Current statistical studies indicate that at age 80, there is a one in five chance of suffering from Alzheimer's disease (20 out of 100).
At age 85, the odds rise to one out of every two (50 out of 100). I call this the Alzheimer's danger zone.
It is well known that women live longer than men. But, I don't think it is well known that healthy women live much longer than healthy men, and live into the Alzheimer's danger zone.Women who reach the age of fifty without suffering from cancer or heart disease can expect to live nearly ninety-two years (92).**
Men who live to age sixty-five without suffering from cancer or heart disease, can expect to live to eighty-one (81).
I believe most men and woman would find these aging statistics startling. Especially women marrying older men.
I doubt that 50 year old women are thinking or worrying about Alzheimer's if they have not seen it in their family. It seems to me that they should be very worried. Without a treatment or a cure, 50 percent of the woman in the group described above can expect to suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's.
Here are some things that women can be doing to stay healthy, protect their brain, and decrease the chances of suffering from Alzheimer's.
The list.For more Insight into Alzheimer's Disease
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Bob DeMarco is an Alzheimer's caregiver and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob taught at the University of Georgia, was an executive at Bear Stearns, the CEO of IP Group, and is a mentor. He has written more than 600 articles with more than 11,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
More from the Alzheimer's Reading Room
**Davidhizar, R. (1999). Caregiving from a distance. Hospital Topics: Research and Perspectives on Healthcare
Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Should Women Be Worried about Alzheimer's ?
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Is it Alzheimer's or the Thyroid
Read the complete article at the Alzheimer's Reading Room.
I wish I could shout this from the mountain top: "when Alzheimer's or dementia present themselves get the thyroid checked".Read More......
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
100 Million Adults Touched by Alzheimer's
HBO Alzheimer's Project / Harris Interactive Census
Read more on this topic.
Alzheimer's Reading Room: 100 Million Adults Touched by Alzheimer's Read More......
Friday, April 24, 2009
Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
Forty percent of Alzheimer's caregivers end up suffering from depression. Do you want to see this happen to a loved one or friend? Like it or not, if you are a family member or friend of an Alzheimer's caregiver and you are not helping them--you have abandoned them. I am sure this sounds harsh. But, it's not even close to the harshness of your own behavior. Alzheimer's is a sinister disease--it kills the brain of the person suffering from Alzheimer's. And, it will try to kill the brain of the Alzheimer's caregiver.
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Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Alzheimer's Project -- Caregivers
By now most of you have heard about the HBO Documentary--The Alzheimer's Project.
I wanted to remind you that part four is entitled "Caregivers". Caregivers airs for the first time on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 PM.
“Caregivers” is a collection of five family portraits that illustrate caring for the different stages of Alzheimer’s disease.I was actually interviewed as a candidate for the show. One interesting aspect of the interview was that they found me via this blog.
I am really looking forward to watching all four parts. I'll be most interested to see how they handle the segment focused on Caregivers.
I am really looking forward to a show that really shows what it is like to live Alzheimer's from the Front Row. Will this be the one?
HBO usually does a great job. So, my expectations are very high. You are all invited to come here and discuss your reactions and feelings about each segment.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Living Alzheimer's From the Front Row
I often use the term "living Alzheimer's from the front row". This term describes caregivers and others that watch Alzheimer's develop 24/7. Once the disease strikes they get to witness the craziness of it all. On one hand, you have the person suffering from Alzheimer's; on the other hand, you have the person responsible for caring for that person. Unless you are an Alzheimer's caregiver it is almost impossible to either understand or comprehend what it is like living in the front row.
Until you sit in the front row you won't be able to comprehend what it is like living in the "front row" . In the early days of caring the caregiver deals with a disease that is not only impossible to understand; they live with a disease that turns their world upside down. Imagine a person you know all or most of your life and their behavior changes--suddenly--and for the worse. This person, your loved one, begins to act out behaviors with you that you have never seen or experienced before. You want to scream at them or worse, but you come to the realization that this only makes matters worse. You cannot reason with a person suffering from Alzheimer's. They believe what they say to be true and nothing can change it.
It is difficult to describe the range of emotions a caregiver might feel or experience in a single day. Imagine being happy and then sad, caring then angry, focused then frustrated, an almost endless stream of feelings and emotions that conflict. The caregiver lives an anxiety filled life day-after- day. The caregiver nevers knows when this craziness might come to an end. They do know this uncertain fate is heart wrenching.
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Most people have difficulty dealing with change. The Alzheimer's caregiver deals with change on a daily basis. Never knowing for certain what is coming, but knowing fully it is coming. Informed caregivers try to get ahead of the curve so they can get prepared for these harsh, sometimes hard to comprehend changes. Knowing that your loved one is going to forget simple things like how to brush their teeth, how to take a shower, and even how to eat is not a pleasant thought. The actual experience and feeling of helplessness cannot be described. Knowing that the day is coming when they --won't know you-- is the most horrific feeling of them all.
It isn't pleasant living in the front row. Yet, somehow we do it. Many of us for years. Trust me when I say this, if you are not living in the front row you could never imagine what it is like.
If you know a caregiver get involved. The first thing you can do is listen to them as they vent. The next thing you can do is arrange for them to get away from it all for a period of time. Hug a caregiver, I assure you it will be an experience you won't forget.
Bob DeMarco—My Profile
Also see:
A Wonderful Moment in Time--Mom dances for the first time in years
Alzheimer's and the Thyroid
A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's disease
High cholesterol levels in your 40s raises Alzheimer's risk
Bob DeMarco—My Profile
Also see:
A Wonderful Moment in Time--Mom dances for the first time in years
Alzheimer's and the Thyroid
A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's disease
High cholesterol levels in your 40s raises Alzheimer's risk
A Wonderful Moment in Time--Mom dances for the first time in years
Wonderful people.
I have a vivid image of the look on mom's face and of us dancing. I will have that image in my mind forever. This is the kind of moment that really knocks home to me why I am here with mom. Moments like this help keep me energized and focused.
My name is Bob and I am the sole caregiver for my mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
One of the biggest problems I face as a caregiver is keeping my mother socialized. If it was up to her she would sit around all day in the dark, rarely speaking. If you have experienced this you know how really disconcerting this can be.
About two years ago, I decided to take my mother out to the Banana Boat in Boynton Beach. The Banana Boat is an outdoor restaurant on the Intercoastal Waterway. The "Boat" has an outdoor restaurant and an outdoor bar where you can eat and listen to live music. Since my mother rarely speaks when we go out to dinner, I decided we would sit at the bar and eat. This would insure we had movement and people talking around us.
My mother ordered chicken wings and french fries, one of her favorites meals. My mother's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw "a big basket of french fries". She was delighted. We had a very good time that night and I decided to do it the next Friday night. Pretty soon we were doing it most Friday nights.
After a few weeks, women started to come over and talk to us. The attraction was an older man with his elderly mother; they wanted to say how nice it was to see us. Keep in mind my mother was 90 at the time. Of course, they were saddened to hear that mom was suffering from Alzheimer's. Soon both women and men were coming over to talk.
I should point out that the Banana Boat is the kind of place that attracts many of the same people week-in-week-out. Since we go around 6:30 we catch the happy hour crowd many of whom stay until 8.
After a while, a small group of people started saving a chair for my mother as they were expecting us. The first time we missed a Friday one woman asked for our phone number and told me they were worried about "mom" when we didn't show up. So they wanted to be able to check if we hadn't told them we wouldn't be coming the next week. Now we call to let them know if we are not coming.
As time went on, our little group of friends started to get bigger and this turned out to be a "God send". Each week, one by one these wonderful people come up and start talking to my mother. She really enjoys this and her attitude perks up right away. They treat her just like everyone else and talk to her like she is one of the gang. This year a group got together and took my mother to the casino to play slot machines on here birthday. I cannot put into words how much this meant to mom and me.
My mother loved to dance. So, each and every week I asked her if she wanted to dance. Our new friends would also ask mom to dance--men and women alike. I could tell that mom wanted to dance but she always said, no. Mom is no longer confident around crowds or people she doesn't know, so while her instinct is to dance her brain is telling her no. I can tell you mom was never shy about dancing and she is a good dancer.
Last Friday night, I asked mom if she wanted to dance. She said, no. But, I could tell she really did want to dance this time. When we were getting ready to leave, and as mom stood up, I started dancing with her right on the spot. She was shaking it a little bit and had a big smile on her face. By the time we were done people had tears in their eyes and smiles as big as big could be. Wonderful people.
I have a vivid image of the look on mom's face and of us dancing. I will have that image in my mind forever. This is the kind of moment that really knocks home to me why I am here with mom and situations like this really help me to keep at it.
I can assure you it was really a wonderful moment in time.
Original content the Alzheimer's Diary Read More......
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