You are here:
- Home
- People/Relationships
- Senior Health
- Alzheimer`s Disease
Alzheimer`s Disease/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Dad with dementia and chrinic kidney failure | 2/9/2012 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My dad is 87 years old and I'm not sure what to do. He is at stage 5 of his kidney failure. It looks ... A: I've changed the status of this question to "public" because I believe there are other families out ... | ||
| almost bed ridden.. but not quite. | 2/4/2012 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My mother(aged 69) advanced alzheimer's, diagnosed nearly six years ago..she has almost stopped ... A: don't blame yourself for finding her care difficult. As they become more helpless, it gets harder ... | ||
| Hi | 1/29/2012 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Can a 22 year old get dementia or alzheimers? A: I've never heard of a 22 year old getting Alzheimer's, however, "dementia" would be another matter. ... | ||
| Weak Memory | 1/22/2012 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: I am 24 years old guy from mumbai India.. I am facing weak memory problem since i was 15 yrs old.. ... A: I am not a doctor, but have my Masters and have worked with Alzheimer's for almost 30 years. Please ... | ||
| last stage alzheimers | 1/14/2012 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My mother(age 70) was diagnosed with AD four years ago. She stopped talking a year ago and has not ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your dear mother's decline. I wish you had access to hospice, but since you ... | ||
| Hi | 1/13/2012 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: Can Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Ocd cause dementia? I hear stress shrinks the brain. ANSWER: There ... A: Jairo, You are a 22 year old. You may well be having trouble thinking clearly due to anxiety and ... | ||
| End stages Alzheimer's | 1/13/2012 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My mother has been in hospice care since May 2011 and we have said goodbye to her 3 times, the third ... A: I wish I had a good answer for you. I know this phase is a complete emotional grinder - and a ... | ||
| Hi | 1/12/2012 | Paula Damgaard |
| Q: Can Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Ocd cause dementia? A: Jairo, This question can be answered two ways. Thes symptoms you ask about can cause 'injury' to the ... | ||
| Hi | 1/12/2012 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: Can Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Ocd cause dementia? I hear stress shrinks the brain. A: There was a recent study that suggested that stress might shrink the brain, but it only involved 103 ... | ||
| Hi | 1/12/2012 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Can stress, anxiety, ocd, depression, cause dementia? ANSWER: Hello Jairo: These things can't ... A: It would be against all odds for you to have a type of dementia at your young age. Shrinkage of the ... | ||
| Hi | 1/12/2012 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: Can Stress, Ocd, Anxiety, Depression cause dementia? A: All the above mentioned conditions can cause SYMPTOMS of Dementia. I don't believe they can truly ... | ||
| Hi | 1/11/2012 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Can stress, anxiety, ocd, depression, cause dementia? A: These things can't cause you to have a type of dementia, but having them can make you ACT as if you ... | ||
| Cause of death | 1/11/2012 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: Ms. Gordon: First, I must report that my wife died last month, about 30 months after she was ... A: I am very, very sorry for your loss. I hope you are taking care of yourself and have lots of family ... | ||
| pain from alzhiemers | 1/11/2012 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: Why is there pain,what kind of pain is it? A: Many times an Alzheimer's will experience pain that is either localized in their head or throughout ... | ||
| Mother's long-term care | 1/9/2012 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: Michalene, my 78 yr old mother is about midway thru Alzheimer's disease. She currently lives alone ... A: I'm sure you and your family are doing a wonderful job taking care of your mom. Here are some ... | ||
| Aspirin & Advil | 1/9/2012 | Paula Damgaard |
| Q: Paula, Alzheimer's disease runs on my mother's side of our family. Almost 100% have died from it. My ... A: I can bet you that if your daughter did a bit more research she would find an equal number of ... | ||
| What do I do | 1/8/2012 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: My mother has been diagnosed with Binswanger's. She is no longer the person that I know as my ... A: Oh my...i am so sorry you are in this situation! Being a Guardian is tough enough....being a ... | ||
| Grandfather with Alzheimer | 12/30/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: I am writing to you from Hungary, as I have read some of your comments and they showed me with how ... A: In the UK and in North America, the specialists who evaluate dysphagia are speech pathologists, ... | ||
| Wife with Early Stages | 12/30/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My wife of 30 years has been acting very unusual for over 6 months now. She is 50 and has a mother ... A: I'm sorry to hear of your wife's troubling symptoms. There is an inherited form of AD, however it ... | ||
| Grandfather with Alzheimer | 12/29/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: I am writing to you from Hungary, as I have read some of your comments and they showed me with how ... A: it sounds like the main problem is some sort of throat infection or inflammation, not related to his ... | ||
| Exelon patch | 12/27/2011 | Michalene Peticca |
| Q: My father was on the exelon patch for over 3 years. He started to decline and we felt the patch was ... A: I am very sorry on the loss of your father. I am sure it was a long road of several illnesses for ... | ||
| Mother in law with Alzheimer's | 12/26/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My wife's mother is in the final stage of Alzheimer's. Two weeks ago she fell and fractured her hip. ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your mother-in-law's decline. I'm sure it's very upsetting for the entire ... | ||
| end of life | 12/21/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Cindy, I don't have a guestiom at this time, but wanted to say thank-you. I asked a guestion on Dec ... A: Ann: My heart aches for you as you begin your life without your dear mother-in-law, and I'm ... | ||
| End stages | 12/20/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: Mary, I don't really have questions at this point, thanks to all the good information and guidance ... A: Our family was like all families faced with dementia. We were bewildered and distressed. With no ... | ||
| Sleeping patterns of Alzheimer's pateints | 12/13/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Is sleeping both day and night a sign of late stage Alzheimer's? A: When a person has AD, they will usually tend to sleep for longer and longer periods of time as the ... | ||
| late AD and continual restlessness | 12/12/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My mother is in late stage AD. In May (following death of my father) she went into a rapid decline. ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your mother's decline. I applaud you for being her advocate with her ... | ||
| TIA and alzheimers | 12/9/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My father has had Alzheimer for a number of years that has gotten much worse in the past 9 months. ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your father's current medical issues. I'm sure it's distressing for the ... | ||
| Mother's Memory | 12/4/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My 85 yr old mother is currently in a rehab facility after an extreme bout with Pancreatitis that ... A: I'm sure you and your family are quite concerned about your mother's memory problems. Without ... | ||
| exelon patch and stroke | 12/3/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My 84 yr old grandfather has been using the Exelon patch. He recently suffered a L CVA. For the ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather's decline. I'm sure it's very scary for the entire family. ... | ||
| end of life | 12/2/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Cindy, My mother-in-law is 90 and in stage7. Over the past two weeks, she has taken another ... A: I'm so sorry to hear of your mother-in-law's decline. Yes, it certainly is a difficult journey and ... | ||
| How/when to include hospice care? | 11/26/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My mom is 84 and has lived at a dementia skilled nursing home for a year. My question is how and ... A: I think it's time for the conversation regarding a hospice care program. I wouldn't feel guilty ... | ||
| Sleep | 11/23/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: Mom is in the middle stages of Alzheimers and talks almost all day and night, even when she sleeps ... A: I'm sure this incessant talking is quite distressing to you and your family. This is likely being ... | ||
| valve surgery and dementia | 11/22/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My Mom, 76 has been diagnosed with micro vascular dementia. Recently she fainted and was taken to ... A: I think you already have an inkling of what I'm going to say. You have to come at this from the ... | ||
| Mother with dementia | 11/12/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My soon to be 96 year old mother has lived with me for the past 2 years, has dementia, manageable at ... A: Susan, Seroquel is a medication used to treat conditions such as bipolar disorder. It is not ... | ||
| Hi from San Francisco | 11/4/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: My name is Sha. I am a graduate student from Academy of art University. I am developing an eating ... A: here is a good article for you to read about the experience of Alzheimer's. ... | ||
| Late Stage Dementia and Bipolar Disorder | 11/3/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My mom's dr. is cutting back on her mood stabilizer, I presume to help her stay awake more. She was ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your mother's dual diagnosis and the problems associated with it. I'm sure ... | ||
| What to Do, Who to Call? | 11/2/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My adopted grandmother is showing personality/behavioral changes in the sense that whenever I have ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about this sudden change in your grandmother. I'm sure it's very upsetting for ... | ||
| Eating | 11/1/2011 | Mary Gordon |
| Q: Mary Gordon: I'd welcome your suggestions and pointers re encouraging my wife (85, 2 years into an ... A: Weight loss is very common as Alzheimer's progresses. You should be weighing her regularly and ... | ||
| End of life pain | 10/31/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My father in is the final stages of Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson's. I just discovered ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about your father's decline and your worry about his pain management. You are ... | ||
| End Stage DLB | 10/23/2011 | Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner |
| Q: My father is 64 and was diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies about 18 months ago. His illness ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about your father's serious decline. I know it must be very difficult for you ... | ||
Alzheimer`s Disease
Answers by Expert:
Cindy Keith, RN, BS, Certified Dementia Practitioner
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
As a nurse and dementia consultant, I can answer most questions on all types of dementia. If I cannot answer your question, I will attempt to find someone who can. My passion is to help caregivers of people with dementia, which in turn helps all those wonderful elders with dementia live better lives. When caregivers are better educated, they are able to better care for themselves and their loved ones, so education is key to decreased stress levels and healthier, happier families.
Experience
I have worked as a nurse in various disciplines of nursing for over 20 years, most of which was with the elderly. I was a health care coordinator in a dementia dedicated assisted living facility for 4 years before I started my own business (M.I.N.D. in Memory Care) as a dementia consultant six years ago. As a dementia consultant, I help families nationwide through phone conference calls as they struggle to care for their loved ones with dementia.
Organizations
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
Geriatric Interest Network
Sigma Theta Tau International
Publications
Published "Love, Laughter, & Mayhem - Caregiver Survival Manual For Living With A Person With Dementia" which is a collection of stories about people with dementia I have known, loved and worked with. Every story has a lesson to teach and this book gently teaches family caregivers lessons about how to better care for their loved one, as well as themselves during their caregiving journey.
Published "Love, Laughter, & Mayhem In Eldercare Facilities: The Master Key For Dementia Training"
Created "Bringing Nurturing To Memory Care" staff dementia training video
Created Ebook: "Hair Stylist's Helpful Tips For Working With People With Alzheimer's & Other Dementias"
Education/Credentials
Registered Nurse with Bachelor's degree in Nursing;
Certified Dementia Practitioner;
Author of 2 books and an ebook
Awards and Honors
Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.