About the Alzheimer's Reading Room

The goal of the Alzheimer's Reading Room is to Educate and Empower Alzheimer's caregivers their families, and the entire Alzheimer's community.

In the Alzheimer's Reading Room (ARR), we offer "real life" solutions to problems that Alzheimer's caregivers face each day.

The website contains a knowledge base of more than 3,800 articles. These articles can be found via a keyword search using the search box on the right hand side of every webpage. We add new information to the knowledge base every day.


Read More about the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Dotty at the Pool March 18

There is no doubt in my mind that the large doses of sunlight that Dotty has been getting the last two weeks are making a difference in her awareness and interaction.

I also noticed that Dotty is starting to engage with new Harvey in a way that I have not seen in months. The conversations are longer and more detailed. This morning I was singing very loud and new Harvey was singing along with me. Dotty was looking right at the parrot as if she was mesmerized. When I stopped the parrot stopped. Dotty looked at new Harvey and said, "you have a good voice".

I wish I had taken a video of Dotty looking at the parrot, she really was engaged. Engaged in a way that was very noticeable to me. Very different than what I have been seeing of late.

Watch the video here

http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2012/03/dotty-at-pool-march-18.html

About Alzheimer's Reading Room

The goal of the Alzheimer's Reading Room is to Educate, sometimes Entertain, and Empower Alzheimer's caregivers, their families, and the entire Alzheimer's community.

At the Alzheimer's Reading Room, we offer "real life" solutions to problems that Alzheimer's caregivers face each day.

The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one source of life news for the entire Alzheimer's community. 

The site focuses on Alzheimer's disease and the art of Alzheimer's caregiving.

On the Alzheimer's Reading Room, we tackle real world problems and offer advice and solutions on issues like: repetitive questioning, challenging behavior, how tounderstand Alzheimer's disease, how to cope with the disease, and how tocommunicate effectively with a person living with dementia.

Scientific Evidence For and Against Dietary Supplements

Ever wonder which dietary supplements work best? Ever wonder if the claims of the sellers of dietary supplements are backed by scientific research on humans?...

By Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Front Row

The first issue -- which dietary supplements are effective and backed by research on humans. The second issue -- what is the effectiveness of a dietary supplement for any given condition.

To read more and see an interactive version chart, and to find out more about each dietary supplement go here -- Scientific Evidence For and Against Dietary Supplements

Mom Didn't Laugh for Two Years and it was Killing Me

My mother, Dorothy, did not laugh for over two years. It was "killing" me....

By Bob DeMarco

Max wrote about the last great big laugh he heard from his Great Grams. It was obviously vivid in his mind. See The Plaid Pajamas and the Last Big Laugh.

This reminded me of one of the saddest periods in my life. My mother didn't laugh for over two years. She rarely smiled during this period. Severe heartache, it hurt.

I would look over and there would be mom. The glassy eyed look, the stare into what must be either confusion or "nowhere". The look of Alzheimer's and dementia.

To Continue reading go here --

Alzheimer's Reading Room: Mom Didn't Laugh for Two Years and it was Killing Me

Inside Alzheimer's How to Hear and Honor Connections with a Person who has Dementia

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Presidential Proclamation -- National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

The human cost of Alzheimer's disease is staggering
-- Barack Obama

Alzheimer's Reading Room

The human cost of Alzheimer's disease is staggering. We can -- and must -- come together to address this growing health challenge. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease is a full-time, non-stop job, and this month, we also honor the compassionate caregivers and medical professionals who provide endless comfort and attention to those facing Alzheimer's disease. Until we find more effective treatments and a cure, we must continue to support both Alzheimer's disease research and the caregivers and victims of this devastating disease.

Read the entire proclamation at the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Working with Dotty to Turn No Into Yes (CinchCast)

By Bob DeMarco

Dotty is complaining to me that her knees are hurting. This happens every day. I don't remember her ever complaining about her knees back in the days when we were going to the gym.

25,000 Barrels of Oil Seen a New Way

clipped from dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com 25,000 Barrels of Oil Seen a New Way . Any frequent visitor here knows I’m interested in people who are experimenting with new ways to visualize phenomena — from the  flow of aviation knitting our planet to the  volume of our shared oceans and atmosphere. Here’s  a new entrant, using software tools from the gaming world to illustrate what a low-end estimate of the volume of oil gushing from the Gulf of Mexico seabed looks like if displayed as stacked barrels. (Hat tip to my elder son, Daniel, who saw this  on Kotaku.com.)

Facebook Posts to Appear in Real-Time Search Results

As of today, real-time results from millions of users’ Facebook posts will now appear in search results on OneRiot, one of the world’s leading real-time search engines.

clipped from mashable.com As of today, real-time results from millions of users' Facebook posts will now appear in search results on OneRiot, one of the world's leading real-time search

Dotty Says, Most Doctors are Quacks

clipped from dorothydemarco.blogspot.com Bobby says, I am a lovable character. I also heard him say that I am a "bitch". I have to admit I don't remember him saying that in a long time. Bobby is always taking me to the doctor. I don't want to go to the doctor -- ever. Most doctors are "quacks". All they really want is your money. I have to admit when Bobby takes me to the doctor we always get our monies worth. He has this damn book and he opens it up and starts going down the list - one by one.

Alzheimer's Statistics, Insight, Reading List

• Test Your Self for Alzheimer's Dementia
• Alzheimer's Statistics
• What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?

About the Alzheimer's Reading Room

At the Alzheimer's Reading Room (ARR), we discuss solutions to common problems that Alzheimer's caregivers face each day.

On ARR, we discuss : caregiving, dementia, communication, wandering, incontinence, cleanliness, patient symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, nursing homes, behavior, and what to expect as the disease progresses.

We discuss issues that are important to Alzheimer's caregivers.

We provide specific insight, advice, and solutions based on real life experience.

Go to the Alzheimer's Reading Room

More About the Alzheimer's Reading Room

This is Your Brain on Google

A brain study conducted by Dr. Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging, found that people who search the Internet use more of their brain while engaging in Internet searching.

This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the brain -- that it may keep it active and healthy," said Small, whose research appears in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

To continue reading go here.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
Editor

Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

Popular Articles on the Alzheimer's Reading Room -- September (Top Landing Pages)

Test Your Memory (TYM) for Alzheimer's or Dementia in Five Minutes(#1 June, July, August, September)
A new cognitive test for detecting Alzheimer's disease is quicker and more accurate than many current tests, and could help diagnose early Alzheimer's, dementia, or mild cognitive impairment. To continue reading go here.

Dementia and the Eight Types of Dementia Dementia is a an illness that usually occurs slowly over time, and usually includes a progressive state of deterioration. The earliest signs of dementia are usually memory problems, confusion, and changes in the way a person behaves and communicates. To continue reading go here.

From the Alzheimer's Reading Room -- Featured Articles

This is a list of popular articles that I wrote on the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

• Alzheimer's Wandering Why it Happens and What to Do
• Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients
• 10 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room Now
• Test Your Memory (TYM) for Alzheimer's or Dementia in Five Minutes
• World Health Care Spending and Performance Ranking by Country (Table)
• What is Dementia?
• Five Ways to Keep Alzheimer's Away
• Dimebon Connection Study
• Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the Forgotten?
• A Simple Three Minute Test Can Detect the Earliest Stage of Alzheimer's Disease
• Is it Really Alzheimer's or Something Else?
• Wii a Useful Tool for Alzheimer's Caregivers
• 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
• The Mini-Cog Test for Alzheimer's and Dementia
• The Alzheimer's Reading Room--Press Release
• Walmart and this Alzheimer's Caregiver

Caring for Our Parents (Book Review)

This is a serious book by an accomplished journalist, writer--Howard Gleckman.

'If you are a Boomer, you should buy this book and put it on the coffee table. You will need it in the future to take care of yourself. The notes section of this book, alone, is worth the purchase price. The 22 pages of notes come in the form of a bibliography that you will be referring to over and over in the years ahead.

Caring for Our Parents is chock full of information and example that you, and I, will need as we age'. --Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Caring for Our Parents: Inspiring Stories of Families Seeking New Solutions to America's Most Urgent Health Crisis

To continue reading go here.

Will President Obama put an End to the Medicare Rip-Off?

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com I bet you didn't know this. When your elected representatives in Washington voted on the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 they slipped in this dilly -- when Medicare buys prescription drugs from the pharmaceutical companies they are not allowed to negotiate the price they pay. Let me put it this way, we the taxpayers pay full retail price when Medicare buys prescription drugs -- for us. I can buy a 16 ounce can of Old El Paso refried beans in Publix for a $1.49. Or, I can go to Walmart and buy the same product in the same size for $1.09. I have a choice -- Medicare doesn't.

100 Million Adults Touched by Alzheimer's

Astounding. More information at the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com

HBO The Alzheimer's Project Open to all Cable Subscribers

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com HBO is opening  The Alzheimer's Project  to all cable subscribers. Got cable? Find the HBO channel and you are good to go starting May 10. Want a free copy of The Alzheimer's Project DVD? Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room and then go here to find out how to do it.

The Alzheimer's Project

Announcement.

Subscribers to the Alzheimer's Reading Room can now obtain a free, complimentary, copy of the Memory Loss Tapes from HBO.