Treading Dark Waters - a Column by Ray Burow

A record number of people are expected to travel this holiday season. The travelers will undoubtedly include familial caregivers journeying with loved ones who have dementia. These are courageous individuals, perhaps seeking one last hurrah before Alzheimer’s disease prevents them from traveling to faraway destinations. Taking a trip with…

“All that is gold does not glitter / Not all those who wander are lost / The old that is strong does not wither / Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” — J.R.R.Tolkien Why do people with Alzheimer’s disease wander? The tendency to wander in Alzheimer’s patients…

Some of us are still adjusting to writing 2019 on bank checks, and here we are knocking on the door of the holidays. The older we become, the faster the years seem to zoom by. Just yesterday, we were children dreaming of snow at Christmas and our parents were bracing…

Veterans Day has come and gone in the U.S. for another year. Proving that we’re a grateful nation, it was punctuated with speeches by dignitaries and pride-filled social media posts dedicated to the fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers who serve, or have served, in one of the branches of the…

In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Coincidentally, 11 years later, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The 40th U.S. president revealed his fate in a letter to the American people in 1994, writing: “I now begin the journey that will lead me…

Of the 5.8 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease, 5.6 million are age 65 or older. According to a 2009-2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the same demographic accounted for 15% of emergency room visits during that period. ER visits and hospital admissions…

Sadly, millions of people in the U.S. live with Alzheimer’s disease. Even sadder is that fewer than half of Alzheimer’s patients or their caregivers report being told of the diagnosis by a healthcare provider. An Alzheimer’s Association report from 2015 indicated that only 45 percent of people with Alzheimer’s…

We live in a global society, and within our society terrible things happen. We indirectly face tragedy every day. We’re constantly bombarded by breaking news that keeps us reeling. It is a hard reality for those of us with healthy minds, but it is even more disturbing for a person…

The hardest job becomes easier when the right supplies are on hand. This is especially true with caregiving. Every day is a learning experience. We learn what is essential for the care and the service of the person we are caring for. The following tools and materials can help…

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but what does that have to do with Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving? Nothing, except that women make up the majority of caregivers in the United States. This means that over 60 percent of caregivers are susceptible to breast cancer. Breast cancer hits…