Preventing Alzheimer's

Preventing Alzheimer’s

The ideal time to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s is not when you begin manifesting symptoms of the disease.  The ideal time is today by:

1.  Healthy Eating

Healthy eating means dining mainly on the following foods, listed in the order of importance and amount:

 Leafy green vegetables and other vegetables

Fruits

Beans and legumes

Seeds and Nuts

Whole Grains

(I have been reading Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.  I’ve been eating the nutrient-rich diet he recommends.  I feel full and energetic all day and have lost 9 pounds in 1½ months.)

2.  Physical Exercise

Participate in aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes daily. 

My husband and I walk or hike.  Other exercise could include swimming, tennis, biking, basketball, running, skating, dancing…

3.  Adequate Sleep

Sleep at least seven or eight hours a night. 

My husband has often said that sleep deprivation was the cause of his memory and cognitive problems (Alzheimer’s Disease). He has commented repeatedly that he wants to make sure his children get the proper amount of sleep.

4.  Mental Exercise

Daily mental exercise could include sudoku, crossword puzzles, reading, card games, educational courses, writing, word games, math…

5.  Manage Stress

Keep life in balance.  Learn to say no when life is too busy.  Pursue relaxing activities such as yoga, socializing and crafting.

Sources:

University of Utah Neurology Clinic

The Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription by Vincent Fortanasce, M.D.

Preventing Alzheimer’s by William Rodman Shankle, M.S., M.D. and Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

The Alzheimer’s Answer by Marwan Sabbagh, M.D.

Fear: Am I Going to Get It?

 Am I going to get it?

I think just about everybody worries they are getting Alzheimer’s disease or they will get it.   When a parent is first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, children and siblings especially panic.  Is it in the genes?  Am I destined to get it?    Interesting enough, my husband has an identical twin brother with no sign of the disease.

When we can’t find our keys, we think we have it.  When we can’t remember someone’s name, we’re sure we are in the beginning stages.    We all have moments of forgetfulness.  Alzheimer’s is beyond “senior moments.”

Six years ago, things didn’t seem quite right with my husband.  He was  manifesting behaviors that just weren’t typical of him.  One day when I was leaving to go somewhere, he asked several times what time I would return.  In the past, he never asked a question twice.  Unlike me, he got it the first time.

A few weeks later, we were spending time with my siblings and their spouses at my sister’s cabin.  My sister and her husband were teaching us how to play a new card game, Hand and Foot.  My husband wasn’t catching on to the game at all.   Oh my goodness, I thought. I’m even catching on to this game.  Why on earth isn’t he getting it?  He’s one of the smartest people I know.  He always catches on to things.

On another occasion my husband was fixing omelets for dinner.  Omelets were his specialty.  He cracked eggs into the blender, then proceeded to add the green peppers and ham to be blended.  Needless to say, they were very interesting omelets.

With the encouragement of my husband’s siblings, we made an appointment with a neurologist.  Among other exercises, the neurologist asked him to draw a clock.  My husband, a civil engineer, drew a nice round circle.  Then, he placed the clock numbers outside of the circle.  They were not evenly spaced at all, which ordinarily would have driven him crazy. 

When the doctor asked him to draw hands to signify 11:10 on the clock, he was unable to do it.  The inability to draw a clock and place the hands in the correct places is typical of people who are struggling with Alzheimer’s Disease.

When the love of my life was diagnosed with this terrible disease, I was heartbroken. 

I'm sad for everyone who has it.  I'm sad for anyone who is going to get it.  I wonder if I will.  You wonder if you will.   But life is too beautiful and short to waste time worrying about whether we will or won’t.  Knowledge is different than worry.  It's power.

For more information on the signs of Alzheimer’s go to www.alz.org  At the top of the page, click Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  Then click on Know the 10 Signs.

Good News:

The good news is that many doctors believe there are four basic things we can do throughout our lives to either delay or prevent Alzheimer’s.   My husband’s neurologist at the University of Utah agrees.   We will talk about these in my next blogpost.  I will also suggest books you can read on the subject.

See you then!

Caregiver Help

Alz Well

Urinating in a heater vent.  Asking the same question ten times in five minutes.  Hiding keys, nail clippers, pocket knives under pillows and beds.   Walking boldly into the house next door.    Getting lost on vacation in a large city.  Yelling unreasonably at spouse, children, and grandchildren.  Refusing to cooperate with loved ones.  Unable to figure out what to order at a restaurant.  Unable to figure out the tip or how to make the payment at the restaurant.  Giving passionate kisses at Costco.  Telling untrue stories at a dinner party.  Driving dangerously.  Burning food and forgetting to turn off the stove.

These are typical situations caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease patients face daily.  Some of these scenarios are mine.  Others were confided by care-giving friends.  It’s difficult to fathom our intelligent, charming loved ones have come to this!

Who are dementia caregivers?  They are not just spouses or others living in the same home. 

They are:

            siblings

            children and grandchildren

            nieces and nephews

            friends

            next-door neighbors

            in-laws and out-laws

They are you.  They are me.

It’s stressful business caring for a parent, spouse, or friend suffering from this monstrously incurable disease.   Sometimes it’s more than overwhelming.  What to do? We didn’t ask for this.  It’s been thrown at us like a dirty rotten tomato in slow motion.

As I discover new ways in dealing with my unsolicited new role, I’d love to share my findings with you.  I would also love insight and advice from you, the reader.

Future posts on Alz-Well will include:

·      Facing fears

·      Nurturing caregivers 

·      Communicating with Alzheimer’s patients

·      Keeping healthy – physically and mentally

·      Dealing with troubling behavior

·      Keeping socially active

·      Engaging the help of friends and family

·       Care-giving resources

·      Helpful books, articles and websites

·      Keeping up with hobbies and finding new ones.

Is it possible to be happy as a caregiver?  We’ve got to be, at least most of the time.  Let’s figure out ways to find joy, so at the end of the day we can truthfully say,  Alz-Well. 

Let’s discover Alz-Well together.

Alzheimer's: A New Journey

                                                Alzheimer's and Dementia: a new journey