Former Washington Post editor Bradlee in hospice care with Alzheimer’s
Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post who oversaw the newspaper’s coverage of the Watergate scandal, is in hospice care with Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, columnist Sally Quinn, said Bradlee, 93, was diagnosed “a while ago” but has declined over the past two years.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php
Performers take the stage for 8th annual Memory Rock
It’s time to rock out with Liquidated Damages! Join us for the 8th Annual Memory Rock event, a benefit for the Alzheimer’s Association® Greater Illinois Chapter.
The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 23 at Joe’s Sports Bar, 940 W. Weed St., Chicago. Attendees can enjoy draft beer, wine and soda, access to a silent auction and live music.
Tickets are $45 in advance $50 at the door. Special group pricing online only 3 tickets for $100.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php
Caring for an individual with Alzheimer’s disease brings challenges
Serving as a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be incredibly challenging. One caregiver writes that while caring for a friend with the disease, she discovered something important about herself: She could find the energy to keep going day after day, year after year.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php
We’re looking for volunteers to help with the Chicago Marathon. If you can help, please contact Director, Volunteers, Louie Iovane at liovane@alz.org. This event is fun and inspiring whether you’re a participant or an observer so please consider helping us as we cheer on our fabulous ALZ Stars team as they push themselves to the limit to help end Alzheimer’s!
Help support runners like Ryan… who’s mother, Liz was diagnosed in 2005 with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
My mother, Liz was diagnosed in 2005 with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She had always been the head of our family in many ways– She was in charge. She kept everything together. She was our glue. She was the main disciplinarian in our house, she was the head chef, she was the chauffeur. She was the ethics teacher and the mom who made us all get up early on Sunday to be in church. She was our grade school’s secretary. She was also the CFO and maintained the family finances, as well as the finances and inventory of my father’s business. When I bought a house last year, I called my dad to ask for some advice. He said “I’m not really sure son, when we bought our houses your mom was always the one that did that stuff.” So although my mom was a kind caring, sweet lady and mother, she was also a strong capable woman who was apparently quite a negotiator. My mom emanated what many mothers do to their children–that she could do everything. And she did.
It came as quite a surprise to us when we started to notice different things malfunctioning in her memory and her capabilities. When she couldn’t run the cash register at her part-time job anymore, we decided to take her to the doctor.
It’s very hard to watch someone you know go through this. For the first few years I was in denial. I spent 2008 in Iraq, where I served as a medic. After returning home I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. At that time, I had no idea about the work that the Alzheimer’s Association did, or that I could even raise money for charity. It had simply never been on my radar prior to my mom’s diagnosis, not something into which I had put much thought. As I was signing up for the marathon, I saw that I could run for a charity, so I decided to choose a charity and that’s when I discovered the ALZ-Stars.
I had no doubt in my mind I was meant to do this at this time. It resonated with me. So in 2009 I ran my first marathon and started my journey of raising money for Alzheimer’s research. Since then I have run three more Chicago Marathon’s. I have also run countless other marathons in different locations and I have now broken into ultramarathons. As crazy as my fiancé Abbie thinks I am, I have completed several 50 mile races and made my first attempt at a 100 mile race this year in August. I have found that running helps me deal with the pain and the sorrow that is born from watching someone you love slowly disappear. The more my mom’s disease progresses, the more miles I find myself running.
All the miles I put in are for my mom….. and all of the work I do is for my mom, but more importantly, my hope has always been to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, so that other families do not have to endure what my family is currently enduring. I started my annual charity dinner in 2010 and I have raised approximately 10,000 for this cause. I will continue my running and my efforts and I want to thank each and every one of you for your caring and for your efforts.
Click here and volunteer today!
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php
Early memory lapses could indicate a cause for concern
New research suggests that people who believe they’re becoming more forgetful may have reason to be concerned, even if larger memory issues aren’t showing up on cognitive tests. Study participants who reported memory problems at the beginning of the research were more likely to develop dementia later than those who did not. However, it’s important to understand that forgetfulness as a person ages can be perfectly normal and doesn’t necessarily indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php