In the September 21st 2009 online issue of Roll Call, Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, penned an article entitled, Fundamental Health Reform: Investing in Alzheimer’s Research.
Mr. Johns article brought to light the inadequate level of current funding for Alzheimer’s. In essence, our governmental research funding at present does not come anywhere near to matching the impact that this disease is having upon our society.
The article cites federal statistics that recognize that AD now kills as many people as diabetes. It also kills more people than breast and prostrate cancers combined.
The Alzheimer’s Study Group determined that AD will cost US taxpayers $20 trillion in Medicare and Medicaid costs over the next 40 years. This is just the start of how it will be if we do nothing different than we are doing now and remain complacent.
The 2010 budget provided by the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institute of Health) for Alzheimer’s research is approximately $428 million. According to Mr. John’s article this amount represents an investment equal to $1.39 per person in America. By comparison, $8.60 on average has been invested over the past 30 years on each American for cancer research.
As a result, in 2006, survivorship from cancer had reached 10 million people, and, for the first time since being recorded, annual cancer deaths had actually fallen.
A new national poll conducted by USAgainstAlzheimer’s revealed that 88% of our registered voters say it’s important to make Alzheimer’s Disease a priority, even with the budget deficit we are facing. An equally amazing number is that 77% of those Americans polled say they have been touched by AD.
Where would we be today in our fight against AD if a sum comparable to that which has been invested in the fight against cancer had also been directed towards understanding AD causation, prevention, and a cure? The imperative before us now is simple. Research expenditures for both the private sector and our government must increase now along with a top down federally coordinated mission-driven organization.
Our 111th Congress is sitting upon two bills dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. Combined, they address the issues of dramatically improved funding, prioritized research and informational sharing. A summary of the highlights of each bill is being provided here.
Alzheimer’s Disease Breakthrough Act of 2009. (S.1492 and HR 3286)
Sponsored by Senator Edward Markey (Dem - MA) and 136 cosponsors, this bill was introduced on July 22nd 2009. This bill includes the following action items.
1. A doubling of National Institute of Health funding for AD research.
2. Priority given to AD research.
3. An AD disease prevention initiative.
4. Accelerated Clinical research.
5. Enhanced infrastructure for implementing clinical prevention and medication trials.
6. Facilitate the clinical trial enrollment process.
7. Earlier diagnostic research.
8. Research on AD disease services and care giving.
9. Calls for a National Summit on AD 3 years after enactment.
10. A stepped up AD public education campaign.
National Alzheimer’s Project Act, or NAPA. (S.3036 and HR4689)
This bill was sponsored by Senators Evan Bayh (Dem -IN), and Susan Collins (R - ME) on February 24th 2010. This piece of legislation includes the following action items.
1. Establish an Office position for AD within the Health and Human Services administration.
2. Accelerate treatments to prevent, halt, and reverse Alzheimer’s Disease.
3. Responsible for the creation and maintenance of an integrated national plan to overcome AD.
4. Coordinate the health care and treatment of citizens with AD.
5. Ensure the inclusion of higher risk ethnic and racial populations in the receipt of care, research
and the participation in clinical trials.
6. International coordination.
7. Provide information and coordination of AD research and services across all Federal agencies.
With the timely involvement of Maria Shriver and her Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes On Alzheimer’s, interest and support for the passage of both of these bills in Congress should be ignited along with a nationwide dialog about AD.
Nearly 150 of our nations leading researchers believe Alzheimer’s can be stopped by 2020 provided that both sufficient funding is extended along with a coordinated top down national mission oriented strategy. The passage of both of these pieces of legislation are a step towards the funding and top down national strategy that our researchers set forth as investment requirements for stopping AD by 2020.
The time to act is now!
Jeff Dodson
October 20th 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Where Do We Stand With Alzheimer's?
Where do we stand with respect to this fatal neurodegenerative disease? How much is it costing our society monetarily? How close are we to putting the brakes on to slow its destructive march? These are a few of the questions I have regarding what’s going on with Alzheimer’s Disease.
The very latest investigative report on what AD is costing our society globally is now out.
The Worldwide Cost
The World Alzheimer’s Report 2010, published by Alzheimer’s Disease International, and just released on September 21st 2010, reveals the gargantuan size and scope of this disease to all of us. Listed in the Conclusions and Recommendations section of this report are some sobering statistics.
1. If dementia care were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy, ranking between Turkey and Indonesia.
2. If it were a company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue exceeding Wal Mart (US $414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US $311 billion).
3. According to the World Alzheimer’s Repot 2009, 35.6 million older people worldwide (around 1/2% of the world’s total population) live with dementia. By the year 2030, this number will increase to 65.7 million.
4. Alzheimer’s Disease International calls on governments to make dementia a health care priority and develop national plans to deal with the disease.
A Discovery Made Created An Opportunity That Was Lost
It has now been 103 years since German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Alois Alzheimer, was credited for the diagnosis of what he called pre senile dementia in a middle-aged patient. The patient, Auguste Deter, had been housed in the Frankfurt Asylum for lunatics and epileptics when Alzheimer met her in 1901. From 1901 until 1906, Alzheimer was obsessed with the behavior that she exhibited and studied her until her death in 1906. In November of 1906, he gave a speech in which he presented his findings of pre senile dementia after concluding an autopsy study of the patients’ brain.
In spite of Doctor Alzheimer’s landmark discovery and work, the field of medical science and neurology basically squandered the next 50 years and did virtually nothing to further explore and extrapolate upon Alzheimer’s findings. Our collective ignorance as a society regarding the brain and the difference between a healthy one and a diseased one advanced little during this time period. When some people aged into their 50’s and 60’s, senility was presumed to have set in causing, what was referred to as, “becoming feeble-minded”. Senility, as it came to be viewed, was part and parcel of becoming old for some senior citizens.
As a child and adolescent, I can recall some older people and a few relatives being referred to as “addle-brained”, an old “shut-in”, or one that “lives in his own private world”. Older folks, suffering from as-yet-to-be-defined variations of dementia, were basically just closeted away at home, or packed off to a nursing home and written off.
It really wasn’t until the early 1970’s that Alzheimer’s Disease research developed the equivalent of a vehicle transmission and began to gain traction up to perhaps a walking pace.
Another 20 more years would then pass before AD research, clinical trials, and both government and private sector grant money would all start to pick up the pace.
Gaining Momentum
Between 1990 and the present we have begun to see noteworthy involvement of medical science, a substantial increase in clinical trials, governmental and private sector research funding and greater public awareness. The death of a popular former president, Ronald Reagan, movie actors Charlton Heston and Rita Hayworth, and other public figures have helped raise societal interest and involvement to a higher level of participation.
As of October 2010, we have only 5 FDA approved medications available for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Those medications are: Aricept, Razadyne, Namenda, Excelon, and Cognex. The newest of the group, Namenda was approved in 2003. The oldest drug, Aricept, was approved 17 years ago in 1993. NONE of these current medications will substantially slow down the progression of this fatal disease. There are NO preventative NOR any curative medications available at this time to fight and counter AD.
On the other hand, there are over 100 clinical trials underway at present with 4 promising medications that have made it to a Phase III clinical trial. Those medications that successfully survive a Phase III trial and the followup study stand a 90% or better chance of making it to market. The 4 drugs are: bapineuzumab (AAB-001), gammagard, resveratrol, and , solanezumab (LY2062430).
Early detection and screening measures have shown promising results with PET scans, blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker tests, and retina scans. The biomarker tests and retina scans in particular have generated excitement for their ability to disclose the presence of what scientists call a “pre-Alzheimer’s condition” 10 to 15 years before the AD symptoms start to be noticed.
A substantial amount of research has been done with more on the way at investigating dietary risk factors. Researchers have found compelling evidence of how certain metals such as iron, copper and aluminum and fertilizer derivatives such as nitrates and nitrites may be major environmental contributors in the progression of Alzheimer’s.
Ignorance and Misinformation
Yet ignorance, myths and misinformation remain entrenched worldwide about AD. The same World Alzheimer’s Report 2010 found that several common misunderstandings about Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia still exist globally that include these beliefs:
1. It is not a very common problem.
2. AD is a normal part of aging.
3. Nothing can be done, families will provide care - it is not an issue for health care systems or for governments.
These misguided notions are reminiscent of the beliefs that existed between 1905 and the early 1970’s. Where education is absent and ignorance prevails, either no action or the wrong actions will be taken towards combating AD. Clearly, education about AD needs to be ramped up immediately.
Driving Change
The Alzheimer’s Association has been a primary driving force in lobbying congress and the the National Institute of Health for increased research funding. It works with the private sector and the general public in an effort to keep donations coming for additional research project grants.
On October 15th 2010, Maria Shriver is joining with the Alzheimer’s Association to release the Shriver Report, A Woman’s Nation Takes On Alzheimer’s. This report will be the first multidisciplinary approach at the impact of AD, the costs, the burden upon family and cargivers, and current medical research and breakthroughs. The Shriver Report will also feature a wide variety of professional entertainers, political leaders, and news correspondents. The Shriver Report is intended to ignite a national dialogue on the epidemic disease of AD.
An Action Plan From Out Of The Past
A multidisciplinary, mission driven approach to the challenge was the kind of force employed in the phenomenal World War II “Manhattan Project” which led to the creation and detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. This remarkable achievement was executed on a timeline between 1942 and 1946 with an approximate budget of 2 billion dollars (22 billion dollars at present day rate).
The World Alzheimer’s Report 2010 has brought to light the severity of the costs and growth of this disease. A new case of AD is diagnosed every 70 seconds. The time for a dramatic increase in public and global education, funding for public and private research, and caregiving relief with insurance reform and change is now.
Perhaps now is the right moment to shake off the dust of time and revisit the top down organizational methods of the “Manhattan Project.” Utilize the how-it-was-done template as a present day vehicle for first bringing AD to a screeching halt, then a follow up knockout punch of finding a cure.
Jeff Dodson
October 12th 2010
The very latest investigative report on what AD is costing our society globally is now out.
The Worldwide Cost
The World Alzheimer’s Report 2010, published by Alzheimer’s Disease International, and just released on September 21st 2010, reveals the gargantuan size and scope of this disease to all of us. Listed in the Conclusions and Recommendations section of this report are some sobering statistics.
1. If dementia care were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy, ranking between Turkey and Indonesia.
2. If it were a company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue exceeding Wal Mart (US $414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US $311 billion).
3. According to the World Alzheimer’s Repot 2009, 35.6 million older people worldwide (around 1/2% of the world’s total population) live with dementia. By the year 2030, this number will increase to 65.7 million.
4. Alzheimer’s Disease International calls on governments to make dementia a health care priority and develop national plans to deal with the disease.
A Discovery Made Created An Opportunity That Was Lost
It has now been 103 years since German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Alois Alzheimer, was credited for the diagnosis of what he called pre senile dementia in a middle-aged patient. The patient, Auguste Deter, had been housed in the Frankfurt Asylum for lunatics and epileptics when Alzheimer met her in 1901. From 1901 until 1906, Alzheimer was obsessed with the behavior that she exhibited and studied her until her death in 1906. In November of 1906, he gave a speech in which he presented his findings of pre senile dementia after concluding an autopsy study of the patients’ brain.
In spite of Doctor Alzheimer’s landmark discovery and work, the field of medical science and neurology basically squandered the next 50 years and did virtually nothing to further explore and extrapolate upon Alzheimer’s findings. Our collective ignorance as a society regarding the brain and the difference between a healthy one and a diseased one advanced little during this time period. When some people aged into their 50’s and 60’s, senility was presumed to have set in causing, what was referred to as, “becoming feeble-minded”. Senility, as it came to be viewed, was part and parcel of becoming old for some senior citizens.
As a child and adolescent, I can recall some older people and a few relatives being referred to as “addle-brained”, an old “shut-in”, or one that “lives in his own private world”. Older folks, suffering from as-yet-to-be-defined variations of dementia, were basically just closeted away at home, or packed off to a nursing home and written off.
It really wasn’t until the early 1970’s that Alzheimer’s Disease research developed the equivalent of a vehicle transmission and began to gain traction up to perhaps a walking pace.
Another 20 more years would then pass before AD research, clinical trials, and both government and private sector grant money would all start to pick up the pace.
Gaining Momentum
Between 1990 and the present we have begun to see noteworthy involvement of medical science, a substantial increase in clinical trials, governmental and private sector research funding and greater public awareness. The death of a popular former president, Ronald Reagan, movie actors Charlton Heston and Rita Hayworth, and other public figures have helped raise societal interest and involvement to a higher level of participation.
As of October 2010, we have only 5 FDA approved medications available for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Those medications are: Aricept, Razadyne, Namenda, Excelon, and Cognex. The newest of the group, Namenda was approved in 2003. The oldest drug, Aricept, was approved 17 years ago in 1993. NONE of these current medications will substantially slow down the progression of this fatal disease. There are NO preventative NOR any curative medications available at this time to fight and counter AD.
On the other hand, there are over 100 clinical trials underway at present with 4 promising medications that have made it to a Phase III clinical trial. Those medications that successfully survive a Phase III trial and the followup study stand a 90% or better chance of making it to market. The 4 drugs are: bapineuzumab (AAB-001), gammagard, resveratrol, and , solanezumab (LY2062430).
Early detection and screening measures have shown promising results with PET scans, blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker tests, and retina scans. The biomarker tests and retina scans in particular have generated excitement for their ability to disclose the presence of what scientists call a “pre-Alzheimer’s condition” 10 to 15 years before the AD symptoms start to be noticed.
A substantial amount of research has been done with more on the way at investigating dietary risk factors. Researchers have found compelling evidence of how certain metals such as iron, copper and aluminum and fertilizer derivatives such as nitrates and nitrites may be major environmental contributors in the progression of Alzheimer’s.
Ignorance and Misinformation
Yet ignorance, myths and misinformation remain entrenched worldwide about AD. The same World Alzheimer’s Report 2010 found that several common misunderstandings about Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia still exist globally that include these beliefs:
1. It is not a very common problem.
2. AD is a normal part of aging.
3. Nothing can be done, families will provide care - it is not an issue for health care systems or for governments.
These misguided notions are reminiscent of the beliefs that existed between 1905 and the early 1970’s. Where education is absent and ignorance prevails, either no action or the wrong actions will be taken towards combating AD. Clearly, education about AD needs to be ramped up immediately.
Driving Change
The Alzheimer’s Association has been a primary driving force in lobbying congress and the the National Institute of Health for increased research funding. It works with the private sector and the general public in an effort to keep donations coming for additional research project grants.
On October 15th 2010, Maria Shriver is joining with the Alzheimer’s Association to release the Shriver Report, A Woman’s Nation Takes On Alzheimer’s. This report will be the first multidisciplinary approach at the impact of AD, the costs, the burden upon family and cargivers, and current medical research and breakthroughs. The Shriver Report will also feature a wide variety of professional entertainers, political leaders, and news correspondents. The Shriver Report is intended to ignite a national dialogue on the epidemic disease of AD.
An Action Plan From Out Of The Past
A multidisciplinary, mission driven approach to the challenge was the kind of force employed in the phenomenal World War II “Manhattan Project” which led to the creation and detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. This remarkable achievement was executed on a timeline between 1942 and 1946 with an approximate budget of 2 billion dollars (22 billion dollars at present day rate).
The World Alzheimer’s Report 2010 has brought to light the severity of the costs and growth of this disease. A new case of AD is diagnosed every 70 seconds. The time for a dramatic increase in public and global education, funding for public and private research, and caregiving relief with insurance reform and change is now.
Perhaps now is the right moment to shake off the dust of time and revisit the top down organizational methods of the “Manhattan Project.” Utilize the how-it-was-done template as a present day vehicle for first bringing AD to a screeching halt, then a follow up knockout punch of finding a cure.
Jeff Dodson
October 12th 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
To Forgive: The Right Choice To Make
To forgive. This is what every religion in our society teaches its followers. Two current dictionaries provide the following definitions.
The Oxford Online English Dictionary defines forgive as follows.
“To stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offense, flaw or mistake, or to cancel a debt.”
The Wikipedia Online Dictionary offers the following definition. “The process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.”
Here is what a few notable individuals in our society have had to say about forgiveness or the steps they took to extend it.
In his book , The Seat of the Soul, author Gary Zukav had this to say about forgiveness:
“Forgiveness means that you do not carry the baggage of an experience. Forgiveness means that you do not hold others responsible for your experiences. When you forgive you release critical judgment of yourself as well as of others. You lighten up.”
Mahatma Ghandi offered this opinion about forgiveness:
“Forgiveness is a quality of the soul, and therefore, a positive quality”.
June Hunt, who hosts the long-running radio broadcast, Hope In The Night, wrote a book about the positive and liberating effects of forgiveness entitled, “How To Forgive...When You Don’t Feel Like It.”
The globally known song, Amazing Grace, was adapted from a hymn authored by English poet and clergyman, John Newton in 1779. The hymn, penned by Newton, contains a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible for all those who have wronged or harmed others. In his early adult years, Newton participated in the maritime slave trade. In the midst of a harrowing storm upon the high seas, with his ship in danger of capsizing and sinking, Newton prayed for forgiveness and redemption for all of his sins and transgressions. Thereafter, Newton felt as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. God, in Newton’s eyes, had forgiven him for his sins and mistreatment of others.
To forgive but not forget?
Many folks take a stab at forgiving in this fashion. Call it forgiving with a booby trap. They convey that they are no longer sore or angry over the offense, and they accept your apology, but, they want you to know that you are still not off the hook because they will never, ever forget the incident.
One example here might sound like this.
“We’ll, I sat down with Uncle Harry and told him to his face that I have forgiven him for breaking my heirloom porcelain serving tray; the one that belonged to my great grandmother. Told him that I accepted his apology from 3 years back, but that forgetting it was out of the question.”
Another example might be this one.
“My husband went out shopping at the mall in my new BMW. He wrecked it on the way home after running a stop sign. It took me 10 years of saving up for the down payment on that car. That was my dream car. I have told him that I forgave him, but I damn well won’t forget it!”
Finally, one more example might sound like this one.
“Joey stole my new bicycle when we were both just 10 years old. 3 days later, his mother made him bring the bike back to me and apologize to me and my parents. Dad made me accept his apology and forgive him, but I never really did. For the next 10 years, anytime I saw Joey, I made it a point of telling whomever was nearby, there goes Joey, the bike stealer.”
In the examples here, true forgiveness is not being offered. What is being extended is another attempt to manipulate the feelings of the alleged wrongdoer. The one who is forgiving , by not forgetting the situation, is telling the other party, they are still interested in obtaining their pound of flesh; that an indeterminate grudge is still being held. The bonfire of pain, anger and resentment continues to be stoked and maintained.
Why should I choose to forgive those who have wronged me?, you say.
I suggest three reasons for committing to this particular choice.
First, it has a restorative effect upon my sense of well being. I have made the willful decision to stop letting a circumstance of the past dictate how I conduct myself in the present moment as well as the future. I liken it to removing a blacksmith’s anvil out of my hiker’s backpack. Imagine how much easier my climbing pace and posture will be!
Second, it ends the feeling of pain; very much like the removal of a pesky and painful deep wood sliver. The site of the wound always feels so much better a couple of days after draining away the toxin from infection along with the offending foreign object. A transition from a disease state to a state of being at ease.
Third, it empowers and strengthens me. The element of control in my life is restored to me. I made the choice to stop defining how I was living based upon an accident, a crime, or misdeed visited upon me by another. Control over me by some past event, person or circumstance would now be extinguished.
What Forgiveness is not.
Forgiving does not mean that you eagerly choose to renew or strike up a relationship with the person that originally trounced upon your feelings or otherwise victimized you. To forgive does not include sitting down with former offender “to break bread over a meal with them.” You do not have to involve yourself any further, nor in any manner.
To forgive means to let go, put it to rest, and put it behind you. Retake responsibility of your own reactions to circumstance.
Jeff Dodson
October 5th 2010
The Oxford Online English Dictionary defines forgive as follows.
“To stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offense, flaw or mistake, or to cancel a debt.”
The Wikipedia Online Dictionary offers the following definition. “The process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.”
Here is what a few notable individuals in our society have had to say about forgiveness or the steps they took to extend it.
In his book , The Seat of the Soul, author Gary Zukav had this to say about forgiveness:
“Forgiveness means that you do not carry the baggage of an experience. Forgiveness means that you do not hold others responsible for your experiences. When you forgive you release critical judgment of yourself as well as of others. You lighten up.”
Mahatma Ghandi offered this opinion about forgiveness:
“Forgiveness is a quality of the soul, and therefore, a positive quality”.
June Hunt, who hosts the long-running radio broadcast, Hope In The Night, wrote a book about the positive and liberating effects of forgiveness entitled, “How To Forgive...When You Don’t Feel Like It.”
The globally known song, Amazing Grace, was adapted from a hymn authored by English poet and clergyman, John Newton in 1779. The hymn, penned by Newton, contains a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible for all those who have wronged or harmed others. In his early adult years, Newton participated in the maritime slave trade. In the midst of a harrowing storm upon the high seas, with his ship in danger of capsizing and sinking, Newton prayed for forgiveness and redemption for all of his sins and transgressions. Thereafter, Newton felt as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. God, in Newton’s eyes, had forgiven him for his sins and mistreatment of others.
To forgive but not forget?
Many folks take a stab at forgiving in this fashion. Call it forgiving with a booby trap. They convey that they are no longer sore or angry over the offense, and they accept your apology, but, they want you to know that you are still not off the hook because they will never, ever forget the incident.
One example here might sound like this.
“We’ll, I sat down with Uncle Harry and told him to his face that I have forgiven him for breaking my heirloom porcelain serving tray; the one that belonged to my great grandmother. Told him that I accepted his apology from 3 years back, but that forgetting it was out of the question.”
Another example might be this one.
“My husband went out shopping at the mall in my new BMW. He wrecked it on the way home after running a stop sign. It took me 10 years of saving up for the down payment on that car. That was my dream car. I have told him that I forgave him, but I damn well won’t forget it!”
Finally, one more example might sound like this one.
“Joey stole my new bicycle when we were both just 10 years old. 3 days later, his mother made him bring the bike back to me and apologize to me and my parents. Dad made me accept his apology and forgive him, but I never really did. For the next 10 years, anytime I saw Joey, I made it a point of telling whomever was nearby, there goes Joey, the bike stealer.”
In the examples here, true forgiveness is not being offered. What is being extended is another attempt to manipulate the feelings of the alleged wrongdoer. The one who is forgiving , by not forgetting the situation, is telling the other party, they are still interested in obtaining their pound of flesh; that an indeterminate grudge is still being held. The bonfire of pain, anger and resentment continues to be stoked and maintained.
Why should I choose to forgive those who have wronged me?, you say.
I suggest three reasons for committing to this particular choice.
First, it has a restorative effect upon my sense of well being. I have made the willful decision to stop letting a circumstance of the past dictate how I conduct myself in the present moment as well as the future. I liken it to removing a blacksmith’s anvil out of my hiker’s backpack. Imagine how much easier my climbing pace and posture will be!
Second, it ends the feeling of pain; very much like the removal of a pesky and painful deep wood sliver. The site of the wound always feels so much better a couple of days after draining away the toxin from infection along with the offending foreign object. A transition from a disease state to a state of being at ease.
Third, it empowers and strengthens me. The element of control in my life is restored to me. I made the choice to stop defining how I was living based upon an accident, a crime, or misdeed visited upon me by another. Control over me by some past event, person or circumstance would now be extinguished.
What Forgiveness is not.
Forgiving does not mean that you eagerly choose to renew or strike up a relationship with the person that originally trounced upon your feelings or otherwise victimized you. To forgive does not include sitting down with former offender “to break bread over a meal with them.” You do not have to involve yourself any further, nor in any manner.
To forgive means to let go, put it to rest, and put it behind you. Retake responsibility of your own reactions to circumstance.
Jeff Dodson
October 5th 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Your Pantry of Caregiver Skills: Seven Crucial Ones To Have In Stock
Are you currently involved in or soon to be a caregiver for an aging parent or family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease?
If you are not yet one, but anticipate that you will be, then now is the time to start preparing yourself for the challenge. According to statistics offered by the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institute of Health) in the fall of 2009, there were over ten million caregivers in the United States involved in providing care to dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease patients.
Success as a caregiver and the ability to manage the stress that it generates demands that certain skills be present or developed. I am relatively new to caregiving, having become a practitioner since 2004 with members of our own family. In these six years, I have found that there are seven crucial skills or foundation attributes that are common among thousands of successful caregivers.
1. Patience.
As a caregiver your best laid daily plans for your patient or loved one will not always survive the end of any given day. At times, those best laid plans of yours for Mom, Dad, Grandpa, or non-family member crash and burn right at the start of your day or care shift. Why? Several reasons.
First, because their illness and the physical pain and discomfort that accompany it act as a major distraction to staying on task or following what you are asking or expecting them to do. Second, because your patient no longer possesses the same sense of urgency to accomplish a task as you do. Third, because they may not also be able to move as fast as they used to. (Rheumatoid Arthritis may be present too). Cognitively, they may now easily loose track of not only what you are encouraging them to do, but how to do it as well. Dementia may be present, and, like battery acid, can corrode away the cognitive battery terminals. Self-awareness fades from the scene.
Contending with all of these distractions requires that you adapt to a new set of coping skills,and, to frequently draw from a freshly dug deep well of patience.
Before becoming a caregiver to members of my family, I had prided myself as a successful business supervisor: having disciplined myself over many years to be punctual or early, to multitask and work both efficiently and productively, and stay with a task or project until done. The words, tenacious, driven, possesses a strong sense of urgency, often appeared in my annual performance reviews'. I was known as the driving guy that “attacked” my work or special assignments and was known for delivering results.
So for me, early on, I felt like a revved up, tire smoking NASCAR racer trying to navigate through a pedestrian mall chock full of shoppers with no where to go and all day to do it. I was piloting the wrong kind of vehicle for the obstacle course at hand. Time for an adaptive change up before I drove myself nuts and my stress level went through the ceiling. Slowing down and scaling down my expectations and goals to better match the pace of my family member was a hard challenge, but one that I eventually became competent at. It took me all of two years to make the kind of transition I felt good about. At least my tenacious quality served me get me to this level.
Now, my proverbial well to draw patience from has been deepened from a shallow six-footer to three hundred foot plus! A modest reserve of patience is now in place for those drought days.
2. Rhinoceros Skin or Medieval Armor.
As our seniors grow older their daily concerns seems to shrink down to the following “hit-parade” of just six topics: bowels, bladder, canes, medications, doctors, and walkers. Basic concerns of grooming, appearance, housekeeping, and hygiene seem to no longer be on the radar. As a caregiver, your efforts at persuading, assisting, guiding, cleaning and tidying up with these concerns will often provoke and annoy your patient to sudden outbursts or accusations.
Some of the more popular ones go like: “Where did you put my pills,” or, “I can’t find my cane." " Where in hell did you hide it?", or, “Why do you always rearrange my stuff?, now I cannot find a damn thing!” Still more defiant remarks can sound like these: “This is my damned house, not yours, stop trying to move everything around and confuse me!”, or, “Stop bossing me around, just go home and leave me the hell alone!”
Since neither rhinoceros hide jackets nor a complete suit of medieval armor are available at your local “caregiver supply store”, you must compensate and “armor up” yourself in a different manner.
Remind yourself each day before beginning your caregiver assignment: my patient or family member is ill and hurting, they don’t mean to be hurtful towards me and what I do for them.
Remind yourself each day that the decline or absence in former good judgment and reasoned out choices on the part of the patient is not willful and has nothing to do with any attempt to piss you off or get under your skin. Your patient does not wake up every day with the singular notion of how they can upset or belittle you.
You must find a way to get comfortable with not hearing a lot of thank-you responses. The old saying is true: “People tend to take for granted the services of those that they count on the most.” Your good work as a caregiver IS NOTICED by your patient. The problem is just that their declining cognitive skills interfere with more frequent and mindful notice by them of all that you do each week.
3. A good sense of humor.
Find a way to laugh at yourself. Find a way to see some of the humor in what comes up in your daily care of your patient or family member. The humor that you find in what happens with them is not to serve as a means for belittling or mocking the symptoms of a disease that they did not ask to befall them. A good laugh or two, shared each day with your patient, serves to lighten up both their stress and yours.
I find humor in the multitude of places that canes are tossed, thrown, or left behind. I find humor in the many locations that a mishandled pill, tablet or capsule winds up.
I find humor in discovering that a pair of cucumbers were placed in a lingerie drawer or that a camisole was folded carefully then placed in the vegetable crisper.
I find humor even when I discover that the walker or wheelchair I am putting away had fresh dog crap smeared along one of the wheels, and is now smeared within the palm of one of my hands.
4. Positive attitude.
The glass is half full, not half empty. Bad times, just like the storms or heat waves Mother Nature sends us, do not last forever.
The struggles your patient is having in getting dressed today, or perhaps remembering to take their medications will not necessarily be the same problems that arise tomorrow. There will be other problems that pop up, but not always the same ones. Take them in stride.
So what if Mom insists on wearing the same pantsuit outfit every time she goes in for a doctor’s visit! So what if a family member always insists on rummaging through her purse every time she rides in your car with you! Stay positive. As long as their content and relaxed, each of these incidents are really just small matters.
5. A willingness to learn,
Investigate and keep up to date on the medical condition your patient has been diagnosed with. Call it a little child’s curiosity. Medical science, particularly microbiology, cell science, genetics and nanotechnology are progressing at a staggering pace. New medications and drug therapies are being developed and written about every day. It is encouraging and uplifting to follow what is coming in the future. There are many medical information web sites that you can subscribe to for free and receive daily or weekly e-mail updates of the most recent discoveries and drug trials.
6. A channel for your frustrations.
Whether your hobby is gardening, crocheting, going to bingo, crocheting, bicycling, ballroom dancing, painting, crossword puzzles, mud wrestling, photography, an hour at the shooting range, or even a couple of fun hours on Facebook with friends, children and family members. It doesn’t matter what the hobby is as long as you can derive both an enjoyment out of it and an escape into it.
I am fortunate in that I enjoy the multiple hobbies of gardening, carpentry, and now blogging and writing about the challenges and rewards of caregiving.
Your hobby will act as a counterbalance to the stress of caring for a family member or another patient.
7. Prepare to be adaptive.
The behaviors and demands of your patient will change over time rather than remain constant. You will need to anticipate this and be ready to adapt and adjust your approach when you notice a change. You don’t have to like change but you do have to realize that it will happen and be ready for it. It is a mindset change of shifting from reactive (response to an event after the fact) to pre-active (a game plan in place before the event occurs).
I had to change my own problem-solving approach from the use of a professional 30’’ loggers chain saw to that of a manual coping saw. A change of situation called for a change in the skill tools I was employing. Still cutting problems down to size, but with less speed and frenzy. My adaptive caregiving pace could now be described as much slower but proceeding with steady diligence. Fingernail clippers work nicely for grooming one’s nails whereas a gas powered hedge trimmer would cause a bit of a stir. Find the right fit, the right skill and the right tool. It took me awhile, but I did it.
Jeff Dodson is a Alzheimer’s/Dementia caregiver
and caregiver advocate who lives and writes out of Elk Grove, California.
He is reachable on MySpace and Facebook and can be e-mailed at:
www.imaginatic@frontier.com, or, visit his Blog at www.nvlwtrdodson.blogspot.com
If you are not yet one, but anticipate that you will be, then now is the time to start preparing yourself for the challenge. According to statistics offered by the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institute of Health) in the fall of 2009, there were over ten million caregivers in the United States involved in providing care to dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease patients.
Success as a caregiver and the ability to manage the stress that it generates demands that certain skills be present or developed. I am relatively new to caregiving, having become a practitioner since 2004 with members of our own family. In these six years, I have found that there are seven crucial skills or foundation attributes that are common among thousands of successful caregivers.
1. Patience.
As a caregiver your best laid daily plans for your patient or loved one will not always survive the end of any given day. At times, those best laid plans of yours for Mom, Dad, Grandpa, or non-family member crash and burn right at the start of your day or care shift. Why? Several reasons.
First, because their illness and the physical pain and discomfort that accompany it act as a major distraction to staying on task or following what you are asking or expecting them to do. Second, because your patient no longer possesses the same sense of urgency to accomplish a task as you do. Third, because they may not also be able to move as fast as they used to. (Rheumatoid Arthritis may be present too). Cognitively, they may now easily loose track of not only what you are encouraging them to do, but how to do it as well. Dementia may be present, and, like battery acid, can corrode away the cognitive battery terminals. Self-awareness fades from the scene.
Contending with all of these distractions requires that you adapt to a new set of coping skills,and, to frequently draw from a freshly dug deep well of patience.
Before becoming a caregiver to members of my family, I had prided myself as a successful business supervisor: having disciplined myself over many years to be punctual or early, to multitask and work both efficiently and productively, and stay with a task or project until done. The words, tenacious, driven, possesses a strong sense of urgency, often appeared in my annual performance reviews'. I was known as the driving guy that “attacked” my work or special assignments and was known for delivering results.
So for me, early on, I felt like a revved up, tire smoking NASCAR racer trying to navigate through a pedestrian mall chock full of shoppers with no where to go and all day to do it. I was piloting the wrong kind of vehicle for the obstacle course at hand. Time for an adaptive change up before I drove myself nuts and my stress level went through the ceiling. Slowing down and scaling down my expectations and goals to better match the pace of my family member was a hard challenge, but one that I eventually became competent at. It took me all of two years to make the kind of transition I felt good about. At least my tenacious quality served me get me to this level.
Now, my proverbial well to draw patience from has been deepened from a shallow six-footer to three hundred foot plus! A modest reserve of patience is now in place for those drought days.
2. Rhinoceros Skin or Medieval Armor.
As our seniors grow older their daily concerns seems to shrink down to the following “hit-parade” of just six topics: bowels, bladder, canes, medications, doctors, and walkers. Basic concerns of grooming, appearance, housekeeping, and hygiene seem to no longer be on the radar. As a caregiver, your efforts at persuading, assisting, guiding, cleaning and tidying up with these concerns will often provoke and annoy your patient to sudden outbursts or accusations.
Some of the more popular ones go like: “Where did you put my pills,” or, “I can’t find my cane." " Where in hell did you hide it?", or, “Why do you always rearrange my stuff?, now I cannot find a damn thing!” Still more defiant remarks can sound like these: “This is my damned house, not yours, stop trying to move everything around and confuse me!”, or, “Stop bossing me around, just go home and leave me the hell alone!”
Since neither rhinoceros hide jackets nor a complete suit of medieval armor are available at your local “caregiver supply store”, you must compensate and “armor up” yourself in a different manner.
Remind yourself each day before beginning your caregiver assignment: my patient or family member is ill and hurting, they don’t mean to be hurtful towards me and what I do for them.
Remind yourself each day that the decline or absence in former good judgment and reasoned out choices on the part of the patient is not willful and has nothing to do with any attempt to piss you off or get under your skin. Your patient does not wake up every day with the singular notion of how they can upset or belittle you.
You must find a way to get comfortable with not hearing a lot of thank-you responses. The old saying is true: “People tend to take for granted the services of those that they count on the most.” Your good work as a caregiver IS NOTICED by your patient. The problem is just that their declining cognitive skills interfere with more frequent and mindful notice by them of all that you do each week.
3. A good sense of humor.
Find a way to laugh at yourself. Find a way to see some of the humor in what comes up in your daily care of your patient or family member. The humor that you find in what happens with them is not to serve as a means for belittling or mocking the symptoms of a disease that they did not ask to befall them. A good laugh or two, shared each day with your patient, serves to lighten up both their stress and yours.
I find humor in the multitude of places that canes are tossed, thrown, or left behind. I find humor in the many locations that a mishandled pill, tablet or capsule winds up.
I find humor in discovering that a pair of cucumbers were placed in a lingerie drawer or that a camisole was folded carefully then placed in the vegetable crisper.
I find humor even when I discover that the walker or wheelchair I am putting away had fresh dog crap smeared along one of the wheels, and is now smeared within the palm of one of my hands.
4. Positive attitude.
The glass is half full, not half empty. Bad times, just like the storms or heat waves Mother Nature sends us, do not last forever.
The struggles your patient is having in getting dressed today, or perhaps remembering to take their medications will not necessarily be the same problems that arise tomorrow. There will be other problems that pop up, but not always the same ones. Take them in stride.
So what if Mom insists on wearing the same pantsuit outfit every time she goes in for a doctor’s visit! So what if a family member always insists on rummaging through her purse every time she rides in your car with you! Stay positive. As long as their content and relaxed, each of these incidents are really just small matters.
5. A willingness to learn,
Investigate and keep up to date on the medical condition your patient has been diagnosed with. Call it a little child’s curiosity. Medical science, particularly microbiology, cell science, genetics and nanotechnology are progressing at a staggering pace. New medications and drug therapies are being developed and written about every day. It is encouraging and uplifting to follow what is coming in the future. There are many medical information web sites that you can subscribe to for free and receive daily or weekly e-mail updates of the most recent discoveries and drug trials.
6. A channel for your frustrations.
Whether your hobby is gardening, crocheting, going to bingo, crocheting, bicycling, ballroom dancing, painting, crossword puzzles, mud wrestling, photography, an hour at the shooting range, or even a couple of fun hours on Facebook with friends, children and family members. It doesn’t matter what the hobby is as long as you can derive both an enjoyment out of it and an escape into it.
I am fortunate in that I enjoy the multiple hobbies of gardening, carpentry, and now blogging and writing about the challenges and rewards of caregiving.
Your hobby will act as a counterbalance to the stress of caring for a family member or another patient.
7. Prepare to be adaptive.
The behaviors and demands of your patient will change over time rather than remain constant. You will need to anticipate this and be ready to adapt and adjust your approach when you notice a change. You don’t have to like change but you do have to realize that it will happen and be ready for it. It is a mindset change of shifting from reactive (response to an event after the fact) to pre-active (a game plan in place before the event occurs).
I had to change my own problem-solving approach from the use of a professional 30’’ loggers chain saw to that of a manual coping saw. A change of situation called for a change in the skill tools I was employing. Still cutting problems down to size, but with less speed and frenzy. My adaptive caregiving pace could now be described as much slower but proceeding with steady diligence. Fingernail clippers work nicely for grooming one’s nails whereas a gas powered hedge trimmer would cause a bit of a stir. Find the right fit, the right skill and the right tool. It took me awhile, but I did it.
Jeff Dodson is a Alzheimer’s/Dementia caregiver
and caregiver advocate who lives and writes out of Elk Grove, California.
He is reachable on MySpace and Facebook and can be e-mailed at:
www.imaginatic@frontier.com, or, visit his Blog at www.nvlwtrdodson.blogspot.com
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Shackled Heroes
Our earliest memories of them are always pleasant and warm. A faint recall of gazing up at one of them while being cuddled and put to sleep in a crib. Being held by the other while hungrily draining down a bottle of formula in a bottle. Cared for and nursed with homemade remedies while home in bed with the a cold, the flu or one of the many childhood illnesses. Holding hands with one for reassurance as you were escorted along for your first day in Kindergarten. Remembering that huge birthday cake they honored you with at age 2 when you were ensconced in your highchair; their faces glowing with expectation and smiles. The bonding was mutually desired, pursued and relished.
In looking back, our parents made the conscious choice to begin a family, raise their children and make a lifelong commitment to nurturing, supporting and caring for each child that was planned as well as any that came along that were not.
While in their teens and twenties, the lives of our parents were all about dating, finding the right partner, settling down with them and beginning productive careers. They fought, they quarreled they disagreed at times with a passion; but they always knew how to make up, make peace and get back upon their shared journey. Some of their children began to arrive on the scene even at this early age. Nest-building had begun.
As mom & dad entered their thirties, it was about finding a home they could finally afford to purchase and move into; saying goodbye to that old apartment or rented duplex. They started to grow roots in their neighborhoods, and roots in their business careers. They modeled what a good neighbor, what a good citizen should be like with all of the other parents and kids on the block. Their own children sprouted and grew swiftly, making friends and growing into early adolescence.
The decade of their forties, saw mom & dad move us into a larger, grander home. Lots of pictures to be taken as we attended, then graduated from high school while gearing up for college or a solid trade school. Mom & dad were there for us, cheering us on through homework, finals, graduations, SAT’s, etc. At times, they looked tired, run down from their work, maintaining their home, raising us kids, and sometimes neglecting their own health. Nest makeovers and replacements were underway. Some fledging of the kids had already begun.
With the promenade through their fifties, new challenges arose for our parents to contend with. A bout with breast cancer for mom, maybe a scare of a prostrate tumor for dad, or a heart bypass operation. Through all of these struggles, they remained first and foremost, loving parents; engaged with and proud of each of their children for their accomplishments, and their with words of encouragement and balm when you fell, tumbled or were ejected from your saddle. The parental vows of long ago: to love, nurture, mentor and advocate their young were still being followed to the letter. The nest has been empty now for some time, with just mom & dad to meander through it and reminisce.
The decade of their sixties brought to reality, long-awaited plans and the joy of retirement, more time with the grandchildren, work with their favorite charity, part-time consulting, small building projects, etc. As they passed through their sixties, physical and mental abilities, once stalwart and reliable, now began to slow down, falter and sometimes not work as once before. And still they continued in delivering up instinctive and intuitive loving parenting skills to their kids, grandchildren and to some of those newly arriving great-grandchildren.
For many of us with parents now in their seventies or eighties, a turning point junction has now arrived. Our parents, our “heroes” who sacrificed, scrimped, and gave all they had to their children for the past 50 years or more now require our urgent help and give back.
Our “heroes” are now shackled by a variety of infirmities, physical ailments and cognitive decline. Canes, walkers, “Depends” and hearing aides are all now octogenarian accessories. But our parents, our heroes need more than just these devices. They need our active presence, our weekly involvement with their care and welfare, whether in their home, at the assisted living place, or, down at the nursing home.
That turning point place means it is time to give back, time to reciprocate, time to step up and extend back to mom & dad what they have unconditionally provided to us for over half a century. Time to put on, button up and tuck in that warm wool Pendelton known as becoming a Caregiver for your parents. It is a completion and balancing of the process of Life. Time for attending to and caring for our Shackled Heroes.
August 1st 2010
Jeff Dodson is an Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Advocate.
He lives and writes in Elk Grove, California.
Visit his Caregiver Blog at www. nvlwtrdodson.blogspot.com
or e-mail him at: www.imaginatic@frontier.com
In looking back, our parents made the conscious choice to begin a family, raise their children and make a lifelong commitment to nurturing, supporting and caring for each child that was planned as well as any that came along that were not.
While in their teens and twenties, the lives of our parents were all about dating, finding the right partner, settling down with them and beginning productive careers. They fought, they quarreled they disagreed at times with a passion; but they always knew how to make up, make peace and get back upon their shared journey. Some of their children began to arrive on the scene even at this early age. Nest-building had begun.
As mom & dad entered their thirties, it was about finding a home they could finally afford to purchase and move into; saying goodbye to that old apartment or rented duplex. They started to grow roots in their neighborhoods, and roots in their business careers. They modeled what a good neighbor, what a good citizen should be like with all of the other parents and kids on the block. Their own children sprouted and grew swiftly, making friends and growing into early adolescence.
The decade of their forties, saw mom & dad move us into a larger, grander home. Lots of pictures to be taken as we attended, then graduated from high school while gearing up for college or a solid trade school. Mom & dad were there for us, cheering us on through homework, finals, graduations, SAT’s, etc. At times, they looked tired, run down from their work, maintaining their home, raising us kids, and sometimes neglecting their own health. Nest makeovers and replacements were underway. Some fledging of the kids had already begun.
With the promenade through their fifties, new challenges arose for our parents to contend with. A bout with breast cancer for mom, maybe a scare of a prostrate tumor for dad, or a heart bypass operation. Through all of these struggles, they remained first and foremost, loving parents; engaged with and proud of each of their children for their accomplishments, and their with words of encouragement and balm when you fell, tumbled or were ejected from your saddle. The parental vows of long ago: to love, nurture, mentor and advocate their young were still being followed to the letter. The nest has been empty now for some time, with just mom & dad to meander through it and reminisce.
The decade of their sixties brought to reality, long-awaited plans and the joy of retirement, more time with the grandchildren, work with their favorite charity, part-time consulting, small building projects, etc. As they passed through their sixties, physical and mental abilities, once stalwart and reliable, now began to slow down, falter and sometimes not work as once before. And still they continued in delivering up instinctive and intuitive loving parenting skills to their kids, grandchildren and to some of those newly arriving great-grandchildren.
For many of us with parents now in their seventies or eighties, a turning point junction has now arrived. Our parents, our “heroes” who sacrificed, scrimped, and gave all they had to their children for the past 50 years or more now require our urgent help and give back.
Our “heroes” are now shackled by a variety of infirmities, physical ailments and cognitive decline. Canes, walkers, “Depends” and hearing aides are all now octogenarian accessories. But our parents, our heroes need more than just these devices. They need our active presence, our weekly involvement with their care and welfare, whether in their home, at the assisted living place, or, down at the nursing home.
That turning point place means it is time to give back, time to reciprocate, time to step up and extend back to mom & dad what they have unconditionally provided to us for over half a century. Time to put on, button up and tuck in that warm wool Pendelton known as becoming a Caregiver for your parents. It is a completion and balancing of the process of Life. Time for attending to and caring for our Shackled Heroes.
August 1st 2010
Jeff Dodson is an Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Advocate.
He lives and writes in Elk Grove, California.
Visit his Caregiver Blog at www. nvlwtrdodson.blogspot.com
or e-mail him at: www.imaginatic@frontier.com
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