Dementia, Alzheimer, Memory Loss, Health

Dementia affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, behavior, and a person’s ability to perform normal daily activities.

Dementia is a word that describes symptoms of the gradual deterioration of mental functioning that cannot be explained by normal aging.

Bob DeMarco, Alzheimer's Reading Room

At its core the Alzheimer's Reading Room is about helping members of the Alzheimer's Community understand, cope, and communicate with persons living with Alzheimer's and related dementia.

Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room (ARR), and an Alzheimer's caregiver. His mother Dorothy lived with Alzheimer's disease.

Prior to moving to Delray Beach, Florida to take care of his mother, Bob was CEO of a software development and marketing company, and an executive on Wall Street for 15 years.

Bob's also taught at the University of Georgia and Philadelphia University.

Bob DeMarco is a recognized expert in the Alzheimer's community, an expert on Sharecare, and listed as one of the top ten Alzheimer's influencers on the Internet.

Bob has lectured, appeared in person, and been interviewed on television and radio across the U.S. Bob is an expert speaker on Alzheimer's caregiving.

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About the Alzheimer's Reading Room

The goal of the Alzheimer's Reading Room is to Educate and Empower Alzheimer's caregivers their families, and the entire Alzheimer's community.

In the Alzheimer's Reading Room (ARR), we offer "real life" solutions to problems that Alzheimer's caregivers face each day.

The website contains a knowledge base of more than 3,800 articles. These articles can be found via a keyword search using the search box on the right hand side of every webpage. We add new information to the knowledge base every day.


Read More about the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Is Coconut Oil a Treatment for Alzheimer's?

The article discusses the issue and offers possible explanations of the positive affect of coconut oil on Alzheimer's patients.

Rudy Tanzi

It is almost like a cult, people extolling coconut oil as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

They send emails and enter comments constantly on theAlzheimer's Reading Room. Is coconut oil an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease?

In the article below Rudy Tanzi discusses the issue and offers possible explanations of the positive affect of coconut oil on Alzheimer's patients.

There is currently no peer-reviewed clinical research available regarding the efficacy of coconut oil in treating or preventing Alzheimer’s.

Thanks to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund for this information.

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Why Do Alzheimer's Caregivers Torture Themselves?

For several years, I tortured myself psychologically and emotionally. To this day I look back and ask myself, why?

By Bob DeMarco 
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Saint Genesius

Alzheimer's is a sinister disease. It robs the patient of the ability to remember, to think, and effects mood and behavior often in a negative way.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) eventually robs the patient of the ability to do things we take for granted -- like buttoning a button.

Alzheimer's often robs patients of the ability to say "yes", so instead they say what comes easiest -- No.

These new and often bizarre changes brought on by Alzheimer's can feel like torture to an Alzheimer's caregiver. This explains in part why a large fraction of caregivers, up to 40 percent, suffer from depression.

The other day I answered a question by saying, "its the job of Alzheimer's to torture you". Later on as I thought about those words, I was surprised that I used the word "torture". Surprised until I remembered that I once thought, "Alzheimer's is trying to kill me". Alzheimer's kills the brain of the person living with Alzheimer's. It will also try and kill the spirit of the Alzheimer's caregiver.

Continue reading, Why Do Alzheimer's Caregivers Torture Themselves?

Why Do the Deeply Forgetful Say No So Often

Did it every occur to you that you are the problem?

By Bob DeMarco 
Alzheimer's Reading Room

Most dementia caregivers accept the word "No" from the deeply forgetful. Then they turn around and vent about it to anyone that will listen.

S/he says no all the time, they say.

It is very common for a person that is deeply forgetful to say "no" when you ask them to do something. I don't know why, but it seems like this is a secret to many in the dementia community.

Frankly, I knew for a long time when Dotty said "no" she didn't mean it. Nevertheless, it still drove me crazy, and often made me feel frustrated or angry.


Continue reading in the Alzheimer's Reading Room,
Why Do the Deeply Forgetful Say No So Often