|
 |
| |
Doctor's Who Don't Talk to the Alzheimer's Patient
Four readers responded to the artlice and other letters regarding "Doctor's Who Don't Talk to the Alzheimer's Patient."
(Read More...)
Doctors Who Don't talk to the Alzheimer's Patient
I read these letters, and everything flooded back. I told them not to give him sedatives, but the were understaffed, and gave them to him anyway. They said it was that, or tie him down. It took me more than 5 weeks, after the last hospital stay, to get my husband back to his baseline. I don't argue with them, when they won't let me in the examining room, or the radiology room, or the lab for his blood tests. I say, "Ok, I'll wait here." I guarantee, they'll be out in two minutes asking for my help. It is funny. Now they all know me. I was told they wouldn't label their charts, because of patient confidentiality. My reply was, use a purple dot, or something. No one would know what it was, except the people that work there. I am not a professional, but after dealing with this for 5 years, I feel like going to hospitals, and nursing homes, and talking to the nurses and doctors about it.
(Read More...)
Driving
Letter to the Editor
As someone who routinely performs evaluations for dementia, I have struggled with the "driving" question. I endorse driving evaluations as the "gold standard" for determination of driving ability. However, if someone has a degenerative dementia, we know that deficits increase over time. Therefore, if someone with a degenerative dementia can pass a driving test today, could they do so tomorrow? New week? Next month? At some point, we can assume they would become unsafe, but to identify that point would require frequent serial driving evaluations. For most people that would be impractical. Thus, I believe we must rely on our current knowledge that anyone beyond CER .5 is probably unsafe for driving. Victor Neufeld, Ph.D.
(Read More...)
Driving
Letters to the Editor
In the recent letter to the editor written by Dr. Victor Neufeld, it was suggested that CER.5 should be the benchmark beyond which people with dementia should not drive. Would you please explain what CER.5 is?
(Read More...)
Harvard Brain Bank Seeks a Few Good Cerebella
I read with great interest today's article on brain donations to Harvard. My mother passed away on March 21, 2006, from Alzheimer's and Lewy Bodies Dementia, and we donated her brain to Harvard, so this article was extremely timely for me to help acknowledge that we did a good thing for research. The hospital we worked with had never done such a procedure and, hopefully, it will educate them and others of the benefit of brain donations. Although the article makes mention of it, we will also receive a report from Harvard confirming that Mom truly did suffer from both types of dementia, something that couldn't be confirmed until after her death. We are proud to have helped out future research for Alzheimer's, dementia, and other neurological diseases.<
(Read More...)
Include Your Brain in Your Annual Physical
Don't be alarmed. This is not an unsolicited ad for Viagra from a pharmacy located in a row boat floating off the coast of Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) a port on the west coast of India. (Doesn't the use of Mr. Google's tool add more interest and humor to emails, while at the same expand your
(Read More...)
Keeping Drivers with Dementia off the Road
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Anyone who is demented is very ill and should be under close supervision, if not under lock and key. It is an illness, and only some people with dementia are demented.
But the overwhelming majority of people with dementia are not demented, and it is unfair to label them as such. We have an illness called dementia. I have no doubt you are at times ill and would hate to be name called.
I agree that when dementia appears, drivers and operators of machinery should be tested. Some can drive safely. Their license should be withdrawn only when it is no longer safe for them, or the public, to continue.
(Read More...)
Leeza's Place
Aloha, I have just returned from a place in LA which should be an example of what care partners and diagnosed persons should have available to them in every city, province or just plain near by. The name is Leeza's Place and I was invited there, as a person with dementia, to discuss the story of dementia.
(Read More...)
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
California LBD Support Groups
This month we added 5 new Lewy Body support groups (Northern California/East Bay; Sacramento Pocket Area; Brown County, IN; Portland, ME; and Baltimore County, MD) bringing the total number of groups to 26 in 16 states, the District of Columbia and Toronto, Canada.
(Read More...)
LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & Richard Taylor
In this section are readers responses to the article by Richard Taylor.
(Read More...)
Living With Alzheimer's: Yes, We Have No Bananas
Richard Taylor helped me understand more of what my husband feels every day. When I am frustrated with him I will remember that he locked in this disease and is no longer the strong, intelligent man I have been married to for over 40 years. I cherish the wonderful years we have had together and pray everyday a cure will be found to help him or some other young person with this awful disease.
(Read More...)
Measuring Dementia & Alzheimer's Daily News Passes 500,000 Mark
Your newsletter is wonderful. My wife is in an advanced stage of AD and I found your newsletter quite by accident while surfing the net for news of new medicines. Your newsletter and the accasional letters to the editor has been a godsend for me as it provides a forum to ask and answer questions as well as a source of information on the latest studies. Our doctor is amazed at how we keep up to date with the study results and I directed him to your newsletter. Please keep up the good work!
(Read More...)
Movement Problems May Predict Brain Disorders
I want to let Dr. Scheider know that the first symptoms I had were falling when I first got out of bed. At least 2 years before diagnosis I had this problem of falling for no reason. Even before forgetting words and thoughts, I had other symptoms of AD problems also unknowingly. I encountered eye problems that were not able to be diagnosed by my eye doctor. He told me to see a mental health person. Tools were disappearing in front
of me. I thought I was crazy.
(Read More...)
My Wife Doesn't Recognize Me
Letters to the Editor
I would like to talk about a problem that may occur for other Alzheimer's caregivers who are taking care of their husbands or wives. I thought my experience might be helpful.
(Read More...)
Quick Brown Fox: An Alzheimer's Story
I have been a faithful reader of the Alzheimer's Daily News for 3 years now and your work has been very inspiring to me. I wanted to share with you the news that my film, "Quick Brown Fox: an Alzheimer's Story" will be featured in the 7th annual Through Women's Eyes International Film Festival in Sarasota, Florida and I will be lucky enough to be there.
(Read More...)
Re: Memory Loss isn't Necessarily Alzheimer's
Letter to the Editor
I am so surprised you would use this article! It upsets me so much to see this type of article given any additional exposure because it is so hard to get the public to go in for early evaluation of MCI or Stage One [Alzheimer's], and this just gives people more security that their mild cognitive impairment is nothing at all to be concerned about. Then they progress to where they need a lot of help and could have slowed the disease down earlier. My mission in life is to spread the importance of early and accurate diagnosis and fighting the very common belief in the public that it is all just a "normal part of aging".
(Read More...)
Response to Tarry No More: Let's Find a Cure for Alzheimer's
(Letter from Mr. Essner published March 22, 2006)
Dear Mr. Essner: I am sure that you will receive much agreement from all persons affected by this disease of Dr. Alzheimer.
My conjecture is that in order to defeat this disease science needs to stop trying to meet the monetary needs of the pharmaceutical companies and get back to dealing with the people affected.
(Read More...)
Response to: Tarry No More: Let's Find a Cure
I just wanted to respond and agree with Chuck Jackson's letter. My husband was also young when diagnosed and I could not get him into one trial, and it was not for the lack of trying. It appears the younger patient does not represent the majority of Alzheimer's patients and therefore research would not benefit from the information obtained from them.
(Read More...)
Richard Taylor Series
I have just read the wonderful articles by Richard Taylor and was profoundly moved by his experiences. A great book by Eckhart Tolle, called "The Power of Now", is a wonderful compliment to Richard's insights facing this disease. I have often questioned my existence and all of the facades that I have adopted to be successful in this world. According to Eckhart's insights, we are not our mind, our body, or our personality, but something much deeper, and much more expansive and connected to all that is. One cannot truly be lost, even if the mind or body goes. Perhaps this can be of comfort to this special population of patients and caregivers alike.
(Read More...)
Safety, Safety, Safety
Letters to the Editor
These are the kinds of conversations (feedback from Safety, Safety, Safety) I was hoping to stimulate. We make too many assumptions about each other. I am only one voice of one person with dementia. All your readers know at least one other voice. I hope my writings motivate more conversation, more enabling, more open and ongoing communication.
(Read More...)
|
|
|
|