterase inhibitors are underutilized and typically prescribed for less than three months and for less than 10 percent of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The research study might provide Clinicians with useful data to justify the appropriate use of these medications.
The News Release reported this class of medications has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to manage symptoms of Alzheimer's type dementia, although the potential benefits on behavioral symptoms are not frequently identified by many prescribers. The use of cholinesterase inhibitors could reduce the use of more harmful medications that are needed to control (dementia-related) behaviors.
A common form of dementia often mistaken for Alzheimer's can be prevented with good health habits, a new report published in the December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource indicated.
Brain damage from multiple small strokes, which can occur from narrowing or blocked arteries in the brain, are often the cause of Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI).
People can greatly reduce their risk of developing the disease by lowering their blood pressure, quitting smoking, and keeping diabetes and cholesterol levels under control.
VCI shares Alzheimer's symptoms such as confusion, agitation, language and memory problems, and unsteady gait and falls. However, the first symptom of VCI usually is the declining ability to organize thoughts or actions. In Alzheimer's, memory problems are usually the first sign of the condition.
People with a disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during deep sleep are more likely to develop dementia or Parkinson's disease, results of a new Canadian study published in the December 24, 2008 online issue of Neurology indicated.
It's basically a disorder where you act out your dreams at night. When people who have RBD (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder) dream they are in a fight, which is very common, they will make punching movements."
Researchers followed 93 RBD patients and examined them after five, 10 and 12 years for signs of neurological disorders such as dementia or Parkinson's disease. After 12 years, researchers found the majority of people with RBD developed either dementia or Parkinson's, with 26 developing neurodegenerative disease, 15 developing Parkinsons and 11 developing dementia.
These disorders happen to 1 to 2 percent of the general population in their entire lives, so 50 percent at 12 years is much, much higher.
While sleep disorders are common, researchers emphasized that the majority are due to the stress of modern life and will not necessarily lead to neurological diseases.
Half the population has a sleep problem, but most of the time, they're benign. We live in a society with anxiety, stress, late night TV and cappucinos.
It's important to point out that this is a relatively dramatic disorder that comes on in your 50s and 60s, so it's not something that happens once in awhile your entire life," Researchers explained. "A little bit of sleep talking or waking up a little confused and then falling back asleep again are normal things that happen in the population."
Researchers hope that identifying those at risk for these diseases will help them develop new treatments to either slow or possibly even halt their progression.
The main thing is to see if we can predict which of these people with RBD are going to get a disease and which are not. We don't have ways to prevent those diseases now, but maybe that's because by the time a person has these diseases, it's too late to intervene.
Unfortunately, we live in a society that doesn't do very much in terms of preventive medicine, but this may be one of those things where we do know there are lots of factors that can modify disease progression, so let's intervene now. Let's get you into things that we believe are protective against some of these diseases, such as changes in diet or lifestyle, which may add quite a few years of quality life to a patient.
"Everybody who has strong signs of REM sleep behavior disorder should probably be evaluated and probably be followed by a neurologist to make sure that everything's OK and to pick up early signs," Researchers said.
(REM behavior disorder (RBD) occurs during a stage of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. The characteristic behaviours of this sleep disorder can sometimes be violent and may cause injury, if left untreated.
During the dreaming state, people are normally paralyzed during their dreams and cannot act out their behaviors. Someone with REM behavior disorder is able to act out his dreams due to the loss of muscle atonia.
This particular disorder can be an inherited trait, but tends to present in males more often than females. Sometimes medications such as anti depressants, can cause REM behavior disorder. In these situations the prescribing physician would need to address the situation. Symptoms:
Individuals who experience REM behavior disorder may call out or talk out loud and yell during sleep. Other symptoms may include:
• Acting out violent behaviors, such as hitting or thrashing about in or out of the bed. • Sleepiness during the daytime. • Awakening with injury such as lacerations, bleeding, bumps or bruises and/or • Vivid dreams.)
STUDY REVELS: BLOOD SUGAR LOSS MAY TRIGGER ALZHEIMER'S
A slow, chronic reduction of blood sugar to the brain could trigger some forms of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers reported on 24 December 2008.
The study of human and mice brains suggests a reduction of blood flow deprives energy to the brain, setting off a process that ultimately produces the sticky clumps of protein researchers believe is a cause of the disease.
The finding could lead to strategies such as exercise, reducing cholesterol and managing blood pressure to keep Alzheimer's at bay, Researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago reported.
This finding is significant because it suggests that improving blood flow to the brain might be an effective therapeutic approach to prevent or treat Alzheimer's, the Researchers said in a statement.
If people start early enough, maybe they can dodge the bullet.
Alzheimer's disease is incurable and is the most common form of dementia among older people. It affects the regions of the brain involving thought, memory and language.
While the most advanced drugs have focused on removing clumps of beta amyloid protein that forms plaques in the brain, researchers also are looking at therapies to address the toxic tangles caused by an abnormal build-up of the protein tau.
Researchers analysed human and mice brains to discover that a protein called elF2alpha is altered when the brain does not get enough energy. This boosts production of an enzyme that in turn flips a switch to produce the sticky protein clumps.
The finding published in the Journal Neuron could lead to drugs designed to block the elF2alpha production that begins the formation of the protein clumps, also known as amyloid plaques, Researchers added.
What we are talking about is a slow, insidious process over many years.It's so mild (people) don't even notice it, but it has an effect over time because it's producing a chronic reduction in the blood flow.
Amyza is into the FINAL ROUND to be held on this Saturday, 27 DECEMBER '08. The live broadcast of the final will be held at PICC, Putrajaya on the 27th @ 9.00pm.
THE RESULTS OF THE FINAL ROUND WILL SOLELY BE ON SMS ONLY.
If AMYZA is the Champion, ADFM will get RM15,000.
Please continue your support by sending in your SMS before this Saturday for the final push.
REMIND all your Family Members, Colleagues, Friends, the Rotarians and Supporters to continue sending in their SUPPORT by DIALLING IN or SENDING SMS to:
(1) By Fixed Line - Dial 13721 or 13723 or 13725 or 13730 then press 01.
Note: Use your Fixed Line as the % of Scores for Amyza is much much higher than by sending SMS through your Handphone.
(2)For Mobile Phone By SMS - key in the words:
danza amyza - send to 32999or
danza3 amyza � send to 32999 or
danza5 amyza � send to 32999or
danza10amyza �send to 32999.
(For "danza amyza" means you are giving 1 vote to the couple, "danza3 amyza" means giving her 3 votes and so on. You have a choice of giving 1, 3, 5 or 10 votes at one go.)
Dear All, we need your support TO SENDING IN YOUR SMS FOR TODAY (before Saturday) to ensure ADFM emerge as the Champion.
KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK & THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEVOTED SUPPORT!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
THANKS to All of You. We are pleased to announce Your SUPPORT has enabled our ADFM Celebrity Couple, Amyza & Khairil won the 7th round contest last night. We are now in the race for the 8th round this week. KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK!!!
REMIND all your Family Members, Colleagues, Friends, the Rotarians and Supporters to continue sending in their SUPPORT by DIALLING IN or SENDING SMS to:
(1)By Fixed Line - Dial 13721or13723or13730followed by 01
Note: Use your Fixed Line as the % of Scores is much much higher than by sending SMS through your Handphone.
(2)BY SMS - key in the words - "danza amyza" or "danza3 amyza"or"danza5 amyza"or"danza10 amyza"and send to "32999".
(for "danza amyza" means you are giving 1 vote to the couple, "danza3 amyza" means giving her 3 votes and so on.You have a choice of giving 1, 3, 5 or 10 votes at one go.)
The result for the 8th round contest will be live telecast on this coming Sunday night, 14 December.
The FINAL ROUND ON 27 DECEMBER is SOLELY DETERMINED BY SMS VOTES. ADFM WILL MAKE IT TO THE FINAL WITH YOUR DEVOTED SUPPORT.
Don't forget to COME and PARTICIPATE in the ASTRO CELEBRITY CARNIVAL on the 20 DECEMBER (Saturday),from 6:30am to 2:00pm at Padang Timur (Opposite AMCORP Mall), Petaling Jaya.
More Men Take the Lead Role in Caring for Elderly Parents
When Peter Nicholson's mother suffered a series of strokes, he did something women have done for generations; he quit his job and moved into her home to care for her full time.
Since then, he has lost 45 pounds and developed anemia, in part because of the stress, and he is running out of money. But the hardest adjustment for him has been the emotional toll.
The single toughest moment was when his Mom said to him, 'And now who are you?' he said. "My whole world just dropped. That was the pinnacle of despair."
Mr. Nicholson is part of a growing number of men who are providing primary care for their aging parents, usually their mothers.
The Alzheimer's Association and the National Alliance for Care-giving estimate that men make up nearly 40 percent of family care providers now, up from 19 percent in a 1996 study by the Alzheimer's Association. About 17 million men are caring for an adult.
It used to be that when men said, 'I'll always take care of my mother.' It meant, 'My wife will always take care of my mother'.But now, more and more men are doing it.
Often they are overshadowed by their female counterparts and faced with employers, friends, support organizations and sometimes even parents who view care-giving as an essentially female role. Male caregivers are more likely to say they feel unprepared for the role and become socially isolated, and less likely to ask for help.
Women still provide the bulk of family care, especially intimate tasks like bathing and dressing. At support groups, which are predominantly made up of women, many women complain that their brothers are treated like heroes just for showing up.
But with smaller families and more women working full-time, many men have no choice but to take on roles that would have been alien to their fathers. Just as fatherhood became more hands-on in the baby boom generation, so has the role for many sons as their generation's parents age.
Mr. Nicholson said his family had not discussed who would take care of his mother, if she became frail. But as the unmarried child among his two siblings, and the one who was most readily available, he had spent increasing time with her as she aged.
Still, he was not prepared for the isolation of full-time care. "There's absolutely no involvement in the outside world," Mr. Nicholson said. When I finally get out to a Dodgers game, walking to the car, I say, "Oh, this is what life is about. I forgot about this. I can't be doing myself any good by not getting out of here."
Isolation affects women as well, but men tend to have fewer lifelines.Men are less likely to have friends going through similar experiences, and depend more on their jobs for daily human contact.
Research study on sons as Caregivers shows the harder part for men to find someone to talk to is the emotional side - the guilt, the sadness, the anger. And there is the inevitable question on "What happens if I have to bathe her?". It becomes more stressful because they can't talk about it. They feel cut off.The whole experience has been a journey into the surreal, especially at bath time.
Though he is not squeamish about it, he said, "The weirdness permeates our relationship. She doesn't know if I'm her husband or her boyfriend or her neighbour. She knows she trusts me. But there are times when it's very difficult. I need to keep her from embarrassing herself. She'll say things like, 'I adore you'. I don't know who she's loving because she doesn't know who I am. Maybe I'm embarrassed about it - she's my mom, for Christ sakes. But it's weird how the oldest son becomes the spouse".
Caregiver, Matt Kassin said he had no role model for male caregiver in his family. His father had been distant; he, in turn, had been the rebellious son.
"I was the son who went through divorce, who needed to separate from my mom when I was teenager," Kassin said. "I'm the son that wanted distance. Now I'm the son who hears every morning, 'It's so nice to hear your voice.'". His Mom, Doris golden, 82, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and still lives independently, but relies on him to arrange her schedule, pay her bills and make sure she remembers her daily tasks (his sister also helps).
His care has surprised his mother. "When he was young, I couldn't get him to raise a finger," Ms. Golden said. Her conversation looped repeatedly back to this point, and with each return, Mr. Kassin grew more irritated. That was when he was a teenager, he said, sharply, hadn't he been more attentive since?
Finally she looked at him tenderly and asked, "When did I start relying on you?"
Interviewed apart from his mother, Mr. Kassin said: "It's kind of like living my nightmare situation. But it's a great opportunity here. Here's the woman who nurtured me. She now is the child. You worry if you're up for the challenge. If I don't make this challenge, what kind of human being am I?"
In past generations, men might have answered this question by pointing to their accomplishments as breadwinners or fathers. Now, some men say they worry about the conflict between caring for their parents and these other roles.
In a 2003 study at three Fortune 500 Companies found that men were less likely to use employee-assistance programs for caregivers because they feared it would be held against them.Even though the company has endorsed the program, your supervisors may have a different opinion.A man who worked for a large company with very generous benefits was told that if he took more time to go with his dad to chemotherapy, he was at risk of losing his job. He ended up not going with his father.
Mr. Kassin said that although his employer had been understanding, he was reluctant to talk about his caregiving because "I think it would be looked at like, when they hire a male, they expect him to be 100-percent focused."
"I don't want to appear to be someone who has distractions that detract from performance," he said.
For many men, the new role means giving up their self-image as experts.At the get-together for male caregivers, the concerns they raised are different from those of women in support groups. Very clearly, they said they wanted their role as caregiver validated, because in our society, as a whole, men as caregivers have been invisible.
This invisibility can extend to hospitals and nursing home.
Nursing homes have a very difficult time dealing with male caregivers.It's unusual for them. The male caregiver is made to feel their interest in their relative is inappropriate. They're made to feel what they're doing is unusual.
The study gave the example of a son who was the health care agent for his mother and wanted to be in the room when the staff changed her diaper because he was concerned about her skin condition. The staff refused to allow it and said the mother's dignity was at risk
After two weeks of pressing, he finally got his way. With a daughter, this would not have been an issue.
And even when they are acknowledged, for many male caregivers, as for women, there is the lingering sense that whatever they do is not enough.
Mr. Nicholson said he knew this feeling too well. As a teacher, he could measure his contribution by the students' progress. But with his mother, he can only watch her decline.
"I'm always asking myself, Am I even qualified for this?" he said. "Just because I love her a lot doesn't mean that I have any idea if I'm doing the right thing, or doing what's best for her."
He sounded exhausted, rattled even.
"I don't know if this is just the musings of someone who's on the verge of tossing everything and putting her in a home," he said. "But this is a very revealing journey about who I am to me and my family, and what's important to me."
The celebrity charity show "Sehati Berdansa2" is in its 7th round this week.Please watch the show on Astro Ria tomorrow night, 6 December (Saturday) at 9:00pm.
ADFM Celebrity Couple, Amyza & Khairil is at the bottom of the Jury's vote, but SMS Vote she is in second place.We NEED YOUR SUPPORT BY HELPING TO CONTINUE SENDING YOUR SMS.Your support is important to ADFM to ensure Amyza & Khairil get through the next 3 rounds and reach the FINAL.
Please gather all your Family Members, Colleagues, Friends, the Rotarians and Supporters to continue sending in their SMS to:
(1)By Fixed Line - Dial 13721or13723or13730followed by 01
(By using fixed line the % that goes to the scoring forthe celebrity is a few times more than by H/P.)
(2)BY SMS - key in the words "danza amyza3"or"danza amyza5"or"danza amyza10"and send to "32999".
(You will get a SMS response from Astro for each SMS."danza amyza3" means you are giving her 3 votes and so on.You have a choice of 3, 5 or 10 at one go.)
THE FINAL ROUND ON 27 DECEMBER IS SOLELY BY SMS VOTES.WE NEED ALL THE elebritySUPPORT FROM ALL OF YOU FROM NOW ON FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS - BY DIALLING IN OR SENDING SMS.
Don't forget to give your support and participate in the Astro Celebrity Carnival on the 20 December (Saturday), from 6:30am to 2:00pm at Padang Timur (Opposite AMCORP Mall), Petaling Jaya.
ASTRO is hosting the above carnival in conjunction with the on-going "Sehati Berdansa 2" Charity Program on Astro Ria.
Our Celebrity Couple for ADFM, AMYZA & KHAIRIL is still in the race, entering its 7th round this week.They are doing their level best together with their supporters to reach the Final of the "Sehati Berdansa 2" � ADFM BECOME THE CHAMPION
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU - MEMBERS, CAREGIVERS & SUPPORTERS OF ADFM TO JOIN IN THE FUN AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,
TO GIVE OUR MORAL SUPPORT
TO OUR BELOVED CELEBRITY COUPLE, AMYZA & KHAIRIL !!!
Note:We shall keep ALL OF YOU posted on the progress on our ADFM Blogand social network until we reach the Final & Emerge as the Champion.To ensure ADFM become the Champion, from now on, all of you continue sending your SMS to give your support.LOOK OUT FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS.
