Thanks for the MemoriesMemories are tricky things. They are elusive and can have catlike reflexes. They can come at you out of nowhere, which is tough when you are a dog person. Mom...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Remembering My Forever Birthday BuddyMy birthday is one day after my grandfather’s. That means for the first few decades of my life, we shared a birthday cake: Almost always Carvel ice cream with chocolate...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Who Are You Protecting?No one would ever question the validity of the sentiment that we should protect our loved ones. However, I think it’s pretty important that we really dive deep and ask...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Alzheimer's Disease Quiz: Test Your KnowledgeAlzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that slowly eradicates memory and cognition. There are several different types of dementia, with Alzheimer's disease being the most common of...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Beyond Denial: Anosognosia and Alzheimer's Disease"The doctors do not know what they are talking about. I don't have Alzheimer's disease!" This probably sounds familiar to some of you reading this right now. A lot of...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Behind the Brave Face: It's Okay to BreakI made it through every day. I took everything in. I listened to every syllable from every doctor. I delegated responsibilities within the family. I called insurance companies and caregiving...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Flying By the Seat of Your Schedule: Making & Sticking With RoutinesThere are many theories as to personality types. The most popular simplifies people into Type As, the high achievers, and everyone else, Type Bs. While Type As tend to like...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Take the Connected Health Survey!In the digital age, there are so many devices, websites, and technologies related to health. From fitness trackers to mobile apps, we use connected health technology to track symptoms, monitor...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Finding Ourselves in the Film, 'What They Had'“What They Had” is a movie that focuses on a family dealing with their matriarch’s Alzheimer’s disease. The movie was released at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018, and had...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
What Are Some Creative Outlets for Coping With Frustration?Besides being a writer, I’m an artist. I paint and illustrate, though not nearly as often as I should. Sometimes, I feel like I have to be in the right...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Slow Goodbye: Grieving for the LivingWhen I speak about Alzheimer’s disease to individuals who don’t know about it firsthand, I tell them it’s losing your loved one bit by bit, slowly over time, until the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Balancing the Good and Bad Days: Changes in Alzheimer's SymptomsAlzheimer's disease is known as a progressive disease, but that doesn't mean there aren't changes on a daily basis that might seem to fluctuate. We have noticed the phenomenon of...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Arlie & Freddie: In Sickness and in HealthMy grandfather and grandmother were born in 1913 and 1914, respectively. They married on August 6, 1938 at the end of the Great Depression, and spent the next sixty-six plus...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Technowizardry: Technology Can Be Confusing with Alzheimer'sTechnology. It’s one of those can’t-live-with-it-can’t-live-without-it kind of things. I googled to see how many devices a smartphone can replace. One article says 50. It’s a nice, round number, but...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Illusions, Delusions, and Paranoia in Alzheimer's: What's the Connection?Understanding symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia is hard because symptoms vary so much between people and as they change over the course of the disease—and even from day-to-day!...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
The Days are Long But the Years are ShortWhen my kids were little, older parents would always tell me, wistfully, that the time flies, to enjoy my time with these little ones because it goes by so fast...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
A Rose by Any Other Name: Labeling Alzheimer's DiseaseWhat’s in a name? Shakespeare, via Romeo & Juliet, figured a rose by another name would still smell as sweet. I’m not convinced. As a kid, the ultimate defense of...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Live Like There's No Tomorrow: Hold On to MemoriesThe gravity and finality of an end, any end, is never clear until it happens. Procrastination is a major character flaw for me. I wait until the last minute to...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Daddy Visits My Dreams: Remembering Our Loved Ones Who Passed AwayI dreamed about Daddy about three days after he died. It was such an emotional roller coaster that I still remember it in graphic detail years later. I got the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Reflections on the Movie 'Still Alice' (2015)Still Alice, a movie starring Julianne Moore about a Columbia University professor suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s was released on February 20, 2015. My wife, Barbara, passed away due to complications...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments