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 »
Through the Generations
Pros and Cons of Therapeutic Lying
- Compliments of Alzheimers Coachella Valley
- May/June 2023
“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 »
Dispelling Myths About Caregiver Support Groups
- Compliments of Alzheimers Coachella Valley
- January/February 2023
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 »
Belly Laugh Dreams
- By Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos
- January/February 2023
“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 »
We’re Where We’re Supposed to Be
- By Susan Murphy, PhD
- November/December 2022
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 »
Fears of Aging: Winter or Harvest?
- By Amy Austin, PSYD, LMFT
- September/October 2022
“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 »
Easy Fixes for Home Safety
- by Patricia Riley, MBA
- July/August 2022
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 »
Dream Incubation for Helpful Solutions
- By Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos
- July/August 2022
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 »
I Won’t Grow Up!
- By Amy Austin, PSYD, LMFT
- May/June 2022
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 »
Navigating Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
- By Patricia Riley, MBA
- May/June 2022
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 »
Falling in Love with Diversity
- By Amy Austin, RN, PSYD, LMFT
- March/April 2022
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 »
Feeding Your Heart to Boost Brain Health
- Compliments of Alzheimers Coachella Valley
- March/April 2022
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: The True Story of the Calf Who Kept Growing
- Review by Doris Steadman, MEd, MSW
- January/February 2022
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 »
Gratefully Moving Forward Into 2022
- By Tracy Smith
- January/February 2022
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 »
While the holidays are immortalized in song as “the most wonderful time of the year,” the fact is that they can also be the most stressful time of the year. This is true even if you and your family members are healthy and not filled with fear, anxiety or stress that comes with these challenging… Read more »
Resident Care Facilities: A Viable Option for Many
- By Patricia Ryan, RN, MSN, ANP
- September/October 2021
Most of us wish to spend our latter years at home, but when that is no longer an option, where will you go and what is the right choice for you? Senior living options include independent and assisted living facilities and resident/board and care facilities (B&C), but how are they similar, and how do they… Read more »
Does Early Trauma Have To Remain CATaclysmic?
- By Amy Austin, RN, PsyD, LMFT
- September/October 2021
My last article, “Embracing the Unexpected” (July/August 2021), chronicled a severely wounded cat that showed up at my door this last April. He was a mere five pounds of sick and tired. That was the bad news. The good news is he is now thriving — physically. The mental emotional part is in question, which… Read more »