Great starts are easy, the goal is to finish well
giving challenges when caring for Mama was her diet. She was generally easy-going and would be willing to eat whatever was placed in front of her. The challenge was in her ability to eat the food. In the early stages of dementia, she had no difficulty handling a spoon or fork. Over time, however, Mama came to prefer her fingers for transporting food to her mouth. We would try to gently encourage her to use a fork or spoon by handing one to her. Sometimes that worked.
Are you a coffee or tea drinker? The refreshing aroma of coffee is one of my favorite childhood memories – and one I still enjoy to this day. My Mama was raised in a community of Finnish friends and relatives. Among the various aspects of Finnish culture that Mama enjoyed was the love of drinking coffee. I take after her in that way. I also love tea. Over the years, I have heard that coffee and tea are both very good for you, often followed by a contradictory article declaring they are very bad for you. I have followed the back-and-forth declarations. While some may say that the jury is still out, I continue to enjoy coffee in the morning (it used to be all day until I began to experience ‘wakefulness’ at night), and tea in the evening. My favorite blend is decaf Earl Grey and Chamomile.
One day, when my doctor called to give me the results of a blood test, I was quite surprised to hear that my creatinine level was up. Since she knew I had been on a trip to an area with a hot and dry climate, she suggested that I could be dehydrated. I certainly didn’t feel dehydrated, but I agreed to up my water intake for two weeks and then retest. Two weeks later, she called to inform me that the creatinine level was back to normal. I was surprised at how quickly dehydration had occurred. She explained that whenever we change our routine because of travel or sickness, the healthy habits we built into our daily lives are disrupted and our systems can get out of balance.
Over the last few years, quite a bit of attention has been paid to the subject of dementia. The information has included ways to reduce your risk, as well as lifestyles that may contribute to cognitive decline. I originally began this blog back in 2015 as a kind of continuation of the stories collected in a book I wrote about our family’s experience with my Mama when she had dementia. The book shares our family’s quest to help her find joy in the journey and finish well. As time has passed, I find myself and those around me – especially caregivers, becoming more interested in ways they can lower their own risk.
Even though this is supposed to be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, when you are a caregiver for a loved one with dementia, celebrating Christmas can become challenging.
When my Mama, who had dementia for well over a decade was in the early stages of the disease, she was still aware of seasons and most holidays. As time went on, she became less so. Dementia stole her ability to look forward to Christmas, birthdays, or any other previously meaningful day or time of the year. The pages turned on the calendar, but her days remained the same.
What does a small city in northern California have in common with several Mediterranean countries? Olives! More specifically, olive oil.
Having lived in an olive-growing region most of our lives has allowed us to develop a certain fondness for high-quality olive oil.
What do you get when you cross the Mediterranean and the DASH diet? You get the MIND diet. It was developed by nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, ScD, and her colleagues at Rush University Medical Center. They used the best of both diets to create a powerhouse meal plan for the brain. Just what we need – one more diet, right? But don’t be too hasty to dismiss this as just another fad. A variety of studies have confirmed that the effects of the MIND diet on brain function showed greater benefits than either the Mediterranean or the DASH diet alone.
Wayne’s parents came up from Florida to spend Christmas with us this year. While preparing for their visit, we called and asked what food and drinks they would prefer. Our new Mom (the bride of his 90-year-old dad) immediately said, “Dark Chocolate hot cocoa.” I didn’t know there was such a thing as dark chocolate…
I recently read an article about the seriousness of dehydration. It can have severe effects – especially in older folks. Among other things, it cautions that dehydration can cause symptoms that resemble dementia. Unfortunately, it is not always obvious when someone is suffering from a lack of fluids.
Along with the joys of being with family, this season up north offers the splendor of spectacular fall foliage and juicy, crisp apples. I love apples. One of the traditions that my husband has established with our grandsons is to hike a nature trail that has a lot of wild apple trees. They produce smaller apples, but the boys like them well enough. There are numerous deer who roam the area, and the ones they don’t eat, they feed to the deer. It turns out deer also love apples.