Alzheimer’s Links
In Honor of Mary N. Jarvis, Larry’s Mother
National Alzheimer’s
Disease Month
National Caregiver’s
Month
Click hereMary N. Jarvis, wife of Rev. O. E. “Jack” Jarvis and mother of Larry James and Carol Jean Pierce, died on March 6th, 1992 as a result of Alzheimer’s disease. This page is dedicated to her.
“When you lose a loved one. . . you gain an angel whose name you know.”
Oprah Winfrey
A story written to honor her memory was featured in the New York Times best-selling book, “A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul.” The story appears on page sixteen of the book or you may read it here: A Strawberry Malt and 3 Squeezes, Please!Larry’s father was a dedicated caregiver. Read his story: Caregivers Need Care, Too!Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It affects millions worldwide, and the numbers are increasing. Sadly, there is no cure for this terrifying disease. So, it is essential to catch the disease early. That way, it can be better managed.One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is memory loss. But the memory loss is often thought to be a result of aging or stress. National Memory Screening Day is an annual event held each November.Are you at risk for Alzheimer’s disease? Click here to find a free “National Memory Screening Day” site in your area!Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brain, but it breaks the heart.
The Jarvis Family – Circa 1945
Mary, Jack, Carol Jean & LarryIt begins with symptoms you can ignore. We all forget where we put our keys. But ever so gradually, over months or years, the tangled memories of Alzheimer’s patients cause them to forget how to use a key. Eventually, they forget how to walk, talk, and eat. Gone is the person who – like all of us – would have done anything to avoid such a slow, pitiful end.The odds of avoiding Alzheimer’s aren’t good. It’s estimated one out of every 10 people over the age of 65 and nearly a third to half of those over 85 are thought to have Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia.The good news: Researchers are hunting down leads to vitamins, herbs, drugs, and lifestyle changes that may keep our memories intact.There are now four FDA-approved drugs available to temporarily relieve some symptoms of the disease, however there is no prevention or cure.Without a prevention or cure, 14 million adults are expected to develop Alzheimer’s by the middle of this century as the baby boomer generation approaches the age at which they will be most at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.It is our hope that if you are closely related to someone who has this disease or if you are a caregiver, that you will benefit from the “Alzheimer’s” section of our website.
The 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s.
Here’s a terrific solution for Alzheimer’s sufferers who wander off from home and some tips to keep them safe. Click here.
The Alzheimers Book Shelf. Click here for a listing of over 100 books about Alzheimers Disease.
Read The Alzheimer Prayer – (author unknown).
Alzheimer’s Proofing Your Home – Mark L. Warner – Loving care at home is the most desirable situation for many Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families, but it is difficult to realize. Warner’s thoughtful book aims to help by showing how to make a home more navigable, comfortable, and just plain livable for the Alzheimer’s patient. Nicely presented and well illustrated, the book deals with rearranging and remodeling the patient’s living space clearly and concisely and also addresses “thinking-related issues” such as the misinterpretations, hallucinations, and delusions attendant on the disease.
Larry’s Review: A great book by a registered architect. Mark covers this topic from A to Z. A must-read for families who care for their loved ones at home. 477 pages.Over four million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s, which strikes at least 35 percent of those over 85 years old. According to gerontologist Mark Monane, a stock analyst for Needham in New York, the direct and indirect costs of the disease are more than $100 billion a year in this country alone.Alzheimer’s Symptoms
- Severe memory loss
- Language problems, including finding the right word
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Disorientation regarding time and place
- Changes in personality, such as increased irritability and hostility
The Alzheimer’s Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy – Dr. Marwan Sabbagh – Dr. Sabbagh, a researcher at the Sun Health Research Institute near Phoenix, begins by exploring exactly what Alzheimer’s is and its relation to dementia. He addresses the treatment of Alzheimer’s and its complications, outlining the available therapies as well as their advantages and downsides. He also takes a close look at promising new developments and forthcoming treatments.Click here for a few key messages from the book!Watch an interview with Dr. Sabbagh.Click here.
InteliHealth – (September, 2001) – Study suggests a link between blood pressure, cholesterol and Alzheimer’s. Read more. Lot of other great information on Alzheimer’s disease on their home page.
Tears in God’s Bottle: Reflections on Alzheimer’s Caregiving – Wayne Ewing – A moving story of Wayne Ewing and his wife of 40 years, Ann Margaret Wentz Ewing. Ann fell victim to Alzheimer’s. The role of a caregiver to someone with this relentless affliction is unique and painful, and the need for understanding the demands of their responsibility are enormous. This book is a poetic, spiritual, and inspirational work of valued information for both the caregiver and the patient. It is both an important revelation for those who share the tragedy that is Alzheimer’s, and a deeply moving, highly recommended testament of love and the human spirit for others.
Larry’s Review: A love story of tender care. Married to the late feminist therapist Ann Ewing, Ph.D., for 37 years, Wayne tended to her at-home care when she was stricken with dementia, (Alzheimers) at the age of 54. Winner of three 2001 Glyph Awards from the Arizona Book Publishing Association.
According to the March, 2001 issue of Technology Review, researchers have found a molucule they believe is a key culprit in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Now the race is on to block the molecule – and stop the disease in its tracks. You are encourage to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association and other Alzheimer’s groups so that someone else’s mother’s descent into dementia can be stopped.
Creating Moments of Joy for the Person With Alzheimer’s or Dementia: A Journal for Caregivers – Jolene Brackey – This book offers many ways to create moments of joy. No matter what the environment or situation is, this book will be a positive tool on a daily basis. It breaks down the learning process into five sections. Within those five sections are smaller steps. At the end of each step is a place to journal thoughts, ideas, solutions and treasures. With this journal, many moments of joy will be created.
Caregiving Hints for the Holidays at Home – This article is presented as a courtesy of the National Alzheimer’s Association. It is designed for caregivers as a tool to help cope with the many challenges of maintaining a happy home during the hectic holiday season (and other times too). It offers creative tips and practical advice on balancing one’s needs as a caregiver, an individual and a family member, and help on how to manage the wide range of emotions one may be experiencing in the midst of a tremendously joyful, but potentially lonely time of the year.
Read: Tips on Visiting an Alzheimers Relative or Friend.
Surviving Alzheimer’s: A Guide for Families (Caregivers) – Florian Raymond – Easily digestible, this book is a treasure house of practical tips, ideas, and survival strategies for caring for an Alzheimer’s patient within the family, written by one who has been there. Dozens of coping skills and ways to replenish are suggested to help caregivers maintain their own health throughout the caregiving journey.
Larry’s Review: I wish this book had been written when my family was dealing with my Mother’s Alzheimers. Helpful hints on caregiving, planning activities, practical ways to cope with difficult behavior and much more. Highly recommended.
Alzheimer’s Association – This site offers tips on caregiving, updates on research and treatments and information on programs and services. Also links to Alzheimer’s local chapters in your area.
Caregiving Education – This article is an overview of Alzheimer’s disease including several other dementias, their names and descriptions.
www.Alzheimers.org – Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), this site offers news on research and clinical trials and has a link to the Combined Health Information Database (CHID), a bibliographic service containing health education and information materials.
Elder Rage or, Take My Father… Please! How To Survive Caring For Aging Parents – Jacqueline Marcell – Trying to cope with an elderly loved one who makes unreasonable demands; wanting all of your time? Is obsessed with sickness and death but refuses counseling? Has become depressed, manipulative, distrustful or hostile? Her ingenuity and loving persistence turns around a seemingly impossible situation with her difficult father and changes a life-altering family tragedy into a book that’s expected to have a broad appeal, considering that an estimated 23 million American’s struggle to provide care for aging family members. www.ElderRage.com
Larry’s Review: Another book I wish I would have had when dealing with my Mother’s Alzheimers. Highly recommended.Radio Interview! – Listen to a special interview with Larry James on Jacqueline Marcell’s Internet radio program, “Coping with Caregiving.” Click here.www.bhoffcomp.com/coping/ – This informative, inspiring site is designed specifically for the caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.www.Elderweb.com – An online sourcebook with more than 4,000 reviewed links to information about health, financing, housing, aging, and other issues related to care of the elderly.Self-Care for Caregivers: A Twelve Step Approach – Pat Samples and Diane & Marvin Larsen – Caring for an aging of chronically ill family member or friend can create a great deal of emotional strain. This book examines the dilemmas faced by many caregivers. Using the Twelve Steps as a guide for daily living, the authors describe ways caregivers can acknowledge pain, break free of emotional snarls, balance the care of loved ones who have special needs, and find strength to provide healthy support and love.
Larry’s Review: A remarkable work. Pat guides the reader by explaining what is expected as a caregiver to where the problems begin and on through her Twelve Steps that can assist with insight to help caregivers make some of the tough decisions that become a caregivers responsibility.Health Care Financing Administration – A government online resource for Medicare and Medicaid information.
Mortality from Alzheimer’s Disease: An Update – A National Vital Statistics report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other statistical reports are also available from this website.
She Never Said Goodbye – George Vernon Ellison – This book is the story of George’s wife’s disappearance down a road of no return: Alzheimer’s. It’s a love story that demonstrates the real meaning of “in sickness and in health!”
Larry’s Review: The Alzheimer’s Association indicates that more than 100,000 people die of Alzheimer’s each year. This book is a sad story from which everyone can learn to be a better caregiver.
USAWeekend.com – An excellent article, “Alzheimer’s: A Conversation About Memories Lost,” plus information on self-help groups and organizations, Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and lots of Internet resources.
FREE Identify AD Resource Kit – The IDentify Alzheimer’s Disease (IDAD) Resource Kit includes important information about how to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease warning signs from normal aging, resources for caregivers of loved ones newly diagnosed with this illness, and much more. This free kit is provided by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) and is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Click here to order.
www.AlzheimersSupport.com – This site serves Alzheimer’s Disease sufferers and those close to them by focusing on three primary objectives: 1) reporting the latest news in Alzheimer’s Disease treatment and research; 2) making top quality nutritional supplements available at manufacturer direct low prices, and, most importantly, 3) donating profits from each purchase to Alzheimer’s Disease research.
www.HealingWell.com – Lots of information, articles and resources in the Alzheimer’s Disease Library.
Alzheimer’s Societies in the US – This site features a list of more than 55 Alzheimer’s Chapters in the United States.
American Health Assistance Foundation – Medical news, medical illustrations, caregiving questions, downloadable PDF fact sheets and Q & A about Alzheimer’s Disease.
Stop and take a look! Learn about human memory and how it works. Read about disorders of memory and their treatment. Human memory is one of nature’s most fascinating phenomena. Disorders of memory can severely disrupt lives. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment is crucial to maintaining optimal health. Menopause, estrogen or vitamin deficiencies, depression, strokes, chronic infections and dementias like Alzheimer’s may all present with memory and cognitive loss. more.
Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center – New books, articles, tips and very informative site about Alzheimer’s Disease.
www.HealthCareSource.net – Learn all about alzheimer at HealthCareSource.net.
To order any of the books below, click on the book cover or the title link!
Waiting for the Morning: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s Disease – Brenda Parris Sibley – This book brings together Brenda Parris Sibley’s poetry, her care giving journal, and cherished photographs from family albums through the years. Waiting for the Morning, the title which comes from one of her poems, is a memorial to Jessie Lee Parris, a victim of Alzheimer’s, and provides helpful information for coping with care giving, and more. 
Talking to Alzheimer’s: Simple Ways to Connect When You Visit with a Family Member or Friend – Claudia J. Strauss – Few books manage to balance practical suggestions and loving sympathy as well as Talking to Alzheimer’s, a concise and comprehensive guide to communication with both paid caregivers and their patients. While the title suggests focus on a specific disease, the recommendations are appropriate for any family struggling with serious communication issues, whether those issues are the result of stroke, surgery, disease, or an accident. 
Click here to contact the authors on this page!
The Alzheimers Book Shelf – Featuring a listing of over 100 books about Alzheimers disease, plus a link to nearly 800 more. Visit Larry’s Book Store for a large selection of “relationship” books, music and more.
