This spring we suddenly had to move my in-laws to assisted living. My mother-in-law's dementia was spiraling, and we discovered my father-in-law also has something similar. They had done a good job covering up what a mess their lives had become the past few years, and now we're slowly unspooling it. Dear Not Thinking Clearly, My husband has power of attorney, both financial and medical. We're through all the medical hoops, and I'm now looking at their finances.
The nurse, Helle Wictor, contacted the Innovation department at Helsingborg City where she worked, and what is now Optisense Care, has emerged from that work. The startup focuses on developing a smart, radar-equipped toilet seat, under the name ZenSeat, that uses AI to monitor bowel movements, helping caregivers detect constipation early in dementia patients and prevent serious health complications. Is it possible to invent something that alerts the nursing staff if a patient hasn't pooped? said Helle Wictor, the initiator of the idea
Perhaps second only to the fear of death itself, the one thing I've heard business leaders admit that they fear most is the idea of losing their memory. And that's why I've latched on with gusto to a recent study out of Harvard University, among other institutions, that suggests a simple, straightforward way to improve cognitive health. A Mediterranean-style diet
Sometimes, the symptoms occur quite late into the evening, said Dr. Victor Diaz, a neurologist at Orlando Health Neuroscience Institute. Approximately 1 in 5 people with dementia experience sundowning. It affects people with different forms of dementia, like Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia, Diaz said. "Episodes can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and in some cases, can extend into the night."
