A new research project coming from UT Southwestern Medical Center has revealed a little bit more when it comes to our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. They found that there is a correlation between the rate at which cognitive decline occurs and someone’s life expectancy when dealing with this awful disease.
Some people live for years with relatively few problems after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is made. Some people find that they struggle with memory loss and cognitive decline quickly afterwards, or even before. Researchers now believe that the key to establishing a life expectancy timeline after Alzheimer’s is detected is to look at the rate of cognitive decline that is already present. The quicker this decline happens, the more likely someone is to pass away quickly from the disease.
The team published their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. While this might not seem like a huge step forward in understanding the disease, even small advances can help doctors to more effectively treat it.
There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s. People that are diagnosed with this illness will eventually pass away from it because it is a terminal illness. While research continues to move forward in understanding the disease and how to treat it, there’s still a long way to go if a cure is ever going to become a reality.
But even though this is the situation at the moment, it doesn’t mean that those with Alzheimer’s are automatically doomed to a poor quality of life from the moment of their diagnosis forward. Research really has come a long way in the last decade or so and there are various ways that someone suffering from Alzheimer’s might be able to live a better life.
The first step is to work closely with a professional medical team. Doctors will be able to connect your loved one with treatments to help them slow progress for as long as possible.
Finding the right team is another important step. If your loved one is having issues getting through each day on their own in a safe way, finding a professional caregiver that knows what to do and has the means to help your family is a vital part of their quality of life. Memory care is a specialized type of senior care that helps to more closely meet the needs of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. If your parent or grandparent has Alzheimer’s, then finding the right caregiver with this training is one of the best ways to ensure that they are living the best life that they can while they age.
We’d love to help point you in the right direction. Whether this is a situation that your family is experiencing, or you’d just like to learn more about senior care in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. One of our trained professionals would be honored to sit down and go over this more with you during a free consultation session. Give us a call today to get started.
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