Last year, Alzheimer’s Notes wrote about ‘Cruises for Alzheimer’s Caregivers’.
Sounds like a great way to get away, so here’s update on cruises for 2009…
February 9-14, 2009
Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Century
Miami to Miami
September 4-11, 2009
Alaskan Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas
Seattle to Seattle
The cruises for 2010 are not yet scheduled but will be during same months as 2009: February and September.
You can find out more at www.CAREGIVERCRUISES.com

AlzheimersNotes.com
The big question mark looms  instead of my photo on social media sites. So my granddaughter is helping me correct that.
As she showed me the pictures she’d taken of her quilts, I thought, “That’s it! I’ll have a quilt photo instead of the question mark. This is characteristic of me because I love quilts and quilt history. I write a quilting blog, Quilting and Patchwork”
We selected the picture of a quilt she made as a school project for American Studies, a quilt based upon Civil War designs and history.
We only have it at one location so far, but I may use …read more

 AlzheimersNotes.com
   Blogging has become an important part of many caregivers’ lives, as well as numerous other people.  It keeps caregivers in touch with others in similar situations and helps them they can find encouragment.
Also, Alzheimer’s patients can visit one another’s blogs, leave comments and e-mail others so they don’t feel so alone in their unique world.
Whole Alzheimer’s patients and caregiver support communities have grown up around bloggers who link their blogs on blogrolls and web rings.   
The question, “Why do you blog?” has become the determining factor in the final (8th)week of the challenge at the b5 Business Channel.  The blogs have …read more

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is introducing a ‘AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship’ in 2008. The $5,000 scholarship is designed to be used in the student’s first year of college.
Interested High School students (juniors and seniors) have to write a 1,200 words essay about ‘the impact Alzheimer’s Disease has one their own lives and what they have learned about themselves, their families and/or their community in coping with the disease.’. The application deadline is February 15th and details can be found at the website.
The AFA Teens website is also a great place for teens to visit to learn …read more

November is not only National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month but also National Family Caregiver’s Month. So in support of this, I’ve compiled a list of a few useful sites for those committed to the care of someone with Alzheimer’s Disease.
AlzOnline: Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Online – provides quality caregiver education, information, and support via audio/video classes and written articles as well as an online message board.
Family Caregiver Alliance – provides support, education, and information for caregivers. Has useful fact sheets (in Spanish and Chinese as well as English), telecaregiving workshops, and newsletters.
The Alzheimer’s Spouse – a place for spouses to discuss …read more

According to a new article at AARP “…caregivers stand at particular risk for a host of mental and physical illnesses, many of which have roots in stress, exhaustion, and self-neglect.” The article, entitled ‘Caring for the Caregiver’, looks at the current situation facing over 20 million caregiving households in America.
The article is only one part of the comprehensive collection of caregiving information that can be found on the AARP site. Their online guide to caregiving features numerous informative articles, a caregiving message board, newsletter, and online seminars.

An anynomous poem that says speaks volumes…

(thanks to Jardinami for posting this on YouTube)

Following the posts on ‘Explaining Alzheimer’s Disease to Young Children Through Books’ and ‘Children Talk About Alzheimer’s Disease’, I decided to find out what’s available on the internet to help children understand Alzheimer’s disease.
As you would expect, there are a number of articles available aimed at parents:
Alzheimer’s: Helping Children Understand the Disease. (Mayo Clinic)
Helping Teens Cope with Alzheimer’s Disease (Alzheimer’s Association)
Alzheimer’s in the Family: How Parents Can Help Children Cope.
Parent’s Guide: Helping Children and Teens Understand Alzheimer’s Disease. (Alzheimer’s Association)
But there are also resources available for children and teens that will help them learn and understand Alzheimer’s Disease and how …read more

It’s estimated that almost a quarter of American adults are caring for an aging parent, spouse, or relative. And while this can be very rewarding, it can also be very stressful.
If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia related disease, you should head over to CaregiverStress.com and take their Caregiver’s Stress Assessment.
This online test will not only assess your stressl level but also provide advice on how to deal with the stresses you are under.
(I found out about the Caregiver’s Stress Assessment test over at The Dementia Caregiver’s Toolbox)

Caregivers need support, encouragement, and strength as they care for family members (parents, grandparents, spouse, aunts, uncles or siblings) with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia.  Often they’re at a loss about where to find it.
When you can’t find support locally, you may discover resources online.  One I’ve come across most recently is Strength for Caring.  You can register for a caregiver’s manual, find a place to experess your thoughts, learn about resources for patients and caregivers.