Health Tip: When Dementia Is Treatable
While dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease or brain damage from stroke are thought to be irreversible, some forms of memory loss may respond to treatment.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list of treatable causes of dementia:
- Brain tumor.
- Infection.
- Low levels of vitamin B12.
- A condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus, when a build-up of fluid presses on the brain.
- Certain thyroid problems.
Health Tip: Choosing an Assisted Living Option
Assisted living housing may be the ideal solution for an aging person who can't quite live alone, but who doesn't need the complete services of a nursing home.
Helpguide.org offers this list of assisted living options:
- Individual apartments or homes -- which are part of a senior community, where social activity, security and supervision are there if needed.
- Congregate housing -- which offers independent living in private residences, but with the benefit of community meals and activities.
- Assisted living housing -- which offers help with some daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and cooking.
- Board and care housing -- which offers community meals and activities, and assistance with activities such as bathing and grooming, getting dressed and using the toilet.
- Continuing-care retirement communities -- which are senior-housing complexes that offer a variety of assisted living options, often from independent quarters to nursing facilities.
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