AlzheimersNotes.com 
  I was excited, after posting What Would You Like to See at Alzheimer’s Notes in 2008, an immediate response from readers.  This gives me a direction to plan with some of my posts for these topics suggested have multiple aspects to them.
*How can friends and family members on the fringes of Alzheimer’s help, encourage and react?
*Suggestions for balancing caregiving and work.
*I’d mentioned desiring more guest posts and already have someone working on one.
*How can you help children understand Alzheimer’s?
Keep tuned and you’ll be seeing information on these topics and more.
What else would you like to see?
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Caring for a parent or spouse stricken with Alzheimer’s, a stroke, or some other medical condition  presents a challenge for family members.  Sometimes this is solved agreeably with everyone contributing their share.  In other cases, there is  great deal of controversy, often with one family member providing most of the care.
At the San Luis Obispo County website, we learn about Martha and Catherine Talavera, Siblings Take on the Challenge of Caring for Their Ailing Mother.  When their mother, Frances,  experienced several strokes and needed full time care, the sisters responded by changing their lives and all three living in Catherine’s home.  Martha …read more

Do you need something light and fun and cheerful for your day?  It doesn’t have anything to do with Alzheimer’s, except that it might brighten your day.  Sometimes we need something simply to give us an uplift and inspiration.
When I read Jennifer’s post, 32 Little Green Babies,  at Tree Hugging Family,  a new b5media blog, I thought I simply must share it.  Then I shared, in the comments section, about my family rescuing baby ducklings. 
Pets and animals and birds became important in my mom’s life as Alzheimer’s progressed.  She watched birds at our winter feeder.  She was so attached to her cat …read more

My mom reached out from her wheel chair and touched the peach fuzz hair of the toddler playing with the brake handle of her wheel chair.  Little Alex looked up at Great Grandma and grinned.  She smiled, too, and I marveled at this communication that seemed to pass between the two.
As Alex began to form words and Mothers’ became more mumbled utterances than clear syllables, they made sounds together. 
“Gramma talk to me,” Alex would say.
“What did she say?” I’d ask.
“Dunno,” he replied.  “Gramma talk to me.”
There apparently was a type of communication between the older lady with Alzheimer’s and the little boy.  …read more

      Having trouble tempting the Alzheimer’s patient to eat nourishing foods during hot summer days?  Or having trouble getting them to eat at all?
Also, what about yourself? Caregivers need to care for themselves with proper nutrition.  Sometimes life seems so hectic that good eating habits for ourselves are neglected. 
Try some of the food ideas found at Jul’s Veggie Chic.  She’s hosting the Vegetarian Carnival #4 with Summer in the Kitchen. 
“….enjoy the delicious vegetarian delacacies being served up around the interwebs.  Today we have a variety of summer treats for your enjoyment”
Also, at the Science and Health Channel, you’ll find recommendations from Kendra …read more

So many people consider caring for an Alzheimer’s patient a hopeless situation, one filled with saddness and dispair.  Frequently whatever is written or filmed contains the aura of hopelessness. 
I’m glad there’s an increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s and it’s devastation to family members, victims, and society.  However, I like people to realize that, since we can’t, at this point in time, stop or ignore Alzheimer’s, it’s possible to find joy…both for the patient and yourself.
“Joy!” you say.  “She’s nuts!” 
It was frustrating, it was tiring, it was often sad caring for Mother and Auntie.  However, we did experience laughter and joy.  We all …read more

When we can learn from Alzheimer’s patients/victims what it’s like to live with the disease…what they encounter, what frustrates them, what annoys them, what pleases them, how we can best interact with them…we’ll know much better how to care for them. 
I so often tried to discover what it was like inside Mother’s mind and thus understand what she was facing…where she was (what era) that day, who she thought I was, what she liked and disliked.  If we could have talked about her disease while she was able to communicate verbally, it would have helped us both.  But I didn’t …read more

Stress, frustration, discouragement all contribute to the life of an Alzheimer’s caregiver, along with those glipmses of joy and bursts of humor that find their way into the day, too.  Liz, in her post, How Stressed Are You from Caring for an Alzheimer’s Patient?, gives us resources for dealing with caregiver stress.
Sharing with others, hearing about their experiences, and looking at Alzheimer’s care from their viewpoint also helps us when we think we can’t go another day.  I enjoy so much, Kathy’s stories, at her KnowItalz blog, about the lighter side of caring for her dad with Alzheimer’s.  I know I …read more

Kathy, of KnowItAlz.com Blog commented on a post Liz recently wrote.  She has written me before at Alzheimer’s Notes and I’m always truck by the inspiration I can find at her blog. 
Kathy is the primary caregiver for her 78-year old father who has Alzheimer’s and lives with her.  She tries, even though she has a very busy schedule, to find some light hearted humor to write about each day. 
As Kathy describes it, “I am writing a blog that shows the lighter side of caregiving , and offers some tips for caregivers.”
Although my mom and aunt passed away several years ago, …read more

As I read the stories at the Living Through Windows site Liz mentioned, I realized how thankful I was that Mother and Auntie also had caregivers in nursing homes who cared about them.  This section about the caregivers at the Third Floor Phillips reveals how much the caregivers care and the understanding they have for patients with this disease.
Tasha Hamm mentions:  “You don’t remember the bad days.  You remember the little miracles, the windows, the amazing things that happen.  I hope I give them the same care someone would give my father if he was here.  I hope they can feel, …read more