June 1st, 2007 by Trisha Torrey
I’ve mentioned previously that my mother is an Alzheimer’s patient. She — and our entire family — have suffered from this horrible disease for eight years or so. If you have a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s, you understand how heartbreaking it is. The mother I have loved all my life is no longer with us. My dad is exhausted from trying to maintain as much normalcy as he can in their lives. That exhaustion takes its own toll on Dad’s health.
Mom, who will turn 80 this summer, lives in a “memory center.” That is, a facility that was developed specially for older patients with dementias. It is a wonderful place where the professionals are highly conscientious and respectful of the patients in their care. I hear stories from many of you about your elderly loved ones who end up in horrible situations, so it makes me that much more appreciative of Mom’s situation. Dad is only minutes away and sees her almost every day.
I’ve blogged before about the positive effects music has on Alzheimer’s patients. It seems to reconnect some of those broken pathways in the brain, even if only temporarily. Music brings memories and smiles to those who otherwise seem to have little joy in their lives.
My mother is especially uplifted by music because music has always been a focus of her life. She was a vocal music major in college, directed various choirs, including those at our church while I was growing up, and has always loved to listen to music, whether it was a Broadway musical, the symphony, a record or CD or even attending a child’s or grandchild’s school concert. A case in point — every Saturday night Dad visits Mom, they put Lawrence Welk on TV, and they sing and dance to the music. They are adorable together!
And despite the ravages of her dementia, somehow Mom has retained the quality of her beautiful singing voice, and she remembers the words to all those old songs. Go figure.
But last evening’s activities at the Memory Center are notable. Last night, Mom and Dad went to a prom! Not to be outdone — or out dressed — by young people who are just a fraction of their ages, the residents in the memory center, and their ‘dates’, enjoyed an evening of dining and dancing and singing… a good time was had by all!
Why do I share this with you? Because despite the debilitation, despite the frustrations of the disease (or any disease or condition), despite the sadness at the loss of the spirit of my mother, despite my dad’s, sisters’ and my collective longing for who she was, the fact that Mom and Dad could still enjoy an evening of fun and music together highlights two important aspects of what hasn’t been completely lost: joy and dignity. 
Joy? The Prom was an opportunity to remember the aspects of Mom’s life that are still positive — the quality that still exists. As they have so many times in the past, my parents enjoyed an evening out together, doing things they’ve always enjoyed doing.
Dignity? The Prom was an opportunity to recognize that the residents of the Memory Center are truly treated with dignity — which is so often lost in other facilities, and so easily subtracted from the elderly in our culture. Kudos and appreciation go out every day to the wonderful people who work there. They certainly give new meaning to the “prom committee” !!
If you or a loved one suffers from any disease or condition, then my wish for you would be the same. Look for opportunities to maintain or reclaim the quality and dignity of life. It can make all the difference in how the rest of your life is lived.
June 1st, 2007 by Trisha Torrey
I’ve mentioned previously that my mother is an Alzheimer’s patient. She — and our entire family — have suffered from this horrible disease for eight years or so. If you have a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s, you understand how heartbreaking it is. The mother I have loved all my life is no longer with us. My dad is exhausted from trying to maintain as much normalcy as he can in their lives. That exhaustion takes its own toll on Dad’s health.
Mom, who will turn 80 this summer, lives in a “memory center.” That is, a facility that was developed specially for older patients with dementias. It is a wonderful place where the professionals are highly conscientious and respectful of the patients in their care. I hear stories from many of you about your elderly loved ones who end up in horrible situations, so it makes me that much more appreciative of Mom’s situation. Dad is only minutes away and sees her almost every day.
I’ve blogged before about the positive effects music has on Alzheimer’s patients. It seems to reconnect some of those broken pathways in the brain, even if only temporarily. Music brings memories and smiles to those who otherwise seem to have little joy in their lives.
My mother is especially uplifted by music because music has always been a focus of her life. She was a vocal music major in college, directed various choirs, including those at our church while I was growing up, and has always loved to listen to music, whether it was a Broadway musical, the symphony, a record or CD or even attending a child’s or grandchild’s school concert. A case in point — every Saturday night Dad visits Mom, they put Lawrence Welk on TV, and they sing and dance to the music. They are adorable together!
And despite the ravages of her dementia, somehow Mom has retained the quality of her beautiful singing voice, and she remembers the words to all those old songs. Go figure.
But last evening’s activities at the Memory Center are notable. Last night, Mom and Dad went to a prom! Not to be outdone — or out dressed — by young people who are just a fraction of their ages, the residents in the memory center, and their ‘dates’, enjoyed an evening of dining and dancing and singing… a good time was had by all!
Why do I share this with you? Because despite the debilitation, despite the frustrations of the disease (or any disease or condition), despite the sadness at the loss of the spirit of my mother, despite my dad’s, sisters’ and my collective longing for who she was, the fact that Mom and Dad could still enjoy an evening of fun and music together highlights two important aspects of what hasn’t been completely lost: joy and dignity.
Joy? The Prom was an opportunity to remember the aspects of Mom’s life that are still positive — the quality that still exists. As they have so many times in the past, my parents enjoyed an evening out together, doing things they’ve always enjoyed doing.
Dignity? The Prom was an opportunity to recognize that the residents of the Memory Center are truly treated with dignity — which is so often lost in other facilities, and so easily subtracted from the elderly in our culture. Kudos and appreciation go out every day to the wonderful people who work there. They certainly give new meaning to the “prom committee” !!
If you or a loved one suffers from any disease or condition, then my wish for you would be the same. Look for opportunities to maintain or reclaim the quality and dignity of life. It can make all the difference in how the rest of your life is lived.
April 29th, 2007 by Trisha Torrey
This morning on my radio show, we aired my interview with Dr. Sharon Brangman, geriatrician and expert in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. As the daughter of a mother who is in the advanced stages of this horrible disease, I was moved to tears by the conversation. It was an opportunity to learn more about it, and even ended with a bit of hope. Here are some points from the conversation — a few basics, and some information that was new to me, too.
- The numbers of victims are increasing exponentially, mostly because people are living longer, and because of the growing numbers of baby boomers.
- Dr. Alzheimer was the person who distinguished “his” disease from other forms of dementia — about 65 years ago. The former term was “hardening of the arteries.”
- How do we know the difference between forgetfulness and the onset of dementia? If the non-remembering begins to get in the way of life, then it may be dementia, including Alzheimer’s. When we can’t remember how to do something we’ve always done, or can’t remember names of people we see frequently, or forget to take our medications consistently, or anything that becomes an interference with everyday living.
- Caretakers need almost as much care as the actual Alzheimer’s patient. (My opinion: perhaps the patients are patients, and the caretakers and families are the real “victims.”)
- Dr. Brangman’s metaphor for the physiology of how Alzheimer’s works: think of the brain as a highway system of thought patterns. A protein begins to build and gunks up the highway, putting roadblocks in front of the thought patterns so they can’t be used.
- There are a handful of dementias — Alzheimers is most prominent, but not all have the same physiology and some are treated differently. It’s important for doctors to discern which dementia is causing problems so it can be treated most effectively.
- Research shows that people who continually use and challenge their brains may keep Alzheimer’s at bay — and taking the above metaphor another step — it’s because the brain develops more highways for the transport of ideas when it is being used and challenged. With more highways available, the protein does not so easily block the passage of thoughts.
- Studies about the effect of music on Alzheimer’s patients have shown that familiar music elevates a patient’s mood and brain function. Dr. Brangman hypothesized that it’s because music thoughts are stored in so many areas of the brain, that there are enough of those above-mentioned highways available to translate the thoughts.
- On the horizon: research that will help develop therapies that will regrow nerve growth cells, and/or repair or dissolve the problems caused by that gummy, gunky protein that develops in the brain.
How do we keep Alzheimer’s at bay in our younger years? Eat right, exercise, don’t smoke… all those good practices that seem to be the answer for keeping any health-related problem out of our lives.
End of post for today. I’m going to go eat a salad and walk a few miles. Then I’m going to call Mom to tell her I love her.
April 29th, 2007 by Trisha Torrey
This morning on my radio show, we aired my interview with Dr. Sharon Brangman, geriatrician and expert in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. As the daughter of a mother who is in the advanced stages of this horrible disease, I was moved to tears by the conversation. It was an opportunity to learn more about it, and even ended with a bit of hope. Here are some points from the conversation — a few basics, and some information that was new to me, too.
- The numbers of victims are increasing exponentially, mostly because people are living longer, and because of the growing numbers of baby boomers.
- Dr. Alzheimer was the person who distinguished “his” disease from other forms of dementia — about 65 years ago. The former term was “hardening of the arteries.”
- How do we know the difference between forgetfulness and the onset of dementia? If the non-remembering begins to get in the way of life, then it may be dementia, including Alzheimer’s. When we can’t remember how to do something we’ve always done, or can’t remember names of people we see frequently, or forget to take our medications consistently, or anything that becomes an interference with everyday living.
- Caretakers need almost as much care as the actual Alzheimer’s patient. (My opinion: perhaps the patients are patients, and the caretakers and families are the real “victims.”)
- Dr. Brangman’s metaphor for the physiology of how Alzheimer’s works: think of the brain as a highway system of thought patterns. A protein begins to build and gunks up the highway, putting roadblocks in front of the thought patterns so they can’t be used.
- There are a handful of dementias — Alzheimers is most prominent, but not all have the same physiology and some are treated differently. It’s important for doctors to discern which dementia is causing problems so it can be treated most effectively.
- Research shows that people who continually use and challenge their brains may keep Alzheimer’s at bay — and taking the above metaphor another step — it’s because the brain develops more highways for the transport of ideas when it is being used and challenged. With more highways available, the protein does not so easily block the passage of thoughts.
- Studies about the effect of music on Alzheimer’s patients have shown that familiar music elevates a patient’s mood and brain function. Dr. Brangman hypothesized that it’s because music thoughts are stored in so many areas of the brain, that there are enough of those above-mentioned highways available to translate the thoughts.
- On the horizon: research that will help develop therapies that will regrow nerve growth cells, and/or repair or dissolve the problems caused by that gummy, gunky protein that develops in the brain.
How do we keep Alzheimer’s at bay in our younger years? Eat right, exercise, don’t smoke… all those good practices that seem to be the answer for keeping any health-related problem out of our lives.
End of post for today. I’m going to go eat a salad and walk a few miles. Then I’m going to call Mom to tell her I love her.
