It's My Day Today - or, Someone is Trying To Tell Me Something.
After writing the below post, I just happened to glance at the health news ticker I have running on my Health News site and an item entitled "Iodine in bread for brain power" caught my eye.
This article relates a proposal by FANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) which could see IODISED salt (instead of plain salt) added to all biscuits, bread and breakfast cereals under a new proposal to deal with widespread iodine deficiencies in Australasia and encourage better brain development.
This is another interesting read. I believe there are better ways of supplementing with iodine (post below), but it's interesting the authorities are now tying lack of dietary iodine to brain development issues.
Lack of iodine in the developing foetus has long been known as a cause of cretinism. Given the importance of iodine for healthy thyroid function and the thyroid's role in fighting disease and cleansing the blood, one wonders if an improvement in thyroid function would also entail an improvement in brain function in individuals generally, including Alzheimers sufferers.
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Saturday, August 19, 2006
A "Not To Miss" Website
Last night I was researching Kelp on the web because kelp brings the minerals of the ocean into your diet. The mineral composition of human blood is very close to that of seawater. So kelp is a very good way to get assimilable minerals - and it's especially high in iodine, which is needed by your thyroid gland. The iodine in kelp has a wonderful calming effect because it shifts the human motor from high into low gear, as was pointed out years ago by Dr D C Jarvis MD in his books "Folk Medicine" and "Arthritis and Folk Medicine".
After describing two instances in which he used Lugol's solution of iodine to help calm and focus children with racehorse-type personalities, Dr Jarvis says: "Two drops of Lugol's solution of iodine works equally well in an adult. When the stress and strain of daily living create a load that is difficult to carry, producing a state of anxiety, and when the day's problems make it difficult to relax and sleep well at night, then one appreciates the aid that iodine gives."
Try it - either with Kelp, or with Lugol's solution. If you want to use "loose" rather than tabletted kelp, look out for the nice fine powders that are now available. For years I tried to use the granulated form of kelp that was the only loose kelp available, and I found it too rough - I feed that to my dogs and horse instead!
So - while researching kelp on the net, I got onto a website that had me rivetted. Not only is Shirley's Wellness Cafe packed with information and useful links, but the stories of her life and the life of her son Sterling are a must read for all of us who struggle with looking after our family members.
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After describing two instances in which he used Lugol's solution of iodine to help calm and focus children with racehorse-type personalities, Dr Jarvis says: "Two drops of Lugol's solution of iodine works equally well in an adult. When the stress and strain of daily living create a load that is difficult to carry, producing a state of anxiety, and when the day's problems make it difficult to relax and sleep well at night, then one appreciates the aid that iodine gives."
Try it - either with Kelp, or with Lugol's solution. If you want to use "loose" rather than tabletted kelp, look out for the nice fine powders that are now available. For years I tried to use the granulated form of kelp that was the only loose kelp available, and I found it too rough - I feed that to my dogs and horse instead!
So - while researching kelp on the net, I got onto a website that had me rivetted. Not only is Shirley's Wellness Cafe packed with information and useful links, but the stories of her life and the life of her son Sterling are a must read for all of us who struggle with looking after our family members.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
Friday, August 18, 2006
New Skin Test for Alzheimers
This morning a friend left a URL for me on IM and I think it's something I should just flag here.
It seems a new skin test has been developed that can detect Alzheimers disease in its earliest stages when it's most treatable. I don't know about anyone else reading this but I have to say I definitely do not want to go through this disease twice in a lifetime - the once that I am dealing with now is most certainly enough for me!
I also know from people I talk to sometimes in the real world that folks who have Alzheimers in their family are becoming very fearful for their own futures. If this test really is working, it could be a help to very many lives.
Click HERE for the article. The Editor's Note directly underneath the article itself has some interesting further links to helpful information worth checking out.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
It seems a new skin test has been developed that can detect Alzheimers disease in its earliest stages when it's most treatable. I don't know about anyone else reading this but I have to say I definitely do not want to go through this disease twice in a lifetime - the once that I am dealing with now is most certainly enough for me!
I also know from people I talk to sometimes in the real world that folks who have Alzheimers in their family are becoming very fearful for their own futures. If this test really is working, it could be a help to very many lives.
Click HERE for the article. The Editor's Note directly underneath the article itself has some interesting further links to helpful information worth checking out.
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More of the Same
Experiences of this kind are soul-destroying - exactly the type of thing I was referring to earlier about losing your identity. In fact, my Retail Banker who has been through a similar situation (for a shorter period of time) told me it was months and months after her mother passed on before she shook off the feeling of being hounded when she went shopping.
There is never time to browse, never time to window-shop, never time really for a chat with friends - if one still has any. I bumped into a friend one day on the pavement about 15 feet from my mother's side of the car and in full view of her. This person is an elderly artist who has always supported me with my art, and I hadn't seen her for a couple of years. We stopped to talk and literally in about one minute flat my mother was rapping on her window and waving out to me that she needed attention. I maybe don't have to tell you how angry I was.
It's amazing what we do by way of compromising for the sake of peace. Some time ago, probably in 1999-2000, the same lady invited me to go visit an artist friend of hers - who would have been well worth visitng - and asked me if I would take her in my car. I would really have liked to go, but when I told my mom about the invitation, I got another of those flat, abrupt responses: "Why should you take her out when you could take me?"
The truth of the matter was that at that stage I always took her with me wherever I went and hadn't been out on my own anywhere for years. So I gnashed my teeth. Wisely or not I stayed home as I didn't have anywhere I could readily leave her in those days - If this were to happen now I could probably arrange for her to go into care for the day, although my allowance of Carer Support isn't a bottomless pit.
We don't always see our own situation. Not long ago, a nurse I know who works at the hospital commented, "You are a prisoner in your own home!" It's funny how sometimes our friends can be quite bald about putting out their thoughts. This statement pulled me up with a round turn - I had never quite thought of it in such extreme terms, but in a way she was right and the comment left me feeling miserable for several days. I always regard the Internet as my window on the world and in many ways it is, but that comment left me feeling it was inadequate. It took some mental work to get my equilibrium back again.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
There is never time to browse, never time to window-shop, never time really for a chat with friends - if one still has any. I bumped into a friend one day on the pavement about 15 feet from my mother's side of the car and in full view of her. This person is an elderly artist who has always supported me with my art, and I hadn't seen her for a couple of years. We stopped to talk and literally in about one minute flat my mother was rapping on her window and waving out to me that she needed attention. I maybe don't have to tell you how angry I was.
It's amazing what we do by way of compromising for the sake of peace. Some time ago, probably in 1999-2000, the same lady invited me to go visit an artist friend of hers - who would have been well worth visitng - and asked me if I would take her in my car. I would really have liked to go, but when I told my mom about the invitation, I got another of those flat, abrupt responses: "Why should you take her out when you could take me?"
The truth of the matter was that at that stage I always took her with me wherever I went and hadn't been out on my own anywhere for years. So I gnashed my teeth. Wisely or not I stayed home as I didn't have anywhere I could readily leave her in those days - If this were to happen now I could probably arrange for her to go into care for the day, although my allowance of Carer Support isn't a bottomless pit.
We don't always see our own situation. Not long ago, a nurse I know who works at the hospital commented, "You are a prisoner in your own home!" It's funny how sometimes our friends can be quite bald about putting out their thoughts. This statement pulled me up with a round turn - I had never quite thought of it in such extreme terms, but in a way she was right and the comment left me feeling miserable for several days. I always regard the Internet as my window on the world and in many ways it is, but that comment left me feeling it was inadequate. It took some mental work to get my equilibrium back again.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
Monday, August 07, 2006
Explain..............
Maybe I should explain the heading to the last post. Here in New Zealand we have a wonderful children's author called Lynley Dodd, whose alliterative children's books are a household word.
Perhaps her best-loved character is Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, who actually featured in a TV ad - I think it was for milk - a few years back. A series of young children and parents were shown "bedtime reading" his most famous escapade:
"Out of the gate and off down the street
Went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy..." Etcetera.
For some reason this quote just would not leave my mind when it came to writing the last post - so here's a pic of Hairy Maclary himself, linked to his Author's website: 
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Sunday, August 06, 2006
Out of the Car and Off Down the Street....
Initially Kath wasn't too bad about waiting while I did what I had to do. Then I began to find that she would say to me as I explained that I was going into a shop, "Don't be gone long!" And when I came back "Oh it is SOOO nice to see you again!" - as if I had been away for hours. Then it came to be that if I was away more than a very few minutes she would start to get out of the car - only her lack of mobility prevents her going further - or else open the car door to attract the attention of passers-by. So I would come back to the car to find a group of people around her, which does not make for a good feeling.
I can assure you, it's an awful moment when the Assembled Multitude sees you coming and the heads turn........
On one occasion I took my pc in to be fixed and had to spend a few minutes explaining to the techie what was wrong. When I came out of the shop I found my mother sitting on the pavement on a chair with a very nice couple in charge of her. Where they got the chair from heaven only knows, but as usual the episode made me feel guilty, in spite of having its humorous side.
One day I made the mistake of saying to her "I'm just going into that shop to get - whatever it was - OK?" Her somewhat typical style of response was "Yes, provided you are not gone long." For a second I was speechless. I don't hold with living under provisos and she found that out then and there - assuming she understood what I was on about. Another of those days when the full impact of the situation bore down on me unbearably.
More recently I had to move some funds into my credit card, which is not held by my own bank. I parked outside my bank (lucky day!), went in, drew a little cash and straight to the other bank just 2 doors up the street. I was doing business with a teller when a lady came up to me and said, "Is that your mother in the car out there?" My heart sank - here we go again. The teller said "Off you go!" and I rushed back to the car where another nice lady was sitting on the kerb talking to my mom with her teenage daughter standing alongside. She very kindly said she would stay while I finished my transaction so I went back and hastened through it. I tell you, it's like being under orders.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
I can assure you, it's an awful moment when the Assembled Multitude sees you coming and the heads turn........
On one occasion I took my pc in to be fixed and had to spend a few minutes explaining to the techie what was wrong. When I came out of the shop I found my mother sitting on the pavement on a chair with a very nice couple in charge of her. Where they got the chair from heaven only knows, but as usual the episode made me feel guilty, in spite of having its humorous side.
One day I made the mistake of saying to her "I'm just going into that shop to get - whatever it was - OK?" Her somewhat typical style of response was "Yes, provided you are not gone long." For a second I was speechless. I don't hold with living under provisos and she found that out then and there - assuming she understood what I was on about. Another of those days when the full impact of the situation bore down on me unbearably.
More recently I had to move some funds into my credit card, which is not held by my own bank. I parked outside my bank (lucky day!), went in, drew a little cash and straight to the other bank just 2 doors up the street. I was doing business with a teller when a lady came up to me and said, "Is that your mother in the car out there?" My heart sank - here we go again. The teller said "Off you go!" and I rushed back to the car where another nice lady was sitting on the kerb talking to my mom with her teenage daughter standing alongside. She very kindly said she would stay while I finished my transaction so I went back and hastened through it. I tell you, it's like being under orders.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The Shopping Nightmare
Over the last 4 years, shopping has become a drama. Kath's mobility problems prevent her from going with me into shops, obviously. And the last time I took her into the supermarket about six years ago the place overwhelmed her to tears, so I am not even tempted to grab a wheelchair and try and manage both her and the trolley at once. On the other hand, it's nice to take her out for the drive - but again, it's not altogether as pleasurable for either of us as I would like.
I read an article somewhere that elderly dogs lose the ability to balance their body temperatures and I think the same must be true of humans. My mother is now always "hot" or "cold" - rarely if ever "comfortable". This has been the case for at least 5 years I guess. Whereas you or I might enjoy the warmth of the sun on us in the car, as soon as she feels it, she is "too hot", and she creates a fuss accordingly.
Of course I wouldn't leave her sitting in the car in the full sun anyway, but this sensitivity means I really have to be picky about where I park, wherever I go - depending on whether the sun is shining and what direction it's shining from. I do have choices in our village, but in town, there are few enough parking spaces available anyway. On top of that, my window of opportunity for being away from the car has decreased dramatically and I have to park as close as possible to wherever I am going. So getting parked is a stress from more than one point of view.
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I read an article somewhere that elderly dogs lose the ability to balance their body temperatures and I think the same must be true of humans. My mother is now always "hot" or "cold" - rarely if ever "comfortable". This has been the case for at least 5 years I guess. Whereas you or I might enjoy the warmth of the sun on us in the car, as soon as she feels it, she is "too hot", and she creates a fuss accordingly.
Of course I wouldn't leave her sitting in the car in the full sun anyway, but this sensitivity means I really have to be picky about where I park, wherever I go - depending on whether the sun is shining and what direction it's shining from. I do have choices in our village, but in town, there are few enough parking spaces available anyway. On top of that, my window of opportunity for being away from the car has decreased dramatically and I have to park as close as possible to wherever I am going. So getting parked is a stress from more than one point of view.
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