A new process involving lab mice has found that the onset of dementia can be prevented even if the mice have the Alzheimer’s disease gene present. The process involves a newly developed protein being introduced into the brain of mice. It targets amyloid beta peptides, binding with them, and preventing them from doing the damage that they would do if left unchecked. These are associated with Alzheimer’s and are thought to be one of the main causes of the memory loss that the disease brings. When the new protein was introduced, researchers found that the mice did not suffer memory loss or cognitive functioning loss related to the disease, and that plaque did not accumulate in the brain.
Alzheimer’s care is making remarkable steps forward, although there is no cure yet.
This is just a beginning step in a very long process when it comes to transferring a treatment for Alzheimer’s over to humans. Unfortunately, just because something works in lab mice does not mean that it will work in humans, although there is a chance that it could. Plus, it can take years of approval before these methods, or something similar, can ever be used on people. Again, it’s just a preliminary step. But it’s a preliminary step in the right direction, and that’s always a good thing. The lead researcher on this particular experiment believes that if there are no bumps in the path, a drug could be developed for human consumption in about ten years.
For those of us that are dealing with Alzheimer’s right now in some capacity, this is a very long time to wait. In the meantime, if you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, you will need to begin making other plans for their care. In the beginning stages of the disease, in-home care is usually more than enough. Not only is it easy to setup and cheaper than most other types of care, it’s also nondisruptive to the lifestyle of your elderly mom or dad who is suffering from the disease. It’s been shown that keeping an Alzheimer’s patient in a familiar spot–like their own home–is an easy way to help slow down the spread of the dementia and confusion that is accompanied by the disease.
Alzheimer’s affects about 35 million people right now, and the number is expected to triple by the year 2050. That’s a huge number of people with Alzheimer’s, but it makes sense because the population is growing so quickly, especially within the senior citizen demographic. As we get our families prepared for the future, these are things we should be aware of, even if no one that we know currently suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Being aware, and having an idea of what to do if it becomes a reality for us is important, though. Just realize that there are many professional caregiving services that specialize in things like Alzheimer’s care and are more than willing to lend their expertise to you in order to make your elderly loved one’s life–and your whole family’s–that much better. Because that’s really what a high quality care service does. They might work with just one person, but they help the whole family.
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