NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2006/12/15 - A new tool from DementiaGuide Inc. can help over 5 million Alzheimer's patients and their families manage holiday stress, and improve communications all year round. DementiaGuide is the world’s first interactive resource for caregivers.

A new web-enabled tool from DementiaGuide Inc. can help Alzheimer's patients and their families manage holiday stress, and improve communications all year round.

The holiday season can be particularly stressful for over 5 million people in North America who live with Alzheimer’s disease. About half of these are cared for at home by close family members, typically their spouse or adult daughter.

As family and friends think of ways to support the person with dementia, and help the spouse or those who provide day-to-day care, they often ask themselves, “What role can I play?” Improved understanding and monitoring of dementia symptoms help make life easier.

DementiaGuide’s interactive website (dementiaguide.ca) offers an online system for tracking and managing over 60 symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease over time, and suggests ways to manage those symptoms. DementiaGuide's web-enabled dementia profiling and symptom-tracking tool is the first of its kind, and is based on over 10 years of clinical research by dementia specialist Dr. Kenneth Rockwood at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

“Repetitive questioning, disorientation and wandering may be particularly stressful during the holidays, when people with Alzheimer’s Disease encounter unfamiliar faces and disruptions in daily routines,” said Dr. Rockwood today. “Families living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias find it reassuring to monitor and discuss changes in a more meaningful way.” About 40% of family caregivers report symptoms of depression.

In addition to 800 pages of free information similar to those offered by traditional resources, DementiaGuide’s interactive functionality also allows families to print off and share reports that show changes in symptoms over time. These reports boost communications between family members and health professionals, by allowing others to understand changes in abilities and activities “at a glance.”

Agency / Source: DementiaGuide, Inc.

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