Celebrating the Grammy Awards earlier this week brought to mind the power of music to heal us. Numerous studies have shown the therapeutic effects of music for those with everything from Alzheimer’s disease to autism. Anecdotally, Kim Campbell, who is now caregiver to her husband, country music icon Glen Campbell (who was diagnosed last year with Alzheimer’s), has said in several interviews that music has helped her 75-year-old husband continue to do what he loves [...]
One year closes and another begins. Here are the 2012 Alzheimer’s disease research highlights, as well as new directions that we will likely be heading during 2013. Genetic Insights: Among the important discoveries of 2012 was the identification of a genetic mutation that protects people from developing Alzheimer’s disease. The mutation in Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) significantly decreases the amount of beta-amyloid a person makes (about 40 percent), conferring a resistance to developing Alzheimer’s. Just to review, all neurons secrete APP, and [...]
Pauline Phillips, the woman you probably all know as Dear Abby and who wrote under the name Abigail Van Buren, was never afraid to bring tough topics into public discussion. Alzheimer’s disease was no exception. In 1980, long before her own diagnosis with this devastating disease, she brought dementia into the spotlight when she published a letter from a woman who had recently learned her 60-year-old husband had Alzheimer’s. The woman, who signed her letter [...]
One of the things I hate about New Year’s Resolutions is they seem to be about taking away something rather than giving yourself something. I suppose one could argue if you lose weight with more exercise and eating more nutritiously you are giving yourself a longer, healthier life. But when our brains think of resolutions as punishment rather than pleasure, it’s hard to maintain them. For caregivers, resolutions are even harder since you are typically [...]
Ah, it’s that most wonderful time of the year. The store shelves are groaning gentle reader, from the weight of merchandise placed on those shelves and the skinny arms which hold them up. Stores are crowded with more racks of clothing and the people, ah yes the people, loaded down with stuff over-flowing from their carts, picking out things for those who are naughty and nice. After all it is the season for forgiveness. [...]
In the summer of 2011, my sister Gina and I held the distinction of having two parents in the hospital at the same time. On top of that, they were in different hospitals; one hour apart. I was drawn to our mother, and my sister was pulled to our Dad. We didn’t pressure each other. Our natural abilities paired with what each parent needed at the time. Gina is a doctor in teacher’s clothing. She can read [...]
This blog is dedicated to three of our First Ladies who have led the crusade for caregivers: Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan and Rosalynn Carter. All three are passionate advocates for our nation’s 65 million caregivers because they have taken the caregiving journey themselves. Hillary Clinton – The Congressional Caregiving Champion It was a poignant moment when I read last November 1 that Hillary Clinton had lost her 92-year-old mother, Dorothy Rodham. Poignant for two reasons: [...]
I always say, if you’ve met one person with Alzheimer’s—then you’ve met one person with Alzheimer’s. Many people don’t realize how each individual has a unique experience with the disease—unique symptoms, a unique path to diagnosis and unique needs. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregiver Month, and as a member of the Alzheimer’s Association National Early-Stage Advisory Group, I’m proud to share my story to help raise awareness of disease [...]
Choice is a luxury and usually a gift. As a caregiver to a loved one, the absence of choice is a difficult concept to grasp when you are accustomed to the illusion of choice and control in your life. It is earth- shaking to have circumstance thrust upon you, pushing you towards decisions that may go against your grain. – Tania Richard My mother was diagnosed with dementia in the summer of 2011. At the [...]
My favorite cartoonist, the late Charles Schulz of Peanuts fame, wrote that, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” I wonder if he knew that happiness is just the start when it comes to enhancing the lives of older loved ones in nursing homes or assisted living, terminal patients such as those suffering from AIDS, children with special needs and even caregivers looking to improve their own health. Known as Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), there is a growing [...]
