Alzheimer's Expert Leah shares Alzheimer's management news and commentary at OurAlzheimers.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509 http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509 http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/102879/loved-helpful Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:32:00 -0500 Leah Dementia   Daily struggles with life's moments,Experiencing voids in time,Moments lost forever.Even when reminded about the vent,No memory exists...Total vacuums of timeInwardly searched for naught. Always wishing I could catch the thought.   I had occasion to spend a few days with family-siblings, cousins, an uncle, nephews, nieces, my daughter, and granddaughter-during the days of my father's viewing and funeral. I delivered the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/102879/loved-helpful http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/102104/apnea-dementia Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:23:00 -0500 Leah While researching something other than dementia, I had an "ah-ha" moment; in a flash everything from the last ten years of my life came together and I realized, for the first time, what probably has been the root of my major health problems, especially my dementia-SLEEP APNEA.   At least ten years ago, I fell asleep at the wheel of my car. I was less than two miles from home. At twelve thirty in the afternoon, I was returning from... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/102104/apnea-dementia http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/101521/promising-news Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:32:00 -0500 Leah Writing this blog is very important to my life. Yes. You read that correctly. It is important TO my life. It forces me to look inward to report outward. I am forced to continue living in the present, looking for ways to improve it. I am forced to divulge many personal thoughts in the hope that someone-with dementia, newly diagnosed maybe, or caregivers-will have an "ah-ha" moment, a breakthrough in understanding of dementia.   This... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/101521/promising-news http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/100955/2010-begins Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:12:00 -0500 Leah This blog is about hope. With my old year ending with the loss of my father, it would be very easy to sit back and pine for the "good ol' days" when I had all my family and did NOT have dementia. Easy, but not at all practical. I can truthfully tell you that I have been doing a lot of soul searching since Dad passed away, and I have learned some very basic truths about myself. The most important realization was that, for years, I have just... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/100955/2010-begins http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/99468/holidays-bright Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:31:00 -0500 Leah A time of mixed feelings. That is how I would describe my outlook on life at this holiday time. I've recently returned from a twelve day cruise; that could easily cause a letdown feeling. My dad is dying; his death is expected within days. That certainly brings feelings of sadness. And then there's Christmas, the celebration of Christ's birth...and the joy of God's promise to love us always. I can only feel that happiness from moment to... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/99468/holidays-bright http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/98483/dementia-travel Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:56:00 -0500 Leah (I am addressing this blog to both the dementia sufferer and to the caregiver.) Traveling can be very stressful-even for the most seasoned traveler. Add a dose of dementia (not to mention a dose of diabetes) and traveling becomes more difficult. My husband and I have just returned from the cruise I wrote about in my last blog. The strategies that I wrote about, I put into action. Packing my clothes, using a chart of each day and labeling... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/98483/dementia-travel http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/97814/dementia-travel Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:15:00 -0500 Leah My next few blogs will be about traveling with dementia and are NOT an endorsement for the cruise lines. Most of us have had experiences with our memory such as not being able to remember names. However, for those of us with major short term memory loss, the loss is so much more. Staying around home and having a regular routine makes life a bit easier for me. Traveling is another story.   My husband and I are taking an anniversary... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/97814/dementia-travel http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/95529/structuring-day Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:24:00 -0500 Leah How important is structure in the day of someone living with dementia?  It seems to be VERY important.  But HOW does one create structure when one is retired and every day is different?  That is my dilemma.    Here are my suggestions:   1.  Keep a calendar current. I actually have multiple calendars:  one on the refrigerator where I jot down important notes, one on my Palm Pilot phone, and one on... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/95529/structuring-day http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/94164/dementia-worse Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:20:00 -0500 Leah It's time for a checkup...a self check of where I am in the progress of my dementia.  One doctor told me that, with vascular dementia, there should be no further progression unless I have further TIA's (mini-strokes).  Another told me that I could have ten good years.  I took both to heart and have worked toward making my mind as sharp as I can make it.  Every once in a while, though, I stop to look at where I am, where I've... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/94164/dementia-worse http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/93479/ponderance Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:41:00 -0500 Leah A reader posed a most intriguing question to me giving me pause for thought:  Would I, if I had it to do over again, want to know my diagnosis of dementia?   I answered in fifty words or less...but the question begs for further exploration.   Each of us is different-that's a "duhhhh" statement if I ever heard one; but it's so true and much of the time, I think we forget this in our daily struggles to get through life. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/93479/ponderance