!–paging_filter–pstronga href=”alz.org”Alzheimer’s Association / 206.363.5500 / alz.org/a/strongbr /Peer-to-peer support, caregiver support groups, education seminars and workshops and early stage memory loss forum.br /a href=”elderwise.org”strongElderwise / 206.774.6604 / elderwise.org/strong/abr /Adult day center, respite for caregivers, education and br /outreach, located in First Hill.br /a href=”fryemuseum.org”strongFrye Art Museum / 206.432.8211 / fryemuseum.org/strong/abr /Here:now arts engagement program with…

!–paging_filter–pnbsp;In the Seattle area, a number of pioneering programs have been developed to help individuals suffering from dementia remain active, including the Greenwood Senior Center’s “Alzheimer’s Café,” (phinneycenter.org/gsc or alz.org). Individuals with dementia—along with their care partners—gather every second Tuesday of the month at the center’s Ampersand Pantry and Café for camaraderie, singing and conversation….

!–paging_filter–pMyriam Marquez suspected she had Alzheimer’s when, while driving a familiar route home, she came to a four-way stop and realized she didn’t know where she was. The confusion lasted a short time, but Marquez, 66, whose father and six uncles all died of Alzheimer’s, knew what it could mean. She went to a neurologist…

!–paging_filter–p“No matter how many times you’ve been through it,” says Dr. Jane Uhlir, Executive Director, Women Infants, and Clinical Process Improvement for Swedish Medical Center, “having a baby is one of life’s biggest challenges.”br /Making that adventure less stressful is the goal for the new Lytle Center for Pregnancy Newborns.br /The 5,000 square foot center…

!–paging_filter–pAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women younger than 35 years old only have a 41.5 percent chance of getting pregnant with traditional in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now research published by British fertility experts in Reproductive BioMedicine Online indicates a new device called the EmbryoScope could raise live birthrates by more than…

!–paging_filter–pKent resident Tina Marie Lechner, 36, is one very determined woman. Four years ago, she and her husband, Andrew Lechner, decided it was time to start a family. Tina knew exactly how she wanted things to go. The plan: at least two children. Natural births with midwives. Close friends and family in attendance. A serene,…

!–paging_filter–p“Pain is the great equalizer. It humbles us all,” says Dr. Brendan O’Donnell. A pain management specialist at Harborview Medical Center and current president of the Washington Academy of Pain Management (WAPM), he assists patients with chronic pain, administers anesthesia in the trauma center at Harborview and facilitates with acute postoperative/posttraumatic pain management. In those…

!–paging_filter–pStroke patients and others with conditions that have impeded their walking ability are finding new hope in a device created by Fremont-based a href=”cadencebiomedical.com”Cadence Biomedic/aa href=”cadencebiomedical.com”al (877.484.7513)/a. The culmination of research that began in 2007 in cofounder Brian Glaister’s basement and commercially launched at the end of last year, the Kickstart Walking System is sophisticated…

Imagine leaving your office at 1:50 p.m. to make a 2 p.m. doctor’s appointment. Seattle-based Vera Whole Health (206.395.7870; verawholehealth.com) is helping make such impossible-sounding scheduling a reality—by bringing medical clinics to people at their workplace. The health care company partners with local businesses to build on-site clinics that Vera staffs and runs with a…

“Relaxing” and “mammogram” are not usually two words used together—except at Overlake Breast Health Center. Here, patients can arrange mammography parties that add day spa and social elements to this annual screening chore (425.688.5985; overlakehospital.org; available at all locations). Patients arrive to warmed robes, wine and cheese or tea and cookies, and an attentive hostess,…

The Mediterranean diet, so called because of its emphasis on fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and olive oil, has been the subject of the first major clinical trial studying its link with heart health; results published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April indicate that this style of eating could prevent about 30…