Human Rights and the Elderly

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Term Care ◽  
International Agencies

Attention to the human rights of the elderly has gained increased international attention. This chapter provides an overview of some international agencies’ efforts to address human rights of elders, as well as related efforts in different regions of the world. The UN does not have a specific treaty or convention regarding human rights of the elderly; only in 1995 was comprehensive legal analysis of the rights of the elderly addressed. The 2002 Madrid International Action Plan on Aging was a non-legally binding declaration by participating governments. Article 14 addresses equal access to healthcare and services, including physical and mental health services. The Commission on Human Rights 2011 Special Rapporteur emphasized human rights issues in primary healthcare and chronic illness; long-term care; palliative care; and informed consent as related to older persons. The Alzheimer’s Disease International Kyoto Declaration provides countries with a framework of action to address the needs and quality of life of those with dementia and their caregivers. Similarly, the United States has developed a national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease.

scholarly journals Enablers And Barriers To Utilisation Of Available Formal Support By Institutionalised Individuals With Alzheimer’s Disease And Related Dementias In Rural South Western Uganda: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALLENCE NIYONZIMA ◽  
Samuel Maling ◽  
Zeina Chemali
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Support Services ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Formal Support ◽  
Western Uganda

Abstract Background: The world’s population is ageing resulting in a larger number of people living with dementia. Prevalence of dementia for persons aged above 60 years is expected to increase . There is paucity of information regarding formal support available for institutionalised individuals with AD/ADRD, enablers and barriers to its utilisation particularly South Western Uganda. Therefore this study, filling this knowledge gap, sought to assess formal support available for individuals with AD/ADRD, enablers and barriers to its utilisation in rural communities in South Western Uganda Methods: This study was conducted in two nongovernmental community based facilities for the elderly in South Western Uganda employing a qualitative cross sectional study design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. A total of 28 in depth interviews and 6 key informant interviews were conducted. Results: Three arching themes emerged: 1) Formal support services available, 2) Enablers and 3) Barriers to the utilisation of the formal support services in institutionalised patients with AD/ADRD in rural communities in South Western Uganda. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of formal care in the long-term care of individuals with AD/ADRD. There is a dire need to equip caretakers involved in the care of patients with AD/ADRD with the required skill set and include formal support services in the mainstream primary health care to make the services accessible.

Flavonoids with Potential Anti-Amyloidogenic Effects as Therapeutic Drugs for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Qixin Wang ◽  
Xiaofang Dong ◽  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Changqi Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Amyloid Β Protein ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Dementia Patients

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease generally among the elderly; it accounts for approximately 50–75%of total cases of dementia patients and poses a serious threat to physical and mental health. Currently available treatments for AD mainly relieves its symptoms, and effective therapy is urgently needed. Deposition of amyloid-β protein in the brain is an early and invariant neuropathological feature of AD. Currently the main efforts in developing anti-AD drugs focus on anti-amyloidogenic therapeutics that prevent amyloid-β production or aggregation and decrease the occurrence of neurotoxic events. The results of an increasing number of studies suggest that natural extracts and phytochemicals have a positive impact on brain aging. Flavonoids belong to the broad group of polyphenols and recent data indicate a favorable effect of flavonoids on brain aging. In this review, we collect relevant discoveries from 1999 to 2021, discuss 75 flavonoids that effectively influence AD pathogenesis, and summarize their functional mechanisms in detail. The data we have reviewed show that, these flavonoids belong to various subclasses, including flavone, flavanone, biflavone, etc. Our results provide a reference for further study of the effects of flavonoids on AD and the progress of anti-AD therapy.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes, Mechanisms, and Steps Toward Prevention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Se Hoon Choi ◽  
Rudolph E. Tanzi
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fatal Disease ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Total Incidence ◽  
Symptomatic Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly; it is clinically characterized by progressive memory loss and catastrophic cognitive dysfunction. Neuropathologically, the brains of AD patients are characterized by abundant beta-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. To date, this fatal disease ranks as the sixth leading cause of death; 5.8 million people in the United States are estimated to have the disease, and the total incidence of AD-related dementia is projected to grow to 16 million by 2050. Currently, there is no cure or any reliable means for pre-symptomatic diagnosis of AD. AD is a genetically heterogenous and multifactorial disease, and a variety of molecular mechanisms have been suggested to underlie its etiology and pathogenesis. A better understanding of pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of AD pathology and symptoms would accelerate the development of effective therapeutic strategies for preventing and treating AD. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the pathogenetic and molecular mechanisms underlying AD along with current therapeutic and lifestyles interventions being investigated for the prevention and treatment of this devastating neurological disorder.

Neuropsychiatric Assessment and Intervention in Alzheimer's Disease

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Cummings
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
The World ◽  
Eventual Death

Dementia is a major public health problem in the United States and the world, requiring the expenditure of enormous economic and human resources. Dementia is common in the elderly, and, as the size of the aged population increases, the number of dementia victims will rise. Many dementias are fatal, producing the gradual erosion of intellectual abilities and eventual death of the patient. Demands made on family members and caregivers of dementia patients are extraordinary and often result in their emotional and financial exhaustion. Although basic science efforts are devoted to finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementing illnesses, there is an urgent need for research that has immediate applicability to the 4 million current dementia patients.

scholarly journals Introduction: Assessing Current Practice in Alzheimer's Disease

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (S5) ◽  
pp. 5-5
Author(s):  
Jacobo E. Mintzer
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Baby Boomer Generation ◽  
Number Of Patients

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition currently affecting 4.5 million elderly citizens in the United States alone. It is the most common form of dementia and is associated with significant disability. For many years the prognosis of the disease has remained largely unchanged. Those patients who develop AD face progressive cognitive and functional decline that ultimately shortens their life expectancy and destroys their quality of life. At the same time, the disease has a significant adverse impact on the lives of those family members who serve as caregivers. With the aging of the baby-boomer generation and the expected associated increase in the number of patients with AD, clinicians who treat the elderly will clearly be in need of some new answers. Recent advances in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment offer some hope for relief from this bleak prognosis.Advances in AD include the establishment of clear diagnostic criteria, the validation of disease-specific assessment instruments, and pharmacologic and behavioral therapies for management of symptoms. A handful of medications that enhance cognition have obtained the approval of the Food and Drug Administration, and more are currently in development. Trials of existing medications have demonstrated benefit in the management of the psychiatric symptoms (eg, psychosis and agitation) typically associated with the disease. But much still remains to be done.In the first article in this supplement, Michael A. Rogawski, MD, PhD, explains what is known about the pathogenesis and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of AD. He discusses the scientific basis for empirical therapies currently being used to relieve the symptoms of this disease, focusing on drug therapies approved by the FDA, including the newest AD medication to market memantine.

P3-400: Prevalence, comorbidity burden and treatment of Alzheimer's disease among the elderly in the United States

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4S_Part_16) ◽  
pp. P596-P596
Author(s):  
Jasmina Ivanova ◽  
Howard Birnbaum ◽  
Urvi Desai ◽  
Noam Kirson ◽  
Alice Cummings ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Comorbidity Burden

The Unusual Cruelty of Nursing Homes Behind Bars

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 264-271
Author(s):  
Rachel E. López
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Prison Population ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Trained Staff ◽  
State Prisons ◽  
The Cost

The elderly prison population continues to rise along with higher rates of dementia behind bars. To maintain the detention of this elderly population, federal and state prisons are creating long-term care units, which in turn carry a heavy financial burden. Prisons are thus gearing up to become nursing homes, but without the proper trained staff and adequate financial support. The costs both to taxpayers and to human dignity are only now becoming clear. This article squarely addresses the second dimension of this carceral practice, that is the cost to human dignity. Namely, it sets out why indefinitely incarcerating someone with dementia or other neurocognitive disorders violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. This conclusion derives from the confluence of two lines of U.S. Supreme Court precedent. First, in Madison v. Alabama, the Court recently held that executing someone (in Madison’s case someone with dementia) who cannot rationally understand their sentence amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Second, in line with Miller v. Alabama, which puts life without parole (LWOP) sentences in the same class as death sentences due to their irrevocability, this holding should be extended to LWOP sentences. Put another way, this article explains why being condemned to life is equivalent to death for someone whose neurodegenerative disease is so severe that they cannot rationally understand their punishment.

Effect Of Nhexane Extract Of Caryota No Seed On Markers Of Neurodegeneration And Fecundity In Drosophila Melanogaster

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Chinonye A Maduagwuna ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Common Cause ◽  
Chronic Neuroinflammation

Study background: Chronic neuroinflammation is a common emerging hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among the elderly and is characterized by loss of memory and other cognitive functions.

Molecular Genetics of Early- and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Sahab Uddin ◽  
Sharifa Hasana ◽  
Md. Farhad Hossain ◽  
Md. Siddiqul Islam ◽  
Tapan Behl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Massively Parallel Sequencing ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Apoe Ε4 ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Genetic Components ◽  
Ε4 Allele

: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly and this complex disorder is associated with environmental as well as genetic components. Early-onset AD (EOAD) and late-onset AD (LOAD, more common) are major identified types of AD. The genetics of EOAD is extensively understood with three genes variants such as APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 leading to disease. On the other hand, some common alleles including APOE are effectively associated with LOAD identified but the genetics of LOAD is not clear to date. It has been accounted that about 5% to 10% of EOAD patients can be explained through mutations in the three familiar genes of EOAD. The APOE ε4 allele augmented the severity of EOAD risk in carriers, and APOE ε4 allele was considered as a hallmark of EOAD. A great number of EOAD patients, who are not genetically explained, indicate that it is not possible to identify disease- triggering genes yet. Although several genes have been identified through using the technology of next-generation sequencing in EOAD families including SORL1, TYROBP, and NOTCH3. A number of TYROBP variants were identified through exome sequencing in EOAD patients and these TYROBP variants may increase the pathogenesis of EOAD. The existence of ε4 allele is responsible for increasing the severity of EOAD. However, several ε4 allele carriers live into their 90s that propose the presence of other LOAD genetic as well as environmental risk factors that are not identified yet. It is urgent to find out missing genetics of EOAD and LOAD etiology to discover new potential genetics facets which will assist to understand the pathological mechanism of AD. These investigations should contribute to developing a new therapeutic candidate for alleviating, reversing and preventing AD. This article based on current knowledge represents the overview of the susceptible genes of EOAD, and LOAD. Next, we represent the probable molecular mechanism which might elucidate the genetic etiology of AD and highlight the role of massively parallel sequencing technologies for novel gene discoveries.

Easy Screening for Mild Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment from Elderly Speech

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shohei Kato ◽  
Akira Homma ◽  
Takuto Sakuma
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients

Objective: This study presents a novel approach for early detection of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The approach incorporates the use of speech sound analysis, multivariate statistics, and data-mining techniques. We have developed a speech prosody-based cognitive impairment rating (SPCIR) that can distinguish between cognitively normal controls and elderly people with mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using prosodic signals extracted from elderly speech while administering a questionnaire. Two hundred and seventy-three Japanese subjects (73 males and 200 females between the ages of 65 and 96) participated in this study. The authors collected speech sounds from segments of dialogue during a revised Hasegawa's dementia scale (HDS-R) examination and talking about topics related to hometown, childhood, and school. The segments correspond to speech sounds from answers to questions regarding birthdate (T1), the name of the subject's elementary school (T2), time orientation (Q2), and repetition of three-digit numbers backward (Q6). As many prosodic features as possible were extracted from each of the speech sounds, including fundamental frequency, formant, and intensity features and mel-frequency cepstral coefficients. They were refined using principal component analysis and/or feature selection. The authors calculated an SPCIR using multiple linear regression analysis. Conclusion: In addition, this study proposes a binary discrimination model of SPCIR using multivariate logistic regression and model selection with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and reports on the sensitivity and specificity of SPCIR for diagnosis (control vs. MCI/mAD). The study also reports discriminative performances well, thereby suggesting that the proposed approach might be an effective tool for screening the elderly for mAD and MCI.

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