Special Training Plus Medication Might Help People With Advanced Alzheimer's

TUESDAY, July 18, 2017 -- People with advanced Alzheimer's can relearn some basic skills when they receive special training along with medication, a small study suggests.

The research, which included 20 Alzheimer's patients, tested a program that combines specialized "memory coaching" with other services -- including training and support groups for family caregivers.

Sleep Problems: An Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer's?

WEDNESDAY, July 5, 2017 -- Trouble getting enough sleep may be linked to a bigger risk of Alzheimer's disease for some people, new research suggests.

The results of the small study hint that people with a higher-than-normal risk of Alzheimer's disease who had worse sleep quality, more sleep problems and daytime sleepiness had more markers for Alzheimer's disease in their spinal fluid than those who didn't have sleep issues.

Lifestyle Changes Might Prevent or Slow Dementia

THURSDAY, June 22, 2017 -- Simple changes to your lifestyle might delay the start of dementia or slow its progression, a new report suggests.

Sticky Brain 'Plaques' Implicated in Alzheimer's Again

TUESDAY, June 13, 2017 -- Older adults with evidence of "plaques" in the brain are more likely to see their memory and thinking skills wane over the next few years, a new study finds.

Researchers said the results bolster a long-held theory: The buildup of abnormal proteins in the brain signals an early stage of Alzheimer's disease.

'Making the Best of It': Families Face the Heavy Burden of Alzheimer's

THURSDAY, June 1, 2017 -- For Marilyn and Tom Oestreicher, their golden years were within reach.

After more than four decades of marriage, the Illinois couple had fashioned a comfortable daily routine. The parents of two grown children, she was a bank teller, while he was a school teacher and a published Civil War scholar.

Alzheimer's Deaths Jump 55 Percent: CDC

THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 -- As more baby boomers age, deaths from Alzheimer's disease have jumped 55 percent, and in a quarter of those cases the heavy burden of caregiving has fallen on loved ones, U.S. health officials report.

"Alzheimer's disease is a public health problem that affects not only people with Alzheimer's disease, but also the people who provide care to them, which is often family members," said report author Christopher Taylor. He's an epidemiologist at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.