The advisory council of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act will convene for the first time tomorrow (September 27) at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Administration on Aging headquarters in Washington, D.C.
National Alzheimer’s Project Act, signed into law in January, will create a coordinated national plan to overcome the Alzheimer’s crisis and will ensure the coordination and evaluation of all national efforts...
That is the question I’ve been answering all weekend regarding my brother. My daughter casually lobbed it at me while I did laundry and printed off airline boarding passes. Later I heard a version of it from my sister.
The short answer of course is “Yes”. We’re all going to die. We know this quite well in my family. Death is common enough to us that we talk about it openly. What everyone...
We all know how to handle stress:
- eat, but not too much
- sleep
- exercise
- follow a routine but be flexible
- lean on others
- pray
- use the right tool for the problem (ok you might not know this one but it fits… trust me)
- eat some chocolate
I could’ve of used all of these today.
It’s been a long week and an even longer day today. The week had been extended by multiple away soccer...
Last night, we aired our first call-in talk show on Your Caregiving Journey. We asked you to share your answer to this question: What do you know about dementia that the world doesn’t?
Thanks so much to those who called in to share with myself and Bette, who helps run the show. You can listen to our show via the player below. Be sure to listen to the end for a terrific insight from Kathy.
Our next call-in...
I’ve come to enjoy my running dialogues with Mom. These verbal give and takes are as much about discovery and time together as they are about actual communication. They give me some idea of where Mom is mentally and emotionally and I don’t think I’ve ever spent as much time just talking and listening to her as I do now. Sometimes the conversations feel like treasure hunts. You never know what you’re...
Tomorrow, at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. PT), we begin a new segment on Your Caregiving Journey. We’ll be taking your calls, with your questions and comments, every-other Tuesday evening.
I’ll host our 30-minute show; Bette will be manning the phone lines and monitoring our chat room. Each show, we’ll ask for your suggestions, comments or solutions.
During tomorrow’s show,...
An interesting article appeared today on the website of the Daily Press newspaper. Here’s the gist of the article (“Pat Robertson Says It’s Okay to Divorce Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease“):
(Pat Robertson) was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder. The question was posed...
Me: Mom it’s Dad’s birthday today, he’s 90 years old.
Mom: He’d too old to go anywhere, he better just stay here.
Me: Mom it’s Dad’s birthday today, he’s 90 years old.
Mom: After today we’ll have another Birthday for him next week.
Me: I think turning 90 once is good enough. You’re going to wear Dad out.
Me: Mom it’s Dad’s birthday today, he’s...
I avoided all news channels this past weekend. The memorials and scenes from 9-11 were too much for me to take in. Like everyone of age, I remember precisely where I was and what I was doing ten years ago that fateful morning. In some ways my world changed very little. Ten years ago I was already on active duty and living on a military installation, and I had also already been on the ground previously in...
This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Dr. Benjamin Mast joined me a for a terrific discussion. Dr. Mast is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Associate Clinical Professor in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville (Kentucky). You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.
The inspiration for today’s show was a...
My family and I fared fine in the “Storm of the Century” and I’ve been reminded of the importance of knowing which way is “down wind” when walking your dog during a hurricane. Broken limbs and fallen branches have created a mess in our yard. When my kids asked who was going to clean this up I countered with the question who’s yard was it? We spent a long day yesterday raking and cleaning creating...
Last year I posted my first blog here on Caregiving.com, titled “Never Thought of This One“. You guys graciously welcomed my ramblings. My subject then was the many considerations involved in placing loved ones into a facility including, I discovered suddenly last year, destructive weather considerations.
Fast forward almost exactly one year and once again I find myself considering what to do...
Yesterday on Your Caregiving Journey, we began our new monthly series on dementia care. Claire Day, Vice President of Constituent Services for the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter, joined us to explain what Alzheimer’s is, its warning signs and to answer two questions from a listener. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. (Note: Claire will join us on the...
While visiting with my parents today a staff member let me know that another resident had just died that morning. I could instantly tell it was hitting all of the staff hard. They were doing their best to go about their duties and keep things as normal as possible for the balance of the residents but they were hurting. It made me think of all of the people who assist us Caregivers: hospice workers, aides,...
I can’t keep my hands off of Mom and Dad. Seems like every visit I put my hands (or a chin… don’t ask) on their heads. Yesterday I tugged at Pop’s chin and told him it was about time for a shave. Mom is from the generation when women wore hats in public so every visit I play with whatever she happens to have on her head at the time. We also play footsie, rub knees, tug at each others arms...
“There he is!”
That’s how Mom greeted me the other day. I was relieved. Although it had only been a few days since I had last been there. Still I half expected her to shout out, “Where have you been?”
Since I haven’t blogged here since early July you would be excused if you said the same thing. In my defense it has been a busy summer: music camp which involved driving 1,300 miles...
What do you think can be done in order to cure Alzheimer’s? What can be done to help family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s?
You can share your thoughts and ideas on August 4 at 8 p.m. ET, when the Alzheimer’s Association will host its first ever Tele-Town Hall. The purpose of the tele-town hall is to gather feedback on which issues the U.S. government should address in the National...
Posted by
Denise on Jul 21st, 2011 in
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About 10 years ago, Dick, who cared for his wife with Alzheimer’s until her death, moderated the men’s online support group for me on Caregiving.com. He was close to 90 and fun, witty and caring. He was a catch.
Genie thought so, too. She met Dick in a support group for persons caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s. Her husband resided in an assisted living facility. So, Dick, now widowed,...
It’s hot in Chicago, which is why I’m trying to keep my cool.
I received an email yesterday with this subject line: “Family Caregivers Get Much-Needed Break from Adult Day Care Services.” Just reading this subject line makes me hot. Because I know what’s coming in the text: Researchers actually spent money to determine that adult day services help family caregivers. Oh, and along the...
Posted by
Denise on Jul 18th, 2011 in
Denise's Blog,
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In our 2011 Family Caregiver Survey, we asked: Which websites do you recommend to other family caregivers?
We’re happy to share the list with you today (and thanks to all who recommend Caregiving.com!!). And, please feel free to add other favorites in our comments section, below.
Dementia
Holly Eburne: www.hollyeburne.com/
Lewy Body Dementia Association: www.lbda.org
Alzheimer Spouse:...
A new website needs family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementia to participate a research study funded by the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health).
The site, iCarefamily.com, is being developed by Photozig (at the NASA Research Park) and Stanford University, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association and other organizations.
The goal...
In our 2011 annual family caregiver, we asked you about technology you’d like to use in your caregiving role. 30% of survey respondents said they’d like to use technology to monitor their carees. If you’re in one room of the house, you’d like to be able to monitor your caree’s activities in another room.
TechCrunch.com reported yesterday on new iPhone app from a company called evoz to...
