News
Movie Night for a Heartbreaking Disease
2006-04-28
The Notebook launches 3rd edition of the Douglas’ Frames of Mind movie series
Montreal, April 28, 2006 – In retirement homes, in many family homes, and all around us, people are living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. Approximately 290,000 Canadians over 65 have this progressive, degenerative condition and over half of all Canadians know someone affected by them.
On Wednesday May 3rd, the heartbreaking repercussions of Alzheimer disease will be played out on screen in the film, The Notebook. It’s the first of the Douglas Hospital's Frame of Mind movie series showcasing films with a mental health theme. Two Douglas experts, researcher Jens Pruessner, PhD, and social worker Katherine Thibodeau, will host the evening.
“There’s a real need among the families to feel they are not alone,” says Thibodeau, who works out of the hospital’s Memory Clinic. “A dramatic film may be the perfect outlet to play out the story they know all too well and also to give them a sense that others are becoming more sensitive to their problems.”
Researchers have discovered that Alzheimer disease, with its symptoms of memory loss, difficulty with day-to-day tasks, and changes in mood and behaviour, is not a part of normal aging. Nevertheless, it is more common in people as they age – most people with the disease are over 65 – with twice as many women than men diagnosed with dementia.
At the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, teams are looking at several areas, including early markers of the disease, stress’s role in memory loss and the health of the caregivers, while other researchers are chasing genetic leads and testing promising medications. These teams are also researching the connection between dementia and depression in elderly populations and looking to see what role estrogen plays as a protective factor for cognitive abilities in elderly women.
Research conducted in the laboratory of Pruessner has focused on how stress specifically affects hormonal changes in the body, and how these hormonal effects are linked to increased degeneration of memory-relevant structures in the brain.
"Stress is known to prevent successful aging. High amounts of stress over the lifespan can lead to impairment in memory, diabetes, degeneration of specific brain structures, and obesity,” says Pruessner, the director of Aging and Alzheimer Disease Research Theme at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre.
Montreal, April 28, 2006 – In retirement homes, in many family homes, and all around us, people are living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. Approximately 290,000 Canadians over 65 have this progressive, degenerative condition and over half of all Canadians know someone affected by them.
On Wednesday May 3rd, the heartbreaking repercussions of Alzheimer disease will be played out on screen in the film, The Notebook. It’s the first of the Douglas Hospital's Frame of Mind movie series showcasing films with a mental health theme. Two Douglas experts, researcher Jens Pruessner, PhD, and social worker Katherine Thibodeau, will host the evening.
“There’s a real need among the families to feel they are not alone,” says Thibodeau, who works out of the hospital’s Memory Clinic. “A dramatic film may be the perfect outlet to play out the story they know all too well and also to give them a sense that others are becoming more sensitive to their problems.”
Researchers have discovered that Alzheimer disease, with its symptoms of memory loss, difficulty with day-to-day tasks, and changes in mood and behaviour, is not a part of normal aging. Nevertheless, it is more common in people as they age – most people with the disease are over 65 – with twice as many women than men diagnosed with dementia.
At the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, teams are looking at several areas, including early markers of the disease, stress’s role in memory loss and the health of the caregivers, while other researchers are chasing genetic leads and testing promising medications. These teams are also researching the connection between dementia and depression in elderly populations and looking to see what role estrogen plays as a protective factor for cognitive abilities in elderly women.
Research conducted in the laboratory of Pruessner has focused on how stress specifically affects hormonal changes in the body, and how these hormonal effects are linked to increased degeneration of memory-relevant structures in the brain.
"Stress is known to prevent successful aging. High amounts of stress over the lifespan can lead to impairment in memory, diabetes, degeneration of specific brain structures, and obesity,” says Pruessner, the director of Aging and Alzheimer Disease Research Theme at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre.
