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Dementia Weekly & Alzheimer's Weekly
This site was created to serve the community of people living with dementias such as Alzheimer's. Whether you are living with a dementia, a caregiver, professional, or just concerned with prevention or early testing, we welcome you to the best we have to offer.
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This site is updated every week, and is always growing, being enhanced and improved. It offers a unique community of people who all share the experiences of dementias such as Alzheimer's, whether as people with this handicap or as caregivers.
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More Information
Mom has Alzheimer's and we(brothers and sister) have decided to take a very aggressive approach in her treatment. we are reading everything we can from all sites and implementing All of it. Go to Alz.org and learn of all current treatments, research,etc...We have our mom on Fish oil, L-Carnitine, Curcumin, Resevatrol, DHA, B12, B6, complete multivitamin, and many other anti-oxidants. We get her up and active and have her on a routine and she seems to be doing better. We are hoping that with all the new drugs coming to market soon, we can slow the progression until that time there is a permanent cure which we believe there will be ala HIV. If you recall in the early 80s the world was convinced that if you had HIV, your sentence was sealed and death was the only outcome.. We know now that that is not the case and we are hopeful, that this will be the case with Alzheimers(Im no doctor but in comparing the HIV virus to Alzheimer's, the HIV virus appears to be much more difficult to cure and to manage yet it's been done). Lets all do everything possible to find a cure to save our loved ones and save future generations as well. Let's declare war on Alzheimer's and lets win this war!!!!!!
...I smiled when I read your note above.....my mom, earlier in the disease, used to carry pockets-full of individually wrapped peppermint Life Savers! Even in her PJ top! My one son just found some in a basket in his room the other day (and she hasn't visited in over 2 years: tells you how often they (I) clean their room!) :)
On a more serious note, you are right. The love of sweets is to be expected. Mom went from Life Savers, to mini-peanut butter cups, to whatever else was sweet. Offer "healthy" foods, but let her eat what she wants. The saving grace at this point is that she loves Ensure Chocolate drinks...very sweet, but packed w/calories; especially if you add some ice cream and make it into a shake.
Hang in there. This too shall pass....please try to enjoy this stage/these memories and times of laughter. My mom used to laugh at the silliest things and we would laugh with her. Now she spends most of her day asleep and when she is awake, she appears "gone". You and your family are in my prayers.
Diana
I am a nurse manager for a Dementia Care Unit in Milwaukee, WI, and also have a mother with end stage Alzheimer's Disease. My maternal grandmother also suffered from this disease; it is a passion for me to care for those with Alzheimer's, and other dementias.
If I can be of help to anyone, please feel free to send me a note!
Peace~
Diana
Hya. Just and overwhelmed caregiver looking for resources, a place to vent, etc.
Jimmy.
Hi, this is Nurse Dina. I'm a nurse who is a moderator on this site, and Ann is a moderator who is a social worker.
The space below is for readers to discuss their questions with each other.
If you'd like feedback from Ann or I to your questions, please visit us on our forums. To get to my forum, select "FORUMS" at the top of this page, then "ASK NURSE DINA." You can also click here for the "Ask Nurse Dina" forum.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Nurse Dina
My grandfather has had about to weeks n the hospital and has not been n his rite mind since. We got to all kinds of doctors and none had offered to do a test 4 a diagnoses 4 him. What kind of doctor dose the test...... HELP
Hello,
I am so glad to have this popping into my email. My mother has dementia and I was wondering about how to get her to eat regular foods instead of sweets all the time. I am not sure what is happening now but she just does not want to eat food but will take candy and/or ice cream.
I do worry but I also know that this is something to be expected. She is still able to wander, move around and talk with us, my father and I, even though we don't get all she is saying. She still laughs and smiles.
Most importantly, she is fiercely independent. I am surprise that that but it is who she is.
Another thing I wonder about is, do they still feel pain if anything is going on with their body?
That's the two things I am curious about and thank you for your time and expertise in this:)
Have a good day!
Linda
I am brand new here. My Mom had Alzheimer's for about 14 years, and I was her caregiver. My Mom recently passed away, and I'm totally lost. I'm an Alzheimer's Advocate, and trying to make a difference somehow in this World. For now, I want to remind everyone that Wed., 9/21 is World Alzheimer's Day. Wear purple (Alzheimer's color)..if you're on facebook, turn your profile purple..do anything you can to promote awareness of this horrific disease. Look at the statistics at Alz.org. It's overwhelming. My best wishes to everyone here. I have walked in your shoes, and am still walking.
My Mother is in a Otterbein Nursing home, and I do not think they are trained to handle Dementia. My mother is fading fast and chooses not to eat for the last 3 weeks. My father insists she knows what she is doing, and is in denial however he is 80 yrs old and its quite a lot for him to handle. I only wish the Nursing home would take more interest in this terrible disease. I have lost faith in the doctors at the nursing home as well. Don't they realize they will be old one day too. My mother is very hard of hearing, and can barely speak and is in a wheel chair, but she is a human being so I am not sure what is next? Nursing home does not follow thru with medication or access the situation, and the therapy they give is random. What do I do??
I'm looking forward to using the info on this site. My husband was diagnosed with MCI a year ago and some times I'm over whelmed and it will be nice to have a place to talk to someone.
Also, I've so much information, Thanks for this site!