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Alzheimers
This article was
published in The West End
Times March 5, 2011.
Gordon was founder and president of
an investment banking and financial
advisory services firm. In his lifetime, he earned four degrees, spoke
four
languages and pursued four passions: climbing, hiking, sailing and fine
woodworking. Then he heard four words that changed his life: "You have
Alzheimer's disease." (Gordon Annapolis, Md.)
We all hear stories like
this everyday. Alzheimer’s is the fourth most prevalent cause of
death after
heart disease, cancer and stroke. It starts slowly and over time family
members
notice small changes such as a parent who forgets to turn off the oven
or
“Where are my darn keys?” “I can’t find my
purse” One of the most common signs
of Alzheimer’s is memory loss, especially forgetting recently
learned
information. Others include forgetting important dates or events and
asking for
the same information over and over. Some people may experience
difficulty
following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills.
Sometimes they
may forget where they are and how they got there. This is all very
scary for
those experiencing these changes and for friends and family members
noticing
them in a loved one. The signs and symptoms are often subtle at first
and easy
to ignore or hide. In the beginning the signs may be that dreaded
“elephant in
the room” that no one wants to talk about.
From the 3rd
edition of A Guide for families and caregivers by Lenore Powell, Ed.D
and Katie
Courtice: “The burden of love” The burden of love is living
with the helpless
feeling and knowing we cannot spare them the pain of losing themselves;
nor can
we spare ourselves the pain of our own losses.
Recently there have been
several incidents when family members have wandered and been lost.
Every winter
there are reports of deaths due to exposure. It is hard to even imagine
how
friends and family feel after the 76 year old woman who had gone
missing was
found dead in a snow bank.
We need
to talk about
these things. We need to talk about them before it is too late. It is
in the
early stages of this horrible disease, when we all notice something is
going
on, even the person with the disease that we should discuss how we
feel. I am
the first to say I want to do things my way and I don’t want my
children
“telling me what to do” but losing the ability to think for
yourself is
different. If asked, when I can still make some decisions, would I
rather be
lost, cold, afraid and alone or carry a device that would help people
find me
when I am lost, the answer is obvious. If only we could have these
discussions
then the debate about intrusive technology, invasiveness of privacy,
big
brother watching you would not be necessary. The only question would
be…….What
would your mother want?
There are solutions
according to computer programmer John Brohan who designed ALZ-Locate, a
GPS
tracking application downloaded onto a cell phone. “Wandering is
a behavior
which is very stressful for a partner or other family members, and
these GPS
devices can reduce the stress of the worry and find the wanderer
quickly.” At
this point Brohan’s application can be downloaded to an Android
Roger’s phone.
Connection costs for the cheapest plan are about $50.00/month. This
includes
much more than is needed for the ALZ-locate application. The data used
to store
the person’s position when they are moving is very small, maybe
10 times less
than the normal plans. The hope is that providers may look at offering
small
data plans at less expense for this vulnerable population. The market
is there
says Brohan and the company that offers plans to support the needs,
will win
many friends.
Thoughts,
comments, suggestions are always
welcome.
Contact me at donna@ashcanada.com
Health Access, Home and Nursing care
514-695-3131
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