"I’ve learned how real and pervasive ageism is... It reflects poorly that our imagination is so stunted and limited when it comes to aging — that we can’t see all the gifts that are lost, all the creativity and the care and the relationships that are lost when we don’t [...]
In pre-pandemic times, people who got diagnosed with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s had a lot to deal with and worry about: medications, treatments, doctors’ appointments, and all the emotional stress. But they didn’t have to worry about a deadly virus in addition to dealing with the stressors [...]
This reflection begins in my current location in the central highlands of Mexico. It includes flashbacks to growing up on a large farm in the Midwest – and later returning to be a care partner with my parents. Attempting to tie it together is the focus on music and spirituality [...]
“People without dementia are not used to enforced isolation, or social and physical distancing, whilst people with dementia experience it from the day we dare to share our diagnosis.” – Kate Swaffer Do you ever wonder about stigma and where it begins? Have you ever experienced it? How does stigma [...]
During the September observance of "Dementia Awareness Month 2020," we again raise the question, "Why Study Alzheimer's?" In this April 2016 post, republished with video in February 2020, Kyrie Carpenter challenged conventional views about "the war to eradicate Alzheimer's disease" and questioned whether Alzheimer's is a disease. The post below appeared on [...]
Did you know that many foods common in the standard American diet are actually damaging to the brain? Find out the best and worst foods to eat, and so much more during this LIVE online event! Click here to register! Alzheimer’s is currently affecting over 5.8 million Americans - and [...]
I was offered a “pass.” It was a routine appointment approximately one year following Mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in late 1997. The physician quietly handed over to me a written order saying, “Admission to nursing home.” And then he waited silently for my response. Having toured the area nursing homes [...]
2002-2003 Those were the SARS years, but communications were so different in the early 2000’s! The internet was still quite new – and most hospitals did not yet have websites. Our regional television networks and newspapers reported on the threat of the SARS pandemic and we learned that older people [...]
"Some experts worry that a long-standing shortage of palliative care professionals ― who focus on the physical pain and mental and spiritual distress caused by serious illness — could leave many COVID-19 patients in distress... 'There is already a shortage, which will only worsen as demand goes up because of [...]
"Though this study doesn’t explain why flavonoids have this beneficial effect on Alzheimer’s disease, it’s clear that high, long-term dietary intake of a wide range of flavonoids is associated with lower risks of dementia in adults. However, it doesn’t claim flavonoids cure dementia, nor will consuming flavonoids on their own [...]