New Guidelines For Early Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's

Please check out this video that contains new guidelines for earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease dementia. Being able to diagnose the disease as early as possible can lead to treat that will slow down the progress of symptoms!

EARLIER ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE DETECTION

November 2009 - Alzheimer's Awareness Month

It's November 2009 and Alzheimer's Awareness is upon us once again. If only the grocery stores carried products with purple ribbons on them, like they do in October for breast cancer awareness. Because so many families in this country are affected by Alzheimers dementia! If you are affected, please put a purple ribbon where people can see it, and take the time to explain a little about it to anyone who shows an interest.
As our population ages, the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease seems to be increasing. Several of my friends have had parents with Alzheimer's. Some had to quit their jobs to care for their parents, others had to deal with the constant stress of frequent travel to check on their parents and help meet their needs. How you handle it is never an easy choice; it requires balance and the ability to change as the disease changes.
I'm thinking it's time I look around my own community to see if there is an Alzheimer's memory walk of some kind this month. While I was caring for my Mom, it was too hard to participate in that kind of thing. But I think I'm ready now.

STILL MISSING MY MOTHER BUT LIFE IS GOOD

It has been 18 months since my Mother's passing and all of us still miss her. But we are moving forward and have left much of the painful memories behind. I found a little bottle of her perfume still in our bathroom closet where I put it before she went to the nursing home. Lately I've been wearing it. The fragrance makes me feel very close to her. I don't think I could have worn it last year, but time is healing the wounds left by Alzheimer's and I am grateful.

Anniversary Of My Mother's Death Approaches

February will bring the first anniversary of my Mother's death from Alzheimer's disease. We miss her very much! My first Christmas without her was so hard... I didn't expect that. Even with all my kids home, there was such a hole without my mom.
Throughout this past year I have tried to establish new traditions for holidays that remind me of her, or honor traditions that were important to her for that holiday. For example, my mother always served some kind of cabbage dish on New Year's Day to bring good luck in the coming year. This year, I made delicious egg rolls filled with ground chicken and Napa cabbage! It reminded me of her, even though she usually made cabbage rolls or red cabbage with apples.
I think it's important for loved ones to continue remembering in positive ways the person they have lost. I have many special traditions to look forward to this year, like taking an Easter lily to someone in a nursing home on Easter, sending flowers anonymously to a 'forgotten' or single mom on Mother's Day, buying food for the homeless on Thanksgiving, etc.
Thanks Mother, for making my life richer and more meaningful not only when you were alive but now and in the future. I love you.

November Is Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Each November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Having a special month to focus on such an important topic makes it easier to remind others that there are so many sufferers in America alone. And not just the patients, but also the families who care for their loved ones and watch them losing those precious memories right before their eyes. I hope you will take time to remember those who can't this November. Maybe you could add a sticker to your car, or wear a t-shirt on dress down day at work. Better yet, go to a local nursing home and ask at the desk if there is anyone who would enjoy a visit.



Stop Alzheimer's Disease Hoodie
by

memoryshoppe

7 Month Mark

We lost my mom seven months ago today. Wow, that seems impossible in some ways. And I feel the loss more acutely now than I did when she first passed on. SO many things remind me of her. And seeing photos or videos with her in them are especially hard. We all agree has passed on to a much better place but we miss her in our lives here. Alzheimer's is tough and it took her away from us long before death did. Here's a t-shirt I made in commemoration of how I feel about losing my mom:
I Miss My Mom - We Lost Her To Alzheimer's t-shirt

by

memoryshoppe

Five months and more

Wow, it's been over five months now since we lost my mother. In that time, we also lost my father in law. Our children have had a hard time dealing with losing two grandparents so close together, but are recovering well. I am grateful they had the chance to become close to my mom during the years she lived with us.
Perspective is developing for me, too, as I look back on our last few months with Mother. I'm realizing that caregiver burnout had set in for me and that the amount of time I spent/didn't spend at the nursing home each day was okay. I know Mother understands. And I do too.