The verdict is in.. We need to train the brain to ward off dementia/ alzheimers.

PLAY!

love-remembers.com

If you knew him, you had heard him tell the story about his childhood love for his wife of 56 years. He would have us all believe that he had changed her diapers but he was only 10 months older than her.  He often told us how as a young boy of only 4 years, he told her father that he was going to marry her. That was when he started planting pennies.

One day her father, a tall man in stature, found Ronnie digging holes in his garden. He watched him drop the pennies into each hole and carefully pack the dirt over each one.  He bellowed, “What are you doing boy?”  Ronnie answered enthusiastically, “I’m planting money trees; so when I grow up, I can afford to marry your daughter!”  Of course, that carefully sown row of pennies never grew trees with leaves of currency; but they did enjoy 56 years of wedded bliss.

We lost Dad to Alzheimers this year, in March. This last year was hardly worth living for Daddy.  He literally grabbed the golden ring when God took him home.

For several years now we have participated in the annual Memory Walk, in honor of Dad, and his surviving brother, who is also suffering from the disease.  The walk is organized by the Alzheimers Association in an effort to raise funds, awareness, support research and hopefully find a cure for this horrible disease.

http://love-remembers.com

Daddy may not be here with us any more.. but we keep plantin pennies for him. Pennies to help grow awareness and fight this wretched disease.  You may well know or care for someone who has been or will be diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Help us..  Learn more about Alzheimers. I highly recommend the interactive tour of the brain on the Association’s website.  It explains how the disease attacks and deteriorates the brain of an Alzhiemers patient. Especially if you are caring for someone.

*  Find a walk near you,
*  make a donation,
*  start your own team.

http://love-remembers.com

Click on my name in the list of team members on the right side of the page and do all you can to protect the golden years of those you love, maybe even your own.

http://love-remembers.com

In Loving Memory of Dad,

Rhonda Hailey

I lost my Dad to Alzheimers in March of this year. Genetics would dictate that I will most likely suffer this disease as well.

I’ve always leaned toward a more natural approach to healing; and am not a pharmaceutical fan.. I truly believe that if we made an effort to preserve and protect the “garden of eden” and nourished our bodies as God intended.. (including lots of sunshine), we would not have diseases such as Alzheimers or Cancer to deal with.

Try as I might, I could not get my Dad (or my Mom) to pursue a hobby, regular exercise or a healthy diet, much less organics or sunshine.  Instead.. his last few years were sendentary and he wasted away before our very eyes.

My uncle on the other hand.. (Dad’s brother), who also suffers from Alzheimers is living in a assisted living facility.  He stays busy.. with social gatherings and daily activities provided at the center.  He enjoys regular outings with the family and he even has his beloved pet with him.

Granted.. he was diagnosed later than Dad was; but Alzheimers seems to be progressing much slower with him,  than it did with my dad.  The main difference has been his quality of life and activity level.  So.. I do not find this report hard to believe. It only convinces me further that we could have had Dad with us much longer if we could have just kept  him busier.. and gotten him out in the sun more.
He loved golf!  But when he started experiencing the confusion and it effected his game; he quit playing.  He blamed a sun allergy and a bad knee; but we all knew it was because he felt embarrassed and afraid that he would be lost or confused on the green.  He was very considerate of other players..

My son took this photo while golfing with Dad, when home on leave from Germany.. 2008.

I wish there was some way I could have forced Daddy to play or to take regular walks, something.. anything!  It’s all spilt milk now.  At least I know he is playing  his best game ever in heaven.

From:  NHD “Health Watch”

Cut Alzheimer’s Risk by 394 Percent

Anybody who has experienced Alzheimer’s will know the helplessness that comes with this devastating disease. Anybody who has seen it in a friend or family member will know the pain that comes from seeing your loved one deteriorate.

A powerful leader accustomed to driving multiple operations will gradually lose command. A dedicated grandmother may forget the names of the grandchildren she loves.

When I read one woman’s story about how she came to accept that she had Alzheimer’s, my heart broke a little. She says:

“I think there comes a point in everyone’s life when we pause to reflect on the past, realize the present and look to the future. That happened for me at the age of 46. I’d been married for over 20 years. Our son was in his freshman year of college. I was happy in my job and my husband was looking forward to retirement.

“In the fall of that year I started to become forgetful – which was not like me at all. I had an almost photographic memory. I had a stressful job and worked long hours, so I blamed that for my forgetfulness. I couldn’t remember things like my home phone number, my associates’ names, or on bad days, how to get home.

“I remember that many times I would stop at a gas station. After filling my tank [I wouldn’t] know whether I was going to work or coming home. I tried desperately to hide it and became pretty good at it! But one day in December, my husband and I were out shopping. He went to a different department in the store. The next thing I knew was that I couldn’t remember where I was or how I got there. It was time to fess up…”
Kris, from Georgia

Alzheimer’s can be a debilitating disease that can dramatically transform your life. It’s an insidious disease that can rock your confidence and rob you of your yesterdays. As one sufferer says, “I feel that I am robbed of any future because while I will live in it, I will be unlikely to remember it.”

It’s a brutal reality to have to accept. But scientists are offering hope in fighting the disease.  Over 4,000 scientists attended the recent International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease. And amidst a flurry of presentations, they reported that simple vitamin D may be your best defense against Alzheimer’s. “Sunshine” Vitamin Boosts Brain Function

Sounds too good to be true? Not according to a new study revealed at the conference. The study says that vitamin D deficiency raises your risk of mental decline by up to 394 percent.

The study is just the latest to show that the “sunshine vitamin” is essential to good brain health. It was conducted by the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England. It reviewed participants as they completed a series of tests and exams.

Tests included memory, time and space orientation, and attention-focusing exercises. Vitamin D levels were measured from blood samples and compared with test performances.

“There are some fantastic findings this year,” said Professor William Thies, the chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. He said these findings “are some of the first reports of this type in Alzheimer’s” and “have the “potential to move the field forward.”

Study results showed that the risk of cognitive impairment was 42 percent higher in people deficient in vitamin D. Impairment was 394 percent higher in those who were severely deficient in it.

“The odds of cognitive impairment increase as vitamin D levels go down,” says study author David Llewellyn. “Given that both vitamin D deficiency and dementia are common throughout the world, this is a major public health concern.”

The Peninsula Medical School also worked on an earlier related study. It too offered evidence supporting this simple truth: seniors who get their daily dose of “sunshine” maintain stronger cognitive functioning.

Critical research, based on tests conducted on almost 2,000 U.K. senior citizens, showed a clear correlation between the presence of the “sunshine vitamin” and healthy mental function.

Sunshine is an important source of vitamin D. UVB rays initiate the production of the vitamin in human skin. Vitamin D also helps maintain strong bones (through the absorption of calcium and phosphorus) and a healthy immune system.

According to study author Dr. Iain Lang, the results indicate that individuals with the lowest levels of Vitamin D were 50 percent more likely to suffer impaired mental faculties. In other words, as vitamin D levels in seniors decreases, mental impairment increases.

“Getting enough vitamin D can be a real problem,” said Dr. Lang. “Particularly for older people, who absorb less vitamin D from sunlight. One way to address this might be to provide older adults with vitamin D supplements.”

Older people lose their capacity to absorb Vitamin D from sunlight as the body ages. That means they must seek other sources of the “sunshine vitamin.”

Sources of “Sunshine”

According to Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, Vitamin D can also be found in foods such as oily fish and eggs. She adds that these foods are key sources of vitamin B12, which studies have shown to also help in protecting the brain.

Maggie Ward – nutrition director at The UltraWellness Center in Lennox, MA – says the best animal source is liver, especially from cod, herring, and sardines.

“That’s why those living in dark climates have these fish as a staple in the diet,” she says. “Nature always knows best.”

But she believes the best source of vitamin D is simple, old-fashioned sunlight.

“This is one of the many reasons I love summer,” she says. “I get my vitamin D from the sun and have one less supplement to take.”

Supplement Your Sunshine

The Vitamin D Council offers several good tips to ensure you get just the right amount of “sunshine.”  Check out these four ideas:

1. Have your doctor check your vitamin D levels.  This will give you a good idea of how much vitamin D you need to supplement.
2. Make sure you’re getting vitamin D3 in your diet. Smart options are capsules or drops. To improve absorption, take it with food containing fat. Fat makes it more soluble.
3. Have your levels rechecked every three months.  Vitamin D is a hormone, so it fluctuates for everyone. Seasonal changes also affect it.
4. People with dark skin need at least 5 to 10 times more sunlight than light-skinned people.

“Vitamin D supplements have proven to be a safe, inexpensive, and effective way to treat deficiency,” says Llewellyn. “However, few foods contain vitamin D and levels of supplementation in the U.S. are currently inadequate.”  To find out how the “sunshine vitamin” offers a whole host of health benefits, check out Your Best Health Under the Sun.

To your health,

Ian Robinson,
Managing Editor
NHD “Health Watch”

_________________________________

As for me,  I intend to take Ian’s advice and ward off Alzheimers with Sunshine. I got my walk in; and I’m headed off to the  sunny side of the pool, with a good book and my eyes shaded under the brim of Daddy’s favorite golf hat. 

Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s
Vitamin E may help you keep your wits about you as you get older. That’s the conclusion of a new study from Sweden that looked at vitamin E levels in a group of 232 men and women all of whom were above the age of 80. Investigators measured blood levels of all eight components of natural vitamin E in each volunteer at the beginning of the study. None of the participants showed any sign of dementia at the time, but after six years, 57 of them had developed Alzheimer’s. When the researchers checked vitamin E levels they found that those with the higher levels of all vitamin E components had a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those with lower levels. Study leader Francesca Mangialasche, M.D., said that the protective effect seems to be related to the combination of the different forms of vitamin E and suggested that “the balanced presence of different vitamin E forms can have an important neuroprotective effect.” The study was published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

What’s In Your Vitamin E?
Natural vitamin E (in the form of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols) provides the full range of benefits to support optimum health, while synthetic vitamin E is typically limited to alpha tocopherol. Dr. Weil recommends avoiding synthetic or single compound varieties, and instead opting for products that provide the complete vitamin E complex. Learn more – visit Dr. Weil’s Vitamin Advisor and if you decide to purchase our supplements, save up to 25%.

 March was a happy month for me.. getting to go to California and be with my new grandson… But my trip was interrupted with devastating news that EMS crews were at the home of my father; and he wasn’t breathing.  

In Loving Memory of My Dad..   1936 – March 26th, 2010

Those who knew dad during our teen years and even 20 – 15 years ago.. know that he was the “lion of his den”.  He ruled his kingdom with a loving, caring but firm hand.  In these last several years.. stricken with Alzheimers, he became more of a sweet and vulnerable kitten.    …  I loved them both.

He was a man who whistled while he worked; and sang when he showered and shaved. When I was a kid..  “You Are My Sunshine” would resonate from the bathroom mixed with the smell of his shaving cream and after shave cologne. You didn’t come or go; or even pass in the hallway without a quick kiss, a pat or a hug.  He didn’t reserve that affection for just us.. Throughout his life, he pretty much hugged and kissed anyone who would let him.  (As most of the women who attend their church will testify.)

He was a simple man.. and did things because it was the right thing to do. He always found a way to share his life’s wisdom with us growing up.  As a teen..  I probably referred to them as lectures. As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate those little talks as “golden nuggets”.

One of those golden nuggets was that when you get older.. if you can hold up more than 1 or 2 fingers to count your truly good friends… then you are a blessed person.

After 30 years with American Airlines; Dad enjoyed a few good years of retirement driving a school bus and golfing as much as he could, until the alzheimers got in the way.

I believe that if he could leave us with another golden nugget.. It would be to make absolutely sure that those you love_ know it, follow the instructions Jesus gave us and love your fellow man, help those you can; and do everything in your power to turn your “someday” into today.  

Daddy…  You are my still my sunshine..

This interactive tour does the best job I’ve seen, of explaining what is happening to his brain, and why even the simplest task becomes a challenge for him.  Take a few minutes to go through the tour.  It is interactive, and the slides light up as you mouse over the related text…  Very informative. 

Tour the Brain.. See How It is Affected by Alzheimers

 Especially if you are a caregiver.. or have a family member who has beginning dementia or Alzheimers.. Take the time to watch. It will help you understand, and know more about what to expect as the disease progresses.

 Meanwhile.. This is our last week to take donations for the MEMORY WALK O9, in Fort Worth…  Please visit http://love-remembers.com  to join our team, or make a donation for Alzheimers Research/ Family Assistance.

Statistics are coming in worse than originally thought..  Especially with such a large boomer population, they are predicting 1 out of 4 will suffer from Alzheimers, or care for someone who does.

Learn about it… Pray against it.

Sincerely,

Rhonda

 
Populations in many developed countries are ageing. In Australia, a report prepared for the Alzheimer’s Australia lobby group by consulting firm Access Economics has warned that dementia rates in Australia will increase four-fold as the population ages, affecting than one million people by 2050.(AFP/File/Barbara Sax)

 The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimated Alzheimer’s growing impact in developing countries.

Barring a medical breakthrough, the World Alzheimer Report projects dementia will nearly double every 20 years. By 2050, it will affect a staggering 115.4 million people, the report concludes.

“We are facing an emergency,” said Dr. Daisy Acosta, who heads Alzheimer’s Disease International, which released the report Monday.

The U.S. and other developed countries long have been bracing for Alzheimer’s to skyrocket. But the report aims to raise awareness of the threat in poorer countries, where finally people are living long enough to face what is mostly a disease of the 65-and-older population.

While age is the biggest driver of Alzheimer’s, some of the same factors that trigger heart disease — obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes — seem to increase the risk of dementia, too. Those are problems also on the rise in many developing countries.

In poorer countries, “dementia is a hidden issue,” Acosta said, and that’s complicating efforts to improve earlier diagnosis. “You’re not supposed to talk about it.”

For example, the report notes that in India, such terms such as “tired brain” or “weak brain” are used for Alzheimer’s symptoms amid widespread belief that dementia is a normal part of aging — when it’s not.

That mistake isn’t confined to the developing world. Even in Britain, the report found, just over half of the families caring for someone with dementia believed the same thing.

The new study updates global figures last reported in 2005, when British researchers estimated that more than 24 million people were living with dementia. Using that forecast, scientists had expected about 31 million people would be struggling with dementia by 2010.

But since 2005, a flurry of research on Alzheimer’s in developing countries has been published, leading Alzheimer’s Disease International — a nonprofit federation of more than 70 national groups — to ask those scientists to re-evaluate. After analyzing dozens of studies, the scientists projected 35.6 million cases of dementia worldwide by 2010.

That includes nearly 7 million people in Western Europe, nearly 7 million in South and Southeast Asia, about 5.5 million in China and East Asia and about 3 million in Latin America.

The report puts North America’s total at 4.4 million, although the Alzheimer’s Association of the U.S. uses a less conservative count to say more than 5 million people in this country alone are affected. The disease afflicts one in eight people 65 and older, and nearly one in two people over 85.

The report forecasts a more than doubling of dementia cases in parts of Asia and Latin America over the next 20 years, compared with a 40 percent to 60 percent jump in Europe and North America.

The report urges the World Health Organization to declare dementia a health priority and for national governments to follow suit. It recommends major new investments in research to uncover what causes dementia and how to slow, if not stop, the creeping brain disease that gradually robs sufferers of their memories and ability to care for themselves, eventually killing them.

There is no known cure; today’s drugs only temporarily alleviate symptoms. Scientists aren’t even sure what causes Alzheimer’s.

But major studies under way now should show within a few years if it’s possible to at least slow the progression of Alzheimer’s by targeting a gunky substance called beta-amyloid that builds up in patients’ brains, noted Dr. William Thies of the U.S. Alzheimer’s Association. His group is pushing for an increase in U.S. research spending, from just over $400 million to about $1 billion.

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On the Net: http://love-remembers.com

Help us .. on the move to find a cure for Alzheimers..

When he was a boy his future father-n-law found him planting pennies in the garden. He asked him what he was up to and Ronnie explained… “I’m planting money trees… so when I grow up I can marry your daughter”.

His money plants never grew; but Ronnie and Peggy recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Dad, (Ronnie Poteete) retired from American Airlines in 1996. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed marshalling at a local golf course for only a few precious years before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

He doesn’t usually remember the penny story now, though he told it to us many times. Some days he isn’t even sure who his own children or grandchildren are. He and his brother are both suffering from Alzheimer’s… and both are now in Stage 3. It affects not only short term memory but also cognitive thinking. Gradually long term memory and physical function will deteriorate.

My family has joined with the Alzheimer’s’ Association ON THE MOVE to find a cure for this disease. The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk® is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The money we raise will go toward research to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s, and programs to improve the lives of millions of Americans.

Please Join Us… Time has never been more Precious

JOIN MY TEAM / Register for the walk, Make a Donation, Start a new team… You too may love someone who is fading away before your eyes. Learn more about Alzheimer’s… the Thief of Life.

Visit the site below, and click on my name: Rhonda, under the list of
team members… to join/ donate from my personal page.

http://love-remembers.com

In honor of Bill & Ronnie Poteete