Alzheimer's
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Posted By: Marta Fernandez on October 28, 2008 An estimated 4.5 million Americans , and more than half of them women currently have this condition. It is a form of dementia, they say it is degenerative-true; and terminal and of which there is no known cure known (to medical science) my quote. Not sure. Because I am very skeptical of traditional medicine, due to the for profit industry of healthcare, and the fact that my mother exhibits symptoms (though she is blind), and because I have a natural curiosity tempered by the training of a social scientist to challenge the status quo, I am researching and reading exactly what part of the brain gets damaged and what are the building blocks that can restore it. What I have discovered from observation, is that it manifests differently in everyone, though they may exhibit first line symptoms. The classics that magazines write about. An old friend of mine, was going through the caregiver cycle with her husband. We used to talk and compare behaviors. Crawling on the floor for instance. Mean spirited comments, improper hygiene, outbursts of temper (hmm better watch myself !), she had no choice but to place him in a Veterans facility. It took a horrible toll on her. He died "of Alzheimer's disease." My mother was sent to a nursing home, before I understood what the consequences to her health would be. In 2004, at 89-years of age and going blind, though we did not know it, she went up and down the stairs,fixed her coffee in the morning, sat in her favorite chair,waiting for Meals-On-Wheels. The stay in the nursing home took all that self reliance away. They began to medicate her, she continue her outbursts, she lost weight, despite my valiant efforts to maintain and working with the dietitian. The financial part was a fraud, and it worried me along with how she was being mistreated. My attempts to remove her were blocked. Never giving up and promising her that she would return home on March 18, 2008 a day that the spirit said "tell her, you are taking her home," though I didn't know how it was going to happen, because at this point there was a battery of evil working against me. She came home. The lawyers,the Judge they were furious. Mom and I had our armor on. She knew enough to say "Good-Bye"! daring to believe, that she did not have to endure, any further. All her trust was on me. Now it's three years later, I am observing her. She is a resilient soul. I watch her grapple with trying to remember the sequence of things. Sometimes she forgets what she is doing. But she is blind, so that' s one less sensory organ that she has to work without. Yet I encourage her, sometimes it clicks sometimes it doesn't it. She has quite a storehouse of her memories left,and who better than her eldest daughter can review them with her? no nurse could do that. She may hear a few bars of a song on a commercial on Spanish T.V. and quickly tell me the name. I make a note of it and go out and buy the song. She is also bi-lingual. I still ask her the definitions for words in Spanish that I am not familiar with. She is still spiritual. She knows something is wrong but she cannot really describe it. So some cognitive damage is there or is it? If she could see, would that help her memory? we remember things by visual presentations. My dilemna is should I try to work on restoring her sight? Is this God's will?. Because you know with families there is an underlying operative. But then I have been gifted with talents and abilities to challenge the status quo. I theorize that one eye has a cataract, possibly-- and the other glaucoma. One eye may be saved. With so much going on, I suppose I have not just "done it." But again, after sharing this it is helping me to crytallize that thought. I will call and make an appointment for her and see what happens. This blog really was going to be about the Estrogen studies,but it went in another direction. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Marta Fernandez
From Queens, NY CUNY -Queens College class of 1985 Member Since July 2008 |
Comments
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First, Sis. Marta, I want to remind you that I love you:) Second, I know allll about the fight with long-term care facilities because I have a severely developmentally-disabled son...thank God your mother has you. I won't get in to that right now because I will go off course for ever.... Third, I do not know science that well but I read that Alzheimers is a degenerative brain disorder and people do not die from it, but from other illness while suffering with Alzheimers. Fourth, my own mother has been diagnosed with early stage Alzheimers and this is very helpful. This is very helpful so I hope you willkeep posting inf. Fifth, I have some beautiful journals of spending time with my mother of late with hopes of one day publishing my memoirs. During these times with my mother, Spirit touches in so many directions because I learn so much from my mothers working brain. I always tell people to watch "Down On The Delta" because it seems to have everything in it and I learned how to handle my own mother from watching it. Sometimes, I just wish I can fix everything.... Anyway, I want to leave with this little experience that makes me laugh everytime I recall it. My mother and my sister went out to dinner and my mother mentioned she had to get home before dark for my dad. My sister told her that dad was gone now. My mom responded, "Oh, nobody told me." Then she mentioned that she had to get home before her parents discovered her gone. My sister responded, "Ma, they're gone, too." My mom said, "Oh, since when?" Then my mom said, "I need to get home before Ted (her brother who lives with her) notices she is not home. then she said, "Wait, don't tell me Ted died, too." Now, this is cute, but meaningful because while her mind came and went with sequences of reality, she was able to apply logic that even Ted may be gone. The mind is brilliant in its own way. The challenge is to stay with the logic of the person to understand how to help them. Thanks for sharing and I wish you the best in your advocacy and love and patience to allow your mother to live out her life on her terms ... You are an inspiration.... Tuesday, October 28th 2008 at 8:21PM |
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I am an inspiration? no Agnes, you are a gem of a woman. I hear you about your mom, mom told me her husband was not dead. I said mom, he died in 1995! Oh,my she says can you imagine that? well, I kept reminding her, and finally she got it! I do unusual things with mom, I insist she dress herself, I color her hair, I spray perfume on her and make sure she smells wonderful, (remember she is missing one of the senses!) she takes luxurious baths, with Lavender Epsom salts, I dress her the way I remembered her, people say she is so cute! I do her nails, she lotions her body, such a lady she is. Always says thank you and please. I tried to get her to knit, but she has lost her manual dexterity, and I observe she has right side never damage. She had a stroke in her late 50's that left her unable to write and she WILLED herself to write again,that's why when she signs documents only God and I know what a miracle has just occurred. Now I am only human, and have carried a lot on my shoulders,there are days when everything goes wrong. The bed becomes her bathroom, sheets get changed daily, floors have to be disinfected, I can become cross. So I pray. I ask that I be given patience of which I am bereft ..LOL..imagine that!! Each day is a brand new start..I give her Kyo-Chlorella green pills, she is healthy. She fell and broke her arm, not on my watch, so that made me mad..and now her arm is TOTALLY recovered. She is still my best friend. On the other hand there are spiritual issues between us that are working for the good. I am so saddened to hear about your beloved son. May we continue to flourish as women of virtue. I love you , too. Tuesday, October 28th 2008 at 9:23PM |
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Dear Jackie, thank you! Yes I boughtfor her Opera Tapes, paid as much a s $25.00 to transfer from an album to a cassette ( and they stole it from the facility) I bought her a "Talking Watch". the T.V. is on to CNN, she knows about Obama, but then so does my grandson who calls him BAm-BAm!! I put Harold Camping, to listen to the Bible, or the Spanish "Jerry Springers" I treat her with as much dignity as I can, given the circumstances. My heart breaks as I admonish her, and tell her to put her Depend panties on , and not on her head! but one day, she and I both laughed about it..there seems to be a short circuit between hearing and processing..I also had an Alzheimer's experience in Las Vegas in 1997. I had never heard of Alzheimer's. I was a team leader for United Way, and one of the non profits that had asked for funds was dealing with Alzheimer's victims and the toll on the caregiver. After the presentation..something tugged at me. I was so touched, they asked for $5,000.00 . I went to the President and asked him, could we authorize more even if they didn't ask? and he said yes. So I suggested $10,000.00! I knew that somewhere in my future I would face something related..I never gave it a second thought that it would be my mom. Thank you for the input, yes music, the art that I deprive myself too much of. As much as I love it and it surrounds me. Thank you my dear Jackie. Tuesday, October 28th 2008 at 9:37PM |
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...Thanks for sharing and I wish you the best in your advocacy and love and patience to allow your mother to live out her life on her terms ... You are an inspiration.... Agnes you certainly hit the 'nail right on the hand'. Marta is a real inspiration (smiles). Tuesday, October 28th 2008 at 9:51PM |
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Thank you Jen--you are such an encourager!!
Tuesday, October 28th 2008 at 9:55PM |
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Marta you know I love you girl!
Wednesday, October 29th 2008 at 8:41PM |
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..regarding my friend whose husband died of Alzheimer's she is now hospitalized herself..her kidneys are failing, (sugar) she is going blind she is only 67-years old..stop putting that sugar in your food family. I am so upset.
Friday, November 14th 2008 at 9:25AM |
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