Alzheimer's disease is a cruel illness that gradually transforms our
loved ones into shadows of their former selves, eventually taking even
their lives. It’s also a serious threat to public health. There are more
than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s according to the National
Institute of Health, and it’s the sixth leading cause of death in
America. It will continue to rise in prevalence as
elderly people begin to make up an even greater share our population.
For this reason Alzheimer’s research has made its way to the forefront
of public policy. Researchers at laboratories and medical centers across
the nation are hard at work to find strategies for detection,
prevention and treatment. While there’s still no cure, the last couple
years has brought us a lot of exciting research and many promising
discoveries that give cause for hope for Alzheimer’s sufferers and their
loved ones.
Today was Veterans Day. We had a good day in church. I called OAR around 8:30am to make sure Mom was up and ready for church. She had a rough week. Her cell phone is missing. Snickers took her in for a Dr. appointment to see a specialist regarding her bladder discomfort. So far, all tests are not showing anything. The Dr. gave Mom a prescription and she is dealing with that. She has another appointment this week. I picked Mom up around 9:15am. She was using her walker and is quite slow getting around. I loaded the walker in the back of my pickup and got Mom all strapped in for the ride to church. We were having the usual Washington State kind of light rain and drizzle. All went well. Mom had to set in the back pew today in order to have easier access to the ladies room. One of the dear sisters in the flock sat with her. Mom is easily confused and lacks the confidence we are used to seeing her normally display. She didn't eat very much at the noon meal but all in all, stamina-wise, she had an excellent day. She said she sure was glad that she was able to be in church and hear me preach again. Today's Sermon audio clip.
After services I got Mom back "home" to OAR around 2:30pm. All the spots were taken in the great room out front in the East Neighborhood (Mom's wing). She had to visit the ladies room right away and I waited for her and took her to her room and turned on her TV for her. The remotes were missing and when I inquired about that, one of the attendants found them in Mom's dresser with her clothes. We also found her cell phone. It was totally dead and MAY be damaged. I put it in the charger and told Mom it needed to be charged over night and maybe it will work in the morning when I call her at the usual time. I don't think she remembers how to turn it on however. We will see. She began to be a little fretful when I started talking about leaving for home but after several nice big hugs she settled down. When I got home I called Snickers to give her an update on the day.
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