Dementia After Surgery with Anesthesia

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Dementia After Surgery with Anesthesia

was directed to the following article in the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

A report from researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital indicates that research with mice given an anesthetic commonly used in surgeries found "changes to their brains similar to the damage found in Alzheimer's disease."

Alzheimer's and Anesthesia

Understanding Memory Loss

Understanding Memory Loss: What To Do When You Have Trouble Remembering

Alzheimer's Front Row

Al's story

Al didn’t know what was happening. He was having a hard time remembering things. He wasn’t eating or sleeping well and didn’t want to see friends. He was confused and irritable. 

His wife was worried. She took him to the doctor. It turned out that Al was having a bad reaction to one of his medicines. Once his doctor changed the medicine, Al felt more like himself. 

Many things can cause serious memory problems, such as blood clots, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Read below to learn more about causes and treatments of serious memory problems.

Alzheimer's Patients Lose Their Sense of Time

Alzheimer's Front Row

Excerpt from the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

Here is what I learned, and what I learned to do.

• I couldn't leave my mother at home, not even for 15 minutes. So I had to take her with me every where, every time. Yes, this can be difficult and tedious. However, the choice of leaving her alone or having a miserable day was an easy choice. I chose the more difficult task of taking her with me over the emotional pain that I could expect if I didn't.

• I had to develop a daily routine to bring a sense of order and time to my mother's life. To the degree possible we tried to do that same exact things, in the same exact order, and at the nearly exact time each day. This really paid off big. My mother was always less confused after we added a consistent routine to our life.

The Montessori Method for Dementia Care

The Montessori Method teaches us to work with the whole person, the intellectual, physical and spiritual components of the individual.

Alzheimer's Front Row

Excerpt from the article in the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dr. Montessori believed devoutly (as do we) that every person deserves to be treated with respect and compassion. She encourages us to celebrate each person’s individual gifts.

Continue reading this important and informative article by 
Tom and Karen Brenner -

The Montessori Method for Alzheimer’s Care

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Answers to Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia

Excerpt - Spouses of Dementia Patients Pay a Heavy Toll

Alzheimer's Front Row

A study of spouses of dementia patients at Case Western Reserve University found that:

• Some caregivers may have feelings of guilt about participating in activities with friends or in the community when their loved ones are no longer able to do so
• Caregivers report feelings of sadness and loneliness
• 25 percent of caregivers in the study suffered from depression
• and, only 23 percent of those questioned did not feel burdened by the responsibilities of caring for their spouses.

Read the complete article -

Spouses of Dementia Patients Pay a Heavy Toll

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Answers to Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia

Google Search - Is it common for those with Alzheimer's to have periods of being lucid?

If you engage the person living with dementia, keep them socialized, use music, and large doses of bright light along with lots of "real" exercise and a good diet, you just might get more lucid moments.

~ Bob DeMarco, Alzheimer's Reading Room

Stages of Dementia

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia usually develop in stages and slowly over time.

It is usually helpful for Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers to understand the seven broad stages in order to develop a framework of care over time.

It is important to note that not everyone living with Alzheimer's or a related dementia will experience the same symptoms or progress at the same rate over time. As a result, the Seven Stages of Alzheimer's should be look at as guidelines to expectations.

For a good discussion of the seven stages of dementia read this article in the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

The Seven Stages of Alzheimer's

This discussion in the Mayo Clinic website is also useful.

Alzheimer's stages: How the disease progresses

About Author 

To learn more about Alzheimers and Dementia care visit the Alzheimer's Reading Room Intelligent Knowledge Base