Alzheimer's Canyon

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Jane: Kudos to the Netherlands!

In a move to make the entire country of the Netherlands "dementia-friendly," they have created a website with tips and training modules for people in business, government, and health care. This is amazing! Once certified, a business or institution will be able to carry a logo indicating that they are dementia-friendly. Anyone want to do this in your own community?

Check it out: https://samendementievriendelijk.nl/tips-omgaan-met-dementie (No fear, it translates to English....)

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Sky: Alzheimer's Sleaze

Today I pulled up a video on the computer that promised a cure for Alzheimer's. Yep, a reversal of symptoms in 21 days. Complete cure in a month. All with ingredients from your local grocery store. This, after the video’s would-be“neurologist’s” dramatic prediction that, without the treatment plan they offer, the person with Alzheimer's who they profile in the video would be unable to recognize her own children after three months. After all, her MRI scan showed her brain to be mostly transformed into “a big black hole."

The narrator of the video urged viewers to act fast because at any minute the web site might be taken down by the powers-that-be at the Big Pharma, multi-national legal drug cartels.

Sky: Good Coach

A lot has been written lately about ways to “prevent” or “delay” dementia --

24 researchers in a study recently published in the Lancet reviewed the literature and found that the following factors impact dementia risk:

• Avoiding or treating hearing loss in mid-life

• Diabetes and obesity

• Getting an education (remaining in school after the age of 15)

• Getting physical exercise

• Not smoking

• Reducing depression and social isolation

• Reducing high blood pressure

I was surprised to see that keeping the brain busy did not make the list. I thought “use it or lose it” was common knowledge when it comes to physical and mental fitness as we age. Dr. P puts physical exercise at the top of the list, and I tend to agree with him. I notice how quickly I tend to lose bodily fitness when I’m not keeping active. Why should brain fitness be any different? So, I will just (very unscientifically) fold brain fitness into the physical exercise category, above.

Sky: Alzheimer's Canyon, Part 8

…..Having just barely escaped the clutches of two employees of the Shady Way Home, our hero pauses for a look around and to make a plan….

[thinking out loud]…Yeah, let’s get re-oriented here. Gotta be careful. I want to see them first, before they see me,

Whoever “they” is…or are.

“Ha, Ha. Lil’ feller, You’re plumb out of luck on that strategy. Ah’m ALWAYS gonna see you first on account of y’all NEVER gonna see me first, or EVER!!”

Sky: Alzheimer's Canyon, Part 7

When we last saw our intrepid traveler, he was in the midst of an awkward encounter with two employees of The Shady Way Home, who were determined to properly clothe him after a rough landing in Alzheimer’s Canyon…..

“I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just that this thing looks like a plastic diaper,” I explain to them.

“You know, hun, that’s because it is a plastic diaper. I wish I could offer you a selection of pastel colors that would be most attractive on you, but you’ll have to wait until we get back to the Home for that.”

“Hold it a minute,” I say. “I’m not going to any Home tonight. And besides, I’ve never been to your Shady Home, ever. And I don’t plan on starting anytime soon, like...ever…”

Tips on Reading Alzheimers Canyon

As of May 2018, there are now over 100 subscribers to our blog. And by "our" we mean not just Sky and Jane, but also everyone who reads and generally follows along with this journey into dementia. We read every single comment you all add with great interest. Please feel free to chime in.

We've learned a lot from your comments and expect to learn more as the journey unfolds. We've found it is too much try to reply individually to each comment on the blog, especially in a timely manner.....remember... some of these words, like the brain behind them, may have "loosed their anchors to time."

For new or bemused readers, this blog has two simultaneous threads going on at the same time. Some written by Sky, who is living with a diagnosis of "Probable Early Alzheimer's Disease." Some are written by Jane, who has been living with Sky for over 30 years. She holds the complicated position of primary care-partner.

The bulk of the posts are reflections on real-life challenges, adventures, surprises and their attendant emotions and changes. When you open the blog you will see a small selection of a small selection of the most recent posts. Most of these lead to a READ MORE button which will get you to the rest of the post. Feel free to jump around.

The other part of the blog is a more fantastical story, called Alzheimer's Canyon, about a regular guy, innocently traveling life's highway, who unexpectedly ends up in an exceedingly bizarre place called Alzheimer's Canyon. It is important to read these episodes in order. Here's how: Scroll down to the list called LABELS, on the right-hand sidebar. Click on the Label called Alzheimer's Canyon and you will see all the episodes. Don't forget to visit them in order, starting with "The Arrival." All the other episodes will be obvious from the number in their titles.

Keep in touch...