My mom and I recently entered a restaurant and while we stood behind the “Please Wait to Be Seated” sign, the hostess walked rapidly toward us, not letting her unusual gait slow her down. She approached us with a large, friendly smile that made her face glow.
“Two?” she asked. “How are you, today?” She struggled with the sentence.
“Fine,” I replied, “and how are you?”
“Busy!” she said, with that big smile that made you realize she wanted it that way. She was definitely busy, and as we ate our lunch, we watched her lead a steady stream of hungry people to their tables. She had found her niche. A job she was good at and took pride in doing well. It is encouraging to see people working despite an obvious handicap.
Many of us work because we have to, or as a woman I used to work with always said, “I’ve developed this really bad habit—I like to eat.”
With the Labor Day holiday, I couldn’t help but think about the 500,000 people with early onset dementia and how hard going to work each day can be for them. As dementia progresses, it erodes their self confidence as they struggle through the workday. Even getting to work can be a challenge once confusion sets in.
Unlike our hostess who had a lifetime to adapt to her challenges, people with early onset dementia find themselves in the frustrating position of losing skills that may have taken them to the top of their field. They may have skills and talents that identify their very personhood.
Jim dropped out of high school when he was fifteen years old. I once asked him how that was possible and he explained that his family followed the crops to find work. “We moved to a different state and I never enrolled in school again.”
Jim was a high school dropout, but he was an intelligent person. Later he would get his GED, but his forte was working with his hands. Jim never needed instructions to take apart and repair anything mechanical. Early in the disease when Jim was home alone while I worked, I never knew what he was going to try to “fix” during the day. One night I came home to find our VCR was completely taken apart and scattered all over the living room floor.
People with early onset dementia sometimes hide the diagnosis from their coworkers and bosses to remain in the workforce until the disease progresses to the point they cannot continue. Alzheimer’s is a slow process and depending on the proper regimen, it is not always necessary for a person to quit work immediately. It depends on the job and how accommodating the employer is. Perhaps a job can be simplified, or a person can be shifted to a less demanding position.
Each family struggles with what is best for the person with dementia. He may stubbornly refuse to admit he cannot do his job safely. I talked to a woman whose husband was a heavy equipment operator. He was the boss of his family business and was still working although his dementia was advanced. His son worked with him and knew that Dad was jeopardizing their business reputation and endangering both their lives on a daily basis.
Losing a long-term job can be emotionally and financially devastating for a family. When a loved one has dementia, the caregiver may have to quit work too. Early onset dementia takes a toll on every member of the family.
During the Labor Day celebration, take time to pause and think about all the people unemployed because of Alzheimer’s—those with the disease and those who care for them. It might make Tuesday morning seem a little brighter if you are fortunate enough to have a job. When someone asks how you are, you might reply “busy” and smile about it.
Copyright © September 2010 L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride - Sedalia MO
I began this day of vacation at 4:30 a.m. to meet and greet the four Missouri researchers who will cycle 71 miles from Sedalia to Jefferson City. Jon Cirrito, PhD, and Jessica Restivo, are researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Joining them were Ben Timson, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at MU and David Oliver, PhD, Assistant Director of MU Interdisciplinary Center on Aging and Board President of the Alzheimer’s Association Mid-Missouri Chapter.The four researchers and the support team stayed the night at Comfort Inn in Sedalia, and I wanted to catch up with them before they left town. I had a cup of coffee while they ate fruit, drank juice, and prepared for the ride.
I know David Oliver and he introduced me to the other members of the team. Dr. Jon Cirrito showed me a Google map of the route. They would be passing through some small towns that not many other than locals have visited. The bicyclists will go through Clifton City (“not a city,” I informed them), Prairie Home, and Jamestown before arriving in Jefferson City. They have three scheduled rest stops along the way and have no time limit other than to reach their final destination before dark.
“Some of the other groups have hit really bad weather in other states,” Dr. Oliver said as he applied generous amounts of sunscreen to his face and arms. “We credit this beautiful 60 degree weather to collective prayer.”
Dr. Oliver, 68, was the oldest in this group of cyclists. He said cyclists had to sign a release and list the medicines they took. “My list was long,” he said. “I have a stent, poor knees, and lousy hearing, but I am functional and know I can ride this bike 71 miles for this worthwhile cause. I’m looking forward to it.”
We walked outside where the four cyclists each filled two bottles—one with water and the other with Gatorade. Finally, the bicycles were loaded onto the two support vehicles, and we headed across town to Hubbard Park.
The bicycles were unloaded, and Jessica decided she needed long sleeves and pulled a long-sleeved T-shirt over her official Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride shirt. They climbed on their bikes and fastened their helmets. Dr. Cirrito took the lead on his bicycle equipped with a GPS.
It was exciting to see this group of researchers be part of a nationwide effort to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. The Ride began in San Francisco on July 17 and will end in Washington DC on World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21. More than 55 researchers have been collecting signatures to present to Congress urging them to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. The original goal to obtain 50,000 signatures has been doubled to 100,000.
Approximately 110,000 Missourians have Alzheimer’s disease. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s and as the baby boomers age, the number is expected to swell to as many as 16 million by 2050.
Dr. Oliver explains that research funding is dismal especially considering the toll on individuals, families, and others. “I believe current research spending is around $375 million. We are riding to encourage Congress to push this to $2 Billion and make AD a major priority like other killer and devastating diseases.”
The side of the “pony” (as the truck is called) says, “The toughest hill to climb is Capitol Hill.” Even with the winding, hilly blacktop ahead of them, I’m sure Jessica, Jon, Ben, and David wholeheartedly agree.
Follow the progress of Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride at http://www.alz.org/. While you’re there, sign the petition.
Copyright © L. S. Fisher August 2010
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
We walked outside where the four cyclists each filled two bottles—one with water and the other with Gatorade. Finally, the bicycles were loaded onto the two support vehicles, and we headed across town to Hubbard Park.
The bicycles were unloaded, and Jessica decided she needed long sleeves and pulled a long-sleeved T-shirt over her official Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride shirt. They climbed on their bikes and fastened their helmets. Dr. Cirrito took the lead on his bicycle equipped with a GPS.
It was exciting to see this group of researchers be part of a nationwide effort to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. The Ride began in San Francisco on July 17 and will end in Washington DC on World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21. More than 55 researchers have been collecting signatures to present to Congress urging them to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. The original goal to obtain 50,000 signatures has been doubled to 100,000.
Approximately 110,000 Missourians have Alzheimer’s disease. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s and as the baby boomers age, the number is expected to swell to as many as 16 million by 2050.
Dr. Oliver explains that research funding is dismal especially considering the toll on individuals, families, and others. “I believe current research spending is around $375 million. We are riding to encourage Congress to push this to $2 Billion and make AD a major priority like other killer and devastating diseases.”
The side of the “pony” (as the truck is called) says, “The toughest hill to climb is Capitol Hill.” Even with the winding, hilly blacktop ahead of them, I’m sure Jessica, Jon, Ben, and David wholeheartedly agree.
Follow the progress of Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride at http://www.alz.org/. While you’re there, sign the petition.
Copyright © L. S. Fisher August 2010
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Some Will Walk and Others Will March
Thursday night we began to finalize plans for our September Memory Walk. Months of leg work, calls, and personal contact have led up to the big date less than a month away. Our catch phrase this year is “It all just falls into place.” At least that’s the way it seems to people who show up on walk day to find that helping hands have joined together to make sure the event runs smoothly.A Memory Walk is a big undertaking and without community Champions, it would never happen. Champions are the teams like Fair View that have participated since the first walk I organized in 1999. They have been part of every walk, every event that the Memory Walk committee has hosted. Not satisfied with doing a little, they do a lot. They fundraise all year, and consistently support us with thousands of dollars. This year, they took another step and became a corporate sponsor.
It warms your heart to know that even in these tough economic times, people continue to support our local chapter. One of our longtime sponsors is Ken Weymuth at W-K. I was having an oopsie fixed on my new car when I asked if Ken was in the office. I had dropped off a corporate sponsor packet a few months back and had never had a chance to follow up on it. I walked into his office and asked him if he would be a sponsor and he asked, “What will it cost me?” A few minutes later I walked out check in hand.
The Sedalia Democrat has been our advertising sponsor for more than ten years. I have worked with three different publishers. The current publisher, Dave Phillips paired us up with Erin Livengood who takes the time to produce professional ads.
Third National Bank and Central Missouri Electric hold perfect corporate sponsor records. Septagon came onboard during the years Shelley Spinner coordinated the walk. That was also the time we started printing the shirts locally and Main Street Logo pitched in to do that for us.
The list goes on and on—the sweet ladies who give $5 to sponsor a walker, companies that donate food, drink, and door prizes, the host of volunteers that turn up to set up tables or dole out T-shirts, and let us not forget Don the Balloon Man who twists balloons into colorful hats.
We have a walk with ordinary people—sorry, none of us are celebrities. But more celebrities are supporting the Alzheimer’s Association and one of them decided to hold a “March” rather than a walk. Maria Shriver, California’s First Lady has organized a 5K March and candlelight vigil. Several celebrities have already committed to joining in the March—Rob Lowe, Leeza Gibbons, and Jane Fonda—to mention a few. Celebrities can make a powerful impact, but that doesn’t replace the efforts needed by everyday people who have spent time in the trenches caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. It doesn’t replace the hugs of support and encouragement for caregivers to help them make it through difficult days, or smiles to lift their spirits when they are overwhelmed with responsibility.
Think about what you can do to make it “fall into place.” It takes all of us who know what it’s like to make the effort to bring Alzheimer’s awareness to our local area so that it might expand to the national arena and onward to a global movement. So whether we march or walk, it is important that we do everything we can to call attention to the alarming escalation of dementia as the baby boomers age. The only way to move forward is one step at a time.
Copyright © August 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Monday, August 16, 2010
A Leaf on the Family Tree
My mom stayed all night with me Saturday night. I was trying to remember the last time she spent the night at my house and finally decided it was when Jim was still at home but needed supervision at all times. I could not get professional help for more than about six hours a day, three days a week. That left a lot of gaps during my forty-hour workweek. My mom would pack a bag and drive for an hour to fill out the weekly schedule. She would arrive before the day help had left and stayed with us a couple nights each week.
I know my brothers and sisters agree with me that we are fortunate to have a mother who is in such good health although she is in her eighties. Mom is fun-loving and still likes to play her guitar and pal around with her sister-in-law, Lebetta.
When my mom came up Saturday to spend the night, we didn’t have anything we had to do, so we visited and spent some quality time together. It wasn’t until after we spent the afternoon and evening together that I realized how much I missed having that much time with her. It’s a sad commentary on how hectic I’ve let life become that I have so little time to visit with my own mother.
My mom and I have a lot to talk and laugh about. Sometimes the conversation turned serious as we talked about dreams we have about loved ones who were once a major part of our lives. Mom talked about her dreams of dad. “He is usually about thirty-five in my dreams,” she said. “He’s always young and healthy.”
“Jim never has dementia in my dreams,” I said.
“I dream about Mommy and Poppy,” she said, meaning her parents. “You know, Lebetta and I were talking the other night about how we know more people that have died than are alive.”
I can’t imagine the hole left in a person’s life when they have outlived all their siblings. My mom came from a big family and she is the only one living. Her parents, sister, and brothers are all gone.
I think about my cousins on Mom’s side of the family. How they’ve each lost at least one parent, and many of them have lost both. My dad died in 1990 at 67 years old. That is not much older than I am now. My mom has soldiered on through two serious relationships that have both ended. It is a good thing that she is a strong woman. She checks on my brother Donnie almost every day. She’s moved to town to be near the long-term care facility where he lives. My brothers and sisters who live nearby, provide the kind of relief for Mom that she did for me when Jim was the one that needed looking after.
In many families, relatives feud with each other and every family gathering is tension filled, because no one can keep track of which family members are not speaking to each other or whose feelings are hurt. Our family has always been blessed with a healthy dose of minding your own business. We are supportive of each other, but none of us try to tell a brother or sister how to live his or her life. Nope, we just live and let live. It may not work for every family, but it certainly works for ours.
Each of us is a leaf on our family tree and, like a leaf, we can’t just hop from our tree to another because we don’t like the limb God attached us to. It is always much better to get along with the other leaves on the same branch.
While I was gone this evening, Mom called and left a message on my answering machine. She just wanted me to know that she really enjoyed our visit. It was too late by the time I got home to call her back, but I have to say a resounding, “Me too!”
I’m thinking that having my mom stay the night is something I need to do more often. Maybe next time she can bring her guitar. Jim would be pleased if guitar music once again drifted through the rooms of the house he built.
Copyright © August 2010, L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
I know my brothers and sisters agree with me that we are fortunate to have a mother who is in such good health although she is in her eighties. Mom is fun-loving and still likes to play her guitar and pal around with her sister-in-law, Lebetta.
When my mom came up Saturday to spend the night, we didn’t have anything we had to do, so we visited and spent some quality time together. It wasn’t until after we spent the afternoon and evening together that I realized how much I missed having that much time with her. It’s a sad commentary on how hectic I’ve let life become that I have so little time to visit with my own mother.
My mom and I have a lot to talk and laugh about. Sometimes the conversation turned serious as we talked about dreams we have about loved ones who were once a major part of our lives. Mom talked about her dreams of dad. “He is usually about thirty-five in my dreams,” she said. “He’s always young and healthy.”
“Jim never has dementia in my dreams,” I said.
“I dream about Mommy and Poppy,” she said, meaning her parents. “You know, Lebetta and I were talking the other night about how we know more people that have died than are alive.”
I can’t imagine the hole left in a person’s life when they have outlived all their siblings. My mom came from a big family and she is the only one living. Her parents, sister, and brothers are all gone.
I think about my cousins on Mom’s side of the family. How they’ve each lost at least one parent, and many of them have lost both. My dad died in 1990 at 67 years old. That is not much older than I am now. My mom has soldiered on through two serious relationships that have both ended. It is a good thing that she is a strong woman. She checks on my brother Donnie almost every day. She’s moved to town to be near the long-term care facility where he lives. My brothers and sisters who live nearby, provide the kind of relief for Mom that she did for me when Jim was the one that needed looking after.
In many families, relatives feud with each other and every family gathering is tension filled, because no one can keep track of which family members are not speaking to each other or whose feelings are hurt. Our family has always been blessed with a healthy dose of minding your own business. We are supportive of each other, but none of us try to tell a brother or sister how to live his or her life. Nope, we just live and let live. It may not work for every family, but it certainly works for ours.
Each of us is a leaf on our family tree and, like a leaf, we can’t just hop from our tree to another because we don’t like the limb God attached us to. It is always much better to get along with the other leaves on the same branch.
While I was gone this evening, Mom called and left a message on my answering machine. She just wanted me to know that she really enjoyed our visit. It was too late by the time I got home to call her back, but I have to say a resounding, “Me too!”
I’m thinking that having my mom stay the night is something I need to do more often. Maybe next time she can bring her guitar. Jim would be pleased if guitar music once again drifted through the rooms of the house he built.
Copyright © August 2010, L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Sunday, August 8, 2010
When Puzzle Pieces Don’t Fit
When Jim developed dementia, I thought it would be a good activity for us to put jigsaw puzzles together. I set up a table and we worked on a 750 piece puzzle. Jim always felt good when he could fit a piece into the puzzle. Sometimes, he bent pieces trying to force them into places where they “almost” fit.
I went to a Business Women of Missouri conference this weekend and was particularly impressed with speaker Mary Gage’s comparison of life to a jigsaw puzzle. She gave some blog-worthy information in her motivating session. One of the things she talked about that I thought was relevant to my life was how sometimes a piece don’t seem to fit, and we just have to lay it aside and put it in later when we find where it belongs.
She asked if anyone ever tried to put a puzzle together without looking at the picture. Not a single hand was raised. No, we all want to know what the picture looks like before we start putting the pieces together. Besides, if we are honest, it makes it a whole lot easier. We don’t waste time trying to place a piece of grass at the top of the puzzle when we know from the picture that it goes at the bottom.
As with many conferences, my “ah-ha” moment didn’t come from the speaker, but rather from a stranger sitting across the table from me. We had a puzzle on our table, and as a group, we were asked to put the puzzle together. Well, it wasn’t a jigsaw puzzle, or I’d still be sitting at that table trying to do my part. It was one of those children’s puzzles with probably less than 30 pieces in it.
We chatted while we put the puzzle together, and the woman said she was a “puzzle person” and that one time she had planned an exercise with puzzles. She had taken two puzzles with the same picture and mixed them together. The idea was that the pieces would be interchangeable and make two puzzles when they were done.
I’m not sure what the point of the exercise was, but she learned that just because two puzzles have the same picture, doesn’t mean the pieces are interchangeable. What she discovered was that the pictures were identical on the boxes, but pieces were shaped differently.
So where is my “ah-ha” moment in this story? People with Alzheimer’s have the same picture on the outside that they had before they developed the disease, but they are trying to fit pieces from a different puzzle into their life’s picture. It’s like they’ve been handed a different box of puzzle pieces to fit into the puzzle they already have. The pieces no longer fall into place, and even if you put one aside, you won’t find a place for it later.
We all know from past experience, that unless the pieces are a perfect fit, you can’t force them into place. A misfit piece leaves a gap, and you know immediately it won’t work. Occasionally, you will find a piece of a puzzle that seems to fit, but it may stand out from the surrounding pieces because it is the wrong color and doesn’t complete the picture.
While Jim and I worked on our puzzles, he would sometimes pick up a piece and walk away with it in his hand. He would lay the pieces down in out of the way spots and sometimes I couldn’t find them. In the completed puzzle all the pieces we had fit neatly together, but sometimes as many as five pieces were missing.
We know where we want our lives to go, and we plug away at the pieces until we find where they belong. But isn’t our personal life’s big picture fuzzy and not a finished image? I believe that our pictures change and our puzzle pieces are constantly adapting to the uncertainty.
When a person has Alzheimer’s, he struggles every day to fill in missing pieces of this puzzle called life. By being supportive, you might help your loved one find some of the misplaced pieces and fit them where they belong.
Copyright © August 2010 L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
I went to a Business Women of Missouri conference this weekend and was particularly impressed with speaker Mary Gage’s comparison of life to a jigsaw puzzle. She gave some blog-worthy information in her motivating session. One of the things she talked about that I thought was relevant to my life was how sometimes a piece don’t seem to fit, and we just have to lay it aside and put it in later when we find where it belongs.
She asked if anyone ever tried to put a puzzle together without looking at the picture. Not a single hand was raised. No, we all want to know what the picture looks like before we start putting the pieces together. Besides, if we are honest, it makes it a whole lot easier. We don’t waste time trying to place a piece of grass at the top of the puzzle when we know from the picture that it goes at the bottom.
As with many conferences, my “ah-ha” moment didn’t come from the speaker, but rather from a stranger sitting across the table from me. We had a puzzle on our table, and as a group, we were asked to put the puzzle together. Well, it wasn’t a jigsaw puzzle, or I’d still be sitting at that table trying to do my part. It was one of those children’s puzzles with probably less than 30 pieces in it.
We chatted while we put the puzzle together, and the woman said she was a “puzzle person” and that one time she had planned an exercise with puzzles. She had taken two puzzles with the same picture and mixed them together. The idea was that the pieces would be interchangeable and make two puzzles when they were done.
I’m not sure what the point of the exercise was, but she learned that just because two puzzles have the same picture, doesn’t mean the pieces are interchangeable. What she discovered was that the pictures were identical on the boxes, but pieces were shaped differently.
So where is my “ah-ha” moment in this story? People with Alzheimer’s have the same picture on the outside that they had before they developed the disease, but they are trying to fit pieces from a different puzzle into their life’s picture. It’s like they’ve been handed a different box of puzzle pieces to fit into the puzzle they already have. The pieces no longer fall into place, and even if you put one aside, you won’t find a place for it later.
We all know from past experience, that unless the pieces are a perfect fit, you can’t force them into place. A misfit piece leaves a gap, and you know immediately it won’t work. Occasionally, you will find a piece of a puzzle that seems to fit, but it may stand out from the surrounding pieces because it is the wrong color and doesn’t complete the picture.
While Jim and I worked on our puzzles, he would sometimes pick up a piece and walk away with it in his hand. He would lay the pieces down in out of the way spots and sometimes I couldn’t find them. In the completed puzzle all the pieces we had fit neatly together, but sometimes as many as five pieces were missing.
We know where we want our lives to go, and we plug away at the pieces until we find where they belong. But isn’t our personal life’s big picture fuzzy and not a finished image? I believe that our pictures change and our puzzle pieces are constantly adapting to the uncertainty.
When a person has Alzheimer’s, he struggles every day to fill in missing pieces of this puzzle called life. By being supportive, you might help your loved one find some of the misplaced pieces and fit them where they belong.
Copyright © August 2010 L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
Already August
I turned the calendar this morning and found it hard to believe it is already August. Before this month is over, kids will be back in school, and we’ll all be wondering what happened to the summer and all the plans we made in the springtime.
When I was in elementary school, it seemed to me that summer lasted for a long time. The first day of school some kids had changed so much over the vacation we might not recognize them at first glance.
Now that we are adults, we don’t usually see drastic changes over three months’ time. It’s hard to notice a few more “laugh lines” or that the sun is glinting off more gray hair than the last time we saw someone. And unless you are in the educational field, you most likely see your co-workers nearly every day and don’t have much occasion to be shocked by a change that happened while you weren’t looking.
August is State Fair month. It is usually extremely hot or stormy. What is it about the State Fair that brings out the worst in the weather? Is it because all us wimps are used to air conditioning and suddenly find ourselves in the great outdoors—walking around on hot pavement—without any shade. What’s not to love about that?
It seems like time goes by faster than it ever did. Not only is summer almost gone, but with surprising speed we’ll be into 2011. Here we are ten years into the twenty-first century and I still sometimes want to put “19” in front of the year.
August was once a time of birthday celebrations. Jim would have been 65 years old later this month. He lost the battle with dementia more than five years ago—and never made it to his 60th birthday.
At one time, in my youth, I’m sure I thought anyone in his or her 60s was ancient. Now, it doesn’t seem old at all. I have three older siblings who are in their 60s, and I’m getting pretty darn close to it myself. I have a little time left, but as fast as time goes by, we’re going to have to call the fire department before anyone lights the candles.
Growing older is like anything else—there is good and bad. On the plus side, I think we older people don’t worry so much about what others think of us. We still like to look good, but we would rather have a few wrinkles than have a surgeon pull our faces into a plastic mask. Some of us wear our gray hairdos proudly, or else we just cover the gray with whatever dye suits our fancy. See a man with a bald spot and you’ll often see one that shaves it all off as if he had it planned all along. Another plus side to getting older—our eyesight begins to fail us and (guess what!) that makes everyone look better. We can’t see the flaws like we once could.
On the downside, we find we can’t always ignore some of the things we used to. Last night when I woke up with a heavy feeling in my chest, I debated whether it was from all the acidy tomatoes I had eaten, or whether I needed to call 911 to get emergency medical help. I look at myself in the mirror and think, I may not feel too old, but I am for sure old enough to have to consider a heart attack as something not too far out of the realm of possibilities.
Another down side—you may only pack on a pound or two a year, but we know what that means. The more candles on the cake, the more likely we are to be packing extra pounds around the old midsection. That in turn causes health problems—diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, and on and on and on. We wind up with problems in body parts that we didn’t even know we had. Thank goodness for Google and all the health networks available with all the symptoms, side effects, and health alerts that any aging computer savvy middle-age-going-on-senior might have.
Here it is already August—and the next thing you know it will be autumn. Probably in the next week or so Halloween decorations will be in the stores. Time passes by, we flip the calendars and wonder what happened to summer. It used to seem like it lasted so long and now it just flashes by with the speed of life.
Copyright © August 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset@hotmail.com
When I was in elementary school, it seemed to me that summer lasted for a long time. The first day of school some kids had changed so much over the vacation we might not recognize them at first glance.
Now that we are adults, we don’t usually see drastic changes over three months’ time. It’s hard to notice a few more “laugh lines” or that the sun is glinting off more gray hair than the last time we saw someone. And unless you are in the educational field, you most likely see your co-workers nearly every day and don’t have much occasion to be shocked by a change that happened while you weren’t looking.
August is State Fair month. It is usually extremely hot or stormy. What is it about the State Fair that brings out the worst in the weather? Is it because all us wimps are used to air conditioning and suddenly find ourselves in the great outdoors—walking around on hot pavement—without any shade. What’s not to love about that?
It seems like time goes by faster than it ever did. Not only is summer almost gone, but with surprising speed we’ll be into 2011. Here we are ten years into the twenty-first century and I still sometimes want to put “19” in front of the year.
August was once a time of birthday celebrations. Jim would have been 65 years old later this month. He lost the battle with dementia more than five years ago—and never made it to his 60th birthday.
At one time, in my youth, I’m sure I thought anyone in his or her 60s was ancient. Now, it doesn’t seem old at all. I have three older siblings who are in their 60s, and I’m getting pretty darn close to it myself. I have a little time left, but as fast as time goes by, we’re going to have to call the fire department before anyone lights the candles.
Growing older is like anything else—there is good and bad. On the plus side, I think we older people don’t worry so much about what others think of us. We still like to look good, but we would rather have a few wrinkles than have a surgeon pull our faces into a plastic mask. Some of us wear our gray hairdos proudly, or else we just cover the gray with whatever dye suits our fancy. See a man with a bald spot and you’ll often see one that shaves it all off as if he had it planned all along. Another plus side to getting older—our eyesight begins to fail us and (guess what!) that makes everyone look better. We can’t see the flaws like we once could.
On the downside, we find we can’t always ignore some of the things we used to. Last night when I woke up with a heavy feeling in my chest, I debated whether it was from all the acidy tomatoes I had eaten, or whether I needed to call 911 to get emergency medical help. I look at myself in the mirror and think, I may not feel too old, but I am for sure old enough to have to consider a heart attack as something not too far out of the realm of possibilities.
Another down side—you may only pack on a pound or two a year, but we know what that means. The more candles on the cake, the more likely we are to be packing extra pounds around the old midsection. That in turn causes health problems—diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, and on and on and on. We wind up with problems in body parts that we didn’t even know we had. Thank goodness for Google and all the health networks available with all the symptoms, side effects, and health alerts that any aging computer savvy middle-age-going-on-senior might have.
Here it is already August—and the next thing you know it will be autumn. Probably in the next week or so Halloween decorations will be in the stores. Time passes by, we flip the calendars and wonder what happened to summer. It used to seem like it lasted so long and now it just flashes by with the speed of life.
Copyright © August 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset@hotmail.com
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Something to Look Forward To
Life is more fun and exciting when we move through it with anticipation. It is easy to get into a rut or a funk when all you have to look forward to is drudgery.Jim was always the traveler in the family, and he was happiest when we had an upcoming trip. He would plan for months and pack weeks in advance. “I have to have something to look forward to,” he would always say.
Later, to make it through the caregiver years, I took Jim’s advice. I’ve kept up the habit of marking my calendar months in advance when I have an upcoming event or trip.
It doesn’t take a major event to give my spirits a makeover—I’ve learned to find joy in unexpected places. I spent last week in Minneapolis for a benefits conference which is held in three or four different locations throughout the year. Minneapolis isn’t the most popular location, but it is the one that worked out for my schedule. To sweeten the deal, my co-worker and I went online and found tickets to “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Guthrie Theatre.
With the extensive traveling I’ve done throughout my lifetime, I had not once been in Minnesota. As the plane came in for a landing, the thing that caught my eye was all the lakes. It looked like every housing development was clustered around its own lake.
Our hotel was at the city center and Brenda, my co-worker, and I pulled our suitcases toward the exit with full confidence we could catch a taxi to the hotel. All the taxis were on the other side of the street behind a barricade. I had never seen a setup like that before. We found a policeman and asked him how to cross the street. If that doesn’t make you feel like a country cousin, nothing will. He called it “poor design” and we had to go back inside the building, down a level, cross under the street and then up a level to come out on the other side.
On the way to the hotel, Brenda asked the taxi driver where the Mall of America was located. “It’s the other side of the airport,” he told us. “It will cost you about $80 for a taxi from your hotel.”
How can you go to Minneapolis and not visit the iconic Mall of America? Isn’t that sort of un-American? Not to be deterred, we checked with the concierge, knowing that downtown hotels would not want to lose customers because it cost so much to get to the huge tourist attraction across town. Sure enough, he told us we could exit the hotel turn the corner, go two blocks and take the light rail to the Mall of America for $1.75. Much, much better than $80.
The best way to get to the Guthrie Theatre where the Tennessee Williams’ play was showing was on the light rail. We rode the street car known as Hiawatha to watch a “Street Car Named Desire.” The theatre was only two blocks from a Transit Station, and when the play let out at 10:45 p.m. we walked to the station. The trains passing by in the other direction were jammed with Twins fans who had boarded at Target Stadium. Before long, we hopped on and rode back to the hotel. Round trip equals $1, experience priceless.
We kept noticing a lot of young ladies wearing tiaras and beauty queen sashes. They were in town for the Queen of the Lakes competition and the Aquatennial Torchlight Parade. Before the parade, hundreds of runners participated in a 5k run. All this took place within a half-block of our hotel. I don’t recall ever seeing so many people run and the parade turned out to be the parade that never ended. Long after we were back in the hotel room we could still hear the pa-rum-pa-rum-pum of the high school bands.
As a bonus, the conference turned out to be one of the best I had ever attended. Interesting speakers updated us on all things benefit related.
While riding the light rail, we noticed all the people climbing on board with their suitcases to go to the airport. The train stopped at two different terminals, but a chart showed that we would get off at Lindberg to fly on Delta. Okay, we could take a taxi for $40, or ride the train for $1.75. It wasn’t a tough decision at all.
All in all, it was a great little break from everyday work. Having something to look forward to helps me wake up in the mornings and want to get out of bed. Having a good time and not breaking the bank, is a plus. Still, as much as I enjoyed it, a week was long enough and I woke up with a singing heart this morning because I’m at my favorite place—home.
copyright (c) July 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Monday, July 19, 2010
Comparing Apples to Pears
The Alzheimer’s Association sent a newsletter this week that says “pear” shaped women are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than “apple” shaped women. This is the first health bulletin I recall that gives apple-shaped women, who carry excess weight around their waists, an advantage over pear-shaped ladies, who carry their weight on their hips and thighs.
I know most women would prefer to be slim and trim, but that becomes harder as we grow older. In fact, a recent obesity report says that slightly more than one-third of Americans are obese. Obesity in my home state of Missouri is 29.3 % and we weigh in at No. 12 in the state rankings.
If you don’t consider yourself to be obese, but merely overweight, you should check the guidelines. BMI (body mass index) is used to determine whether an adult is merely overweight or obese. If your index is in the 25-29.9 range, you are overweight. Anything over the magic 29.9 indicates obesity. If you don’t know your BMI, you can find free BMI calculators on the Web. One thing is obvious when I look at mine—I just need to be a couple of inches taller. Who would have ever thought my goal in life would be to have a BMI that falls into the “overweight” category.
I’ve been honest enough to rank myself with the apple shapes for many years. The extra weight around my middle makes it hard for me to tie my shoes and dang near impossible for me to polish my toenails. That is a major problem during the sandal-days of summer. The only thing I can say is that once I huff and puff until I get it done, the super-duper nail polish I buy stays in place for several weeks.
Finding my way around polishing my toenails doesn’t make me any healthier. Apple shapes have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The recommendation for both pear-shaped and apple-shaped women is, of course, to lose weight. Higher risks for any obesity-linked disease have to do with the type of fat stored in our bodies. Women who carry their weight on their behinds, hips and thighs store the kind of fat that increases their risk of Alzheimer’s. Cognitive tests show a relationship between the amount of fat and forgetfulness.
I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. My apple shape puts me at a higher risk for heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. Holy cow, that should be enough to get me on a serious diet. It is easier to think of dieting right after my cholesterol and fat rich breakfast of bacon and eggs. I have been a bad, bad apple-shaped woman this morning. I don’t make a habit of eating such a breakfast, but there’s something about a Saturday morning that makes it irresistible. I’m usually in such a rush that I’m lucky to eat an English muffin or bagel. Skimping on breakfast goes against my upbringing.
I was raised to believe that a day should start with a good breakfast. Health and nutrition guides tout the importance of breakfast based on student test scores and adult productivity in the workplace. Any diet aficionado will tell you to eat your calories earlier in the day. I’m pretty sure most diets don’t recommend the kind of breakfast I ate this morning, but the general idea of taking time for breakfast is there.
The bottom line is that to reduce Alzheimer’s risk, pear-shaped women should lose weight. Don’t we all know that exercise and losing weight is part of a healthy lifestyle? I have a gym membership and, at least most of the time, opt for low calorie, no-sugar, omega rich foods, I lose probably fifty pounds a year, but it’s the same five pounds over and over.
Genetics determine our body shape, and we just need to do the best we can with our inheritance from our foremothers. Living a long life isn’t the only goal we have as intelligent human beings. We are stewards of our bodies and want to live happy, healthy, independent lives.
copyright July 2010 L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
I know most women would prefer to be slim and trim, but that becomes harder as we grow older. In fact, a recent obesity report says that slightly more than one-third of Americans are obese. Obesity in my home state of Missouri is 29.3 % and we weigh in at No. 12 in the state rankings.
If you don’t consider yourself to be obese, but merely overweight, you should check the guidelines. BMI (body mass index) is used to determine whether an adult is merely overweight or obese. If your index is in the 25-29.9 range, you are overweight. Anything over the magic 29.9 indicates obesity. If you don’t know your BMI, you can find free BMI calculators on the Web. One thing is obvious when I look at mine—I just need to be a couple of inches taller. Who would have ever thought my goal in life would be to have a BMI that falls into the “overweight” category.
I’ve been honest enough to rank myself with the apple shapes for many years. The extra weight around my middle makes it hard for me to tie my shoes and dang near impossible for me to polish my toenails. That is a major problem during the sandal-days of summer. The only thing I can say is that once I huff and puff until I get it done, the super-duper nail polish I buy stays in place for several weeks.
Finding my way around polishing my toenails doesn’t make me any healthier. Apple shapes have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The recommendation for both pear-shaped and apple-shaped women is, of course, to lose weight. Higher risks for any obesity-linked disease have to do with the type of fat stored in our bodies. Women who carry their weight on their behinds, hips and thighs store the kind of fat that increases their risk of Alzheimer’s. Cognitive tests show a relationship between the amount of fat and forgetfulness.
I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. My apple shape puts me at a higher risk for heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. Holy cow, that should be enough to get me on a serious diet. It is easier to think of dieting right after my cholesterol and fat rich breakfast of bacon and eggs. I have been a bad, bad apple-shaped woman this morning. I don’t make a habit of eating such a breakfast, but there’s something about a Saturday morning that makes it irresistible. I’m usually in such a rush that I’m lucky to eat an English muffin or bagel. Skimping on breakfast goes against my upbringing.
I was raised to believe that a day should start with a good breakfast. Health and nutrition guides tout the importance of breakfast based on student test scores and adult productivity in the workplace. Any diet aficionado will tell you to eat your calories earlier in the day. I’m pretty sure most diets don’t recommend the kind of breakfast I ate this morning, but the general idea of taking time for breakfast is there.
The bottom line is that to reduce Alzheimer’s risk, pear-shaped women should lose weight. Don’t we all know that exercise and losing weight is part of a healthy lifestyle? I have a gym membership and, at least most of the time, opt for low calorie, no-sugar, omega rich foods, I lose probably fifty pounds a year, but it’s the same five pounds over and over.
Genetics determine our body shape, and we just need to do the best we can with our inheritance from our foremothers. Living a long life isn’t the only goal we have as intelligent human beings. We are stewards of our bodies and want to live happy, healthy, independent lives.
copyright July 2010 L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Sunday, July 11, 2010
States Plan for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s Advocates throughout the United States have worked with their home states to develop a plan to prepare for the silver tsunami made up of aging baby boomers. So far twelve states have completed their plans. Another eighteen states, including Missouri, are developing plans.
In addition to the expected elected officials and aging professionals, the nineteen member Missouri Task Force includes a person with memory loss and a caregiver. Community Forums were held throughout the state to address the challenges of families facing Alzheimer’s disease.
The 110,000 Missourians who have Alzheimer’s disease are cared for by 180,000 unpaid caregivers who provide 156 million hours of unpaid care. Most caregivers want to care for their loved one at home as long as possible. With the necessary support and services in place, this army of dedicated unpaid caregivers can save the state $1.7 billion.
The Missouri Community Forums helped the Task Force pinpoint the areas that needed attention. The concerns family members voiced at the Alzheimer’s Association Mid-Missouri Chapter’s forum were:
1. Access to early and accurate diagnosis by doctors and health care professionals.
2. Availability of affordable home health and respite care to keep loved ones at home longer.
3. Investment from the state of Missouri for Alzheimer’s research.
This short list of goals is reasonable, and any caregiver can attest to their validity. Early diagnosis is important. If dementia-like symptoms are caused by a treatable condition, it is important to take proper measures to address the underlying problem. If the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, a proper treatment regimen can be started when it does the most good. Early diagnosis helps the family plan for the future.
Affordable home health and respite are basic needs when a loved one is cared for in the home. One person cannot be awake and alert twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Providing care for a person with Alzheimer’s is a huge undertaking! Not only do states need a plan, individuals need one to prevent burnout and illness. A care plan designed to provide relief for the primary caregiver with home health support and occasional respite care will keep people in the comfort of their own homes longer.
The state of Missouri annually spends $100 million in Medicaid for dementia long term care. By investing in Alzheimer’s Service Grants to support families caring for their loved ones at home, the state could save millions in Medicaid dollars.
The Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan will be delivered to the governor in November as part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. It is a fiscal responsibility of our elected officials to tap into this valuable resource of dedicated caregivers.
Copyright © July 2010, L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
To see which states have plans:
http://www.alz.org/national/documents/StatePlanMap.pdf
In addition to the expected elected officials and aging professionals, the nineteen member Missouri Task Force includes a person with memory loss and a caregiver. Community Forums were held throughout the state to address the challenges of families facing Alzheimer’s disease.
The 110,000 Missourians who have Alzheimer’s disease are cared for by 180,000 unpaid caregivers who provide 156 million hours of unpaid care. Most caregivers want to care for their loved one at home as long as possible. With the necessary support and services in place, this army of dedicated unpaid caregivers can save the state $1.7 billion.
The Missouri Community Forums helped the Task Force pinpoint the areas that needed attention. The concerns family members voiced at the Alzheimer’s Association Mid-Missouri Chapter’s forum were:
1. Access to early and accurate diagnosis by doctors and health care professionals.
2. Availability of affordable home health and respite care to keep loved ones at home longer.
3. Investment from the state of Missouri for Alzheimer’s research.
This short list of goals is reasonable, and any caregiver can attest to their validity. Early diagnosis is important. If dementia-like symptoms are caused by a treatable condition, it is important to take proper measures to address the underlying problem. If the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, a proper treatment regimen can be started when it does the most good. Early diagnosis helps the family plan for the future.
Affordable home health and respite are basic needs when a loved one is cared for in the home. One person cannot be awake and alert twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Providing care for a person with Alzheimer’s is a huge undertaking! Not only do states need a plan, individuals need one to prevent burnout and illness. A care plan designed to provide relief for the primary caregiver with home health support and occasional respite care will keep people in the comfort of their own homes longer.
The state of Missouri annually spends $100 million in Medicaid for dementia long term care. By investing in Alzheimer’s Service Grants to support families caring for their loved ones at home, the state could save millions in Medicaid dollars.
The Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan will be delivered to the governor in November as part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. It is a fiscal responsibility of our elected officials to tap into this valuable resource of dedicated caregivers.
Copyright © July 2010, L. S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
To see which states have plans:
http://www.alz.org/national/documents/StatePlanMap.pdf
Monday, July 5, 2010
What Do You Like Best About Independence Day?
Ask most people their favorite part of Independence Day, and their automatic response would be “The fireworks.” What’s not to love about exploding patterns of brilliant color and the thunderous booms of deluxe pyrotechnical wonders?
The fireworks displays are not my favorite part of the holiday, perhaps because as a Vietnam Veteran, Jim had serious problems dealing with the warlike sounds. Have you ever thought about how hard it is to make it through the 4th of July without being exposed to fireworks? It’s really unavoidable.
As dementia began to affect his reasoning, Jim regressed to the time of war and the posttraumatic stress that went with it. He called me at work one day. “Those boys! Those mean boys!” I couldn’t get him to tell me what had happened. I was afraid he had hit one of them with the car. I came home to see what had upset him so much, and he finally stopped shaking long enough to tell me the neighbor boys had set off some firecrackers as he drove by.
So after years of avoiding fireworks, I’ve watched the fireworks display at Truman Lake for the past two years. J.B. and Wanda have their house festively decorated and the food is fantastic. The breeze and cooler temperatures this year were perfect for sitting on the back patio visiting with them and my son and daughter-in-law.
More important than the fireworks and food is spending time with friends and family. My sixteen-year-old grandson lit the fireworks in the yard. Between choosing and lighting the fireworks, he checked his cell phone for text messages. My twelve-year-old granddaughter and I made arrangements to go see the latest vampire movie. My grandchildren are growing up so fast that I chide myself for being so involved in work and writing projects that I don’t spend enough time with them.
While I was at the lake, my youngest son and his family drove to my house to watch fireworks at Julie’s backyard celebration. It doesn’t seem that long ago that when Rob and Julie’s brother wanted to go, Julie always asked, “Can I go with?”
After an evening spent with friends, Rob and his family planned to leave early for their Colorado vacation. They were asleep by the time I got home, but my seven-year-old granddaughter met me at the door with a hug. She always sleeps with me, and had told her mom and dad she was waiting up for “Grandma Linda.” I tucked her in and she was fast asleep by the time I was ready for bed.
The next morning, she cuddled up next to me while I drank my coffee and opened the “Why?” book. I read the questions, and she read the answers. While she read about molecules, my youngest grandson brought his play golf game into the living room to practice his swing. You would have thought he made a hole in one when he hit the ball over his dad’s head and into the space between the couch and wall. Then he found a handheld bowling game and wanted his dad to make it work.
“The batteries must be dead,” Rob said. Pretty soon, the game was up and running.
“You must have figured it out,” I said. Rob told me he hadn’t figured it out at all. I guess you can’t expect a grownup to compete with an almost three-year-old.
Spending time with family was always Jim’s favorite activity. If he had never had dementia, I bet he would have tolerated, perhaps enjoyed, watching the brilliant aerial kaleidoscopes while surrounded by loved ones. It is for certain he would have been a proud dad and grandpa if he could see his family now. Jim would have savored every moment and have recognized the thunderous sounds to be a national celebration of independence and known that he had done his part to keep America free.
copyright (c) July 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
The fireworks displays are not my favorite part of the holiday, perhaps because as a Vietnam Veteran, Jim had serious problems dealing with the warlike sounds. Have you ever thought about how hard it is to make it through the 4th of July without being exposed to fireworks? It’s really unavoidable.
As dementia began to affect his reasoning, Jim regressed to the time of war and the posttraumatic stress that went with it. He called me at work one day. “Those boys! Those mean boys!” I couldn’t get him to tell me what had happened. I was afraid he had hit one of them with the car. I came home to see what had upset him so much, and he finally stopped shaking long enough to tell me the neighbor boys had set off some firecrackers as he drove by.
So after years of avoiding fireworks, I’ve watched the fireworks display at Truman Lake for the past two years. J.B. and Wanda have their house festively decorated and the food is fantastic. The breeze and cooler temperatures this year were perfect for sitting on the back patio visiting with them and my son and daughter-in-law.
More important than the fireworks and food is spending time with friends and family. My sixteen-year-old grandson lit the fireworks in the yard. Between choosing and lighting the fireworks, he checked his cell phone for text messages. My twelve-year-old granddaughter and I made arrangements to go see the latest vampire movie. My grandchildren are growing up so fast that I chide myself for being so involved in work and writing projects that I don’t spend enough time with them.
While I was at the lake, my youngest son and his family drove to my house to watch fireworks at Julie’s backyard celebration. It doesn’t seem that long ago that when Rob and Julie’s brother wanted to go, Julie always asked, “Can I go with?”
After an evening spent with friends, Rob and his family planned to leave early for their Colorado vacation. They were asleep by the time I got home, but my seven-year-old granddaughter met me at the door with a hug. She always sleeps with me, and had told her mom and dad she was waiting up for “Grandma Linda.” I tucked her in and she was fast asleep by the time I was ready for bed.
The next morning, she cuddled up next to me while I drank my coffee and opened the “Why?” book. I read the questions, and she read the answers. While she read about molecules, my youngest grandson brought his play golf game into the living room to practice his swing. You would have thought he made a hole in one when he hit the ball over his dad’s head and into the space between the couch and wall. Then he found a handheld bowling game and wanted his dad to make it work.
“The batteries must be dead,” Rob said. Pretty soon, the game was up and running.
“You must have figured it out,” I said. Rob told me he hadn’t figured it out at all. I guess you can’t expect a grownup to compete with an almost three-year-old.
Spending time with family was always Jim’s favorite activity. If he had never had dementia, I bet he would have tolerated, perhaps enjoyed, watching the brilliant aerial kaleidoscopes while surrounded by loved ones. It is for certain he would have been a proud dad and grandpa if he could see his family now. Jim would have savored every moment and have recognized the thunderous sounds to be a national celebration of independence and known that he had done his part to keep America free.
copyright (c) July 2010 L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)