I'm sitting here remembering the way back when. Way back when I didn't know anything about Alzheimer's. Remembering how I stayed up until 1, 2, 3 AM reading everything I could find that might help me care for my mother, Dotty.
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Back in those days Dotty would get up at 7 or 7:30 in the morning, and still be up at 11 PM. So I had to do my research in the early AM.
My very first decision was that I needed to take my then 88 year old mother into the gym for some real exercise. Dotty had never been in the gym in her life.
Short version. Time to go the gym Dotty. Dotty says, I'm not going to the GD gym....
(Pope and Laura)Our 12 year old granddaughter, Laura ask her mother if it was strange that she couldn't talk about her feelings, but she could write a story about her feelings ..... Here's the sweet story she wrote about David (her Pope).LOVE On one summer day, Anna Grace was walking to her favorite spot by the creek. When she got there, she sat under the old willow tree, which has been there for over 20 years. Anna was thinking, ever since her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, things were hard for the family.She was only three when her grandfather was diagnosed. She didn't understand it. She didn't get it. Now that she was twelve, the memories she has of him, were slipping away very slowly. ...
A huge charade ensued – all of my mother’s experience of managing the checking account remained the same: receiving the bills into her home, and sitting down to write the checks. There was one important difference.
By Pamela R. Kelley
Alzheimer's Reading Room
My mother always kept the checkbook and ran the household accounts while she raised her family and through my parents’ retirement years. She continued to manage her money after my father died. As Alzheimer’s claimed its terrible price, she continued to control her checkbook with my sister’s assistance.
Editor Note: Lately we have been discussing crimes being perpetrated on persons living with Alzheimer's and dementia. This is a simple ingenious solution to the problem of check writing.
Follow You, Follow Me: A Young Family's Journey With Young-Onset Alzheimer's Disease
01/23/2012 - 11:37am
We all know that money does NOT buy happiness, but it DOES give you PEACE OF MIND so that you can:- Have health insurance- pay for car repairs- go to the dentist- provide heat, electrical and water to your home (and hope for no major problems)- keep the refrigerator stocked- buy medicine- make sure your children have winter jacketsAlzheimer's Disease stripped my family of a second income. I am not a single mom by choice, I don't get alimony or death benefits. I struggle each and every day just to take care of the basics. Unless you are independantly wealthy, caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can bring you near Bankruptcy. I've never had so little in the 11 years since Mike was diagnosed and I am scared. I've instilled in my children to always "do the right thing", yet it can become a heavy load to bear when you see so many people not doing what's right, getting praise. I'm not talking friends and acquaintences. Cast of Jersey Shore - all they do is get drunk, have sex with...
Sheri may have to ban bagels from her house permanently. Sheri stopped buying them about 4 months ago because of Bob's shall we say over use of them. She bought them for the first time last week and "Al" fell right back into eating three or so at a time, and that was after having eaten dinner 30 minutes before the bagels. :(
Dear Carol: My mom, 93 years old, sent cash Christmas gifts to all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. However, she got few thank you notes and asks why she never hears back from these people. She also doesn’t have many friends left so there’s no one to fill the void. She has early to mid-stage dementia and gets depressed easily when she does not get visits, phone calls or notes. My siblings do call and some come to visit once or twice a month, but I wish they would do more. Read more about how to encourage more family involvement with an elder: Find care agencies to help you care for your loved ones: ...
Mary in the garden, 2011My mom, she love the New England Patriots; they won a lot, she loves winning. She would be giddy while watching them play when she was of sound mind. Today, she isn't mentally capable to enjoy her favorite sport, American Football.I'm not a big football fan. I can take it or leave it. I don't hate it. If I had the choice to watch an episode of "Chopped" or football, I'd choose "Chopped."I visited my mom today. I restocked all her favorite treats and drinks. We went for a walk. She talked to her baby and it made my heart smile.My visit with mom was pleasant. When I was leaving, I told her I was off to work at the phone company."Ok, Dear. What time will you be home?" She asked. A question she always asked me back when I did work as an Operator. Mom remembers me working all night as an Operator."I'll be home on...
I learned that prejudice is a function of fear. I also learned that most of the agitation evidenced by Alzheimer’s patients is rooted in fear and misunderstanding.
By Max Wallack
Alzheimer's Reading Room
This past week we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. I made of point of delivering puzzles to three nursing facilities in honor of what this day has come to symbolize.
I have also applied for a college scholarship, the Martin Luther King Scholarship, which is a full college scholarship that Boston University grants to students who get good grades, but also serve society, while respecting individual differences.
We cannot let these foxes be the spokespersons for us. We cannot let them spend all our money on bench/cure research and relatively little on psychosocial research. We cannot let them decide for us who should be the focus of their efforts and who can be ignored.
By Richard Taylor
Richard Taylor
Life can be awful. Now it has gotten worse! (Paraphrase of Woody Allen’s words and view of life)
On Watching and Hearing the Wisdom of the new Federal Committee to write a plan to plan to write a plan (now to write a draft of a plan to plan to write a plan) of how the Federal Government should lead/fund/Create the efforts of a few to “create a world...
My caregiver that stays with my husband, Jim, when I have to be away from home told me that Jim always wants to answer the telephone while she's here. If she tries to get it, he gets angry. Occasionally strange charities call wanting donations. So, I told her to take...
Sheri did it, yesterday she climbed upon that mechanical walking gadget and for 30 minutes separated her thoughts from life. This morning of course, her knees are aching and she is trying to convince herself it will be worth it.
Sheri made a silly mistake today. Bob has always made brownies, the boxed kind. Bob made some today... simple box mix . 2 eggs 1/4 cup of water 2/3 cup oil and mix. Only Sheri is not sure what "Al" did it was more like a cake batter... so Sheri thought " It's okay, it will be salvageable" Nope, what ever "Al" did it is way to soupy. Chocolate soup anyone? I know maybe "Al" will want to dip some potato wedges in it like at New Years. :)
“What America Thinks,” conducted by Harris Interactive, found that most people are not preparing for the strong possibility that they or their family members will develop Alzheimer’s, despite significant fear of the disease.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
When asked which of five major diseases they fear most, Alzheimer’s disease was second (31%) behind cancer (41%), but far ahead of heart disease (8%), stroke (8%) and diabetes (6%).
The survey was conducted by telephone with 1,007 adults in September 2010; it follows similar research from 2006, the year of the 20th MetLife Foundation awards presentation.
It is amazing the interest it (Life Map) creates with most of the Carers.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Jocelyn Delaney wrote:
Jocelyn Delaney
As I mentioned in a previous post, Paul has a Life Map on his wall, along with lots of other photos.
The Life Map shows the names of our children, his siblings, major events in his life, the schools he went to. It is very well done.
I provided the information but the Home that he is in filled it out and provided relevant pictures, even to a flag of Papua New Guinea where we spent 2 years as volunteers back in the 80's.
It is amazing the interest it creates with 'most' of the...
A long time ago Dad made me a lovely pine jewelry box. The sides were all dove tailed together. The lid had a beaded edge. The surface was shaved and sanded smooth. It was my jewelry box for many years.After Dad died his body was cremated. His ashes were returned to us in an over-sized waxed paper take-out container, wire handle and everything, like a gallon size serving of General Tsao's Chicken. I thought Dad's remains were better suited to my jewelry box.My brother transferred the ashes and glued the lid closed. He later told me about all the wonderful things he found in there. (I'll spare you the details.) Dad's ashes and my jewelry box are forever together in the family plot. While cleaning out Mom's house I found another wooden box that my father had made. This one was similar to my jewelry box, but was not completed. It still needed more sanding and finishing. When I opened up the unfinished box I...
Sheri is fascinated by the fact that sometimes Bob can articulate the problems he sees in his demented friends at "work" without any insight to the reality that he is in fact behaving the exact same way.
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. Little did I know at the time that peoples’ stories would become the springboard for my life’s work. Now there is mounting evidence that encouraging our elders to reminisce about their past is therapeutic as well as enjoyable. Read more about how reminscing can perk up the mood and brain for our aging loved ones: Find care agencies to help you care for your loved ones: ...
I watch the moon on these crisp and clear winter nights as it wanes and waxes just as I have watched it during all of the seasons. For me, though, it is most beautiful during the fall when it appears to be closer to the earth than at any other time. In reality it isn’t, it just looks that way.
The Harvest Moon as they refer to its splendor is almost frightening when it’s full, appearing bigger than life, as it peeks up over the hills east from where we live. For years, at first sighting whether by me or Ken one would nudge the other excitedly saying, “Oh, look at the moon. It’s so magnificent!” It was as though if we didn’t stop what we were doing and look right then and there the other would miss it all together – as if neither of us had ever seen the moon before.
It’s understandable why the ancients of long ago were frightened of what they saw in the skies; why they had moon gods and superstitions, worshipping and fearing what they could not comprehend. The moon...
Resveratrol is derived from plants and is found in highest levels in red wine and the skin of red grapes. A recent study reported that monthly and weekly consumption of red wine is associated with a lower risk of dementia.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
There is compelling evidence that caloric restriction can improve overall health by activating a class of enzymes known as Sirtuins.
Resveratrol is a substance found in some plants that directly activates sirtuins, mimicking the effects of caloric restriction and may affect regulatory pathways of diseases of aging, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).
In this study, people with AD will be given either Resveratrol or...
Wandering. It's one of the biggest problems with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. It endangers the person with Alzheimer's disease. And it also causes major stress for caregivers.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
This is a good idea and does look interesting.
However, at the risk of being a jerk, those people in the video didn't remind me of Dotty and me. They are so well dressed and happy. Do they remind you of you? Maybe Ward and June Cleaver?
On the other hand, I must admit, as hokey as this video is, I did find myself smiling and feeling happy near the end. I have to figure they did a good job on the video. Your thoughts?
I often marvel at the strong attachment Alzheimer's caregivers have with each other. They start to stick to each other like glue. This stickiness is a result of the strong aroma that each Alzheimer's caregiver emits.
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Alzheimer's caregivers are different. We are.
Alzheimer's caregivers change. We change as we come to understand the importance of our mission. We grow emotionally, and we evolve.
I believe Alzheimer's caregiver receive a call. The reason behind the call is often elusive, hard to understand, and difficult to discover.
