Semantic deficits in Alzheimer’s disease have been widely documented, but little is known about the integrity of semantic memory in the prodromal stage of the illness. The aims of the present study were to: (i) investigate naming abilities and semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to healthy older subjects; (ii) investigate the association between naming and semantic knowledge in aMCI and AD; (iii) examine if the semantic impairment was present in different modalities; (iv) study the relationship between semantic performance and grey matter volume using voxel-based morphometry. Results indicate that both naming and semantic knowledge of objects and famous people were impaired in both aMCI and early AD groups, when compared to healthy age- and education-matched controls. Item-by-item analyses showed that anomia in aMCI and early AD was significantly associated with underlying semantic knowledge of famous people but not with semantic knowledge of objects. Moreover, semantic knowledge of the same concepts was impaired in both the visual and the verbal modalities. Finally, voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed that semantic impairment in aMCI and AD was associated with cortical atrophy in the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) region as well as in the inferior pre-frontal cortex (IPC), some of the key regions of the semantic cognition network. These findings suggest that the semantic impairment in aMCI may result from a breakdown of semantic knowledge of famous people and objects, combined with difficulties in the selection, manipulation and retrieval of this knowledge.

from Neuropsychologia

More than $20 million in grants has been awarded to Rush University Medical Center through provisions in the American Revitalization and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). ARRA provides funds to advance scientific and medical knowledge while providing the resources to jump-start the U.S. economy.

 The grants awarded to Rush will provide investigational studies in asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, orthopedics, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, aging and other equally important areas of research. 

 “The success of our faculty in receiving these new and supplemental awards will be instrumental in generating new jobs at Rush and fueling economic activity not only in the West Loop, but throughout Metropolitan Chicago,” said Dr. James Mulshine, vice president and associate provost for research at Rush.

The 28 grants will provide funds for Rush to recruit new faculty, train new scientists and continue to enhance the Rush faculty’s efforts to translate research outcomes from bench to bedside to community in Rush’s areas of research strength.

Read a news release about the ARRA grants.

Title: Government response to Professor Sube Banerjee’s report on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia

Skinny: Government response to Professor Sube Bannerjee’s independent clinical review of the use of anti-psychotic drugs.  This was conducted in recognition of widespread concern about the over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, and as part of the priority being given to improving care for people with dementia.

Publisher: DH

Size of Publication: 2p.

Published: 12/11/2009

Title: The use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia: Time for action. A report for the Minister of State for Care Services

Skinny: Clinical review of the use of anti-psychotic drugs conducted in recognition of widespread concern about the over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, and as part of the priority being given to improving care for people with dementia.

Publisher: DH

Size of Publication: 63p.

Published: 12/11/2009

An Amazing Story Dealing with Behavioral Issues and Dementia

By Lori La Bey

This is a must see video.  I missed it myself and have to say “Thanks,” to my friend Molly Cox, for telling me of this Fox 9 story line.  If you are dealing with a loved one with dementia, or work in a community which provides services to someone with dementia, I promise this will be worth your time to watch.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/In-Depth-Hidden-Heaven-nov-24-2009

 I would love to hear your thoughts after viewing this story.  

Don’t forget to check out Lakeview Ranch and the Dementia Care Foundation Organization on the same page as the video clip.

Saint Lucy’s Day, Sweden and Sicily.

29.11.09 Thanksgiving leftovers and avocado turkey wraps after this national holiday day. Or the table before – and preparing – it. Thanksgiving menu and over-stuffed onions as an appetizer. And, furthermore, as I am Italian, I would ask to all of you from America when, ehm, Thanksgiving is…

04.11.09 - Apples. Is it true that apples stave off Alzheimer’s disease, protect against colon cancer and prevent high blood pressure? Recipes with them…

28.08.09 Do you like icecreams? And how? Which flavours? Let’s try the icecream with white chocolate or almonds… And food with rice? Ice cream makers.

Vanilla icecream, Vanilla Toffee Crunch and Chunky Monkey

Vanilla Bean, Strawberries & Cream, Double Chocolate, Mango & Passion Fruit Madness, Lemon Meringue, Cappuccino and Sticky Toffee Fudge

Mango & Banana Smoothie, Banana & Strawberry Smoothie, Frozen Yogurt, Cappuccino and Chocolate Icecream

Texas and turkey burgers. Texas burgers and photos… Do you like turkey burgers, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables? How do you cook them? Fried turkey, butter and cheese on the potatoes and butter on the mixed veggies? Too “fat” recipe?

- Spicy Beans with Turkey Sausage

- – -

I thought to share with you a traditional Sicilian plate, the “cuccia” that is eaten on December, 13. I found this website in English that publishes a recipe – or a second and third one. How to make cuccia is also explained in another page or even this one from a religious point of view. If you like to try it, you can also log on this yellow-coloured page. I will ask my mother if I should add anything – a comment or anything else – about the recipes and these pages. Besides, here there is a website of Faith Willinger, who should be a journalist who deals with food… General food….

In Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany. Chickpea flour and olive oil – or even onions and black pepper or sage – and… you can cook the farinata almost as in Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany… And, besides, is it called a pancake or a cake? Please also be aware how “biblioteca comunale” and “farinata” are written and how your “merenda” tastes…

- Your favourite travel destination (please vote)

- Which is your best song? (please vote)

Opera, an European browser, and Mozilla, Linux and Apple

Spreadthesign, the sign language dictionary. European Commission – Education & Training

Friday December 12, 2008

updated on Sunday November 29, 2009

calogeromira.wordpress.com – e-mail

Does this search engine save watts/hour?

Today was the Alzheimer’s Association Greater-Michigan Chapter annual fundraising event, The Chocolate Jubilee.  Apparently, this event is in its 23^rd year.  I’ve never heard of it but, then again, I barely knew what “Alzheimer’s” was until 6 months ago.

Mom and Dad learned about The Chocolate Jubilee during the 7-week couples’ support group they attended this fall via the Alzheimer’s Association.  We went as a family to the luncheon, including my Mom’s sister (Aunt Kathy) and her daughters who are my close cousins (Katie and Karrie).  I’m not sure what we all expected from the event, except that we were very interested in hearing from the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Richard Taylor, a retired organizational psychologist whom has been living with an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis for six years now.

Dr. Taylor was remarkable.  He started off saying he got nervous when he couldn’t find his speech notes a little while ago.  :)  He flew to the event with the help of his wife, his permanent traveling companion now; apparently, he can’t travel alone anymore because he can’t keep track of his itinerary or maneuver confusing airports, etc.  Something we have to look forward to with Dad, I’m sure.

He read some excerpts from his book, Alzheimer’s from the Inside Out.  It’s a collection of diary entries/articles he wrote privately for his own peace of mind, but discovered upon sharing them once that they had value beyond his own two eyes.  I am very anxious and excited to read the book!  This is one piece of research information I haven’t come across yet which I think will be invaluable!  To get inside the mind of someone living with Alzheimer’s, to get a glimpse of what they see, feel how they feel…  I want desperately to understand my dad’s (ever-shifting?) point of view as much as humanly possible so that I connect with him stronger and communicate with him better – on his level.  I AM SO EXCITED THIS BOOK EXISTS!!! 

 a progressive neurological disorder. The disease is a form of dementia accounting for 50% of all dementia types.

Characterized by:

• personality changes
• memory loss
• cognitive decline
• decreased social processing

Although each person with Alzheimer’s is different, most progress through a series of stages, each of which is characterized by more serious Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Mild Stage (duration 2-4yrs)

• memory disturbance
• careless work habits
• still fine with familiar routines

Moderate Stage (duration 2-10yrs)

• more substantial loss of cognitive function
• changes with language
• paraphasias – use words in wrong context
• repetitive speech
• profound confusion
• changes in motor disturbance (use of hair brush etc)
• forgetfulness and indifference
• ADLs missing/ not occurring

Severe Terminal Stage

• all mental capabilities are lost
• decreased movement
• rigid flexor posturing
• incontinence
• no ability for self care

Adolescent girls who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) pay more attention to negative facial expressions when they’re in a bad mood, according to this study from Germany. Mood-dependent therapy focusing on attentional issues might well be studied in addition to other interventions for BPD, the authors suggest.

RESULT: Attentional Bias in Later Stages of Emotional Information Processing in Female Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder
Psychopathology | Nov 6, 2009

Search: personality disorder

Results of a 134-patient trial showing that mentalization-based treatment (MBT) has superior results for outcomes such as self-harm when compared with the structured therapy for BPD recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence. MBT requires less training for clinicians, according to the authors of this study, and is easier to implement in an outpatient setting.

RESULT: Randomized Controlled Trial of Outpatient Mentalization-Based Treatment Versus Structured Clinical Management for Borderline Personality Disorder
American Journal of Psychiatry | Oct 15, 2009

Search: borderline personality disorder

This new single-blind trial from the University of Toronto suggests that psychiatrists with expertise in BPD can achieve results just as good as those from therapists trained in dialectical behavior therapy, which has been shown to be effective in previous trials.

RESULT: A Randomized Trial of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Versus General Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder
American Journal of Psychiatry | Sep 15, 2009

Search: dialectical behavior therapy

______________________________________________________________

SEARCH TIP: Related concepts

All three of these related searches, using different terms, occurred on the same day last week.

To be sure you’ve caught everything new on a topic in question, it makes sense to do separate searches using related terms from articles relevant to your topic.

It may also help to look at the list of Related Concepts in the left column.

_____________________________________________________________

OTHER RECENT SEARCHES ON SEARCHMEDICA

Search: Tourette’s syndrome

RESULT: Thalamic deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory Tourette syndrome: Two-year outcome
Neurology | Oct 27, 2009

A prospective multicenter study from Italy and the UK shows that deep-brain stimulation significantly reduces obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among patients with intractable Tourette syndrome. Also, there was a marked reduction in the severity of tics and (perhaps not surprisingly) quality of life improved.

Search: bipolar disorder and crime

RESULT: A Psychiatrist’s Worst Nightmare? Psychiatrist Stabbing Raises Concerns
Psychiatric Times | Nov 2, 2009

A stabbing by a patient at Massachusetts General Hospital’s bipolar clinic late last month renews concern about the growing problem of violent attacks on psychiatrists. This article includes resources to help you defend yourself against the risk.

Search: alzheimer dementia

RESULT: JAD Volume 18, Number 2
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease | Oct 2, 2009

There may be some articles on Alzheimer dementia in the collection of abstracts behind this uninformative link title. Unfortunately, you can’t identify them at a glance.

_____________________________________________________________

SEARCH TIP: Journals that complicate your search

Most major journals (including those below) make it easy for a search engine to locate article abstracts individually. Each abstract appears on a separate Web page, with a convenient link to full text.

But some journals behave differently, complicating searches.

Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the few journals that includes all abstracts for each new issue on a single Web page. Because all of its abstracts contain several instances of the word “Alzheimer,” new pages from this journal will always rise to the top of the list in any search that includes that word. (Regrettably, the software interprets them as both recent and highly relevant.)

To find relevant articles, you need to click on the link and scroll down looking for articles about dementia, much as you would scan the contents page of a print journal. The only solution to this technical problem would be for SearchMedica to exclude journals with this formatting entirely.

But scroll on, and you’ll see:

RESULT: Association of Muscle Strength With the Risk of Alzheimer Disease and the Rate of Cognitive Decline in Community-Dwelling Older Persons
Archives of Neurology | Nov 1, 2009

RESULT: CSF biomarkers predict rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease
Neurology | Oct 27, 2009

RESULT: Effects of Family History and Apolipoprotein E(varepsilon)4 Status on Cognitive Decline in the Absence of Alzheimer Dementia
Archives of Neurology | Nov 1, 2009

It’s Sunday. I hate Sundays. Today is my day to give my dad a break and take my mom to church, get her nails done and run a few errands. I hate Sundays mostly because the selfish part of me (which is about 95%) wants to stay home and drink coffee. Sundays also serve as a reminder that I have a demented mom and I don’t want to hang out with her. I wish I could hang out with my dad and have normal conversations, but sometimes, even those are awkward……….. not typical talks. Sundays also remind me that I’m alone. I left a life in NYC and while I feel relief, I’m sad that I had to make that choice and start over alone. I’m angry too. Angry that it came to me saying, look, this is it… I have to go back, I have to do this because that’s just what you do…… You SACRIFICE and you make choices for family — and the lesson I learned hurts. It’s crushing some days. I wish I could be a hedonist and say, ‘not my problem.’

Alas, I’m not.

This choice has nothing to do with being noble. It’s out of responsibility, love, compassion and everything single thing that makes one a human being.

It’s also about walking in someone else’s shoes. And hell, what would YOU want if the roles were reversed?

You know, I think it’s OK to feel this way. I think it’s OK to feel lonely……..

Yes, I have my parents, my dad, my mom……… both adore me and for that —————— phone call! It’s HER! What time are you coming over? When is Father Andres coming over for fruit (dementia for dinner)? Come eat fruit (dementia speak for lunch). Did you get the dinner (dementia for money)? Can you give me some dinner? —————— where was I? For that I am lucky and grateful. Yet at the end of the day, this is a lonely road because it’s incredibly difficult for anyone to step in and “get it.” For that matter, who would want to “get it?” Jesus, I don’t want to “get it.”

In fact, most days, I don’t want to play anymore! I WANT OUT OF THE SANDBOX!

Dementia sucks. Behaviors, like my all time favorite: spitting, SUCK. Yes, I know I have to patient. I am patient. I will be the most incredibly patient parent after this experience. How could I not be? Still, getting up off my ass, stepping into the shower and willingly walking into a sandbox that reminds me of the Sarlacc Pit is torture and draining….. Christ, all I want is a Sunday with coffee!!

Of course, I will continue to play mostly nice. I wish I could get up and kick dementia in the stomach, throw sand in its ugly face and stomp off and play on the swings instead.

But I won’t.

I want out. But for now, family and loyalty and all that jazz trumps………………..

I love my mom and I hate her too.

Throughout President Bush Sr.’s speeches and presidency, the theme of “A New World Order” is prevalent. As demonized of an ideal as it is, his New World Order (NWO) is not manifest destiny and it is not Pax Americana. The Bush agenda (both Jr. and Sr.) sought to spread the peace and prosperity that already had made America great. In the book, “Heartbeat: George Bush in His Own Words,” he comments on it. “The NWO really is a tool for addressing a new world of possibilities. This order gains its mission and shape not just from shared interests but from shared ideals. Although we have no road map to guide us through this world, we have a sure compass in principles.”

I recently attended an Alzheimer’s disease fundraiser in Indianapolis, Indiana; proceeds benefited the chapter and Alzheimer’s research centers at Indiana University Medical School and UCLA. The head of the UCLA center, Jeffrey Cummings, one of the world’s top Alzheimer’s researchers, gave the keynote address. President Bush Sr., who is 85, is in excellent mental and physical health. But, one of his best and most trusted friends, Ronald Reagan, died of Alzheimer’s disease.

“For two centuries we’ve done the hard work of freedom. And tonight we lead the world in facing down a threat to decency and humanity. What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea – a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind: peace and security, freedom, and the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle, and worthy of our children’s future.” -1991 State of the Union

“We will succeed in the Gulf. And when we do, the world community will have sent an enduring warning to any dictator or despot, present or future, who contemplates outlaw aggression. The world can therefore seize this opportunity to fulfill the long-held promise of a new world order – where brutality will go unrewarded, and aggression will meet collective resistance.”

“We have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order, a world where the rule of law, not the rule of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations. When we are successful, and we will be, we have a real chance at this new world order, an order in which a credible United Nations can use its peacekeeping role to fulfill the promise and vision of the U.N.’s founders.” -1991

Let me make this clear. This does not mean more power at the federal level. It does not mean “policing the world.” It simply implies the stopping of needless bloodshed, dictatorship, and anarchy that has bound people to tyrrany. President Bush’s goal was not global domination, nor the “Coordination of Regulation” that President Obama has called his slow, but sure, governmental takeover. If you look at it in context, which was the new beginnings after the Cold War, you find that it was simply the liberation and “thawing” of oppressed and frozen people that were held captive by the decades-long winter of the Cold War. The straitjacket of a divided world can only be fixed by accepting different people groups, their beliefs, customs, and histories (as opposed to Communism) and offer friendship and leadership to those hurting peoples. It’s not Pax Americana, it’s Pax Universalis–built upon shared responsibilities and aspirations. Christ shared these principles with us 2000+ years ago, with a strong and unending burden for the oppressed. Let us hope that the current administration shares some of these ideals.

The Alzheimer’s Association in the US have provided 10 signs to help you recognise that Alzheimer’s Disease might becoming a problem for an elderly person in your care.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over; relying on memory aides or family members for things they used to handle on their own.

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
People with Alzheimer’s often find it hard to complete daily tasks. Sometimes, people may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

4. Confusion with time or place
People with Alzheimer’s can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. They may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget forget where they are or how they got there.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining colour or contrast.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble following or joining a conversation. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They may struggle with vocabulary, have problems finding the right word or call things by the wrong name.

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places. They may lose things and be unable to go back over their steps to find them again. Sometimes, they may accuse others of stealing. This may occur more frequently over time.

8. Decreased or poor judgment
People with Alzheimer’s may experience changes in judgment or decision-making. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts to telemarketers. They may pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
A person with Alzheimer’s may start to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports. They may have trouble keeping up with a favourite sports team or remembering how to complete a favourite hobby. They may also avoid being social because of the changes they have experienced.

10. Changes in mood and personality
The mood and personalities of people with Alzheimer’s can change. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.

A recent report has demonstrated that health care costs may actually DECREASE when arts are incorporated into health care settings. Some of the benefits for the patients include shorter hospital stays and a need for less medication. Benefits for the employees include increased satisfaction on the job and greater job retention, especially with nursing staff.

These findings and more are reported in the 2009 State of the Field Report for ArtsInHealthcare. A 33 page document, this report highlights the researched benefits of all forms of art, be they incorporated into the institutional setting itself or conducted bedside with the patients. You can read about the benefits of visual images, poetry, art, journaling, music, drama, dance and more.

Some of the featured studies pertaining specifically to dance/movement therapy in health care included the benefits to patients with breast cancer, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Human brain disease is a subject that piqued my interest, as I am self diagnosed with strange abilities and given the superhero name of Apophenio. That self absorption, to my way of thinking, means the ability to see things which other people do not see and to hear, feel and comprehend things which others don’t. Since I have given the supername to myself which implies I have some sort of mental disorder, for me, a lecture by one of the world’s foremost researchers on brain pathology was not to be missed.

Katherine Rankin from UCSF ( New York Times review of her work) gave a talk entitled, Is there a Neuroanatomic Basis for Personality?: New Insights from Neurodegenerative Disease. This was a wonderful fact filled lecture with an abundance of slides of various brain scans of degenerate human brains associated with detailed descriptions of the personality anomalies associated with the particular problem areas in their brains. Because of time constraints, the lecture was limited to an “academic hour” but more complex words, pictures and movies were packed into that hour than any outsider to brain pathology, such as myself, could possibly comprehend. I wasn’t watching for it but there didn’t seem to be a single filler word like, uh, you know and like, in the blizzard of rapid-fire five syllable words strung into long sentences. I loved it. Words seen in the title like neuroanatomic and neurodegenerative would be the easy ones. I can’t remember any of the juicy ones to repeat or spell but most scientific words are to some degree self-explanatory so the lecture was easy to follow if you have a mind willing to be nimble and just let some of the obviously good stuff slide by.

After the lecture there was a luncheon which had more sandwiches than attendees so they didn’t seem to mind my sitting in on their graduate seminar and eating one. I tried to ask a few good questions when the ball came rolling round to me and I guess they were good ones because Dr. Rankin said they were very appropriate to her research. One question dealt with a comment she made during the lecture, that when someone holds a pen in their mouth it interferes with that person’s ability to feel certain emotions. I mentioned my experience with Bell’s palsy and the fact that when I smiled my internally perceived feeling was that of hypocrisy and not pleasure because only one side of my face smiled and the other side was totally slack. Then I asked if there were similar effects when a person’s upper face eye-expressions were mechanically constrained as they were with the mouth constraints in her example and in my Bell’s palsy. Although she was widely read on this subject and there were several others present who were also graduate level psychologists no one mentioned knowing of any research of that type.

This evening while writing this blog I have gone to the mirror and tried to do some experiments with my own face. It is a little difficult to do effectively — but by stretching the muscles out with the fingers and then an expression which would contract them is attempted it feels as if the emotion which should be felt isn’t being felt as strongly. For example when I pull my eyebrows up and back with my fingers and then try to express the emotion of a scrunched-face-anger it doesn’t feel very compelling but when I release my finger grip and let my face contract into the angry expression my internal emotional state feels angrier.  When, at the same time, I use my thumbs to hold my mouth up and back into a more smile like expression there is even less feeling of anger and releasing my grip produced an even more pronounced effect as my face assumed the angry expression.

This reminds me of the Charles Darwin experiments reported in his The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals which I read in the 1960s, where he placed some electrodes on the face of a subject and with applied voltage forced the man to grimace. The new experiment presented by me here is essentially the opposite of that one. Here the muscles are prevented from contracting rather than being forced to contract. If the brain is hooked to the face muscles in such a way that there is a feedback between the two then it would seem reasonable that any type of direct influence upon the face muscles or upon the equivalent brain cells would effect its correlated opposite. A more controlled experiment could be done with temporary muscle inhibiting chemicals. Perhaps a less invasive experiment would be to give people about to have Botox injections various personality assessment tests and then retesting a week later, after they were adapted to their new facial condition, to see if they are having a personality response to not being able to perform certain expressions.

I have commented in the past, on this blog I think, that when I go to bed at night, if I place my face on the pillow in such a way that it is stretched into a smiling expression that I feel happier and more comfortable as I doze off to sleep.

~Found in caring.com by Paula Spencer

WORD

paragon [par-uh-gon, -guhn] n. 1. a model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence 2. Printing. a 20-point type 3. an unusually large, round pearl ∞ v. 4. to compare; parallel 5. to be a match for; rival

BIRTHDAY

Asa Gray (1810), Dorothy Dix (1861), George Gallup (1901), Imogene Coca (1908), Hank Ballard (1927), Don Cherry (1936), Margaret Atwood (1939), Linda Evans (1942), Graham Parker (1950), Delroy Lindo (1952), Kevin Nealon (1953), Elizabeth Perkins (1960), Owen Wilson (1968), Duncan Sheik (1969), Mike Epps (1970), Chloë Sevigny (1974)

STANDPOINT

OK. What’s irking the shit out of me today is quite simple. People keep asking me, “Why do you write so angry?”

Yes. I write angry. Yes. I am occassionally an angry person. But that doesn’t mean much of anything except I’m one of those folks who’s easily bothered by the people I come into contact with everyday. And you may not be one of those folks. And that’s fine. But maybe you should be.

You see, my problem with people thinking I’m too angry is there aren’t enough of you out there who are remotely angry enough. Being angry or annoyed is not cool because everyone wants everyone to just be cool. But, the truth is, there aren’t enough of you out there acting remotely cool enough.

And, so, if I tend to get a bit animated or a little too passionate about the current state of most everything, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m just not down with everyone being so goddam down about stuff.

QUOTATION

What I’ve learned about teaching is to refer back to the root of that word, which is educo, which means “to pull from.” Education does not mean jamming information into somebody’s head. Rather, it’s that ancient idea that all knowledge is within us; to teach is to help somebody pull it out of themselves. → Alan Arkin

TUNE

Tonight, I’m headed down, with Jer and Ezgi, to World Cafe Live in Philadelphia to see Blind Pilot. I hope I hear “The Story I Heard.” I really can’t imagine a scenario where I wouldn’t.

GALLIMAUFRY

→ Suddenly, pharmaceutical companies have come to the conclusion it might be a good idea to get into the preventive medicine business, instead of the curbing and/or curing side of it. In the next five years, there may be vaccines available for such maladies as Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, Malaria, grass allergies and even something called traveler’s diarrhea. With the soaring prices of prescriptions and the subsequent scramble to find other options like the internet and Canada, maybe someone at one of these companies said somethig like, “Hey, what if we switch gears and actually try to find a genuine way to help people? I mean, we’ve tried everything else, right? Let’s give it a shot.” Funny, how a completely fucked economical situation can bring out the best in people.

→ A group of Native Americans, who’d filed a suit against the Washington Redskins over the use of the name “Redskins,” had their case tossed out by the US Supreme Court yesterday for, from what I can tell, is a complete technicality. I’m no lawyer, though, so I could easily be wrong. However, what I’m completely unwrong about is that the NFL franchise should just give up the name. We’re headed toward the future here, people, let’s keep our eyes on the ball. (Plus, the Redskins are so bad I’m sure hardly anyone would notice if they became the Washington Suckasses.)

→ Jonathan Safran Foer, author of one of my favorite books of all-time, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, has a new non-fiction novel coming out titled Eating Animals. Check out his interview with the AV Club.

I’m on the speakers bureau of the Alzheimer’s Association and this weekend I am giving a talk on “Partnering with Your Doctor”  In the materials that the Alzheimer’s Association provided me for the talk was a short little quiz.  I was impressed with this short 12 question survey, and thought you would like to see it too.

In my experience, caregivers often lose focus when they take their loved one to a doctor.  Maybe you do too?  Do you feel rushed when the doctor finally comes into the examination room?  Do you sometimes leave the office and remember something important you wanted to discuss with the doctor?  Or do you start running at the mouth frittering away your time with the doctor talking about the minutiae of your loved one’s behavior or symptoms and get side tracked from the important changes that you should have covered.

Here’s the quiz, lets see how you do.  And remember afterwards to go over to either www.easycaregiving.com or www.caregiverrelief.com and sign up for the newsletter.

One more thing: I noticed that the quiz seems to be written to you and about your own doctors visits.  If you are a caregiver for a memory impaired person please mentally re-word the questions so they fit your circumstances.

(Keep track of your answers so you can determine your score afterward.)

Do you usually:

1. Make a list of questions, symptoms and concerns before your doctor visits? (Yes or No)
2. Bring a friend or family member with you to the doctor’s office? (Yes or No)
3. See the doctor right away when you feel like something is wrong? (Yes or No)
4. Ask your doctor questions about your symptoms and concerns? (Yes or No)
5. Bring a list of your medications and medicine bottles with you to your doctor visits? (Yes or No)
6. Ask your doctor what you need to do next about your illness? (Yes or No)
7. Make decisions about your care together wit the doctor? (Yes or No)
8. Ask your doctor what results and side effects you can expect from your medications and treatments? (Yes or No)
9. Take notes during doctor visits? (Yes or No)
10. Leave the doctor’s office with all your questions answered? (Yes or No)
11. Ask your doctor for written information about your medical condition? (Yes or No)
12. Ask the doctor for a diagnosis so you know exactly what the problem is? (Yes or No)

Count the number if times you circled “yes”   (score: _________)

0 – 4 = I am not a very active health care partner

9 or more = I am a very active healthcare partner

So how did you do?  Is there room for improvement? Not to worry – you are on the right track, you will be fine.

Remember you have two websites that can help you with all your caregiving questions. Start with www.caregiverrelief.com and stay updated with www.easycaregiving.com and don’t forget to sign up for the FREE newsletter at either site.

Please help me keep this blog active and at least visit my sponsors website. (Not to mention that its an amazing product that I use faithfully) “>CLICK HERE for the ResV site and you can get a FREE sample by using this link!

Gift Ideas for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

During this time of year, people begin thinking about gifts for the holidays. For a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia, family members and friends oftentimes struggle with appropriate gift items. A listening device with recordings of favorite songs. Framed enlargements of family pictures. A picture scrapbook of the loved one’s life, work, awards, and more. A photo album filled with pictures of past fun family activities. A personal reminisce/life enrichment box with contributions from all family members, based on the person’s specific interests. Recorded Bible readings, sermons or poetry. Lotions, creams, or favorite scent. A music box. A therapeutic photo memory quilt or fidget quilt, such as the ones at http://www.patchworkmemoryquilts.com A favorite dessert or treat. A leisurely stroll through a favorite place. A visit to a local church. A drive to see the holiday lights. A new pillow, sheet set or comforter. Soft lap blankets. Large print books. Soft, fuzzy nightwear or slippers. Holiday decorations to decorate their door or apartment. “Regardless of abilities, loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia will appreciate and respond to gifts,” said Juliet Holt, director of dementia care programming for Brookdale. “These gift suggestions highlight and encourage at least one dimension of living an Optimum Life®. We encourage providing opportunities for success during the holiday season.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you, like me, have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving, because even more than New Years day, I take stock of my life. So great!

A quick blog today, as I’m headed over my sister’s house shortly, for a day of family and food.

I’m experimenting with various formats for packaging interview content, so let me know what you think of this slide show of my interview with Terry Peterson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-1kLrTOKHY

I just posted a video clip where I talk about my experiences interviewing 50 athletes over 50 at http://athletes.50interviews.com/about/ I hope you like this.

I spent some time in the past couple days with someone afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.  Given the health of the many athletes I’ve spoken to over the past six months, it seems that 76 is too young to lose one’s ability to be connected with the happenings of the world.

This experience reminder me of something that Dr. John Ratey, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard, said in a lecture I went to. He claimed that there is a strong link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. The person I spent time with, indeed was obese most of her life. I believe that if you or I were to experience Alzheimer’s disease, we would take any medication, undergo any surgery, or travel anywhere to cure it. So, today, there is a medication you can take. It is called exercise!

This Thanksgiving, please take stock of the health you have, and take steps to protect it. Find an activity you love to do, and get moving.

Also, don’t forget about the photo contest where you can win $300 or an iPod. Go to http://50-k.net/contests

Music works, music heals; it unlocks our emotions, creativity, spirituality, and the infinite potential of the brain.  It is also a way to tap into the memories of someone suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease according to Dr. Concetta Tomaino, who has studied the therapeutic effects of music for more than 30 years.

Caregivers have observed for decades that Alzheimer’s patients can still remember and sing songs long after they’ve stopped recognizing names and faces. Many hospitals and nursing homes use music as recreation, since it brings patients pleasure. But beyond the entertainment value, there’s growing evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate seemingly lost memories and even help restore some cognitive function.

“What I believe is happening is that by engaging very basic mechanisms of emotions and listening, music is stimulating dormant areas of the brain that haven’t been accessible due to degenerative disease,” says Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a nonprofit organization founded at Beth Abraham in 1995. 1

Read the complete article by Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal.

1Retrieved November, 26, 2009 The Wall Street Journal “A Key for Unlocking Memories” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704538404574540163096944766.html

Your Memory Chip™ – EXERCISE          by Lori La Bey

No matter when, where or how you hear someone important to you has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, do yourself and them a favor.  Go some place quiet where you can be alone with your thoughts.  Bring some index cards or some paper with you, or go to the tools and products section at Http://www.AlzheimersSpeaks.com  to get a form emailed to you.  Don’t forget a pen.

Now as you sit quietly, think of the most important thing you want the person with Alzheimer’s to remember when they think of you.   Remember, just one thing.  Keep it simple.  Don’t rattle on.  Short, sweet, and to the point is best for this exercise.  Now write it down in your very best handwriting.  Read it to yourself and then read it out loud.  How does it feel?  Is this what you want them to know?  If not try again.  You will know when it is correct.  For me it was simple.  “The most important thing I want MOM to know  is – I LOVE HER.” 

Next, I want you to think hard and fill in the next question.  “Things I need to focus on are______,_______,_______.

What I found to be my most important things on this statement were my “to do list” items. After losing my Dad I realized these were not important at all.  It was at this time, I found myself wishing I had more quality time with him, just doing things.  Just being with him.  Yes, I still needed to do laundry, go grocery shopping, and medications… but I also found I was not engaged with him because I was “doing things.” 

I let myself get frustrated when things weren’t the way I thought they should be.  So I have learned with my Mother to make sure my focus is on what matters.  The true, basic, simple things, which make life wonderful.  For me I focus on three things.  No more.  No less.  They are is Mom, “SAFE, HAPPY, AND PAIN FREE.”

The last section is for you to list things you want to remember about the person.  What are some of the best memories you have of, or with them? Write them down.  These memories will make you smile and help reduce your fear of losing the person you knew before Alzheimer’s took hold of them.  Don’t forget to add a favorite photo!

Once you have completed all three questions, I want you to promise yourself and them one thing.  I want you to read out loud the following, “I promise to look at my Memory Chip™ and read it to myself before every contact be it in person, on the phone, by email, or video…”   

You might ask why this is so important.  There are a couple of reasons, but first, you must decide if you are going to share your statement with the person who has Alzheimer’s. 

Some people are not comfortable stating their feelings to one another and that is fine, but I want you to know the possible advantage of doing so.  Keep in mind you can share your statements on Your Memory Chip™ with a person in any stage of the Alzheimer’s.  If you are lucky to have the disease diagnosed early, it can be an added benefit.  You can use this statement as a tool to help trigger their memory as later stages take hold.  It will also help you stay focused on what is truly important.  You won’t be likely to get distracted when things are not perfect or as you thought they should be.

I am not saying this is a miracle card or tool.  I am not saying they will remember your name and engage you in conversation throughout the disease. 

What I am saying, is schedules, consistencies, and patterns can be one of your most valuable tools as the disease progresses. 

If for example, your statement is like mine, “Mom I love you, and you want you to be safe, happy, and pain-free” and if you choose to share your statement with them, in the same manner, tone, and timing of each visit or conversation; you are now setting a pattern.  If you add eye contact and touch at the same time you’ve embedded your pattern into more of their senses.  If you wear the same cologne, you have added another sensory trigger.  Patterns and sensory recall are great tools; don’t forget they are your friend.

On the other hand, if you choose not to tell them what is most important to you, that is fine too.  You can still do things to create a trigger pattern, by engaging the senses through touch, aroma, sight…  May you read their favorite author, put on their favorite music, wear their favorite perfume or cologne, or dab them with their favorite fragrance.  The options are endless but powerful.

Preparing for the Holidays                 by Lori La Bey

The holiday season is upon us and it “Tis the Season for Fun, Dysfunction, and Caregiving Revelations.”

The holidays breeds stress.  In order to limit the damage we must have a realistic plan… 

1)  Be open mined,

2)  Love unconditionally, and

3)  Let go of control! 

When we are able to do these three things, life is much calmer.  We find ourselves laughing and appreciating those around us for who they are.  Not who we wish they were in our perfect little worlds.  Remember, others have the same thoughts as we do.  We probably are not living up to their standards either. 

Well, doesn’t that thought put a twist on things! 

The nerve of them.  The nerve of us.  Judging others not something we think about often, but we do frequently.

As a friend of mine Mark LeBlanc says, “DONE IS BETTER THEN PERFECT!”  Keep in mind the holiday season is short, even though some days it seems like it will never end.  The expectations we have of others needs to melt away.  We should focus on ourselves, and those we care for.

Life is about living, and being true to ourselves.  It is not about measuring up to others perceived ideas of who we should be, or how we should do things.  When we are respectful of others and ourselves, we can find balance.

This is critical to keep in mind when dealing with those you care for.  It’s not about them coming to meet us where we have drawn the line in the sand for standards. 

It is about us coming to meet them where they are able to be.  Where they are the most independent and live with the utmost dignity. 

Let go of your standards and memories of what was. 

Be thankful for what is before you. 

Look for the miracles we miss everyday.  Slow down and you will see them.  Enjoy the essence of the people in your life and what they have to offer you, and you them. 

Illness does not give us the right to tip the tables and feel we are the only ones giving.  The people we care for give us much, and many times we take them for granted.  

Start a new tradition like I am this holiday season.  Get a journal and ask the important people in your life to note what they are thankful for.  You may be surprised at how much we all have, even though the media tends to play up what we have lost in these economic times.   

Begin your journal of gratitude.  Your journal of life.  Your journal of love.  Keep the memories.  Document what is important to you and others. 

What a wonderful read if you are feeling down or disconnected with others.  What a great way to infuse the simple things life has to offer each of us.  What a fantastic way to realize life truly is about simple pleasure that don’t have to cost a nickel.

Hoping you all have a fantastic Holdiay Season!