Education and Support Opportunities

2009 Programs & Information for Persons & Families impacted by

• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Lewy Body Dementia
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• or a related disorder

Programs and services through Rochester Mayo Clinic for individuals and families impacted by early memory loss or dementia, and those who support them:

• Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, and Frontotemporal dementia
  A brief definition of each disorder is included.
• HABIT (Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking)
  A 10–day integrative wellness and memory training program for persons recently diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment.
• Memory Club
  A 10–session support and education program for persons with early stage dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease) and their care partner.
• Supportive Meetings
  Group support meetings offered twice a month to those caring for an individual with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia or a related disorder.
• Dementia Seminar Days
  A 2–session program for patients and their families recently diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia or Frontotemporal dementia.
• Spring and Fall Dementia Education Series
  A 7–session series for those caring for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, or a related disorder.
• The Community Education Partnership Program
  A 90–minute informative presentation offered to local memory care facilities, senior centers and other community groups.
• Dementia–Behavior Assessment & Response Team (D–BART)
  A consulting service that provides recommendations to families and professional care staff on issues related to the behavior symptoms caused by dementia.
• Meeting of the Minds — The Dementia Conference
  An annual conference that brings together national and local experts for a day of education, information, and support.
• Help–line
  A phone based service offering reliable information and support at any time to those who need assistance.
• Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  Located in Rochester, MN and Jacksonville, FL, the research center conducts many types of research studies related to dementia, as well as normal or successful aging.

Introduction to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Individuals who receive a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Stage Dementia often have questions, seek resources and support, and want to be an active participant in managing their condition. Programs such as HABIT or Memory Club are designed to offer just that.

A diagnosis such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, or Frontotemporal dementia affects more than just the person who has been diagnosed. In most cases, it also impacts family members and friends who become caregivers and advocates. Supportive meetings and programs such as the education series and dementia education seminars can help families and caregivers prepare, manage, and cope with this unanticipated and unrequested role. It has been shown that participants in these types of programs tend to feel healthier and find caregiving more rewarding than those who do not.

The best prescription for persons and families impacted by these disorders is the combination of medical treatment along with education, training and support. This catalog contains many opportunities for education, training, and support.

Definitions and Symptoms

Dementia

Dementia refers to a set of symptoms, not the disease itself. These symptoms might include language difficulty, loss of recent memory or poor judgment. In other words, when an individual is said to have dementia, they are exhibiting certain symptoms that causes a loss of independence. With a thorough screening including blood tests, a mental status evaluation, neuropsychological testing, and a brain scan, doctors can accurately diagnose the cause of the dementia symptoms. Although Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60–70 percent of cases of dementia, other disorders that cause dementia include: Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease with dementia, dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal dementia.

Mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment is a transition stage between normal aging and the more serious problems of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease and related conditions. The most common variety of mild cognitive impairment – termed amnestic mild cognitive impairment – is associated with the tendency to forget upcoming appointments and details of recent events and conversations, and such individuals tend to repeat questions or statements. Many people with mild cognitive impairment eventually develop Alzheimer's disease, although some remain stable and others even return to normal. Those with other varieties of mild cognitive impairment tend to develop Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, or frontotemporal dementia. The core features of mild cognitive impairment are:

• Decline in one or more cognitive skills compared with other people of similar age and educational background
• Essentially normal activities of daily living

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is the loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. Dementia occurs in people with Alzheimer's disease because healthy brain tissue degenerates, causing a steady decline in memory and other mental abilities. Most people with Alzheimer's share certain signs and symptoms of the disease. These may include:

• Increasing and persistent forgetfulness
• Difficulties with abstract thinking
• Difficulty finding the right word
• Disorientation
• Loss of judgment
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Personality changes

Lewy body dementia

Lewy body dementia shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Like Alzheimer's, it causes confusion. Like Parkinson's, it can result in rigid muscles, slowed movement and tremors. The most striking symptoms of Lewy body dementia may be its visual hallucinations, which can be one of the first signs of the disorder. Lewy body dementia signs and symptoms may include:

• Visual hallucinations
• Changes in movement to Parkinson’s disease
• Delusions
• Confusion, memory loss, reduced attention span, vision/visuospatial problems
• Sleep difficulties and the tendency to seemingly act out ones dreams

Frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella term for a diverse group of rare disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain — the areas generally associated with personality and behavior. Speech and language comprehension and movement disorders are symptoms in some subtypes of frontotemporal dementia. Frontotemporal dementia tends to occur at a younger age than does Alzheimer's disease, typically between the ages of 40 and 70. Frontotemporal dementia signs and symptoms include behavioral and personality changes that may include:

• Increasingly inappropriate and disinhibited actions
• Loss of empathy, sympathy, and personal warmth toward others
• Lack of judgment and poor problem–solving abilities
• Apathy and lack of motivation to carry out usual daily activities
• Repetitive compulsive behavior
• A decline in personal hygiene
• Lack of awareness of thinking or behavioral changes