Notes from Updates on Dementia: LGBT Caregiving Challenges

3 comments By News and notes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , May 16th, 2012 @ 3:14 pm

Amy Whelan, Esq. discusses LGBT caregiving issues

Amy Whelan, Esq., is a senior staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights talked about the history of the LGBT community and common hurdles LGBT elders face in healthcare access. Theses challenges include:

Poverty: LGBT elders are more likely to live in poverty than their straight counterparts

Family estrangement: LGBT elders are more likely to be estranged from their biological families

Families of choice: Often, an LGBT individual’s family of choice may face obstacles to gaining the power to make end of life and other legal decisions

Discrimination: When asked whether they could be open with facility staff about their sexual orientation or gender identity, only 22% said yes

Her presentation was followed by David Coon, Ph.D., associate vice provost for Research, Health Outcomes at Arizona State University, who covered more LGBT issues related to family caregiving. Continue reading “Notes from Updates on Dementia: LGBT Caregiving Challenges” »

Notes from Updates on Dementia: An overview of ADNI

0 comments By News and notes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , May 16th, 2012 @ 1:42 pm

Dr. Weiner talks about the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Michael Weiner, M.D., director of the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease, San Francisco VA Medical Center and professor of Radiology, Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology with UCSF discussed the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).

Dr. Weiner is a principle investigator on the project, which is a collaborative effort of scientists from around the world. The project was funded by $140 million from several organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Alzheimer’s Association – this is the largest funding for a project of this type.

According to Dr. Weiner, the goals of ADNI is to create a broad, observational clinical trial to discover how Alzheimer’s disease progresses, who develops the disease, who doesn’t and why. The project seeks to: Continue reading “Notes from Updates on Dementia: An overview of ADNI” »

Plan for the Future but Live in the “Now”

0 comments By Stefanie, family care specialist Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , May 10th, 2012 @ 10:47 am

Everyday I feel honored to work with such amazing individuals. I want to share with you an article that was written by one of our early stage individuals – Charles Warner. Charles is a talented writer and has some great insight on how to cope and plan after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Plan for the Future but Live in the Now

By: Charles Warner

I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in December of 2011. My physician was quite to the point, he told me the diagnosis and said “no more practicing law and no more driving”. Although somewhat taken aback, and I confess a bit in denial, I appreciated his being direct and followed his advice. I closed my law practice and began a new and different life.

I knew I needed to plan for the financial future and to come to terms with having Alzheimer’s. I will explain how to address the financial (estate planning) issues. I am still working on dealing with the disease, so that will be a progress report. Continue reading “Plan for the Future but Live in the “Now”” »

A few tips for long distance caregivers

3 comments By Stefanie, family care specialist Tagged with , , , , , , , May 9th, 2012 @ 3:32 pm

We live in a mobile society. It’s no longer the norm for families to live in the same town or state. Our families can be spread across the globe. That, in conjunction with our recently released 2012 Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures report that states 800,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s live alone, could be the reason that our Helpline (800.272.3900) is getting more calls from ‘long-distance caregivers.’

A long-distance caregiver is someone who spends significant amount of time or money to make a trip to their loved one or uses vacation time to regularly check-in with their loved one. A long-distance caregiver may also rely on friends and neighbors local to their loved one to find out what’s going on.

All caregiving has its rewards and challenges. Living far away from your loved one can complicate caregiving but it is possible to successfully manage caregiving from a distance.  Here are some strategies: Continue reading “A few tips for long distance caregivers” »

“Me time” takes an unexpected turn when John wants hot chocolate

3 comments By Angie, family caregiver Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , May 7th, 2012 @ 1:08 pm

Saturday mornings are a time that I have carved out for me to do whatever I want. Usually, I get up early to attend a Weight Watcher’s meeting and then hit the grocery store or farmer’s market while inspiration for a thinner me is still fresh enough to keep me away from potato chips.

Last Saturday I arrived early, had coffee and a chat with a couple of WW buddies and weighed in. My renewed commitment to take off the pounds I had regained since John’s diagnosis was starting to show progress! To keep the momentum going, I decided to make a special dinner using whole wheat pasta and lots of veggies.

While at the market I got a call from our grandson, Adam. He said that Papa was asking for a hot chocolate. Realizing my “me” time had just been shut down, I said that I would pick up his drink on my way home. I’ll admit that I dragged my feet a bit before heading to the check out counter, but not by much.

John waits for his hot chocolate at Starbucks

About 20 minutes had passed from the time of the call to my actually loading the car and driving to the Starbucks across the street. Entering the shop I saw John sitting at a table with a man I didn’t know. His face lit up with a smile when he saw me, I glanced around to see which member of the family had brought him. Continue reading ““Me time” takes an unexpected turn when John wants hot chocolate” »

Alzheimer’s Changes the American Dream

0 comments By News and notes, Newsletter, Profiles Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , May 4th, 2012 @ 10:50 am
Phuong Quach gets debriefed on the issues at the Advocacy Forum

Phuong Quach gets debriefed on the issues at the Advocacy Forum

When we first came to the United States as refugees from Vietnam, my father worked in a cereal factory with a starting wage of $3.75 per hour. Soon after, my mother also started work in a factory. With long hard hours of labor and determination, they were focused on the American Dream. Over the years, we really did become the poster family for the American Dream.

My parents were able to buy a home and a new minivan. All four of their children went to private liberal arts colleges, received advanced degrees and now have good careers. We made it and truly became Americans.

Continue reading “Alzheimer’s Changes the American Dream” »

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