Alzheimer Research Forum EADC

EADC

Alzheimer Research Forum is a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance Alzheimer’s disease research by improving scientists’ access to information and research resources. The forum maintains an extensive web-based metajournal of scientific research, discussion forums, resource indexes, grant/conferences/job opportunities, researcher, lab and institute profiles, and sponsors programs and workshops to address impediments to research.

Alzheimer Europe Organization website

Alzheimer Europe

Alzheimer Europe website. We are a non-governmental organisation aimed at raising awareness of all forms of dementia by creating a common European platform through co-ordination and co-operation between Alzheimer organisations throughout Europe. Alzheimer Europe is also a source of information on all aspects of dementia.

Maximizing communication with the Alzheimer's patient by Martin D. Shulman, Ellen Mandel

Maximizing communication with the Alzheimer's patient | Nursing Homes | Find Articles at BNET

"Those who interact with individuals with a diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer's type know the difficulties in communicating with these patients. Their communicative deficits have been well documented and may include poor memory, poor judgement, poor word finding skills, poor comprehension of spoken and written material, poor expressive language skills, verbal perseverations of words and ideas, poor topic maintenance, poor turn taking, poor discourse skills, and general disorientation or confusion. While these patients may be able to speak clearly, they have difficulty in communicating their thoughts, needs and ideas."

"While certainly devastating to the individual, these deficits can have an equally negative impact on the communication partner. Anyone who needs to converse with an Alzheimer's patient faces a variety of potential difficulties which may set the stage for communicative breakdown and frustration. The authors have been involved in training programs designed to maximize communicating with the Alzheimer's patient. It is our feeling that family, friends, physicians, nurses, aides, orderlies, volunteers, and staff members of long-term care facilities can learn some strategies to make conversing with Alzheimer's patients more effective, efficient and, hopefully, less frustrating."

Alzheimer’s Drugs — Fact and Fiction | Alzheimer's Compendium

There are two main categories of drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, i.e.:

These drugs do not cure Alzheimer’s, and there is scant evidence that they slow down the damage that is being done. What they can do, however, is help the damaged regions of the brain function better, which in turn slows down the emergence of symptoms and improves your loved one’s quality of life.

(1) Cholinesterase inhibitors
These include the prescription drugs Aricept/donepezil, Razadyne/galantamine, and Exelon/rivastigmine, and the over-the-counter “supplement” huperzine A.

(2) NMDA antagonists
So far, there is only one drug in this category, i.e., Namenda/memantine.



Alzheimer’s Drugs — Fact and Fiction » Alzheimer's Compendium

Alzheimer’s is a multidomain disorder

Confabulation: Honest Lying » Alzheimer's Compendium

Alzheimer’s is a multidomain disorder, including not only memory loss, but also executive dysfunction (e.g., impaired ability to plan ahead, prioritize, stop and start activities, shift from one activity to another activity, and to monitor one’s own behavior) and varying degrees of visuospatial and language deficits.

What is a Carers; Centre? | Carers in UK

Carers' Centres are independent charities that deliver a wide range of local support services to meet the needs of carers in their own communities.

All Carers' Centres provide, either by telephone, drop-in or outreach surgeries, the following core services: Information and advice - about all issues affecting carers, including benefits, breaks, respite and support services, carer assessment procedures, aids and adaptations Emotional support - by providing opportunities for carers to talk through their concerns, both individually and in group sessions, with staff, trained volunteers and other carers who understand their situation, thus helping to alleviate isolation and stress.

Community consultation - carers need a unified voice in any locality to ensure that they have an impact on decision-making.
By working with other agencies and consulting carers, Carers' Centres can have a strong influence on local policy, planning procedures and outcomes. They can also ensure that the local carers' voice can be linked in to the regional and national decision-making bodies.

Carers' Centres develop other services in response to identified local needs.
These might include: Advocacy - at tribunals, assessments, case reviews, assistance to access funds and services, or whenever a carer needs a friend or supporter Practical help - befriending, breaks, transport, benefits advice Training and education - in skills often needed by carers, such as moving and handling, first aid, and care giving; personal development; stress reduction through reflexology and aromatherapy; and training and education for professionals on carer-related issues Fun - time out, breaks, the opportunity to enjoy a social life, taking into account carers' special needs and sense of isolation The aim of our work is to help ensure that no carer has to reach crisis point before they get the support they need. In short, to make it easier for carers to cope.
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The Princess Royal Trust for Carers works to reach carers and develop services for carers across the country through The Nationwide Network of 144 Carers' Centres.

Caregiver Resource Directory: Online Version from Net of care

Caregiver Resource Directory (Online Version) - NetofCare

The Caregiver Resource Directory is a practical guide that includes much of the information available on this site, while also offering a way to organize materials and information.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers | UK

One in 10 people in the UK are carers - looking after a loved-one who is sick, disabled, suffering from a mental health problem or an addiction - some carers are as young as five years old. What carers have in common is the selflessness to put their family members needs before their own, but they face an on-going life of isolation, ill-health and poverty.

A lifeline for hundreds of thousands of carers across the UK.
http://www.carers.org/

For 20 years, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers has been fighting to provide carers with the support they so desperately need. The Trust understands that few of us plan to become carers, so when a caring role starts, every carer needs an expert to guide them through the maze of services, rules and entitlements. For a carer, this can make the difference between keeping and losing their job, or between staying healthy and collapsing under the stress.

At the heart of The Trust is a unique network of 144 independently-managed Carers' Centres, 89 young carers' services and interactive websites (www.carers.org and www.youngcarers.net) which deliver around the clock support to over 424,000 carers and approximately 25,000 young carers. Today we are the largest provider of carer support in the UK offering unique and innovative services.

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Media clip:
BBC - BBC One Programmes - Lifeline, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

E-learning: The Open Dementia Programme

SCIE e-learning: Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) 2010 training module

E-learning: The Open Dementia Programme

Published: 2009

The Open Dementia e-Learning Programme is aimed at anyone who comes into contact with someone with dementia and provides a general introduction to the disease and the experience of living with dementia. This programme is designed to be accessible to a wide audience and to make learning as enjoyable as possible and so allows users to fully interact with the content and includes video, audio and graphics to make the content come alive. In particular the programme includes a considerable amount of new video footage shot by both the Alzheimer’s Society and SCIE where people with dementia and their carers share their views and feelings on camera.