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Category: In the news

Learning you Have Dementia – How Can it be Done Better?

Thursday, January 27th, 2022

You may have a sense of something not being quite right. Your family and friends may suspect something too. Is it simply old age and a bit of forgetfulness – or is it something more? The decision to get checked out is a big one. A research team from the UK, recently published a review […]

Common blood pressure drug does not slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

Monday, December 20th, 2021

New research has dashed hopes that the drug Losartan, used to treat hypertension or high blood pressure, might be effective in reducing the rate of brain atrophy in people living with Alzheimer’s Disease[1]. The British multi-centre clinical trial was awarded two million pounds as part of the Prime Minister’s “Challenge on Dementia”. From 2014 to […]

Short term menopausal hormone therapy not associated with increased dementia risk

Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

Women who have taken hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms may be reassured by findings from a large study reporting no overall increased risk of dementia[1]. What is HRT? Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is used to relieve symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes, night sweats, and mood swings. It works by replacing […]

Agent Orange Doubles the Risk of Dementia for Vietnam Veterans

Friday, August 13th, 2021

U.S. veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War are twice as likely to develop dementia, a study published early this year found[1]. Tactical Warfare U.S. forces sprayed gallons of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungle trees that provided cover for enemy forces, and to destroy food crops. Millions of American […]

Medication Management for People with Dementia following a Hospital Stay

Monday, July 19th, 2021

Instructions: “Take one tablet three times a day” So, is that dividing 24 hours by three and taking the medication every eight hours? Or can I coordinate it with my meals and take them all within 12 hours? Will it matter if I take it with my other morning tablet? A Potential for Medication Mishaps […]

Have we got the Leading Theory About Alzheimer’s all Wrong?

Monday, May 31st, 2021

The leading hypothesis on the cause of Alzheimer’s is looking shaky, following a new paper that pooled data from several studies to find that strategies to reduce amyloid levels in the brain do not improve cognition.[1] The Amyloid Hypothesis For several decades, a microscopic protein fragment called beta-amyloid found in the brains of people with […]

Is a Culture of Risk Aversion Damaging the Human Rights of People with Dementia?

Tuesday, April 20th, 2021

Enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a mandated human right.[1] However, the daily confinement of people living with dementia in care homes may challenge this mandate. A team of researchers from NSW Australia, including the well-known dementia advocate, Kate Swaffer, explored this concept further[2]. They ran interviews and focus […]

Eating Processed Meat is a Risk Factor for Dementia

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

Researchers from the University of Leeds investigated the association between meat consumption and risk of dementia using the Biobank cohort [1]. Almost 500,000 UK adults participated in the study, which found that consuming a 25g of processed meat (bacon, ham, sausages, etc.) a day was associated with a 44% increased risk of developing dementia. However, […]

Forgetting to pay bills may be a sign of declining cognition

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020

In the everyday busyness of life it is easy to forget things, and when we do it is typically harmless.  However, a study published last month found that forgetting to pay your bills, specifically credit card bills, could be an early warning sign for declining cognition[1]. Finance and Health Data Linkage The American-based researchers retrospectively […]

What are the clinical trials?

Friday, November 6th, 2020

Clinical trials are research studies that test ways to improve healthcare. These studies help find better ways to treat or prevent disease. Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) has also produced information sheets outlining the clinical trials process in 10 community languages. Please visit this link to see the resources in multi-languages.

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