Did you watch the story on '60 Minutes' on dementia?
It screened a few days ago, but I only just watched it now - that's what happens with confronting stories/life events for me... I am a master avoider. Denial - a great place live.
Regular readers of this blog page will know that I have had very hands on experiences with dementia - I nursed my mother to her death from this horrible disease, dementia. I, along with family members and carers who assisted, saw first hand the scourge of it all, the debilitating and depressing demise of my beloved mamma.
We of course did all we could to keep her alive, and 'alive', for as long as possible. Sadly, in the end, the disease won.
BUT: this story gives hope and shows practical measures and some perhaps surprising ways our elderly population can thrive in their final decades with vibrancy.
As the neurologist Claudia Kawas says in the story: "Half of all children born in Australia, The United States, Western Europe today will live to a birthday past 100". Yes. Think about that for a minute. Staggering.
She also adds that micro infarcts (small strokes) are now said to be contributors to dementia, according to their recent research. I can vouch that going to see a geriatrician with your parent is one of the most harrowing things you will ever do. The lesions seen on the X-ray of a loved one's brain... awful. And Dr Kawas's theory completely makes sense wit what I saw.
Watch the WHOLE STORY HERE.
Sadly: a postscript... since the story aired Lee and Jim (part of two seperate couples seen in this story) have passed away. RIP.
It screened a few days ago, but I only just watched it now - that's what happens with confronting stories/life events for me... I am a master avoider. Denial - a great place live.
Regular readers of this blog page will know that I have had very hands on experiences with dementia - I nursed my mother to her death from this horrible disease, dementia. I, along with family members and carers who assisted, saw first hand the scourge of it all, the debilitating and depressing demise of my beloved mamma.
We of course did all we could to keep her alive, and 'alive', for as long as possible. Sadly, in the end, the disease won.
BUT: this story gives hope and shows practical measures and some perhaps surprising ways our elderly population can thrive in their final decades with vibrancy.
As the neurologist Claudia Kawas says in the story: "Half of all children born in Australia, The United States, Western Europe today will live to a birthday past 100". Yes. Think about that for a minute. Staggering.
She also adds that micro infarcts (small strokes) are now said to be contributors to dementia, according to their recent research. I can vouch that going to see a geriatrician with your parent is one of the most harrowing things you will ever do. The lesions seen on the X-ray of a loved one's brain... awful. And Dr Kawas's theory completely makes sense wit what I saw.
Watch the WHOLE STORY HERE.
Sadly: a postscript... since the story aired Lee and Jim (part of two seperate couples seen in this story) have passed away. RIP.
