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Is COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) a Hoax?
Is COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) a hoax? Well, it depends, apparently, on…wait for it…not science, not facts, not critical thinking, but instead which polarized (and patently full of untruths) end of politics you’ve put your faith and trust in.
We’ve lost our minds in this country. You can fact check everything now (including the president) using the brain God gave you and the common sense that all of us should have, but seems to be in extreme short supply anymore, to discern between what’s true and what’s false from an objective, rational, and logical point of view.
But it appears that some people have been sucked into the vortex of ignorance and extremism that seems to be its own kind of pandemic, not only in America, but throughout the world.
Continue reading
Advance Directives and COVID-19
In a very unsettling development in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington Post has an article in its March 25, 2020 edition that reports that some hospital systems in the United States are considering imposing Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders on all patients who are admitted with the viral infection.
The implications of this for all of us are worth noting and talking about. If we have advance directives – and we should – and we want all live-saving measures used, including resuscitation, if we are actively dying, the new policy that some hospital systems (in North Carolina, Illinois, and the District of Columbia, so far) are strongly considering will go against our legal and personal wishes. Continue reading
Book Review: “Less Medicine, More Health: Seven Assumptions That Drive Too Much Medical Care” by H. Gilbert Welch
Less Medicine, More Health: 7 Assumptions That Drive Too Much Medical Care by H. Gilbert Welch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The author of this book is an doctor who is practiced for years as a PCP and now teaches at Dartmouth. One of his areas of expertise is what the data (and these are extensive research studies) about the results of medical screening show and how the screening causes more harm than good. Continue reading
Healthcare Documents – Dementia Advance Directive
We’ve talked many times about making sure you have all your healthcare documents updated and on file with your healthcare provider, as well as providing them to your healthcare proxy (the person who has medical power of attorney if you are unable to make decisions for yourself). Continue reading
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Linked to Increased Risk of Neurological Microbleeds and Vascular Dementia
Aortic valve failure is a cardiac condition in which the aortic valve fails to open and close properly, negatively affecting healthy blood flow both to the brain and to the body.
There are two surgical methods currently that can restore normal aortic valve functioning. Continue reading
Hospitalization, Delirium, and Dementia
For our elderly loved ones who are hospitalized, one of the frequent but often unexpected results is delirium. The onset of delirium can occur within hours of hospitalization, or it can emerge gradually throughout the length of the hospitalization.
As medical advocates for our elderly loved ones, we need to be aware of and understand all the possible causes of delirium resulting from hospitalization because delirium can either initiate permanent cognitive decline – dementia – or it can exacerbate cognitive decline in cases where cognitive impairment already exists. Continue reading
A Force Was With Us and What A Force She Was – Carrie Fisher (1956 – 2016)
Although this post may not seem relevant on a blog devoted to caregiving and the myriad aspects and factors that come into play in the development of dementias and Alzheimer’s Disease, I assert that, in many ways, it is entirely appropriate.
It serves as both a cautionary tale, which Fisher herself told in many ways and many times over the course of the last 30 or so years, and as a fond goodbye to a lady, who despite her many mistakes and many flaws, has left a legacy of character traits to respect. Continue reading
Daylight Savings Time and Its Effects on Health, Sleep, and Our Loved Ones with Dementias and Alzheimer’s Disease
Here in the United States, most of the country ended Daylight Savings Time (DST) at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, 2016, which moved our clocks back an hour.
Both the beginning and end of DST are tough changes on even the healthiest among us. For someone like me who has had hardwired sleep challenges all my life, both the beginning and end of DST are particularly hard for me for about a week until my body and brain adjust to the change. Continue reading
Daylight Savings Time and Its Effects on Health, Sleep, and Our Loved Ones with Dementias and Alzheimer’s Disease
Here in the United States, most of the country started Daylight Savings Time (DST) at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, 2016, which moved our clocks forward an hour.
Both the beginning and end of DST are tough changes on even the healthiest among us. For someone like me who has had hardwired sleep challenges all my life, the beginning of DST is particularly hard for me for about a week until my body and brain adjust to the change. Continue reading
Going Gentle Into That Good Night 