Alzheimer's Blogging:

Calm Before The Storm



CAREGIVERS ARTICLE From Alzheimer's Weekly On Line Magazine:

"Given the fact that most people do not have a disaster plan, we are urging family, friends and caregivers to get prepared now before a natural disaster strikes."

The MIT AgeLab and the Advance 50 Team of gerontologists at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., offer new research and life-saving tips to help caregivers, family and friends of those with Alzheimer's disease who live at home prepare for a natural disaster and get their lives back on track in the aftermath.

"We are seeing a disturbing trend in the increase of violent weather across the U.S. and a rapid acceleration in the number of people with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Lisa D'Ambrosio, research scientist, MIT AgeLab. "In light of these alarming trends and given the fact that most people do not have a disaster plan, we are urging family, friends and caregivers to get prepared now before a natural disaster strikes."

Three out of four Americans are at risk for some type of natural disaster - such as hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, tornado or flood. The 5.3 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease are particularly vulnerable. According to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the likelihood of severe weather due to climate changes will only increase in the coming years. Droughts, heavy downpours, excessive heat and intense hurricanes are likely to become more common.

Based on research with caregivers in disaster prone areas, the MIT AgeLab and The Hartford Advance 50 Team identified the top 10 essential elements of a disaster plan for the nearly 10 million family members or friends who provide care for someone with Alzheimer's disease at home.

10 Tips for Caregivers

1. Build a large and diverse network that includes people outside of your day-to-day support system, but who are familiar with your loved one's memory disorder.

2. Designate a substitute caregiver to assist your loved one if a disaster is imminent or strikes while they are home alone.

3. Do not assume your professional caregiver has a plan. Develop one together.

4. Have an evacuation plan. The decision to evacuate is especially complex when someone with Alzheimer's is involved. Research where you would go. Expect noisy and crowded conditions at public disaster shelters, which could exacerbate challenging behaviors. If you need to go do not delay, you do not want to be in traffic for hours or even days.

5. Consider what strategy you would use to get your loved one to leave quickly and calmly. Anticipate resistance. Use tactics that have been successful in the past such as using a favorite possession or food to encourage cooperation.

6. Prepare a disaster kit with basic supplies as well as extra medications and copies of important papers. Expect that your loved one may have forgotten where items are stored.

7. Pack familiar, comforting items to keep your loved one occupied en route and while away, such as a portable DVD player, favorite books, pictures, music, games and comfortable clothes.

8. Sign up for the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return/Medic Alert program, which can give assistance if your loved one wanders. Six out of 10 people with Alzheimer's disease will wander at some point and this behavior is more likely under stress.

9. Plan for pets too. As difficult as it can be for anyone to be separated from pets in a crisis, for a person with Alzheimer's this separation can be even more upsetting.

10. Revaluate your plan as your loved one's disease progresses. His or her functional ability two months from now might be very different from what it is today.

Free Booklet

"Being prepared for a natural disaster is important for all of us, but it is especially critical for family caregivers of those with memory disorders, who face additional challenges during a disaster," said Cynthia Hellyar, gerontologist, The Hartford Advance 50 Team. "Changes in routine or surroundings can be very disturbing for some people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Having a plan helps you as the caregiver function calmly, which is paramount to keeping your loved one calm."

These tips and more are detailed in The Calm Before the Storm: Family Conversations about Disaster Planning, Caregiving, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. To order a free copy of the booklet - the first comprehensive natural disaster planning guide specifically created for caregivers, families and friends of those with memory disorders - visit http://www.thehartford.com/calmbeforethestorm .

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

Yes, I am the author of Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal. This book is about the daily trials and tribulations of taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease. In this Journal I share the feelings of confusion, frustration, and blessings I experienced during my ordeal. I wrote this Journal both for myself and with the hope that it might  help others deal with similar situations. It's important for caretakers to know that they're not alone, that others have experienced the same frustrations. Sometimes a caretaker feels very isolated--the world, after all, doesn't stop, despite the sense that  your world is frozen in time.  I'm hoping that this book will offer comfort to those who find themselves in that world.

It is so important to find a good support group. http://www.alz.org/apps/we_can_help/support_groups.asp  This address will help you find a support group no matter where you are in the United States.

As I read through Alzheimer's Weekly I found an article -- Without Warning (Young-Onset Alzheimer's Support Program). 

Without Warning is a program for people journeying with younger-onset Alzheimer's, facing dementia early in life. Designed to enhance vitality and quality of life, it offers education and support. By realizing that "we are not alone," everyone finds purpose, dignity and the opportunity to live each day with meaning and grace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAQZqENkGNQ&feature=player_embedded  check this out!! Without Warning!!

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint Of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

I am not a drinker. I remember when my mother in law use to drink herself to sleep. Or so drunk that she would slur her words when she talked.  I remember when I had my first baby at the catholic hospital and the nurse would bring in a glass of wine  telling me that it was good for me and help me with the milk I was producing for my baby.

Today I notice people my age who look so worn out and tired and old looking, due to their life of drinking and smoking. I am not saying that alcohol  is bad for you but any thing and everything you do in abundance of to much can have ill effects on your body.

So you can see my surprise when I read that social drinking reduces the effect of dementia. Moderate drinking means two drinks for men and one drink for a woman on a daily basis.

But for all  of you that don't drink, exercise, education and diet still is on top of the list to reduce the risk of dementia.

Check out this article on Alzheimer's Weekly:  http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/effects-drinking-365000-people

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's  Blog:

CHECK THIS OUT!  http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/geneticsfs.htm

Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Fact Sheet

Hope this helps,
Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

ALZHEIMER'S BLOGGING:

Federal Debt-Ceiling Deal and Alzheimer's Disease

As you may have seen in the news, the debt deal reached earlier this month may affect some programs important to individuals with Alzheimer's and their families. While the new law lowers some immediate spending levels, it does not affect Medicare and Medicaid and may not significantly affect funding for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of Health. The big threats loom in the near future. A new bipartisan "super committee" of 12 lawmakers created by the law, are tasked with cutting the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade, including possible cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. The Alzheimer's Association will continue to represent the needs and rights of the millions of Americans living with or caring for someone with Alzheimer's as this process unfolds in Washington D.C.
Alzheimer's Association Testifies at Congressional Hearings
The Alzheimer's Association recently testified before Congress on behalf of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias who rely on both Medicare and Medicaid (dual-eligibles). On behalf of the Association, Vice President for Public Policy Robert Egge spoke about issues such as access to care, care coordination, innovation and alignment for people with Alzheimer's using both Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the Association's ongoing efforts to provide them and their unpaid caregivers with care and support. During this Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing, Egge had the opportunity to discuss the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act before the committee with Rep. Ed Markey (MA-07), the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives. You can read our full testimony or watch a video of the entire hearing.
The Alzheimer's Association also recently testified before Congress on global Alzheimer's research efforts and the impact of Alzheimer's disease worldwide. The Association’s Chief Medical and Scientific Officer William Thies outlined the far-reaching impact of Alzheimer's on individuals, families, governments and health care systems throughout the world. He told the committee how the Alzheimer's Association recently called upon the World Health Organization to make Alzheimer's disease and other dementias a priority, and highlighted Alzheimer's Association leadership in international research through the Alzheimer's Association International Grants Program, the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, the World Wide Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. You can read his full testimony.

TAKE ACTION: Ask your Representative to cosponsor Alzheimer's legislation
The Alzheimer's Association federal legislative priorities continue to gain support in the House of Representatives. The HOPE for Alzheimer's Act currently has 74 cosponsors and the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act currently has 52 cosponsors. Please ask your Representative to support our federal priorities.

Email your member of Congress today.




Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

Smiling and attitude are big things when it comes to dementia patients. Did you ever see the movie Patch Adams? This was about a person who had to forget his own problems to help other people.  His philosophy of treating patients was through humor and compassion.  Treating a person's spirit guarantees a win regardless of the outcome. I think at the end of the movie he was told he had excess happiness. 

It is important to understand your loved one with this disease and remember that they can't help it, they didn't ask for it, and they don't want it. You have to distance yourself from the disease but not your loved one.  Start everyday with a hug and a hello. Keep in your mind that if the disease can't be cured the time spent together should still have a win, win ending.

Check out this article on Alzheimer's Weekly on line Magazine: http://alzheimersweekly.com/content/solid-advice-say-hello-each-day   

We announce and prepare ourselves and others for the fact that we have already started to fade away. It started the moment someone in a white coat told us "You have Dementia, probably of this or that type, and certainly with these features." I'm on my way out! It's all downhill from here! Don't look for me anymore; I'm going to be busy fading away and not being me.

Let's not let our loved one have this in there head. Be there for them all the time. They need encouragement to keep trying, to keep living. 

Hope this helps,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

Are you in Denial?  I had a patient the other day on my ambulance who was in her 80's and as I took care of her, I asked her all the usual questions like what is your name, how old are you, when is your birthday. She got one out of three correct. Than I got a report from the nurse who told me this patient has a history of Dementia. Makes sense I thought. As I transferred this patient to the hospital, and was giving the nurse my report I mentioned that this patient could not answer my questions correctly and that the nurse at the nursing home said she had dementia. This patients daughter was upset and proceeded to set me straight that her mother does not have dementia or was she ever diagnosed with dementia.

This is real important for you and your family member. Please ask the simple questions and if your loved one can't answer it correctly please don't get upset. Get them checked. They may have dementia and can't help it.

You all know how I love to read Alzheimer's weekly on line magazine. They have an interesting article on  Sleep Apnea Ages Your Brain.

Elderly women who suffer from sleep apnea — characterized by disrupted breathing and sleep and a reduction in the intake of oxygen — are about twice as likely to develop dementia in the next five years as those without the condition, according to a multi-center study led by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.




Check out this article: http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/sleep-apnea-ages-your-brain

Hope this helps,
Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

Have you ever wondered why your loved one gets aggravated in the middle of the afternoon.  I tried so hard to keep my father in law with a normal routine.  It is so hard to move into someones home and try to figure out there routine and keep things as normal for them as possible.  Like one of the  things I had to learn to  do was keep the drapes drawn.  I loved to have the sunshine pour into the rooms but my father in law didn't like that. I had to respect his way of living. As time went on and he became even more confused I had to use imagination to keep him occupied. I kept plastic dishes in the sink for him to wash, and towel in a basket for him to fold.

I was amazed to watch the dementia take over his mind and take his everyday personality away from him. He began to wonder and try to fix things. I had to try and keep him on some kind of schedule so that he knew what he was suppose to be doing and so I knew where he would be. I put him in a day care for four hours each day, just so I could relax. At first I put him in the day care thinking that he would make friends. After I found out that he wasn't making friends and trying to escape I found that the four hours in the day care gave me a break, one that I deeply needed.

Here is a site on Alzheimer's Weekly about agitation and the Alzheimer's Patient.
I hope this helps.
http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/agitation-alternative-treatments

Also check out my new ad on Alzheimer's Weekly Magazine:
http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/alzheimers-caretakers-journal

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
www.mariefostino.com
www.mariefostino.blogspot.com

Alzheimer's Blogging:

My girlfriend was down for ten days and just went home yesterday. She is only 58 yrs old and I have not seen her in eight years. I picked her up from the airport and she was a little over weight from the last time I had seen her. She was full of excitement and so happy be over. I went to work the next day, I work on an ambulance for 24 hrs so when my kids got home from work they kept her company. My daughter called me in a panic. She told me that my girlfriend's head all of a sudden dropped forward with her eyes shut. She could not tell if she was breathing.  In about ten minutes she lifted her head and started talking like nothing  happened. 

We left the next day for California, to go on a cruise. You see she has never been on a cruise ship and I wanted her to have this fun experience. I was so surprised to see how slow she walked and ate. In fact all of her movements were slow, real slow. While we sat and watched a show or a comic she would all of a sudden just drop her head and sleep for a few minutes and than wake up just like my daughter said she saw her do. She did not like to take the stairs to much so we would use the elevators. But once when we did take the stairs, she was walking so slow a young couple asked her if she was alright. Her answer was, "Hey I am doing pretty good for being almost 60 yrs old."  That came as a shock to me, because you see I am only one year younger than her and I feel like I am twenty years younger than her.

I am writing this post as a reminder that you are as young as you want to be. If you are still young in your heart, exercise and stay in shape you  will stay that way. But if you have yourself convinced that once you hit fifty you should be in a rocking chair the rest of your life, you will see your life pass you by.

I jumped out of an airplane when I turned 50 yrs old and enjoyed every minute of it.
Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

I remember when the late afternoon would roll around and my father in law would turn into someone else. He would be agitated, and mean. He would wander around more and seem a lot more confused than he was earlier in the day. With an Alzheimer's patient this is called Sun Downers Syndrome.  This is a late day anxiety that the care taker seems to see the patient more disruptive than usual.  There is no standard testing for Sun Downers but you can give your loved one medicine to help the patient to relax.

Check out this article from Alzheimer's Weekly http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/can-aricept-soften-sundowning  

New research provides the best evidence to date that the late-day anxiety and agitation sometimes seen in older institutionalized adults, especially those with dementia, has a biological basis in the brain.
The findings could help explain “sundowning,” a syndrome in which older adults show high levels of anxiety, agitation, general activity and delirium in late afternoon and evening, before they would normally go to bed.

Check out this article from Alzheimer's Weekly http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/content/what-causes-sundowning-frustration-chemistry

I hope these help you as you try to provide the love and  comfort to your loved one as you take care of them with this terrible Alzheimer's Disease. 

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/

Alzheimer's Blogging:

FORT MYERS, FL - The day her husband and lifelong partner Aldo was diagnosed is a day Dolores Bertolini will never forget.

"After three months of testing, we got the diagnosis. He had very early Alzheimer's disease."

It's not something that goes down easy.

"With his personality, he decided that was not a good diagnosis it was not a diagnosis for him and he was not gonna even address it and it would go away," says Dolores.

But experts advise being pro-active. One way to stay independent longer is to keep the body active. Animal testing shows a connection between exercise and the brain. Dr. Michael Raab works with the aging brain.

"The animal studies where animals exercise show that the number of new nerve cells formed in the brain when there's regular exercise is four times the number that are formed in a brain without exercise."
Preliminary research is showing much the same in humans; that staying physically fit may slow brain shrinkage.

Aerobic exercise, walking or anything that gets the heart pumping increases blood volume and promotes new cell growth. It's that cell growth that's linked to improved memory.

"So if you want to stay at home longer, then physical exercise slows the memory loss by generating new nerve cells, making the cells that are there healthier," says Dr. Raab.

And it's not just the body that could use a workout.

"By adding the brain exercises, especially the processing speed and reasoning, and retraining yourself and how to use your brain more efficiently through the memory techniques you're able to slow down the impact on your function and your ability to do things in life," says Dr. Raab.

It's well known that staying fit helps older adults without dementia offset cognitive decline. The hope is that Alzheimer's sufferers can put physical activity to work for them, too.

Check  out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8dLJvSNOk&feature=player_embedded

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/