...For weeks, each time I walked into Dad's room in the nursing home, he'd be rigid in bed, up on one elbow and slamming his fist against his hand. Pow! Pow! Pow! Over and over, he pounded fist against hand. I'd try to get him to relax; to lie back. He couldn't comprehend. Pow! Pow! Pow! He was trying to knock out the pain. read more..
In the world of caregiving, sibling issues abound. Any problems that were around when you were growing up will likely turn up again, as your parents age. The pecking order rarely changes. The "girl" work and the "boy" work rarely changes. There are exceptions, of course. read more..
...Now, Eli Lilly has also announced that their contribution to the Alzheimer’s battle, solanezumab, did not meet the primary endpoints, both cognitive and functional, in either of the two Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on the drug. read more..
This week would have been my dad's 71st birthday. I like to think of him hosting a pint of beer up there in the Elsewhere Bar, buying a round for the newcomers, those who just came in confused and lost.
Happy Birthday, Dad! Wish you were here--as yourself, not the shell you were at the end."Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Title: Buttered Popcorn Flavoring Linked to Alzheimer's
Category: Health News
Created: 8/9/2012 11:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/9/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia, you might feel an urgency about capturing precious memories. One person described it like trying to hold wet sand in her hands and having the ocean waves make it slip through her fingers....Read Full Post read more..
When you are taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's, you are trying to cope with your own grief over their illnesses, help them with their feelings of loss, keep them safe, make your immediate family reasonably content and work at your job. You are wearing out, but caregiver guilt won't let you say – enough! read more..
Dear Readers: It’s rare for me to write about a specific product because there are generally competing businesses that offer quality merchandise. A package that recently arrived in my mail prompted me to make an exception. It contained samples of stylish clothing protection that replaces the function of bibs. read more..
As a seasoned caregiver of multiple elders, I can choose to torture myself with my perceived failures at being a perfect caregiver, or I can choose to forgive myself for being imperfect, and recognize that I did the best I could at the time. You have the same choice. read more..
Title: Drug May Slow Memory Loss in Early Alzheimer's
Category: Health News
Created: 8/7/2012 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/7/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
...Whatever the case, we do have the right to question a doctor's advice or diagnosis, ask for an explanation, and if we aren't satisfied, look for a second opinion. But the issue becomes more complicated when we question a life-long family doctor that our elders trust. read more..
...If you find yourself exhibiting disturbing symptoms that you notice yourself, or friends and family gently bring up to you, don't immediately decide that you, too, have dementia. Other issues that can make you feel as though you are having dementia symptoms are medication reactions or interactions, infections and lack of sleep. read more..
"I want to go home." Nearly any person caring for an elder with dementia has heard this heartbreaking plea, even if the elder is home. It's fairly well accepted by dementia experts that the "home" most elders want to return to is their childhood home, because in later stages of Alzheimer's that is where, in their minds, "home" is. read more..
The nervous system keeps a tidy house. When axons get cut off from their cell bodies, they break down within days, their pieces swept away by the immune system in a process known as Wallerian degeneration. Now in the June 7 Science, researchers led by Marc Freeman at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, report that it is possible to interrupt this cleanup by deleting a single gene... read more..
If you find yourself exhibiting disturbing symptoms that you notice yourself, or friends and family gently bring up to you, don't immediately decide that you, too, have dementia. Other issues that can make you feel as though you are having dementia symptoms are medication reactions or interactions, infections and lack of sleep. read more..
The final tally of how much I raised with my tag sale (and related donations) is $270. That includes a $50 check a guy brought, and a few other cash-in-the-jar donations. I was hoping for twice that. But it's better than nothing. I ended up NOT taking the money I spent on the ad back, because the total was so low, so you can throw in my $30 worth of ads as part of my donation!
"Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Best Alzheimer's Blogs forensicscience.net
Just won another award for this blog. Except that they think I'm a guy for some reason.
Had a Dad: The impetus of this blog was simple: to provide a space for a son whose father was struggling with Alzheimer's. His father has recently passed on, yet he continues to vent here.
Source: Top 50 Alzheimer's Blogs
update 06-21-2011: they have corrected the description to "daughter" with the appropriate pronouns. Still unsure why they decided I'm a guy! "Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Could non-aerobic exercise help prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementia? Possibly. A recent article in The Atlantic reported on a study involving a group of seniors residing in Shanghai, China and the practice of the ancient art of tai chi as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s. read more..
The Framingham Offspring Study found that Vitamin B12 Deficiency is a big problem. How bad? As many as forty percent of the population might be at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency.By Bob...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news and information for the entire Alzheimers and Dementia community. read more..
Even though there are many, many difficulties, having Alzheimer’s does not mean you are less than you were; having dementia does not mean you are dumb...By Tom and Karen...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news and information for the entire Alzheimers and Dementia community. read more..
Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 5 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Carolyn A. Brent whose book Why Wait? The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Preparing Emotionally, Financially and Legally for a Parent’s … Continue reading ? read more..
Caregivers frequently turn their lives inside out in order to care for their loved ones in decline. I know, because I've done it. The number of elders who depended on my help increased throughout the years, to a total of seven, though the most I cared for at one time was five. I also had two children and work part time writing as a freelancer. read more..
I love stories. When I was a teenager, I’d encourage grandparents to relate stories of their young years struggling to survive on the wind-swept prairie. When I grew older, I was fascinated by the stories my parents and in-laws told of their early years of growing up during the Great Depression. read more..
Every week we scour the news for the latest headlines in Alzheimer’s stories, care, treatment and prevention. Here are this week’s biggest stories for the week of June 18, 2012-... read more..
There is a lovely letter here, to President Obama, about non-pharmaceutical treatments for Alzheimer's and dementia.
It reads, in part, "Drugs can't give people with dementia a life worth living. Non-pharmacological interventions can!" and includes a link to a petition to sign.
Hey, I think everything and everything possible should be thrown at Alzheimer's, including voodoo and the kitchen sink. Sacrifice a chicken, then fry it up and eat it--it was gonna die anyway, right? "Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
As a result, the molecules have great potential as a therapeutic agent to prevent or delay injury in individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
John VossUC Davis researchers have found novel compounds that disrupt the formation of amyloid, the clumps of protein in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease believed to be important in causing the disease's characteristic mental decline.
The so-called "spin-labeled fluorene compounds" are an important new target for researchers and physicians focused on diagnosing, treating and studying the disease.
The study, published today in the online journal PLoS ONE, is entitled "The influence of spin-labeled fluorene compounds on the assembly and toxicity of the Aß peptide."
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UC DAVIS RESEARCHERS CREATE MOLECULE THAT BLOCKS PATHWAY LEADING TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
"We have found these small molecules to have significant beneficial effects on cultured neurons, from protecting against toxic compounds that form in neurons to reducing inflammatory factors," said John C. Voss, professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the principal investigator of the study. "As a result, they have great potential as a therapeutic agent to prevent or delay injury in individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before significant damage to the brain occurs."Amyloid is an accumulation of proteins and peptides that are otherwise found naturally in the body. One component of amyloid - the amyloid beta (Aß) peptide - is believed to be primarily responsible for destroying neurons in the brain. Fluorene compounds, which are small three-ringed molecules, originally were developed as imaging agents to detect amyloid with PET imaging. In addition to being excellent for detecting amyloid, fluorenes bind and destabilize Aß peptide and thereby reduce amyloid formation, according to previous findings in mice by Lee-Way Jin, another study author and associate professor in the UC Davis MIND Institute and Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
The current research studied the effects of fluorene compounds by attaching a special molecule to make their activity evident using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. This technology allows researchers to observe very specific activities of molecules of interest because biological tissues do not emit signals detectable by EPR. Since Voss was interested in the activity of fluorenes, he added a nitroxide "spin label," a chemical species with a unique signal that can be measured by EPR.
The group found that spin-labeled compounds disrupted Aß peptide formation even more effectively than did non-labeled fluorenes. In addition, the antioxidant properties of the nitroxide, which scavenge reactive oxygen species known to damage neurons and increase inflammation, significantly contributed to the protective effects on neurons.
"The spin-labeled fluorenes demonstrated a number of extremely important qualities: They are excellent for detecting amyloid in imaging studies, they disrupt Aß formation, and they reduce inflammation," said Voss. "This makes them potentially useful in the areas of research, diagnostics and treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects some 5 million Americans. Current medications used to fight the disease usually have only small and temporary benefits, and commonly have many side effects.
A major obstacle in developing Alzheimer's disease therapy is that most molecules will not cross the blood-brain barrier, so that potential treatments given orally or injected into the bloodstream cannot enter the brain where they are needed. Fluorene compounds are small molecules that have been shown to penetrate the brain well.
"We have br read more..
Title: Alzheimer's-Linked Gene May Have More Effect on Women
Category: Health News
Created: 6/12/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 6/13/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
A very important part of being a good caregiver for someone who has Alzheimer’s is taking care of you – that means exercising. The benefits of exercise are well documented... read more..
The Annals of Neurology reported a study this week that demonstrated that eating strawberries and blueberries delayed women's cognitive decline by 2.5 years.Researchers included data from 16,010 women with an ...Read Full Post read more..
7 years ago today, which in 2004 was the day after Father's Day, my dad got diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The aliens were stealing his brain, and I made my first post on this blog.
What a long strange trip it's been, and it will never be over, until they find a cure (or cures) or at least a way to halt it until death comes from another source.
My heart goes out to everyone whose families are still traveling this horrible bumpy road. The flowers are few and far between, but they are there, little tiny bits of brightness and laughter and love.
I hope this blog has been, and continues to be, a flower for those walking the road of dementia.
Happy summer solstice. May the sun illuminate your flowers.
(image source)"Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Title: Having a 'Purpose in Life' May Help Shield You From Dementia
Category: Health News
Created: 5/7/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/8/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
Then I say, can you give her a shot of penicillin...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
“I know God will not give me anything I can't...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Precise measurement of changes in brain networks...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Guilt has a purpose in life. If we are mean, we should feel guilty. If we owe someone an apology, we should be big enough to do so. But guilt is a complicated emotion. We take on the expectations of our culture, our religion, our family. And then we take on the expectations of our toughest critic – ourselves read more..
Title: Smell Tests Don't Predict Alzheimer's, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 5/10/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/11/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
Guide dogs for the mind, the holy grail, and...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
The Alzheimer's caregiver deals with a disease...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Many elders do well in their homes. They graciously accept the help they need, have cleaning people come in, and are even able to throw away the old newspapers that are piling up in the corner. They are content with adding some safety measures and feel cozy with a bit of clutter. read more..
Dear Readers: Do you or a loved one use age as an excuse to not bother with taking off weight? In a recent phone interview with Dr. Travis Stork of the television talk show “The Doctors,” I asked how we can encourage our aging loved ones to lose weight and exercise when they say it’s too late to do much good. read more..
Elder care has a way of sneaking up on people. Generally, if there is an adult child living in the same town as the aging parents, it is this child who becomes, at the first sign of need, the default caregiver. That usually makes sense. You live in town. Your folks need some help with their Medicare forms, so you stop over. read more..
It was strange timing to learn of the passing of a fellow resident from the Alzheimer’s unit where my mother lived while I was attending the Memory Loss Conference a few weeks ago. I ran into the head nurse from … Continue reading ? read more..
A recent study published in the journal of Psychiatry Investigation conducted a comprehensive review of all the research since 1971 to 2011 on how alcohol affects cognition. As you might imagine, there are varied results over the years, but overall, there seems to be two different ideas about alcohol and cognition:...Read Full Post read more..
Try this delicious fig balsamic vinaigrette dressing recipe on your next salad! Ingredients ½ Cup Fig Balsamic Vinegar 1 Cup Olive Oil 2 TBSP Cod Liver Oil (Lemon Flavor) ¼... read more..
Many of us are coping with elders who can no longer communicate. Whether from a stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or for some other reason, they have lost their ability to talk or seemingly respond in any manner to their loved one's efforts to communicate. read more..
Many people are facing the fact that their sweet intentions have taken a sour turn. Certainly, for some, the decision to cohabitate with their elders works out fine. Two or even three generations residing in the same home can work. It can work when there is plenty of space so that everyone has some degree of privacy. read more..
Last week I sent a brief email to the paper, telling them shamelessly how I am a top-ranked, syndicated, award-winning blogger about Alzheimer's and I'm having a huge tag sale this weekend and giving the money to charity. And they called me yesterday. Interviewed me today. I tried to come up with some thoughts to share; in no particular order, here they are:
There are no Alzheimer's suvivors. There are no hollywood-style moments of perfect clarity. From the moment of diagnosis--from before then, even--it's all downhill.
When I was a teenager, several people around me died of cancer--my gandpa's sister, my friend's dad, my grandpa--and I thought cancer was the worst thing ever. And if I thought about death, I wished with all my heart 'please don't let it be cancer.' Now I've seen Alzheimer's Disease and it's so much worst. There is no proper goodbye with AD. It's just a downward spiral, and every time you think it can't possibly get any worse, it does. Now I wish not to get Alzheimer's with a fevor unknown to my teenage self.
I'm sure there is a worse disease out there than AD. I don't want to know. Honestly. I don't even want to imagine it."Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Title: Trial Set to See if Drug Can Prevent Alzheimer's
Category: Health News
Created: 5/15/2012 6:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/16/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
Dear Pdy, my mother told me to get out, and told...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
In this illuminating workshop, learn how the...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
Are you an Alzheimer’s translator? Do you have...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
He helps out too much. Ann's dad had owned his own business and had employees. He was very successful. Ann's mom used to complain that after he retired, he wanted to run the house, but it didn't seem too serious. Then, when Ann's mom got sick, her dad's energy went into caregiving. He was a wonderful caregiver all the way through. read more..
There’s no prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease at this point. The best many experts can do is to suggest that people adopt healthy habits such as reducing stress, exercising, weight control and a good diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables. However, researchers are working hard to find an answer to the Alzheimer’s puzzle. read more..
It is good to remember what we still have.By...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
I just found out that one of my stories will be published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregivers: 101 Stories of Love, Sacrifice and Bonding, and I’m pretty excited about it! The book will be released in March and … Continue reading ? read more..
By guest blogger Georgia Orcutt from Oldways, a nonprofit food and education organization whose mission is to guide people to good health through heritage. During May we are celebrating our... read more..
It's natural for adult children to love their parents and even want to care for them as they age. But, if your parents abused you when you were a child, how do you care for them without harming yourself by being subjected to ongoing criticism and abuse? read more..
Although Alzheimer’s disease is likely the most common and well-known dementia, the reality is that there are many other types of dementia. One lesser known but increasingly recognized dementia is frontotemporal. FTD generally presents itself as a baffling change in a loved one's personality. read more..
We need to understand, love and forgive ourselves for our perceived imperfections as mothers. And yes, we need to try to understand, love and forgive our mothers for what may have been less than perfect mothering practices. Perfection is hard to define and resides in the eye of the beholder, so it's a subjective idea, anyway. read more..
Another award! Please vote so I can be a finalist! Simple like the page below (the link) on Facebook or +1 on google.
Congratulations from SeniorHomes.com!
Alzheimer's Dad has been nominated to the SeniorHomes.com Best of the Web 2012 in the Best Senior Living Blogs by Individuals category. The Best of the Web 2012 contest highlights the best senior living and caregiving websites, blogs, and resources on the web for consumers and senior living professionals.Your nominee page has been published at http://www.seniorhomes.com/d/alzheimers-dad.
The top nominee sites by popular vote will proceed to the round of finalists and will be rated by our panel of expert judges. Final rankings will be decided by the expert panel ratings.In order to become a finalist, we encourage you to promote your website and get the vote out. Spread the word about your nomination by sharing your nominee page with your clients, customers, friends, and fans and asking for their votes. Finalists are determined by popular vote (total Facebook likes and Google +1s), so each person can vote for you twice! Voting ends on March 2, 2012. "Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
You and I travel to the beat of a different drum Oh can't you tell by the way I run Every time you make eyes at me Wo-oh
You cry and moan and say it will work out But honey child I've got my doubts You can't see the forest for the trees
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Banyan TreeEvery time we drive through Sherwood Forrest Dotty marvels at the size and shape of the Banyan trees. The Banyan trees are about 60 feet tall. Maybe taller.
I would estimate that Dotty has seen the same exact trees over 7,000 times. But now, each time its for the first time.
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Five years ago it would be unsettling to me when Dotty would start talking about those trees. She would marvel, look at those trees. Look how big they are. I can't believe it. I have never seen so many trees.
What did I do? I would remind Dotty that she had seen those trees thousands of times. It was somehow important for me to remind her. Of course, this would sometimes cause Dotty to become confused. It might even cause her to tell me that I was full of poop. Her words were not kind.
Eventually, I made my way into Alzheimer's World. After I made it into the World I started looking at things from Dotty's point of view. Why should I be upset if she asked me what day it was ten times? If she needed to know what day it was, she needed to know. After all, don't we all need to know what day it is? How would you know where to be, or where to go, or what to do if you never knew what day it was?
Once I made it to Alzheimer's World, I started to look at the world from Dotty's point of view. I tried to think and feel like she was thinking and feeling. I often asked myself, why? Why is she acting this way? Why is she feeling this way? I also stopped making it all about me. Instead, I made it about Dotty, and about us. I stopped complaining and saying, can you believe she does this, and she does that. I replaced words like she, me, and you, with words like we and us.
Once into Alzheimer's World, I started listening to Dotty. The sound of her voice. What was I hearing? Confusion? Anger? Happiness? Joy? I listened.
Today when Dotty starts marveling at the size or the number of trees, I'll be listening to her voice. I'll hear how amazed she is. How happy she sounds. I'll listen to her words. I'll feel happy. I'll also notice that those banyan trees are big and beautiful. Amazing looking in fact. Each and every time if you pay attention.
Way back when, when Dotty would act like she never saw those trees before in her life I would get sad. I would need to remind her she had seen them thousands of times. I was burdened.
Now, I listen to Dotty's sweet voice. Hear how really amazed she is feeling. It makes me feel happy. We get along better these days.
I finally learned to look at the trees.
More Insight and Advice from the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Over the last decade, scientists have realized that brain injury can precipitate similar pathologies to those found in people with neurodegenerative conditions... read more..
Elders in need of constant care feel their own pain. They generally feel a lack of control over their lives, as bit by bit their abilities slip away. This can make some of them disagreeable and bossy. Generally, the answer to this is to learn to detach with love. read more..
By Carol Blackwell Alzheimer's Reading...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
“What’s she doing?” “What did she say?” “What...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
If you've been following Alzheimer's research, you may have heard about the use of coconut oil in treating Alzheimer's disease. A physician in Florida has written about her experience with using coconut oil to treat her husband's symptoms of dementia, noting that he showed significant improvement after she added it to his diet....Read Full Post read more..
Dear Carol: My mother has been in assisted living for several years. Now, her health is deteriorating and her assets have dwindled to almost nothing. I’m afraid moving her to a nursing home is the only choice. I’m not sure how to go about the change, or when to do this. The financial aspects worry me. Where do I start? Michael read more..
Title: Fish, Flaxseed May Lower Alzheimer's Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2012 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
When you are taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's, you are trying to cope with your own grief over their illnesses, help them with their feelings of loss, keep them safe, make your immediate family reasonably content and work at your job. You are wearing out, but caregiver guilt won't let you say – enough! read more..
Caregiving can grow from just running a few errands for the elder into a full-time job. Many people have quit paying jobs, or not accepted a promotion, in order to be available to care for an aging parent. From the outside, it looks as though this person has the time. In most cases, the person has made the time, often at great sacrifice. read more..
Every week we scour the news for the latest headlines in Alzheimer’s care, treatment and prevention. Here are some big stories for the week of April 23rd 2012: Daily Activity... read more..
I'll tell you up front that I'm not good with hair. For the most part, I'm a minimalist. Alice had perms, but her hair still needed washing and a daily curling to arrange it nicely. Over time, and with lots of humor thrown in, I did learn a few things. read more..
Reducing obesity with a healthy diet and sensible exercise is the goal. During a recent interview with Dr. Stork, I asked him how we can encourage our aging loved ones to exercise and eat right to lose weight and stay healthy, especially when we hear the excuse "why bother now?" read more..
A friend of mine sent me a link about Alzheimer's recently, and I was surprised--shocked--horrified--to read that new drugs and other treatments can't find enough volunteers. I can't believe that. We would have signed a deal with the devil himself if he had agreed to give my dad a drug that would have given him a chance at a longer, healthier life.
I don't know how most of these trials work, but I know that the one my dad was part of did NOT make him STOP taking his medicine, it only added new medicine. And when we found out at the end that he was on the placebo, he received the real drug then.
The Alzheimer's Association now has a web page that helps match volunteers with clinical trials. I'm lucky enough to live near New Haven and to have had access to Yale University for my dad's studies, but if you don't live around here that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. There are even trials to sign up for healthy people who don't have AD--I added myself to their data bank.
Being in a clinical trial is about paying it forward. I knew that the drug would probably not help my dad. But down the line, it might have saved someone else from my family's pain.
I am still accepting donations for my Walk to End Alzheimer's team--the walk is October 2, 2011. If you are not already doing the walk and haven't donated to anyone, I'd appreciate anything. This is my first year having a team and I'd love to show up with a lot of money to prove you don't have to be a corporation to raise funds. Click the to the left (or in my sidebar) to donate."Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
What do you think?By Barbara Pursley ...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
“Does Audrey have her hearing aids in?”By...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. Our goal is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimers caregivers and their families worldwide. read more..
A recent public service announcement broadcast in Belgium has added fuel to the controversy over how “clever” it’s appropriate to be when it comes to Alzheimer’s awareness campaigns. The Flemish League Alzheimer’s Association recently commissioned a PSA message that has brought strong responses from viewers. read more..
I’ve packed my bags, forwarded my mail, and recently moved to a new address on the web. Although this starter home has been great, I was in need of a website upgrade in anticipation of things to come. I’d like … Continue reading ? read more..
Every week we like to scour the news world for the latest Headlines in Alzheimer’s care, treatment and prevention. Here are some major headlines for the week of April 9th... read more..
You already know what may be gained by giving up employment and becoming the sole caregiver for your parents. You are the hands-on person and know their care intimately. You know how they are doing day and night and you hope they will appreciate your help. They raised you and you want to give back. read more..
If you've ever talked with someone who has shared an experience with you, but remembers the details very differently than you do, your circumstances are not unusual. Individuals tend to view each experience through a unique lens, because we are shaped by our past experiences, and perhaps our genes. read more..
Dear Carol: My 76-year-old mother has lost her vision, and is easily bored. She used to knit and read, but now she's only able to listen to TV. Her thinking and reasoning abilities have decreased dramatically since losing her sight. I often read to her which she enjoys. How else can I help stimulate her interest in life? - Karen read more..
I've been writing this blog for a LONG time, and I know I often talk about things that might make people feel uncomfortable--that's the road I've chosen to travel. I have other blogs, on other subjects, and I often get negative comments on those. But on this blog, NEVER have I had anyone say anything bad...until now.
(I'm not talking about spam--I'm talking about rude.)
I recently did a post about what Alzheimer's cost my family in terms of Social Security income.
This is what someone commented:
"Some people don't think about their retirement thoroughly. And they take important steps before thinking about it twice or asking an expert."
WHAT?! My dad retired because he had ALZHEIMER'S. Did you miss that, jerk? And my mom retired to be a CARETAKER for my dad, who had ALZHEIMER'S.
There is nothing to "think about thoroughly" when you are sick with a fatal illness, or your spouse is.
And if you are implying they should have had investments, I didn't even get into that in the other post. But I will now. My mom had a nice 401(k) and some other savings. But there is a thing called a SPEND DOWN where the government makes you spend ALL your money before you or your spouse can go on Medicare. So the retirement she did plan for instead went to $10k a MONTH on a nursing home until she ran out of money. How do you plan for that, huh? You got an extra $120K a year just lying around waiting to be spent on nursing care? Good for you, I hope you live a LONG TIME and suck up all that money and someone comes along and tells you that you should have planned better and died quicker.
"Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
Legendary Texas Football Coach Darrell Royal and wife Edith positions DKR Fund as a ‘Texas game-changer’ in Alzheimer's disease care and research. Celebrities and business leaders lend their voice and support to cause.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Left to Right: Lance Armstrong, Mrs. Edith Royal,
Coach Darrell Royal, Matthew McConaughey
(Photo: Business Wire)Edith Royal described how difficult it is to care for someone in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease. Royal said that while Texas ranks third in the nation for the disease, most of the research takes place on the east and west coasts.
Edith Royal, Darrell Royal's wife, described the fund to a Texas legislative committee hearing Tuesday.
Royal, who suffers from Alzheimer's, also appeared at the hearing along with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and actor Matthew McConaughey.
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The Darrell K Royal Fund for Alzheimer’s Research was launched today at an Interim Joint Committee hearing on Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the Texas Senate Chamber.
The DKR Fund is named after legendary Texas football coach Darrell Royal and was created to facilitate research and care for Texans to attempt to cure AD in our lifetimes. The announcement was made as part of testimony given by Royal’s wife, Edith Royal. Joining her on the Senate floor was Coach Royal and their long-time friends and supporters, actor Matthew McConaughey and 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
“Texas ranks third in the nation for number of citizens diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The sad fact is that most everyone in our state is touched by this disease and the Darrell Royal family is no exception,” says Edith Royal. “The DKR Fund represents a commitment to excellence in Alzheimer’s research and care for Texans, the nation and the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to create this legacy for my husband, and for the incredible group of prominent Texans who want to join us in this endeavor.”
As part of her testimony, Mrs. Royal emphasized need for a vehicle that funds collaborative research in Texas, and promotes sharing of discoveries and treatment strategies nationwide.
According to the National Alzheimer's Association, Texas ranks third in the nation for number of citizens diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There are currently 340,000 Texans living with the disease and by 2025, that number is expected to increase more than 38 percent. Despite the high number of Texans affected by AD, the vast majority of funding for research is directed toward the east and west coasts.* The DKR Fund will enable Texas to be the “game-changer” in advancing the global fight against AD and related dementias.
Mrs. Royal also brought to the Committee’s attention the harsh physical, mental, and financial challenges that come with being a caregiver to someone with AD.
“We are fortunate to have a team standing with us as we take this journey, but so many families and caregivers do not,” said Mrs. Royal. “Every day caregivers are burning out, stressing out; suffering very serious physical side effects of this challenge and do not know where to turn. It is painful to think of these people – both the person with the disease and the caregiver – experiencing the fear of the future, loss of hope, and the feeling of complete and total abandonment at this stage of their lives. It is for those people that I speak today.”The DKR Fund’s Board of Advisors consists of leaders in business, entertainment, sports and government, all of whom have affection for Darrell Royal and a desire to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease.
The DKR Fund Board of Advisors are as follows: Greg Abbott, Beau Armstrong, Lance Armstrong, Mack Brown, Ben Crenshaw, Lisa Dawson, Eloise DeJoria, Frank Denius, Melissa Edwards, Larry Gatlin, Angie Harmon, Rita Hortestine, Alfred Jackson, Joe Jama read more..
Title: New Drug Might Reduce an Alzheimer's Marker: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/2/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/3/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
Even siblings who grew up together with fondness for each other often have different ideas about what the right care for aging parents incorporates. When siblings have clashing personalities, or family issues have driven them apart, finding middle ground on anything can be extra challenging. read more..
Recently, I received a question from a reader whose mother, in her late 70s, is in love with a man who just turned 80. The reader wondered what I thought about this situation, because she frankly, as she put it, found it "creepy." read more..
Once upon a time, I had a dad. Just like the title of this blog. And yes, when I started the blog, my dad was still physically with me. But the second someone is diagnosed with dementia, it's as if they start very slowly moving down a tunnel away from you. I knew nothing about Alzheimer's at that point, but I knew enough to steal the lyrics from a Jane's Addiction song to title my blog. "I turned around and found my daddy gone. He was the one who made me what I am today. It's up to me now, my daddy has gone away." (video is NSFW in lyrics or images)
Father's Day has ceased to be a holiday for me. I think it stopped in 2004, the last time we really CELEBRATED. Because the very next day, my dad got diagnosed and this blog came into existence. So to me, Father's Day isn't about a happy time with my dad. It's more like the LAST time with my dad, if it makes any sense.
We are a fatherless and grandfatherless family. My dad died in 2007. My husband's dad died in 1972 when he was just a wee pup. (He never had a dad--I shouldn't whine, because I had one for 39 years.) My mom's dad, my beloved grandpa, died in 1987 and his dad died in 1979. My grandma's still alive, but her dad died before I was born. My dad's dad died before I was born. One of my husband's grandpas died when he was a teenager; the other was never in the picture (there was a step-granddad there, but he died in the 1990s). So, in any direction you look from me, no dads. Only my sister-in-law's fiance has a dad (but her brother's fiance lost hers when she was a teenager). I guess we all have to adopt Rudy's father!
So basically Father's Day is a non-holiday. We don't discuss it. We don't celebrate it. It's as if it's a holiday from another faith--like Ramadan or Chanukah, we know it's happening for other people, but not for us. I'm having a little gathering this weekend and I was astonished that some people can't come because of Father's Day. It's that far off my radar.
I'm sure other people choose to use Father's Day (and Mother's Day) as a day to memorialize their loved ones with dementia, past and present. But for my family, we lived it, and we like to just let it lie most of the time. If the subject comes up naturally, we talk about my father, but we never force it.
Love and memory should never be forced.
Happy Father's Day to all those who celebrate, and a nod to those, like me, who have chosen to leave it behind."Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
As the two women gathered their belongings to leave that day, they hugged their old friend good bye, promising to come and visit soon and often...By Tom and Karen BrennerAlzheimer's Reading RoomWe were working in a memory support center one day when we noticed...
The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community read more..
Title: Smog May Harm Women's Brains: StudyCategory: Health NewsCreated: 2/13/2012 6:06:00 PMLast Editorial Review: 2/14/2012 read more..
The journal Age and Ageing recently published a study that discusses the relationship between being overweight and cognitive decline. There were 250 people involved in this study, and researchers measured ...Read Full Post read more..
The stuff touted to confer anti-aging properties on foods from blueberries to dark chocolate does no good for people with Alzheimer’s disease—and might even make them worse... read more..
Why has it been such a challenge to pinpoint the exact role in pathology of apolipoprotein E, which surpasses all other genetic risk factors for late onset Alzheimer’s disease?... read more..
Amyloid imaging with radiolabeled compounds has become a research staple for detecting and tracking amyloid plaques in humans, but has not yet proven routinely feasible in mice... read more..
In people with a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, every cell produces mutant SOD1, but only certain motor neurons succumb to the toxic protein... read more..
Nearly anyone over the age of 50 has experienced some frustrating moments of memory lapse that younger society calls “gapping out,” and older society calls “senior moments.” These memory lapses, or slowed recall, can send some people into a panic, particularly if they have a relative with Alzheimer’s disease. read more..
You have heard about the latest thing the kids are doing. This is not that kind of Cinnamon Challenge. Our Cinnamon Challenge is of the HEALTHY sort. Scientists are increasingly... read more..
This morning I was thinking about two different friends of mine, both facing losing their moms to cancer. At least they get this holiday season with their moms, and they know it's the last one, is the direction my thoughts went, and I started composing some sort of holiday blog post in the back of my mind.
And when I got home from driving and musing, and logged onto Facebook, I saw to my dismay that one friend's mom had succumbed to her cancer only 2 weeks after her diagnosis. Last year was their last holiday together and they didn't know it. Her mom was healthy and fine in mid-November (or thought she was).
You don't know when it will be the last time. The last time you see someone, talk to them, celebrate a holiday, hoist a pint, laugh or cry or cringe at a movie together. It is worse when a healthy person gets taken in an accident of course, as there is no warning, but as my friend just found out to her sorrow, a mom can be fine on Thanksgiving and dead of cancer by Christmas.
When my dad got diagnosed, the doctors estimated, based on his age and how far his Alzheimer's had progressed, that he would live approximately 11 years. How GOOD those years might have been, they didn't say. Just that he should have made it to about 75 years old. So at that last Christmas, the one we didn't know was the last, in 2006, we thought we had 8 or 9 more years, when in truth it was less than a year.
Ironically, every year my mom thinks it's her mother's last Christmas (she's 93 now) and every year Grandma keeps going like the Energizer bunny. We're almost numb to thinking about her not being here anymore, to the point that when it does happen, we're going to be in total shock.
I guess we all know somewhere deep inside that anyone and anything can be taken from us without warning. And maybe we should live like that, never going away mad or holding a grudge. Always kissing our loved ones goodbye and telling them they are loved. But we don't. We get angry. We slam doors. We leave without saying goodbye. Everyone would like to think they are immortal and so are all their loved ones.
I believe that as long as someone remembers us, our memory is immortal, and our souls hang out in the Elsewhere Bar and do whatever needs to be done in the next life. But Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia can steal away even that breath of life, taking those memories forever.
I can't offer a solution. I'm not a god or a doctor, just a person who has lost so much, who grieves to see her friends in similar sorrow.
Love who you have while you have them, and remember them fondly every day after that."Had a Dad" Alzheimer's Blog http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com(c) Gevera Bert Piedmont })i({Thank you for visiting! read more..
It appears at the moment that Dotty has some new awareness and is more engaged. Yes, like always I am amazed, and greatly heartened.
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Bob DeMarcoI had a long conversation with Carole Larkin yesterday about how Dotty has recently "perked up". She is more alive and more aware.
As this happens, I always ask myself, what changed, what variables are causing the difference? What am I learning, or relearning, that could help or benefit other dementia caregivers?
I think a key word is relearning. It is amazing how I have to relearn something I already learned over and over as an Alzheimer's caregiver for my mother.
AD caregiving is difficult. There is always so much going on. One of the things that make it difficult is that the variables are always changing, the person living with dementia is always changing. As persons living with Alzheimer's change, so do the tasks you perform each day change.
In a way, at least for me, this sometimes makes it difficult to stick to the routine, to stick with the program. To do the things that are necessary to help keep the dementia patient attached to the world, and aware.
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One reason that I get distracted from our routine is that I have to deal with the reality that Dotty's condition continues to worsen. This is not unexpected, but nevertheless dealing with the "expected" as it happens is taxing emotionally and psychologically. So I think this explains in part why I sometimes get distracted and fall out of our routine. It takes a lot of energy to deal with the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Recently, I have been distracted because Dotty can barely walk. We are now using the wheelchair every time we go out the door.
Dotty can no longer walk the 60 or so feet to go see Jim and Ruth. I must tell you this does make me a bit sad. That drains energy. Dotty can no longer "mosey" on down to see Jim and Ruth. This means she can't go get her own social interaction. This means I have to take her down, or find a way to fill in the void. Again, emotionally, psychologically and energy draining.
It took me a while to figure out what we were going to do adjust to these new circumstances. As a result, while I was making a plan, we fell out of our routine a bit.
A few weeks ago, I finally gathered up the energy and focus to start pushing Dotty around in the wheelchair. The purpose is simple, get her out into the sunlight for a big injection of Vitamin D. Yes, I think the level of vitamin D is important. You absorb vitamin d from the sun. So, if Dotty is not getting enough vitamin d she gets dull, bored, and less communicative.
Recently, we have been getting some very large doses of sunlight. This happens on our wheelchair walks, and on our renewed trips to the pool.
I have to assume that sunlight is one factor that is making Dotty more aware and more communicative.
Let me throw this out while we are here. The sun is out folks even if its cloudy or dingy out. Keep that in mind.
During the last trip to pool Dotty started saying some things and making some observations she had not made in a long time. I wondered about this. The only thing I can conclude is that the trips to the pool are "throwing Dotty back in time". In other words, she talks and acts a bit like she did in the long ago "days". I see this as a big positive. Why? Well, at least Dotty is initiating some talk and make some observations. This seems to carry over at home.
For the last two days, Dotty has started to say over and over, "I'm hungry, I'm starving". I had not been hearing this for a long time. So yes, it catches my attention. Why? The sunlight? The pool? The rides in the wheelchair? Me? Or, all of them in combination?
I think it is all of them in combination plus I am paying more attention to Dotty.
Another thing read more..
Title: Brain Scans Suggest How Alzheimer's Spreads
Category: Health News
Created: 3/21/2012 2:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/22/2012 12:00:00 AM read more..
Does anybody still write the old fashioned way with pen and paper in this digital age of computers? My preferred method of writing is still furiously scribbling in notebooks, crossing out phrases and revising in the margins with puzzling asterisks … Continue reading ? read more..
The 16th Annual Memory Loss Conference takes place on November 7-8, 2011 in Springfield, Illinois, and I just registered to attend for the first time this year. I’m looking forward to this as an educational opportunity to learn more about … Continue reading ? read more..
From an Alzheimer’s and dementia perspective, I’m puzzled by the announcement of a senior day-time care service closing in my area due to declining enrollment. With all the statistics pointing towards an Alzheimer’s epidemic as baby boomers age, why is … Continue reading ? read more..
Middle aged women who have become caregivers report many health issues because they feel that their lives are spinning out of control. Depression and weight loss, or weight gain, are common symptoms reported. Could the recurrence of a previous eating disorder, or the development of a new one, be far behind? read more..
Many of us feel alone when we are trying to care for our aging parents and there are no siblings to help, or if siblings won't help with caregiving. When we have one parent who has dementia, it is hard. When we have two, it is often nearly unbearable. read more..
Each year, November is dedicated as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. It is an especially significant time for me to reflect on how this disease has changed my life. Anyone who has witnessed a loved one struggle and eventually succumb … Continue reading ? read more..
Amen, the Draft Framework for the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease was released today, the long awaited results of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act passed a year ago! It appears to be a step in the right direction, and in … Continue reading ? read more..
