Information and opinions on health from Kristi Marie Gott at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/63219/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/63219/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/63219/index http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/46038/medicated Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:38:48 -0400 Kristi Marie Gott Symptoms of drowsiness, falling asleep at unusual times, slurred speech, lack of balance and cognitive difficulties occurred for an elderly aquaintance of mine who had drifted into taking all of his medicine at one time of the day for convenience.  Doctors were not aware that he had gradually simplified the complexities of taking 7 different meds by drifting away from using different times of the day for different... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/46038/medicated http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/28980/caregiver Mon, 26 May 2008 23:25:28 -0400 Kristi Marie Gott One of the biggest challenges in the life of a caregiver is finding comfort and peace, inspiration, guidance and strength.   Spiritual beliefs and seeing life from an eternal perspective can provide comfort when the days are a struggle.     When a caregiver experiences loss of a loved one this is one of the most difficult and painful challenges a person can face.   There is a... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/28980/caregiver http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/23479/85-year Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:19:00 -0400 Kristi Marie Gott For the second time in the past few months, in my local area, a person suffering from dementia has wandered away and been missing.  Bernice Holcomb was reported missing from a Paso Robles, California, care facility at about 3 pm, on Friday, March 28, 2008.  Police began a search and she was located at about 6:30 pm the same day.  She had evidently walked away from the care facility. This situation highlights the risk that... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/23479/85-year http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/21295/person Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:55:00 -0500 Kristi Marie Gott I'll always remember sharing pumpernickle bread with honey on it with an 86 year old lady who had midstage Alzheimer's.  She was originally from Denmark.  Alzheimer's had not caused her words to be garbled, but part of the time she spoke in Danish.  When she did this I studied her face and eyes, and listened intently, trying to sense the feeling even if I could not understand the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/21295/person http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/18382/wander Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:12:00 -0500 Kristi Marie Gott Using a Project Lifesaver tracking bracelet can keep an Alzheimer's patient who might wander safe.  Recently, a local family in my town, Pismo Beach, California, was able to breathe a sigh of relief after their missing relative, an Alzheimer's sufferer, was found 20 miles away after a wandering incident.  The person was found due to the tracking bracelet he wore.  The national news featured the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/18382/wander http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17644/late-stage Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:40:00 -0500 Kristi Marie Gott The gentleman was in the late stage of Alzheimer's, but we still found ways to create a smile on his face.  He could no longer walk, and his speech was mostly garbled.   Sometimes he waved his arms and looked at empty space, obviously seeing hallucinations.  His hospital bed was in the living room, facing a huge window and a door we could open to let the breezes cool the summer heat in the room.  He and his wife... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17644/late-stage http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17371/miracles Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:25:00 -0500 Kristi Marie Gott It was Christmas Day and I arrived to provide relief for the regular caregiver for a gentleman who had dementia and other disabilities after a stroke.  It would be just the two of us, but I was going to try to make it a special day for him. It turned out that he made it a special day for me, too.  When I came in the door he was sitting in his wheelchair in the living room.  A huge smile appeared on his face, his eyes widened... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17371/miracles http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17227/home-member Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:49:00 -0500 Kristi Marie Gott   At the Member of the Family website there are ratings, violations information, complaints and a Watch List for 16,000 nursing homes.   The recent list published of the worst nursing homes in America has highlighted the importance of researching nursing homes. Color codes make it easy for the average person to understand the ratings at Member of the Family.   For example, a red bar indicates... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/63219/17227/home-member