Many dementia sufferers are not receiving appropriate treatment due to poor staff training, reports the Guardian.

A new report, called Prepared To Care, revealed that less than half of those who carried out home visits to dementia patients, to help with dressing and washing, were trained to do so. One in three care homes who had residents with dementia also admitted that they did not give staff training on dealing with sufferers.

There are around 700,000 people in the UK with dementia, with 244,000 in care homes and 424,000 living in the community.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “What sort of society do we live in when the people who deliver care to thousands of vulnerable people with dementia have no training or support? The situation is a disgrace. Staff turnover is high and the quality of care in some areas is very poor. There is a lot of work to be done if we are to drag the standard of dementia care in the UK from its position in the bottom third of Europe.”

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Plans from the government to raise the retirement age to 70 have been welcomed by those researching Alzheimer’s disease, reports the Times.

The Institute of Psychiatry, at the Maudsley Hospital in London said that for every extra year worked dementia could be off-set by just over a month. So working until age 70 rather than the current retirement age, 65, could prevent the on-set of dementia by another six months.

Keeping the brain active and stimulated won’t prevent Alzheimer’s, but can help the severity of the symptoms. “Exercising” the brain can also help, such as doing puzzles and challenging it. It’s also important to look after the rest of the body, particularly the heart, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Read more tips on helping prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s here…

Trials for a new Alzheimer’s drug have proved successful at reversing the illness, reports the BBC today.

The trials done on mice in the US showed that the gene which affects the brain’s memory could be boosted to make it work more effectively.

The drugs - called HDAC inhibitors - can help with long term memory loss, one of the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and make it easier to learn new things. It functions by reshaping the DNA scaffolding of the brain.

However, researchers say that it could be up to a decade before the treatment could be used to treat humans.

Rebecca Wood, from the Alzheimer’s Research Trust said: This is promising research which improves our understanding of memory loss in Alzheimer’s.We need to do more research to investigate whether developing treatments that control this gene could benefit people with Alzheimer’s.”

Read more about the trial here…

The results of a 12 year study has shown that painkillers cannot prevent developing Alzheimers. It was previously thought that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimers, as it is caused by inflammation, reports the BBC.

The study was carried out by the University of Washington and published in the journal Neurology. Over 2,700 people with average age of 75 were monitored, and the results showed that the risk of developing dementia was 66% higher in those that had been using NSAIDs.

Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust said: “Work in this area is complicated; many factors can interfere with the findings. We know that inflammation is involved in Alzheimer’s - so investigating the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs makes sense.”

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A new study has shown that there may be an early warning sign of dementia in an area of the brain, reports the BBC today.

More activity in the area of the brain that deals with memory may give an indication at as young as 20 that the person may go on to suffer from dementia later in life. The extra activity essentially wears the part of the brain out, hence the memory-related symptoms of dementia.

Volunteers aged between 20 and 35 had their brain activity monitored, and those carrying a rogue version of the gene ApoE4 saw the increase in brain activity.

Identifying those at risk earlier on means the condition could be treated to help alleviate the symptoms. However, it has been highlighted that these developments do not offer a cure, and that further research is needed.

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A new Government scheme is to encourage employers to look for signs of dementia in their workers, reports The Telegraph.

The £150 million initiative is designed to raise awareness for the illness, which it’s predicted will double to over 1.4 million cases over the next 30 years. Doctors will be given extra training to help recognise the symptoms, and special advisors will be appointed to help those suffering with dementia. Children will also be educated on the illness, about which there is much misunderstanding.

The Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “In an ageing society, caring for people with dementia is one of the most important challenges we face. I know that for many people, diagnosis can be difficult, care can be patchy and without adequate support, families can be under huge stress. All that must change.”

Read more about the plans here…

A new study has recently found that drinking or smoking heavily may accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the results, drinkers may develop the disease nearly five years earlier, while heavy smokers may develop it two years earlier. The study was conducted on 938 people aged 60 or more who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ranjan Duara, of the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami Beach, said the results were significant “because it’s possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer’s at any point in time”.

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Experts have forecast that more than 1.7 million people in the UK will have dementia by 2051. Currently in the UK, 700,000 people have dementia (1 person in every 88) and this is predicted to increase to 940,110 by 2021.

By 2051 dementia is expected to affect the lives of around 1 in 3 people – either as a sufferer, a carer or a relative. Although this is mainly due to the UK’s ageing population, other factors such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, and lack of exercise are also thought to add to the risk.

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Researchers have found a gene that seems to be important in late-onset Alzheimer’s. An article in The Independent states that the discovery was described as “exciting” by the Alzheimer’s Society. The hope is that the discovery about the genetic causes could now lead to a new treatment.

Richard Mayeux who led the research said “The importance of the finding is that it opens new pathways to explore the cause as well as potential targets for treatment.”

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There is new hope for Alzheimer sufferers today – an article on the BBC has revealed that trials are being carried out in mid Wales to find out if daffodils can be farmed there. What has this got to do with Alzheimer’s? The trials should conclude whether or not the daffodils farmed there produce a compound used to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

The compound is called galantamine and has previously been collected from plants and “has been found to slow down the progress of the disease”. A sixth month trial is currently under way and Professor Trevor Walker, who is heading the research said “The compound that we’re getting from the daffodils will help, if its supplied properly and monitored properly, slow down the development of the disease.”

Early signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be detected by a new computer-aided analysis. The cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease can be analysed according to an article on the BBC, which could lead to earlier diagnosis and the most effective treatment being given. Dr Min-Ying Su (researcher) said “Our methods may aid in earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, allowing earlier intervention to slow down disease progression.”

This could be used to tailor treatments to individual patients. Susanne Sorenson, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said “More research will be required, but it is possible that as more scanners become available it could contribute to providing a diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease.”

The ancient Indian ayurvedic medicine is being examined for possible use in treating Alzheimer’s disease. An article on BBC News reports that researchers found the plants used in ayurveda acted to improve memory and concentration in Alzheimer’s sufferers.

“Ayurvedic medicine uses herbs and spices like basil, turmeric, garlic, ginger and aloe vera, as well as yoga exercises, to treat physical and psychological problems … scientists are now trying to identify the chemical compounds responsible so they can be used to develop more effective drugs”.

Alzheimer’s disease, and the causes are not yet fully understood, but this research should give new hope to sufferers.

A study following almost 2,000 people for up to 10 years suggests drinking fruit and vegetable juices frequently may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Apparently the risk was 76% lower for those who frequently drank juice (more than three times a week) compared to those who drank it less than once a week.

Harriet Millward, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said, “Many scientists believe there is a link between the release of free radicals within the body and early changes to brain cells in people who ultimately go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Since fruit and vegetable juices are rich in antioxidants which ‘mop up’ free radicals, this interesting piece of research adds weight to this theory.”