Tag Archives: bulimia

Five Tricks for Navigating My Mom’s Dementia-Filled Days

When my mom had her mini-stroke a few weeks back, it negatively impacted her dementia in a major way. She went from exhibiting mostly mild symptoms with a few moderate ones thrown in, to exhibiting mostly moderate symptoms with a few severe ones thrown in. If I was gulping about being a caregiver before, I’m triple gulping about it now. I had hoped some of this was related to the stroke and that in time she’d come back to me. But she’s not shown any improvement. If anything, she gets a little worse each day. This has presented major challenges … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Crying on Christmas

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For people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, routines are very useful. Breaking the routine can cause stress and confusion for the patient and the caretakers. The holidays have been especially tough for my grandmother and the rest of the family. Christmas is a big change from the normal routine, from decorations around the house to braving the stores and wrapping the presents. For someone who doesn’t remember what time of year it is, thinking it’s summer and seeing a decorated tree can be a shock. Looking back, I think Christmas 2006 was really the point when I became … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Moments of Lucidity

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Friends and family who have experienced the progression of Alzheimer’s disease say that things get a lot easier once the person with the disease stops remembering. I can definitely see how that can be the case. People with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease are often combative and difficult to deal with. As example, I offer my own experiences as caretaker for my grandmother. In the early days of the disease, she was very defensive about gaps in her memory. If she couldn’t remember something, it was because nobody had told her. Sometimes, her brain would come up with a … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: What’s a Solon?

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Research has shown that one great thing you can do to keep your mind sharp is play games. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, logic problems, and more — they’re all good for your brain. My grandmother — who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease — resists many of the brain workouts we encourage her to do. One thing she’s always loved is playing Scrabble. Lucky for us, Scrabble is a good way to engage the brain… so we can get her to play on a daily basis. The last time I was home for a visit, I sat down for a Scrabble game with … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Where’s the Fruit?

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There were many moments when acting as caretaker for my grandmother was a huge source of stress and frustration. Then, there were moments that were just hysterical. My grandmother and I had been to the food store earlier in the week. It was early summer, so there was plenty of fresh fruit to choose from — we brought home a big bag of nectarines, bananas, apples, and more. I remember the nectarines specifically, because I ate one on the drive home. I couldn’t wait! A few days later, I was browsing through the kitchen cabinets, looking for a snack. Fruit, … Continue reading →

Tell Them Before It’s Too Late

Sometimes God stops us in our tracks and gives us times to recharge our batteries, whether we like it or not. This week has been like that for me. As I’ve struggled with the flu, it’s been a case of doing the essentials. Anything else has had to be put on hold. So, it’s been a week of bible study and prayer, writing my blogs but little else, and doing crosswords, reading or watching DVDs, when the head could not focus on print. This means several of my blogs have, or will, result from movies I’ve watched. One was ‘The … Continue reading →

Suspicion (1941)

Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for her role in “Suspicion” as Lina, a young woman who is given to reading books, riding horses, and living a quiet life with her parents on their country estate. She is traveling home by train when she meets up with Johnny (Cary Grant) a charming rascal who manages to “borrow” some of his train fare from her. He comes to a fox hunt on her estate and manages to schmooze her, breaking down her natural walls. When he doesn’t return as promised, she realizes how much she likes him, so much so that when … Continue reading →

Too Many Baby Boomers are Facing Alzheimer’s

A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association has some bad news about the future of Alzheimer’s disease. Right now, more than five million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease — including as many as 250,000 people under the age of sixty-five. By 2010, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that there will be five hundred thousand new cases reported each year. By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that there will be one million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease annually. The bad news focuses especially on baby boomers. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that ten million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their … Continue reading →

Final Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

The final stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be the most challenging for friends and family of a person with the disease. If you need to, take a look back at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Stage 6 is known as “moderately severe” or “mid-stage” Alzheimer’s disease. In this stage, cognitive decline is severe. A person at this stage may experience: Significant personality changes, including hallucinations, delusions, suspiciousness, paranoia, and/or compulsive, repetitive behaviors. Awareness of recent experiences, events, and surroundings is lost. Personal history is recalled imperfectly. May forget names of family and … Continue reading →

Advanced Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is divided into stages in order to help people understand the progression of the disease. We’ve already looked at the earliest stages — from no cognitive impairment to the point where a diagnosis may occur. Now it’s time to look at the next stages of the disease. Stage 4 is what doctors may call “mild” or “early-stage” Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms of moderate cognitive decline can include: Decreased knowledge of recent events. Impaired ability to perform challenging mental math — like counting backwards from 100 by sevens. Decreased ability to perform complex tasks, like planning a party or managing … Continue reading →