Thank you
Since the season of gifts and giving recently passed, I guess I’m more aware that “thank you” and thank you notes (even e-mails) have become a lost art or lost courtesy. When we received gifts, or even were shown acts of kindness and consideration, my mom had us children write thank you notes. 
Each year, the day after Christmas, Mother had us four children sit at the dining table and write notes to whomever had given us gifts.  Even as Mother was entering ther Alzheimer’s years, she’d still remind me that we had to write thank you notes when someone …read more

 Handmade Gifts
 I grew up in the era of handmade or homemade gifts.  Sometimes this was because we and our relatives didn’t have the money to purchase many from the store or mail order catalog.  Often it simply was because we liked to make something special and the recipients enjoyed these gifts.
 In later years, when I had a family, we made gifts for my mom and for my mother-in-law as well as others.  One Christmas, my daughter Beth stitched my mother a lap quilt.  Mother always had enjoyed quilts although she hadn’t made any since she was a child. 
 She seemed to enjoy this gift, even though she had …read more

Just a reminder that Cyber Monday is here.  Check out this list of shopping ideas from the b5media Lifestyles and Health/Wellness bloggers.  They’ve compiled a Virtual Mall of items you can shop for those special Christmas gifts.
Alzheimer’s Notes and my other blogs are participating with their shopping lists. 
 So, you can sit right at home, click on your keyboard and get your shopping done without battling crowds or weather.
Enjoy!
(Jomashop  image)

                                                                                                                                             Bloggers from around b5media’s Lifestyles, Health and Wellness channels
are giving readers a special surprise. We’ve created a virtual mall to help ease the anxiety of shopping for those on your Christmas list who may be a little more difficult to buy for.
 
Stop by Kettle and Cup and select your favorite hot beverage, kick back and browse
this years Holiday Gift Guide Shopping Extravaganza. 
Cherie from Career and Kids has the perfect list for the business woman/working parent.
Mary Emma from One Book Two Book shares a suggest shopping list for the avid reader and artist on your list.
Everyone knows what to get …read more

The Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UCLA’s Department of Neurology has been been renamed Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research following a $10 donation by Jim Easton, a a UCLA alumnus and longtime benefactor of the university.
Jim’s mother, Mary, died from Alzheimer’s disease.
The generous donation will allow support research in the following areas…

Investigation of the molecular structure of the toxic protein that accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies of the molecular interactions that make the protein involved in Alzheimer’s toxic.
Characterization of and intervention for Alzheimer’s in genetically engineered mouse models.
Studies involving familial Alzheimer’s patients.
Genetic studies and serial imaging …read more

AlzheimersNotes.com
Christmas in July has become a popular event, whether you’re doing crafts, desiring an outing to a holiday shop (they’ve become very popular and often carry many other craft items), or simply want to start preparing early so your life doesn’t become too frantic in December with balancing caregiving responsibilities with family activities.
At my Quilting and Patchwork blog, I’ve been participating in a Christmas in July series with other bloggers, posting something about the holiday season every few days.  Here are some of the posts if you’d like to check them out for ideas and information.
13 Holiday Recipes for Quilters …read more

Guest Post by Katelyn from Stamping Mad.
I had a lot of fun with last year’s fat book and charm bracelet swaps, even though they didn’t raise as much as I hoped they would for Alzheimer’s research. So, this year, I was thinking to do something a bit different. I want to create a zine (a type of magazine) called “A Portrait of Alzheimer’s” and am looking for people to make art that fits this theme to include in the zine. Since you can just take a good, high resolution photo for me instead of sending in original art, it should …read more

Check out this clock created in Holland that is used to add structure in a user friendly way. Ideal for anyone with memory and confusion issues. The Clockweisser website, unfortunately, is in dutch but the video has english subtitles.
http://www.clockweisser.com/index.html

Earlier this month the Harrah’s Foundation donated $1 million to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Harrah’s Foundation was the primary sponsor of World Alzheimer’s Day (Sept. 21), offering a $1 million matching grant to assist in raising awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The Association’s World Alzheimer’s Day efforts raised $1.8 million, with the Harrah’s Foundation’s generous donation bringing the total to $2.8 million. (ref)

Get your free copy of Coach Broyle’s Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers.

Written by the Athletic Director of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, this 92 page book offers his personal perspective (he cared for his late wife Barbara) on caregiving.