By Jeannette Franks, PhD Glaucoma is a cluster of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in irreversible vision loss-and ultimately can cause total blindness. It is one of the leading causes of legal blindness in the US and probably the most preventable...
Frieda Rozbruch was always a smart, capable, self-reliant woman. She survived the Holocaust, spoke seven languages and cooked up nine-course meals for the Sabbath each week. After the war, she and her husband immigrated to America on the SS Independence with their two young sons...
A new drug for Alzheimer’s appears to have shown some benefit in people who were given it in the very earliest stage of the disease, say scientists. Experts were cautious about the results of the trial of an antibody known as aducanumab, which involved just 166...
March 4, 2015: Alzheimer’s disease is a global problem. In the United States alone, more than 5 million people have the disease and a new diagnosis is made every 67 seconds—numbers that are just a fraction of worldwide totals. Among medical researchers, Alzheimer’s is a...
In Lisa Genova’s bestselling novel “Still Alice,” a linguist with early-onset Alzheimer’s navigates her symptoms with her husband and three adult children. The book has raised awareness about the disease and its film adaptation is getting its own spotlight during this year’s Oscar season. But Alzheimer’s...
Judith Stein got a call from her mother recently, reporting that a friend was in the hospital. “Be sure she’s admitted,” Ms. Stein said. As executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, she has gotten all too savvy about this stuff. “Of course she’s admitted,” her mother...
The role of the service dog has expanded immensely over the last few decades. Years ago, service dogs were used only to assist the blind. But these days, dogs have been trained to help with everything from hearing to mobility. And now, service dogs can add dementia-assistance to their resume, as...
With all the new changes in health care laws, you need to be more alert than ever to scams! When necessary, Family Tree caregivers will take phones for clients, filter their mail, and answer the door to help our families avoid these scams! According to stopmedicarefraud.gov,...
Seniors who've had one or more falls in the six months prior to surgery are at increased risk for poorer outcomes after their operation, according to a new study. Researchers looked at 235 people, average age 74, who had colorectal and heart operations. Thirty-three percent of...
Memory Loss, Dementia Much More Likely for Seniors with Abdominal Fat in Middle Age There are several risk factors of dementia and abnormal fat metabolism has been previously identified as a risk for memory and learning People with high amounts of abdominal fat in their middle age...