Healthy progress

When I was not walking as well as I am now, being dizzy and having a lot of knee pain at the time, I set my step count goal to 3,500, which may seem really low, but I was lucky to reach it maybe 3-4 days a week at most. After the gel shots in my knees and the physical therapy for the dizziness (primarily caused by a malfunction in the Vestibulo-ocular Reflex (VOR) [where you have a dysfunction in turning the head and focusing on a point at the same time] with a little Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) [where tiny calcium crystals build up in an area of the inner ear where they should not be, causing dizziness], I'm walking better. I keep a collapsible cane with me, but I haven't been using one full-time anymore. I told myself when I met my goal for seven days a week, I'd move up the goal. So... On six days last week, I was over 4.000 steps. On four, I was over 5,000, and on one, 6,000. I'm going to move it up in 500 step increments--so up to 4,000 for now, and then if I can get it up to 4,000 consistently, I'll move it up again. I'd like to at least get up to 5,000 steps a day. Wish me luck.

BTW. I got a call from my neurologist Friday afternoon and he'd gotten the report back from my MRI early. Everything looked normal. In addition to the dizziness, we'd been checking on the very frustrating memory issues I've been having and trouble finding words, especially names of things/nouns. He is under the impression that it is not my brain, or even ageing, but rather side-effects of some of my medication, which is unfortunate, because it is extremely important that I stay on said medications, and if I were to try to find an alternative, it would be bad, as what I'm on is working very well and it can take ages to find the right medicine otherwise. He said that unless it gets markedly worse, he wouldn't recommend pulling me off of them. If it does, then we could reconsider or put me on additional medication (something I'd like to avoid if I can). But I'd asked for an evaluation because I was afraid it was a kind of degenerative aphasia, which is a form of dementia, and at least we've ruled that out. So yay!

Some things I've been paying attention to on Facebook, that I thought I'd share here

This Teacher Wrote Personal Letters To 100 Students After Nearly Losing One To Suicide

We never know what a difference some small act of kindness can be. A teacher, Brittni Darras, learned that one of her students had been saved while attempting suicide, and wrote her a personal note while she was in the hospital, and it really touched the student, who hadn't thought anyone cared. Because the signs of depression and suicidal thoughts are not always obvious, she then sat down and wrote over a hundred personal, hand-written notes to her various students, giving them a compliment here, or telling a story there, however she connected with each one. What a gift. We can all do small acts of kindness to help others who may be facing very difficult times.

An Amazing Village Designed Just for People with Dementia

I so hope this idea catches on!

At Hogeweyk, the interior of the security perimeter is its own little village—which means that patients can move about as they wish without being in danger.

Each apartment hosts six to eight people, including caretakers—who wear street clothes—and the relationship between the two is unique. Residents help with everything from cooking to cleaning. They can buy whatever they want from the grocery. They can get their hair done or go to a restaurant. It's those basic routines and rituals that can help residents maintain a better quality of living.

Click here for more on the concept of Dementia Villages. As the Gizmodo article points out, 1 in 3 seniors will die with dementia. 1 in 3. It's one of my greatest fears; I watched my great-grandmother decline with Alzheimer's for fifteen years. SHe was lucky; she was able to stay in her home, cared for by her daughter, my grandmother, but at cost--my grandmother outlived her mother by a scant two years, and while the official cause of death was lung cancer, I truly believe she gave all of her stamina and fight up trying to care for her mother, leaving her no reserve for herself. They said my grandfather had dementia, although in his case, I think he just didn't have enough oxygen in his blood, as he had COPD and emphysema for years, and would wander at the hospital with Sundowner's syndrome (when people act strangely after dark in unfamiliar surroundings) without his oxygen on. My grandmother was pretty sharp to a point, but she didn't know my mom all the time, or would fuss over things that weren't real. I already have issues with memory and so I have to admit, I worry about what will happen to me--especially without children or other close family members to care for me, if I should get Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia. But speaking of dementia, if you are dealing with this in a loved one, be sure to read 16 Things I Would Want If I Got Dementia: A heartfelt wish list from a dementia care worker by Rachael Wonderlin, who works with patients with dementia.

Oh, and I don't know who came up with this, but I love it, so I'm going to end this post on a lighter note:



And this hit a chord, maybe because, I don't know, I managed to get hit by a car a few years ago while obeying all laws and walking in the crosswalk with the light:



Okay, I think I'm going to do some reading after I forage for a snack. I'm reading Meghan Telpner's UnDiet: The Shiny, Happy, Vibrant, Gluten-Free, Plant-Based Way To Look Better, Feel Better, And Live Better Each And Every Day!, so I guess it better be a healthy snack. :)

Went out with some of my co-workers tonight

as a goodbye to one of the women who's leaving. We went to the Shamrock Bar and Grille in Patchen, and I although I didn't have any alcohol (I was driving, and besides, I don't like alcohol as a general rule), I did get some decent fish and chips. I haven't actually been in a bar in a long time. I think the last was with Bill and Liz years ago at McCarthy's downtown. Several of the guys played darts, and the rest of us visited. I was there about an hour and a half and then came home, but it was pretty fun. Maybe I should try socialising more.

So now I'm home and I have the windows cracked a bit. In just a little while, I may go outside and see if I can see the moon rising, as the partial lunar eclipse is supposed to hit its peak at about 7:50 pm.

Today was busy yet productive. I'm still behind on my referrals (there are just so many, and I only really am supposed to work on them for about an hour, maybe two, a day), but I finally got some things finished and got some books out of the way that were on the library tables in boxes. I did what I could to get everything ready for Monday, and then closed up shop and went to visit with people at the bar. I won't say I managed to totally relax (social situations make me a little anxious, although this wasn't too bad as I knew almost everyone and have for years).

I was originally going to try to do two doctor's appointments on Monday and take off the whole day from work, but that really wasn't feasible. There are several high-volume clinic days next week, and I'll have lots to do. So I moved my sleep centre appointment to Tuesday of the next week so they wouldn't be too close together. I did fill out my paperwork for that appointment, though, including my tendency to fall asleep early and then wake up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. That can't be good for you. There was a thing in the news today (Sleep 'Detoxes' The Brain, New Research Suggests) about how sleep is when our brains clear out the beta-amyloid materials that cause the plaques seen in Alzheimer's, as well as other waste products. I really fear getting dementia as I get older (I have a family history, and the diabetes can contribute to it), so I probably need better, uninterrupted sleep. I'm tired now, but I'm going to try to stay up for awhile more. Of course, one reason I'm tired is being the geek that I am, I stayed up working on two computers updating to the new operating system. So that's totally my fault. But I've held up pretty well as the day has progressed.

I do think I'm going to go listen to some music and see if I can get my muscles to relax. I'm not usually in to supplements, but I did some research on glucosamine sulfate, which is supposed to help joints that have osteoarthritis, and I decided to try some. Clinical studies have been a mixed bag, but it sure is helping a friend's dog, and I'm willing to give it a bit of time to see if I can benefit. One of my co-workers takes it and chondroitin and says it really has helped. Most of what I read indicated that for some people, glucosamine sulfate helps, but that adding other things doesn't necessarily boost the efficacy overall. So I'll try just that for now. I lucked out, too--a bottle at Rite Aid with 60 pills was labelled $24.99, and they were buy one get one free with a wellness card. I used my card, and in fact, it rang up at $10.99, so I essentially got them for about $5.50 a bottle. Not bad. The name-brand stuff was terribly expensive. I just hope this has a decent amount in it. Some of the studies pointed out that being a dietary supplement that is essentially unregulated, the amounts on the label and in actuality vary widely from brand to brand. Anyway, we'll see if it will help my knees and other joints noticeably.

Excellent article about how ageing and dementia in prisons

The Vanishing Mind: Life, With Dementia

Dementia in prison is an underreported but fast-growing phenomenon, one that many prisons are desperately unprepared to handle. It is an unforeseen consequence of get-tough-on-crime policies — long sentences that have created a large population of aging prisoners. About 10 percent of the 1.6 million inmates in America’s prisons are serving life sentences; another 11 percent are serving over 20 years.

And more older people are being sent to prison. In 2010, 9,560 people 55 and older were sentenced, more than twice as many as in 1995. In that same period, inmates 55 and older almost quadrupled, to nearly 125,000, a Human Rights Watch report found.

While no one has counted cognitively impaired inmates, experts say that prisoners appear more prone to dementia than the general population because they often have more risk factors: limited education, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, depression, substance abuse, even head injuries from fights and other violence.

Many states consider over-50 prisoners elderly, saying they age up to 15 years faster.

Ah, just in time for turning 45 this year...

Brain function can start declining 'as early as age 45'

The results of the tests show that cognitive scores declined in all categories except vocabulary - and there was a faster decline in older people.

The study found a 9.6% decline in mental reasoning in men aged 65-70 and a 7.4% decline for women of the same age.

For men and women aged 45-49, there was a 3.6% decline.

I have 'senior moments' quite often as it is, and I have a great fear of dementia (my great-grandmother had Alzheimer's; my diabetes means I'm at a higher risk for dementia as well). So you can see I didn't care for this story. It's just a reminder of how important it is to exercise the mind as well as the body.

This bothered me today

Sarcastic or serious? Missing subtle cues may signal dementia: Gullible sufferers may fall for lies, scams more easily because of brain disease

See, on top of having a somewhat squishy memory, I am terribly gullible and way too trusting. And although I usually spot sarcasm, it's sort of a crap shoot. I have more trouble determining these things in person, observing cues, rather than in writing, for that matter.

Dementia is a great fear of mine. I've spent years with some issues, probably a mix of blood sugar issues, 'fibromyalgia fog', and occasional lability, but having had a great-grandmother with Alzheimer's--and having watched how it unfolded, it is, I suppose, a very real fear of mine. On the other hand, my memory is good for some things--numbers for instance. Things that don't carry much emotion. And I compensate by writing things down (or lately, jotting them into my Kindle, so I don't just lose the papers) or trying to keep essential items, like keys and bus passes, in special designated places.

Well, if I lose my mind, I guess I'll blog bravely into it. But seriously, if you every see a post and wonder what I could be thinking or it doesn't make sense, let me know.

Sad end to a remarkable woman

Once-revered lawmaker freezes to death alone: She was the first black woman elected to the South Carolina Legislature

Juanita Goggins was an educator who went into politics and got ground-breaking education legislation passed. She was a trailblazer, an excellent role-model. But she became increasingly reclusive in recent years and refused help from others. After she was found in her home, dead of hypothermia, signs of dementia were found during the autopsy, which may have accounted for her situation. She sounds like a wonderful woman who had a lonely life towards the end. That's a shame. Yes, it was by choice, but it seems to have been an impaired one. Hopefully her work and her life will be remembered, though.

An excellent short film

about a mother descending into dementia, and a daughter struggling to keep things together. It's called 'My Name is Lisa' (this won the best short film category in 2007 on YouTube).



The sad thing? Judging by the comments, the vast majority of watchers had no clue that the mom was descending into Alzheimer's. Jeesh.

I actually found out about this because YKWIA (who finds all sorts of things on the Web) found the version with German subtitles:



and of course my name is Lisa (Eilir is my middle name), so he thought he'd found a German counterpart.

It's by Shelton Films and has won several other awards. It puts a lot into a very short video.

Anyway, it's sad, but very good. My great-grandmother had Alzheimer's. I saw her slip away over fifteen years of the disease. This is right on. We think about Alzheimer's as being a disease of the old, but it can strike much younger. According to the film's website, 250,000 children ages 8-18 are caring for someone with Alzheimer's. They suggest the website http://www.actionalz.org for more information on this disease.