Dementia can impair the ability of the individual to manage their financial affairs. This means that they will require support from family members in ensuring good financial outcomes and protection. Often those living with dementia enter into a power of attorney agreement that empowers a named person to act on their behalf and assist them […]

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)’s Centre for Engagement and Dissemination has this week published a piece of work bringing together NIHR research on several aspects of dementia.  To better understand how research translates into practical change, we asked a number of health and social care professionals, carers and service users to comment on […]

The NIHR Clinical Research Network has launched a new online course called ‘What is Health Research?’. The three week Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, is aimed at anyone with a keen interest in learning more about the world of health research. Learners can complete the course at their own pace for free, starting on Monday 11 November 2019.

The ‘Gotcha!’ study is trialling a fun computer-based therapy to help people with dementia remember the names of the people who are important to them.

Researchers have found that use of anticholinergics was linked with between a 6% and 49% increased risk of dementia, depending on the dose and duration of use. With this type of study, it is always difficult to prove direct cause and effect. Nevertheless, this is an important finding that needs looking into further. But it’s important that people do not stop taking any prescribed medicine without speaking to their doctor. The risk from stopping the medicine may be far higher than any dementia risk.

In 2 linked studies, researchers found that people who said they did puzzles regularly did better on tests of cognitive ability. However, the research does not definitely show that doing puzzles made brains “sharper”. Or that doing puzzles staves off dementia in later life. It could be that people who have better cognitive abilities are more likely to do number or word puzzles in the first place.

In this blog for Dementia Action Week, Professor Martin Rossor reflects on how far dementia research has come, and looks ahead to how healthcare professionals, researchers and the public can take the next step together.

This Dementia Action Week we’re asking healthcare professionals to talk to their patients about research opportunities.

This article has been reproduced from the NHS website. “Millions of women who take HRT pills may face a greater risk of Alzheimer’s,” warns the Mail Online. A study identified all postmenopausal women in Finland who’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over a 14-year period. It compared their use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) with a group of […]

This article has been reproduced from the NHS website. “Gum disease bug could play ‘central role’ in development of Alzheimer’s,” The Independent reports. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are still debated. Most scientists think it is likely to be down to a combination of factors, including your genes and lifestyle. But some believe it may be […]