Treading Dark Waters - a Column by Ray Burow

Note: This story was updated May 31, 2023, to correct the long-term cost for people living with dementia is expected to reach $345 billion this year, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, not $345 million. When I think about the vast number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, it can…

One early morning there was a knock at my sister’s door. My mother was on the other side. There Mom stood, not alone, but with a neighbor. An elderly woman like my mother walking for exercise wasn’t unusual in my sister’s neighborhood, but Mom, who split her time between her…

Think about your last doctor’s appointment. At any point during the visit, did you find yourself intimidated? Did the doctor order tests? Did you understand what they were and why they were ordered? Once the results were in and the doctor explained them, did you understand everything? Were you comfortable…

Most often, people diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease exhibit symptoms in their mid-to-late 60s. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease can appear as early as 30, though thankfully, that’s rare. By the time someone reaches 60, they have many life experiences with family, friends, and acquaintances. They often…

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Defining it and its causes, however, is complicated. Researchers in Toronto at the University Health Network’s Krembil Brain Institute, for instance, suggest that Alzheimer’s is not primarily a brain disorder, but instead more of an autoimmune disease.

Caregivers, by definition, provide care, and part of that involves protecting patients or loved ones from physical harm and emotional stress. Troubling news crossed my desk this week in the form of a story out of Brevard County, Florida. Sadly, an elderly woman with dementia and living in a care…

At least 6.7 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is projected to climb to 13 million by 2050. On the other hand, the Alzheimer’s Association believes that the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s is alive today. Oh,…

I sincerely hope I never mislead anyone reading this column into believing that the road through dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is a smooth and easy highway. After all, my columns are collectively titled “Treading Dark Waters.” Caring for my mother was an honor and a privilege, but I’d…

Spring is in the air, at least in my neck of the woods. The season prompts memories of my mother. A lover of nature, she was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease in the early 2000s. Before her diagnosis, and for a good while afterward, she kept up with the…

People in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease can exhibit unusual behavior, although altered behaviors can occur in the early stages, too. Caregivers might notice slight changes in personality that go unnoticed by someone less familiar with a person who has the disease. Cognitive impairment dampens thinking skills,…