tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40336261973967857722024-03-06T00:59:52.042-08:00The Spiritual Journey of Family CaregivingFor many years, I worked as a Program Coordinator and Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center. During that time I wrote a monthly newsletter for families taking care of loved ones with progressive incurable memory loss and dementia. Those articles are now a book, and this blog was created to share it (and any new articles I write) with all of you.Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-53472426932635043642020-02-29T12:41:00.000-08:002020-02-29T12:41:52.531-08:00How Stress and the Body's Immune Response May Lead to Alzheimer's Disease<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pem0PahO_j2YjLybkQPuzaCOSXwu5JJgA-1cTIQkYixzI3Ph7atcbEmZRSC-39Lgb7gi5aWbON5Ma5Ug00L-x8QsNH3q-i3k9yIQYRKd64neAYTFxYuH3CqpFgBzt8Gu1g7pRimkTEY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-29+at+12.39.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pem0PahO_j2YjLybkQPuzaCOSXwu5JJgA-1cTIQkYixzI3Ph7atcbEmZRSC-39Lgb7gi5aWbON5Ma5Ug00L-x8QsNH3q-i3k9yIQYRKd64neAYTFxYuH3CqpFgBzt8Gu1g7pRimkTEY/s400/Screen+Shot+2020-02-29+at+12.39.18+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This is a <a href="http://www.jneuro.com/neurology-neuroscience/role-of-stress-immune-system-and-wellbeing-in-patients-with-alzheimers-disease.php?aid=18524">really important article</a> about the roles stress (and the attendant emotions of anxiety and depression) play in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. We've known higher incidents of anxiety and depression are associated with dementia for decades. And I've talked about it on this blog a lot. What we haven't understood is the physical aspects of this connection (the immune system response) and whether there is actual cause and effect. Now science is saying there is.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There's a lot to unpack in <a href="http://www.jneuro.com/neurology-neuroscience/role-of-stress-immune-system-and-wellbeing-in-patients-with-alzheimers-disease.php?aid=18524">this article</a> which is why I recommend clicking on the link. My takeaway, however, is that Alzheimer's disease involves multiple systems in the body that work hand in hand to create the conditions that lead to dementia. Chronic emotional states play a BIG role, especially when not mitigated by exercise and social involvement. None of this has been unknown. The news is that now that there is scientific proof maybe we can get more effective non-pharmaceutical treatments to address these factors in addition to whatever medicines can help soothe people and control the symptoms.</span><br />
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Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-19228232093186439532018-01-10T21:30:00.000-08:002018-01-10T21:30:03.868-08:00So Pfizer Won't Be Funding Alzheimer's Drug Research Anymore? So What!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A column by Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times says that <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-pfizer-20180108-story.html">Pfizer Pharmaceuticals is using money they're getting from the Trump-Republican Tax Cut to pay off their shareholders and end their involvement in Alzheimer's drug research</a>. About 300 researchers will lose their jobs as the money is shunted to other projects. Hiltzik was criticizing them for this decision and I normally would agree with him!<br />
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But I used to work for the Alzheimer's Association and for a caregiver resource center supporting family members taking care of people with this disease and other dementia-causing illnesses. And, while I know all those wonderful people I used to support who are desperately praying for a drug-cure for this disease might be feeling horrifically devastated by this news right now, I think the end of this relationship might be worth celebrating!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">Maybe now the REAL causes and cures for Alzheimer's Disease can be the focus of the Alzheimer's Association instead of looking for a drug cure. Yes, I said it, the REAL causes. My opinion, backed by a LOT of recent research, is that -- except for the genetic version of Alzheimer's which represents a very small % of those who get the disease -- the cause of Alzheimer's Disease and a lot of other types of dementia is almost definitely way <a href="https://reliawire.com/sugar-alzheimers-molecular-link/">too much sugar consumption</a> (eventually crowding out any real nutrition</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">), <a href="http://spiritualcaregiving.blogspot.com/2016/05/why-we-need-to-change-our-approach-to.html">loneliness and depression</a>. You can add in lack of exercise for those who actually have vascular dementia (you can't get a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease without an autopsy). And <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9127971">we have known about some of these factors for at least a decade</a>!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">We need a societal cure, not a drug cure. And I believe that is one of the reasons Pfizer is withdrawing their research dollars. If the research continues to support the idea that diet and depression are the biggest factors, there's no point in Pfizer continuing their drug-cure based investment. They already make symptom-covering drugs! All the literature, videos and slide shows that Pfizer used to give to the Alzheimer's Association came with "info" about Aricept or whatever other drug they were promoting at the time. In return, the Alzheimer's Association put almost all their efforts into raising money for drug cure research. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">As far as I'm concerned, it's just fine for this symbiotic relationship to end. Have them put the money where it counts.</span></span>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-48702954997650843102017-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:002017-10-03T18:41:52.143-07:00Alzheimer's Drug Might End the Need for Fillings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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News of the weird or something pretty awesome? <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/09/end-fillings-sight-scientists-find-alzheimers-drug-makes-teeth/">The Telegraph is reporting on a new study</a> indicating that an Alzheimer's drug based on stem cell research still in clinical trials appears to regrow teeth and repair tooth decay. Not only that, it can do it quickly—within 6 weeks! Sounds awesome to me but, of course, clinical trials need to be done to make sure it's safe.Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-48142926027534077492017-09-30T11:38:00.000-07:002017-09-30T11:38:43.858-07:00Sleep Deprivation Linked to Risk for Alzheimer's DiseaseLinks don't always indicate which came first: the chicken or the egg. Is a tendency not to sleep much at night an indicator of early-stage dementia OR the cause of dementia later in life? <a href="https://psychpedia.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-shorter-your-sleep-shorter-your.html">Sleep scientists suspect the later</a>!<br />
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In addition to Alzheimer's Disease, people who get less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep at night also seem to be at significantly greater risk for <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cancer, diabetes, obesity and poor mental health. Lack of adequate sleep has a horrific effect on the immune system. It makes it difficult to fully process and heal from emotional upsets, it raises your blood pressure, and leads to problems with anger management and depression. It also impairs a vast array of significant bodily processes including your brain's ability to clear the brain cell killing amyloid plaque build-ups associated with Alzheimer's Disease!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">So, if you're reading this late at night, go to bed! Make it a habit to have a nice luxurious guilt-free nap or earlier bedtime part of your every day routine. You'll be SO glad you did!</span>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-11826609380246610302017-04-16T17:16:00.000-07:002017-04-16T17:16:04.162-07:00Eliminate Sugar to Greatly Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNtaBmczreM2ASQJTM7y6cJMd_IDi6In7J47cGx-Eg0zMf49NHkb9s_SxE6LecsmCSboSAuZlFyBodxQE9c1SlpbseCZuqpoRhuJTVDMlFa1C7yCZnHS8eJwREl6QrI_C8yo04NeTGj8/s1600/Old_fashioned_doughnuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNtaBmczreM2ASQJTM7y6cJMd_IDi6In7J47cGx-Eg0zMf49NHkb9s_SxE6LecsmCSboSAuZlFyBodxQE9c1SlpbseCZuqpoRhuJTVDMlFa1C7yCZnHS8eJwREl6QrI_C8yo04NeTGj8/s400/Old_fashioned_doughnuts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Giving up sugar will not eliminate ALL Alzheimer's Disease but according to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/diagnosis-diet/201609/preventing-alzheimer-s-disease-is-easier-you-think">a recent study cited in this article</a> in Psychology Today, 80% of all Alzheimer's patients have insulin resistance or type 2 Diabetes. In fact, Alzheimer's Disease is now being called Type 3 Diabetes or insulin resistance of the brain. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/diagnosis-diet/201609/preventing-alzheimer-s-disease-is-easier-you-think">The Psychology Today article</a> says "preventing Alzheimer's Disease is easier than you think" -- just give up sugar! Well, that's not so easy, especially if you have developed a dependency. Sugar is highly addictive and if you or someone you love is lonely or depressed, giving up that legal sweet comfort can be highly problematic! But well worth doing. Substitute fruit for sugary desserts, whole foods for all refined carbohydrates, go out for a walk, do something with the grandkids or volunteer. And some of my last suggestions are the most important. Science shows that happier people are far less likely to succumb to addiction and have a far easier time letting go of an addiction that has already been installed.<br />
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<br />Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-84158198008318262352017-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:002017-04-13T12:44:13.085-07:00The Science Behind How Sugar Consumption Affects Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtBhdcd2z8suG2_7bVhtQriaCEWpVMk_maF0PPe1lu0h4caQ5AfogqU_Be_6ym3BWZzH2E3tK8y1KNHeHG0fkrebT7aYrUgZMnT6qMy816ItSsWk9YZmjuWxCxa1sry9QeC9eZF7R2gE/s1600/Donut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtBhdcd2z8suG2_7bVhtQriaCEWpVMk_maF0PPe1lu0h4caQ5AfogqU_Be_6ym3BWZzH2E3tK8y1KNHeHG0fkrebT7aYrUgZMnT6qMy816ItSsWk9YZmjuWxCxa1sry9QeC9eZF7R2gE/s400/Donut.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Watching a family member slowly kill his brain function with sugar has brought the sugar - Alzheimer's issue into sharp relief for me! Nearly EVERY Alzheimer's patient wants to eat nothing but sugar and other carbs that easily convert to glucose at some point in the progression of this disease. And the Alzheimer's / diabetes connection is very clear: one frequently leads to the other but it's not clear which comes first—diabetes or early stage Alzheimer's. I think it is excessive sugar consumption either way. <a href="http://reliawire.com/sugar-alzheimers-molecular-link/">This article gets into the latest research</a>.Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-15153340001092008012017-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:002017-01-11T19:56:55.700-08:00Fight Against Trump and Paul Ryan's Attempt to Destroy Obamacare and Replace it with Health Savings AccountsI rarely post on this blog anymore and I once made a vow not to turn it into something political. . . but I've been pushed over the edge.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I used to work in the field of senior services, helping people who were taking care of a family member with dementia. I heard MANY MANY stories of people inches away from bankruptcy. One major medical emergency sent people over the edge -- and most of these were people WITH health insurance. Medical emergency is the #1 cause of bankruptcy in this country. THIS is the issue I am most able to gather the anger and courage and strength to stand up for: affordable healthcare for a<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ll and preservation (if not expansion) of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. I'm sharing the next part of this post from a friend because it is essential that people understand what is going down if we don't fight for it. PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>In case you're not aware of what a Health Savings Account (HSA) is or how it works, please read:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Trump or Paul Ryan say they want to replace the ACA with "Health Savings Accounts" (HSAs), they are saying they want to replace Obamacare or Medicare or Medicaid with YOU paying for your healthcare. That means YOU pay for chemotherapy... YOU pay for all surgeries and hospitalization... YOU pay for all your family's doctor visits, urgent care, ER visits, and prescription drugs out-of-pocket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A Health Savings Account is just a tax-free way for you to save up money to pay for your own medical bills. So if you are paying off college loans, or saving for a house down-payment, or simply living paycheck to paycheck, guess what -- a Health Savings Account does you no good, because you have no discretionary funds to deposit into it. And even if you manage to save five grand or ten grand in an HSA, that could all get wiped out in one hospital visit for you or a family member. Then you are back to square zero again.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">Even if you can supplement your HSA with affordable health insurance, you will be eating away at money that you should be investing for your retirement or your kids' college tuition. Only the top 3-5% of Americans can save enough for retirement, college AND their own out-of-pocket medical expenses. Therefore, the tax benefits of HSA's only help those people. Please call your Congressperson to protest this. And share the information to everyone you know.</span></div>
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Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-88914416930352883752016-05-06T15:53:00.000-07:002016-05-13T21:35:11.327-07:00Why We Need to Change Our Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and How<div class="p1">
Do you know somebody who has Alzheimer’s Disease or some other type <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>of age-related memory loss or confusion, inability to take care of themselves? This is known as dementia and, according to the <a href="http://www.alz.org/facts/#quickFacts">Alzheimer’s Association</a>, <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>more than 5 million people in the United States suffer from it today.<br />
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I used to work for the Alzheimer’s Association and I know they spend a <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>lot of time fundraising for a cure for this disease and a lot of the money goes into <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>pharmaceutical research, which is a good thing because anyone who is dealing with this disease desperately wants and deserves a worthwhile treatment and cure! But my job (and the job I had later at Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center) was to work directly with the families, and that work led me to some deep inner questioning because I tended to hear the <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>same three stories (or variations) over and over again.</div>
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<li>“Grandma was perfectly all right until grandpa died.” </li>
<li>“Grandpa was perfectly alright until he retired and didn’t know what to do with <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>himself anymore.” </li>
<li> “So and so has never been completely alright—she’s always been somewhat depressed—but <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>now that she's living alone, things have really gone south: she has full-<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>blown Alzheimer’s.”</li>
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<span class="s1">I worked with hundreds of people over more than 6 years and after awhile I started to <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>think: if this is just a physical illness with a physical cure, why am I hearing these <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>stories so often? </span>In recent years some people have started to research this very thing, and they <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>think we could bat down the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease by focussing on social solutions that might help people be less susceptible.<br />
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<span class="s1">I hope that in this post you will read something new and that it will inspire you to make a change in your life or in the life of <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>someone you love. </span>First, I’m going to tell you about how important this is. Then I’ll share just a little about the science related to Alzheimer’s Disease so <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>you understand what drug researchers have been focusing on and then a very famous <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>study that <i>seems</i> to contradict the science. I’ll talk about recent studies that might point to social solutions. And I’ll end with helping you think about how easy solutions like that could be and ask you to start with one simple thing I hope you’ll do with your family or friends<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>tonight.</div>
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Let’s start with why this is important.<br />
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<b>Alzheimer’s Disease has an enormous impact on our country. </b><br />
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There's a LOT I could say about this, so I'm going to point you to the <a href="http://www.alz.org/facts/#quickFacts">latest statistics from the Alzheimer's Association</a> for a start, but here are just a few points that definitely concern me! </div>
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<li>The likelihood of getting dementia goes up the older we get and, according to the <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>latest statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 3 people have some <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>kind of dementia by the time they die.</li>
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That’s scary enough but guess what?</div>
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<li>The elderly population—who is most likely to get this illness—is the largest and <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>fastest growing population in the United States because the Baby Boomers are just <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>starting to hit the age when Alzheimer's Disease and other age-related dementias start to really become an issue. (According to the Alzheimer’s Association, if nothing changes, the number of people with age-related dementia is expected to triple in 34 years.)</li>
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<li>This year, dementia is expected to cost this country 236 billion dollars. Obviously, in the future this number could be going way up!</li>
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<li>And these statistics, of course, do not address the emotional, physical and financial toll on the families trying to take care of loved ones. </li>
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<span class="s1"><b>Obviously something needs to be done and there’s a lot of research being devoted to trying to solve the problem. </b></span><br />
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So let’s look at that.<br />
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The reason why so much of the research is focussed on a physical cure is because there are physical things that seem to be correlated with the disease.</div>
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<span class="s1">As you can see from this drawing provided by <a href="http://www2.mhsi.us/Articles/external-beam-radiotherapy-beta-amyloid-plaque-reduction.html">Beaumont Health System and the Michigan Head and Spine Institute</a>, which is doing some of this research, the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s Disease looks different from a healthy brain. </span>There are unusual features—protein deposits and alterations in protein structure called plaques and tangles--that can be seen in the brains of people who died of Alzheimer's and they seem to increase the further along the disease had progressed while the people were still alive. Eventually the brain starts to atrophy and shrink, and fissures and holes start to appear. So the drug researchers want to find something that will either clear up these plaques and tangles or prevent them from occurring in the first place.<br />
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<b>And that makes sense as far as drug research goes...but is that the best and only approach to reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease and age-related dementia?</b><br />
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<span class="s1">In 1997 an article was published in the journal <i>Gerontologist</i> by researcher David Snowdon about a famous project, still going on today, that we in the Alzheimer's field call “<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9127971">The Nun Study</a>.” </span>At the time of that report Snowdon had interviewed and tested the memory and cognitive skills of 678 nuns over their lives and when they died he <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>did an autopsy of their brains. Lots of interesting things were discovered but here’s the story I found of most interest.<br />
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One of the nuns, Sister Mary, lived to be 101 years old. She was mentally sharp and scored incredibly high on all these tests, including the last one she did just a few weeks before her death. But when <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span> they cut open her brain, they found signs of atrophy and more plaques and tangles than anyone else's they had studied up until that point. According to what had been assumed from the science, she should have had full-blown Alzheimer’s Disease but she showed none of the symptoms.<br />
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So this opens up a lot of questions about why. What they know about Sister Mary is that she was very upbeat and optimistic, she took an active interest in everything, and she seemed to be extremely social. Since then, some researchers have been focussing on those particular clues.</div>
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<b>The Effects of Social Engagement and Life Purpose</b><br />
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For example, researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago did a <a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=482179">study on the effect of loneliness and social isolation on Alzheimer’s Disease</a> that was published in the <i>Archives of General Psychiatry</i> in 2007. It showed that people who reported being lonely a lot of the time were twice as likely to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease than people who did not and that the incidence of Alzheimer's was NOT related to the amount of plaques and tangles in their brains--it was correlated with a difference in how they warded off the effects of the physical changes those plaques and tangles represent.<br />
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An even more recent <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206295/">study published in 2011 by the Rush Center</a> showed that the more social (and less lonely) a person is, the more they ward off these effects. <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/02/friends-with-benefits-being-highly-social-cuts-dementia-risk-by-70/">The most social people seemed to be rewarded with a reduction of the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease of as much as 70%</a>!<br />
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But loneliness is not the only factor worth considering. The Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center also did a study, published in the <i>Archives of General Psychiatry</i> in 2012, that showed that <a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1151486">feelings of life purpose also seem to make a significant difference</a>. Life purpose was defined as anything that gives people a feeling of meaning such as family relationships, church attendance, civic engagement, <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span> music or art—things people really care about doing. On a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of self-reported meaningful activities, participants with a score of at least 4 were almost 2.5 times more likely to be free of Alzheimer's symptoms than people who scored a 3 or lower.<br />
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And there was one last study I'd like to mention that was published in 2015 in a peer-reviewed journal called <i>Maturitas </i>by the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25891500">Women's Health Ageing Project in Australia</a>.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>It showed that these same protective effects could come from something as simple as babysitting a grandchild one day a week.</div>
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Five days a week had the opposite effect so you don’t want to take this too far... but think about this. Something that might be helpful to your parents or grandparents could be helpful for you! And it’s not just babysitting—it could be sharing a meal together, going to <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>church together, it could be any number of things that people enjoy doing or things that <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>make them feel useful in the family or in the wider world.<br />
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So I’d like you to think about what I shared with you today and start a conversation with your family or friends about it.<br />
<ul>
<li>Alzheimer’s Disease is a really big problem.</li>
<li>The science doesn’t always match up with what actually happens with the disease.</li>
<li>We know that people who are less lonely and have a sense of life purpose seem to ward off the effects of the illness.</li>
<li>And there are ways that we might help each other with that. </li>
</ul>
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<span class="s1">Now I know that some of the things I’ve been talking about are not going to work for everyone—the statistics do NOT say that! And not everybody is going to be able to change long-standing patterns and ways of living. And not everyone has such a great relationship with their family that it's terribly appropriate to tackle that. But I’m going to leave you with a few final thoughts.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li>There are lots of lonely older people out there.</li>
<li>Developing new habits that bring us close to other people and things we love to do are way easier to do when we're young and could have a significant impact on our well-being as WE age!</li>
<li>And mutually beneficial relationships can be good for everyone. </li>
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<span class="s2"></span><span class="s1"><b>References</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">2016 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. (2016). Alzheimer’s Association. Retrieved April <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>14, 2016, from <a href="http://www.alz.org/facts/#quickFacts">http://www.alz.org/facts/#quickFacts </a></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Buchman, A. S. (2012). Effect of Purpose in Life on the Relation Between Alzheimer Disease <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Pathologic Changes on Cognitive Function in Advanced Age. <i>Archives of General <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Psychiatry</i>, 69(5), 499. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1487. Retrieved April 14, <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>2016 from <a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1151486"><span class="s3">http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1151486</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Burn, K., & Szoeke, C. (2015). Grandparenting predicts late-life cognition: Results from the <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Women's Healthy Ageing Project. <i>Maturitas</i>, 81(2), 317-322. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>2015.03.013. Retrieved April 14, 2016 from </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25891500"><span class="s3">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25891500</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;">James, B. D., Wilson, R. S., Barnes, L. L., & Bennett, D. A. (2011). Late-Life Social Activity and Cognitive Decline in Old Age. </span><i style="background-color: #eeeeee; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;">Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society J Int Neuropsychol Soc,</i><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;"></span><i style="background-color: #eeeeee; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;">17</i><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;">(06), 998-1005. doi:10.1017/s1355617711000531 </span>Retrieved April 14, 2016 from <span style="color: #333333; line-height: 22.8571px;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206295/">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206295/</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Snowdon, D. A. (1997). Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: Lessons From the Nun Study. <i>The <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Gerontologist</i>, 37(2), 150-156. doi:10.1093/geront/37.2.150. Retrieved 4/14/16 from <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9127971"><span class="s3">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9127971</span></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Wilson, R. S., Krueger, K. R., Arnold, S. E., Schneider, J. A., Kelly, J. F., Barnes, L. L., . . . <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Bennett, D. A. (2007). Loneliness and Risk of Alzheimer Disease. <i>Archives of General <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Psychiatry</i>, 64(2), 234. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.64.2.234. Retrieved 4/14/2016 from</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=482179"><span class="s3">http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=482179</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Image of brain:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">External Beam Radiotherapy: Beta-Amyloid Plaque Reduction. Provided by the Beaumont <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Health System for an article by the Michigan Head and Spine Institute.Retrieved April 19, <span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>2016 from http://www2.mhsi.us/Articles/external-beam-radiotherapy-beta-amyloid-<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>plaque-reduction.html</span></div>
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Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-53358095324502523002016-04-26T13:33:00.000-07:002016-04-26T13:33:01.347-07:00Correcting Andrew Weil's Report on Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Stress in WomenI really wanted to write directly to him on this one, but I could not find a way to do that without offering up my email address to endless amounts of spam.<br />
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Take a look at this article. It's about an important study about how worry and stress DOUBLES the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease in women. <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401550/Worrying-About-Alzheimers.html">http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401550/Worrying-About-Alzheimers.html</a><br />
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In the last paragraph Dr. Weil said "Please bear in mind that in this study "twice the risk" is relative to the normal risk of developing Alzheimer's. Here's what relative risk means: assume that the normal risk is one in 100 people. Double the risk means that two of 100 people will develop the disease and the other 98 will not."<br />
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Fine, but 1 in 6 people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's Disease right now (about 14%) and the percentage rises as people age to 1 in 3 people getting the disease by the time they die (about 33%). Correct me if my math is wrong (that happens) but I believe if you double the risk you will get numbers ranging from 28% for the population as a whole and rising to 66% as people get older. That's a very significant statistic!<br />
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It makes a very big difference as people progress through their life cycle, and taking steps to shift these patterns in your life when you are still young, could make a major difference for your life as you age!Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-15052069194919861802013-12-06T09:19:00.002-08:002015-03-21T14:47:21.920-07:00The Great Unlearning Which is Alzheimer's I found this article about deep philosophical and spiritual questions related to Alzheimer's Disease to be very comforting. I see the importance in emotional processing and life review in various elderly people, not just Alzheimer's patients. Lots of examples and ideas in this: <a href="http://www.crosscurrents.org/webb.htm">http://www.crosscurrents.org/webb.htm</a>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-59855751803623107842013-08-22T08:34:00.000-07:002015-03-21T14:41:15.905-07:00Purpose in Life Wards Off the Effects of Alzheimer's Disease<span class="userContent"><a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1151486">A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry Division</a> shows that people who score high on tests measuring one's
feeling of having a purpose in life are less likely to get <span class="text_exposed_show">Alzheimer's
Disease and are far less likely to exhibit cognitive signs of the disease
even when the telltale physical changes associated with Alzheimer's are
present. Previous studies have indicated similar things (the famous Nun
study, for instance), but </span></span><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">specifically </span></span>studying purpose in life is new and noteworthy. </span></span><br />
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Add that to studies that show that feeling isolated, lonely and unloved tremendously increases the likelihood of Alzheimer's, and those that show correlations between the disease and depression, and I think we're starting to get a much clearer picture of how Alzheimer's Disease manifests in the elderly population. I imagine this is especially true in Western culture of the current generation!Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-32939497654682038312013-06-16T12:23:00.000-07:002013-06-16T12:23:27.426-07:00Let People Know How To Manage Your Care If Unable To Speak for Yourself!<div class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">If
something should happen to you and you are unable to speak for yourself
does your family know your wishes as to how to manage your care? And
will they have the legal right to act on your behalf? Are you thinking about whether you may be called on to do that for someone else? You can do
something about that. Fill out Health Care Proxies, print them out, and
make sure
everyone who might need to be involved has their own copies. <a href="http://www.doyourproxy.org/webtool.php" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.doyourproxy.org/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>webtool.php</a></span></span></div>
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Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-22399251130265936102013-03-27T23:00:00.004-07:002015-03-21T14:46:45.988-07:00More on Alzheimer's and Type 3 DiabetesI'm not in the field of dementia care anymore but two close family members with these symptoms keep me needing to pay attention. My dad is in a nursing home right now, and my mother reports that all the patients seem to want to eat is sugar. The family caregivers I used to work with would report the same thing. Long before the scientific evidence started to pile up, those of us working in the field knew there had to be some correlation between memory loss and confusion and these bizarre sugar cravings. Patients lose their appetites for anything else. It is now thought that a lot of what we call Alzheimer's Disease is most likely insulin resistance in the brain caused by excessive sugar consumption, lack of exercise and — this is something scientists do not say — whatever it is that causes people to substitute sweets for what the rest of us consider to be the "sweetness" in life.<br />
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I feel I must go out on a limb with this a bit. Too many Alzheimer's patients have spent many years being isolated and lonely, have suffered the trauma of losing their spouse or significant other, have few if any hobbies, or otherwise feel like they have little to live for except watching endless amounts of TV with a bowl of ice cream or plate of cookies close at hand.<br />
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There is also sufficient evidence to suggest that early stage Type 3 Diabetes (and therefore most Alzheimer's Disease) can be easily reversed if caught soon enough with exercise, insulin and more moderate sugar consumption. Going for a walk three times a week is enough to make a big difference in someone who is excessively sedentary. Making it a rule never to eat sugar on an empty stomach or substituting more protein and fat and fewer carbohydrates can make a big difference right away regardless of the amount of exercise. And try arranging it so your loved one takes that walk and eats that meal with someone who loves them! That could make the biggest difference in quality of life for both the patient and all concerned.<br />
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Scientific articles:<br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810099">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810099</a><br />
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Layman's articles:<br />
<a href="http://dealingwithdiabetes.org/type-3-diabetes-attacks-your-brain/">http://dealingwithdiabetes.org/type-3-diabetes-attacks-your-brain/</a><br />
<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/bittman-is-alzheimers-type-3-diabetes/">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/bittman-is-alzheimers-type-3-diabetes/ </a><br />
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Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-61564515424590998052011-10-09T10:57:00.000-07:002011-10-09T10:57:07.887-07:00Diabetes and DementiaIf you work for very long in the field of elder care you eventually hear the following concern: my dad / my mom is wasting away and all he/she wants to eat is sugar. The answer: Get your loved one tested for diabetes!<br />
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There is a very strong correlation between the inability to utilize blood sugar and dementia. Cravings for sugar often occur because the body (and brain) relies on having adequate amounts of glucose. Most of us gain weight by eating sugar. If a person is eating too much sugar and is losing weight that is a serious symptom. If it has gotten to the point of them losing their appetite or feeling nauseous after eating, it's even more imperative to get the blood sugar levels checked. It can mean that the body has become insulin resistant or is not capable of producing enough of the insulin it needs to make use of the sugar the person so obviously craves.<br />
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People with diabetes over the age of 60 are twice as likely to have dementia. People with dementia who have uncontrolled diabetes are much more likely to show a worsening of all dementia symptoms when blood sugar levels are out of balance.<br />
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Click here to read more: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2039401/Over-60s-Type-2-diabetes-twice-likely-end-dementia.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2039401/Over-60s-Type-2-diabetes-twice-likely-end-dementia.html</a><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=1b11db4a-c354-4ff8-827b-af802eeaad03" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-85229297200785264582011-08-06T13:31:00.000-07:002011-08-06T13:41:10.139-07:00NEW BOOK: Waking Up In the Great Recession Mormon Desert<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_2Uz7s-bU1HU76pNuCAcoqvHD6kErsCPYc03-hedVCcFOyFp2IFj-uCRQqMKriqHN9x-GEX6b95_YX47VbvU-VgwTfYO_l7P4kwkc1HuNIfPAtJKHLaa_KOjwLwyBJXltNxikqbiuaI/s1600/Waking+Up+EBook+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_2Uz7s-bU1HU76pNuCAcoqvHD6kErsCPYc03-hedVCcFOyFp2IFj-uCRQqMKriqHN9x-GEX6b95_YX47VbvU-VgwTfYO_l7P4kwkc1HuNIfPAtJKHLaa_KOjwLwyBJXltNxikqbiuaI/s400/Waking+Up+EBook+Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><a href="http://www.healingcommunication.com/myproducts/Waking_Up_In_The_Great_Recession_Mormon_Desert,_Book_by_Sheryl_Karas_with_Paul_Hood"></a>Going through a Great Recession crisis in addition to family caregiving has got to be so intense... I don't want to think about it! But the one thing that makes it better is banding together in family and community. I'm announcing my latest book today. It's not about family caregiving or Alzheimer's Disease or dementia at all! But it IS about the great importance of going beyond differences to band together to heal our deepest, most critical concerns.<br />
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The book is called <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.healingcommunication.com/myproducts/Waking_Up_In_The_Great_Recession_Mormon_Desert,_Book_by_Sheryl_Karas_with_Paul_Hood.html">WAKING UP IN THE GREAT RECESSION MORMON DESERT</a></span> and people who reviewed an advance copy of it have given it some wonderful reviews. For example, David Spangler who was the previous director of Findhorn and has sometimes been called the father of the New Age movement had this to say:<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-style: italic;">This book is a winner. It has everything a good book should have: suspense, excitement, pathos, joy, laughter—-lots of laughter—and great characters you care about and can genuinely root for! And it's non-fiction! But what it has most is love and wisdom. Profound, heart-opening love and wisdom. It is hands down one of the best books on spirituality and its role in meeting the challenges of our time that I have read. And did I say that it's funny, too? Be good to yourself and read this book. Be good to your friends and buy them a copy. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">~ David Spangler, author of FACING THE FUTURE and SUBTLE WORLDS: AN EXPLORER'S FIELD NOTES.</span><br />
<br />
My partner Paul and I are the "great characters", by the way. The book is a memoir and it follows our path from our original home in the beautiful New Age, ultra-progressive town of Santa Cruz, CA to a predominantly ultra-conservative Republican Mormon community in the eastern Arizona high desert. The timing is immediately after the election of Barack Obama and the passage of Proposition 8 (the law repealing gay marriage in California). The result is at turns poignant and funny and eventually leads to a spiritual wake-up call that shows the importance of connecting the political and the personal in our task of developing spiritually on the planet.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.healingcommunication.com/myproducts/Waking_Up_In_The_Great_Recession_Mormon_Desert,_Book_by_Sheryl_Karas_with_Paul_Hood.html">Read more about it, read excerpts and reviews, and get your copy here.</a><br />
<br />
It's available as an inexpensive instant pdf download or as an autographed physical book, both directly from us. It is also available on the Kindle and soon other places as well. <br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=7d6cd695-fc7b-4555-bf12-a7e6c16a534b" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-73989080695229980022011-06-13T17:34:00.000-07:002011-06-13T17:34:54.810-07:00TED Talks on AgingDo you know about TED? TED talks are wonderful 15 minute introductions to all kinds of intellectual subjects. They're almost always fun, interesting and informative. <a href="http://www.mastersinhealthcare.com/blog/2011/10-fascinating-ted-talks-on-aging/">This blog</a> has an article with links to several TED talks on aging, including a couple about Alzheimer's Disease and related neurological illnesses. Take a look!<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=748ccc7f-aa09-4715-8c11-5f15e72aee01" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-5841516002703162392011-05-02T23:23:00.000-07:002011-05-02T23:24:41.604-07:00Reverse a Stroke by Taking Action FastA Facebook friend, Gary W. Bourbonais, wrote this as a service in honor of this month being Stroke Awareness Month. He says "it's worth it if it saves just one life."<br />
<br />
Hi Folks....<br />
<br />
Back on 12/27/07, I had a clot type stroke in the cortico-spinal area of my brain....I was left with a paralyzed right side, a vague awareness of what was going on, and a face out of a B-rated Horror<br />
Movie.... Because of the extent of the paralysis, I was told I faced the prospect of assisted living...<br />
<br />
That scared me more than anything....<br />
<br />
Today, I am existing independently, though I need a brace and cane to get around.....My right hand (the prior dominant one) has maybe 20% function, with no fine motor control to speak of...Everything is<br />
harder to do, essentially one handed, and I do get tired easily....<br />
<br />
I'm not griping....I'm glad to be alive, and an independent Survivor....My cognition was essentially unaffected....My face is normal, as is my speech....I'm one of the luckier survivors.....<br />
<br />
The thing is....had I recognized what was happening to me, I might have none of these affects.... For a clot type stroke, there's a 3-4 hour window when it can be reversed.....I got to the hospital too late to reverse it, but soon enough so I lived...<br />
<br />
How common is stroke? It's the third most common cause of death in the US.....Eighty percent of all strokes are the clot type....There are over *6 million* stroke survivors in the US alone....<br />
<br />
How to ID a stroke.......S....T....R.......<br />
<br />
<b>*REMEMBER*</b> the 1st Three Letters.... S...T...R...<br />
<br />
S.....Ask the individual to SMILE.<br />
<br />
T.....Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE<br />
(Coherently). Example....It is sunny outside today....<br />
<br />
R.....Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.<br />
<br />
If the person (or you), have a problem with any of these tasks, it's time to call 911...<br />
<br />
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.<br />
<br />
They've recently extended the window to 4 hours in some cases...<br />
<br />
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.<br />
<br />
Hopefully this bit of knowledge will help some folks in the future.......<br />
<br />
Surviving a stroke takes a lot out of a person, both physically and mentally.....<br />
<br />
How successful one is depends a lot on the support they have, and believe me, I can personally attest to the need for that support...And thank the folks that provided it to me, from the bottom of my heart...<br />
<br />
I found a great online resource for Stroke Support.....It's a free site, started, run by, and for, Stroke Survivors and Caregivers....If you are a Stroke Survivor, or Caregiver, or know someone who is, give<br />
them this link..... <a href="http://www.strokeboard.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.strokeboard.net/</a><br />
<br />
I suspect they'll thank you....It puts you on the Forum discussion page, and you will meet folks who are walking the talk......As a guest, you can read the posts, to get a feel for what the site is about....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.strokeboard.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.strokeboard.net/</a><br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
F.A.S.T.<br />
<br />
Another Anagram is F.A.S.T (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) If they have trouble smiling or something is not "right" with their <b>*Face*</b> (F), if they are unable to hold their <b>*Arms*</b>(A) out in front of themselves at equal height, if their <b>*Speech*</b>(S) is affected or if the words come out Slurred(S), then you need <b>*Time*</b>(T) to be on your side by responding quickly. Don't hesitate. It's better to be wrong than sorry.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Care to All....<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=f6e948cd-bb79-4bb6-9435-a20750813dd8" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-681288306357328612011-03-08T11:23:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:23:15.591-08:00Get "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving" as an E-Book download<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcClEU-12e5iPlADCuRnE97Couzh2i596EdJ0M0-w4HnoRAkfnoZP5ixDRDn2qgPfkAQr0SnVFlvdv2Lh9HrSDfDHla_N19dlZXpXmDlfnBfnK3Es-4H4FKNCPnfquTrDucUaGrEpCO4/s1600/detail_1767517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcClEU-12e5iPlADCuRnE97Couzh2i596EdJ0M0-w4HnoRAkfnoZP5ixDRDn2qgPfkAQr0SnVFlvdv2Lh9HrSDfDHla_N19dlZXpXmDlfnBfnK3Es-4H4FKNCPnfquTrDucUaGrEpCO4/s1600/detail_1767517.jpg" /></a></div>Times are changing and they're changing fast! A few short years ago e-books were a ridiculous notion. Then they became popular and people were encouraged to keep the price of an e-book close to the price of print books so as not to hurt print book sales. Well, not so fast. What's the point of offering an e-book if not to promote the ideas they have to offer at a doable price for people who won't spend the cover price of a brand new book, especially the price of one done on a print-on-demand basis?<br />
<br />
So I'm making my book available as an e-book download for just $4.99. What? Will she make any money at that price? I hope so! Especially if you tell your friends. Here's the link to my shop at <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress">Healing Communication Press</a>. I hope to have it available for the Kindle as soon as I can, too and other venues as well. Watch this blog for updates.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=210a4977-905f-4fe3-8f24-7f7e7ba578b6" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-34180853282021501862010-12-07T20:15:00.000-08:002010-12-07T20:18:09.535-08:00Home for the Holidays -- Omigod!I haven't written in this blog for months. My life is in great transition and writing anything just hasn't been on my priority list. But I suddenly noticed that, despite my lack of activity, hits to my blog suddenly jumped. Huh?<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, people just got back from the Thanksgiving holiday. And, like millions of other people, they saw a beloved parent or other older relative they had not seen in a long time and were shocked.<br />
<br />
Grandpa made a speech at the holiday feast thanking God that the family was "together for the first time in forty years!" Um...nobody said a thing but everyone knows the entire family had come together for his birthday just a few weeks before and many family gatherings over the years! <br />
<br />
Nana seemed perfectly okay but then went shopping and brought back nothing but cookies, lettuce and pizza. So? Well, there was already too much lettuce in the frig, a cabinet full of the same cookies and a freezer full of frozen pizza. And Nana's response when she got home? "Oh look, dear! The children already bought pizza! Isn't that sweet?" But it wasn't true.<br />
<br />
Auntie Anna's kitchen was filthy and she didn't seem to notice. Her bills were piled up on the dining room table, about four month's worth, and yet she denied that there was anything wrong.<br />
<br />
So people came home and went to work. Is this dementia? What can we do?!!!<br />
<br />
Yup, tis the season...<br />
<br />
Okay, so first things first: calm down and breathe. And remember the most important things. Does something need to be done? Yes. Does it need to be done by you and you alone? Not likely.<br />
<br />
Your first step: educate yourself. If your relative lives alone you will need to do something. Is there an Alzheimer's Association in his or her area? Contact the closest Area Agency on Aging. Or find the ones in your own community. They can direct you to any resources your relative might need. You don't have to figure this out alone! <br />
<br />
In fact, you shouldn't. If there are any other family members involved check in with them. Compare notes, compare possibilities, educate yourselves and then decide on a plan of action. <br />
<br />
And guess what? If your relative does not live alone there may or may not need to be anything done at all. If no one is in physical danger and there is someone taking care of the absolute necessities (the bills, for instance), the most important thing might be taking care of your own emotional upset. Yeah, it doesn't look good from the outside but, more often than not, people living together overcompensate for each other's difficulties, they overlook the little slips and idiosyncrasies, they do what has to be done and let the rest slide. It's shocking if you haven't seen Nana for a long time but if grandpa still seems to be handling it alright... Do check in but don't freak out if he says they don't need anything. <br />
<br />
At least not what they'll accept for now. But they most likely will need help if not outright intervention as things continue to decline. So get help to know what kind of things to look out for, what resources may be nearby, and how you as a member of a larger group (family, community resources, etc.) can prepare for the time to come.Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-33210981885381227292010-09-28T16:14:00.000-07:002010-10-09T07:10:29.777-07:00Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: left;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alzheimer%27s_disease_-_MRI.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Two transaxial slices through the head. The ri..." height="186" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Alzheimer%27s_disease_-_MRI.jpg/300px-Alzheimer%27s_disease_-_MRI.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alzheimer%27s_disease_-_MRI.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Are you or a family member experiencing the early signs of memory loss? Would you like to participate in research looking to put an end to Alzheimer's Disease?<br />
<br />
The newest thinking in the future of Alzheimer's treatment is to be able to detect changes in the brain in the earliest of stages, long before full-blown Alzheimer's symptoms appear. Reversing these brain changes -- or the behaviors or predisposing physical conditions that cause them -- is thought to be the best way to stop Alzheimer's. But the only way to recognize what these changes are and learn more about who is at risk is through the participation of volunteers.<br />
<br />
“We cannot end this terrible disease unless we know more about it,” says Dr. Paul Aisen, M.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS). “That is where the amazing volunteers, their friends and their families can make the difference in our success.”<br />
<br />
If you, a friend, or a family member is experiencing early signs of memory loss, you may be eligible to participate in a groundbreaking ADNI GO study. Please visit <a href="http://adcs.org/Studies/ImagineADNI.aspx">http://adcs.org/Studies/ImagineADNI.aspx</a> or call the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center at 1-800-438-4380 for more information on study sites in your area.<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/25/hope-for-treating-alzheimers-progression/18662.html">Hope for Treating Alzheimer's Progression</a> (psychcentral.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"> </li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/09/researchers-trace-alzheimer-process.html">Researchers Trace Alzheimer Process, Hope To Find Effective Treatment</a> (consumeraffairs.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=22f179b5-6422-48b7-bfa3-b01be573a2d0" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-47024105057612294462010-08-30T08:21:00.000-07:002010-08-30T08:21:02.046-07:00Gifts for Alzheimers Disease Caregivers and FamiliesEtsy.com is an online marketplace for handmade items made by artists from all over the world, but particularly in the United States. There's a great community of people there and one of them created this Treasury (a curated show) of gifts made to remember, honor or support someone with Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia. My book <i>The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving</i> was included because I sell a variety of things on Etsy. I thought that was very nice. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c582503979b8eefecf908e5/compassion?index=2">http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c582503979b8eefecf908e5/compassion?index=2</a><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=bfcefdc4-1b44-407f-a7f7-9f7523b32553" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-52166418026349630932010-07-31T11:44:00.000-07:002010-07-31T11:46:24.637-07:00Announcing the Release of a Good Book<div class="paragraph_style_2" style="color: purple; padding-top: 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGtZww9cZEu13UqrQcereUJ1mNPmlL9kGeWM0NZgspf5_98YbI0EALD9_tCixHMWkm9zcC8trL3ck2CodLfGgpeiJM-SqZeixwb2lHpftLiaMZWJW0boE-n5Jp1GltQZiQRbXIqyX_z1g/s1600/ChangingFrontCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGtZww9cZEu13UqrQcereUJ1mNPmlL9kGeWM0NZgspf5_98YbI0EALD9_tCixHMWkm9zcC8trL3ck2CodLfGgpeiJM-SqZeixwb2lHpftLiaMZWJW0boE-n5Jp1GltQZiQRbXIqyX_z1g/s320/ChangingFrontCover.jpg" /></a></div><div style="color: black;">One of my old books! <span class="style_5"><i>Changing the World One Relationship at a Time: Transformational Listening for Mutual Support & Empowerment </i>came out in 1998 through Crossing Press. It went out of print years ago but copies were still available through Amazon.com. Recently, though, I've heard that those copies have become hard to come by. <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/changing-the-world-one-relationship-at-a-time/12048421">So today I'm announcing that it is in print again both as a print-on-demand book for $16.49 or as an e-book download for $8.59 through Healing Communication Press.</a> </span><br />
<span class="style_5"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="style_5">Here's what other people had to say about this book when it first came out:<i><br />
</i></span></div><br />
<i><span class="style_3">Want to change your life? Get together with a trusted friend and spend an allotted amount of time each week focusing on truly listening to one another. “Changing the World” teaches readers the needed skills for connecting with others, starting on a personal level and advancing to the community and the world beyond.</span></i><span class="style_4"> —Sandra I. Smith, Midwest Book Review</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2"><br />
<i style="color: purple;"><span class="style_3">I highly recommend this book. Karas provides tools we need to improve the quality of our lives. Her examples, exercises, and meditations teach us how to listen constructively which leads to improved health, happiness, and a sense of well being.</span></i><span class="style_4" style="color: purple;"> —Barbara Hoberman Levine, author of</span><span class="style_3" style="color: purple;"> <i>Your Body Believes Every Word You Say</i></span><span class="style_5"> </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_4"><br />
And this is from the back cover:<br />
<br />
</div>When the cost of counseling is higher than ever and insurance is less likely to cover it, when people are searching for community and healthy practices to sustain it, the need for simple easy-to-do peer counseling and relationship skills are more important than ever. The re-release of <span class="style_5"><i>Changing the World One Relationship at a Time: Transformational Listening for Mutual Support & Empowerment</i> </span>could not have come at a better time. Spiritual counselor Sheryl Karas M.A. has written a clear concise and highly readable book to help couples, families, friends and communities help each other through troubled times.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend this book for the task of family caregiving in the beginning stages when things are still going well. It helps to create supportive partnerships right from the start—trying to implement a program like this under duress isn't really the best time to start. But for most caregivers the process of easing into caregiving is a more gradual one. Put a great support system into place early on and you'll never regret it!<br />
<br />
The book will teach you:<br />
<ul><li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">Basic attentive listening skills</span></li>
<li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">Approaches for effectively working with emotional issues</span></li>
<li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">How to stay centered around other people’s emotions</span><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span></li>
<li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">How to work with personal and societal projections</span><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span></li>
<li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">How to create your own support groups </span></li>
<li><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">Exercises, guided meditations and more</span></li>
</ul><div class="paragraph_style_18" style="padding-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: -16px;"><br />
<span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;">Author Bio: Sheryl Karas M.A. has a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology and 30 years of experience providing informal counseling in a variety of settings. From 1984-1998 Sheryl was a practitioner of Re-evaluation Counseling, a form of peer counseling (co-counseling) where participants learn to exchange mutual support. She taught co-counseling classes and later went on to teach the teachers and certify new ones. When Sheryl developed a more spiritual perspective some of the practices of Re-evaluation Counseling no longer seemed to fit. <i>Changing the World</i> combines some of the most accessible techniques from Transpersonal Psychology with the peer counseling instruction she taught before. </span><br />
<span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_18" style="padding-bottom: 0pt;"><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/changing-the-world-one-relationship-at-a-time/12048421">Click here to buy the book now!</a></span></div><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="style_9" style="line-height: 22px;"> </span><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=0fb3255f-4646-4c77-bce4-e7739803abaa" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-28331703932063092102010-03-22T20:37:00.000-07:002010-03-22T20:41:31.850-07:00Health Care Reform PassesIt's not anywhere near enough but here are 10 reasons to celebrate anyway:<br />
<br />
<h2> <span style="font-size: small;">10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform </span></h2><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">1. Once reform is fully implemented, <b>over 95% of Americans will have health insurance coverage</b>, including 32 million who are currently uninsured. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">2. Health insurance companies will <b>no longer be allowed to deny people coverage</b> because of preexisting conditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">3. Just like members of Congress, individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insurance on their own will be able to pool together and <b>choose from a variety of competing plans with lower premiums</b>. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">4. Reform will <b>cut the federal budget deficit</b> by $138 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping $1.2 trillion in the following ten years. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">5. Health care will be <b>more affordable for families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits</b>, subsidies, and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drug companies, and the very wealthiest Americans. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">6. <b>Seniors on Medicare will pay less for their prescription drugs</b> because the legislation closes the "donut hole" gap in existing coverage. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">7. By reducing health care costs for employers, reform will <b>create or save more than 2.5 million jobs</b> over the next decade. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">8. <b>Medicaid will be expanded</b> to offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-income people. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">9. Instead of losing coverage after they leave home or graduate from college, <b>young adults will be able to remain on their families' insurance plans</b> until age 26. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">10. Community health centers would receive an additional $11 billion, <b>doubling the number of patients who can be treated</b> regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">------------------------------ </div>Sources: <br />
<div style="font-size: smaller;"><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10. "Affordable Health Care for America: Summary," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf">http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf</a> </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">3. "Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Accessed March 22, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html">http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html</a> </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">4. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Revenue Provisions," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf">http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf</a> </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">5. "New Jobs Through Better Health Care," Center for American Progress, January 8, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/new_jobs_health.html">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/new_jobs_health.html</a> </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">8, 9. "Proposed Changes in the Final Health Care Bill," <i>The New York Times</i>, March 22, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/19/us/politics/20100319-health-care-reconciliation.html">http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/19/us/politics/20100319-health-care-reconciliation.html</a> </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">10. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 20, 2010 <br />
<a href="http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf">http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf</a></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"> ------------------------------ </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">From MoveOn.org </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"> </div></div>Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-31991075901066881582010-03-08T12:34:00.000-08:002010-03-09T11:56:28.723-08:00"Mom's always been this way. It's just worse now."I can't tell you how many times I heard that statement from the adult children of a dementia patient struggling with the issue of whether Mom actually had dementia or not. The behaviors were already there -- the constant anxiety about insignificant things that had progressed into paranoia, the constant nattering chatter that no longer had any censor on it at all or, conversely, the tendency to be depressed that had progressed into a complete withdrawal from the world. And now that I live in close proximity to someone who exhibits these characteristics I understand more fully the underlying question: if these obvious signs of dysfunctional behavior were there all along to a lesser extent is this really dementia? And if it is dementia were they always suffering from dementia? As a Family Consultant it led me to question what dementia actually is. And what, if anything, could have been done about it from a behavioral point of view?<br />
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There have been multiple studies that have correlated the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease with a much higher then average incidence of depression or excessive anxiety earlier in life. There is also fairly conclusive evidence that people who stay happily actively engaged in life and who use their minds more regularly are more likely to keep their ability to function -- even with the supposedly tell-tale indicators of Alzheimer's Disease that are used to give a more precise "diagnosis" after death. <a href="http://www.stpt.usf.edu/%7Ejsokolov/agealzh2.htm">The famous Alzheimer's Disease Nun study is a good place to learn more about that.</a> I was fairly convinced as a Family Consultant that something could have been done, should have been done, but the "what" eluded me then, continues to confuse me now.<br />
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On what level is one allowed to confront a family member with the news that not only are they driving everyone around them crazy, in a very literal sense they might be driving themselves crazy, too?!!! Well, I don't have an obvious answer to that -- and when it's progressed too far, it's in many cases too late!<br />
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Perhaps that's why I'm sharing this with you right now. I don't have to do this. I no longer get paid to write these things. But maybe, just maybe, if this message is put out there well enough and often enough by people who do care the idea will get across. Having a happy healthy attitude makes for a better life. Cultivate yours. Help your friends cultivate theirs. And do what you can in your family of origin, too.Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033626197396785772.post-11880442585728124522010-02-28T09:42:00.000-08:002010-02-28T09:42:03.719-08:00Maya Angelou on AgingIn April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting...' <br />
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Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day.....like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words! <br />
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Maya Angelou said this: <br />
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'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.' <br />
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'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'<br />
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'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.' <br />
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'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life.' <br />
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'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.' <br />
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'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...' <br />
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'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.' <br />
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'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.' <br />
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'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back...' <br />
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'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...' <br />
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'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'Sheryl Karashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15635959513382233406noreply@blogger.com0