The Many Facets of Dementia

Image by Seniors Access

Just when you think there isn’t any more left to say on the topic of dementia, you learn something new. Such as: did you know there is such a thing as an overnight dementia “camp”? You may be as baffled as I was at first when reading about it. But it’s true.  Huffington Post’s HuffPost50 reported on The Hebrew Home at Riverdale, where they have a program called ElderServe at Night.

What does this entail you may wonder? It’s a place where aging adults who suffer with dementia can take part in activities, such as arts and crafts, dancing, socializing and more… throughout the night. That’s right, this isn’t a “typical” day-care dementia Centre (although it does offer these services too). It is a program that runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.. It’s for individuals who require constant supervision throughout the night due to fear and confusion that is caused when the sun sets, and it gives caregivers peace of mind that their loved ones are cared for, enabling them to get a restful nights sleep.

Individuals with various types of dementia can have irregular sleep patterns throughout the day, which can cause sudden jolts of alertness at night. The disorientation that occurs in these individuals not only harms their mental capacity to understand what is occurring, but it can cause strain on family caregivers and interruptions to their own sleep cycles.

Like ElderServe at Night, there have been other programs that are unique and cater to individuals who have been affected by dementia, for both the patient and caregiver. Such places, for example, are Alzheimer Cafés becoming more prevalent in society. The concept originates overseas from the Netherlands, took hold across Europe and the United States, and is slowly integrating into Canada. The first of its kind appeared last February in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

These cafés encourage individuals who have Alzheimer’s, or other forms of dementia, to socialize. It’s a space where those who attend, caregiver or patient, can feel comfortable, and where sudden outbursts are accepted due to symptoms of the various types of dementia.

We may not be able to cure dementia, we may only be able to delay its onset, but society certainly understands that we can find ways that help ease the suffering, and find a way to help maintain a person’s dignity.  

To learn more about ElderServe at night, click the video below.

Thinking Bee

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Barry B. Benson, from Dreamworks Bee Movie.

They zoom around our backyards, flower to flower, in a zigzag formation that appears to have a dizzying effect if you try to follow their flight pattern.  Their distinguished colours of black and yellow are easily recognizable.  They bumble, they buzz; it’s the honeybee. 

Known as the leading producer of honey, these little guys have made it into the news, and are the hot topic of the past week.  Why, might you ask?  Because, they’ve found a way to reverse the affects of brain aging.  Now, we can’t give honeybees all the credit, they didn’t just pick up one day and decide to try this theory out. 

Scientists have found that aging of older honeybees' brains reverses when they take on the task usually done by youngers, a discovery which suggests social intervention should also be considered along with drugs as a way to treat age-related dementia in humans, the Business Standard reports.

Gro Amdam and a team of colleagues at Arizona State University wanted to find out what would happen if they “asked” foraging bees to take care of larval babies again, reports LiveScience. "We knew from previous research that when bees stay in the nest and take care of larvae — the bee babies — they remain mentally competent for as long as we observe them," Amdam explained, “However, after a period of nursing, bees fly out gathering food and begin aging very quickly."

The aging honeybee appears to resemble that in humans.  Amdam said that after just a few weeks of no longer caring for “newborns”, foraging bees developed worn wings, hairless bodies, and lost brain function.  Amdam and the team of researchers decided to remove younger nurse bees from a nest, leaving older bees with a choice: continue foraging or care for the larvae.  Although some did continue to search for food, the remainder returned to look after the young, once again. 

After 10 days of observation, the team found that about 50 per cent of the older bees that chose to return to nursing, had “significantly improved their ability to learn new things,” the researchers said in a statement. 

So how does this relate to humans?  After all, honeybees are insects.  Well according to this discovery, the researchers found that one of the proteins (that changed) in the brains of bees is also found in humans.   The protein, Prx6, is the same one that is known to help protect against dementia, including Alzheimer’s.       

"Maybe social interventions — changing how you deal with your surroundings — is something we can do today to help our brains stay younger," Amdam speculates. "Since the proteins being researched in people are the same proteins bees have, these proteins may be able to spontaneously respond to specific social experiences."

Change is a hard reality for some individuals.  But doing it a little bit at a time, switching up a daily routine, can help to motivate your mind and stimulate your body into adjusting quickly to unforeseen circumstances that may occur in the future.  We can’t control everything, and being active and staying connected appears to be a key concept in every day life. 

What is something you did when you were younger that you may want to start up again? I might just turn on the sprinkler in the backyard and have a jump around. Just have to watch out for those honeybees…

Art promotes healing

I believe that we are born artists. Before we can write, before we can read, we can communicate visually… What happens to our creativity when we get older? Do we lose it?

The question, posed by Jeff Nachtigall to The Calgary Journal, is just as quickly answered,  “Maybe we haven’t lost (it), but we have buried it,” said Nachtigall.  “Some of us have buried it deeper than others.”

In the article, Art for seniors and residents of long term care facilities promotes healing, Nachtigall, the artist-in-residence at Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon, and the keynote speaker for the third Creative Aging Calgary Symposium, demonstrated the “results of using visual arts as a way for residents of long-term care facilities to access their own creative potential.”

To gain participation in an art session at the Centre, Nachtigall placed a large piece of canvas paper on the floor of the studio, and finally, attached rags to the bottoms of canes and wheelchairs.  With their chosen colour of paint, the residents would travel across the paper, creating one large painting. 

 Art and dementia appear to go hand-in-hand, as “many studies have linked the participation in some type of artistic work with positive outcomes for people living with” the disease.  The Calgary Journal reported on a 2010 article in the Journal of Active Aging that said, "Artistic endeavors target the healthy parts of the brain – areas untouched by disease, whether the participant has Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia."

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are common diseases that affect many people, and staying active has become a significant way of delaying the on-set.  Finding a way to stay physically and mentally motivated – be it walking, painting, dancing, etc. – are important activities to engage oneself in.  You can live a full life, despite Alzheimer’s.    

Get involved in the community:

On Tuesday, June 22, SERC is hosting Taste of the Arts day, where everyone is welcome to come out and try a new activity.  We will have a palette of programs, from painting, to singing, to Latin dancing.  So mark that calendar – and we hope to see you soon!

(Picture provided by Center for American Progress)