Information and opinions on OurAlzheimers from Dorian Martin http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/ http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26978/elderly-considered Mon May 05 10:25:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin What would it be like if we gave the elderly the time and the information to make their own decisions about the level of medical care given to them as they approach the final  hour? That's the idea behind slow medicine, which is described in a New York Times article by Jane Gross.   "Grounded in research at the Dartmouth Medical School, slow medicine encourages physicians to put on the brakes when considering care that may have... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26978/elderly-considered http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26530/restaurant-health Wed Apr 30 13:43:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin In the past few years, I've become more attuned to sodium content in foods. My dad now lives near me and he has a history of high blood pressure. He has started pointing out the sodium content in packaged foods and I've tried to be thoughtful in what I cook when he comes over for dinner. I'd already starting reading labels, but this nutritional information took on a personal relevance when I learned this week that my blood pressure is too high.... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26530/restaurant-health http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26173/robotic-alzheimer Mon Apr 28 11:02:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin   Last Thursday evening, I tuned into PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer to catch up with the latest news across the world. One of the segments quickly grabbed my interest - homes with robotics designed to help care for the frail and elderly, especially those who are not able to care for themselves.   This story focused on Pittsburgh's effort to rebuild itself as a technological center. A portion of the segment... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/26173/robotic-alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25595/research-alzheimer Sun Apr 20 12:17:16 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin Like many people who have a history of Alzheimer's disease in their family, I often scan various sources to learn about on-going research that may slow or stop this devastating disease. Recently, I received an e-mail newsletter from More magazine which included a link to two articles on promising research.   The first report is dedicated to studies being conducted by Dr. Katherine Tucker, an epidemiologist at Tufts University's... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25595/research-alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25187/house-calls-care Tue Apr 15 08:20:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin All things old can be new again. In an opinion column in yesterday's Boston Globe, Dr. Elizabeth Kass, medical director of Urban Medical, and Dr. Mark Zeidel, chief of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, suggested that that the long-lost medical house call is returning to our society and, in fact, may become a cost-effective way to assist loved ones who are ailing and their families who are dealing with the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25187/house-calls-care http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25023/loved-piece-mind Mon Apr 14 10:23:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin Mara and I were trading stories over the weekend about aging parents and dementia. Mara's mother currently is in a nursing home with dementia while her father passed away a long time ago. At one point in the conversation, Mara recounted, "I was putting on some earrings recently that my mother had given me and this suddenly made me so sad. I felt like an orphan, since these were some of the last gifts she gave me." I noted... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/25023/loved-piece-mind http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/24440/memory-heston Tue Apr 08 14:14:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin I remember hearing Charlton Heston's booming voice in "Planet of the Apes" as a young girl. I didn't watch the classic movies he made - "Ben Hur" or "The 10 Commandments" - until later. And there are still some movies that are sitting in my online Netflix queue, waiting to arrive at my home.  The news reports that followed Heston's death fleshed out the person who had that memorable baritone voice.... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/24440/memory-heston http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/23984/stress-toll-pets Mon Apr 07 10:57:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin The two weeks that marked my mother's final decline proved to be anguishing, not only for family and friends, but also for the four-legged members of our family. Case in point: my miniature schnauzer, Zoe. Zoe often accompanied me to the nursing home to visit Mom. Because Zoe had a long relationship with Mom (who actually selected Zoe from the litter as my parents' birthday present to me 13 years ago), they had developed a special... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/23984/stress-toll-pets http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/23230/loved-die Mon Mar 31 10:59:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin Friday (March 28) marked the sixth month anniversary of my very last "conversation" with my mother. Earlier that week, Mom had begun to fall into a stupor in which she didn't respond to words and increasingly didn't notice movement. As I mentioned in one of my shareposts that followed her death, Mom started looking "through me and not at me" at this point, which triggered my hunch that Mom's death was quickly... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/23230/loved-die http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/22829/type-senior-cafe Tue Mar 25 13:12:00 -0400 2008 Dorian Martin One of the often-cited recommendations concerning fending off Alzheimer's disease is the need to stay engaged with people. In fact, Newsmax.com's Health Alert reported in early January 2008 that a University of Michigan study found that 10 minutes of chatting, either face to face or by phone, does as much to improve memory and boost brainpower as working crossword puzzles. In this study, researchers surveyed over 3,500 people,... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/22829/type-senior-cafe