TUTORIAL IT: part

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Thursday, June 15, 2017

Alzheimer’s Disease Part 2

(continued from last week)

It’s especially helpful to put structure in the life of someone who’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Some suggestions include:

Maintain daily routines.? Post reminders on an oversized and prominently displayed calendar.
Make “to do” lists of daily tasks for the person with Alzheimer’s to complete, and ask him or her to check them off as they’re completed.
Put things in their proper places after use, to help the person with Alzheimer’s find things when he or she needs them.
Post safety reminders (like “turn off the stove”) at appropriate places throughout the house.

Also, see that the person with Alzheimer’s eats well-balanced meals, goes for walks with family members, and otherwise continues to be as active as possible.

Alzheimer’s victims should also wear medical identification tags.

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an instagram xmas part 4

through a nondescript door, down a flight of stairs & below a grocery store there is the cutest little bowling alley Ive ever seen:

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Mysterious and frustrating, Alzheimer’s afflicts nearly four million Americans, about 10 percent of the over-65 population, and 45 percent of those 85 years or older. (In rare instances, it strikes earlier than 65.)

Sympoms of Alzheimer’s include:

Brief attention span
Decreased bowel or bladder control (rarely)
Depression?
Disorientation?
Forgetfulness (especially about recent events)
Inability to handle minor tasks, or to speak clearly
Irritability, hostile behavior, or paranoia?
Lack of spontaneity?
Mental deterioration?
Neglecting to perform routine tasks

If someone you care about shows signs of Alzheimer’s disease, see that they get medical attention to confirm (or rule out) the diagnosis. Not everything that looks like Alzheimer’s is Alzheimer’s. Brain tumors, blood clots in the brain, severe vitamin B12 deficiency, hypothyroidism, and some drug side effects can mimic Alzheimer’s disease. (Unlike Alzheimer’s, these problems can be treated.)

(to be continued next week -J.P.)

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an instagram xmas part 1

when I went home for the holidays I used instagram to capture images from my visit & I finally just got them together...theres a ton though so Im going to spread them out over a bunch of posts. I hope its not too tedious :)

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ALS Part 1

With the "Ice Bucket Challenge" going viral online, let us discuss the disease behind this fund-raising campaign.

According to medical dictionary, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—also referred to as "Lou Gehrigs disease" in the United States — is a neurodegenerative disorder. This is also referred to as "Motor Neurone Disease" (MND) in the British Commonwealth. ALS is characterized by muscle spasticity (tight and stiff muscles), rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle atrophy, and difficulty in speaking (dysarthria), swallowing (dysphagia), and breathing (dyspnea).

In the U.S., more than 5,600 are diagnosed every year, and up to 30,000 Americans are currently affected. ALS is responsible for 2 deaths per 100,000 people per year.

The survival time from onset to death is 39 months, and only 4% survive longer than 10 years. Rare cases survive 50 years or more (like physicist Stephen Hawking). Most die from respiratory failure, usually within three to five years from onset of symptoms.

The disorder causes the motor neurons to degenerate and impulses to the muscle fibers can no longer be sent, thus the inability to move the muscles. About 75% of people contracting the disorder experience "limb onset," i.e., first symptoms in the arms or legs. Patients with the leg onset form may experience awkwardness when walking or running or notice that they are tripping or stumbling, often with a "dropped foot" which drags gently along the ground. Arm-onset patients may experience difficulty with tasks requiring manual dexterity such as buttoning a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock.

The muscles then begin to atrophy and limbs begin to look “thinner.” Persons with this disorder may ultimately lose the ability to initiate and control all voluntary movement, though bladder and bowel function and the muscles responsible for eye movement are usually spared until the last stages of the disorder. The eye movements remain unaffected largely until the later stages due to differences in the extra-ocular muscles compared to the skeletal muscles that are initially and readily affected.

Next week we shall continue discussing ALS (possible causes and treatment) – J.P.

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