Fatigue, insomnia, and other physical symptoms are frequent. Depression is not uncommon. Cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, may be affected. In response, scientists are testing various methods to help family members who care for people with Alzheimer's disease. Strategies are being developed to 'increase the caregiver's emotional support, improve services that ease the burden for caregivers, and provide knowledge and skills training useful for coping with the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Families find decisions surrounding placement in a nursing home extremely difficult.
Research is helping to define whether and when to turn to a nursing home, and to evaluate what type of care is best for the patient. Additional studies are identifying the strategies that promote the most effective, highest quality institutional care. Alzheimer's disease is a devastating condition that rumis the lives of those who have the disease and disrupts the lives of their caregivers. Over the last five years, research has resulted in major advances in our understanding of the disease, including the discovery of genetic components, detection of risk factors, and identification of potential protective interventions. As the pace of research accelerates, new findings will make possible better understanding of factors contributing to nerve cell death and will improve our ability to predict who is at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.