November 6, 2025 by
If you’ve ever tried getting someone with Alzheimer’s ready for a doctor’s appointment, you know it’s rarely as simple as “let’s go.” There are layers of stress: convincing them to put on a coat, handling confusion about why they’re leaving the house, navigating anxiety in the car, and then bracing for the unfamiliar chaos of waiting rooms and fluorescent lights. What should be a simple trip can feel like climbing a mountain. (more…)
December 5, 2024 by
If you’ve ever felt that knot of worry while waiting for test results or found yourself wishing for more personalized attention from a doctor, you’re not alone. For so many of us, healthcare feels like navigating a maze with too many unknowns and too little guidance. But with the latest new trends in healthcare on the horizon, those experiences are starting to shift, offering quicker answers, better care options, and, finally, a bit more peace of mind. Here’s how the latest healthcare trends are expected to be game-changing for all of us. (more…)
November 14, 2023 by
It’s safe to say that we all want to spend as little time in the hospital as possible. The aim is to get the necessary treatment or procedure over with as soon as possible and move on to recovering. Unsurprisingly, the growing trend in hospital-at-home services is one being met with open arms. Imagine being able to avoid: (more…)
November 10, 2022 by
Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s has become as tangled as the tau threads long thought to be the root cause of the disease. Now, however, researchers may be drawing a step closer to unraveling the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease, aboard a different train of thought. The latest research on Alzheimer’s is pointing to the possibility of an inflammatory response in the brain, which poses the question: could Alzheimer’s disease actually be an autoimmune disorder? (more…)
October 3, 2022 by
Fall is the start to cold and flu season, which is also the time our immune systems get a good workout. Fortunately, our natural immunity is remarkable with its capacity to identify and eradicate invading infections. Wouldn’t it be amazing if it could do the same with cancer? As it turns out, just such a cancer treatment option may be on the horizon. (more…)
January 7, 2022 by
If 2021 will be remembered as the year for COVID-19 vaccines, perhaps 2022 will be marked with a different kind of life-changing shot: a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease that might actually slow or prevent the further advancement of the disease.
December 1, 2021 by
If there is one constant in the race to unravel the mystery of Alzheimer’s, it’s change. Every time scientists start to wrap their heads around new information about Alzheimer’s, the data evolves their hypotheses into a new direction. That is certainly the case with the astounding new development in the progression of the disease. (more…)
June 22, 2021 by
For decades, experts have been exploring the development of Alzheimer’s through one basic model, even though not all Alzheimer’s diagnoses present with the same symptoms and progression. (more…)
October 20, 2020 by
With many seniors taking multiple prescriptions, and with doctors adding and changing medications and dosages to determine the perfect solutions, it is critical to know what to do with medications that are no longer needed or which have expired. There are several options: (more…)
May 20, 2020 by
You might not recognize her by name, however you’ve probably come across her story. Joy Milne has a remarkably specialized talent: detecting Parkinson’s disease through her sense of smell. Her gift came to light when she sensed what she explains as an “overpowering sort of nasty yeast smell” in her husband of ten years. Subsequently identifying other changes in her husband, such as personality and mood changes, he ultimately went to the doctor for medical assistance, and received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
Subsequently, upon joining a Parkinson’s support group meeting, that exact same odor permeated the room – even though reportedly only Joy was able to notice it. As a matter of fact, she was even able to detect varied degrees of the scent – some whose scent was weak, while for other people, it was more powerful. With both her own and her husband’s medical backgrounds (she a nurse and he a physician), this revelation was unmistakably important and called for additional action.
Her story led her to help Tilo Kunath, a Parkinson’s disease researcher at the University of Edinburgh, with the aim of creating an instrument to provide earlier detection – and in the long run, treatment – of Parkinson’s.
Although first skeptical of the possibility of Parkinson’s being identified through scent, he was open to additional investigation into the way we diagnosis Parkinson’s through smell after finding out about the success dogs were having in picking up on the odor of cancer in patients. He then designed an approach to assess her talents, by giving her a random selection of t-shirts – half which had been worn by a patient clinically identified as having Parkinson’s, and 50% by those without the disease – and, her accuracy rate was remarkable. As a matter of fact, she missed the mark on only one of the shirts, worn by someone without Parkinson’s, but who actually was later identified as having the condition as well.
Kunath says, “Imagine a society where you could detect such a devastating condition before it’s causing problems and then prevent the problems from even occurring.” Dr. Thomas Hummel of the Technical University of Dresden’s Smell & Taste Clinic, concluded that while the idea is interesting, there are still a number of questions to first address.
Parkinson’s disease, along with a host of other chronic health issues, can be more successfully managed with the help of a home care provider like At Home Independent Living. Reach out to us at (315) 579-HOME (4663) to learn more about our elder care in Syracuse, NY and the surrounding area.