Tag Archive | Dementia

Mother’s Day 2018

May13

Mama is holding Deb. Greta is beside her. And I’m on the end. Deb and I were 4 months old in this picture.

It’s hard to believe that it has been six years since the last Mother’s Day I spent with Mama. It seems like a minute ago on one hand and like an eternity on the other. 

There is not a time when I don’t miss her, wondering what she would say or think about things with us kids, her grandkids, the world. In many ways, just like with Daddy, I’m glad she’s been spared the last six years. 
Continue reading →

Can Your Sleeping Position Impact the Chances of Developing Dementia?

Dec28

sleep position may determine how well the brain detoxifies itself during sleepAccording to the World Health Organization, 47.5 million people suffer from dementia globally. 

However, there are lifestyle changes you can make that may lower your overall risk of developing dementia.

One of these could be changing your sleeping position. Continue reading →

Book Review: “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance” by Atul Gawande

Dec1

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on PerformanceBetter: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading
Being Mortal
 by Atul Gawande, I added all his books to my to-read list.

Gawande is not only a conscientious physician, but he is also a thoughtful leader (who admits his own shortcomings and failures) and an excellent writer, and that combination is always appealing to me. Continue reading →

Book Reviews – “Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World” – by Michael Harris

Oct3

Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded WorldSolitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading and totally relating to Michael Harris’
The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection, this book went to the top of my reading list as soon as it was published. Continue reading →

The Neurological Legacy of 9/11 on First Responders: PTSD, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia

Sep11

9/11/01 Collapse of Tower 2 of the World Trade CenterWhile most reports on the long-term health effects on first responders to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City have focused on physical damage – increased rates of severe respiratory conditions and incidences of cancer – often leading to premature death, it has only been within the last month that the long-term neurological effects have been examined and documented. Continue reading →

Book Review – “Patient H. M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets” by Luke Dittrich

Sep8

Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family SecretsPatient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets by Luke Dittrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my neurological and neuroscience research and reading over the last several years, Patient H.M. came up frequently, but with very little detail except that his postmortem brain was used to do the most extensive open source brain map to date and that he suffered from profound amnesia. Continue reading →

Remembering Mama – August 14, 2017

Aug14

Muriel Foster Ross: 1929 - 2012Five years today you’ve been gone, and yet it seems as if it was both yesterday and an eternity ago that God finally gave you rest in your grave, Mama.

I’m glad you’re not suffering anymore. That’s what matters most and what I appreciate most about losing you in this life.

Although there were very precious moments we shared in your last few years, I know the toll of dementias and cardiac problems made those years very hard for you, and I’m glad that’s over for you.

But I miss you, Mama. Continue reading →