John* had been living on Mimosa Street* in the desert for nearly 30 years and had grown to love it. He had lived alone since his partner passed away, remaining in the same house, with the same neighbors and the same memories. However, as John aged, it became more and more difficult for him to… Read more »
Vascular Dementia (VaD) is the second most common type of dementia, behind Alzheimer’s. While Alzheimer’s accounts for 60%-70% of cases of dementia, VaD accounts for 20%. Unlike Alzheimer’s, VaD is not marked by a buildup of protein plaques in the brain, rather it’s diagnosed by looking closely at how blood moves through the brain. VaD… Read more »
In the heart of Palm Desert, a remarkable eight-week program is quietly making a profound impact on the lives of older adults and college students alike. The Sages & Seekers program, created and administered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) Palm Desert Campus, offers a unique… Read more »
Why is it so difficult to delete, refresh or update the 60,000 thoughts we have daily? We can clear the cache of our computers and the data is instantly gone. Our thoughts seem to be hardwired into the hard drives of our consciousness; stored forever in a cloud called our past. This documented history can… Read more »
“Don’t tell lies.” It’s a lesson your parents likely taught you at a young age. And yet, compassionate communication when interacting with someone with memory loss sometimes necessitates the need for “therapeutic lying.” Therapeutic lying or fibbing, as it is sometimes called, is when you tell a fib or bend the truth to fit the… Read more »
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is a disease process characterized by progressive atrophy of several different areas of the brain, particularly the frontal and/or temporal lobes. These areas control executive functions such as decision-making, personality, social behavior and language. FTD affects an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 Americans and about 40% of people with FTD have a family… Read more »
If you are a caregiver for a loved one, it is important to know that you are not alone. The daily toll of personally taking care of – and worrying for – your loved one can induce stress, burnout and have taxing effects on your mental and physical health. To combat these issues, building a… Read more »
“Dreams are often the most profound when they seem the most crazy.” — Dr. Sigmund Freud For the past 15 years, January 24 has been officially proclaimed “Belly Laugh Day.” We all know laughter can often be the best medicine, thus if you’ve ever laughed yourself awake, you may have actually improved your well-being. Laughter… Read more »
As a 501(c)3 organization, Alzheimers Coachella Valley (ACV) is dedicated to providing charitable services and support for persons with impaired cognition and their caregivers. It is in keeping with this mission that ACV is excited to announce the opening of a screening center for Alzheimer’s and other dementias on November 1. Staffed by a geriatric… Read more »
It was fall and my life was filled with chaos and fatigue. I was involved in building a medical center with constant demands from the corporate office, colleagues, employees and physicians. I had a busy social life, busy community service life and was desperate to find some peace. I felt like a 24/7 gas station… Read more »
“Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” Benjamin Franklin Aging. A rite of passage. Ah, yes. Waking up to the aches and pains, looking in the mirror and not fully comprehending who’s looking back. I not so fondly remember standing in the checkout line at the supermarket and the… Read more »
Contrary to popular belief, most older Americans with advancing dementia remain in their own homes. With that said, home safety is important for everyone, but especially those with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Falls are a leading cause of broken hips and other serious injuries in the elderly, and individuals with Alzheimer’s are twice as… Read more »
Are you facing a challenge? Don’t sweat it. Sleep on it. Sleeping allows for dream incubation, a method of guiding dreams with intention to help solve problems. This primordial dream programming ritual to “hatch an idea” was first referenced in the Chester Beatty papyri found near Thebes in Upper Egypt and presently housed in The… Read more »
When my sons were teenagers, they would ask me to talk in my “baby voice,” which I usually did on a moment’s notice just to make them giggle like when they were little. You see, this baby voice was like a Saturday Night Live bit. She was one foul-mouthed, pissed off baby. For a few… Read more »
While Alzheimer’s is the leading form of dementia, cognitive impairments in Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), combined with the movement symptoms of the disease, produce a greater impact on social and occupational functioning. Whether you are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s, have lived with the condition for a while, or are a caregiver, educating yourself about the… Read more »
Simon Jacobson, renowned rabbi, author and founder/director of the Meaningful Life Center, explains that the biblical phrase, “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me,” (Song of Songs 6:3) captures the very essence of a relationship. He notes that a relationship is a “mutually symbiotic fusion of two forces” and a reflection,… Read more »
A study conducted in 2019 by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), an AARP-sponsored independent collaborative of experts in their fields, concluded that keeping heart and blood vessels healthy reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The study showed that risks associated with cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol… Read more »
Being a caregiver can be very fulfilling and challenging at the same time. Whether the position comes out of love or obligation, caregiving requires a lot of work. It calls on you to take care of your loved one, educate yourself about serious illnesses, keep up with medical appointments, acquire new skills— and still manage… Read more »
Guapo’s Giant Heart is the lovable story of a calf who is adopted into a pet-farm family by caretaker, Lynn Jamerson of Mecca. The true tale illustrates Guapo’s journey as he grows from a cute little calf into an extraordinarily large bovine. Written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins and illustrated by Lara Calleja, the… Read more »
My daily intention is to live consistently with an attitude of gratitude, or as Reverend Michael Beckwith states, “May you suffer from chronic gratitude.” Chronic gratitude. What a fabulous blessing to have in your life. According to William Chopik, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology and director of the Close Relationships Lab at Michigan State… Read more »