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By Bill November 9th, 2011
Sunday Carol and I went to the opera. The opera was Faust by Charles Gounod, sung in French. What does an opera have to do with caregiving? In this case, there is quite a lot. If you don’t know the old German legend, the subject of many works, Faust, old, accomplished, but bored with life sells his soul to the devil for youth and knowledge.
In Gounod’s version, he is sick, isolated, and lonely as well. He regains youth and vigor from Satan, seduces the girl, kills her brother in a swordfight, the girl gets pregnant, Faust abandons her, she goes crazy and kills the baby. Sentenced to death for the murder, Faust, realizing he still loves her, tries to persuade her to escape with him, but she is too crazy. She prays fervently, achieves …
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By Bill October 27th, 2011
The New Yorker is well known for its liberal take on most issues. This cartoon which ran in the October 24 issue is a notable exception. I guess making fun of older women drivers is still politically correct.
If you drove anywhere today, you probably encountered a significant number of older drivers with no problem and were not aware they were older. Yes, there are older drivers who do not do very well behind the wheel. However, as you were driving, you encountered other younger drivers who should not be behind the wheel while talking on the phone, with a few too many drinks, a problem with rage, or just very sleepy.
Why didn’t the cartoon have a Native American, an African American, an Asian, or a white male? Ageism. It permeates …
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By Carol October 18th, 2011
A few days ago Bill and I attended a lecture sponsored by our local aging in place Village, Washington Park Cares. Jennie Creasey from Jewish Family Services in Denver spoke on Reframing Independence as We Age. We discussed the paradoxical idea that asking for help is a key to maintaining independence.
Many of us, caregivers and elders alike, are strangely reluctant to reach out for the kind of help that the Village volunteers across the country provide, such as rides or help in the garden and around the house. The video below courtesy of the Columbia School of Journalism Brave Old World project points out that those who ask for help are providing a service too by giving helpers an opportunity to enrich their own lives through helping.
I had a chance to experience …
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By Carol September 18th, 2011
The folks at Online Degree love to research. Recently their top staff writer Anna Miller contacted us with some research they have done on well known Alzheimer’s disease patients. We thought we’d share it with you. My skills are not advanced enough to correct some of the formatting problems resulting from my copy and paste approach, but if you want to see the original work, click the following link:
10 Famous People Who Battled Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a tragic condition that steals the mental abilities of its victims, keeping them from recognizing things and people they once loved and isolating them in their own world. Researchers have been trying to figure out the mysterious disease for years, but so far, there is no cure. More than 5 million Americans have the …
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By Bill September 1st, 2011
I am writing fairly brief posts because I am a bit busy caregiving. My wife Carol is recovering nicely from surgery and her son Steve will have surgery Friday. I am caregiver for both.
This story ran in Sunday’s Denver Post newspaper. It is a story about the tragedy of Alzheimer’s and the enduring magic of love. Do read it all. I would insert it here, but copyright laws prevent my doing so.
Alzheimer's
The story is one of someone slowly being robbed of her mind, and her husband’s witness to her decline. She always recognized him, and some elements of her personality stayed with her. This is similar to what happened to Frank and Audrey, Carol’s parents. Frank had significant memory loss, but his personality was intact until he died of other …
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