Rehabilitation

Many people will scoff at the idea that rehabilitation of dementia patients is possible.  I think we can all agree that 'restoring' a person to their pre-dementia state is currently impossible and likely to remain so for a very long time.

In any case, recent publicity suggests that, even non-dementia conditions like brain injury and stroke where people are sometimes helped to regain and, in some cases, all of the abilities they have lost, those professionals who are 'caring' for them are sometimes untrained in the techniques of rehabilitation.  It seems that some people who could and should be rehabilitated are left alone, to decline further:

Secret filming highlights poor care of brain injury victims

So it's no wonder that those whose responsibility is to care for and treat people with dementia sometimes seem to do very little even to help ameliorate physical symptoms which may or may not be a direct result of the dementia.  I have been reading online accounts of carers who have removed their partners from care homes and achieved surprising physical improvements which are clearly good in themselves but which may also have a knock-on effect in terms of the dementia.

One such carer is writing a book about his experience.  He has 'before and after' photos which clearly show a dramatic improvements in his wife.  If he is able to find a publisher, his book deserves to be a best-seller.

The most widely read posts on Adventures with Dementia

I thought readers, particularly new ones, might find this list useful:

Cameron: 'It's a disease!'

More about HSV1 and beta amyloid

More about the possible relationship between the Herpes Virus and Altzheimer's Disease

A Herpes Vaccine may help

Now this could be a bit of a breakthrough

A convincing case against statins?

The link below will take you to a very interesting website. Scroll down and then download the 'fact sheet 1'. The other resources will also give you food for thought:

Statin Nation