Great starts are easy, the goal is to finish well
A couple of years ago, I wrote about some of the health benefits of walking in a post titled: “Reducing Dementia, One Benefit of Walking”. Of course, at the time, it was during COVID, and highlighted a way to be social during that season. That post was based on previous studies, but the results of a new study just published is the icing on the cake!
Five years ago when we first moved to Charlotte, we had to make so many changes – way more than simply our zip code. The list included new driver’s licenses, doctors, dentists, registering to vote, where to shop, and how to get to all these places. Over time, we have come to learn about our new city and can (usually) find wherever it is we need to go. Occasionally, we still rely on our phone apps to get us there.
Finding Your Way
We had limited resources to help us when we first began our journey down the road of dementia with Mama. It was back in the early 2000s, and although the terms, dementia and Alzheimer’s were well known, the only books we could find at the time on the subject were medical journa
Mama’s blank expression assured me that she had no idea what I wanted her to do. The bunch of wisteria blossoms droop limply in her hand. I tried it again. Making an exaggerated motion of sniffing the flowers, I told her how lovely they smelled She gave me a confused look and a polite smile as she handed them back to me. I gave up. Temporarily! I desperately wanted her to enjoy the fragrant wisteria as she had in the past. Dementia stole that joy from her as well.
One of the saddest aspects of my Mama’s dementia was the realization that she had lost her sense of smell.
When our oldest granddaughter was around two years old, her favorites things were strawberries, swinging, and ‘dance-dance-2’. The dance program was a video game that included a dance pad. The idea was to watch the TV screen and place your feet where the animated characters placed theirs. Some friends of mine and I discovered it when volunteering at our church’s youth group. Watching the kids play the game, we saw how much fun it was, and what a great form of exercise it offered.
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.
With the holiday season behind us, it is time to consider, ‘what’s next?’ At some point during the gray and frosty days of winter, my thoughts turn to garden planning. It’s not that I haven’t already been giving my gardens any thought, it’s just that there are always so many other topics occupying my time during the holidays that my garden isn’t given as much attention as I would like. But, with the new year beginning to bloom full of hope and promise for a better year, I can focus more on this year’s garden plan.
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.
Weaving walking into our daily lives adds benefits beyond simple exercise. One of the marvelous things about walking is that it doesn’t require a lot of specialized equipment. If you have comfortable shoes, a hat, and perhaps a walking stick, you’re good to go.
I always wanted to be a beekeeper. When my husband and I retired to North Carolina, we were finally able to pursue our dream. We began our quest rather naively.