Battling Alzheimer

I know, you don’t have time to breathe, much less find and join a support group. You are so busy providing care, running errands, taking care of the rest of your family and being an all around Saint to do anything except keep your head barely above water with your current responsibilities as you battle Alzheimer’s disease.

But before you count the idea of joining a support group out completely, consider the following excerpted from AARP’s Caring for the Caregiver (click her for entire article): More →

Every Thursday I give you a recipe. My self imposed rule is that the recipe must be inexpensive. It must be simple and it must be healthy. I suppose it should go without saying that the recipe must also be delicious.

Summer is coming, albeit v-e-r-y slowly here in Pennsylvania, and fresh fruit and veggies will soon abound. Depending on where you live, peaches, our main ingredient for today, will ripen and be ready to eat between June and August.

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Yesterday, I talked about the connection between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Today, I ran across a very interesting article and the conclusion seems to be that good nutrition and exercise for your mind and body are the best “prevention” for Alzheimer’s disease.

But here is my struggle. There are basically two types of people who read this blog. People who have Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia and their caregivers.

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Initially, it was chalked up to age. It was almost expected that a person with Alzheimer’s disease also suffered from diabetes or some other illness. The thought was that the person was aging and the other disorders were a function of an aging body and not necessarily related per se to Alzheimer’s disease.

Then the researchers started to consider the fact that people with Alzheimer’s disease were often battling other health issues such as: heart disease, stroke and especially diabetes.

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All Friday posts are dedicated to helping caregivers to care for themselves while caring for their loved ones.

The words caregiver and stress seem to be synonymous. Sometimes there is support from family and sometimes there isn’t. No matter what, caregiving is difficult work and you deserve a break.

Just in case you don’t believe it, let’s take a look at some of the key indicators of caregiver stress adapted from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

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Okay, I admit it. Thursday is one of my favorite days. I really enjoy finding recipes and sharing them with you. Yes, it does add a challenge when the parameters of healthy, inexpensive and simple are added to the mix, but hey, I am always up for a challenge. Anything to possibly make your life easier and more enjoyable as you battle Alzheimer’s disease.

Todays recipe has a bit of a Middle Eastern Flair. More →

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live with Alzheimer’s disease? I have. I used to look at my mother and wonder what she was thinking and how she was really doing.

Today, we have a glimpse into the life of someone who is living with dementia. I “met” Mary over at Alztalk.org, her story is below.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago with early onset Alzheimer’s. I’m 63. I was started immediately on Aricept, and two months later on Ebixa (called namenda in the States). Research is showing that starting both drugs early on is having better results.

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Today is Friday, the day that I dedicate to the amazing people who fall are caregivers.

You are true warriors. You battle the elements to get your loved ones to doctor’s appointments, You battle your grief as you go about providing care while you are tired, frustrated and wondering how you’ll be able to make it. You battle Alzheimer’s disease daily. Sometimes you get a thank you and sometimes you don’t. But you always keep on going.

After a few days of talking about hospice, I’ll wrap up the week by telling you how hospice can help you as a caregiver. You may be tempted to skip over this because your loved one is not anywhere near the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease. However, I encourage you to read on because the more informed you are, the easier it will be to make a decision when the time comes.

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Well, it’s that time again. Time for A Recipe For Life. My goal, as always, is to provide you with delicious recipes that are healthy, inexpensive and simple. It used to be that the healthy part was the challenge, but today, it’s definitely challenging to find recipes that are healthy, simple, delicious AND inexpensive. Today’s recipe definitely meets the criteria. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Battling Alzheimer’s disease is difficult enough, so I hope that these recipes help to lighten your load a little.

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This week, I am discussing hospice care. I’ve talked about what it is and isn’t and what it does and does not do. In addition, yesterday, I discussed some of the myths and misconceptions of hospice care. Today, I’ll discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing hospice care.

First the advantages:

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