Recently, Gina’s mother told her the devastating news that her Uncle Jack had been diagnosed with dementia. When Gina’s husband got home from work, she quickly told him about her uncle’s “Alzheimer’s” diagnosis. Gina, her mother, and her husband began using the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” interchangeably, as if they meant the same thing, where […]
Veterans May Have a Higher Risk of Getting Alzheimer’s
Currently, 1 in 9 Americans over the age of 65 (44 million people worldwide) live with Alzheimer’s disease. These numbers are staggering! Even more startling, is research cited in the Los Angeles Times that reveals that veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are 60% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s or a late form of […]
How to Live Past 100
Q. This past year, I became interested in genealogy, and have been compiling my family tree using online resources. With some research, I found that generations before mine have included not-so-distant relatives who have lived past 100. My parents, unfortunately, both died in their 70’s. I wonder what my ancestors did right to live so […]
How Can I Reduce My Risk of Alzheimer’s?
Q. Several of my relatives on my mother’s side of the family have had Alzheimer’s, including my aunt, my uncle, and both my grandparents. My father’s sister currently has it too. I am concerned for myself and my own children, and I want to do whatever I can to reduce our risk of the disease, […]
Discriminated Against for Having the “Wrong Type of Illness”
Long-term care services, whether provided in institutions or in the community, are essential to the well-being of many elderly and non-elderly people with limitations in performing daily activities. In the United States, in particular, long-term care is disastrously expensive. And, when it comes to benefits, some people are discriminated against simply because they have the […]
Is it Dementia or Adult ADHD?
Ginny is a 58-year-old widow who struggles each day with where she puts her keys, her cell phone, her purse, and even sometimes her coffee cup after she fills it with coffee. She often has trouble following conversations, and after about 15 minutes, she doesn’t remember much of what was said at all. After observing […]
Would a Pet be Beneficial for my Mom with Alzheimer’s?
Dear Angel, My mom has Alzheimer’s and I am thinking about bringing a cat into the house to help calm her down when she gets agitated. Is pet therapy effective for those with Alzheimer’s and do you think it’s a good idea for someone like her to have a pet like you? Thanks, Kat Formamma […]
Alzheimer’s Lost Memories May Be Recoverable
Jennifer was 42 years-old when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She was heartbroken at first, wondering if she would remember the details of her first love, her child’s wobbly first steps, her overseas travels, or her 20-year career as a pediatric nurse. These things were all significant to the fabric of her life so […]
Bring Your Mom to Work: On-Site Elder Day Care at Workplaces
Karen spent many years in school to get her PhD, followed by years of work to become a tenured professor at a university, and eventually a department head. She and her husband delayed starting a family, and when she was in her mid 40’s and at the peak of her career, she had her […]
How to Stave Off Dementia
Q. I am in my mid 50’s and have a history of dementia in my family. My mother, three of my aunts, and one uncle died from it, and I want to do whatever I can to protect myself from the disease, if at all possible. My cousin lives in Japan, and he told me […]
PBS’ Nine to Ninety: Three Generations Face Questions of Aging
Phyllis and Joe Sabatini (source: NextAvenue) Juli Vizza, 44, is an Emmy award-winning producer and editor who typically tells the stories of others in her documentaries. Recently, she witnessed her Aunt Sarah struggling with the caregiving of her sick grandparents, Joe and Phyllis Sabatini (who are 89 and 90, respectively), while also caring for her […]
What Can Be Done with $350 million? (a lot, we hope)
Alzheimer’s research got a $350 million boost last week, when President Barack Obama signed the FY2016 budget into law. This historic amount marks the largest boost ever for federal Alzheimer’s research funding — a nearly 60 percent increase over FY2015 funding levels. Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death among the nation’s top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. Today, there […]
How to Survive Adult Sibling Conflict Over Elder Care, Inheritances, and More
Q. Last week, my sister, my brother, and I traveled with our families to visit our 82-year old mother for Thanksgiving (I didn’t have to go too far, since she lives ten minutes away!). Although mom says she is “just fine,” we noticed several memory lapses and other signals of her waning health throughout our […]
Mom Abused Me and is Not Indigent – Why Should I Have to Pay for Her Long-Term Care?
Filial Responsibility (by Michal Dziekan) Image Source: Wall Street Journal Dolly Eori, 90, of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, requires 24-hour care. She lives full-time with her son Joseph and suffers from cancer and Alzheimer’s. She is a widow and the mother of three adult children: Paulette Rush, Joshua Ryan, and Joseph Eori (who has Power of Attorney […]
How Do You Tell Loved Ones That You Have Alzheimer’s?
Greg O’Brien and his family (source: onpluto.org) Fifty-nine year old Greg O’Brien lives a healthy and happy life. He exercises every day, makes a good living, and spends lots of quality time with his wife and three children. Five years ago, Greg started to notice changes in himself. He was forgetting things, and his judgment sometimes seemed impaired. Meanwhile, his own mother was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. Greg […]
Be Very Afraid: Our Top Ten Scariest Articles
With Halloween upon us, now is the time when we present you with this year’s scariest & creepiest stories. From posthumous messages from loved ones to Alzheimer’s being contagious, we uncovered some scary ground. To celebrate Halloween, we’ve ranked our scariest articles for you to revisit (if you dare). As always, thank you for reading […]
Halloween Tips for When a Loved One has Dementia
Dear Commander Bun Bun, My mother has dementia and recently moved into our home. Before she was diagnosed, she loved Halloween, especially all the decorations, seeing the grandchildren dressed up in costumes, and eating the chocolate. This year, I am concerned about the stress that the doorbell ringing, the costumes, and the decorations may cause […]
Is Alzheimer’s Contagious?
There are currently 5.2 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s, and the number is expected to triple by 2050. It has long been believed that Alzheimer’s is caused only by age and genetics, but new research says person-to-person transmission of the protein that causes Alzheimer’s may be a possibility. So, does that mean that […]
Straying from Loved Ones
Q. This past summer, I went to Burke Lake Park with a friend, Mary, who has a child with autism. While purchasing a ticket for the carousel for another child, Mary’s son wandered off. After searching for a bit, and involving the park authorities and the police, he was found near the train tracks (and […]
Finding Joy in Alzheimer’s
Photo from everydayfamily.com Q. It’s National Grandparent’s Day on Sunday, September 13. My children want to do something special with their grandpa, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, ever since the diagnosis, he has resigned himself to the fact that he is sick, and has not left his house. My children can’t […]