Clearinghouse: Alzheimer's
Clearinghouse Homepage
Title: Namenda
URL: http://www.namenda.com/treating/
Sponsor: Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Author/credentials: None listed
Date Posted: Year 2006
Description of Site: There is a great deal of visual information given. One chart lists the estimated number of new cases of AD, and a source is provided. There is also a table for the stages of progression of Alzheimer's, which also has a source. There are tables that show a healthy diet to prevent and help patients with Alzheimer's. It includes different types of foods and which are good or unhealthy to eat. There is also a diagram of the brain, printable brochures, and video clips, all of which have sources listed.
The author(s) list dozens of other books and web-sites such as the site for the Alzheimer's Association which is very reputable.
The main subject of this website is treatment and caring for someone with Alzheimer's. However, the most useful part for an average user is the section on understanding Alzheimer's disease. It was the best part of the site because of how in depth the information was. It was also understandable and if someone may not have understood it, there is a glossary section on the site to look up any words that are unclear.
If a person has a loved one who may have Alzheimer's or has just been diagnosed, this web site would be very useful. It was written to help those out there who need the information and treatment options.
Reviewed by: Nichole Young from Dan Lago's Spring 2006 HDFS 129 class.
Title: Alzheimer's Association
URL: http://www.alz.org/
Sponsor: Alzheimer's Association. This organization's purpose is to provide information about the disease, how to treat it, and how to prevent it. They are not interested in selling any product.
Author/credentials: Members of the Alzheimer's Association though no specific names were listed.
Date Posted: Year 2006
Description of Site: The website offers a very in depth slideshow/tour of the brain which was created by the makers of the website. There are guides for caregivers. There are no other graphs, charts, or anything of that source, but the web site still provides a wide variety of information. The site provides many other references and links. Because there are many topics dealing with Alzheimer's as well as different stages, the site gives a specific topic or stage and once you click on one, then they direct you to many different sources of information such as books, web sites, or fact sheets.
The main content of the site is how devastating this disease is and how prevention is vital. Though, this one web site is all you need to know each intricate detail about Alzheimer's, its general function is public awareness and dangers of Alzheimer's. The average user would benefit the most from the causes and warning signs sections. These sections do a good job of making the web-user aware of the disease and how to prevent it.
This site would be useful for someone to visit if they are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, or if a loved one had been recently diagnosed or is showing signs.
Reviewed by: Nichole Young from Dan Lago's Spring 2006 HDFS 129 class
Title: Alzheimer's Disease Information Website
URL (Internet "address"): www.alzinfo.org
Sponsor: Administration of Aging, Dept. of Health and Human Services
Author/credentials: Not Given, possibly The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation
Date posted: This site was posted in 2004 and was last updated in April 10, 2006.
Description of Site: It contains sections to the left of the page such as, Understanding Alzheimer's, Treatment, Research, Care. There is a special characteristic about this sight however which I would like to highlight. There is a section on the left side of this site titled Community with sub headings that read; Alzheimer's Chats, Alzheimer's Forums, and Ask Alzheimer's Experts. These chat rooms allow those diagnosed with Alzheimer's speak to other Alzheimer's patients, and family members to speak with other family members from all over the nation. The chat rooms also schedule times when specialists will be speaking and answering any questions that anyone has in the room. The forums have over 1,200 posts on over 200 different topics coming from more than 600 participants.
Reviewed by: Chris Gayer from Dan Lago's Spring 2006 HDFS 129 class.
Title: Alzheimer's Information- Causes
URL (Internet "address"): http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/AlzheimersInformation/causes/
Sponsor: The U.S National Institutes of Health: The National Institute on Aging
Author/credentials: Anonymous Author. The National Institute on Aging website is a Government- based and run website. They use information from other government sources such as Firstgov.gov, the Department of Health Services, and the National Institute of Health.
Date posted: Updated March 6, 2006
Description of Site: This website is a very credible and informative source. It achieves credibility from being a government sponsored website managed by the National Institute on Aging. The purpose of this website is to improve the health and well being of older individuals through research. This particular page focuses on the mysterious nature of the causes of the disease.
This site provides numerous links to fact sheets, clinical trials, care-giving tips, recent news, books, and video clips of the causes of AD. These links are all sponsored by the National Institute of Health.
Also, even though this particular webpage is specified to the causes of AD, there are many links to information within the entire website. Some of these include; general information, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. This site also provides a telephone hotline to assist in any questions someone would have about the disease called the Alzheimer's disease Education & Referral Center.
There are also some other websites that link to this government resource for their own use. Medicalhelpers.com, Medical-advisor.org, and thebeehive.org, a site dedicated to the health and wellness of elderly people all use The National Institute of Health as a resource for valuable information.
Reviewed by: Tyler Weyant from Dan Lago's Spring 2006 HDFS 129 class.
Title: Understanding Alzheimer's- What are the Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease?
URL (Internet "address"): http://www.alzinfo.org/understanding/signssymptoms/default.aspx
Sponsor: The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation
Author/credentials: Paul Greengard, head of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research. He has a PhD and was the 2000 Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology and Medicine. He is a professor at Rockefeller University in New York. The Website received the Merit World Health Award, the HealingWell.org's Editor's Choice Award, and the 2003- 2004 Golden Web Award winner. This site is also run by Government databases from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Date posted: Updated April 13, 2006
Description of Site: This website is posted by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation. Their purpose in creating this site is to provide accurate information towards the causes, diagnosis, and cure of Alzheimer's disease. They are also dedicated to maintaining the health of elderly individuals as well as ultimately searching for a cure for this debilitating ailment.
There are many different links on this page that supply the reader with valuable information as well as ways to get involved. Some of these options include; Alzheimer's research links, other AD websites, chats, forums, expert opinions, treatment options, as well as brochures all sponsored by the Fisher Center. In this particular web page, the focus is on the warning signs of Alzheimer's.
This site also provides common questions about the disease and then gives the answers plus some links to other pages within the website to fully explain the content in the answer. For example, there is a link that displays ten warning signs of Alzheimer's disease.
The site has credible information and provides credible links to other sites, such as the Medline Plus Government- run website. Also, this website is endorsed by many charitable organizations, which are shown at the bottom of the page.
Reviewed by: Tyler Weyant from Dan Lago's Spring 2006 HDFS 129 class.
