Tips from MayoClinic.com: Devise a Plan to Cope with Lewy Body Dementia

Thursday, September 25, 2008

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Lewy body dementia is a progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), which is the clinical name, accounts for up to 20 percent of all dementia cases, or 800,000 patients in the United States.

Lewy body dementia shares characteristics with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Like Alzheimer's, it causes confusion. Also present may be the distinctive physical signs typical of Parkinson's — rigid muscles, slowed movement and tremors.

MayoClinic.com informs caregivers how to develop a plan to cope with Lewy body dementia. Caring for a person with this condition can be all-absorbing. MayoClinic.com suggests that a care plan should include these steps:

Use memory aids. They may help someone with the condition to remain independent.

Provide structure. A serene, stable home environment can reduce behavior problems.

Monitor wandering. Wandering off is a common problem among those who have the condition. A pocket card with simple instructions, such as "Call home" (with a phone number below), may help.

Establish a nighttime ritual. Behavior is often worse at night. Try to establish calming rituals for bedtime, away from the noise of television, meal cleanup and active family members.

Enhance communication. Speak slowly, in simple sentences, and don't rush the response.

Create a safe environment. Make the home familiar and safe. Keep furniture in the same place to avoid clutter and help prevent falls.

Encourage exercise. Exercise has many benefits. A health care provider should advise on what types of exercise are most appropriate in an individual situation.

For more information about coping with Lewy body dementia, visit MayoClinic.com.

About MayoClinic.com

Launched in 1995 and visited more than 15 million times a month, this award-winning Web site offers health information, self-improvement and disease management tools to empower people to manage their health. Produced by a team of Web professionals and medical experts, MayoClinic.com gives users access to the experience and knowledge of the more than 3,300 physicians and scientists of Mayo Clinic. MayoClinic.com offers intuitive, easy-to-use tools such as "Symptom Checker" and "First-Aid Guide" for fast answers about health conditions ranging from common to complex; as well as an A–Z library of more than 850 diseases and conditions, in-depth sections on 24 common diseases and conditions, 16 healthy living areas including food and nutrition, recipes, fitness and weight control, videos, animations and features such as "Ask a Specialist" and "Drug Watch." Users can sign up for a free weekly e-newsletter called "Housecall" which provides the latest health information from Mayo Clinic. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.com.

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