"Where's my college ring?" This had become Dad's mantra during some months of his early demented years. I knew he hadn't gotten a ring when he graduated from college. His college career was interrupted by World War II, then work and a family. He went back to school during his work career. I, at age fourteen, attended his college graduation. I... Read more
At times, even with all of the research being conducted, Alzheimer's prevention or reversal of symptoms seems like a dream. Just as scientists start to work on one line of thought, new obstacles arise, either convincing them they need to tweak their research or abandon it all together in order to follow some new line of thought. So, while we hope... Read more
Making the decision to place an elder in a nursing home is one of the most grueling decisions many adult children have to make. Ideally, we'd always be able to take care of "our own" for the duration of their lives. However, life is often not ideal.
My mother was in her own apartment for a number of years after my Dad had entered a nearby... Read more
Heads around the packed room were nodding as I spoke. Many listeners were grabbing tissues from strategically placed boxes. The head bobbing had started in earnest after I said, "There are times during this long journey when you'll look at the suffering elder and think, ‘Why can't you just die quickly?'"
I followed that... Read more
Over thirty years ago, when I was pregnant with my first son, there were dire warnings for pregnant women to avoid caffeine. Coffee was particularly a "no no." I was told my children could be born with multiple sets of fingers if I indulged in caffeinated beverages, particularly coffee.
Well, being a good earth mother, I wasn't going to... Read more
