Battling Alzheimer

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)

It sounds so final. 

It sounds cruel.

It sounds like death.

Do not resuscitate (DNR) order is a part of advanced medical directives allowed by federal law passed in 1991, expanding the notion of patient autonomy to situations in which they may not be able to make crucial medical decisions due to incapacitation. It instructs medical personnel not to perform life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or other procedures to restart the heart or breathing once they have ceased. By law, the DNR directive must be offered as an option to patients by health providers in, and in some states, out of a hospital setting. Once signed, the DNR directive must be placed in the in the patient’s chart. (Encyclopedia of Surgery: A guide for Patients and Caregivers)

My true confession; yesterday, I talked about the fact that we fall into the trap of not talking about end of life issues with the hopes that they will just go away.  I understand that quite well.

More →

Share This

I have been sort of avoiding writing this post.  As I have described each stage of Alzheimer’s disease, I can remember my mother and how she declined through the stages.  I can remember the anxiety and fear that each stage brought (for me).  I can remember feeling sick in my gut as I realized that she was coming to the end.  I recall wondering, how will it actually happen?  How long does this stage last?  How will she actually die and more importantly, how will I possibly live without my favorite girl in the whole wide world.  Well, that answer is for another post at another time, but for now, I have to talk with you about stage seven, the final stage of Alzheimer’s disease.  I have to tell you what will happen while your loved one still lives.  To say that stage seven is difficult is like saying that gas prices are a little high, it’s a gross understatement.

Stage 7

More →

Share This

Do Alzheimer’s patients have civil rights? Of course, they do. But what are they? How do they get them? In the area of civil rights, they are under a double or triple cloud. Last month the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK issued a new report about abuses of Alzheimer’s patients.

Why do Alzheimer’s patients have trouble getting their civil rights? First, they are vulnerable and powerless. You can’t stage a protest march when you’re in a wheelchair and need someone to push it. You can’t organize a boycott when you no longer pay your own bills. You can’t give impassioned speeches if you can’t organize your thoughts. And a disproportionate number of people with dementia are African American or Hispanic, since those groups have a disproportionate amount of stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

More →

Share This

I’m not a professional Alzheimer’s caregiver. I’m a grandson. I’ve been recognized for my work in taking care for my grandmother at a home health conference, but I’ve never formally studied the disease. I’ve just studied my grandmother. Through this blog, I’ll be sharing some of what I’ve learned, and what others have learned, about how to face and fight Alzheimer’s disease. My grandmother died in 2006 in her early nineties. We could have done much better for her. You can read more about this blog on our About page.

During the two years that I lived with my 90-year-old grandmother and helped her with her Alzheimer’s, I had to explain her condition to many healthcare workers, respite workers, and well-meaning relatives. I wrote pages and pages of instructions. And what were in those instructions? Of course, I explained her routines and habits, suggesting how to make her feel more comfortable. Like many elderly Alzheimer’s patients, she also suffered from blindness, deafness and arthritis, so she was challenged, as they say.

More →

Share This