Alzheimer's ComForcare Caregivers

I have been asked several times if I know of any good, reputable caregiving services that would come to the home and help with Alzheimer's loved ones. I thought I would put together a list of caregivers that I have interviewed, from ComForcare, over the past year that are not only in Arizona but all over the US.


Alzheimer's Help in Mesa, Arizona

http://sephoenixaz.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Phoenix, Arizona

http://nwvalleyaz.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Alameda County, California

http://alamedaca.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Riverside County, California

http://palmspringsca.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Chicago, Illinois

http://chicagonshore.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Anne Arundel County West, Maryland

http://wannearundelmd.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Grand Rapids, Michigan

http://grandrapidsmi.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Branchburg, New Jersey

http://somersetnj.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Mercer County, New Jersey

http://mercernj.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Wilson, North Carolina

http://wilson.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Raleigh, North Carolina

http://raleighnc.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in Plano, Texas

http://collintx.comforcare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Alzheimer's Help in South Houston, Texas

http://clearlaketx.atyoursidehomecare.com/Services_Franchise_Home.aspx

Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?

If you have 30 minutes to spare, you need to watch this video from the link down below. I don't have HBO so I rely on youtube to watch programs that have aired about Alzheimer's.

This is called "Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am", by Maria Schriver. I cried through the whole thing but it was well worth it. Some of you may have already seen it.

I love when the little girl was talking about her grandma, who has Alzheimer's, and she said "the only thing left of you is your heart". She was referring to Alzheimer's Disease. That comment really hit me. It's so true and that is how I feel about my dad. It has taken over his mind but not his heart.

Click here to watch.

Our Alzheimer's TV Interview

My sister, Kim and I were excited that we had the opportunity to be interviewed on AM Arizona to talk about Alzheimer's.

I am so grateful to ComForcare Senior Services for giving me great tips over this last year that I was able to share with all of you.

Enjoy the video. Please feel free to share with others, PLEASE! Thank you.

A Nighttime Program For Alzheimer's Care

I read this article in the New York Times and found it very interesting.

Cara Buckley and James Estrin describe a unique care program at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, N.Y., to address “sundowning,” the tendency of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia to be struck by sleeplessness, agitation and wandering at night:
While there are countless day care programs for the nation’s estimated 5.3 million Alzheimer’s patients, some experts believe that ElderServe at Night, which began a decade ago, is the only one of its kind in the country.

Participants are fetched from their homes by vans and spend 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. painting, potting plants, dancing and talking — or, for those immobilized by their disease, relaxing amid music, massage and twinkling lights. The patients rest as they need, for a few minutes or a few hours, and return home the next morning fed, showered and, usually, tuckered out.

Click here for more.

Another Alzheimer's Down Turn

My dad's nurse said he has taken another down turn. I can see it when I visit him. When you talk to him he turns his head away from you and doesn't respond. It's almost like he is mad at you but he's not because ocassionally the light will turn on for a split second and he will give you a bright smile full of love.

He has developed a tick that is not very pleasant to watch. The nurse said that as the Alzheimer's gets worse, supposedly the tick will go away. He clinches his teeth like he is in pain and he gasps for air and he does this ALL day long. It makes me worried everytime I see him but the staff said he is just fine. I don't like it. I haven't seen him in one week. I have a hard time seeing him right now. I know I should suck it up and go anyway but it's heart breaking.

As my dad has more and more down turns it seems as if they are extreme. He can barely walk now and when he first moved in to the home, he walked just fine and that was about 5 mos ago. So, to me, these changes seem rapid but to Alzheimer's I guess it's par for the course.

Poor dad.

Exercise Away Your Risk of Alzheimer's

If you haven't listened to John Medina or read his Brain Rules book, you need to look in to it. These are some tips from his website. You will have to check out the rest for more.

Active people have half the risk of Alzheimer's of sedentary people. It's even less for general dementia. The following is brain rule number 1.

BRAIN RULE RUNDOWN

Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.

The human brain evolved under conditions of almost constant motion. From this, one might predict that the optimal environment for processing information would include motion. That is exactly what one finds. Indeed, the best business meeting would have everyone walking at about 1.8 miles per hour.

Researchers studied two elderly populations that had led different lifestyles, one sedentary and one active. Cognitive scores were profoundly influenced. Exercise positively affected executive function, spatial tasks, reaction times and quantitative skills.

So researchers asked: If the sedentary populations become active, will their cognitive scores go up? Yes, it turns out, if the exercise is aerobic. In four months, executive functions vastly improve; longer, and memory scores improve as well.

Exercise improves cognition for two reasons:

Exercise increases oxygen flow into the brain, which reduces brain-bound free radicals. One of the most interesting findings of the past few decades is that an increase in oxygen is always accompanied by an uptick in mental sharpness.

Exercise acts directly on the molecular machinery of the brain itself. It increases neurons’ creation, survival, and resistance to damage and stress.

For more rules click this link.

I Should Have Had The "Goodbye" Talk Years Ago

I was just sitting here trying to think of the last time I had a normal and clear conversation with my dad. It may have been a few years ago. After receiving the news that he had Alzheimer's disease, I should have had the heart to heart conversation with him back then about how much I love him and think the world of him. I have so much to tell him now that I didn't get to tell him then. He is mentally gone now and all though it's not too late to tell him, it's too late for him to understand.

When is the appropriate time to say "goodbye"? It usually happens after they pass away and most people feel guilty because they didn't get to tell their Alzheimer's loved one everything they wanted to tell them before they pass. Well, I feel guilty I didn't get to say it before he entered the Alzheimer's vortex.

There should be a rule or a time frame that all of this should take place so they can reciprocate their feelings. I feel cheated. I never got to hear his last "I love you". I haven't heard it in years. I will never hear it again and he is still physically present. It is definitely a weird reality to experience. It's just not fair!