A Tough Book to Read

     I just finished a very tough book to read. Usually books classified as tough are those that in some ways are complex. For me, mysteries are hard to read.

    But the book today is a tough because of the subject matter. It deals with Alzheimer's

    I've known a few people with Alzheimer's and visited with them. I've never had to deal directly with Alzheimer's.

    In this book the writer has Alzheimer's. His mother has Alzheimer's and his grandfather had Alzheimer's.

    On Pluto: inside the mind of Alzheimer's by Greg O'brien is a detailed realistic firsthand account of dealing with Alzheimer's and having Alzheimer's. 

    Greg describes in detail the challenge of looking after his mother who has Alzheimer's while at the same time he has early onset Alzheimer's. Looking after an elderly parent is always going to be  challenge but one having Alzheimer's is much worse.

    When Greg's mother dies he suddenly has to face the stage  his own Alzheimer's. Greg describes in detail his dealing with physicians and denial and anger. It's very direct and authentic.

    Along the way you will learn much about the very epic struggle people have with Alzheimer's.

    This book was tough to read because of the horrible experiences Alzheimer patients go through. 

    I highly recommend this book as you will learn much about Alzheimer's. It's not a book you will enjoy but is well worth while reading.

Exercise and Alzheimer's

     If you Google exercise and Alzheimer's you will find all kinds of sites discussing the topic. It has been long thought that exercise can delay the onset of Alzheimer's and bring about improvements once somebody has Alzheimer's. About 900  studies have been done on exercise and Alzheimer's. None of these studies had a clear idea as to what actually happened to bring about improvement. They just find that there is some evidence that improvement occurs.

    I had read something on the Internet the other day on this topic but did not finish the article. This morning there was a column in my paper that filled in what I missed. The memory part of our brain keeps on producing more cells. The trigger for growing the new cells is exercise. So this is one of the first times that they have been able to put together a more concrete cause and effect. 

    Now there are various forms of dementia. Loss of memory is one of the factors. If memory can be increased by growing new memory cells some dementia could be alleviated. There's still lots more tricks that dementia throws at us.

    In the "Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain" Barbara Strauch deals with the topic.

    The Ontario Brain Institute has just mined 55 different studies on the effects of exercising. Recommendations advise that we exercise over a lifetime for 150 minutes a week.

    So there we are again! More reminders of the value of exercise.

Alzheimer's: The Big "A" Word

     A few days ago I read a blog about keeping warm in the winter. I made the comment that "selective amnesia " helps me keep warm. The blogger is quick with a comeback and said, "Don't forget your coat."  I got a good chuckle from the reply. Then I stopped and thought that there was a very serious side to to the comment. People do forget their coat and go outside. Some of them are caught but unfortunately some are not found and perish. These are people with dementia. 

    Now before I go any further, I am not an expert on dementia. I follow two blogs which cover Alzheimer's from time to time and they are excellent.

    Today there was a column in our local paper in Alshiemer's so it really got me thinking. I am 73 years old and at an age when dementia is all to common. Seniors my age worry about dementia. We have seen relatives and friends deal with dementia and it's not a pretty sight. It's a challenge  for caregivers and is certainly difficult for the sufferer.

     The gist of the column today was that there's no cure or prevention for dementia, but there may be things we could do to possibly delay the onset of dementia or make it's progress less critical. Naturally I looked at the seven suggestions and considered how I stack up. Have I been living the right life?

    The first suggestion was to have been cognitively  active. Will my reading and  doing puzzles be any good for me? How about "free cell?

   Next, I've never been a person with high stress level . I was a middle school teacher and I did not let stress get to me.  I learned to deal with stress .

 I do stay connected with people. I volunteer and I like to visit.

   I don't have high blood pressure , diabetes obesity or high cholesterol. These things make it difficult to adapt to new situations.

    I am very active. Today I cross country skied for half an hour. After I finish this post I will go for a half hour walk.

    The one I have a problem with is concussion or repeated blows to the head. I've never had a concussion that I know of but I bang my head on things regularly. 

   So out of the six strategies I pass on five. The sixth I have problems with.

    Will this be enough to help me delay Alzheimer's? Will I be one of those people who get Alzheimer's?

    So we worry about dementia. It's common with about 750000 people in Canada with Alzheimer's. We can only hope that we do not get Alzheimer's.