Testimonials — Alzheimer's News

Thank you very much for your donation of 6 pets.  We did received them from the Hospital Foundation soon after their arrival.  After all the staff enjoyed to look at them we have started to include them in our distribution program.  We gave out our first one today and had excellent results. On a funny note, our social worker was carrying one of the long-haired dogs donated and a hospital administrator came up to see why an unauthorized animal was being brought to the hospital by staff. The patient who received it enjoyed it very much as well. Anthony Arslan,...

In the sixth part of their series documenting and reporting the challenges of dementia and Alzheimer's personally faced by families, Observer Reporter looks at the life of Rudy Keron, age 74, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years ago. In Rudy's case the disease progressed rapidly, and he soon lacked the ability to speak, brush his teeth, or recognize family members. For five of these seven years post-diagnosis, Keron's wife Judy, took care of him herself in their home in Washington before finally deciding to move him to the Washington County Health Center in 2012."'I was in denial when we got the diagnosis,'...

With the very recent passing of Tom Magliozzi on November 3rd, one of the hosts of NPR's "Car Talk", due to complications of Alzheimer's, recent reports are quick to try and explain just how Alzheimer's disease causes death. Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease in which deposits of abnormal proteins build up on the brain and cause brain cells to die. However, Dr. Marc L. Gordon, chief of neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York, says that "Alzheimer's disease is not usually a direct cause of brain death — that is, it does not suddenly cause the entire brain to...

Actor and filmmaker James Keach has taken up the reins in directing a documentary of the country-music legend's life as he perseveres and adjusts to the later stages of Alzheimer's—all while still playing complex guitar chords and pouring his soul as best he can into each melody. Glen Campbell faces these trials with commendable resolve and a sense of humor that inspired Keach. The film covers Campbell's 2011-2012 "Goodbye Tour", in which he played 151 shows across the globe, but also the personal aspects of his day-to-day life with the deteriorating disease. "The film doesn't flinch from the harsh realities...

A survey conducted by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) found that eight of ten people rate choosing to care for an elderly relative as one of the most stressful life experiences, above divorce or separation from a partner, buying a house, or getting married. Much of the reason for this stress apparently comes from caregivers or loved ones having to sift through lacking or poor information regarding care facilities that they aren't sure that they can fully trust. When dealing with dementia especially, many family members struggle with finding the best and most viable care options, and want to make...