I spent part of this evening speaking with my older brother about: what's next? My brother and his family live in close proximity to my Mother. What I told my brother is that I feel like a fully trained firefighter - all decked out with the proper gear- but just feeling frozen in deciding how best to fight the fire in my own home. Our mother is 92 years old; lives independently and has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We spoke about - what I would recommend to a client. I told him the recommendations would be: first get a proper diagnosis and then start to think of the services required. We did the first part. We went to a specialized Memory Clinic and feel very confident that the diagnosis is correct. This is after bringing our concerns to her GP and asking her to evaluate her for a small trial of Aricept. The GP, a wonderful, well-meaning doctor took our Mother into an examination room asked her a few questions then asked her to count backwards from 100 to 0 by sevens. When our mother completed the questions/tasks the GP came out and said: "she doesn't have a memory problem". It is unfortunate that the GP did not take into consideration that our mother worked in retail all of her life and she probably could have counted backwards by fractions if she was asked. After that cursory exam, we made an appointment with the Memory Clinic at Burke Rehabilitation. At Burke, they conducted a complete examination: neurological exam; psycho-neurological testing, blood profiles and an MRI. I am of the belief: AD should be the last diagnosis and not the first. As a result of this evaluation, we are satisfied with the diagnosis. But the question is what next? For the last 5 years, we have a Home-Care Aide in 6 hours a day...she has become a member of our family. It is obvious, even before the diagnosis, that our Mother's needs were beginning to increase. We decided tonight to increase the aides hours; bring in someone who can do some cognitive training with our Mother and pray. My brother also asked me to connect him with a caregiver's support group- so he could learn some strategies that would help him in decreasing his frustrations in his conversations with our mother...because as of now the conversations always revert back to discussions surrounding medications. I explained to him - when you begin to lose control of events in your life- the events that you can control become more of a focus. Good insight based on research and theory? Yes, I think so. But the reality is research and theory pales to the day to day conversations that can be very frustrating for all. My brother and I are blessed to have each other in our lives...and we are blessed to have the mother we have -but also frightened and sad re: the impact of AD on her.
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L.T.Force, Ph.D.
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Over the last 6 weeks I have started to realize, and utilize, the value of social networking and internet based tools. It is my hope that I can use these tools sufficiently as a means of capturing and transmitting my thoughts on the issue of: adult development aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the vital importance of using technology to support these domains. Over these last 6 weeks, I have started to use Twitter (drforce) and to play around with Linked-In. I must tell you how impressed I am with Twitter (I haven't spent a lot of time on Linked-in as of yet). During this short time period, I have made a few strong connections with individuals who are also interested in the same topics and concerns that I am. For instance, on a weekly basis I have been having conference calls with Lori LaBey from Alzheimer's Speaks. I have found these discussions to be of interest and value. Lori and I come from different backgrounds and training...but the one thing we have in common is that both of our aging parents (Mothers) are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. During our conversations, we have agreed to partner on a radio blogspot to create more of a presence, and a way of sharing to a larger population, our experiences. I would imagine by early Fall we will be able to launch this effort. Lori has been a delight to work with and I really think there is a combined interest. I intend to use this blog to share some of the experiences of what it is like for family members, regardless of your training and background, to address the caregiving concerns of aging parents...in my case...a parent who lives 60 miles away. Thanks.
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L.T.Force, Ph.D.
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