Living with Alzheimer's

Kangen Water- help for Alzheimer's?

2011-05-30T04:18:00.000-05:00

My mother is sold on "kangen water". She started using it last August (2010) after a friend of hers recommended it. My father at the time was more or less bed-ridden. He wasn't able to talk or walk. By the time I returned to the States in November he was up walking and talking. She gives the credit to Kangen Water. The website linked is hers.

I knew nothing about Kangen Water at the time. It using an electrolysis process to create water with a basic pH. Pure water should be a pH of 7 (neutral) but most drinking water in the US (and world) has a slightly acidic ph. By drinking water of pH 8.5 to 9.5, she has de-acidified her body chemistry. I can't argue with the results. She says her own health problems have diminished or disappeared, and I have to say my father's condition was better than when I left to teach English in South Korea in September of 2009. He was talking and I could understand what he was saying. That wasn't true before when I might occasional pick out a word but the word usually had no relation to anything happening. Now it did.

I can't promise you that you will get similar results. I don't know. But the effects demonstrated so far on my father is pretty amazing.

Kangen Water

2011-02-16T04:38:00.000-06:00

My father is better. That is unusual to say about someone who has Alzheimer's.

I moved to South Korea in September of 2009. By July of 2010, the reports I was hearing about my father indicated that he was close to being totally bed-ridden. He had forgotten how to walk. He was sleeping more and more of the day.

Then my mother started using Kangen water. When I visited the US in November, my father was actually better then when I left the US more than a year earlier. She gave the credit to Kangen water. He was talking, and I could understand what he was saying. He was more alert. No, he wasn't cured, and I don't want to give that impression. But for the first time there was an improvement in his condition rather than the steady but ever-present decline that is normal in Alzheimer's. She even started a website and sells Kangen water machines: http://www.greatestwater.com Many people in the community come and "borrow" gallons of water from her each week, and several people have purchased their own machines.

If your loved one has Alzheimer's, and you can afford it, you may want to consider Kangen water. For many families, anything that slows the progress of the disease is welcome.

How's your father doing? Is he any better

2009-04-27T18:16:00.005-05:00

This is a question you hear a lot when you have a father with Alzheimer's. People who haven't experienced Alzheimer's do not understand, do not comprehend, the answer. There is no better. Alzheimer's patients progress in one direction - down. I was once in the "did not understand" category. It is regrettably something you have to experience to truly comprehend.

An analogy would be the Grand Canyon in Arizona or the Amazon River in Brasil. You can hear descriptions of it, maybe even see photos but you don't truly comprehend either until you experience them first hand. That is like Alzheimer's except the Grand Canyon and Amazon are pleasant discoveries; Alzheimer's is anything but pleasant.

My father these days is something like a 73 year-old 2 year old. He is taller than a 2 year old and stronger but like a 2 year old he can be into everything. Being stronger and taller it is much more difficult to Alzheimer - proof a house than it is to child proof one. One drastic difference between a 2 year old and an Alzheimer's victim is that the 2 year old is learning while the Alzheimer's victim isn't - he forgets almost immediately so no lesson is learned.

He is now at the stage where he sleeps more frequently - something of a respite for my mother since she is able to get more rest. But I'm afraid it is a precursor of harder times ahead, times when he will be more or less totally bedridden. Things are tough now; they will get tougher.

There is no better with Alzheimer's.

Slowly going downhill

2009-01-11T20:03:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since I published anything here.

I hadn't seen my father since I moved to Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico in August to teach ESL until I went home for 2 weeks during Christmas break. At first I noticed very little different about him. But on Christmas Day there was a noticable difference. He took no interest when gifts were being opened. Last year he at least was able to open presents that he was given and had some interests. This year he more or less slept through it.

He also can no longer use the restroom by himself. He is kept in adult diapers. He still knows when he needs to use the bathroom, but has no concept of how although he is liable to urinate anywhere except the toilet. If you do not watch him closely he will pull down his pants and go.

He is also fighting having his false teeth inserted. He has already stopped wearing his eye glasses. Without his false teeth it is difficult obviously for him to eat.

One positive change (sort of) is that he now sleeps most of the night. I say sort of because as I understand it the day will come when he will stay in bed and be almost comatose. So obviously his staying in bed is both positive (for my mother's physical and mental health) and negative in that it may be the first step to his being bed-ridden.

The cost of taking care of an alzheimers' victim is staggering. It takes a financial toll but also a physical and mental toll on the care givers. Why is there no financial assiatance for those caring for Alzheimers' victims? I don't know how my mother makes it. The vast majority of the cost of taking care of someone with Alzheimers' isn't covered by insurance nor is it tax deductible. It just eats away at the savings. I wish there was relief in sight but as I type I don't see it.

continual downward spiral

2008-07-22T16:44:00.004-05:00

Living with someone with Alzheimer's means living in a world where things gradually but continually spiral downward.

On July 3 I returned from teaching English to Hispanic elementary students in Cuidad Miguel Alemán, México. I had went there in Early January with some hesitation because I knew it would leave my mother more or less on her own to handle my father who suffers from Alzheimer's. I was back briefly in March during the school's Spring Break. I think only by being away could I notice just how much has changed. Day to day you may not notice the change as much as you do by being gone a few weeks or months.

My father has much more difficulty eating and speaking. Before what he said might not be rational but now he has difficulty even forming the words. One improvement (from a care giver perspective) is that he now is getting up in the night less. My mother puts him to bed at about 9 pm and he sleeps until the next morning - about 9 or 10 pm. That is good for the people giving him care since they get more rest and he is less likely to wander away in the middle of the night. But that is also a sign of the disease worsening. Eventually he will not get out of bed at all if he lives that long.

If you know someone who is caring for an Alzheimer's victim, please understand that it is a difficult chore both physically and emotionally. Don't avoid visiting because you feel uncomfortable. The care giver needs visits. They need breaks from the constant grind. If you are in a position to give them some relief by staying with the victim, do so. It will be appreciated. People who have not cared for someone in this condition can not appreciate the enormity of the task or the strain it places on the care giver.

I will return to Mexico is a few weeks to teach again. It is some comfort to me that I know local people in the community will give her some help with my father. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be going back.

If you are the care giver, look for people to give you should aid and relief. Don't be ashamed to admit you could use some help. Taking care of the Alzheimer's victim is a constant strain but most people will not appreciate how difficult it is. They will not realize you need the help or the break unless you tell them. If you belong to a church, mention to the leaders that any help they (the church) could give would be appreciated. If it is just someone to watch the victim for an hour so you can get away that would help tremendously.

New treatment for Alzheimer's?

2008-04-12T10:52:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since the news was released about a promising new treatment for Alzheimer's. The University of Arkansas for Medical Science is preparing to conduct a clinical trial for an existing medication for arthritis, etanercept, that appears to have benefits for Alzheimer's victims.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103729.php

My mother is hoping to get my father involved either in the clinical trial or otherwise.

Sleep issues - Melatonin can help

2007-11-10T12:31:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I posted anything here on my blog about Living with Alzheimer's.

One issue that has arisen with my father is his problems with sleep. He would want to go to bed at 7 PM (or whatever time) and we'd tel him it was too early. But once you told him he could go to bed, he wouldn't. Suddenly everything became a crisis. He would worry about who would wake him up, what he would do the next day, where would he eat breakfast, how he would pay for breakfast, what if someone else wanted the bed he was sleeping in, ....

Remember Alzheimer's victims will be confused. That will not also know where they are or what is happening around them.

But inevitably it would take 2 or 3 hours to get him asleep once it was actually a time it was OK for him to sleep or perhaps he would be up most of the night.

A solution we discovered was Melatonin. It is a natural substance that is used a lot for people who suffer from jet lag traveling. It is why I had some on hand. I bought it years ago while traveling primarily to have on hand for others in my group. We had traveled to Brasil. Anyway it helps naturally to encourage sleep. And it seems to work well with my father. Normally if we give it to him just before he goes to bed, he is asleep within 30 minutes and sleeps until morning.

If your Alzheimer's victim is having trouble going to sleep or sleeping through the night, ask his doctor about giving him a 3 mg Melatonin tablet at bedtime. It has worked for us!

Don't turn your back ....

2007-09-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

My father went AWOL last night.

In the past he has talked about leaving the house and going to look for "someone". Last night he actually did.

We live about 150 Yds from his parents' former home. Both his parents (my grandparents) are deceased. The home is now owned by my Uncle and rented. I have no idea who is living there now, if anyone. Just across the street is a closed Country store that my cousins use to have open. Next door is my 90 something year old cousin-in-law whose husband use to own and run the store.

I left the room last night about 8:10 pm for just a minute and when I returned he was nowhere in sight. Initially I thought he had gone to the restroom in his bedroom. When he didn't return in a few minutes I went to check on him and he wasn't there. The front door was shut, it was dark outside but he had in fact left.

Since he had talked about visiting the store earlier that is where I went looking. And found him sitting in my elderly cousin's house.

So if you have an advanced Alzheimer's victim in your care, your home this is what you can expect at some time. They will try to roam. A friend had a mother with Alzheimer's and she has told me what her mother did. How she would wait for her chance and bolt out at any opportunity. They do not recognize they are at home. In their minds, there is some other place they are suppose to be and they will go searching. This was the first for my father and as a result we have activated an security alarm on the door. Now if he opens the door, chimes or alarms will sound (depending on our setting).

TV: They are watching me

2007-08-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

My father has reached the stage of Alzheimer's where he has difficulty between reality and non-reality. Today he is convinced that the events on TV are real. I don't mean depicting something real. He is convinced the people (actors and actresses) are talking and looking at him personally. He does not understand that it is a broadcast or a recording. To him, it is as if those people are sitting in the room with him. It frightens him. Confuses him.

No longer is television an entertainment, a refuge. It is a frightening thing.

Coffee, Benefits and risks

2007-08-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

I love coffee! The image above says it all.

These are just a few of the news articles on coffeee - 2 of the 3 in just the last couple of days.

Girl overdoes on espresso coffee

Is Coffee bad for you?

Coffee 'protects female memory'

It seems like I have been drinking coffee all of my life. My mother claims I started drinking it when I was just a few months old when she gave it to me mixed with milk in my bottle because I wanted what she was drinking. Today I prefer it strong and pure or black as some say. No sugar, no cream or milk or substitutes. While in Brasil, I shocked some people by preferring their strong rich brew without the traditional sugar and cream added. "puro, por favor!" Obrigado! I love it espresso strength. Now that doesn't mean I don't drink it otherways. I drink lattes, mochas, fraps, cafe au lait, etc. What I do not particularly like is "american coffee". Folgers or Maxwell House or some similar brand brewed so that one can see partially through the liquid. That is just colored warm water. I prefer it dark and rich. When I brew coffee, one can not see through it even a little. And one doesn't need an espresso machine to brew dark, rich, strong coffee. I start with high quality coffee (it doesn't have to be expensive - I found one at Wal-Mart at about $3 a lb that is excellent), I fill my filter full and then add 12 cups of cold water and let it brew. That is using a Krups drip coffee machine. As long as you have good coffee, it is great! Try that with folgers or maxwell house and you will have 1 bitter brew!

The first article linked above however highlights one of the risks of coffee. Maybe the only risk. Some people can not handle the caffeine. If 7 double espressos were too much for her system, she doesn't want to have mine. I drink my coffee by the "mug", at least 12 oz at a time and I can drink coffee anytime, 24/7. Caffeine has never adversely affected me. In fact I tried to use coffee from Puerto Rico (excellent coffee!) while in college to stay awake and study. It never worked. I could fall right to sleep studying Organic Chemistry with or without the coffee.

The other 2 articles highlights some of the benefits of coffee. I actually use to have a collection of articles similar to these (and probably still have the bookmarks) that show the benefits of drinking coffee. Warding off dementia is just one of them.

Just so you don't think I am prejudice against other hot drinks, I also love hot tea and Hot Chocolate. Unlike some other Coffee lovers, I do not despise tea. In fact, I love hot and cold tea especially hot green tea, herbal teas and oolong tea. I don't like English breakfast tea as well. And tea has been shown to be very good for you also with hot green tea probably drawing the most accolates as to health benefits. I am also a chocoholic and love hot cocoa as well. Chocolate (not the supper sugared versions but real dark chocolate) has also been shown to benefit ones' health.

But coffee is coffee. It has a special place. In November of 2000 I was fortunate to visit a friend in Slovakia. Before returning to the US, I stayed a couple of nights in Vienna, Austria. Coffee and chocolate on every corner! I highly recommend it to the coffee and chocolate lovers. If you don't like chocolate (how can you not?), you may want to consider a trip to Costa Rica. It isn't known for its chocolate but it has some of the best coffee grown anywhere. I can also recommend coffess from Brasil (there are a couple I really like) and elsewhere. Just avoid the coffees that are designed to be brewed weak if you want the real experience of rich, flavorful coffee.

PS: I just added the link to oolong tea, and I haven't even read it all myself. Discovered it as I searched "oolong" to make sure I spelled it correctly.

Originally posted on my primary blog Welcome to a New World

Blind in a foreign land

2007-08-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be an alzheimer's victim?

Someone who is in the later stages of the disease?

Someone who can no longer do the everyday tasks that the rest of us take for granted.

who can no longer read a book and enjoy it

who can not work a puzzle of any kind

who can't play a game of any kind

who can not even do housework because they don't remember what to do, what anything is, where things are suppose to belong, how anything works, or how to do anything - even simple things like making toast.

Television? Can't remember what has happened or follow what is going on so watching it is nothing but confusion. What is going on? Who are they talking to? What are they wanting me to do?

It is like being in a foreign place where everyone talks a language you do not understand. Have you ever been in such a situation? I have. But I was lucky. I could see and be entertained just by watching what was happening around me. And I could learn. Slowly but I could learn. Bohm gee-ah meant "hello". brigado or brigada meant "thank you". Men said one and women said another.

But how would I have felt if I couldn't understand anything, and I couldn't see what was happening? Can you imagine that situation? And to make matters worse, no matter how hard you try, you just can't remember well enough to learn any of the language? How would that feel?

That is how I envision it to be for those with alzheimer's. How are they suppose to fill the 24 hours in a day? Not understanding. Not remembering. Unable to do. I can just sense the frustration. Nothing to do. Wanting to do something, anything, but it has no meaning. Can't remember how to do it or remember that I did it. An endless cycle of nothingness. Just being.

Not understanding anyone, and nobody understanding me. Blind in a foreign land.

Playing Majhong causes Epilepsy

2007-08-04T12:40:00.000-05:00

Majhong

It's one of those games I have heard of a lot, been intrigued by the name and had intentions to check out sometime when I had time, but never have -- at least not yet.

As I understand it this is a very popular game in China. From its description, it could help avert Alzheimer's since it requires a lot of cognitive skills. But it seems it may also induce some kind of epileptic seizures.

When I first decided to post this news story here, I was thinking there would be no link to Alzheimer's at all in what I wrote. I was just going to post an interesting news story connecting the popular tile game to epilepsy. But as I typed I realized there was a connection.

Studies have indicated that people who maintain a lifestyle that involves active use of the brain are much less likely to develop Alzheimer's. So people who read a lot, do crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles, etc -- actiities that involve actively using the brain -- are much less likely to develop Alzheimer's. That means that I am not a good candidate to be an Alzheimer's victim even though my father suffers from it because I read a lot!

If you have a family member or friend with early stage Alzheimer's and you can get them to pursue activities that involve cognitive skills perhaps it will help slow the progress. I am no doctor and I am not aware of any studies to support this for those already with Alzheimer's. It is just a thought and may not be a practical one.

I do know that when we took my father on a trip to the western US last year, the first few days he was more or less in the same condition as we left. But later in the trip (it lasted 10 days) he was more mentally alert than normal. It seemed the constant barrage of new information stimulated his brain. He was better for a short time after we returned home than he was before we made the trip. That is simply my observation.

So to avoid Alzheimer's (to reduce the risk), try activities that stimulate the mind. Doctors talk about doing aerobic exercise to reduce your risk of heart disease, do mental exercise to reduce risk of Alzheimer's. Read books, do Sudoku puzzles, do anything except sit at home and watch TV. Stimulate that mind.

And check out Majhong if you care but be aware that overdoing it could inadvertently trigger epilepsy.

Fire!

2007-08-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

One of the problems my father has now is going to sleep. This is especially true on the nights my mother works (she works some nights). As soon as she leaves for work, he begins to say it is time for bed. For some reason once she is no longer here, it is bed time. Normally I try to keep him up until about 10 pm hoping that he will sleep thru the night once he finally goes to sleep. That is the crux. He won't stay in bed and go to sleep.

Although he will continually try to go to bed for hours, once you tell him - "OK, go to bed" he will begin to worry about everything, and he won't go to sleep. Every few minutes he will be out of bed and asking:

Who is going to wake me up in the morning?

When am I leaving here?

Who is going to come get me?

What am I going to do for breakfast?

I don't have any money, how am I going to pay to stay here? or to eat here? (He doesn't think this is his home).

Where is my wife?

She is coming here? Will I get to see her? Will I be able to talk to her?

What if the people who live here show up?

Am I allowed to sleep in this bed (his own)? I don't have any money to pay for it.

What about all of those people (points to television). Are they staying here also?

I hate to bother you but there is a fire in here.

This last one bothered me a great deal the first time he came and told me. I went to investigate and the fire was the light on in the bathroom so he could see if he needed to go in the middle of the night. Now I know anything that has a light that shines in the dark - computer tower, night lights, VCR light, clock, power strip, anything at all, may be the source of the "Fire" in his mind.

You must still take it seriously. You never know when there may actually be a fire. And unlike the Story about the boy who cried wolf, you can not ever assume it is NOT a fire. So check it out and try to reassure them all is ok. You may even have to turn off (or power down) appliances as inconvenient as that may be so their little led lights don't shine.

So be prepared for questions, be prepared for long nights with little sleep, be prepared for that insecurity to arise. They don't remember so it is frightening to them. Not knowing. Never knowing. always in the dark

Habanero and Alzheimer's

2007-08-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

Habanero chiles and Alzheimer's do not mix well.

My father who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's apparently decided to eat one of my habanero peppers yesterday. It is a reminder for those who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's just how much like small children they can be.

In the early stages of Alzheimer's one does not need to be on constant alert. The only problem at this stage is that the Alzheimer's victim will forget things that just happened -- short term memory is impaired.

As the Alzheimer's progresses it will manifest itself in not only the short term memory impairment being more pronounced but long term memory also will begin to fail. In addition cognitive functions are impaired. The ability to make decisions disappears. It slips into the shadows. Making a choice can become impossible. What do you want to eat? may become a question they can not answer. For one thing, they may not remember what the food they want to eat is named. For another they may not remember what it tastes like. Or they may simply may not be able to make even such a simple decision. You want to wear this or that? is a question that can overwhelm them.

But along with this cognitive impairment is the fact they will do things they shouldn't. Like grab an habanero and try to eat it. We raise a small garden in the summer, and I raise some habanero chiles. Yesterday we were outside mowing grass, weed-eating, picking up limbs, trimming hedges and such and my father returned to the house. When my mother came inside she found him at the kitchen sink spitting and eyes watering. He had taken one of my habanero peppers, sliced off a piece and taken a bite.

Just as parents "child proof" their homes when they have young children (especially toddlers), when you have a family member with Alzheimer's you once again have to look at your home with new eyes. What can they get into that will harm them? And place it away so they can not hurt themselves. We have done that for the most part. Just didn't think of the habaneros.

A Wild Week

2007-07-31T11:20:00.000-05:00

You never know with an Alzheimer's victim, what to expect one minute to the next much less over a longer time period.

Last week on Tuesday, my father was taken to the doctor because he had been complaining about pain in his leg. Sure enough, the doctor said he had a "bad back" and prescribed Tramadol to help with the pain.

By Thursday night, the Tramadol was apparently having an effect on him. Just not the one you would want. He was wired. I could never get him settled to sleep that night. Friday and Friday night were even worse. Not only was he wired but he was also hallucinating and talking more nonsensical than normal.

Was it the medication or just another stage, another advance in the Alzheimer's disease? Or some of both? We took him off the Tramadol and he seems to slowly be getting back to the way he was. At least he is sleeping more again and not climbing the walls all day and night.

I should note that his reaction to the Tramadol, if it was the Tramadol, is not normal. Is it normal for victims of Alzheimer's? I don't know but there is no mention of it in the literature I found on-line.

If any of you out there reading this blog have an Alzheimer's site or blog and want to link it here, let me know. This is largely just an effort to inform others about Alzheimer's. So I'll be happy to add your site as a link

Curcumin shows promise in fighting Alzheimer's

2007-07-28T19:20:00.000-05:00

Studies conducted at UCLA indicate that Curcumin may be able to help win the battle against Alzheimer's. This is not anything new, but I have found many people who are caring for Alzheimer's victims are unaware of it.

Studies have shown for years that the population of India has one of the lowest incidents of Alzheimer's in the world. Scientist believe it is because of curcumin, a natural ingredient found in turmeric and curry powder.

Currently there are no known cures for Alzheimer's. The best doctors can hope to do is slow down the progression of the illness. If you have a family member or friend with Alzheimer's, curcumin is something you may want to look into and discuss with the doctor. This is especially true if they are in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer's. It is non-toxic, has no known side affects and is the first substance that shows potential to actually reverse alzheimer's.

I mention all of this because Curcumin is NOT available by prescription. It is a natural spice which is found in Turmeric and Curry powder. Supplements of 95% pure curcumin can also be purchased. I just ordered a supply for my father who is at the middle to later stages of Alzheimer's.

I have a link to a page on my website where I give links to the research being done with Curcumin. Currently UCLA is conducting Clinical trials. If you have any experience with using Curcumin (which is also being used against Cancers), leave a comment and let everyone know what your experience has been.

PS: I did not list the source of curcumin I am buying for my father because I do not want people to think I am pushing a particular seller. I am happy to tell you who I have purchased curcumin from if you want to know. Just drop me an email or comment. We are currently giving my father 1000 mg a day. I'm not sure that is enough. This product also has bioperine included which helps increase the amount of curcumin absorbed by the body.

A Journey into forgetfulness

2007-07-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

A Journey into forgetfulness

Have you ever had an experience where you knew …

The name of the person, it was on the tip of your tongue as they say, but ….it just eludes you, just stays slightly beyond your grasp.

Or you just had those car keys, sun glasses, …. but now what did you do with them? Where did you put them?

Now imagine …. that is your life. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, that is your life.

You just can’t quite recall. It is something you should know but. …. It eludes you.

And day by day, week by week the things that slip just into the shadows of your mind where you can sort of glimpse them but can’t quite make out what they are grow and grow and slip further and farther away.

Alzheimer’s