Happy Easter and Passover!
Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis webinar from Home Instead, Inc., April 1, noon CT
Preserving Oral Health in Alzheimer’s, AFA webinar, April 8, noon CT. https://alzfdn.org/event/care-connection-webinar-preserving-oral-health-in-alzheimers/
Join Being Patient for LiveTalk: Building a New Life After an Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Brian LeBlanc. Brian will share how he has found meaning and new relationships after he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2014.
Reserve your seat now for the free talk Monday, April 12 at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET >>
Parkinson’s/Dementia Virtual Reality: April 13. 10 am. Step into the world of Dima Harb with an enriching virtual reality experience. Virtual reality (VR) technology allows you to embody an immersive learning experience, by becoming Dima, a Lebanese-American immigrant living with LBD and PD, discover how you can transform your involvement and knowledge as a caregiver or care partner. Register at https://m.facebook.com/events/287850056061337
Zoom Support Groups available online:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, April 6, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@alzca.org. Join us on zoom:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86450491838
- CJFS CARES, Mondays at 1:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
- Founders Place at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Tuesday’s at 10 am, contact Susan Logan, susanlogan65@gmail.com
- Pell City, 1st Tuesday of each month, 2:00 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- Leeds, 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, ethomaston50@gmail.com
- United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County, 3rd Tuesday of each month 11:30-12:30, contact Valarie Lawson,vlawson@uwaaa.org
- Asbury United Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 1:00, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
- CJFS CARES, Thursdays, 7:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
Following its debut on Good Morning America, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has announced the official launch of BrainGuide – a first-of-its-kind platform, in both English and Spanish, that empowers people with knowledge and resources to take the best next steps in managing their own or a loved one’s brain health.
For Howard Tischler’s mother, financial exploitation began with a telemarketer, who sold her an auto club policy even though she was legally blind and didn’t have a car or driver’s license. From there, her financial life unravelled. Read part 1 of Being Patient’s series about finances, aging and brain health, we explored how dementia can affect money management.
You may have read Teepa Snow’s recent post How to Calm Angry Outbursts of People Living with Dementia, where she discussed strategies to bring back calm and comfort for care partner and care recipient. Since we all know that it takes two to tango and anger can occur on both sides of the care relationship, she shares some things that a person living with dementia may try if their care partner is angry. How to Calm an Angry Dementia Care Provider – Positive Approach to Care (teepasnow.com)
The high cost of a sedentary lifestyle just became a bit more evident ― a new global study shows that inactivity drives up to 8% of noncommunicable diseases and mortality. It is also often sited as a risk factor for dementia. Physical inactivity, defined as engaging in less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, is estimated to have caused 7.2% of all-cause deaths and 7.6% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths. Inactivity Drives 1 in 14 Deaths Globally, New Data Suggest (medscape.com)
| Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, such as dementia. This type of care can be received at the same time as treatment and focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illness. Studies have shown that palliative care can have many benefits for both patients and their families. Visit NIA’s website to find answers to these and other frequently asked questions about palliative care. |
Smell is usually one of the first senses affected by many types of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Why is smell diminished in these disorders? No one is exactly sure. One explanation may be that the place in the brain where smell is processed is right next to the hippocampus—the place in the brain where memory is processed. Since Alzheimer’s disease starts in this part of the temporal lobe and spreads, Alzheimer’s may simply spread quickly to the place in the brain where smell is processed. Another theory is that both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease may start with an unusual reaction to a viral infection—and the viral infection may start in the nose! But this is just a theory so please don’t worry that you’re going to develop one of these diseases because you have a cold. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/managing-your-memory/202103/when-dementia-diminishes-smell-and-taste?error_code=1349126&error_
Assisted Living Research Institute (https://www.assistedliving.org/), has developed a website for families and senior citizens in Alabama. It discusses services available for seniors living in Alabama, outlines helpful city and state programs, and allows users to find the best assisted living facilities in their community. https://www.assistedliving.org/alabama/
The Humans of Dementia Storytelling Contest is accepting submissions until April 22. This year’s contest, for high school or college in the U.S. or Canada is focusing on intergenerational storytelling and will accept written and photo submissions featuring individuals currently living with or who have passed away from Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.