What does this photo have to do with caregivers or patients dealing with any number of medical issues? It occurred to me when I saw this photo that life is all about perspective, isn’t it? Where we stand, what we see, how we feel, what is our commitment, what is our guilt or denial level.…
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Younger On-set Alzheimer’s
October 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment
THIS FOLLOWING EXCERPTS HAVE BEEN taken from an article in the October/November issue of “Brain and Life.” Researchers are making important discoveries about Alzheimer’s disease from people who develop it before the age of 65. At just 53 years old, Elizabeth [McGuff] was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “I [her son, Mike] was in…
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WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
September 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Money….. Fame….. Popularity….. Greed….. Ego….. Talent….. Skill….. Why do people play football? Another young – 47 year old – former NFL player died last week. Jason Hairston committed suicide. Jason had been exhibiting many of the symptoms of CTE – Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – since he retired from football in 1996. In 2016 he admitted …
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April 30, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Why is it that in so many families it is just one person who is providing the majority of the care? Statistically it is usually, but not always, is a female. And usually it’s the oldest daughter or the daughter who lives the closest. So where are all the other siblings? If you…
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UTIs – Urinary Tract Infections
April 8, 2018 By 1 Comment
Any one who has worked in the health care industry or has had a dementia patient at home knows how behaviors can literally change overnight when someone has an UTI. Almost any “challenging” behavior will be exaggerated or magnified greatly when someone has an UTI. I had a recent personal experience that made me question…
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Anesthesia ??? Loss of Cognitive Ability
February 7, 2018 By 2 Comments
Are you about to have surgery? Or have you recently had surgery and don’t feel like you are back to “normal” yet? . “26% of surgery patients leave Intensive Care Units with new, Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.” . “Patients treated in intensive care units across the globe enter with no evidence of cognitive impairment but oftentimes leave…
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Apathy vs. Depression
December 14, 2017 By 2 Comments
What’s the difference? “Apathy and depression are two conditions that have been studied extensively in psychology. Apathy refers to the lack of interest that can be seen in a person. Depression, on the other hand, is a psychological condition where a person loses interest in daily activities and feels hopeless.” (differencebetween.com) So how does…
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PATRIOTS ~ ~ NFL ~ ~ CTE
September 24, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Aaron Hernandez’s autopsy has proven that when he died at age 27, he had Stage 3 of 4 stages of CTE ! CTE is Chronic Traumatic Encephalophy. Hernandez was a player with the New England Patriot’s prior to his suicidal death. We’ve all heard this phrase ~ CTE ~ over the past few years as…
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Making Good Memories
September 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I have just returned from a dream-trip of a lifetime. This trip has been on my “bucket list” for years and I will carry the memories with me forever… so many over the top experiences. I’ve known for my 20+ years of working in the dementia field, that there are many family members who think…
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5 Stages of Parkinson’s Disease
May 29, 2017 By 2 Comments
When people see a picture of Michael J. Fox, I believe they automatically think of Parkinson’s Disease. He is the one person who we associate with this disease because he is so well known and has been so vigilant in sharing his story. Let’s take a look at the stages of this disease. According to…
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