Related Posts

• The Latest Advancements in Alzheimer’s Disease

  

  According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s report, an estimated 6.9 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024, and this number is expected to continue to grow as the population of Americans age 65 or older is also increasing. June is a month dedicated to raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and to promoting brain health. In this article, we will focus on the following topics:  The latest research on early signs of Alzheimer’s disease  The influence of modern lifestyle on the disease  Advances in diagnosis: amyloid PET  Non-invasive devices to detect biomarkers  Hope in promising new drugs   The latest research on early signs of Alzheimer’s  Before examining the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s disease, understanding how a brain with Alzheimer’s disease works is essential.  With aging, the brain undergoes certain changes:  Both the brain’s weight and volume decrease. In fact, the main change associated with aging is not so much the loss of neurons, as a decrease in their size and number of connections.  The brain regions linked to learning, memory, processing speed, or planning capacity are the most affected by aging.    A healthy older person may experience a certain decline ...

• In June, focus on Alzheimer’s

  

  June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to shed light on the impact of Alzheimer’s in our communities. About 6.5 million Americans age 65 years and older—or 1 in 9 people in this age group—live with Alzheimer’s dementia (i.e., dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease). This number is expected to grow as the baby-boom generation ages.   Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior in primarily older people. Average survival after diagnosis in people age 65 years and older is 4 to 8 years, but some individuals live up to 20 years with the disease. This takes a huge toll on both those living with Alzheimer’s and those who care for them.  There are many ways to support people in your community who are dealing with the daily effects of Alzheimer’s disease:  Learn about the risk factors and incidence rates of Alzheimer’s. Visit alz.org to read facts and figures, find resources for help, and learn about advocacy.  “Go purple” in June to raise awareness. Wear purple, turn your Facebook page purple, and share your ...

• June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month

  

  More than 50 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Alzheimer’s disease is currently the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed.     What you should know about Alzheimer’s and other dementias  Someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease every 66 seconds. Estimates indicate this will increase to one every 33 seconds by 2050.  Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. Most individuals with Alzheimer’s disease start exhibiting signs in their mid-60s.  Just this month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the drug aducanumab for Alzheimer’s patients, the first novel therapy to be approved since 2003.    Ways you can show your support  Raise awareness on social media. The Alzheimer’s Association makes it simple to update your Facebook profile with a frame in support of Alzheimer’s awareness.  Share your story. Use hashtags #ENDALZ and #EndAlzheimers to share your story about how Alzheimer’s has touched your life and read more about how Alzheimer’s and other dementias have impacted people throughout the world.   Wear purple. Show your support by wearing purple! You may even want to show your support by tying purple ribbons on your home or car to show your support.  Raise funds through the Solstice Challenge. The longest day of the year—June 20—is ...

• Diagnosing and Treating ADHD in Younger Children: New Guidelines

  Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics released in October suggest that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be diagnosed and treated in children as young as age 4, two years younger than the previous minimum age set by AAP a decade ago. Mark Wolraich, the lead author of the ADHD clinical practice guidelines and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, told the Wall Street Journal recently that ADHD in a preschool-aged child is very different from the typically active behavior seen in most young children (www.online.wsj.com, October 17). A child with ADHD often doesn’t play well with other children, is prone to accidents, and is overactive much of the time. “It's not the environmental things like parties triggering it,” Dr. Wolraich says. According to the new guidelines, behavior management should be the first approach for treating preschool-aged children. But when behavioral interventions aren’t enough, the guidelines suggest that doctors consider prescribing methylphenidate (commonly known by the brand name Ritalin) for preschool-aged children with moderate to severe symptoms. Other key recommendations include assessing children for other ...

• New screening guidelines for autism

  

    In December 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendations for the screening of autism for the first time since 2007. Here is a brief summary of the new guidelines issued by the AAP. ·       All children should be screened for symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at all visits. ·       Developmental and behavioral screenings should be performed at the 9-month, 18-month, and 30-month visits. ·       Standardized autism-specific screening tests should be performed at 18 and 24 months of age. One of the primary reasons for the change is that children with ASD can be identified as young as toddlers. As with many conditions, early intervention is crucial and can influence outcomes. PAR is proud to publish an instrument that can help clinicians adhere to these new guidelines. The PDD Behavior Inventory™ Screening Edition (PDDBI-SV) can be used to screen children at risk for autism spectrum disorder as young as 18 months. It can be administered in 10 minutes or less, letting you know quickly if the child is at risk. If further evaluation is warranted, PAR’s PDDBI and the ...

• Now available! An updated ECBI Score Report!

  

  The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory™ (ECBI™) Score Report on PARiConnect has now been updated to include a longitudinal profile and an updated look and feel. The ECBI, designed for completion by parents, assesses a child’s conduct and behavior at home to determine the variety and frequency of behaviors commonly exhibited by all children, distinguishing behavior problems from conduct-disordered behavior in children and adolescents.  The new ECBI Score Report makes it easier for clinicians to monitor behavior over time by offering a profile that charts scores from each administration for ease of comparison. These updates will make the report more useful for parent–child interaction therapy when monitoring progress over time.  Learn more about the ECBI.